Is guitar hard to learn?

China
January 9, 2009 5:19am CST
I want to learn guitar.i was not sure if it is hard? Can anybody give me some advice about how to learn?I am a totally a novice.which brand is best for a novice.look foward to your reply.Thanks.
2 people like this
10 responses
@iskayz (5420)
• Philippines
9 Jan 09
guitar - an electric guitar and a amplifier
Hi there! Learning how to play the guitar or any instrument is easy if you have the motivation and interest in learning it. I am a girl and my real instrument is playing the piano cause I went to a piano school. But I was able to teach myself playing the guitar cause I really love music. I can do rhythm and lead. Some tips that I can give you and these are based on my own experience. Try playing a song that you like very much and you know how to sing it. Memorize it and familiarize yourself with the chords. Keep on practicing, moving on to another song and so on until you get to memorize the chords. Learn to listen very very well on the tunes and find it within the chords so you can do plucking (strumming the strings separately) and some leads. This is called "owido" in Filipino word. It's like playing by ear. If you master it, you can play lead without having to memorize it from tablatures as long as you to memorize the chords. At this point, brand of guitar isn't important. But if you have the budget, try Gibson, Hofner and Ibanez. They are the best in the market. They are a bit expensive but it's going to be your best pal so its worth buying. Hope that helps. Just don't forget, practice makes perfect. Goodluck!
@iskayz (5420)
• Philippines
9 Jan 09
The stave just represents the guitar strings. It is used to write your notes or the chords. Do you know how to read the chords already?
• China
9 Jan 09
thank you so much for your advice.YOU are so nice.
1 person likes this
• China
9 Jan 09
If i am not familiar with the stave,will that be an obstacle?
1 person likes this
• India
9 Jan 09
Hello jingjingpeyton I remember that when I was 13, I started learning guitar. At that point of time I was the youngest student in my music class learning it. All others were in above 18! When I started off, in my early days the skin on my forefinger, middle finger, littkle finger and fourth finger peeled off. I used to oil my fingers before continuing my practice. I really enjoyed it and did it for 4 months. But I couldnt continue after that. My teacher said she was proud of me because I had learnt so much in those four months that her adult students took 12 months to complete those same things. She told me I was fast learner at guitar and persuaded my parents to let me continue when I had free time. But I couldn't. So till now I have only had those 4 months of training. So I can tell you that, if you enjoy and like playing it then you can learn it at your own pace. There is no such time when you should have mastered it or be able to play it. It all really depends on you!! Hope that helped. ;)
• China
9 Jan 09
It's really a hard experience.U are really awesome you know.THANK YOU for your advice.
• India
11 Jan 09
Hey thanks for the compliment. It boosted my confidence and may be increased my interest to restart my training. Thanks a lot. :)
@royce22 (303)
• Philippines
9 Jan 09
if you really want to learn how to play guitar, you need to practice everyday.put a specific time for you to play. as we all know, practice makes perfect. right? 'coz i've learned to play guitar in 5 days since i started practicing.
• China
9 Jan 09
You are really a fast learner.HOW did u do that?
• Philippines
10 Jan 09
Learning to play the guitar is easy if you have the interest.You must start with the basics, like chords, strummings, etc. get a song book and practice. If you really want to master it read books about guitar music theory, scales , progressions and other topics. And lastly you have to practice continously ,back then I used to practice for about 5 hours daily.
• Philippines
14 Jan 09
Back when I was starting out (which was not all that long ago) I used youtube videos as a guide to learn the harder songs. I have youtube to thank for being able to play some bossa nova songs and the harder songs that I can play.
@moser8 (37)
• United States
6 Feb 09
Guitar can be easy, and it can be hard to learn. I took 1 month of lessons and let me tell you, without those lessons i still would be stuck on playing one chord. I've been playing for about 10 months now and i can play songs like Sad but True by Metallica Unforgive by Metallica Seek and Destroy by Metallica Runnin with the Devil by Van Halen and a bunch of other songs. What you need to do to learn guitar is to practice atleast an hour a day. It does sound like alot, and when my instructor said that the first time i was like uh no, but over time i just practice everyday and sometimes from 30 minutes to 4 hours. Its really a good hobby to get into and maybe make a living on. It can also earn you alot of friends, and respect. GOOD LUCK!!
9 Jan 09
Ive had one for a while and I know how u feel. I get bored of looking at a book I got. And I dont feel like looking at Youtube, although there are some good stuff to look at on there if u are interested. Type in something like Lessons for Playing Elecrtic Guitar, something should come up. They do say that u shouild start off with Acoustic Guitar.
@stormy09 (437)
• United Arab Emirates
9 Jan 09
Learning how to play guitar is not that hard and easy as well,, if u really want to learn how to play u must give time..
@thukio16 (254)
• Philippines
9 Jan 09
Hi there! I believe that playing a guitar is easy, its just that i am having a hrad time to learn it thats why until now i still dont perfect it. Happy mylotting and have a nice day!
• Philippines
9 Jan 09
Hi, if you have a good ear for music, learning the guitar is just a piece of cake. I started learning the guitar on my own when I was still in college. I saved my allowance and bought an acoustic, a chordbook, and a song book. I practiced every day for hours. I actually got addicted to it. I started playing basic chords like A,D, and G and then progressed to the more complicated ones. I started playing one whole song after a week. I remember it was "When You Say Nothing at All". LOL. I can't say I'm really good at playing the guitar now, but I find fulfillment when friends and family compliment me when I play good music. My goal: to play like Carlos Santana. How ambitious of me! LOL. Good luck! You can definitely do it.