Easy Start Guide to Learning Guitar
Millions of people all over the world enjoy playing the guitar. It’s a popular instrument for a variety of reasons- it’s versatile, easy to learn, and you can incorporate it into any genre of music. Whether you’re interested in folk, blues, rock or even classical music, there are many different ways that you can start learning how to play the guitar!
This article will cover some basics to get you started.
How long does it take to learn?
It depends on the individual. Some people pick up guitar very quickly, while others struggle more with it. It can be anywhere from 3 months to a year or more before you even move past the most basic chords. However, if you practice daily, it shouldn’t take much longer than a month to start playing some beginner songs. Don’t miss our list of Best Beginner Guitar Chords
What do I need?
Learning guitar doesn’t require much equipment- you’ll need a guitar and a tuner (which adjusts the pitch of the strings) to get started! All you really need is those two things and you can start practicing today.
What are the names of the parts of a guitar?
*Headstock- where the tuning pegs are
*Neck- long part of the guitar that goes to the body
*Fingerboard- smooth part where you fret the strings
*Body- large part of guitar
*Bridge- puts tension on the strings to keep them at pitch, comes off body of guitar and goes to the end of the neck.
*Tuning Pegs- these hold your strings in place so that they stay at specific pitches (pitch refers to how high or low the tone sounds)
*Tail Piece- similar to bridge, except it goes on the other end of the neck and meets up with the strings that go over the soundhole.
What is the best guitar?
There are all different types of guitars, but most beginners learn on acoustic or electric. Electric is easier to play for some people since you don’t have to “push” against the weight of the strings. However, some people prefer an acoustic because it has a more natural sound- whereas the electric can be too crisp. Try playing both types to find out which you prefer!
What is the best way to learn?
There are a lot of different ways that you can start learning guitar, but here is one method:
1. Pick up the guitar and hold it with your right hand over the body of the instrument (but not touching any of the strings yet). You’ll want to hold it so that your thumb rests on the back of the neck- pointing down towards the ground. Your fingers should be curved around from your knuckles with your fingertips near where the neck meets the body, but not touching any string.
2. Place your left hand above your right hand and rest it on the neck of the guitar. Curl your fingers so that they are pointing to the sky! Your left thumb should be resting on the back of the neck just like your right hand was.
3. You can use either finger or pick- whichever you prefer- to play each string individually by using “TAP TAP” motions with your right hand. Your left hand should be holding down the string so it doesn’t bounce while you tap, and your right thumb should always be around behind the neck to support your hand.
4. To play each string with a pick instead of your fingers, hold one between your thumb and first finger (with your palm facing down towards the ground). Then, slide your pick across the string like you’re strumming it. Your right hand motion should still follow through with the “TAP TAP” motion to play each string individually.
See our guide to Getting Started in Jazz Guitar
Try these motions out and see how it feels! You can also experiment with using your fingers instead of a pick- whatever works best for you!
For an even easier way to learn, you can pick up a course such as the free Intro to Guitar online course at Justin Guitar. With this course, you will be able to learn in much more depth about basic techniques and how things work on the guitar. Learning this way makes it so much fun too- you’ll be excited to come back and learn more!
Good luck on your guitar playing journey- you’ll love it once you get started!