Learning to play the guitar can be a great challenge. For many people, that mountain is too steep to climb.

But it does not have to be like that. If you know where to start, the road to success can be a smooth ride.

This article will show you how to get started by giving you some tips on how to learn the basics without too much trouble.

It all comes down to this:

One thing at a time. If you’re a beginner, you don’t want to watch Al Di Meola and then grab your guitar and try to play like him. You have to start from scratch.

When it comes to learning the basics of playing the guitar, I personally don’t include things like music theory, learning notes, etc. If you want to play, play! There’s plenty of time for the boring stuff later.

With that said, here are some helpful tips for learning to play the guitar. (In no particular order)

1) Some things to buy:

– A guitar. It can be useful to have a guitar if you want to learn to play.

But don’t buy the cheapest you can find.

– A guitar tuner. An electronic tuner is very easy to use, you can tune your guitar in less than a minute and it is not expensive.

-Get a boss. The one I use (joyo jt12bclip) is not the cheapest, but there are many for less money.

-Plectrum (Pick). He buys a lot of them. Like cigarette lighters, they have a habit of disappearing.

I suppose you could find a lot more “good things to buy”, but we should stick to the basics, right?

2) Get a chord chart. You can find them everywhere on the internet. Or go buy a chord book.

3) Chords:

Start with the “open” chords. They are easier to play and learning barre chords is a bit more difficult. For a long time, F was the only chord I didn’t use the open chord for. Useful chords to start with can be C, A, Am, D, Dm, G, E, Em, and F.

When you are familiar with these chords, practice switching between chords. For example, many songs use the sequence G, Em, C and D (over and over again) (Try it! Play those chords and sing: “Always look on the bright side of life…”)

4) Songs to play:

When you learn to play a song, it is very helpful to choose artists and songs that you love. There are 2 reasons for that. First, it’s much more fun to play the songs you like and you’ll automatically put more effort into your work.

5) Play often.

No, it is not enough to play one hour a week. I would say 30 minutes each day is a minimum if you ever want to improve your gaming skills. And do this at least 5 days a week. It would be a shame to get stuck with Parkinson’s, by the time you finally got all the chords right. So practice often!

6) Go slow.

Do not rush! When trying to learn a new riff or a new song, don’t try to play it too fast. Slow down until your fingers know what they are doing. Then you can increase your speed.

7) Posture.

don’t laugh. It’s more important than you think. You may think that Slash looks great with the guitar hanging from his knees, or lower. But it’s not the perfect posture when you’re new to this. It’s no fun when your back, shoulders and wrists hurt, just because you’re sitting in a bad position.

Google the term “guitar playing posture.” You will get more results than you ever wanted :o)

8) corns.

Your fingertips will have them. And they will hurt at first. And biting them will hurt even more. So leave them alone. Over time, you will have hardened fingertips, perfect for playing the guitar.

9) Thongs.

You may have a hard time caring about an acoustic guitar. Most come equipped with .12 gauge, but if you replace them with .10 strings you will notice a difference.

10) Have fun!

Don’t forget, not for a moment, why you are playing your guitar. Forgot already? Sitting there cursing your wayward fingers in frustration?

Put that wooden thing aside for a while and pick it up tomorrow.

But why stop there? If you really want to be a praised guitarist and keep your audience spellbound, there is an easy way to achieve it.

Run over to Pelle’s Guitar Stuff and see for yourself! And from there? Well the sky is the limit!

Playing the guitar is all about having fun. You’re supposed to have fun, right? What’s fun if it’s not fun?

Learn to play the guitar: 10 tips to get started

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