What are the secrets guitarists might not tell you about beginning guitar? Guitar teacher Matthew K. shares his discoveries about the guitar from early in his musical journey…
I remember the day I went to the store with my father and picked up my first guitar. It was an Ibenez Stagestar with a tiny 10 watt Crate amp, and I couldn’t have been more excited to get home and try it out. Dreams of being on stage in front of thousands filled my mind, but I knew it would be hard work just to get comfortable with the guitar.
This was before the Internet and YouTube, so I couldn’t even check out the most basic instruction on what to do. I strummed each string, trying to figure out how to put these sounds together to make a chord, but it was too difficult. After my first guitar lesson, my whole world blew wide open, but there were still a few difficulties I had to get over in order to play my first song. Like any difficulty, these can be overcome. The following are the three things no one told me about beginning guitar.
1) Your Fingers Will Hurt
Initially our fingers are, believe it or not, not accustomed to pressing down slim metal strings to a piece of wood. It can be painful for a while. Your fingers will harden and eventually develop calluses, but until then, it can be a slightly painful and annoying process. But don’t give up! Everybody goes through this.
Chords can also be a challenge. Forming your hand into what looks like a lobster claw can hurt at first. (I refuse to teach guitar to children under the age of 6 because of this very reason. We do not want to push kids away from learning an instrument because it’s too hard on them physically). If your hands start cramping up, step back from the guitar and stretch them. It isn’t worth hurting yourself, and with practice, these difficult hand positions will become extremely easy.
2) You Have to Practice… a Lot!
I had a guitar student a few years ago who never practiced. We would go through the basics, while also keeping it interesting with a simple riff. This method has worked countless times for all of my students, but for some reason it wasn’t getting through. I would try different songs and different methods to gain his interest, but each lesson was similar to the last. No practice, no progress.
I came to find out that he really had no interest in the guitar; it was his mother that was really pushing him to learn. The passion for an instrument has to come from within, or for a younger child, there have to be designated practice times. If you don’t practice, each lesson’s progress will be like a tire stuck in the mud.
3) You Must Learn How to String a Guitar
After a few lessons, make sure to ask your guitar teacher how to string the guitar. It can get expensive and time consuming to take the guitar to a shop every time, and you should have new strings almost every month. Over time, strings will get dirty and could get rusty, depending on where you keep the guitar. You will need to buy a string winder and wire snips (or a combo package) and a set of strings; but once you do it a few times, it will be a much easier process.
Don’t rely on others to change your guitar strings for you. It is an easy process, and there are plenty of YouTube videos with different methods to get you through it. I usually change my strings while watching a TV show or movie to pass the time.
Ready to learn even more secrets about beginning guitar? Find a guitar teacher today and set out on your own musical journey!
Matthew K. teaches guitar, piano, and music theory lessons in Brooklyn, NY. He studied music composition at Mercyhurst University, and he has been teaching lessons for four years. Matthew is available to teach in-person lessons as well as online via Skype. Learn more about Matthew here!
Photo by simon_music
Suzy S.