16 May Beginner Guitar Mistakes That Can Hold a Young Musician Back

The guitar is an instrument that appeals to people of all ages. Approximately 20 million people in the United States currently play the guitar. As summer approaches, parents all over the country are looking for ways to keep their children engaged and out of trouble. Encouraging your child to learn guitar will allow them to channel their energy into something positive. 

Excelling as a guitar player will be much easier if your child has a good foundation to build from. When your child first starts playing guitar, you have to push the importance of developing good habits. Failing to have good technique and practice habits can hamper the progress your child makes learning to play the instrument they love. Below are some beginner guitar mistakes that can hold your child back and information on how to avoid these common problems.

Playing with Too Much Force

When you listen to iconic guitar players like Billy Gibbons or Angus Young, you can hear their personalities in their playing. A lot of this has to do with the way they hold the guitar and the force they use to both fret and strum the instrument. Developing a “good touch” on the guitar starts with good playing habits. One of the main mistakes new guitar players make is using far too much force when strumming the guitar. 

If your child thrashes their pick over the strings, they will make an awful racket. The guitar needs to be handled with care, which is something you have to teach your young guitar player. Making your child guitar player practice proper strumming technique will benefit them greatly in the future. Developing correct fingering and strumming techniques allows your child to pick up on new picking patterns and chord progressions with ease.

Ignoring The Need For a Metronome During Practice

Practice is the only way a beginner guitar player can graduate to the next level. If your child is not practicing multiple times a week, chances are they will not progress very quickly. In most cases, the feeling of not progressing can lead to a young guitar player laying down the instrument altogether. 

A great sense of timing is also something the best guitarist players in the world share. Developing good timing is no accident. The best way to help your child develop timing is by encouraging them to practice with a metronome. With this metronome, your young guitar player can keep time as they practice. This timing is exceptionally important when your child plays with other musicians in the future. This is why gifting your young musician a quality metronome is a wise move.

Don’t Focus Solely on Perfection

Some of the greatest musical moments in history happened as a result of an accident. While it is important to play clean and well-fretted chords, you also need to let your child know that there is no such thing as perfection. Embracing the imperfections can help your child open up a new world of musical exploration.

If you want to help your child hit the ground running with their musical pursuits, then consider the lessons offered by Rochester Conservatory of Music.