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Beginners guide to
playing the guitar
by Shawn Bradshaw
OK, so you have this new foreign object in your hand that has 6 strings. What now? The task of learning guitar from zero can be a little overwhelming. In this beginner guitar article I am going to give you some tips on how to get started.
Private Lessons
One big question for a beginning guitar player is whether or not to take private lessons. All things being equal I am going to give you a simple answer. Yes. A good private guitar teacher can help you make improvement faster than you can on your own. And give you personal insight into problems that you are having. A private teacher can also help you with specific songs geared toward your musical tastes. With that said sometimes it will not be possible for you to take private lessons. The first obstacle is the cost. You are going to spend $100 (US dollars) or more every month for lessons. You also may not live in an area where you can find a good instructor. And that is the other thing....a good instructor. Unfortunately there are a lot of very bad guitar teachers out there. And as a beginner it is sometimes hard to know who the good guys are.
When searching for a private teacher, ask about the teachers education, and teaching experience. It is a benefit but not and essential to find a teacher with a degree in music. Make sure they teach the style of music that you are interested in. And make sure they have at least a few years of teaching experience. Try a teacher for at least 2 months before quitting. And then if you think the teacher is not a good match for you, try another teacher before giving up on private lessons all together. Ask for recommendations from your friends and relatives. Even if you are taking private lessons, don't let that be your only source of learning. Buying some books and DVD's as well as learning from online guitar lesson sources will help you improve much faster. You will also learn different material that maybe your private teacher can not help you with.
Guitar Books, DVDs and other Courses
If you are looking for a good book or DVD to get you started, you are going to be a little overwhelmed. There is a lot of stuff out there. There is some great stuff, and some dismally bad stuff out there. In my 25 years of private teaching, I have seen a lot of products on how to play guitar. And putting together a comprehensive list would be impossible. So I am going to suggest one product here that I think hands down is the best beginning guitar course I have seen. It is called Learn & Master Guitar by Steve Krenz. This is a 20 DVD, 5 CD set with a 100+ page book. If you are a beginner, get this. Even if you are going to take private lessons and use other books or DVDs. I can not praise this one enough. Check out my review here. Learn and Master Guitar Review
Disclosure: Cyberfret.com is paid a commission if you purchase Learn & Master Guitar through the link above, or in my review. With that said, the review is my own honest opinion of the product and based on my 25 years of teaching guitar privately. |
Page 2, Getting Started 
Beginners guide to playing the guitar - Jump Zone
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