Common questions you may have when thinking about learning guitar.
Someone who practices for at least 30 mins per day, I see no problems in them being able to confidently strum 4 chords with rhythm within 8 weeks. I say 4 chords because you can play thousands of songs with the same 4 chords so to be able to sit with friends and strum out popular songs then a couple of months commitment and you will be there. Once you have achieved this level then you will want to learn more and more about this instrument and this is the start of a lifetime of learning and enjoyment.
Don't talk so daft! As long as you have the dedication to practice then anyone can learn to play the guitar. Adults have a greater "Prior" knowledge to draw on when learning to understand something new and a much larger attention span also. I can't think of a better past time for Retirees as they usually have a lot of spare time on their hands, you dont have to even leave the house and believe me it definately keeps your brain active.
This is down to personal preference. Do you prefer the sound of an Acoustic guitar or an Electric guitar? What does your favourite guitarist play? If you are really not sure then it comes down to cost where acoustic guitars are usually a cheaper option to electric where other costs come in as you will need an amplifier (amp) to be able to hear what you play. Electric guitars are usually easier on the hands and fingers to play and if choosing an acoustic then try not to go too cheap as these tend to be harder to play on the fingers.
Plectrums (picks) come in different sizes, thickness and styles. The best thing is to try different ones and see which one feels better to you. Some are flexible and bendy and some are solid and hard. Most common would be a thickness of around .80mm to 1mm
There is no need to be able to read music or even have to learn to read music to be able to play the guitar. The guitar has a unique layout, which allows for its own style of notation that is far more popular with guitarists called "Tablature".
Tablature (TAB) is an old and fully accepted form of music notation and a much easier way to notate what should be played on the guitar and what technique to use.
Tab however does not hold any ryhthm or timing information whereas standard notation does and so is useful in its own right and I do teach it in my curriculum to aid ryhthm and we delve deeper into it once a thorough knowledge of the guitar fretboard has been achieved, but whilst learning the guitar, standard notation is a very inneffective and confusing way of learning.
Tablature or Tab as it is commonly known is a quick an easy way to write and read guitar music. It is simply six horizontal lines that represent your guitar strings and written on these lines are numbers, which represent the fret you need to play.
To be able to change chords faster, we have to get rid of the hesitation or mental working out beforehand. This can only be done through repetition but there are some techniques to help you on your way such as "Planting". Play the chord cleanly then simply lift your fingers off of the strings slightly and replace them and play the chord cleanly again. Repeating this builds "Muscle Memory" to the point where we dont have to mentally think too hard about playing that chord. Some chords may have the same note in them so using the "Pivot" technique saves time as you are playing more efficiently. This is where you dont have to even lift away some of your fingers as they are already playing the note you need for the next chord and so you can simply pivot on these notes while landing the new ones.
The best way of practicing guitar is in a place with no distractions. From people or technology. If this is not possible then sitting on a couch watching TV will do, just as long as you pick up the guitar and get playing notes and chords clearly. Set short term and long term goals and work towards them with every practice session. Most importantly, learn songs. Learn your favourite songs as this will keep the joy of guitar alive.
This applies to acoustic guitars only as electric guitar use only steel strings. Nylon string acoustics have a mellow, soft sound and are generally used to play Classical and Flamenco music. Steel acoustic guitars have a brighter, louder sound and most commonly used in Pop, Country, Folk and Blues.
