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Learn How To Play Guitar
By Joshua Jenkins
Playing the guitar can be a hugely rewarding hobby. Whilst any instrument has its challenges, with focus and regular practice learning how to play guitar is achievable for anyone. When you first play a guitar make sure you are comfortable and relaxed, this will help with the learning process. You will need a six-string guitar, a chair and patience.
The ability to read music is not vital but will benefit any beginner; the guitar has a unique form of written music, called Tablature (TAB). Tab is the written representation of notes and the lines of tab represent the strings of a guitar, the numbers on the lines represent the fret position. A solid knowledge of Tablature will be an asset to the beginner guitarist.
Tuning a guitar is also an important ability. An electronic tuner is a helpful luxury but there are many other more cost-effective ways to “tune-up”. A tuning fork is a simple yet effective method, but the easiest way is by ear. This may take some practice but is extremely helpful in the long-term.
The first thing a beginner should learn is chords, these are the basis of every song and a vital part of the learning process. The most important chords are G, C and D; these are the foundation for many popular songs. Chords are strummed or plucked; alternating between each will greatly increase your ability to play songs, which is the next step. Songs vary greatly in difficulty, from the simplest folk song to the most complicated classical masterpiece, it is important to take it one step at a time. Keeping in time is often the most difficult thing but with practice it begins to come naturally, tapping your foot or utilizing a metronome are both good ways to help.
Practice is the most important step to learn to play guitar, without practice you cannot improve. A practice schedule is the best option, whether you practice once a day or once a week will depend on motivation but the best results are gained through regularity. The more you play the better you will get but you may get sore fingers, this is normal and your fingertips will callous, making them tougher and less sore. Every time you practice make sure you are comfortable, holding your guitar properly and focused. These things will become second nature but it is easy to forget. Once you learn some chords try playing them repeatedly and in time, alternating between each until you feel confident with them. Learning scales is the next step, this can prove to be challenging but will get easier with practice. Alternate between scales and chords. Making the notes ‘ring’ clearly is very important, try pushing harder or adjusting the position of your hand.
If at any point you become discouraged remember that practice is the key, everyone has to start somewhere. Anyone can learn to play guitar, it is only a matter of patience and persistence.
See Also:
More on learning to play a guitar
Learn Slap Bass Guitar
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