Playing the guitar can be one of the most enjoyable, cathartic exercises one can undertake. There’s nothing trying to learn to play guitar by jamming along to your favorite song, picking apart a great solo note by note or coming up with your own riffs.
However, it is hard to learn guitar for beginners. Many who pick up the guitar never get to the point where they can enjoy such pleasures. They get frustrated with the clumsy plucking and the dissonant sounds that inevitably torment a beginner who’s playing guitar for the first time.
Before you can even think about making beautiful music on your guitar, especially if you’ve never played one before, there is much work to be done.
Let’s start at the beginning, with the instrument itself.
It’s essential, if you want your notes to sound like anything at all, for your guitar to be in tune. Chromatic tuners, which read notes based on the sound vibrations the instrument produces, can be purchased at reasonable prices. If your computer is equipped with a microphone, you can even find chromatic tuners online for free. Many digital amplifiers, if you’re playing an electric guitar, also have built-in tuners.
Standard tuning for a guitar is (from the lowest, thickest string to the highest) E-A-D-G-B-E. There are tons of other tunings, but don’t worry about them for now.
Get a feel for the instrument by playing a few notes. Choose a string, press it down to the neck at one of the frets, and pluck it with your finger or your pick. Try different frets on that string and other strings, and try to find sequences of notes that sound good to your ear.
Next, find a chart with some basic chords (search “basic guitar chord chart” on the web) and start trying some. Once you’re able to maneuver your fret hand well enough to play a few of the basic chords without any buzzing or dead notes, try alternating between two or three different chords.
The ability to change quickly from one chord to another will be critical as you become a more advanced player, so it’s never too early to start. Play a slow, simple strumming pattern with your right hand (opposite if you’re left-handed) while switching from one chord to another.
If you find yourself getting bored with single notes and chords, don’t hesitate to have some fun and try playing a real song. Do an Internet search for “easy guitar tabs” and look for a song you like — if your goal is to become addicted to playing guitar, nothing will accomplish that faster than mastering a recognizable riff from one of your favorite songs.
Guitar tablature is a simple, wonderful creation that allows guitarists to learn songs without having any knowledge of how to read sheet music. A guitar tab features six horizontal lines — one for each string, with the lowest, thickest string appearing at the bottom. On those lines are numbers that represent the fret on the neck that you should finger for each note or chord.
Use guitar tabs to learn how to play some of your favorite riffs, but don’t forget to practice your basic chords. They are the building blocks you’ll need to begin writing your own music down the road, and you’ll find them appearing in most every song you try to play.
Finally, if you really want to take your guitar playing skills to another level, look at joining a site like Guitar Tricks. There are tons of great guitar lessons on the site taught by some really good teachers. It’s a fun community, that beginners just learning to play guitar will certainly enjoy.
Playing guitar is hard. Try not to get frustrated if you can. Not even the greatest guitar virtuosos were born with their incredible abilities. It’s never too late to start, and even the most unpolished beginners can learn the guitar with enough practice.