Everybody dreams of being a rock star, playing the guitar like the late, great Jimi Hendrix, but where should you start?
Although playing the electric guitar can look quite complex with lots of practice and dedication there is no reason you won’t be able to play your favourite songs on the guitar.
Let’s have a look through some tips and tricks to get you started into turning into that rock star!
Choosing The Right Guitar For You
Although you may be tempted into buying the most lavish and expensive guitar there is, it’s probably a good idea to start with something a little cheaper.
You don’t want to blow all your money on an instrument then find out you don’t have the commitment needed that it takes to learn how to play.
Maybe start off with an acoustic guitar, so that you can get your head around the guitar’s workings before moving onto an electric guitar.
However if you have your heart set on an electric guitar, maybe try looking for a second hand one that is in good condition.
Have a little search online to find the perfect second hand guitar for you. If you are unsure what to look for then seek advice from a specialized music instrument shop or do a little research online.
Where To Learn The Basics
Once you have purchased your electric guitar and had a little play around with it, you will now be wanting to learn the basics.
The Best Way To Learn Electric Guitar would be to find some online courses that can teach you the basics all the way up to the more complicated stuff.
You could also try and find yourself a local tutor near to where you live, again doing a quick search on google or your favourite search engine to discover tutors who are nearby.
If you are feeling confident, and you are somebody who can learn things quite quickly, then you could always look for video tutorials online to try and self teach. Be warned though there are many online videos that offer to teach you how to play your electric guitar and while some will be very helpful some may be a complete waste of time.
Time Management Is Key
If you are serious about learning how to play the electric guitar, you will need to set aside a fair amount of time to practice.
Try and set yourself a daily, weekly and monthly calendar of when you will be practicing and learning your new guitar. Try to get into a habit so that you are practicing at the same time each day.
Sometimes you may become frustrated if you are not learning or getting better at the pace you wish to, but try not to get disheartened, learning a new skill like playing the electric guitar can and will take a long period of time.
Guitar Rock stars like Jimi Hendrix didn’t learn to play as well as they did over night. It can take years of dedication, so don’t give up just yet.
Find A Good Practice Spot
Where you practice and learn your electric guitar can be just as important as your method of learning. You need a good environment that sets the right mood for learning.
Make sure whichever room you choose to practice in has plenty of light and has no other distractions around like a loud television. You need somewhere where you can learn in peace without any distractions.
You also need to make sure that you are comfortable as you may be practicing for a long period of time, so be sure to be sitting somewhere comfy.
You may want to show off your newly learned guitar skills but while you are dedicating your time to learning it would be best not to be around friends or loved ones that may distract you.
So instead use the time you set aside for learning for just that and show off what you have learnt after practice time.
Learn The Basic Chords
Playing chords is vitally important for playing most songs so learning how to play the most basic chords early on will be extremely advantageous.
Open chords are the easiest to learn and are a great gateway into learning the more complicated chords.
Like everything in life practice makes perfect! Learn a few basic chords and keep practicing them, strumming them over and over and switching between one chord to another.
This is a great way to get your hands used to the positions they need to be in to play the chords and with lots of repetitions, it should start to become more natural for you.
Once you have memorized the first few chords, move on to another set and so on and so forth. Even with just a small repertoire of chords you should be able to start playing something that will resemble some kind of song.
How Long Will It Take Me To Learn
Now that is a hard question, which can be answered by how long is a piece of string. It really depends on many things how long it will take you to master the electric guitar.
Some people are very musically talented and will pick it up in no time at all while others it may take a lot longer.
Instead of worrying how long it will take, enjoy the process as after all you should be learning and practicing on your guitar because of the fun it brings you,
With lots of practice, hard work and dedication you should start to see results in your playing ability within the first month or so. Your method of learning will also play a key role in how you will be able to improve.
To Summarise
Being able to play a musical instrument like the electric guitar is such a wonderful skill to have, and although it’s not easy to learn it’s certainly worth all the effort.
Practice, practice and practise some more and you will soon be that rock star you have always dreamed of becoming!
