A Beginner's Guide To Becoming A Great Guitar Player

If there is one thing that you should invest your time, effort, and money in, it should be learning music. Nothing feels the same once you pick up an instrument, and it will have quite a positive effect on your life. It will not only improve your cognitive and memory skills but also help you feel more relaxed since playing music can relieve a lot of stress. The guitar is probably the best option to start with if you do enjoy its sound. It is a relatively easy instrument to learn, and it sounds great! Here is a beginner’s guide to becoming a great guitar player. 

Set Goals 

Becoming a great guitar player isn’t just about the technical aspects of the instruments. In fact, there is much more to it than that. You first need to set some goals before you even consider picking up your first guitar. What kind of music do you want to play? Is it blues, jazz, rock or metal, or even classical? The answer to that question will set you on the path to learning, and each of those genres requires a whole different approach, which is why you have to know early on. 

Do you have favorite guitarists that you would like to imitate at first? Are you into shredding, or are slow acoustic pieces more your thing? The answers to those questions will make it clear in your head what you have to do, as well as the kind of commitment you’ll need to be like those famous guitarists.

Understanding the Guitar 

Ask any driver out there, and they’ll tell you that you cannot be a good driver unless you fully understand your car and how every bit in it works. The same goes for guitars. You have to know what each part does and how you can modify or change it to suit your playing. The main parts of any guitar including the frets, neck, body, saddle, and bridge are easy enough to learn. Yet, you will also need to fully comprehend any additional parts like tone and volume controls you’d find only in an electric guitar. Having this knowledge will help you understand how the instrument works, and in turn how you can wield it to your will and create the sounds you want.

Find a Teacher 

You are a beginner, and there is no shame in admitting so. The thing is, you should start getting lessons to move to an intermediate level, and then an advanced one. Trying to learn the guitar, or just about any other instrument, on your own is doable, but it is much harder and the results will not be as good. You need someone with experience to guide you and teach you how to master the instrument, pointing out the errors in your technique so you could improve. A guitar teacher is your best chance of improving quickly, while also doing it right. 

Practice 

This is the first thing your teacher would tell you. If you want to pick up an instrument, the only way you will get better is through practice. It can’t be something you do when you’re in the mood. You need to practice religiously so you could get better, and the consistency makes all the difference in the world here. Those famous guitarists and other musicians you see used to practice hours on end every day to get to that level. The good news is, you can do it too, but that is only if you commit as much as they did and regularly practice every day until you get to the level you want. 

Listen to Music 

How about that for a music learning tip? Yes, listening to music is actually one of the most important things that could help you improve as a guitar player –– the music you listen to should obviously have guitars in it, so less jazz, more rock, and blues. The more you listen to the music you want to learn, the more it will be engraved in your mind and you will start developing a good pitch. You will be able to detect wrong notes while you’re playing, which is more important than you could imagine. In short, listen to your favorite music, it will help you get better.

Always be receptive to feedback and criticism whether it is from your teacher or loved ones. This is particularly more important once you get to a level where you can start writing your own music because people’s feedback will help you get better. Finally, enjoy yourself, because that is what learning music is all about. You don’t need to be a world-class musician; you can just enjoy playing your favorite tunes.