Teach Yourself To Play Guitar
If you would like to teach yourself to play guitar, there has never been a better time than now to do it.
In this technological age the resources to help you have never been so abundant. If you are determined and practice regularly, you can definitely learn without the expense of a guitar teacher.
If you are able, it is certainly worth paying to learn the basics of guitar playing from a qualified teacher, but it isn't essential in this day and age. There is an enormous amount of good teaching material available online. Video is available on youtube and other sharing sites with tuition from some excellent instructors. Guitar learning courses and software are also available.
One thing that all the resources in the world wont give you though is the drive, determination and also the time to practice and study. Those things are down to you. This website was built with one purpose in mind, to help the beginning guitar player become the best that they can be. You'll find tons of teaching material, videos, audio, articles and tips and tricks that I have picked up over the past 30 + years of playing. They'll be ideas here that you wont find anywhere else. You'll find advice and help about all aspects of guitar playing. Coordination, posture, muscle memory, ear training and good practice tips.
Explore the site thoroughly, bookmark us and comeback often as new material is added regularly.
Also subscribe to my mailing list. As a thankyou you'll receive a report that I have put together which addresses some of the problems that beginners to guitar face.
You can also subscribe to my RSS feed if you use that facility.
Always remember that success in any field involves mastery of the three P's. Perseverance, practice and patience.
Happy strumming.
FIRST THINGS FIRST.
Get to know your instrument. Learn about the different parts of the guitar. Find out what each part is called, what it does. Learn the string names, listen to the sound each string makes. Which sounds highest? Which are the low ones? Play some fretted notes. Where are the highest now?
Just get to know your instrument. You are going to be spending a lot of time with it. Get to know it well.
LEARNING THE FRETBOARD.
Spend some time finding out where the notes are on the guitar neck. You can also do this when you are not physically holding the guitar too. Learn the string names, then move on to the notes on each fret. To start with concentrate on the two low bass strings. These will be most useful to you in the beginning. It wont take you long to find out where the notes are and commit them to memory. This knowledge will be helpful to you throughout your musical life.
ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE FRUSTRATED
Along with learning any new skill comes frustration. This is natural and part and parcel of being human. Remember that. Dont beat yourself up about not being able to form that chord, or sound that note. These things take time to master. Also remind yourself that any player you like and admire went through exactly the same process as you are doing now. It takes time and effort to become competent. Feeling like you'll never do it, and thoughts of giving up and that its just not worth the effort are perfectly natural. Just accept them, and carry on.
PRACTICE MENTALLY AS WELL AS PHYSICALLY
You can practice lots of the skills of guitar playing without the guitar in your hand! I know that may sound ridiculous but it isn't. Just think for a moment about all the mental processes we use when playing, without being aware of them. Our brain tells our fingers where to go, how to bend at exactly the right point. What the notes should sound like, as well as lots of other less obvious things that we rarely think about. A little awareness of this area of our brain and mind can really increase the speed at which we make progress.
Visualisation is really useful. The top performers in all areas of life use it constantly.
I think this area of playing is often overlooked in learning the guitar. Study of it will really help your skills develop.
Enjoy your journey to competence on the guitar and always remember, NEVER EVER GIVE UP!
