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PHIL KEAGGY - Grammy nominated and seven-time Dove Award winner, is one of the world’s great guitar players and a pioneer in contemporary Christian music.
- December 15, 2016
- Guitar 101 Beginner
Many people pursue guitar as a hobby or even a career. There are many mistakes that you can make as a beginner guitar player and everyone has their own formula for success. One thing that is certainly true is that the earlier in life you begin guitar, the better. Younger hands and fingers learn more quickly and are more responsive and pliable to the fretboard. That’s not to say that at 17 or, for that matter, 47 it’s too late.
Truly, guitar is meant to be a fun experience and any age is a good time to start learning. So, if you’re just getting started, there are a few things that will most certainly guarantee your success. Beginner guitar can be frustrating and the first 6 months can make or break you. Sore fingertips, neck and back issues, and blurry eyes from staring at notes or chords can discourage you but don’t give up. Press on!
Learning From the Books
If you’ve picked up a Mel Bay book or some other beginner guitar guide in your local music store, you certainly can follow directions and learn to play the easy songs and exercises. One mistake is moving too fast. Just because you can play it correctly once doesn’t mean you’ve got it. You must play those easy tunes until you have them memorized and play them with your eyes closed without a mistake. Then, play them for others without a mistake.
Repetition is the name of the game. Sight reading notation can take years to master and it is slow going in the beginning. That’s why the songs are so elementary. Getting your hands and eyes coordinated and your motor skills in time is no simple task. It’s muscle memory and strength you have to conquer. Your eyes, hands, and fingers are being asked to do things they’ve never done with such detail and precision. Take your time.
You may have been told to practice 30 minutes a day as a rule, but we say try playing 10-15 min at a time 3 or 4 times a day. Before school or work, then on the lunch hour, again after you are home, and, finally, before you lay down at night. You’ll build those calluses steadily and retain more in 10-15 minute spurts. Then, as you grow stronger and have more songs to play, play longer, but still break up the practice session throughout the day.
Learning From the Internet
If you’re studying online on some beginner guitar instruction site, first make sure it’s not over your head. If you’re doing what the instructor says and you just don’t sound the same, it’s possible that you need simpler material. It’s easy to miss the details and learn things the wrong way. Then, you have to unlearn bad habits like hand position, posture, fingering, and technique etc.
Learning popular guitar songs that inspire you may not be the right approach. For example, learning the chord shapes so you can play “Stairway To Heaven” may be cool, but not learning the chord names or the proper phrasing may make you sound sloppy or may lead to an embarrassing moment, especially if you can’t tell someone what key you’re in or what chord you’re playing. You may say “What does it matter? It’s supposed to be fun right?” Yes indeed, but our goal is to set you up for success. There’s nothing wrong with playing solely by ear, but if you’re gonna play with a band or other musicians, you must certainly know some basic theory.
Learning things wrong or forming bad habits can slow you down and keep you from becoming the best guitarist you can be. Beginner guitar is a very important stage. It’s like the practice of anything else. Get the fundamentals right and the rest will fall into place.
Getting better simply means rehearsing the simple things and becoming so familiar with them, that the harder things become achievable. For example, trying to sweep an arpeggio would nearly be impossible until you learn the arpeggio. Sure you can practice the motion for hours and pull it off, but that means the next move would have to be played for hours too. Just learn the arpeggio in all positions slowly and then getting the sweep down will come more easily.
Learning From an Instructor - Beginner Guitar
If you have decided to take guitar lessons in a one-on-one or class setting, that’s great. This way the instructor can monitor your progress and watch for bad habits. However, make sure the instructor is qualified. Tutoring under a great player is the goal here. Just be impressed with his or her skill and set out to learn everything you can. You can also find some great instructors online, but again, make sure that he knows what he’s talking about.
There are no magic wands and you won’t just wake up one morning and play like Jimi Hendrix. It is true that some are just born with a gift and they easily pick it up, but even those guys need lots of hours of playing guitar to become a master. The goal is to keep learning and growing.
Take on easy assignments from instructors with determination. Some lessons may only require an hour or so and you’ve got it. Other lessons may take several hours of relentless playing to play it correctly. It’s really up to you and your level of discipline or determination.
You will find that you may play for an hour and just can’t seem to get it right. You can walk away and do something else for a while and then, when you come back, you may pick your guitar up and nail it the first time. This is frustrating but normal. You should also play the song or piece of music in your head without a guitar in your hand. Just see the notes or movements and work through the tune even when you’re doing something else. It’s all part of the wiring, so to speak.
Finally, there’s no formula to getting better, we all have different challenges. Some struggle with rhythm while others struggle with memorization. If you struggle with rhythm, you need a lot of time reading simple guitar lines or songs while playing to a metronome. If it’s memorization you struggle with, analyzing the song more correctly may help. Most musical pieces are in 8 bar or 12 bar or 16 bar sections and there are lots of repeating themes musically. Don’t try to memorize the whole 4 minute piece of music at once. Break it down into 8 bar or so pieces or sections and link them together like a puzzle.
The main thing is to win the small battles and the war will be yours. It really takes a lifetime to master an instrument. Any professional guitar player will tell you that they only know a fraction of what’s out there. Music is a complex thing and everyone has their own style, so find what works for you and stick with it.
We hope that what you’ve picked up from this post is that learning is vital to becoming a better beginner guitar player. One way to do that is through using online guitar lessons like ours at Pro Lessons. Our guitar instructors are successful, experienced musicians who travel the country. Find out how you can take advantage of our affordable rates by clicking the link below.
