Beginner Guitar Advice: 8 Tips for New Guitar Players
Learning to play guitar can be a lot of fun. However, it can also feel frustrating and intimidating, especially if you want to do it alone and you don’t have any guitarist friends to provide you with some good advice.
If you need beginner guitar advice to help you get started, these tips are for you.
Tip #1: Choose the right guitar
If you don’t have a guitar yet, consider your budget before shopping for one. If you are certain that learning to play guitar will be a passion you love pursuing, don’t settle for a cheap instrument. Get a quality one you will enjoy playing for years to come.
Apart from the price tag, you will also want to choose an electric or acoustic guitar that looks good. But there are other things you need to consider, such as the guitar’s tone and whether you intend to play right-handed or left-handed.
If you’re unsure which guitar would be a great fit, ask a music store employee to help you find the right one.
Tip #2: Get to know your guitar
Before you try to start playing chords, you should get to know your guitar.
Learn the name of its strings and its different parts. Learn how to hold a guitar pick, and try picks of varying thicknesses to test out the different tones they can produce.
You should also learn how to tune your guitar, how to change a string if ever you break one, and how to maintain your instrument and keep it in good shape. For example, you can use nitrocellulose lacquer to give your instrument a glossy finish.
Tip #3: Consider taking some in-person lessons
There are different ways you can learn how to play guitar. You can follow online lessons, watch YouTube videos, or even use an app.
However, even if you are committed to learning independently, you should consider taking at least a few in-person lessons. At the very least, ask an experienced guitar player to give you a few tips.
This is the best way to make sure you’re placing your fingers correctly on the fretboard of your guitar and to correct any mistake you might be making.
Tip #4: Set up a great learning environment
Ensure you have a comfortable and inviting spot to sit down and practice. If you keep your guitar hidden in your closet, you might forget to practice regularly! Instead, display it next to a chair or a stool in a quiet room with plenty of natural light.
Hanging a poster showing basic guitar chords, or perhaps even a few photos of your favourite guitarists, is another way to make sure you will enjoy spending time learning how to play guitar.
Tip #5: Look for online resources
The internet is full of beginner guitar advice and resources that can help you learn, practice, and get better at playing your instrument.
Look for online tutorials, chord diagrams, guitar lesson apps, and, of course, YouTube videos. Simply watching guitar covers of your favourite songs can help you learn how to play them.
There are also plenty of videos where experienced guitarists explain how to play different chords and give you some precious advice.
Tip #6: Start by learning the basic chords
You can’t play your favourite songs unless you know how to play some basic chords. But even though some chords are more difficult to learn than others, you should not skip them.
For example, the F chord is challenging for most beginners since it’s a bar chord. Although it might be difficult for you to master it, you do need to learn it. If you skip it, there are many songs you won’t be able to play.
So be sure to work extra hard to learn those difficult chords, such as F, F minor, C minor, and the barred C chord.
Tip #7: Learn songs that are easy to play
Repeating chords and chord progressions will help you improve, but it can get boring. To make your practice sessions more fun and more interesting, start to learn songs that are easy to play.
Popular songs such as Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, Oasis’ Wonderwall, and The Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun are considered easy to play. You can also search the internet for some of the easiest beginner guitar songs.
Tip #8: Be patient and practice regularly
Finally, keep in mind that practice makes perfect. You will not become a great guitarist after practicing only two or three times. Developing your guitar skills will require dedication, persistence, and patience.
So practice regularly, even for a few minutes each day. Keep learning new chords and new songs, and try recording yourself playing once in a while.
Listening to yourself play a song will help you notice what you’re doing wrong, but it will also help you keep track of how you’re improving over time.
