Feeling like putting down your guitar because you're bored and overwhelmed and you don't know what to do next? Most guitarists (myself included) have been in that situation while trying to learn how to play the instrument. Here's some good advice from a seasoned guitarist to a bungling newbie:
I have wanted to play the guitar all my life. My parents got me a guitar a couple years ago, and some books. I have tried maybe three different forms of lessons, all start off at different places. Where is the best place to start when learning to play? Also, got some money now, any advice on some good software or book (idiot proof) to teach me how to play? I really do want to learn this, I’m just kinda overwhelmed. Any other advice welcome please. Thanks!
Everyone has given you great advice, but I’d like to add one very important aspect that often gets ignored…
Play well with others! You will improve 10 times as fast playing and practicing with another, than you will sitting at home in your room alone. Try to find someone who’s a better guitarist, if they can put up with you, get together to sing songs, write music..etc..at least once a week.
It’s also very important that you FORCE yourself to sit down everyday with the express purpose of practicing. Some days you may not feel up to it, but if you force yourself..if only for 15 minutes a day, you’ll find the time stretching into an hour or more.
Learn a minimum of 3-4 different ways to play each chord. This will involve partial or whole bar chords up and down the neck, but will give you a great understanding of the fret board. For example, if someone is playing the standard G chord 3-2-0-0-0-3 realize that you can play a little 3 string G chord up at the 7th fret, that’s shaped like the normal D chord x-x-x-7-8-7.
I know this sounds boring, but learn the Pentatonic Blues scale, and finally…find someway to record yourself…this is an invaluable tool for hearing areas of your playing that need more work.
Best of luck..guitarist of over 40 years.
This seasoned guitarist had good points to share, but wait a minute, does it mean that to be a good guitarist, you have to force yourself to practice?
When you want to be good at something, you have to love that something. Learning to play the guitar is not easy, I would admit, but when you love something, you learn to ignore the difficulties. When you don't feel like practicing, just go and grab your guitar and start.
You will find that the most difficult part is getting yourself to start practicing. This is normal. However, if you really love what you do, you will find yourself unwilling to stop after 10 minutes of playing. What is the pay off of practicing frequently? Becoming a better guitarist. Soon, you will see that the better you become, the more motivated you will be to practice.
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