Learning to Play Guitar: Taking the First Step

It’s not uncommon to go to a concert, a friend’s house or even wander by a music store and really start to wish you could play guitar.  Most people think that once you’re older than your teens, learning to play a musical instrument is something that just isn’t in the cards.  

While playing is not something you pick up overnight, it’s not impossible to play a guitar; in fact, learning to play guitar is really not that hard.  However, if you want to go beyond a few simple chords and some basic strumming, you need to be prepared to go down a different road.  Good news is that this road can be traveled in five basic steps that are fun and rewarding.  Some may sound like common sense, but put them all together and things will start to fall into place.

First, get a guitar.Like I said, sounds like common sense, but until you take that first step, you’ll never start.  Begin with a good quality instrument.  Don’t go out and think you’ve hit the jackpot by finding a $100.00 guitar.  In the end, you’ll be glad you spent a few extra dollars and didn’t skimp on quality.  

I’m not saying you have to go out spend thousands of dollars for a collector’s guitar or a concert performance instrument, but I am saying the garden variety pawn shop guitar generally won’t fit the bill.  To gain an understanding of the different instruments out there, talk to friends that play guitar.  

Get recommendations from them.  Look at their guitars.  Check out online sites like Harmony Central, Musician’s Friend or Music 123.  

Visit a music store that stocks and sells a large variety of guitars.Look at a few of the different instruments in different price ranges and you should start to see what separates one from the other.Talk to the salespeople.  Explain that you are starting out, what kind to music interest you and who some of your favorite artists are. Tell them how much you plan on playing. Make sure to discuss a budget with them.