Learners guide to the guitar

The good news is that learning how to play the guitar is actually quite easy. The guitar is one of the easiest instruments to learn, as there are a lot of different tools and tips out there to help you. It also doesn’t take too long to learn the chords and pick up the tune of your first song.

There are, however, a few things that you should be aware of if you are thinking of picking up the string instrument. There are a lot of myths around learning the guitar, mainly around age, ability and time. A guitar is also used mostly in chill out songs or even often plaid by chill radio stations.

Firstly, it doesn’t matter how old you are, you can still easily learn songs on the guitar. Secondly, because the guitar is relatively easy to learn, you won’t be using up all your free time. Also, there is the misconception that you can’t play the guitar if you are left handed, and that is completely false. It doesn’t matter which hand is dominant you can still play.

So, if you are looking to purchase a guitar to learn, you are in luck, because they are pretty cheap to buy – especially if you purchase second hand. There are a few things to look for when purchasing a guitar:

1. Condition – if you are purchasing a second hand guitar, in particular, it is important that it is still in relatively good condition. Closely inspect the guitar running your hand over all the sides to ensure it is smooth with no splinters.
2. Price – this is obviously a major point for many people. Usually a guitar will be anywhere between $100 and $500. Second hand guitars could be even less, but remember not to compromise price for quality too much.
3. Location of purchase – the ideal place to purchase a guitar is the local music shop. Especially if you are a beginner, the employees at a local music shop would be knowledgeable and offer some great advice and general assistance.
4. Style/ Type – there are a few different styles of guitars (classic, acoustic, electric). Make sure you know which type of guitar you are interested in and do your research before making a purchase.

When starting the new instrument, make sure you set some smaller goals for yourself. Remember, practice makes perfect. So, once you’ve learnt the basic cords, start with some more easier songs then work up from there.

The chords for the guitar include D, C, G and E-minor. There are a number of different online videos to show you in detail how to play each chord. The beauty of watching videos is that you can listen to the sound each chord is making and tell if it matches the sound you are making.

Take some time learning the chords properly as they are the foundation of the guitar and you want to make sure you get this right and the foundation is strong before moving on and learning full blown songs!

Other things you should be aware of when it comes to the guitar is how to tune it. If you purchase your guitar from a music shop (or somewhere similar) then they can show you how to properly tune it, and you can walk out with a perfectly tuned guitar. But it is still good knowledge to have, and there are countless videos online that demonstrate how to tune your guitar.

Most songs will have a guitarist in it, so make sure you listen out for them. Find your ultimate goal song that you want to learn, it doesn’t matter which genre from chill out music to classic rock and roll.