Another FREE Guitar Lesson – Common Questions Answered
Your friend Mike here from KillerGuitarTips.com with another Free Guitar Lesson
This week I’d like to go over the most common frequently asked questions I get asked on a weekly basis.
Sometimes I’m asked questions like “Do I have good guitar playing fingers?” Or “What is the best guitar for me to learn on” and very often “How should I practice?”
In over 2 decades of teaching guitar I can say without question I have probably seen every shape and size of hands and fingers there can possibly be. From short and stumpy through to long and thin. I have not yet found anything that has prevented a student from successfully learning guitar. What matters is practice, with practice comes dexterity in anybody dedicated to learning to play the guitar. So please dismiss the fact that your fingers make a difference, it’s not your fingers it’s all about practice and dexterity. Just keep practicing and adjusting your hand position when you hear a muted (duff) note. Slowly and surely you will build up the skills and technique in order to play all your favourite tunes both easily and smoothly.
What is the best guitar to learn on?
This question is about money and choice! If your favourite music id rock music then you may wish to consider an electric guitar to learn and practice on. If your bag is the sound of an acoustic guitar then this is exactly the type of guitar you should learn on. There are no rules. The way we learn guitar is the same no matter what type as a beginner. Sure, there are different styles but that comes later in your learning progression. For now play what you like to listen to because there is one thing for sure… If you don’t enjoy what you are doing you will seriously hinder your progress.
There are certain things you need to consider when choosing a guitar. The better guitar you can afford usually but not always the easier it will be to play and ultimately easier to learn on. If you can afford a better quality guitar then my advice would be to go for it but please don’t get despondent if your pocket cannot stretch that far, there are lots of budget guitars on the market that are plenty good enough to start out on.
An electric guitar will be easier on the hands than an acoustic so if you learn on an acoustic the transfer to an electric is a delight, vice versa and you will have to put in extra effort to hold down even the simplest of chords. Which ever your choice you will need to practice regularly to obtain good results.
Practicing.
In my personal experience I have found it better to practice for short regular periods rather than trying to cram it all in on a Sunday afternoon!! Half to one hour sessions everyday are best. As well as trying to master new pieces and exercises go over your older stuff just to ‘keep your hand in’. Divide your practice time into sections for exercises, scales and chord work not neglecting some time to play your favourite songs. Try and restrain yourself from just messing with chords and ditties, construct a regular practice workout and stick to it!!
I cannot stress the following point enough about the importance of practicing.
Learning to play the guitar is a combination of knowledge (What to play) and physical motor skills (being able to accurately and quickly move your fingers). The two together create great killer guitarists.
Any guitarist needs to develop their motor skills in order to progress. Way too many guitarists give up way too soon because they struggle to play a particular piece blaming themselves for not being good enough. Their friends stick at it and succeed purely through stickability. One of the main differences between you and the likes of Eric Clapton is they stuck at it. You can do the same, don’t give up at the slightest obstacle.
To play a guitar well takes time and practice to build up the necessary skills. Here’s a great tip: Learn the piece you want to play in your head first before you start to practice. Then practice it slowly so there’s no possible chance of a mistake, then increase the speed and pace until you are up to speed.
As mentioned earlier in this article, it is better to practice for short periods of time as oppose to cramming everything in when you can.
Remember ‘repetition is the mother of skill’ the more practice you can fit in the better player you will become.
There are no short cuts, no free rides, you will get out of it what you put in. It is vitally important to practice good technique and motor skills shown to you by someone who knows what they are doing, not your friend around the corner as they will probably only teach you bad habits which are very hard to get rid of.
Tags: electric guitar, fender, gibson, guitar, guitar chords, guitar lesson, guitar lessons, guitar tab, How To Play Guitar, learn guitar, Music
