LEARN TO PLAY GUITAR
Your priority in learning the guitar should always be to find the best quality instruction available to you. This can be the deciding factor in how easy you find it to learn and consequently how likely you are to succeed. So let’s explore the different methods of learning to play guitar…
Guitar Lessons My recommendation is to find a good local guitar teacher, although this is not always possible, depending upon where you live. This is by far the costliest method of learing guitar, but if you have the right teacher, you can advance in your skills quite rapidly. You’ll pay anywhere from $50 on up for an hour lesson with a decent instructor.
Online Guitar Video Lessons A good alternative to guitar lessons, is to take online guitar lessons. I’ve found that the best site by far for this is Jamplay. This site is awesome! Their website is a membership only service which broadcasts high-definition video guitar lessons. They have brought together guitar instruction with interactivity… even allowing you to ask questions to their video instructors. They feature all styles of guitar playing: Rock, Jazz, Blues, Acoustic, Fingerstyle and more. And they have beginner guitar lessons, all the way through to advanced instruction. You can read my full review of Jamplay here. You can even sign up for their free video guitar lessons and try them out. If you like them, you can sign up for a monthly membership fee of $19.95.
Guitar DVD Lessons I’m not a big fan of learning how to play a guitar from a DVD. It can really be hit or miss. You could end up spending a lot of money on a DVD, and then not be able to follow the instructor, and then the DVD collects dust on the shelf. It’s happened to me. If the instruction is at a level that you can handle, then you can certainly pick up some great techniques by watching a great player on DVD.
Guitar Instructions by Book This is my least favorite way of learning guitar… through a book. I should know, this is how I learned my basics! Yes, you can learn where to put your fingers on the strings to create guitar chords, but you can’t learn technique from a book! I’ve spent years trying to unlearn my bad habits that I developed. But if you combine a book with a video lesson, I think that there is some value in having the lessons written out in front of you.
Whichever method you choose to learn guitar, you’ll need to be self motivated and committed to daily practice.. which not everyone is! But assuming some kind of inspiration is driving you to learn guitar, everything should be fine! One of the most popular questions asked by beginners is How long does it take to learn? I would say that normally it takes around 4 weeks before you can strum along to some basic beginner songs. This assumes that you’re being taught a good quality method for guitar and possess an average aptitude for the instrument. So what are you waiting for? You could get started now and be strumming your favorite (easy) song in as little as a few weeks! Do you need a guitar? Read my article on buying a guitar.
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