Beaten up with the conventional way of learning how to play an acoustic guitar without even perfecting a single tune? Are blisters forming on the tips of your fingers and yet nothing’s making sense? Maybe you have to double check your resources or better yet, yourself. There must be something terribly wrong with the way you handle your guitar.
Here are some of the numerous ways to learn play an instrument as lovely as an acoustic guitar. All you need is a piece of pick, your own or borrowed guitar, and a lot of patience. Well, a couple of manuals will do and if you’re not satisfied with that, an internet access.
First, you have to make sure that your guitar is properly tuned. Nobody would dare listen to a complete mess. If you don’t know how, find someone who knows.
Then choose from the wide variety of resources. You could search for a private teacher, go online, or settle on being alone with your references like books and manuals. Examples of private tutors are those whom you know, friends, neighbors, your relatives or someone who is paid. An online opportunity is endless. Some sell you copies of their video recorded lectures others are on the spot. Still, your choice.
After which, find the right spot to play in. It has to be comfortable. Your guitar must be supported, if not by your thighs. Hold it steady maintaining your right hand on the strings just above the sound hole and the left hand on the fretboard.
Now, a lot of suggestions were implied by numerous guitarists who had your position once before, a beginner. They suggested that, above everything else, you have to use those two organs hanging on the side of your head just below your temporal lobe, your ears. Right.
Of course you have to use other important senses, like your eyes. That would be a very positive view. But what about those who are blind? Haven’t it occurred to you that at some way they have mastered the art of playing a guitar without even seeing what it looks like. They just follow their instincts and feel the chords. Yes, they listen.
Listening. One of the most effective ways of learning.
Remember you’re handling an acoustic guitar. It doesn’t require any of those crappy contraptions just to make music work. You need more than an amplifier to change your voltage of music current. All you need to do is effectively listen to the melody and determine whether you’re getting the tunes right.
In the event that practicing goes wrong and absolutely mystified, you could always go back to the drawing board. Memorize the chords. The emphasis on your memorization must be on the basic. The C,A,G,E,D chords are considered as the building blocks to your bountiful success in guitar playing. Not only are these chords easier to achieve but they are included in most of the songs played nowadays. Surprisingly, including R & B.
Keep on practicing with these basic chords. Try it without looking. That would be able to help you figure out if you’re strumming the wrong way. Feel your strings tremble and stop. You have to take control of your music. These various ways of playing isn’t the exact key to learn but only a guide.
An acoustic guitar is a wooden instrument that’s shaped like the number eight and has a hole at its middle part. Often mistaken as a classical guitar, an acoustic guitar is hollow and is composed of six strings made of steel. These strings, when struck, produce sound.
Enough of the slight introduction. That just gave you the idea of what an acoustic guitar looks like and what is its purpose. Enumerated in lessons are steps on how to play an acoustic guitar successfully without the thought of giving up that easily.
1. Before starting, be sure you have a guitar. Acoustic guitar to be precise. It doesn’t matter if its old or new for as long as its acoustic.
2. Choose the best website that can provide you with all the options on the how and what of handling a guitar. There are tons of websites designed to offer a great amount of resources and knowledge regarding instruments. Catching up those sites can also provide free online lessons.
3. Have an idea on whom to patronize. Some musicians play for the sake of popularity while some play for an artist’s sake. Choose someone who plays for good music. Artists like John Mayer are most popular on this category. Remind yourself that acoustic guitars aren’t exclusively for the mellow ones but for all sort of music.
4. Memorize the physical parts of your guitar. Remember every angle and functions built with it. Understand how they produce such sounds and how it turns out bad. You might think this isn’t vital. But fact is, this is one of the most important things you should remember when handling and playing an acoustic guitar.
5. Learn the basic chords first. Aside from that, learn the different ways to play those chords. Example, C has more than 6 different hand positions. This will add more flexibility on your hands when moving from one fret to another.
6. Master your chords by not looking at them every once in a while. Practice the muscles of your hand while talking to someone or listening to the radio. The purpose of multitasking is to help you avoid looking more often on your hands while playing. This is a good strategy for easier retention of the different chords and to make your hands familiarize itself with the different frets.
7. Practice at least 5 days a week for at least two to three hours. If you’re really itching to be on the pedestal, learn to be patient. Everyone has to start somewhere. And that somewhere is from the very basic. Apart from that, practicing daily entails proper body mechanics. Meaning you have to learn to position your body in a manner that won’t strain your muscles and body parts.
8. Build up those callous on the tip of your fingers. This is painful, very. But as you go on with your lesson you’ll realize that calluses are with good use. Calluses make your fingers numb. Thus, making it easier for you to play.
9. Upon learning the easy part, put extra effort on learning the hard parts of the chords. Barre chords are considered the most difficult part of playing an acoustic guitar. Most beginners skip it. Word of advice, don’t.
10. Rest. Don’t exhaust yourself if you can no longer go on. Do it the next day. Remember, learning doesn’t have to be an obligation but a right. It has to be slow but accurate.