Tips on Learning Guitar

Music is a stress reliever and it is also a profession for many. Though the approach towards music differs from person to person, love for music remains the common point where all meets. Just like painting, music has also been there from the primitive days, where there was not even a proper language to communicate. This shows how deeply rooted music is in a human being’s life. It will be easy for a music lover to learn singing or play an instrument if one is ready to spend a minimum of 30 minutes for practice.

What is GUITAR?

The guitar has been the most favorite instrument through ages. This is mainly because of its simple nature. The guitar is a string instrument. It is a fretted instrument. It is played by strumming or plucking the strings while pressing the strings against the frets. One has to use both hands for playing the guitar. The sound of the guitar comes from the movement of those strings. There are broadly three types of guitars acoustic guitars, classical guitars, and electric guitars. The main parts of the guitar that are common in all types of guitars are body, neck, headstock, strings, frets, pegs, nuts, fingerboard, bridge, and pickguard. Nowadays, there are guitars for both left-handed and right-handed people. Mostly wood is used to make the bod of the guitar. Then plastics, nylon, synthetics are also used to make guitar parts.

How to Play Guitar?

Many people learn guitar by themselves, some find a good teacher and train under him or her. Learning the right techniques gives a good foundation and helps us to master the guitar faster. When we observe great guitarists of all times, we can see they have a good technique. Learning to hold the guitar properly will be the first step. Once you are ready to hold the guitar properly, start with simple chords, then start to strum the rhythm. If you are keen on singing then playing guitar and singing simultaneously will be a bonus.

important tips on learning guitar

Keeping thumb on the back of the neck

When a person starts learning guitar, it is natural to find moving the fingers and pressing them to the fret hard. As a beginner, there is a chance of hooking the thumb over the top part of fret to get a good grip. When we start off like this, we might feel comfortable by eventually it will become hard to get the chords clear as we will end up pressing on the fret more fiercely. It will also make movement from one fret to another difficult. Though in the beginning, it will be hard, the best technique is to keep the thumb behind the neck.

Practice both standing and sitting posture

Be relaxed when you are playing the guitar. Practice both standing and sitting. It will be comfortable to be in a sitting posture to learn guitar but there is a tendency that we will bend ourselves to see our hand movements (as a beginner). For this very reason, it is recommended that you put on an adjustable strap and carry the guitar on your shoulders so we would not be able to see our hands movement.

Don’t be in a hurry

‘Slow and steady wins the race,’ should be the mantra every young (beginner) guitarist should follow. Learning fast without getting any techniques correct would make you a disastrous guitarist and you will eventually give up guitar. So it is better to learn each chord thoroughly and then move on to the next one. Quality should be given high priority not speed but once you concentrate on quality, speed will surely follow.

Using metronome

Using a metronome will give you a good sense of rhythm and timing. In the beginning, use a slow beat without stressing yourself. The usage of metronomes will help you grow as a better guitarist. There are a number of metronome apps available online, most of them free.

Fingering

Learning the correct fingering technique makes playing scales and chords accurately. There are chances that we find an easier way to play a particular chord but for the most part, it might be a variation to the chord and not the actual chord you are intending to play. So it is highly recommended to follow the preset fingering technique to play the chords and scales precisely.

Just play chords

Trying to play just the chords or scales is a good way to learn the technique correctly. It is good to avoid strumming or plucking the strings sometimes so you can concentrate on the way chords are played. Once you learn the chords thoroughly, strumming will come to that chords naturally.

Mastering difficult chords

It may sound a tedious task to master difficult chords, but it is the best way to learn guitar to perfection. People tend to avoid harder chords in the fear of making mistake but it is a very good investment to make. Learning tricky chords will boost our confidence and will, in turn, help us thoroughly learn how to play guitar.

Daily practicing

Playing guitar is all about hand-mind coordination and this comes automatically through regular practice. If you are a busy person, practicing for hours might not be a feasible option so training at least for 10 to 15 minutes will be advisable. Practicing regularly gives you calluses and this will be a valuable addition while playing guitar.

Relax

Hardworking is the best tool for success. As a beginner, there is a chance to strain ourselves through vigorous practice. Our body and mind tend to worn out from the stress we are putting ourselves in to and to avoid this it is advisable to take a break, relax, have some fun, enjoy with friends, talk to someone, or do whatever that will release your tension and strain.

Don’t ignore strumming or picking the strings

When we concentrate more on getting the chords right, we tend to forget about the rhythm. So it is a good thing to do some easy strumming or picking strings to get the flow. After all, we get good music by learning to play both hands simultaneously and synchronously.

As a beginner, get the basics right and you will be able to create magic with the guitar.