Seven Things To Expect In Your First Six Months Of Playing Guitar
by Allen Hopgood
So you've eagerly gone out and purchased a guitar to learn on. Well done! Now you have to learn how to get some sounds out if. This is where the rubber meets the road, the reality that it doesn't play itself and there's some work to be done. Many good intentions fall away with the guitar being discarded in the first few weeks and months. In this article I want to bring to your attention that your first six months is going to be the hardest time of learning guitar. Share with you some tips of what you can do about it, so it's fun for you, and you don't end up putting the guitar down one day out of frustration and never to pick it up again.
The first thing to expect is you're going to have to find a reputable guitar repairer/technician. You want to get your new guitar set up properly. It doesn't matter if you've purchased a $500 guitar or in excess of a $3000 model – all guitars need this. Getting a professional guitar set up done will help with everything you will be learning on your guitar, making it so much easier to play and more comfortable for you
More guitar playing hobbies have been abandoned due to the height of the strings from the fretboard than any thing else as people thinks it's way to hard. The reality is they didn't know this small thing can be easily fixed, to allow themselves hours of enjoyment, instead of the frustration of their hands being too sore from having to press the strings down a long way.
The second thing you should expect is that, learning to play is going to take some time. Your hands have to move into strange positions that they aren't used to. The tendons in your hands need time to become supple. Plus your fingertips will be sore. You are likely to squeeze the chord shapes too hard and your hand will ache. This is simply all part of learning the guitar. Don’t force it and allow the natural learning to take place
The third thing you can expect is, that if you don't get private guitar lessons with a guitar teacher you are shooting yourself in the foot. Get these as soon as possible. Don't delay. You will have more fun. It will easier and you will learn more in your first six months than you will on your own.
Expect also that even with a guitar teacher you will have your good days and your bad days. Learning guitar is no different to any other skill you learn in your life. Ups and downs Is all part of learning. So expect that you will make mistakes. You will have challenges, and setbacks. Remember though, these are all temporary. They will pass quickly just by you sticking with it.
Also expect anything you learn has to be practiced. It's not going to happen by itself. So set a goal to practice your guitar everyday. You need the repetition for things to start working for you. So practice everyday – even if only for 10 minutes. Doing this daily is way more beneficial to your musical growth that filling up a few hours of practice on your day off.
The sixth thing you should expect is that any small victory is good. Learning to play half of a simple song is better than continuously being frustrated trying to play something too advanced for where you are right now. It's better to start small and build up confidence many times in your first six months than putting the guitar down because it doesn't appear to be working.
The last thing to expect is that learning to play guitar is a process. Just by keeping at it and remaining calm and having fun every time you have it in your hands will aid you well. Know that you are new to this. And all that you are doing is new and strange for you. Don't give up at the first sign of you can't play a chord correctly. Its going to happen and you have to trust the process.
There is a fantastic lifetime ahead for you having fun and playing guitar. Right now relax and continue to have fun learning. Celebrate even the smallest of victories. Build on these and you will keep seeing results. You will keep getting better as long as you have your guitar in your hands as often as you can. When it seems like you're struggling a little, always think back to why you wanted to learn and play the guitar in the first place. You will find that by doing the above, your first six months of playing guitar will fly by and this whole guitar thing will be easier for you.
About Allen Hopgood: Allen Hopgood is a full-time professional guitar teacher and entrepreneur on the Gold Coast, QLD Australia. Dedicated to getting results for his students, he invests his time teaching and training guitar out of his popular, guitar teaching studio.
