Are you suffering from TMI? (Too Much Information)
There are literally thousands of resources for learning to play guitar. Beginning guitar players are being bombarded with information, opinions, learning methods, DVDs, you name it. There's really way too much to choose from, so your progress stops because you don't know who to listen to.
What should you learn first?
Some guitar teachers advise you to learn notes, some think it's chords, other think it's songs, and still others think it's technique. Here's how I approach teaching a beginning guitar student. Keep in mind that I don't engage in "cookie cutter" lessons where I teach the same way whether you're 8 years old or pushing 80.
There are things you should think about.
Even though you're just starting out, you should give some thought to what you're trying to do. For example, if you goal is to play and sing, you should probably start out by practicing chords. As soon as my students can play 4 or 5 chords I get them working on a song. It's a lot more fun to practice chords when they end up sounding like something. Don't buy a chord book with the intention of just memorizing all the chords. Unless you have a use for a give chord you're not likely to remember it.
Note reading, tabs, and chord charts.
While it's easy to find tablature, or tabs, for songs, it's still a good idea to learn at least a little about standard notation. Reading music is not as difficult as most people think it is, and there are lots of times when it's more useful. Tabs are not standardized, so most of them don't indicate rhythm. To use a guitar tab you'll need to have a recording of the song and preferably a way to slow it down. The program we use to slow songs down is: RiffMaster Pro. (Affiliate link.) The advantage to tab is that it's a number system so it's easier to read sometimes. Most songbooks come with the chords listed at the top of the 1st page and placed over the correct words.
Find yourself a teacher, at least in the beginning.
A professional, experienced teacher can help you sort through the choices available as well as answer questions. One of the problems with teaching yourself to play guitar is that it can take a long time to learn what a teacher could show you in a few minutes.
The main thing is to get started doing something!
After reading this post, I'm hoping you're ready to get started. Another negative from too much information is not knowing where to start, and putting off learning the guitar completely. Once you're on your way to playing you can make educated decisions about what to learn and in what order.
Any questions or comments? Post them below this article and I'll be happy to reply to them.
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2 comments:
I always enjoy reading your blog, it helps me teach others.
I have been teaching beginning students to sing each note as they play it. For example, as they are learning each string, I tell them to listen to the note carefully and try to find it with their voice. It's never too early for ear training. What do you think about this? How do you incorporate ear training into your instruction?
I encourage my students to sing notes as well, although some of them are very reluctant to even try. After they can move around on guitar we do ear training lessons every now and then. I introduce the circle of 5ths and then have them use it to try to find the chords in a song. I'll also turn away from them and try to get them to hear the difference between major, minor and 7th chords.
Thanks for posting the comment and for the kind words. It's good to know that you're finding it useful.
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