Sunday, January 16, 2011

Music Lessons - Acoustic Guitar Lessons

By Aikednea Johansen


These mini guitar lessons have been put together for the beginner acoustic guitar student who feels a need to play music but is a bit short on direction.

Lesson One - What type of guitar are you going to buy? If you have a rough idea of what type of music you would like to play, the next step is to find yourself a guitar.

Let us begin with the basics - nylon string or steel string. A nylon string guitar was designed to play classical and folk music. Acoustic guitars make their music by sending the vibration of the strings to the soundboard. The vibrations are then amplified in the body of the guitar. Nylon string guitars make a mellow tone; steel string guitars make a brighter, more metallic sound. One of the primary things that will have an effect on you in determining what type of sound you would like is the guitar your favorite performer plays.

If you're just starting out, you will not need a top of the range guitar however it is best to get the nicest one in your budget range. A cheap, poorly made guitar will be an uphill battle to play. A great instrument will make your practice sessions something to enjoy.

Try various guitars. Observe how the neck feels. Have a look at if one neck feels more comfortable to play than others. Another consideration is the distance of the strings from the fret board which is known as the "action". Low action is easier to play but if you are planning on strumming enthusiastically or picking loudly the guitar might have a tendency to buzz.

Lesson Two - Go ahead and learn. The first step toward learning to play acoustic guitar is to gain confidence and to get over your natural reluctance to try new things. Insufficient money, not enough time, or lack of a good teacher are 3 big hurdles to your guitar learning progress. The other 3 big obstacles are all you. You might be your own worst enemy. How do you react to a challenge? Challenges are your friends. If you find yourself getting disappointed, and not wanting to continue your practice, it might be time to downsize your goal, at the least for a while. If you have 2 chords which you have difficulty with, work on the first one solely for a while. As soon as you have improved a little, go to the next one.

Lesson Three - Daily Practice As far as your daily practice goes, look at starting with half an hour a day. If you can do more, fantastic, you'll become a guitarist a lot quicker. The way you perform your practice is essential. Putting in the time isn't the only requirement. If you rush or try to fit too much in, then you are working against yourself. Err on the side of too little material at first. If you truly are achieving what you determined to do in less than half an hour, then add a bit more.

Lesson Four - Tuning Your Guitar You can find online guitar tuners to help you get your acoustic guitar in tune. Take a day or two of your practice time to get the knack of tuning. When you start to develop an ear for tuning, try tuning the guitar without the tuner.

Lesson Five - Holding Your Acoustic Guitar Long hours of practice can take their toll. Learning how to sit and play your acoustic guitar is an art in itself. There are places on the internet which have illustrations showing you how to sit when you're playing, but it would be good to find somebody with a little experience to show you. But don't just go with the way one person plays. If he's self-taught, you then do not wish to pick up his bad habits!






About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...