Welcome to Guitar Notes
Thank you for visiting Guitar Notes. Guitar Notes is a learning resources, dedicated to helping newbies learn the guitar. Guitar Notes @ Weebly is owned and operated by Guitar Notes, which is a subdomain of Fretdaddy, LLC. Fret Daddy is a music education company dedicated to helping students learn to play the guitar as quickly and easily as possible. Fret Daddy is also the world's inventor and leading manufacturer of removable fret stickers for guitar and bass. Guitar stickers allow students to learn guitar scales, chords, and other musical concepts as efficiently and effectively.
Guitar Notes
If you are still reading, then you are likely thinking about joining or have already joined the millions of people worldwide who have decided to learn how to play guitar. There's a reason you're not alone. Playing an instrument - the guitar, in particular - is one of the most rewarding things a person can do. Music is in our DNA. Every one of us has enjoyed listening to music at one point or another during our lifetime, and the act of playing music - engaging in the act of creation and expression - is even more enjoyable.
The point is this: if you are still wondering whether or not you should bother learning to play the guitar, stop wondering --- immediately. The answer is you should. Why? Because your life will improve instantly and dramatically as a result.
Getting Started: Begin with the End in Mind
Alright, so you've made up your mind and you've decided you are going to in fact learn how to play guitar. You may even have purchased a guitar recently, or perhaps purchased one a long time ago and have been watching it sit in your corner collecting dust. What's next? How exactly does one begin the process of learning how to play the guitar?
Playing the guitar is much like playing any other instrument, game, sport, or engaging in any other activity: the more you do it, the better you will become at it. So the first thing to know is that you shouldn't be surprised or get down on yourself if you're not an expert right away. No one ever is. The truth is it will take some time to build the hand-eye coordination, reflexes, knowledge base, and other skill sets required to master the guitar. But with enough practice, you too can play like a pro. Which brings us to the first and most important ingredient in learning to play guitar: your a$$ in a chair, dedicating yourself to the learning process.
How long should you practice and how dedicated should you be? It depends. If you are trying to become a professional musician (someone who gets paid to play music) then you should set aside more time to practice than someone whose goal is simply to be able to play a song or two around a campfire. Which brings us to the second point and lesson for the day: define your goals so that you may "begin with the end in mind." Write down on a piece of paper why you would like to learn the guitar. In other words, think about and record your goals.
The next step is to talk with people (preferably experts or intermediates) who have already gone down a similar path. If you know someone who already knows how to play guitar, use that person as a resource. Ask him or her questions. Don't be shy. Find out what he or she did when first starting out. How much did he or she practice? What did he or she do right? What did her or she do wrong? What would he or she do differently if he or she had the chance to be in your shoes and start the process over? Is there something about this person's playing style that you like or are impressed by? If so, ask him or her specific questions about what intrigues you.
Next, think about what style of music you would like to focus on. Do you like folk music? rock? Heavy metal? Or something different? Think about what types of bands you would like to emulate, and think about what types of sounds, riffs, and styles you one day would like to master. Write everything down somewhere - on a piece of paper, or in a word document, or even in an email to yourself. By recording your thoughts, it will reinforce them in you mind and greatly improve your chances of getting what you want - in this case: learning how to play guitar.
Once you have taken the time to define your goals, ask the questions you need to ask, and, ideally, record your thought process in one form or another, you are ready for the next lesson: how to pick a guitar that is right for you.
The point is this: if you are still wondering whether or not you should bother learning to play the guitar, stop wondering --- immediately. The answer is you should. Why? Because your life will improve instantly and dramatically as a result.
Getting Started: Begin with the End in Mind
Alright, so you've made up your mind and you've decided you are going to in fact learn how to play guitar. You may even have purchased a guitar recently, or perhaps purchased one a long time ago and have been watching it sit in your corner collecting dust. What's next? How exactly does one begin the process of learning how to play the guitar?
Playing the guitar is much like playing any other instrument, game, sport, or engaging in any other activity: the more you do it, the better you will become at it. So the first thing to know is that you shouldn't be surprised or get down on yourself if you're not an expert right away. No one ever is. The truth is it will take some time to build the hand-eye coordination, reflexes, knowledge base, and other skill sets required to master the guitar. But with enough practice, you too can play like a pro. Which brings us to the first and most important ingredient in learning to play guitar: your a$$ in a chair, dedicating yourself to the learning process.
How long should you practice and how dedicated should you be? It depends. If you are trying to become a professional musician (someone who gets paid to play music) then you should set aside more time to practice than someone whose goal is simply to be able to play a song or two around a campfire. Which brings us to the second point and lesson for the day: define your goals so that you may "begin with the end in mind." Write down on a piece of paper why you would like to learn the guitar. In other words, think about and record your goals.
The next step is to talk with people (preferably experts or intermediates) who have already gone down a similar path. If you know someone who already knows how to play guitar, use that person as a resource. Ask him or her questions. Don't be shy. Find out what he or she did when first starting out. How much did he or she practice? What did he or she do right? What did her or she do wrong? What would he or she do differently if he or she had the chance to be in your shoes and start the process over? Is there something about this person's playing style that you like or are impressed by? If so, ask him or her specific questions about what intrigues you.
Next, think about what style of music you would like to focus on. Do you like folk music? rock? Heavy metal? Or something different? Think about what types of bands you would like to emulate, and think about what types of sounds, riffs, and styles you one day would like to master. Write everything down somewhere - on a piece of paper, or in a word document, or even in an email to yourself. By recording your thoughts, it will reinforce them in you mind and greatly improve your chances of getting what you want - in this case: learning how to play guitar.
Once you have taken the time to define your goals, ask the questions you need to ask, and, ideally, record your thought process in one form or another, you are ready for the next lesson: how to pick a guitar that is right for you.