Tips to Learn Guitar

by Eric Chiverton
The art of playing guitar seems to be coming back into fashion. We've had many years of electronic music, but live music means guitars to many people. So, if you are considering playing, here are some guidelines to get you started.

Get yourself a reasonable guitar
Do not make the mistake of buying a cheap guitar to learn on. There is nothing more off putting than trying something out, then finding it is really difficult. Imagine how you would feel if an experienced guitar picked it up and told you that they too found it hard to play on because of the build quality and strings. A good guitar is easier to play than a bad one. Simple as that.

Do not spend a fortune on a guitar tuner
You can obtain free tuners on the internet simply by using the search engines. It is expensive to play and learn guitar, with the cost of amplifiers, strings and all the effects pedals. Anything you can get for free to start off with, then you should do it. It is also very inexpensive to buy a set of pitch pipes that are very easy to use to tune the guitar.

Always have a spare set of strings
This sounds obvious, but nothing is more frustrating than being in the middle of guitar practice when a string breaks.

Play slowly
It is the walk before you run analogy. If you start by playing something too quickly and making mistakes, all you are doing is learning the mistake. Play slowly, then increase the speed as your fingers adapt to what you are playing. It is an odd fact, but your brain will remember the pattern without you having to actually think about it.

Repetition is the key
Play chords over and over again. Practice removing your fingers from the guitar, then return to position. Now move to a different chord and back again. If you make a mistake, repeat the exercise repeatedly until you have mastered it. It may seem daunting to begin with, but after many attempts, there will come a point when you are able to just play what you are practicing with less and less effort.

Use an appropriate pick
When you strum the guitar, you may wish to practice using your fingers. Most guitarists however, will use a plectrum(pick). Make sure you use a suitable one for the exercise you are performing. For chords, use a reasonably thin style, with a indented top, to allow for a smooth strumming action, and to also allow a good grip. For playing lead, individual notes, use a thicker pick. This will allow the string to sound better and will also stop the plectrum from bending too much and limiting speed of playing.

Finger exercises
Away from the guitar, you can strengthen your fingers by doing some simple exercises. Using a bottle, push it gently between each finger gently stretching the muscle at its base. Do not over do this. The key is to do this over a period of time to increase the capacity to stretch to the more difficult chords. Tensing your hand tightly, drum your fingers on a flat surface, backwards and forwards. This will pay dividends when you progress to fast note combinations. It will also educate your finger muscles to be able to play smoothly.

Up and down picking
Now this one may sound obvious, but many guitarists starting off will not consider it. It is quicker to play a note twice by picking downwards then upwards. Even when switching to a different string. A great exercise to learn lead guitar, is to pick the same string as fast as you can do it accurately, up then down continuously. The objective is to perform this correctly, then to increase speed. Moving on, you will then switch strings and position on the fretboard, so developing a melody.

Bar chords
Ask anybody who has learnt the guitar and they will tell you that once they master playing bar chords, a whole new dimension to their playing was opened. A good exercise is to hold your index finger vertically and push it into the wrist of your other arm. Push as hard as you can and hold for 10 seconds then release. Repeat a few times every day. This will make the muscle in the finger better able to push down all six strings on the guitar, thus making the bar for this type of chord.

Music theory
You do not need to know music theory to play guitar. It helps when you get better, but to start with it is not a necessity. It is better to simply know the various chord names to allow you to play songs. There are methods to learn where the individual notes are on a guitar, but to be honest they take almost as long to master as simply learning by playing.

Happy learning..