Beginners can sometimes feel overwhelmed when they start learning classical guitar. The technique, sight reading, interpretation and the whole complexity of the experience can make one feel a bit anxious about what proper steps should be taken to gain visible results. It doesn’t help that classical music as a whole conjures up images of snobbish people that aren’t very interested in letting someone in their private circles.

 

Well, it’s not like that at all. Learning classical guitar can be fun and rewarding if you keep in mind the things we will be discussing in this article. and no, it’s not mandatory to wear your tuxedo, pull out a monocle and start speaking in a “highbrow” tone.

 

Jumping straight into complicated material is one of the biggest mistakes that beginners make and it leads only to frustration. Imagine for a second that you are trying to work on your car’s engine with the blueprint in front of you. Now, if you have never taken an auto mechanic course and don’t know much about how engines work you won’t get very far. You might be able to figure out where certain parts are by looking at the blueprint but you’ll have no idea what exactly they do and how you should fix them.

 

If your car engine would be your guitar playing, then your blueprints would be the sheet music. But there is another component that must be brought into the mix for things to work. Either take classical guitar lessons or teach yourself using a classical guitar method such as the one by Mateo Carcassi or Sagreras.

 

These books have been written in such a way as to gradually give you tangible results. Because they are method books, they teach the student in a progressive and correct way, and as a result you may find yourself tackling your favorite piece easily and with great results. They use exercises as well as “studies” (musical pieces devoted to teaching you a certain technique) to build your technical as well as interpretative skills. Besides teaching technique, methods also facilitate intimate knowledge of your instrument, which is just a fancy way of saying that you will know your guitar inside and out. But can you really teach yourself classical guitar? Yes, you can. Two of the greatest classical guitar players ever, Tarrega and Segovia, where self taught.

 

In the beginning it is a good idea to spend at least half of your practice time doing exercises. This will help you become more limber on the guitar and you will also see great progress in the pieces you’re working on.

 

After you get a classical guitar method and you start working it, the next step is getting some material so you can build your repertoire. Pick carefully so that you balance your own personal taste with the level of the piece. In other words, the piece you choose should be one that you like and at the level that you can handle technically.

 

You may go to a gym wanting to be Arnold Schwarzenegger, however trying to weight lift 250 pounds when you can barely get 70 pounds off the ground isn’t the way to do it. If you do attempt it, instead of bigger muscles you will probably end up in the hospital. It’s the same thing that’s happening when you attempt to play pieces that are way above your current level. Having said that, it should be noted that it’s good to get pieces that challenge you a little bit. This makes you grow. You will have to use your good judgment as to what constitutes challenging. Just like getting a hernia isn’t a muscle building technique, playing way above your level will only lead to failure and frustration.

 

Because of the nature of baroque music and of his compositions, Bach’s works are extremely conducive towards gaining great balance and technique on the instrument. Therefore, any student would benefit immensely by learning from the master’s material. Bach’s pieces are also great for developing great tone and they are fun to play. For example: Prelude BWV999 (originally for lute), while incredibly beautiful in its sound is also great for working with the fretboard hand because it is based on a series of chord progressions combined with a loosely melodic bass line.

 

If you don’t own a metronome, GET ONE! Learn to play slow and in time with it. This way you will form all the right reflexes and once you move the material up to speed the difference will be clear. Arguably, mastering rhythm with a metronome is an essential quality that will separate the amateur from the pro. To the people that may scoff at this and not understand the true importance of working with a metronome, think of it this way: imagine something as simple as a person walking across a hallway. If I ask you to describe them you would probably tell me what they looked like, what they had on and so forth. Now imagine another person walking across the hallway, but this guy is very shaky on his feet, he sometimes double steps, stumbles and flails his hands about trying to keep balance while walking. If I asked you to describe this guy, you’d probably tell me that he had a crazy walk, and he couldn’t walk straight etc.. That would be the impression that would stick with you. Same with your rhythm skills. If you don’t master them, people won’t be able to remember or appreciate your playing because their attention will constantly be distracted by the tempo stumbling and bumbling about.

 

If you follow the steps noted above you will see great improvement in your overall classical Guitar Playing. Not only will this affect your playing but also your enjoyment of the instrument. As you follow this route you will see results and feel satisfaction. Like a veil being lifted, you will be able to see the path you must follow and pretty soon you will be tackling with great ease and elegance the piece that seemed so hard a while back. As always, if you need some advice as to the material you should be pursuing, or what book you should get, feel free to drop me a line.

Ben Dressen
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/learning-classical-guitar-the-right-way-733196.html

About how long does it take and what is the best way to go about learning it?

I believe it all depends on your experience. Either it can take you a few hours just to memorize the notes/chords, or a couple days if you have to figure out where to place your fingers on the neck (where the frets are) and what and how to play the different strings. But i mean if you have the basis of how to play it shouldn’t take that long to play and memorize. Also i think it has to do with how much you practice. If you happen to play the guitar a lot then it should be quick and easy to learn.

If you want to learn to play Flamenco guitar you will find that the basic left hand techniques are the same as the ones you would use in other guitar styles. The right hand techniques for Flamenco playing are more challenging, especially if you have not done any finger style playing before.

Your right hand technique need not be particularly advanced to allow you to add the Flamenco sound to your playing but you should always aim for a clean sound. You will find many amateur, and some professional Flamenco guitar players that you might find on YouTube or on Flamenco records from the nineteen sixties do not pay a hell of a lot of attention to clean notes. There is a school of thought that rough technique is okay if the passion is in the playing. This might apply to guys who have been playing Flamenco all their lives, but if you are fluffing notes it means you haven’t practiced enough.

Let’s think for a minute about where you are going to find Flamenco guitar lessons. The answer is YouTube or similar video sites. The Flamenco guitar videos available on the internet will vary in quality of playing but most of the lessons that focus on specific techniques are generally quite useful to beginner Flamenco guitar players.

The techniques you will be learning are Picardo which is the picking style Flamenco players use to play scale passages, Tremolo which allows the guitar player to play solos made up of long notes while playing bass accompaniment at the same time and Rasqueado which covers the aggressive and expressive strumming techniques which help give Flamenco Guitar Playing its unique sound.

Some of the professional guitarists you should be listening to are Paco De Lucia, Vicente Amigo, Sabicas, Diego Del Gastor, Serranito and Paco Pena. The lessons available are often given by guitarists whose names don’t sound very Spanish but if you can get a technique that you like from some guy named Hung Li O’reilly what’s the harm? One Flamenco guitar teacher you will find giving good advice and material in the form of video Flamenco guitar lessons is Sal Bonavita.

Back in the nineteen sixties and seventies there were a few guitarists giving “Flamenco” concerts all over the world to big audiences. Their publicity announced that their greatness but they were regarded as nowhere near the class of the guitarists I mentioned above, and have nothing to offer the Flamenco student. So if you come across videos featuring Carlos Montoya, Manitas De Plata and Juan Serrano, don’t waste too much time on them. I don’t want to badmouth artists who have given many people pleasure through their concerts and records but sometimes newbies waste time trying to learn material that will not benefit them in any way.

If you are looking for instruction books on Flamenco guitar, you should look for Toques Flamencos by Paco Pena. In spite of what I wrote above, if you find one of the guitar tutors by Juan Serrano they will at least give you a good grounding in the basics.

Ricky Sharples
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/learn-to-play-flamenco-guitar-743084.html

If you want to learn to play Flamenco guitar you will find that the basic left hand techniques are the same as the ones you would use in other guitar styles. The right hand techniques for Flamenco playing are more challenging, especially if you have not done any finger style playing before.

Your right hand technique need not be particularly advanced to allow you to add the Flamenco sound to your playing but you should always aim for a clean sound. You will find many amateur, and some professional Flamenco guitar players that you might find on YouTube or on Flamenco records from the nineteen sixties do not pay a hell of a lot of attention to clean notes. There is a school of thought that rough technique is okay if the passion is in the playing. This might apply to guys who have been playing Flamenco all their lives, but if you are fluffing notes it means you haven’t practiced enough.

Let’s think for a minute about where you are going to find Flamenco guitar lessons. The answer is YouTube or similar video sites. The Flamenco guitar videos available on the internet will vary in quality of playing but most of the lessons that focus on specific techniques are generally quite useful to beginner Flamenco guitar players.

The techniques you will be learning are Picardo which is the picking style Flamenco players use to play scale passages, Tremolo which allows the guitar player to play solos made up of long notes while playing bass accompaniment at the same time and Rasqueado which covers the aggressive and expressive strumming techniques which help give Flamenco Guitar Playing its unique sound.

Some of the professional guitarists you should be listening to are Paco De Lucia, Vicente Amigo, Sabicas, Diego Del Gastor, Serranito and Paco Pena. The lessons available are often given by guitarists whose names don’t sound very Spanish but if you can get a technique that you like from some guy named Hung Li O’reilly what’s the harm? One Flamenco guitar teacher you will find giving good advice and material in the form of video Flamenco guitar lessons is Sal Bonavita.

Back in the nineteen sixties and seventies there were a few guitarists giving “Flamenco” concerts all over the world to big audiences. Their publicity announced that their greatness but they were regarded as nowhere near the class of the guitarists I mentioned above, and have nothing to offer the Flamenco student. So if you come across videos featuring Carlos Montoya, Manitas De Plata and Juan Serrano, don’t waste too much time on them. I don’t want to badmouth artists who have given many people pleasure through their concerts and records but sometimes newbies waste time trying to learn material that will not benefit them in any way.

If you are looking for instruction books on Flamenco guitar, you should look for Toques Flamencos by Paco Pena. In spite of what I wrote above, if you find one of the guitar tutors by Juan Serrano they will at least give you a good grounding in the basics.

Ricky Sharples
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/learn-to-play-flamenco-guitar-743084.html

Alright, so I already have a guitar, but I’ve never actually learned how to play it. I want to teach myself. Any links to website tutorials and stuff would be perfect. Thanks.

I have started giving free online guitar lessons at http://www.youtube.com/user/UKGuitarGirl. They are very simple and short, and will have you playing in no time! I’m going to put a new one up every Friday.

Once you know how to read chord diagrams (as I show in my first lesson) you can look up any chord diagram you like and you’ll be able to work out how to play the chord.

Then, once you can read guitar tab, which I will cover in a few weeks, you can go onto websites like http://www.ultimate-guitar.com and play songs by your favourite bands and artists.

There are so many tools for learning how to play guitar that you can get on the internet, it makes you wonder whether how to play guitar books have a place in the world of technology. When you used to have to learn to play guitar from a teacher you always had to have a book that you learnt out of. It was a way of making sure you and your teacher understood where you were in your Guitar Playing. And if you did not have a teacher you possibly learnt to play guitar by copying what you heard on the radio or on records. Even then you probably had to go out and buy a guitar tutor or at least a chord book.

The advantage of books is that the printed page is a record of information that you might learn today but need to refresh your memory at some time in the future. Video guitar lessons are a fantastic way to learn to play the guitar but the written word has its own way of expressing thoughts or helping you with your approach to music, and you do not have to go through the laborious process of fast forwarding through countless videos to remind yourself of something the teacher said. Also a book can be read when the power is down and you have to practice on an acoustic guitar by candlelight!

So let us look at a few really excellent how to books for guitar. An example of concise, easy to understand, useful guitar info is “The Guitar Book” by Chris Lopez. This book not only contains all the solid information you need to begin your life as a guitar player, you will find it is an inspiration to share in the author’s obvious passion for the guitar. This book has everything for the beginner guitar player: basic chords, changing from major chords to minor, chord progressions, playing blues guitar through to slightly more advanced but extremely useful stuff like transposing a chord progression if the original key is not right for your voice. If you are sticking with playing chords to accompany your singing or if you want to get into solo guitar, this book should be by your bedside.

“The Everything Guitar Book” by Ernie Jackson promises to have you playing like a pro in no time. It certainly contains all the basic information like some history of the guitar and the names of all the parts of the instrument, and all the basic chords. This is the kind of stuff you would expect to find in a how to play guitar book. You also have a reference guide for the information you will need to keep in your head as you Learn How To Play Guitar. The circle of fifths is covered,as are scales and arpeggios. You are introduced to playing songs by getting to know what you can play on the treble strings first, then you are introduced to bass patterns.

“The Everything Guitar Book” also introduces you to guitar players you should know about in whatever musical genre you are interested in whether it is classical, jazz, blues, flamenco or whatever is in between. The book then gives you an intro to playing electric guitar, buying an instrument and finding a teacher. Like any book that covers everything, there are some spots that you will need to explore elsewhere but this is a good first book for a beginner guitarist.

Frederick Noad is a classical guitar player and teacher who wrote a famous classical guitar tutor called “Solo Guitar Playing”. He also wrote a book aimed at the wider world of guitar players called “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing the Guitar”. This book carries a heavy classical guitar orientation but it also gives a good start for playing blues and flamenco. So it is a book for acoustic guitar players, but it is by a guy who know how to get the best from his instrument without causing severe injury to his hands and back and without using amplification. If you are a rock guitarist, do not skip past this book. There is a bunch of stuff in here that will help you become a great guitarist, and you probably will not find this kind of material anywhere else. Get it.

Ricky Sharples
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/how-to-play-guitar-books-688644.html

how do i learn to play songs word for word?

okey…

you want to play an instument, be warned. Its hard. but its the best thing you can do.

get a teacher, and the instrument you want. And practice everyday.

anything you do eight hours a day, you have to be good at it. Eddy Van Halen said that.

Well im trying to sing while i play my guitar but i can’t for some reason,IM good at the guitar but everytime i try to sing,I cant play my guitar right,Somebody help me please

If you’re good at guitar and are having trouble singing, the problem is in your right hand and strumming I’m betting.

Guitar needs to be second nature before you introduce vocals. You’re singing a new word much more often than you’re playing a new chord, so more brain power needs to be devoted to your voice. Chords should be second nature already if you’re good at guitar, so that leaves your right hand.

Pretend you’re playing the shaker to a song. You’ll be playing 16th notes most of the time. Better yet, buy a shaker and sing to a song as you shake. Now, do the same motion in strumming. Keep your hand in a steady motion to where it’s on auto-pilot and you don’t have to think about it. Try this technique for a week, and I’ll bet you’ll be singing and playing by the end of it.

Stephen

http://guitarmann.com

Have you ever dreamed of playing the guitar for your beloved girl in a starry night, or have you ever been thrilled about the idea of one day transcribing your love for her into notes and playing it by yourself? If it is the difficulty of Guitar Playing and expensive fees that prevent you from making your dream come true, then Jamorama can bring an end to your helpless situation.

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In addition to its professional instruction, Jamorama has even more to offer you. Along with the eBooks and video lessons, you will also get audio jam tracks which enable you to feel the pleasure of guitar playing in its fullness. You can practice what you have learned with the guitarist, which is a fast and efficient way to improve your playing. Besides, you also get several bonuses, such as GuitEarIt! Jamorama Metronome, Jayde Musica and How To Tune Your Guitar. Such software will teach you skills such as music reading, transcribing notes, tuning your guitar, so on and so forth. All of that will make you an all-round guitarist.

It is no exaggeration that Jamorama is a must-buy product for beginners, considering its all-encompassing contents and the great fun it offers. Its reasonable price makes it more appealing to potential artists and it guarantees a 100% 8-week money back. If you are still hunting for a help to facilitate your guitar learning, Jamorama is definitely your best choice. Grab A Copy Click here

 

Jenny Patterson

I already have a guitar at home but I don’t know how to play it. I can’t even read guitar tabs/chords. Will I ever Learn How To Play Guitar and how. I tried getting online lessons but won’t it won’t help. Can anyone please help me.

go to your local school that has a band and ask for lessons SIMPLE