How to Learn to Play the Guitar Without Taking Guitar Lessons
I teach guitar lessons at a studio in Chicago that I own and operate called Village Guitar Studio (guitar lessons Chicago). So, obviously I love when people decide to take guitar lessons! But, many guitarists, even professional ones, are completely self-taught. While it does help to have an experienced musician to guide you, it is possible to learn to play the guitar on your own.
One of the main areas that beginning students need to spend a lot of time on is playing chords. Here are the important chord families that you should work on, and some tips for getting them under your fingers. One simple rule to keep in mind is this: the more you play these chords, the better you will get. Playing them repeatedly over time is the only way to make them sound natural and be able to switch from chord to chord quickly.
Try to make music early on with them by learning songs, or even writing your own. It’s not as hard as you might think. Most importantly, have fun and keep playing!
Open Chords
The first group of chords that you should concentrate on when first starting out with the guitar are called open chords. They are given that name because they use the open strings, which are strings picked without being pressed down on the guitar’s fretboard. Almost always, these are the first chords that people learn on the guitar. But, they are chords that you’ll use as long as you play the instrument.
Important open chords you’ll want to learn are: G, C, D, E, E minor, A, and A minor.
Other chords in the same area of the guitar that are also important to learn are: F, D7, A7, E7, G7, and C7.
Here are steps you can take to learn them on your own: Find diagrams of the chords from a book or by searching online for ‘open chords.’ Memorize the fingering for each chord. Practice each one and make sure that all of the strings are ringing. This can be difficult at first and may require some practice. Keep playing the chords and you will get them all to ring eventually! After you’ve completed these steps, you should seek out songs that use the chords you are learning. You can find these in songbooks you can purchase, or, again, online. You should practice songs that you find slowly and smoothly until you are able to easily switch from one chord to the next. Keep in mind, this process could take a few months jordan heels for women ! But, these are chords you will play for the rest of your guitar-playing life, so it will be well worth taking the time to master them.
Barre Chords
Next, you’ll want to learn what are called the ‘Barre chords’. They are slightly more difficult because you will have to use one finger to press down more than one string in each of these shapes. Many students I teach guitar lessons to tend to get frustrated at this part of their learning. But, the good news is that there are only 4 basic barre chord shapes that you need to master. You will need to learn to play a major and minor barre chord shape starting on the 6th string, and also learn both shapes starting on the 5th string. Then, you will have to learn how to find notes on the guitar, since what chord you are playing is determined by what note you are starting it on. Then, just like with the open chords, you should play through songs and use these shapes to play all of the chords of the song.
Power Chords
After learning barre chords abercrombie uk , power chords will be very easy to learn! They are similar to the barre chords, in that they don’t use open strings and the same shape can be moved around to play different chords. Also like barre chords, the name of the power chord you are playing is determined by the note you are start them on. Unlike barre chords though jordan heels , power chords are only made up of two notes and are very easy to play, especially after you’ve spent time on the more difficult barre chords. Even though they are relatively easy to play, power chords are used a great deal in rock music.
These are the three families of chords that I would recommend learning first if you’re starting the guitar without guitar lessons. Though it will take some time, if you’re able to play all of these types of chords smoothly and without problems, you will have a strong foundation, especially if you are mainly interest in rock, folk, country, or blues music. With these chords you’ll be able to play most songs and definitely will have the tools necessary to start writing your own.
Thanks for reading and I hope you found the article helpful. Remember, if you keep playing and don’t give up, you WILL learn to play the guitar!
For more guitar lessons, please stop by my guitar blog.
