starting playing guitar

The guitar is one of the most dynamic musical instruments. It can accompany a variety of musical genres and styles plus, you can take your first steps relatively quickly. Start by applying these simple steps to improve your technique and your performance with the instrument.

Choose the perfect seat for the perfect posture

The seat you use is vital to have the correct posture. You can sit in the type of seat you choose, as long as it provides the following aspects: Your knees should be at a 90-degree angle and slightly inclined towards you. Also, both arms must be free of obstructions. One of the mistakes is practicing on a couch, which restricts your movements and makes it difficult to play the instrument: You should never stretch to play the guitar.

You don’t sit in chairs with arms either; They also make movement difficult and cause you to keep your left elbow tucked into your torso. To play the guitar, your inquiry arm must be clear of obstructions. Finally, playing the guitar while sitting on a bench that is too high tends to bend your thighs inward, causing the instrument to slide down as you play (Kennedy, 2018).

Tune your guitar before playing

The guitar must be in optimal condition to produce quality music. Many beginners are unaware of how to tune their guitar and cannot tell when the instrument is out of tune (Guitar Tricks, 2014). This problem often disrupts learning along the way; not tuning the guitar can create problems in differentiating good sounds from those that are not so good. This mainly harms guitarists who do not have a developed ear (Lowden, 2015).

For example, playing the guitar in tune allows your brain to remember the sounds of the notes and recognize if a note is out of tune. If the instrument is out of tune, this “ear” gives you a chance to correct the problem; But if you constantly practice with a guitar out of tune, your brain won’t be able to recognize the correct sounds for each note.

However, playing the guitar out of tune will make you sound bad, plain and simple. This experience will undoubtedly take away your confidence and motivation to keep moving forward. A simple tuning will do wonders.

Don’t forget the theory

The theory provides a tool that helps you play or create music, not as a set of rules that must be blindly followed (Guitar Tricks, 2014). It is the understanding of how music works and the relationship that exists between rhythm, structure, melody, harmony, and other elements.

Ignoring theory can hurt your progress, especially because you get incorrect techniques that hinder correct progress and learning in the future: “Take some lessons from a professional teacher and learn to properly strum and choose techniques like chord change. Even a few lessons will make you feel more confident when playing ”(Wolfe, 2017).

The theory also allows you to grow as a guitarist: “Learning even a little about the structure of chords, scales, tones, and how these things are related and work together is a critical aspect of being a well-rounded musician,” says Guitar magazine. Tricks (2014).

Depends on proper practice

Learning barre chords is the biggest leap in guitar study; it can also represent the first hurdle. Barre chords refer to using one finger to hold multiple strings. Using these chords is often a challenge for beginners as it requires some skill with the hand and dexterity with the fingers. Due to this apparent complexity, many students choose to avoid barre chords. However, with a little practice and commitment, these chords are soon mastered, giving the musician flexibility and the ability to play songs that depend on them (Guitar Tricks, 2014).

Learn basic chords

Learn 7 universal basic chords to play many of your favorite songs. Learning to play these chords is also the first step to provide you with sharp or flattened chords, you just move the chord figure one next or previous fret.

Fifth chords (or power choros) are a simplified version of the basic chords we just mentioned. They can facilitate learning by temporarily providing very obvious advances, as you don’t play the entire chord – thus making practice easier.

Don’t forget… know your instrument

If you start playing the guitar, you will know that there are different types of guitar. The acoustic guitar is made of wood, it has an empty body that amplifies the sound acoustically. There is the guitar with nylon strings – better known as classical or Spanish guitar – and the guitar with metal strings – primarily used in rock and blues.

Then there is the electric guitar that has a solid body and an amplifier to increase the volume. This one also has 6 strings, although there are versions of 12. In turn, there are 3 different types of electric guitar: The standard electric guitar, the semi-acoustic guitar (It has a resonance box and one or more electric pickups), and the bass. The latter has 4 very thick strings that produce very low and deep tones; They are usually heavy and long and also require an amplifier like any type of electric guitar.

Finally, it is important to follow instructions to know the different parts and pieces of the guitar and its function. The anatomy of the electric guitar differs from the acoustic guitar. First of all, an acoustic guitar produces the sound through the strings and is naturally amplified in the resonance box, while the electric guitar translates the vibrations of the strings from electronic devices and the sound is generated through amplifiers.

A little patience and determination

It is important not to be impatient and not expect to acquire the skill instantly. In itself, the practice helps the student to discover weaknesses and challenges; it also gives you the opportunity to correct any mistakes, strengthen your knowledge, improve your technique, and increase your confidence.

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