ACOUSTIC GUITAR TIPS FOR BEGINNERS


So you want to play guitar, do you? Well, let’s get started them. If you haven’t bought a guitar yet, go to several music stores and try different guitars on for size. Believe it or not, there is a major difference in the way a Martin guitar fits, as compared to a Takamine, and one might feel just right while the other feels like you’ve got on a pair of shoes that are 3 times too big. Another thing to consider is price. Buy the best guitar you can afford. And if you find a guitar you like, don't hesitate to go to ebay.  You can often get the better deal on the same guitar!

Once you’ve got the guitar, purchase a book that will help you to learn to read music and purchase an instructional DVD for beginners. Talk to the people at the music store, and see if they can give you some advice on which one to pick. Believe me when I say all DVD”s are not the same. If you have more than one store in your town, go to several, if possible, and ask the same questions. Then you can make an intelligent decision.

Alright, you’ve bought a guitar; you’ve bought a music book, and an instructional DVD. Now, there are two more things to consider. Think about guitar strings. I suggest that you get medium to light gauge strings. They are easier on the fingers when you are first starting out, but light gauge strings do have a tendency to break easily if you aren’t careful when you are tuning. The other thing I recommend for any guitar player, whether you are new, or seasoned, is a guitar tuner. Intellitouch makes an excellent tuner that clips to the head of the guitar and tells you as you tighten or loosen strings how close you are to being dead on. It just makes life easier, and you can spend more time playing, and less time getting ready to play.

Now you’re home, your guitar is tuned, you have a pick in your hand, and you’re asking your self “What the hell do I do now?” What you do is begin to learn. I am going to assume that you are right handed. Take the guitar by the neck and place it on you lap, with the back of the guitar touching your stomach. Just strum the guitar. Don’t worry about chords. Just strum. Get your right hand used to touching the strings. Do this for about five minutes.

Now, start your DVD, and if a book came with it, open the book. Pay attention. The first thing the instructor will do is tune the guitar, tell you the name of the strings, and then proceed to tell you the name of the strings, and the notes on the first three to five frets of the guitar. Starting out, most of the chords and notes you play will be on this part of the neck. Then he will teach you some chords. The chords usually are C, F, and G7, or G, C, and D7. These chords are simple, and almost any song can be played with these three chords. No matter what chords are taught, practice them over and over. Your fingers will hurt, but just keep going. When you can’t stand the pain any longer, stop. Rest awhile. You will find that yourself being pulled back to the guitar before the evening is out. Be prepared. You will have calluses. They will be thick. And if you are female, then be prepared to cut the nails off.

This might sound advanced but it is not. It is something you really should do. I learned this late in my guitar playing career, but it has helped my playing tremendously. Now I am assuming that you are teaching yourself to read music. Get yourself a book of scales for guitar. A Good one is “The Gig Bag Book of Scales.” It will fit in your gig bag, which means you will have it with you whenever you have your guitar with you. Practice scales. As your playing gets better, you will find yourself using scales to help you play solos. Now that leads my to my next tip.

Excuse me for shouting but I can’t emphasize this enough. LEARN THE FRETBOARD. LEARN IT FROM THE NUT TO THE SOUND HOLE. This will help you in solos, as well as making it easier to learn different chord voicings.

One of the things that many people forget when teaching, is technique. Technique is the way you approach playing. Technique is making sure that every note sounds clearly and cleanly, if that’s what you intended. And while some will disagree with me, technique is that part of you that blends your heart and soul into the song you happen to be playing. It’s that indescribable element in music that evokes emotion in those who are listening to you’ll

I am approaching this from the fact that a lot of people who learn guitar don’t have a teacher. When I learned, I was given a guitar, a book, and told to go someplace where my parents didn’t have to hear me. We couldn’t afford to for my folks to pay for my lessons. I had to do it the hard way, because we didn’t have videotape or DVD in the home. So get busy and start playing. You will be clumsy at first, you will make mistakes, and that’s okay. If you practice, you will improve. You will learn more and more chords. You will learn to play a great number of songs, and as you improve you may start to right songs.

One last tip. If you have a friend who plays guitar, set up “play dates.” Even if your friend(s) are better that you, (and quite a few will be) don’t sweat it. You don’t get better if you don’t play with people who are better than you. You may be embarrassed, and they may pick on you some, but hang in there. Before you know it, you’ll be playing on a professional level if that’s what you want. And if all you want to do is make music for yourself, your family, and friends, then that’s okay too.