There are people who think learning to play the guitar is the easiest thing to do and then there are those who believe it’s too hard. But the truth is, anyone can learn to play the guitar, as long as they remember that becoming a guitarist isn’t something that happens overnight! Although learning to play won’t be as hard as flying a rocket to the moon, you need to overcome a few tricky aspects in order to succeed.
Being Patient
It might seem like a strange thing to say, but understanding chords and knowing how to read tabs isn’t as difficult as staying patient. As mentioned, you won’t be the next Jim Hendrix in a week and frustration can easily creep in when you feel like you’re not progressing.
Try to take your learning slowly and don’t start reaching the moon until you got a launchpad built for your rocket. This means you need to start with the basics and keep repeating them until you are ready to take on the next challenge.
If you feel like you aren’t improving at all, try something different. Pick a new song or browse the internet for tips from other guitarists. Above all, don’t give up after a few weeks. Slowly but surely you will get there.
Practising Regularly
As well as learning to be patient, you also need to stick to a routine. The biggest reason people don’t succeed in learning to play the guitar is because they don’t practice often enough. Repetition is the key to mastering the guitar and you need to create yourself a routine and stick with it.
The good news is that learning to play the guitar is now easier than ever, thanks to technology. You can take online video lessons from the comfort of your own home and find tabs and chords online. This can all save you both time and money, while providing you the freedom to play whenever you have time and enthusiasm. Just remember to do it daily!
Reading Music
There’s a constant debate going on whether being able to read notes is important for learning an instrument. The truth is the ability to read music isn’t going to do you any harm.
Being able to visualise the sound you need to make will help you improve your guitar playing skills faster, so you should definitely try to add some music theory to your practice routine.
Training Your Fingers
There are two things making guitar playing a challenge for your fingers. First, you will experience sore fingers, especially at the start, when you play the guitar. The pain might make you feel like giving up, but try to stick through it, as it will get easier after time. In the meantime, try finger exercises and lotions to help make it a bit more bearable.
Second, getting your fingers to do exactly what you want is actually harder than it sounds. You’ll need to be patient and repeat the movements time after time before it starts becoming automatic. It is a good idea to practice playing the notes without the guitar as well. If you are stuck in traffic or queuing to the bank, play the chords with your fingers.
Learning to play guitar is a journey, but it can be a very rewarding one in the end. You can find plenty of resources to help you from our blog to make it a bit easier.