20 Apr 3 Great Tips For New Guitar Players

If you are stuck in quarantine, then finding something to occupy your time is essential. Sitting around and looking at the walls in your home all day can lead to lots of frustration. If you are looking for a challenging task to take on, learning to play the guitar is a great idea. Over 72% of the guitar players polled in a recent survey claimed they learned how to play this instrument as a way to gain a new life skill. 

Regardless of the reasons why you want to play guitar, you need to work hard to make the dream of playing an instrument a reality. If you are a new guitar player, check out the helpful tips below. 

1. Taking Lessons for a Seasoned Professional is Vital

Some people have a romantic idea of teaching themselves to play guitar. While some of the best guitar players in history have been able to accomplish this task, it is much harder than you think. If you have zero previous musical experience, you may get frustrated with the self-taught approach and give up prematurely. Rather than giving up too soon, you need to think about investing in professional instruction. 

Before choosing a guitar teacher, you need to find out more about the person. Figuring out how long a guitar teacher has been giving lessons and what type of reputation they have is a must. This information can help you choose the right guitar teacher with ease. Rushing through this important decision can have a long-term effect on your ability to play the guitar. This is why taking your time and weighing all of the options at your disposal is a wise move. 

2. Find Ways to Reduce Finger Pain

One of the main things you should prepare for when learning the guitar is finger pain. Pressing down on the strings will be painful for a while. Eventually, your fingers will develop calluses that will make fretting the guitar easier. Until then, there are a few things you can do to reduce finger pain and discomfort. 

If you find it difficult to play a chord on your new guitar, the action on it may need to be adjusted. Taking the guitar to a professional and allowing them to adjust the truss rod can lower the strings a bit. This will make playing the guitar much easier. 

3. Practice Makes Perfect

Managing expectations is crucial when first learning to play the guitar. You aren’t going to practice for 30 minutes every week and become a virtuoso. Being a great guitar player requires hours and hours of practice. Sitting down with your guitar and play every day is the best way to become more proficient. Your guitar teacher can show you exercises that can help you progress as a guitar player. 

Need Guitar Lessons?

If you’ve wanted to learn how to play guitar, the professionals at the Rochester Conservatory of Music can help you out. Contact us for more information about the guitar lessons we provide.