Music Lessons for the Beginner Guitarist

My first guitar was a Christmas present, two years in the making, to be shared with my twin brother. It was a Yamaha Pacifica, which was cheaper than a Fender Squire, but surprisingly better in quality than the Squire, the most common beginner's guitar. The first song that I taught myself was "The Star-Spangled Banner", which was at best patriotic. Whether your first guitar is some beat up acoustic hand-me-down, or an ultra-glamorous Gibson SG, we all need a desire to learn and time to practice in order to advance as a budding guitarist.

Skip the technicalities and just play the instrument

Even if you have perfect pitch and a degree in music theory, you still need the physical strength and agility to play the guitar. The callouses that one develops on the fingers are notorious but necessary for overcoming the first hurdle as a guitarist. Focus on popular, "open" chords such as E minor and A major to develop left hand strength and chord switching coordination. Use scales to develop finger independence and simple songs like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" to develop an ear for the notes and intervals. Scales may sound completely boring, but it is vital to practice because it builds picking coordination, which allows you to pick different strings without looking. Practice of the open chords and scales will eventually led to the development of a good strumming hand. Don't fuss over the names of the notes and chords, rather, focus on playing them to the best of your ability. The music jargon will become second nature after a while, along with tuning the strings on the guitar. In fact, I encourage the use of a chromatic tuner, because although basic, tuning is a necessity that is very hard to do as a beginning guitarist. Putting new strings on a guitar can be challenging as well, and I recommend that you find someone willing to show you how this is done. Most guitarists understand the complexity in changing strings, so most will be happy to show you the ropes.

Learn to read Guitar Tab