All famous rock stars and musicians started from scratch, carrying a dream in their heart to make good music and a hobby which turned into passion. With lots of instruments to choose from, you can start learning one of the easiest string instruments, the guitar.
With the guitar being handy, you can bring it anywhere and play it with your friends. Studies even show that music making is one of the ways to relieve stresses in life. Playing the guitar may be hard at first, just like learning a new lesson in school or probably a new language. But after knowing the basic, it will get easier.
It would be a good idea to get familiar with the parts of the wooden, stringed instrument and how it works. The copper strings vibrate, which creates the sounds. The neck of the guitar is the long wooden piece where strings are attached. Frets are the metal division in the fingerboard where chords are usually pressed. Remember, holding the guitar in the right position is one of the keys to successful playing.
There are schools that offer beginner guitar lessons, but learning it yourself is also an achievement. By just buying guitar books or watching videos of guitar playing tutorials, you can go a long way. There are some really top class online systems to learn also, and you can see a comparison of them at http://www.guitarbrief.com/. Just remember that you have to carefully place your index finger, middle, and ring finger depending on the chord you are playing. Make sure that other fingers don’t touch other strings to make a good sound.
You have to memorize next the basic chords to create a tune. Most songs require basic chords thus learning it will let you play variety of popular songs. There are 4 types of chords:
1. The Power chords are built on the lowest notes of an open position or barre chord. Common power chords are E5, A5, and D5. Practice easily with When September Ends of Greenday and Kings’ Stand by Me.
2. The Open chords are the most popular of chords, and are great for beginners. It is usually played in the first three frets of the guitar. Famous songs which use such chords are Carnberries’ Zombie and Taylor Swift’s Teardrops on my Guitar.
3. The Barre chords require strength from the guitarist’s left hand and needs complex finger positions. These are usually with the word “minor, sus, major” and are usually played by advanced guitarists. Try ‘Til there was you of The Beatles to practice playing the guitar with the song’s Barre chords.
4. Slash chords are common in pop music; they give a lot of harmony. Some of the famous songs you can play that prominently feature slash chords are Aint no Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye and Hey Jude of The Beatles.
Practicing will unleash the guitarist in you. Do not give up. You’ll probably see calluses forming on your left hand, but you’ll be fine. Endure but don’t rush yourself, just be relaxed and later on, you will find yourself playing the guitar while reading tabs instead of chords. Later on, you can make your own music and let your heart out through your guitar. When your hobby evolves into a skillful passion, you might even find yourself performing in a concert, playing your own good music for thousands of people. That’s the best part! Who knows?
