Play the Acoustic Guitar For Beginners

If you're reading this it's because you want to learn to play the acoustic guitar. This instrument has a melodic sound and the ability to provoke a great deal of emotion, in the right hands.

The Basics Of Acoustic Guitar

It doesn't matter if you have decided to learn simply because you want a hobby or if it's to try and start a band. There are many great benefits that you can get from knowing how to play.

Personally, I think that the acoustic guitar sounds better than an electric guitar. Why you ask? Well, it's because of the more natural sounds that you get from it. You can make it either loud or soft like an electric guitar, but you will always be able to hear the vocals over it and you can use the acoustic guitar for any kind of music. It's also a lot easier to move around with you seeing as though you don't need an amp to make it work.

Learning to play acoustic guitar can be a bit tricky at first, but it does get easier the more you practice. If you work at it steadily for a couple of years you will be playing like a pro.

It's really not that hard, I promise. Just follow these five basic acoustic guitar lessons:

First: Find a guitar that feels right. There are different sizes so make sure you are comfortable with the one you have. Also, it does not have to be expensive. Actually, I recommend getting a cheaper one to learn on and then get a better one later.

Second: Make a schedule. You should practice for at least a half hour to an hour (no more) at least 5 to 7 days a week. If you practice for more then an hour at a time that is when you will start to pick up bad habits.

Third: Don't try to start out playing chords right away. You need to get comfortable with holding the guitar and also learn how each string sounds. So, start out by simply holding the guitar the correct way and pluck each string up and down the guitar until you are familiar with each sound.

Fourth: Once you've gotten stringing the strings without having to look at them, move onto the neck Now you can practice playing actual notes. Make sure that you keep your left hand in the right position and listen to how each note sounds.

Fifth: Now that you have all that you can start playing chords. Start out with the easy ones first. These would be "E Minor", "A Minor", and "D Minor". Once you have these down then you can move onto the harder ones to learn.

Many people choose to take beginner acoustic guitar instruction through a private instructor, but I don't feel as though this is necessary. I'm not saying it's a bad way to go, I just think you can easily learn on your own.

The thing with private acoustic guitar lessons is they can get to be quite expensive and they take up extra time when you consider the travel time to and from the lesson.

The good thing about an instructor is they work directly with you in a one on one setting. There is one down fall though and that is some times you run into someone that is more interested in getting paid then actually helping you learn to play the acoustic guitar. Also, there is a chance that you might run into a teacher that has an excess in students and is not quite as personable as you would like them to be due to the overload of work.

Some people don't like to learn new things with an audience, regardless of the size and find it difficult to play in front of another person, especially one that is more experienced. Many prefer to learn to play in a private area where no one is around to see them,

When I first took an interest in the acoustic guitar I looked into getting an instructor, but found it to be very expensive. I mean it was $150 a month and you only got 2 lessons a week. I couldn't really justify paying that so I decided to learn on my own. On issue with this is sometimes you can't quite grasp the fundamentals without a little assistance. This is mainly because you don't know enough about the techniques or even the guitar.

The good thing is in today's society we have this handy little thing called a computer and the Internet. On there you can find some really great online acoustic guitar lessons. I used Jamorama Acoustic, which was very helpful. This is a video download course that provides you with all the material, techniques, tricks and lessons that you need in order to get started playing.

The nice thing about the online course is that it teaches you everything you need to know without having to go outside of your house to get it. Another great thing about this course is it's a one time only fee rather then a month to month one, and you fit it into your schedule instead of fitting your schedule around an instructor. This makes it much easier to stick with and you have the power of being able to rewind if you don't quite get something or even fast forward if you already know a part of the lesson.

If you are going to start playing the acoustic guitar I would definitely recommend getting a course that you can learn from home. This is a personal preference though and not everyone will think the same way. When it really comes down to it, it depends on the individual and what they are comfortable with, and how much you want to invest in learning to play the acoustic guitar.