09 May 2007

Learning To Play Guitar

Just like any other skills, learning to play guitar takes time, patience, dedication and a lot of practice. And just like any other skills, once you learned the basics, it all comes down to creativity and more practice to expand and master the craft. Here are the basic things to get you started:

  1. Get a guitar – duh! You don't really have to buy one if you can't afford it. You can borrow from your friend. Just make sure that you have access to one as much every idle time you have that you can use for practice.
  2. Learn the guitar parts and various terminologies, such as fret, pick, pluck, capo, etc.
  3. Practice correct grip and posture.
  4. Learn how to read chord chart and memorize the basic chords. The chord charts are easy to read and understand. Basically, it shows you how your fingers are positioned on the guitar strings. Start with the easy, basic chords like C, A, D, E, G.
  5. Get a songbook or better yet, find your favorite song here in opmtunes. Find a song that has few basic chords.
  6. Play, play, and play some more. The key to learning is practice. Don't be discouraged if you are slow in changing chords. The main thing is you are training your fingers to "think on their own". In due time, you would be able to switch chords instinctively.
Remember to start slowly and master the basics first. You don't need to play and sound exactly the same as the recorded songs. But keep adding something as you go along – learn more chords (Sustained, Diminished, 9th, 6th, etc.), learn the notes for each string position, and learn to read tabs. The most important thing is to be patient and keep motivating yourself &mdash whether you want to aspire to become a famous rock star or just to impress a girl in your school, think whatever thought you have as long as it keeps your focus.

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