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UGH! This sucks. Not only do my fingers hurt from pressing down strings, but the pick keeps slipping every time I start to get into a nice strumming pattern. I thought I was making progress!!
Yeah, it’s a bummer. But it’s pretty easy to fix. Here are a few recommendations.
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In a previous article I talked about how much guitar lessons cost – specifically – how much you can expect to pay for guitar lessons themselves. But what about hidden (or not so hidden) costs of playing the guitar?
And how much does a beginner entry-level guitar cost?
Can I rent a guitar?
How expensive is it to play the guitar?
These are all good (and smart) questions, and (lucky for you) the answers are pretty straightforward…
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(Note: If you just want the recommendations, scroll to the bottom of the page)
I often get asked: “What is the best way to teach yourself guitar?” or “How can you learn how to play the guitar by yourself?”
They are good questions, but I usually stay away from answering these questions because the answers are so specific depending on each individual’s goals. There are a lot of factors to consider: electric guitar vs. acoustic guitar; what kind of music do you want to learn, how much time can you devote to practice, etc.
Obviously, having a private teacher will give you a leg up on any of the services listed below…. but not everyone has the time or budget for private guitar lessons.
On the other hand, YouTube is an awesome source of free lessons… but there are a lot of gaps, it’s hard to know what is quality, and it can be frustrating and time consuming to search for specific guitar lessons or tutorials (and that’s assuming you actually know what you’re looking for).
To make things harder, even just Googling something like: “beginner guitar lessons” is incredibly overwhelming. You have ads for guitar-related services, random youtube videos, and a few guitar-related websites… it’s hard to tell what’s good and what’s just spammy crap.
So without any kind of teacher, this is how to teach yourself guitar…
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Am I too old to play the guitar?
Should adults even bother to learn to play the guitar?
About half of my students are adults, and the majority of the subscribers to my email list and participants in my online guitar courses are adults.
None of them are too old to play the guitar. And I’m extremely happy they decided to pick up the guitar and start to learn (even as a grown up).
That doesn’t mean that there aren’t a special set of challenges that adults face.
There are tons of reasons why it can be difficult to learn the guitar, but for adults, two reasons stand out:
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A while back, I was having trouble trying to sound better while playing the guitar – I had extra trouble trying to make my acoustic guitar sound better . I felt like I knew the basics on the guitar. But still, it seemed like my guitar playing sounded amateurish. Beginner guitar players sounded better than I did even though I knew more than them and I had been playing longer. Their playing just sounded better.
I knew something was off – but wasn’t quite sure what it was…..
Until I discovered something that immediately made me sound ten times better.
I saw a post on reddit the other day that asked if anyone had any regrets over getting rid of a guitar.
I can think of maybe three guitars that I’ve lost…
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I’ve gone through a ton of different guitar tuners since I started playing.
The old kind that you plug directly into.
The kind with a microphone that you sit on your lap.
Even just tuning to songs I know are already in the key of E.
Guitar tuner apps that basically do the same thing.
(FYI – if you’re looking for a guitar tuner app or any guitar apps click here, I like the Pano Tuner app… it’s a free guitar tuner app and works on iOS and Android)
And lastly…. I’ve definitely been through a ton of different kinds of clip on tuners.
So..
What’s the best one?
Short answer: This Snark Tuner.
Specifically,the Snark Clip-On Chromatic All Instrument Tuner (Red)
If you wanna know why… read on…..
You have a guitar.
You have a list of songs to play.
You have no idea what you’re doing.
How do I hold the guitar correctly?
Where do I put my thumb when playing the guitar?
Where do I put my arm?
Does the guitar go between my legs?
Should I stand up?
Do I prop my foot up?
You’ve got questions…. Don’t worry. I’ve got answers…..
On June 6th 2013, Severn River Guitar had their first official Jam Session/Recital. It was a great experience and a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their talents and support each other.
Since I focus on teaching lessons in the homes of my students, we don’t have that many opportunities to meet each other. It was so cool to see everyone come together and support each other.
Below are some of the photos from the event (you can check out more at our facebook page).
