So you’ve conquered all the hardest licks on Guitar Hero, and now you’re ready to do the same on a real guitar. Two problems: 1) You don’t have a guitar; 2) You don’t know how to play. Guess what? That’s okay. That’s what this article is here for. By the time you finish reading this article, you’ll have all the information you need to find the right guitar for your needs and to discover the fastest ways to start shredding.
So you’ve conquered all the hardest licks on Guitar Hero, and now you’re ready to do the same on a real guitar. Two problems: 1) You don’t have a guitar; 2) You don’t know how to play. Guess what? That’s okay. That’s what this article is here for. By the time you finish reading this article, you’ll have all the information you need to find the right guitar for your needs and to discover the fastest ways to start shredding.
Buying a Guitar
First, let’s start off with some tips for buying a new guitar. After all, you can’t exactly start playing guitar if you don’t have one.
* Acoustic or Electric—The first question you have to answer is “Do I want to play acoustic or electric guitar?” The answer to this question depends on what style of music you’re wanting to play. If you’re into rock/punk/metal, then an electric guitar is best suited for your eneds. However, if you’re interested in playing folk/country/soft songs, then an acoustic guitar is probably what you’re looking for. Here’s an easy way to figure out which type of guitar you prefer: Look up pictures of your favorite bands to see what types of guitars they play.
* Budget—Your budget will determine a couple of things: 1)What brand of guitar you’ll get; 2) Whether you’ll get a new or used guitar. As someone who has been around music for most of his life, I recommend starting out with an inexpensive, yet reliable guitar. The reason is that most people just don’t stick to learning guitar. They try it for a few weeks, and when they aren’t instantly shredding, they get frustrated or bored and give up. However, if you see that you truly are interested in playing guitar over the long haul, then you can upgrade your guitar for a nicer one.
* Models—When choosing a guitar, the number of brands and models can be overwhelming. If you’re new at guitar, they probably all look pretty much the same to you. The best thing you can do is to read reviews of the different models of guitars online. Weigh the positives and negatives of each to find the best guitar for your needs.
* Feel—Nothing is more important to consider than the feel of the guitar in your hands. Trust me, it doesn’t matter how great the reviews say a guitar is…if it doesn’t feel right in your hands, you’ll never master it. Go to your local guitar shop, and just try holding a few different styles of guitars. Find one that feels comfortable and playable.
Learning How to Play Guitar
Okay, so you have your guitar. Now, it’s time to learn how to actually play the thing. Beware, this isn’t something you’re going to learn overnight. It takes time and patience to become a good guitarist.
* Learn the basics—It’s boring, but you absolutely have to learn the basics about your guitar before you can begin rocking out. This means learning how to tune your guitar, what the different notes are, a few basic chords, basic music theory that will help you better understand your instrument. There are plenty of online guitar lessons and courses that can help you get started.
* Play your favorite songs—Many of the best guitarists start out by learning how to play their favorite songs. No, learning someone else’s songs doesn’t doom you to being in a cover band. It actually helps you understand the different techniques used for writing songs and getting different sounds out of the guitar.
* Practice regularly—If you’re truly serious about learning how to play guitar, you’d better be ready to practice…a lot. Regular practice is the only way to truly improve as a guitarist. It can’t be something that you do once every week or so. You need to set aside a little bit of time each night or at least a few nights a week to work on becoming a better guitarist. Practice. Practice. Practice.
There you have it. Everything you need to make the jump from Guitar Hero to real-life guitar hero is here for you. The rest is up to you,
Recent Comments