I have been playing guitar for ten years now, and I know that it will be a lifetime hobby of mine. I love playing, and it has become part of me. I appreciate the sound of a guitar, both electric and acoustic. I am writing this to caution those who think they want to learn to play guitar, but don't actually have the interest or drive to learn. Don't wast your time and money till you read this.

During college friends frequently asked me to teach them to play guitar.

I said, “Sure, what do you want me to teach you to play.”

They usually responded with something like “anything cool, just show me cool stuff.”

Then I ask what they listen to that has guitar in it. "I don't know, I like everything," they respond.

So I say, "I like blues, do you want me to teach you some blues?"

Then I get a response like, "I like John Legend, he's blues, right?"

The one person that I know actually continued and learned to play named several guitar players she liked before learning, even though they weren't my favorites. She asked for a better guitar for Christmas from her parents after borrowing one of mine a few months.

I understand that not everyone knows the difference between styles of music, but this is a red flag for me when someone doesn’t know what they like to listen to. They may just want to impress someone and not really enjoying the sound that a guitar makes. Impressing your buddies will only motivate you so far. You may want to spend the extra time polishing your car. Consider your motives now before you waste a minute.

Some styles of music are more difficult to incorporate guitar sounds. Blues, bluegrass, country, jazz, rock, funk, and pop all frequently showcase guitar parts. Rap, techno, and Hip-Hop artists use mostly synthesizers, bass, and drum loops. I'm not saying give up your dreams of learning to play guitar if you love rap or hip-hop, but it may be more realistic and useful to learn one of the other mentioned instruments. I suggest keyboard in this case.

If you want to express yourself for your own enjoyment, you probably have what it takes to learn. You can learn to use it to enjoy, relax, entertain, accompany, create, and write. I have learned that if I have fun, I am much more likely to play. So when deciding how you want to learn think about what will be fun for you. Learn to play in a way you can enjoy through the rest of my lifetime. Don't take lessons from a classical music theory perspective right away if you just want to be able to strum a few chords and sing. Jumping in too deep will likely create burn out. Start with simple stuff, and practice what you like. Select a teacher that can teach you styles that you want to learn.

I didn't really have a guitar teacher, and there is less reason to have one now. Many sites offer guitar lessons many of which are free. Heck, I love YouTube just for the fact that I can learn to play guitar better with the many lesson videos people have uploaded. The problem is knowing where to start, and what is important.

What the beginner needs is someone who already plays well to guide the learning experience. My mom got me started with basic chords and showing me the calouses on her hands that she promised would soon make my fingers tough enough to play longer than 15 minutes. I discovered tabs and soaked up as much as I could from friends, even playing blues with my brother who plays keys. I probably averaged over an hour a day for the first couple years (I was in high school). There are definitely some basics that could have jumpstarted my learning curve and made me better even faster now that I look back on it. Find someone to help you out now.

If you're still convinced you want to learn, get on with it. Start checking out the free stuff online. Here's some to get you started.