I remember when I first started learning the guitar. I had a cheap little blue electric guitar with a matching amp that my parents bought me when I was 12. Every since that day, I’ve been expanding my knowledge of the instrument.
At first, though, it was hard playing that little blue guitar. I couldn’t remember the names of the notes, so I wrote the names on masking tape and tapped it them directly on the fretboard. What a mess it made!
I also had a hard time pressing down hard enough to sound a chord. Eventually I got the hang of it, but then I had trouble changing chords fast enough to play songs. I learned how to play power chords early on. This helped me when I began playing barred chords.
Eventually I learned how to play scales, chord construction, how to create chord progressions, and how to play guitar solos. I learned it all one step at a time and you can too!
Before you jump into the deep water you’ll need to learn some of the absolute basics of playing guitar. For example:
- Parts of the guitar
- How to hold the guitar
- How to use a pick
- The names of the strings
- How to tune your guitar
- How to fret the guitar
- Guitar techniques
- Dot inlays
- The notes on the guitar
- How to read guitar tab
- How to read a chord diagram
- Common open chords
- Barre chords
Once you have mastered these topics you’ll be well on your way to bigger and better things!