Music is the one thing in life that unites us all. Whether you love to sing, listen to music or play an instrument, music unites us and excites us like nothing else. The guitar is one of the most popular instruments in the world and it is so easy to start playing.
This article is a guide on how to get started playing guitar.
1. How to Choose a Great Guitar?
The first important thing you need to consider when you start playing is what guitar to choose. Pay attention to the material of the instrument. There are 3 main types of material used for making guitar: plywood pressed wood and solid wood. All have their benefits and will create a different sound. Guitars range widely in price and the quality of the sound they produce will be significantly affected by how expensive they are. If you choose a cheaper guitar, the sound will be very bad, and it will not feel nice in your hands. Even experienced players can get very frustrated by the poor quality of sound from a cheap guitar, but even for beginners, when you are first starting out, and especially make sure there are no cracks in the instrument panel. Once you start getting better, then it is a sign to invest in higher quality guitars in allaxess and possibly spend as little as possible on guitar accessories. choose a quality guitar that suits your budget. If you are buying a used guitar, and many of the best guitars ever made are older models, you should pay careful attention to the condition. Look out for smooth paintwork, not too many scratches, and especially make sure there are no cracks in the instrument panel.
2. How to Hold a Guitar?
The first thing that a beginner needs to know is how to correctly hold the guitar. The grip of the guitar in your hands and your posture when playing will have a huge effect on your ability to play. If you are playing standing up, you will need a strap, and how high or low you allow the guitar to hang is down to personal preference. When playing the guitar sitting down, however, don’t sit too high or too low, or hold the guitar too high on your chest. Rest it on your left knee with the neck of the guitar at a slightly higher angle.
Your left hand should rest on the neck of the guitar, with your thumb providing support on the back of the neck. The position of your thumb will move as you play but your grip should be firm but versatile. Your right hand should rest on the edge of the soundboard with your hand upright. Different players use different fingers on the various strings but of course, if you are playing with a pick then this doesn’t matter. There are two main ways to play the guitar, plucking, and strumming. Plucking is when you play individual strings, either using your fingertips or a pick. Strumming is when you play multiple strings together, either using the back of your fingers or your pick.
3. How to Tune a Guitar?
Traditional guitars have six strings and the notes get higher as you move down the strings. With standard tuning, the thickest string which is the one highest on the neck of the guitar is a low E. The next string down is an A, then a D, then a G, then a B and finally a higher E. Tuning a guitar these days is very simple as there are many automatic tuning devices and even online tuners so that you tune your strings perfectly every time.
One trick that experienced guitar players use is to tune the guitar-based off the low E string. Once that string is perfectly tuned, if you hold down that string on the fifth fret, that is an A note. You can, therefore, tune the A string based on that. Then do the same with the A string and you will have the perfect D note with which to tune the D string. This system works for every string on a standard guitar except for the G string. To get a B note you must hold your finger on the fourth fret of the G string which will then allow you to tune the B string.
As with learning any instrument, the guitar takes a lot of dedicated practice and hard work. Unlike other instruments like brass and woodwind instruments however, once you have learned the basics, the guitar is a very easy instrument to play. Whether you decide to sign up for guitar lessons, follow an online tutorial or just play around with the guitar and teach yourself, there has never been a better time to start your journey to becoming a guitar maestro.
