So You Want to Play Guitar?

My beautiful lefty

Who said an old dog can’t learn new tricks? OK, so I’m not old, and I love learning so here it goes…

One morning I sat to write after being super energized from an early morning workout. My creative juices were flowing and my right brain was crushing it. I completed a few pieces and wanted to celebrate so I turned on Spotify and started singing and doing my happy dance. I noticed my favorite songs had killer guitar intros, solos, and choruses. So out came my air guitar and I played along with Sweet Child O’ Mine and Faith and Creep and American Girl and… well, my list goes on and on (tell me your favorite songs in the comments section). I sing in the shower and I sing out loud when I’m running along the lake as my boom boom music blasts through my Jay Birds. 

I love the sound of well played music and outstanding vocals. I am definitely not a talented vocalist and I don’t know how to play guitar. But singing and rocking out to music are both so much fun! After wanting to learn how to play for many years, and with the encouragement of a very talented musician, I finally picked up my own guitar. I discovered that I’m lefty (I do some other things lefty like apply makeup). Lucky for me my friend and former sparring buddy is a guitar expert (and can shred the f#%*k out of anything with strings) and helped me pick the perfect instrument. I learned how to tune (this is a little tricky the first time — it took me 27 minutes first time I tried on my own. Twenty-seven minutes!!). My guitar didn’t need to be tuned, I just wanted to check out a new tuner app. I suggest sticking to an actual tuner like Super Snark and letting your friends help you the first few times. 

I couldn’t wait to take my gorgeous lefty home and play around. The super talented musician warned me about sore finger pads, provided recommendations for practice intervals, and gave ideas for intentional practice. These were great pieces of advice and I supplemented these ideas with Youtube tutorials and web articles. One thing I noticed about almost all of the videos and articles and from my musical friends: the musicians pleaded for new guitarists not to give up. “Hmmm, why would people want to give up?” I wondered. 

After my first hour of intentional practice I got why so many people were sending “don’t give up” messages. My finger pads felt like they were going to rip open and placement within the frets was more than tricky. This whole guitar thing is definitely harder than it looks and a bit frustrating. 

Determination and commitment go a long way. I jumped back online to study techniques and placement. Now I can play a few sounds (hopefully these will be songs in the not so distant future) and find that concentrating on learning techniques and cords is meditative and relaxing. Especially when I properly execute the few techniques and sounds I do know. 

 

A notebook I received last year pairs beautifully with my super cool Rock Hard Pick necklaces.

I figured I’d give my two cents to other newbies so ere are my tips from one newbie to another:

1. Pick up a guitar that is a best fit for you. Have someone help you find the right size and shape for your needs. Mine is lightweight, lefty, and sounds great (especially when someone else plays it!). 
2. Find cool accessories like Rock Hard Pick necklaces. They are unique and allow you to always know where your pick is located. 
3. Expect your fingers to hurt. A lot. I realize this is the third time I mentioned sore fingers, but get used to it. Don’t let that stop you. 
4. Find a great IRL teacher.
5. Find a great online teacher. My favorite is Andy Guitar. His Youtube videos are really easy to follow and he smiles a lot :). You can download his videos and PDF books.
6. Find easy songs to play. Google your favorite songs and listen to the complexity. Ask your IRL teacher to help you learn the basics of the songs. 
7. Have a little Patience. (Yeah, that’s my air guitar again). Learning new things takes time. Understand that you will probably not play like Jimi Hendrix after your first lesson. 
8. Set realistic and attainable goals. Set short-term goals and long-term goals. Be sure to celebrate the little successes. These will add up into greater successes and you will soon look back and laugh at the idea of giving up. 
9. Check out Bryan Baker’s Top Ten Ways to Improve Your Guitar Playing Now. This is a solid article with good advice. 
10. Don’t’ give up! Keep practicing and playing!

I want to give a shout out to all of my musical friends who have helped me over the past month and who continue to provide encouragement (such a beautiful Adlerian word) as I continue to learn and play. 

Any advice to newbies from experienced musicians is certainly welcome. Please provide your advice in the comments section. 

This story was originally published on Medium February 3, 2016.

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