1. Sitting Posture
Whether you've been playing for years or just starting out, your sitting posture with the guitar is crucial as it sets the foundation for your playing journey. Try standing and playing with a good strap first; once you nail that, sitting down won't be a worry anymore. It's one of the quickest ways to learn guitar that few people realize.
2. Expensive or Affordable Guitar?
For beginners, an expensive guitar isn't necessary because we produce sound, not the guitar itself. However, as you progress, having a quality instrument becomes essential. But don't go too cheap; it can affect your learning process and finger strength.
3. Practicing Scale Runs
Beginners often feel discouraged when practicing chord progressions, a task frequently assigned by their instructors. Although time-consuming, practicing scale runs enhances finger dexterity, laying a solid foundation for future exercises.
4. Why Learn Classical Guitar?
99% of the world's guitar masters study classical guitar. Learning classical guitar teaches proper hand positioning to produce delicate sounds. Accompaniment becomes easier as it involves sensing and repeating chord progressions.
5. Not Mandatory to Read Tablature
Often online tablatures contain inaccuracies, even published books may have flawed chord arrangements, leading to misconceptions in your learning journey. Listen to songs and chords to truly understand them. This approach will lead to significant and rapid improvement.
6. Where to Learn Guitar?
Nowadays, there are various ways to learn guitar such as online, from a teacher, or with friends. It depends on your learning objectives. If you're into strumming, online lessons would suffice, but for classical guitar, finding a good instructor is crucial as they can correct your mistakes and help you progress further and faster.
7. Time Management
Many say learning guitar consumes too much time. That's entirely false. Just practice for 30 minutes each day, and you'll progress rapidly. If you still find that too time-consuming, then perhaps you lack passion, and without passion, this isn't the right pursuit for you.
8. Which Guitar for Strumming?
If you enjoy strumming foreign songs, an acoustic guitar is a perfect choice. However, for classical music, a classical guitar is far superior due to its gentle melodies. Hence, it's impossible to compare which is better.
9. Hand or Ear: Which is More Important?
Both hand and ear play equally significant roles. Imagine yourself as a chef; you not only need skilled hands for cooking but also a refined palate for tasting.
10. Where to Start?
It's simple. First, find a basic guitar class near you to lay the best foundational steps. Alternatively, some may opt for online lessons, but without someone correcting your basic mistakes, you'll find it challenging to correct them later on. Eventually, you'll become frustrated when you can't play any songs due to those mistakes, and boredom will quickly follow.
