I’ve produced a couple of guitar lesson videos and plan to make more as well. I enjoy discussing my own journey learning guitar and helping others. I find music is an important part of my daily life! I enjoy giving beginners tips in a sometimes-confusing art, where lingo can turn into a different language when a teacher has education chops.
Did you get a new guitar for Christmas?
Today’s article comes from a Quora answer from me.
Q: How many psychiatrists does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Only one. But the lightbulb has to really want to change!
First of all, you have to really want to do it! I can tell you what I do!
I practice every day, and I have no idea why, generally! But I do remember picking up the guitar about ten years-ago when I was older, and I put a completely different, stronger, effort into it than I had as a young person.
There seems to be two ingredients to getting into a regular relationship with my guitar, and they’re not easy: time and patience. Oh, I love the way the guitars sound, and touching and playing them, creating music … it all sounds great, but we all have chores to do and without a vision, a dream, we veer off into another direction, despite how we felt the day before! Think of it as something that will take a long time, but you’re up for it!
If you bundle in time and patience, along with your regular schedule of practice, your fondness for the guitar and the cool factor, when you first get started, it might help. The first few years are white belt in karate territory, and even after that you’re guaranteed to learn the world of guitar players is extremely competitive! There’s a guy better than you!
Think in terms of long-term learning; be patient when it isn’t feeling like it’s progressing; and have shorter-term goals which can make you feel like you’re getting somewhere.
Try learning songs you love (some will be easier than others).
It’s also a great idea to think in rhythm, and respect rhythm. When you practice a scale, do it inside some rhythm you invent on the fly. Once you know a scale, practice it by jumping around inside it, not playing consecutive notes. Add rhythm, and you’re doing little ditties inside the scale, and it really is much more fun.
Now’s the time to develop good habits, and good timing is one of them!
And one more thing; sing!
If you don’t, you’ll always feel you’re not adequate to do MANY songs, as many rely on the singing layer, without which they don’t work at all! Mumble sing if you must, but look at singing as part of enjoying playing guitar, and as a gateway allowing you to perform almost any modern tune. You’ll also understand the music better and the underlying songwriting if you study the lyric melody and phrasing!
Best wishes! Keep on truckin’!
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Mark Urso
mark@markurso.com
@MusicVidNet