Five Reasons to Start Playing Guitar Today

• June 6, 2016
• Guitar Lessons

Have you been putting off learning guitar for too long? Need that extra kick of motivation to get the ball rolling? Let’s check out 5 reasons you should start playing guitar today.

1. The Sooner You Start Playing Guitar, the Better You’ll Become.

For roughly a decade, Tiger Woods was considered the greatest golfer on the PGA tour. Most analysts still have him listed as one of the three best golfers of all time. Where did all of that start? At the age of two when Tiger first picked up a club and began to learn the game of golf.

You may think that comparing one of the greatest golfers of all time to your journey as a beginner guitar player is unfair, but the truth is that every day you don’t work toward learning to play guitar is a day lost.

For those of you reading this who are well beyond your childhood years, don’t worry about the time that you’ve missed. Earlier is always better, but the answer to “when should I start learning to play guitar” is always the same: today.

2. Everyone Needs a Creative Outlet. - Start Playing Guitar Today

Have you ever felt like something was missing from your life? Many people find that their daily grind of work and family can become tiresome. One way to help you overcome this feeling is to find a creative outlet that fits your lifestyle.

The great thing about hobbies is that they can be anything that you enjoy, whether that’s knitting or painting or even playing the Harry Potter-inspired game of Quidditch. The idea is for you to unwind and do something that makes you happy. For you, that might mean learning a new instrument.

Is playing guitar a good hobby?

Learning to play guitar is a great hobby for you to pick up today. Like any good hobby, it can be done in a group or by yourself. Playing guitar can help you not only ease the tension of everyday life, but it could also improve your productivity at work or school.

There have been several studies concerning this correlation, but one of the more often cited ones comes from the University of Kansas. They found that students who participate in music programs test better than those who do not, and that the better the music program is, the high the child usually scores on tests. A press release for the study can be found here or you can read the actual results of the study here.

That leads us to our third reason.

3. Playing Guitar is Healthy For You.

Aside from the blistered fingers that a beginner guitar player may have to suffer through, playing the instrument is actually really good for you.

Studies (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17029951)  show that merely listening to music can activate your brain on a massive scale. Remember when people used to think that rock and roll was going to rot kids’ brains? It turns out that was less than accurate.

Even better than just listening to music, our minds get a complete workout when we pick up an instrument and start to play.

How is playing guitar healthy for you?

When musicians are practicing, they are focusing on one task at a time. In our busy world of smart phones, we have learned to multitask at an incredible rate, but taking the time to slow down and condense our focus actually serves as a massage for the brain. Instead of drowning in a sea of daily tasks, this helps a person’s mind relax and lose the tension of a long day at work or school.

Playing music can also help you learn problem solving, as the continual pursuit of becoming a better guitar player often involves innovation and the ability to adapt. The video below summarizes just how amazing music’s effect on the mind can be.

 

 

4. "Start Playing Guitar" is an Easy Bucket List Item.

For anyone scratching their heads, a bucket list is a group of items that most people have which details what things they would like to do before they die. These lists often include things like “write a book” or “learn another language.” Some of these are easier than others, but what’s important about a bucket list is that they challenge us to try new things.

Sometimes people get to the end of their life and realize they never did many of the items on their lists. Maybe you’ll never have the time to backpack through Europe or train for a marathon. Learning to play guitar is something that you can take care of today, though.

Many people want to learn to play an instrument at some point in their lives. Why not choose today to cross “learn guitar” off of your bucket list?

5. It’s Easy to Get Start Playing Guitar

There has never been a better time to learn to play guitar. Decades ago, a person would have to seek out a guitar instructor or luckily happen upon a book at the library in order to learn how to play. They’d also have to track down a store that sold guitars or use one that’s been passed down through their family. That all sounds time-consuming and maybe even a little expensive.

Over the last 20 years, the Internet has changed many things about our daily lives. This is also true for beginner guitar players.

Now, instead of having to put so much legwork into learning an instrument, a person can sit at home and price match different guitars on Amazon and read reviews from other customers. Then, when it comes time to actually start playing, they can browse the Internet to find affordable, sometimes even free, lessons.

On top of this, there are also online communities for musicians to gather and share their experiences. So, you see, there really is no time like today for you to learn to play guitar.

If you’re looking for online guitar lessons, Pro Lessons offers a variety of guitar instructors across every playing level. Our affordable rates will have you saving some serious money over the cost of an in-person instructor.

Click on the banner below to find out which of our lesson plans works best for you. You'll start playing guitar in no time.