Learning to play the guitar can be tricky, that’s why at OnPointGuitar.com we are happy to give you a few tips. This can be something as simple as having some patience and realizing that the process will take time. Continue to challenge yourself but make it easier with a guitar tuner and work out how to hold your guitar comfortably. Developing calluses, learning a few covers, and regular practice also helps.
Have Some Patience
Like anything, learning how to play the guitar as a beginner will require patience as well as persistence. Try not to rush the process so you can slowly develop good habits without getting frustrated. Commit yourself to the long haul and understand that, with time, you will improve and develop.
Try Not To Look At Your Hands
It sure can be tempting to stare at your hands while you play the guitar yet resist the urge. At the start, you may need to look at your hands while you change chords. Instead of checking your hands, try closing your eyes, listening to the sound, and checking where your hands are every so often.
Challenge Yourself
While it will take time to learn certain chords and riffs, you will need to push yourself. Once you learn one chord, see how you can progress to another one. Once you learn a few chords, challenge yourself to a full cover version. After that, try to incorporate your own twists and get more comfortable with your playing.
Learn at your own pace and take your time. When you think you have mastered a few chords, speed up the changes between them. Try to make them as seamless as possible and then move on to trickier chord changes.
Learn How To Use A Guitar Tuner
While you are learning how to play the guitar, you will need to get a guitar tuner. You could also use an app on your smartphone. Without a guitar tuner, you may never know what your playing should sound like.
While your guitar will be a key investment, so will your guitar tuner. Over time, you should recognize what an in-tune guitar sounds like and your playing will improve. By that point, you should be using your tuner less and less.
Hold The Guitar Properly And Comfortably
If you struggle to hold the guitar properly, you may struggle with your playing. This is a fundamental aspect of learning how to play the guitar so let it rest on your leg then hold it. Make sure that the neck of the guitar is just about parallel to the floor. Your forearm should be mobile enough to move across the guitar without rubbing against the guitar too.
Try To Learn Some Covers
By playing your favorite songs, you can enjoy the feeling of song construction. That should mean mastering chord progressions, riffs, licks, and strumming patterns. Pick a few of your favorite songs and try to incorporate them into your practice. Perhaps with your own twist.
Develop Calluses
The more you practice playing the guitar, the more you will develop calluses. This is a hallmark of a known guitarist so look out for them week on week. Calluses are nothing to be afraid of as the pain from your fingers will ease the more you play. The calluses will also help reduce the issue of fret buzz so you should be able to apply better pressure at the right spot by applying less force.
Fit In Regular Practice
If you can, try to practice playing the guitar every day. That may mean a new chord every week or so, maybe a few covers every month. It may mean simply going over whatever you have learned so far and focusing on a few aspects of playing until you are truly comfortable with them. As little as 20 minutes each day can really help you progress so practice what you learn.
You may even benefit from practicing with someone else to encourage both of you. It helps to have some support and you can share ideas too.
Summary
Every guitarist had to start somewhere and that means learning the basics. Working out what an in-tune guitar sounds like and fitting in regular practice helps too. Gradually, you can develop calluses and find that your guitar playing becomes easier as a result.
There are some fundamental aspects of your learning that you should pay the most attention to. Make sure that you can play the guitar comfortably and confidently. Be patient but be prepared to challenge yourself too.
