So you want to play guitar?

Playing guitar appeals to people from every walk of life. There are some serious misconceptions about learning to play. I will address a few of them.

1. You must be born with natural musical ability to learn to play the guitar. If that was true, there would be far less guitar players in the world. Natural musical ability is more rare than winning the lottery. Anyone with determination and a love of music can learn to play an instrument. Hard work and passion are the building blocks. Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can.

2. You must start playing when you are a kid. This is far from the truth. Yes, it is true that kids have the ability to learn and master complicated skills quicker than adults, but you are never too old to learn how to play guitar. I know people that started playing when they were kids and I know people that started in their late 50's. Guess what? In many cases, the person that started in their 50's is better. Why? Passion to play guitar knows no age limits. Passion leads to inspiration. Inspiration makes practicing enjoyable. The more you practice, the better you get. It really is that simple.

3. You must sign up for expensive lessons with an instructor. This one is half true. Let me make this clear: Taking lessons is a great idea. I highly recommend that new players take lessons in the beginning to avoid developing bad habits and to build a solid foundation to build on. With that said, thanks to the Internet and specifically You Tube, you can learn to play without taking traditional lessons. The best part? You Tube lessons are free. You can compromise between the traditional method of individual instruction in the back room of the guitar store and the Internet with Skype. There are thousands of guitar instructors on the web that offer guitar lessons via Skype. What is Skype? It's a web cam based communication system. The bottom line is taking lessons at the local guitar store can be expensive and may be embarrassing to an adult just starting out. You can avoid both if you have an Internet connection in your home.

4. You need to spend a boat load of money to get a decent guitar. False. You can get a nice beginner guitar (acoustic or electric) starting around $200.00. I will help you shop for a a guitar in my next post.

5. You must start on an acoustic guitar. Another myth. Acoustic and electric guitars are fundamentally the same. They have 6 strings and 20+ frets. A B minor chord is the same on both guitars. With that said, I can make an argument for starting on either. The pro electric argument: The strings on electric guitars are thinner and therefore, easier on your fingers. They require less finger pressure to play chords and single notes. The pro acoustic argument: The strings are a little stiffer and therefore will build up finger strength quicker. They require a little more precision to fret chords cleanly. They are portable because you don't need an amplifier. Acoustic or electric - it makes no difference as long as you get one or the other and commit yourself to learning to play.

Stay tuned and rock on.......
MG316