Music Tutors

Learning To Play The Guitar

http://www.just-musictutors.co.uk

02:56 11-Sep-2010

Of course there is only really one fundamental way to learn to play the guitar, and that is with the help of an experienced tutor who will guide you through your first steps with the instrument and set you on the right track. Music tutors are essential when just starting out learning the guitar as they will help correct any bad habits before they get out of hand, and will be able to encourage and inspire you as you become more competent. Learning the guitar is easy, mastering it can prove to be very difficult. We have compiled this handy guide that will help you learn to play the guitar and get to grips with an instrument so that you can decide whether it is for you or not.

1. Do not try to emulate your favourite musician. It may be one amazing riff, or one earth shattering power chord that first makes you pick up the guitar, but to learn it properly you should try not to emulate your musical icons and heroes. Imitation may be the greatest form of flattery but you will be setting yourself unreal goals too early on, and your playing needs to develop before you can tackle more complicated phrases and songs.

2. Get to know your instrument. Spend some time with your guitar, not just playing it but getting a feel for the instrument. Become intimately familiar with every square inch of your instrument, before and whilst you learn to play it. Find out what it sounds like when strummed and plucked in various ways, and spend some time becoming comfortable holding it. Adopt a scholarly interest in the instrument.

3. Practice, practice, practice. This may go without saying but to learn to play the guitar you must practise regularly. Those dropped notes and missed chords may sound horrendous now but the more you practise the better you will become, and in a relatively short space of time. Improve your technique and take joy in playing just one note to perfection.

4. Slow things down. If you are playing a piece of music or working from tablature then take things one step at a time. Learn a short portion of the song you wish to play, then another, and then another, and then begin to fuse the pices together. Take your time and do one thing exceptionally well before doing another. Do not proceed to something else until you have mastered it first.

5. Anger management. You will become tired and frustrated. You will loose your patience, and you will become angry with your apparent inability to pick up the simplest of things when trying to learn the guitar. Allow yourself to become angry for a short time, take a break, get some fresh air. Then relax back into practising and have patience with yourself. You will achieve what you set out to accomplish in the end.

6. Diversify. Why not try playing bass? Why not give acoustic guitar a go? Why not try classical guitar? Spread your wings and use your time spent trying to learn the instrument as a way to diversify your musical tastes and discover new genres and styles that you would not have previously considered, from classical and opera to death metal and everything in between.

7. Play along to CD's or MP3's. Early on when you are trying to learn to play your instrument playing along to music can be an awful lot of fun. The feeling of accomplishment when you learn to play a song from beginning to end is immense so take the time to learn all of the parts of a song and set yourself a goal of being able to play it from start to finish after a certain amount of practising.

8. Love your guitar. Take care of your guitar, learn to look after it, clean it, re-string it, and perform any maintenance tasks on it. You will feel more connected with your instrument, and more equipped to tackle any problems that may arise. You can also take pride in the instrument you are trying to learn and will feel more satisfied playing it if your hard work is what is keeping it in tip top condition.

9. Never stop learning. There are many ways to play the same thing when trying to learn the guitar. When you master one way spend some time discovering a new way to play, do not feel tempted to rest on your laurels. Always challenge yourself as a guitarist and ensure that you are always learning no matter whether you have been playing 20 minutes or 20 years.

10. Listen to your teacher. Your music tutor represents a direct link to a school of thought and a musical tradition, and even if what they are saying does not appear to make sense now follow their instructions. It may seem as though they are taking the "long way around" when teaching you to play the guitar, but the hard work will pay dividends in the future.