How do you groove? What is the reason you want to get better?
Regardless of your intentions – whether to get started playing acoustic electric guitar, learn a few licks of your favorite tunes, or want to expand your repertoire to include blues, funk, or rock and roll music, on your way to recording yourself, there are resources out there that can help you.
Some solutions you can consider to help you better understand your guitar playing are listed here.
Guitar videos
Getting acoustic guitar lessons on DVD for at home or computer that take you through finger exercises, rhythm and timing lessons, strumming techniques and hand position while illustrating various types of songs it best. You can mimic what you are watching on screen and reproduce what you see and the lessons become essentially a mirror for you in learning to play guitar. If you are a visual learner who likes to learn on their own, then this is the way to go but it takes determination and commitment.
Guitar Instruction
Community colleges in your area have acoustic electric guitar tutors or you can find a private instructor to work with you. When you consider working with an instructor you will want to also consider the types of students they work with the best, their success stories, the flexibility of your schedule, their expertise and of course their fees. In pursing guitar lessons, you can either do one on one or group – both have their pluses and minuses but either can work for you.
Playing with partners
There is someone around your local area that plays, find them. You can ask at your local guitar shop for private lessons or post on something like Craigslist to find a teacher. The purpose is to have the accountable of practicing weekly with someone who is better than you and develop a friendship with them. What you can provide is the commitment to meet up with them weekly and practice. In return, you can learn from their techniques or methods what works. Of course, you always need to be aware of learning bad habits in situations like these, which is why it’s important to have a foundation in guitar technique before starting.
The Theory of Guitar
Related to guitar technique is developing a basis in guitar theory. Chord patterns, minor and major chord progressions, note scales, and overlap with piano and percussion instruments can all give you a basic structure upon which to layer in the knowledge and technique you gain in your guitar playing.
A wonderful expression of your creative talent and musical ability is playing guitar. Playing guitar can provide you with a lifetime of enjoyment for yourself and your friends and family with a commitment to constant improvement.