So you\u2019re starting out on your guitar playing journey and you\u2019re wondering how to proceed. There is a wealth of free information available on Youtube so that is where a lot of new guitar players start. But what I suggest is that you…<\/p>\n
The problem is that Youtube instructional videos are all over the map, and it is difficult for a beginner to know where to start. You need to match the content of a particular set of videos with your own playing level and the type of songs you want to play. <\/p>\n
Often a video will be too advanced for your level, or it will take many things for granted that you have not yet mastered. Things like assuming you know chords or chord shapes that you are not familiar with, music theory topics you do not understand, or things like finger picking techniques that are brand new to you.<\/p>\n
The result is that you may spend hours trying to master some instructor\u2019s version of a song, only to find out that the time you spend on that song is virtually wasted. Half way through you give up because it includes techniques and theoretical concepts you are just not ready to tackle.<\/p>\n
We’ve all had this experience, and Youtube videos just increase the chance that this will happen to you. The result is that you just don\u2019t make the kind of progress you were hoping for. Your practice time just doesn’t give you the results to keep you excited about learning the guitar.<\/p>\n
The good news is that you will<\/b> make progress with the guitar (or most other musical instruments) if you work at it in a productive way. <\/p>\nStep 1: Strum Along with Simple Songs<\/b><\/h3>\n
Start by learning a few basic chords so you can play along with some familiar songs.
\nThis is the place most beginners start. Learn a few chords or a major scale or two. Strum along with some familiar songs just to start feeling at home on your guitar. Songs like:
\n– Mary Had a Little Lamb
\n– Amazing Grace
\n– Home on the Range
\n– Twinkle, Twinkle
\n– She\u2019ll be Coming Round the Mountain<\/p>\n
You can strum along with these songs with just two or three chords. Here are some samples that show you the chords and when to play them<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is \u201cbasic theory\u201d. The important things are scales<\/b>, and learning which chords go with which keys<\/b>. This is not difficult and you don\u2019t need a lot of hard core theory, but you\u2019ll be surprised how much these basic things will help you progress. <\/p>\n Work at it gradually. Split your practice time between strumming along with simple songs and playing scale exercises and chord transitions. There are some interesting scale exercises here.<\/a>Step 2: Learn some Scales and Basic Chord Theory<\/b><\/h3>\n
\nAnd here is a video from my course called “Guitar Magic”<\/a> where I talk about some basic theory:<\/p>\n