Why You'll Fail To Learn Guitar - And What To Do About It

Whatever your reason is for wanting to play the guitar, your excitment and passion will be at their highest when you walk into the music store and buy your first guitar. The dream has begun. But when the challenge of learning to play your new instrument begins, the dream has to give way to reality.

Many people find that it's harder to learn guitar than they thought, especially if they are trying to teach themselves. There are a number of reasons for this.

My Guitar keeps going out of tune!

Failure to prepare yourself before buying your first guitar is the first on the list. If you don't spend some time researching different guitars and what to look for, you will probably end up with a guitar that either doesn't fit you well and is not comfortable to play, or is of poor quality. Getting the wrong guitar can have a big effect on your ability to progress. A cheap poor build guitar will not only have a poor quality sound, but may well lose tune quickly. This will be a cause of discouragement while you try to learn.

Make sure that you take time over buying your first guitar. There are many guides on the internet that explain how to go about buying a guitar, so make good use of these.

Ouch - That hurt!

The second on the list occurs when you start playing. The new guitar player will, after a while, experience some pain. The pain may occur in the arm or wrist, and if you are learning on an acoustic, you will also suffer from painful finger tips on your fret hand. Finger pain is not usually a problem on electric guitars as less pressure is needed to hold down the string.

This is just something you have to work through. You should limit your practice sessions while you go through this stage until the tips of your fingers have firmed up and become less painful. Pay attention to posture and the way you hold the guitar to help with any arm or wrist pain, and make sure that you always carry out some warm up exercises before you practice.

Faster faster!

The third problem is trying to play too fast. As a beginner learning guitar you will be in a hurry for a result. This tends to make you rush your practice, and then you get frustrated that you can't change chords quickly enough, or the chords don't play cleanly. If you practice like this, all you are doing is practicing to make mistakes. These mistakes will then become fixed, and you will have to spend time trying to unlearn these mistakes.

Make sure that you practice at a slow pace. Speed at this stage is not important, accuracy is. Once you have practiced enough to play accurately, then is the time to try playing it a bit faster. A metronome,which beats time for you at whatever speed you set it to,will help you keep your practice at a nice slow pace.

I'm too busy, I'll practice tomorrow.

The fourth problem is irregular or insufficient practice. When you start learning guitar, you must be able to allow a reasonable amount time for regular practice sessions. You may find when you start that there are difficulties finding the time due to other commitments, work, family etc.. You may be in a job with irregular hours or have to travel a lot. You may also not have anywhere to practice that doesn't annoy other members of the household. Learning guitar is a commitment, and you will have to deal with any issues that prevent you practicing regularly.

What the hell does that mean!

Finally there is the quality of your instruction. If you can afford a professional teacher this is the best way to go. Alternatively if you know someone who can play they may be able to help you. Many opt for self instruction, and there is a wealth of material, courses, books DVDs etc. to choose from. This is the final vital link. Choosing the right course that is able to communicate well with you is essential. If you are working with materials that you find difficult to follow your learning will be a lot harder than it needs to be. Find out as much as you can about possible courses before opting for one. This point alone could be the make or break decision.
Learning guitar is a challenge and one that is immensely rewarding. By taking some care in your approach, you will give yourself a better chance of success.