SO YOU’VE DECIDED TO LEARN GUITAR? VOL.1
Photo by Jefferson Santos on Unsplash
I talk about guitars a lot. I think about guitars a lot. I play guitars a lot too. In spending all this time doing the above, I'm struck with a thought... When did all this start? When was I not doing one of these things? Was there a time, even if just for a split second, when a guitar wasn't filling even the most minute part of my thoughts? And how did this come to be? I remember the pain and agony of learning to hold the strings down or figuring out which finger went where for what chord, and there isn't a day that goes by in the life of a guitarist that doesn't proffer some type of challenge to move forward. So what made me want to plough through the initial hardships of those early days and onto harvesting some kind of enjoyment from the instrument?
“For me, it was looking at the guitar for the first time and feeling like a voice whispered in my ear.”
One summer, my brother and his friends started a band. My brother set up his drums on the front lawn, and two of his friends brought their guitars and amps. One had a video camera, and they filmed their earnest attempts at Wild Thing and Summer of 69 with such gusto. My guess is it was actually the summer of 1990 and, well, who knows where those tapes are now. I hadn't yet learned how to decipher my brother's currency of adolescent mumbles and grunts and I sure wasn't allowed on the front lawn, so I just minced about in the hallway where the guitar cases were sitting, out of the sun. That day was the first time I can remember seeing a guitar close up. It was black, and when no one was looking, I reached down and picked it up. I remember being struck then and there, by something that I didn't yet understand - something foreign, something mystical even. I put it back before my brother saw me and told me to bugger off and play with my slot car set.
I'm not saying you need a lightning moment to want to learn the guitar, but it will help. For me, it was looking at the guitar for the first time and feeling like a voice whispered in my ear. For the folk reading this, it may be a different kettle of fish. You may be an adult wanting to learn guitar, and you have no time for my dramatised version of events. You probably just want to know how long it's going to take to crank out the chords to Hotel California, and to that, I say good on you! My general answer to those starting out is that it will hurt in the beginning. The strings may not look mean but they sure can make your fingers sting. This is not to scare anyone away, I just like to let them know that they will have to earn those chords and licks! Technique has a lot to it and having the right teacher will steer you down the right path. Basic thumb and wrist positioning, using the ball of your finger correctly or body posture are much easier learned with a guide. Heck, I'm sure I've got all types of bad 'self-taught' habits that I could have sidestepped if I had a teacher back in my teens.
“So heed my first piece of advice: Get a teacher.”
A teacher doesn't have to be someone that you see every week, although that helps a great deal. In this day and age of online tutoring, there are plenty of videos out there to get you started on the basics. Just bear in mind that online videos can't stop you in your tracks when you are doing some wrong, address it and set you off on the right path. This is why an in-person teaching scenario, whether in the flesh or on-screen (Skype or Zoom) is immeasurably beneficial. It could be a learned friend that you pry for tidbits of technique along with Joe Bloggs' YouTube lessons - just don't use those online videos on their own. Sooner or later you will hit a wall with your bad techniques and suddenly your hopes and dreams of being the next Jimmy Page are dashed. Things that will turn you away from playing - playing, not practising - include hand cramps, sore fingers, a bit of rash on the inner forearm... nothing life-threatening but enough for so many that have gone before us to put that guitar in the case and let it gather dust next to the Abdominizer (RIP Abdominizer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y5bjtq4zK0).
“One thing is for certain here: You have to want it.”
You have to want it even just a little bit to get over those initial hurdles and start making some noise, seeing progress and getting real enjoyment out of it. It won't take long at all. Choose a song that you like, preferably a simple one (and there's lots of those!) and focus on the first two chords of it. Which fingers do you need to move? Which fingers can stay where they are? The first couple of songs I started trying were About A Girl by Nirvana (the verse chords are Em and G), and the single note riff to Today by The Smashing Pumpkins.
Lewis Eady Music School now offers Skype Music Lessons for a wide range of instruments. Delivered by experienced musicians who are committed to sharing their love of music, these Skype Lessons are suitable for all ages and musical levels.
Start (or continue!) your musical journey from the comfort of your own home.
In our next post, we'll look into any benefits to beginning on ukulele before guitar. Does it help? Are the chords the same? Stay tuned and thanks for reading.
Ed Castelow is the Lewis Eady Retail Manager and Guitar Specialist. He has toured internationally as a multi-instrumentalist for some of NZ's leading indie bands, but the guitar remains his primary instrument!
