Learning Guitar Takes Perserverance

It's really amazing what people can do with enough practice. It seems almost anything is possible, if you practice enough. All you need is a little perseverance, don't give up on your goals. Youtube is full of people doing absolutely amazing stuff with a guitar. In almost every case, it's not that they have a crazy amount of natural talent, it's the product of hard work and believing that what they wanted to learn was possible. When learning the guitar or any instrument it is important to visualize yourself playing what you want to play. If you can't imagine yourself ever being able to play something, your chances at success are very limited. This might sound kinda corny or very cliche, but you have to believe in yourself if you want to succeed. Remember that the primary element in whether you succeed or fail is you. Certainly you must learn to practice the correct way and with proper technique, but hard work is the most important ingredient to success. Often times, success doesn't come in the time frame that people expect, and they get frustrated and give up. Some things to keep in mind, is that everyone learns at different rates and at their own pace. Sometimes, something just needs to click and it opens up a whole new world of learning and possibilities. If you give up on your goal of being a guitar player, you will never know how close you had come to suddenly just getting it. So don't give up. To give up is to concede to failure. Decide to succeed, no matter how long it takes.

Electric or Acoustic

Many players wonder whether they should start with an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar.  There is no right or wrong answer to this question.  The answer really depends on each individual, as to which option you want to take.  I would recommend that a beginner go with an acoustic guitar.  The reason for this is that it takes more strength to play an acoustic guitar.  This will help build up strength in your fretting hand.

An electric guitar is a little easier to play, so if you start with an acoustic first, it will be easy to switch from an acoustic guitar to an electric guitar.

If you start with an acoustic guitar, it will also require less equipment to start out. Other than a pick, unless of course you just use your fingers, an acoustic guitar requires no additional equipment.  If you go with an electric guitar first, you will need an amp and a guitar cord.  This will require a lot more money than if you had gone with an acoustic guitar.

In Guitar Practice Makes Perfect

Practice makes perfect, the saying is cliche, but true, none the less.  This is definitely the case in guitar playing.  If your going to make any at all progress, your going to have to make a concerted commitment to developing good technique. 

There are thousands of internet sites and videos promising fast results.  "Be a guitar god in only three simple steps.", "Be shredding in ten minutes", "Increase your alternate picking speed 100 beats per minute" , ect.  They are only trying to get your money, there is no magic bullet or secret formula to being a great guitar player.  The way to see improve on guitar is practice.

Any great guitar player no matter how naturally gifted or talented, gained his or her skill with practice.  In guitar practice, not only the quantity of practice is important, but also the quality.  The answer is simple, there is no substitute for hard work. 

So what is quality practice?  No two ways about it, you have to use good technique.  Practicing bad technique, leads to bad habits.  Bad habits are hard to break.  Practice it right the first time and you will have it for a lifetime. 

Practicing good technique is only part of the equation.  Your practice needs to be focused and laser targeted on your goals.  Don't speed all your practice time just wanking around on guitar, that is not the way to make progress.  Sure, you might make a little progress, but imagine if you really focused in on the task at hand.  Imagine how much progress you would make.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.  This is another cliche, but again it is as true as the day is long.  Okay, enough with the cliches and on with the lesson.  This saying is true in guitar as well as real life.

First make a practice schedule, this will give you a guideline to go by.  List how much time you want to spend on each exercise or practice, there is no rule on how much time you must practice each day, but you should practice as much as possible.

Twenty minutes of targeted practice is much more effective than three hours of mindlessly wanking around on guitar.  So...  What are you waiting for, start to work on your practice schedule and then start practicing.