The Best Ways How To Learn To Play Guitar For Beginners

The truth is that you can play for a lifetime and still not learn everything there is to know about playing the guitar. On the other hand, some people start playing simple versions of their favorite songs in just a few weeks. Learning to play and getting better at it is a progressive activity, with one lesson building on the previous.

It all starts with this substantial question you have to ask yourself:

Do you just want to learn a couple songs to impress your friends? Then look online, learn a few chords, learn to read tabs, find tab websites and learn the songs.

But if you want to REALLY learn to play the guitar well, even if it's only for your private enjoyment, and if you are REALLY passionate about it - get a professional instructor. Either take guitar lessons with a local professional, or if you like teaching yourself, buy a good learn guitar course on DVD that was put together by a professional instructor.

As for learning from a book - a learn guitar book is great for music theory. In my opinion it is very important to also study notes, string names and such, but a book can't play music. So chances are you will soon want to add audible or visual lessons.

Looking back, I think it is most important to learn and develop good playing habits right from the start. Yes, I am talking about learning to read music, notes, chords, scales, keys etc. Learning guitar is not always as enjoyable as you may hope. Maybe if you want to learn just a few chords you don't need that, but to learn guitar properly I would say, you need to learn the theory too.

Statistics show that without a well-structured program, beginners are much more likely to give up. Why? Because learning to play guitar is a progressive activity with one lesson building on the previous. Without a plan to follow, you will most likely get stuck at one point or another. It may only be one or two minor issues you have problems with, but if you can't seem to figure out how to get over that hurdle by yourself, all of a sudden, learning guitar is no fun anymore, and you eventually smash your guitar.

The closest you ever get to playing like Jimmy Hendrix.

For me, the key was finding a guitar course that fit my learning style and that I enjoyed so much that it was easy to keep with it. It was the Learn And Master Guitar course by Steve Krenz. Steve is a long-time professional guitar instructor and player, and his 'Learn And Master Guitar' course won the 2008 Acoustic Guitar Magazine Players' Choice Awards, two Telly Awards and an AEGIS Award for Excellence in Education. It's a brilliant course on 20 DVDs that will help you get started and also shows advanced players many valuable tips and tricks to take their playing to the next level.

You can find a very comprehensive review about the Learn And Master Guitar course here, or click here to buy the course from the official Learn And Master Guitar website.

Free online lessons are great. It's easy to learn the fundamentals by picking up something here and there.

But I bet you, you will like most beginners get to the point where free online lessons are not enough anymore to make real progress. I wished someone had explained to me when I first started playing how muscle memory works. If you start without proper instructions, chances are your muscles learn the 'wrong' way and it is very hard to retrain them to doing it right.

A good professional guitar instructor, or a good guitar course that was put together by a professional guitar teacher will serve you best in the long run.

A good professional teacher watched hundreds of students over the years struggling at a specific problem - most likely a very common beginner problem. Like making smooth chords transitions. If your instructor is real good, he has developed something that really works. Something that isolates the issue and focuses on training exactly that part. Until something clicks in the student's brain and he is ready to move to the next level.

You know the answer to this question already, don't you? Of course: it depends. Most beginners can play their first song within weeks, but how long it will take you to sound good, depends on how much you will practice. As a general rule of thumb, I would say you will become a decent player in 3 to 12 months.

Keep in mind, more time practicing is not necessarily better. Spending 20 minutes of practice every day following a structured program helps most beginners more than trying to play along a song by ear for hours. No matter how much time you put into it, make sure to mix up practice and playing so that it's always enjoyable. Find simple arrangements of songs you like, using as few chords and as simple chords as possible, and play them after a 'dry' guitar lesson.

What also really helps is when you set a goal. Mine was sitting around the campfire with friends on our annual bike tour and play. That was 6 months from when I started. If you are enthusiastic about playing guitar you will put as much time into it as you need to reach your goal. Once you have that first song down, the inspiration and the fun starts.

Also, as soon as you have down the basics, look for others you can jam with. It helps more than anything else except practice.

Any kind of guitar is ok, acoustic or electric. Most people say acoustic guitars are better, because it lets you hear the 'true' notes and you don't learn 'sloppy' methods masked by distortion.

If you want to learn on an acoustic guitar, I would go with nylon strings not steel strings. When you buy one, don't buy something super cheap, but don't buy something super expensive either. Buy a decent guitar that you like to hold and that makes you want to play. Work at it every day and your expertise will gradually build.

A good starter guitar is the Greg Bennett Guitar. It is ultra-easy to play and one of the best bargains in its price range. You can buy it together in a set with the Learn And Master Guitar course.

Learning to play the guitar and achieving levels of success is rewarding in itself!

If you are enthusiastic about playing guitar and spend the time to learn it, you will be successful. If you get stuck, ask a professional, ask for help in learn guitar forums, or get back to watching a good guitar lesson on video that tackles the issue you're having problems with.

The most important along your way: Always practice. Keep it up and don't give up!

I congratulate you on your decision to learn to play guitar! I'm sure it will be one of the best experiences in your life.

Your fellow guitar player

Cyn