A Beginners Guide to Mastering Guitar
After working with many different students over the years I've been able to identify the one thing that guarantees success. Can you guess it? The answer is: passion. Fun! If you're passionate about learning and you are having fun throughout the process then you can achieve any goal you want with guitar, and conversely a lack of passion guarantees failure. And no one person has the same goal. Maybe you just want to learn a few songs to play around the campfire. Cool. That's easy and I can get you there quick. Or perhaps you want to become a guitar virtuoso who can wow large crowds with your amazing abilities. That's also cool. That may take a little longer but I can get you there as well. Or maybe you don't know what you want you just have a desire to give guitar a try. Whatever your goals are I can help.
The concept of "flow" or being in a "flow state" is achieved by challenging yourself just beyond your current limits. If you pursue a goal that is too easy you become bored. If you pursue a goal that is too difficult you become frustrated. Either way you are not going to stick with your craft if you are an either of these states. However when you can pursue a goal that is just beyond your current abilities, you reach that happy medium where you are excited by learning something new, but at the same time you have a knowledge base you can draw from to provide context for the matter at hand. In short you fall into a flow state, and in this state you will achieve the greatest level of learning possible (For more on this topic check out the book Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi).
This is where I come in as a teacher. I examine your current abilities, what your goals are, and what the next step is to get you to your goal. It's important that it stays fun and exciting every step of the way.
Can you learn guitar over Skype? This is a question I get a lot. And my answer... Of course you can. In fact I would say it's a better option. Now I will say if you are someone who has never even touched a guitar and you want to learn, could it be more difficult to take lessons when your teacher isn't in the room with you? In this situation I would say yes, but I would also say before taking any lessons, whether in person or online, you should become familiar with your guitar. Learn some of the basics first- how to tune, how notes are produced, etc.
Once you have the basics down you should have more than enough understanding to take lessons over Skype. At that point there is no need for your teacher to physically be in the same room as you. All of the information necessary can be communicated verbally or by showing you my guitar on the screen.
If you're ready to take your learning to the next level contact me via email at matt@guitarcram.com. I offer one on one lessons over Skype for a fraction of the price it would cost at your local music store. You also get a personalized lesson plan emailed to you to work on between lessons. Every person is different when it comes to free time and managing their busy schedules, and this is taken into account in your lesson plan. This is another reason why online lessons are better, it gives you more flexibility with your schedule. You don't have to drive anywhere, you can stay in the comfort of your own home, and available time slots are a lot more open than when they are done from a brick and mortar business. And besides, why limit yourself to your local area for teachers when you have access to the entire world online?
We are currently offering a free Skype lesson and subsequent lesson plan. This is a great way to see if I am a good fit for you as a teacher, at absolutely no cost. There's nothing to lose, contact me today and we can get you scheduled. If you find I am a good fit, we are also offering a discount through the month of August for 50% off your first month, so make sure to take advantage of that.
If you're not interested in Skype lessons, then check out the content of this website. It's divided into 6 parts, with each part increasing in difficulty. This site covers all of the basics you should need to know, going from beginner forward. If you can grasp all of the content here then you can accomplish any goal you have with music. Part 1 begins on this page.
PART 1: HOW TO PRODUCE A NOTE (see below)
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Is it necessary to spend years and years studying music theory in order to play guitar? I believe the answer is no. Many of the greatest guitarists throughout history had little to no formal training in music theory, and yet they were able to achieve a high degree of expertise in their craft. This website is designed to give you a step by step instructional guide on how to learn guitar without spending years mastering music theory, but instead giving you an intuitive understanding of how to play. Of course you still need to practice, as it takes time to convert your knowledge into muscle memory.
Lets begin.
Lets begin.
Part 1: How To Produce a Note
We will start with the basic of basics: frets. On your guitar you will see small metal bars running across the neck of the guitar called frets. This is where the notes are produced. Think of them like keys on the piano. Each key you press produces a different note. The same goes with frets on the guitar. By placing your finger directly on the outside of each fret (away from your body), you produce a note. Below are photos showing how to press down on frets 1 and 2 respectively. You would follow this same pattern up and down the neck, on any string of your choice.
You may want buy a guitar pick- typically costs 45 cents at your nearest music store, but you can use your fingers to pluck the string without a pick if you choose. (If you're in a bind you can even use the plastic clips that seal bags on loafs of bread).
Practice either plucking with your finger or picking the string with one hand, while holding different frets with the other, moving up and down the neck as you choose, on any string you choose. There's no right or wrong way to hold the pick, but usually between your thumb and index finer, with the tip pointed out.
Practice either plucking with your finger or picking the string with one hand, while holding different frets with the other, moving up and down the neck as you choose, on any string you choose. There's no right or wrong way to hold the pick, but usually between your thumb and index finer, with the tip pointed out.
If you are confused about which hand to hold the pick vs which hand to use to hold down the frets: if you are right handed you would hold the pick with your right hand, and the hold down the frets with your left hand, and vise versa if you are left handed.
Think of each fret as having a number. The first fret lowest (farthest away from you) on the fret board is 1, the next up the neck is 2, etc. etc., and this repeats on each string. When you the play the string while holding no frets, this is referred to as "open" and will have a number of 0 assigned to it.
If you look on top of the fret board, you will most likely see dots. This is a quick and easy way to know which fret you are on. If you count the frets, the dots will typically be over the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th (with two dots), 15th, and 17th.
Think of each fret as having a number. The first fret lowest (farthest away from you) on the fret board is 1, the next up the neck is 2, etc. etc., and this repeats on each string. When you the play the string while holding no frets, this is referred to as "open" and will have a number of 0 assigned to it.
If you look on top of the fret board, you will most likely see dots. This is a quick and easy way to know which fret you are on. If you count the frets, the dots will typically be over the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th (with two dots), 15th, and 17th.
There you go! You now know how to play different notes on the guitar. It's that simple. Practice playing different frets and try playing them on different strings as well.
Learning your first song
It's time to learn your first song. Yep. You are ready already. It's easier than it sounds. I think the best way to learn anything in life is to see the bigger picture first, then learn all of the smaller more complicated details later.
Bear with me on the song selection... for legal purposes I have to choose songs that are in the public domain. Learn this first one, and then I would encourage you to go on google and search for other songs- more on that in part 4.
Bear with me on the song selection... for legal purposes I have to choose songs that are in the public domain. Learn this first one, and then I would encourage you to go on google and search for other songs- more on that in part 4.
This first song is going to be kept simple, and will be played on only one string. You can choose any string you would like, but it will probably be easiest to choose the top string to begin with.
Lets begin. Happy Birthday
On the string of your choice, play the following sequence. You may want to practice one part at a time until you have the basic idea down.
Lets begin. Happy Birthday
On the string of your choice, play the following sequence. You may want to practice one part at a time until you have the basic idea down.
Congratulations! You now officially know how to play the guitar :)
Click the link at the top for Part 2 once you have mastered Part 1.
Click the link at the top for Part 2 once you have mastered Part 1.