Joseph Nicholls

So many people are passionate about playing the guitar. Those of you who do play, should help teach those who are truly passionate about learning. If you ever were eager to learn how to play the guitar, then this is your chance.

Easy Guitar Lesson – in 6 steps

Even before we start with the learning procedure, we will relate to an important aspect, which is your posture. Don’t slouch on a sofa or sit on a chair with arms, rather sit on a high stool. You will need free movement of your arms for ultimate comfort. Sit on a leveled area and make sure that your knees are angled at 90 degrees or facing you. Hands must be free for movement. Take this as your first lesson for playing the guitar. Assuming that you already have a guitar, follow these steps.

1. Learn the notes – Of course, this is the most important part of your learning process. First, all you need is to memorize the strings by heart. Here is a list of the strings that you can tune according to your requirements:

-E is the 6th string, thickest of all and known as the low E string
-A is the 5th one and is known as the A string
-D is the 4th in line and called D string
-G is the 3rd in sequence and called G string
-B is the 2nd and referred as B string
-E is the thinnest of all the strings and is acknowledged as the high E string

This is how you can learn it by rote and this actually makes it a fun thing to do:
-Eddie
-Ate
-Dynamite
-Good
-Bye
-Eddie
Again, remember a note is a single pitch, whereas a chord is a collection of notes. As a beginner, you need to focus on notes more than chords to begin with.

2. Leave your guitar and listen – While learning to play any musical instrument, this should be considered as your basic exercise. Keep away from the guitar, piano, violin or anything that you are learning for some time. Listen to free flowing music and enjoy it. This is the best way to go for it and you must be told that this is your trial to break down the notes. The rhythm, melody or even the bass line can drop you hints for this. Keep at it and you will decode the musical notes in no time.

3. Write down the notes – You can use a tab for this or a plain piece of paper and pen. We know you are a novice and there is no need to lose sleep over using accessories like an expert. Keep it simple and it will come easily. You can make a cheat sheet by watching some online videos too at this stage if you find deciphering to be a bit difficult. You are here to learn and there is no harm in trying to figure out what is going to work best for you.

4. Find an easy way to play it – Selecting an easy song to begin with. Every musician has his/her own style and you have to find yours, as you are no different to this rule. You should seek for your own unique way of playing. Keep trying until you succeed – practice is key.

5. Learn fretting – A fretboard is the area where you place your fingers while playing your music. Use your finger tips and not the fleshy part for playing. In fact, using finger tips provides you with the maximum space between the strings. Again, you need this space because you would want to play each note clearly and independently. You can use a pick, but train yourself about the right way to hold it.

6. Keep practicing – Practice makes perfect, no doubt about it. Once you know the song, the notes and you have found your melody, just keep practicing. A performing artist knows the true importance of rehearsals.

You may have dreamed of playing the guitar and today, we have tried our best to help you accomplish it. This is indeed an easy guitar lesson that will help a beginner enjoy their first songs.

Devoted practicing of guitar playing is the surest boulevard to becoming a pro. If you have a passion for guitar playing, and you wrap it up with dedicated exercising, you are going to achieve your guitar playing dreams.

It takes passion and dedication to learn every aspect of a guitar. Before I could even hold a guitar right, I yearned to play like rock stars, which I really envied. Today, I’ve played in bands from my city, I’ve taught guitar playing in schools, and I’m proud of my guitar knowledge. I got to where I am through passion and constant practice.

If you develop the right habit, you are going to develop guitar playing skills that are going to stick and even get better with time. This article covers how, more than what, to learn on guitar playing and the most effective way to go about it. If You need a good guitar, you can check acoustic guitar reviews here.

Tune Your Guitar

Whether you are a beginner or just a pro trying to perfect his or her guitar playing skills, you need to tune your guitar correctly first thing every practice session. You can tune it yourself or use an electric tuner. You can also use free online tuners to bring your guitar back in tune. That is the only way you won’t be wasting your time and energy thinking you are doing something based on your guitar playing skills, yet you aren’t. An out-of-tune guitar can be really frustrating. The sooner you learn how to tune your guitar the better your practice sessions will get, and it will greatly boost your chances of understanding the guitar fast and better.

Get Comfortable

Find a comfortable chair to sit on before you begin your practice. And by the chair, I mean something without arms. There are guitar playing stools with cushions common at guitar shops. You can also use benches, stools, or anything that supports a straight-back posture. You can use regular kitchen furniture as well. Sitting comfortably is the first step to playing your guitar well. It will also help you hold your guitar the way you should.

Hold It Right

Holding your acoustic guitar correctly helps distribute energy right so that you don’t strain. Therefore, you can play for a longer period before getting exhausted. It also helps you play your guitar correctly. Rest the guitar on the upper part of your leg of your strumming hand and hold it tight into your body. Aim the neck up at around 45 degrees.

Practice Playing Cords

Exercise on forming cords and playing them properly without strumming any dead strings. You know you still have work to do on forming and playing clean cords if notes don’t ring out evenly. There should not be any louder or quieter note in the chord. Learn how to switch between chords so that your transition becomes as fluid and as smooth as possible. Learning barre chords may take some time, especially if you are a beginner, but with persistence, you can grasp them first.

Practice to common beats

One of the most effective and essential ways to practice playing acoustic guitar is by learning to play to a beat. Playing in time will help you become a good guitar player. Playing to a beat allows you to play the notes you see rather than the ones you can see, which is why it is more effective. It will help develop a sense of rhythm without much struggle. That’s what will make you a noble guitar player.

Practice Scales

Use scale sheets or other available materials to help you learn or perfect on scales. You can get good materials on the internet that can help learn the basics. You can begin with the pentatonic scale, which is a common rock key learned by guitar players. It comprises of 5 notes in each scale and forms the basis for several different music types. I would advise practicing different scales and modes because it will help improve your playing.

Learn to Play Different Songs

When you have different things to practice on, it breaks the monotony and the boredom that comes with concentrating on just a section of the whole learning process. Depending on your guitar playing skill set, you can pick on songs to practice playing. There are many songs that can be played by a beginner. Select the songs that you’d want to learn and pick out different parts. You can use tablature, sheet music, or just listen by ear. If you can chain together the various portions of a song, then you on the way to learning to play with stamina.

Build Passion

Your interest in guitar playing is backed by your passion to boost your learning ability. You have to be passionate to be able to endure the processes involved in practicing acoustic guitar exercises. Passion doesn’t always come automatically, but you can develop it through loving music and developing an unwavering interest in acoustic guitar playing. Passion can build over time and you can play a part in building it. Learning to play acoustic guitar becomes a lot easier if you have a passion for it. It makes learning easier and more enjoyable. Also, passionate people practice more and they have no problem following their practice routines.

At Least 30 Minutes Every Session

You should practice playing your guitar for at least 30 minutes a day. That is the only way you are going to get to where you want to get to within the stipulated time frame. More importantly, doing so is the best way to building up your stamina and retaining your muscle memory. With time, as you acquire more skills and become more comfortable with playing, you will have to increase your daily practice time bit by bit.

Final Verdict

Well-planned practicing of acoustic guitar exercise will result in quick learning and will help you nature your guitar playing skills. Use your eyes and ears as much as you can. It will boost your learning ability a great deal. Many great guitar players learned to play guitar by listening and watching songs played on screen repeatedly. Try these tips and those used by renowned guitarists and you might get to where they are sooner than you think. Besides, your skills will become better and better until you reach your goals.

See a list of best guitar blogs for more inspiration!