How to Learn to Play Guitar

This is a question that scares most people away from even beginning to play guitar (or doing anything for that matter). The first step in how to learn to play guitar is to know the different parts of the guitar:

Now that you know what each part of the guitar is called, you can see how to hold your guitar. There are three main positions for holding the guitar: The Casual Sitting Position, the Classic Sitting Position, and the Standing Position.

Casual Sitting Position:

Classic Sitting Position:

Standing Position:

The next step in how to learn to play guitar is to know what your hands and fingers are supposed to do when playing guitar.

What Does My Right Hand Do?

Your right hand is responsible for picking and strumming the strings of the guitar.

Strumming

Strumming is when you play all the strings of the guitar at once, either up - or - downward.

Picking

Picking is when you "pluck" each string individually, either with your fingers or with a pick/plectrum. Which one you choose is entirely up to you.

When using your fingers, it is important that you keep the fingernails of your right hand relatively long and filed, so they can act as natural "picks".

If you are using a pick, it's best to keep your right hand fingernails neatly trimmed. Long nails can become an irritation and a frustration.

Holding the Pick

Place the pick between the thumb and index finger of your right hand, with the "pointed" part facing toward the sound hole of the guitar.

What Does My Left Hand Do?

Your left hand is responsible for "pressing" the strings down on the frets of the guitar, so that your right hand can play them.

Fingers

The fingers of your left hand are numbered from 1 - 4:

• 1 = Index Finger


• 2 = Middle Finger


• 3 = Ring Finger


• 4 = Little Finger

Now here's the tricky part. It'll take lots of time to get your left hand's fingers to press the right string in the correct fret, but you will find that, if you practice it every day, this will get easier with time. Let's start with some of the most commonly used chords:

D Chord

G Chord

C Chord

A Chord

Note: When you see an "x" next to the nut, it means that the string it is next to is not played. When you see an "o" next to the nut, it means that the string it is next to is played "open" (it is not being pressed down, but you're still playing it with your left hand).

When you start out, you may struggle with these chords, but it is really important that you practice them a little bit each day. Nobody gets them right the first time.

If you battle with these chords, don't fret (if you'll pardon the pun). As I've mentioned before, you're not going to be a rock star on day one. Impatience will get you nowhere. Don't just give up. Keep trying, you're bound to get it right at some point.

Learning how to play guitar is no easy task. But with practice, determination and the right mind-set, you will really go places.

The information that I have given you here is only the foundation of guitar playing. There's still so much more for you to learn and discover.

There are several guitar courses available online, but, in my opinion, this one is first-rate if you want to know how to learn to play guitar. It will take you from utter beginner to the musician you want to be in a matter of months (which is great if you're as impatient as I am!).

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