What Does It Take to Learn to Play Guitar?
Posted in learn guitar on 27. Apr, 2010
A learn guitar question that should definitely interest you all this week
Question: I’m learning to play guitar with an acoustic. I learn to play songs by looking up the chords or tabs.
Is learning to play guitar just knowing how to play all the possible chord variations?
Answer: It depends what you mean by "playing" guitar. To me, it’s understanding what you’re doing. Knowing music theory and writing my own material. To someone else, who isn’t an avid guitar player, it might just mean that they want to know a couple songs to impress people. If you stick with it enough, you’ll strive to learn more. You’ll get tired of playing other people’s music, so if you think you’re one of those types, then start learning theory. How chords are made up, arpeggios, scales… etc.
it takes patience and the realization that it isn’t that hard. there are essentially two parts to a song, the chord based rhythm and blues scale based riffs. chord based rhythm is more important. consider early rock and roll as a starting point. most early rock songs, and indeed thousands of others, use only three chords. the addition of strumming patterns (such as down up up down) adds flavor the the rhythm. so basically, be patience, learn the chords, and get some easy three chord songs under your belt. it’s that easy.
A lot of people I know learned to play guitar on their own. If you learn all the chords you have a good start. Using a pic properly is important too (not hard to do). Then there are other techniques, like fingerpicking (using multiple fingers to hit the strings), and other techniques. Guitar magazines should be useful. Leaning how to read actual music is optional.
1% inspiration and 99% perspiration (OK it’s a corny old cliche but there’s truth to it)
You don’t have to learn ALL the chords, just all the chords that you need to make the kind of music that you want to make.
No, learning chords is only one small portion of playing the guitar. There are picking patterns, scales, harmonics, timing, dynamics, and much more, but if you’re trying to become a serious musician you’re going to have to learn how to please crowds more than anything else. You can bs your way through a song any day but decent stage presence takes a lot of work.
no!
knowing how to play chords is learning to play chords not learning to play guitar
learning to play guitar will need u to know about correct position/posture, fingering, coordination, music theory, etc. its not only learning to play chords..