Most people who start learning guitar often find themselves wondering. For instance, does playing guitar get easier?
That’s understandable, given how learning musical instruments often proves challenging, and a guitar is no exception. From effort to time, one must sacrifice a lot to get it right.
It isn’t easy to play the guitar in the beginning. However, rest assured that it keeps getting easier as time goes by.
After all, there is nothing that ample practice wouldn’t do when it comes to mastering the art. Besides, there are things one can do to make playing the musical instrument easier.
Without much ado, let’s discuss why playing the guitar is hard and how to make it better. Read on!
Why Playing Guitar is Hard
Beginners wonder whether playing guitar gets easier with time because of how challenging it can be initiated. Here’s a discussion of why it is a challenge;
It is Difficult to Learn Guitar Chords
Regarding the guitar chords, there is one crucial balance you need to strike excellently. After all, you need to remember where you should take your fingers.
The constant need to ensure that your brain and hands coordinate is hard. That’s why it has seen many people give up learning the guitar.
Boring Music Theory
Despite being necessary, one must admit that it is boring. Getting the practical aspect right will be hard if you don’t give it the attention it deserves.
Those who have failed to heed this advice have either given up or had difficulty learning the instrument. Such individuals can hardly put pieces that make even the slightest sense leave alone understand the why of music.
Intimidation By Great Guitar Players
The worst mistake people make when learning to play guitar is comparing themselves with experienced ones. One forgets that these skilled players were once beginners.
Such comparison has seen many people fail to notice the progress they are making each day. It encourages them to learn and be like their friends or role models and leaves them with no choice but to quit.
The Nature of this Art
Playing guitar isn’t as simple as it may seem from afar. Once someone takes a guitar to play, reality hits the person hard.
Neither the hands nor the fingers are willing to perform what’s expected of them. Under such circumstances, frustrations are bound to happen.
For example, expect forming the correct chord shapes to be physically hard. The same applies to pressing guitar strings to its fretboard.
Some people even experience pain in the back, wrists, and shoulders. So, it takes a lot of physical strength to get going.
The Guitar Scales Challenge
Playing guitar scales come with both difficulty and confusion. It is also quite intimidating in the beginning.
People find it hard to know where to begin. From the many guitar scales to their numerous patterns, it is no secret that one has a lot to learn.
Difficulty Learning Songs on Guitar
Don’t expect an easy time learning new music as a beginner playing guitar. As adventurous as reading sheet music is, it will take some time before you start enjoying it.
How to Make Playing Guitar Easy
Learning guitar is hard, but the following tips will go a long way. They will make it easy and fun to learn this intriguing art.
Basics First
Before embarking on the complex stuff, understand the basics of playing guitar. Otherwise, you will be learning how to walk before you can crawl.
You shouldn’t think about playing your first song before learning the various parts of a guitar and the names of its strings.
Initially, think about setting up a guitar, knowing the string order, holding a guitar pick, playing notes, strumming, and playing simple chords. Until you master these, avoid trying the advanced techniques
Ensure That the Learning Environment is Conducive
Since you may have to learn to play the guitar often, you must ensure the space is comfortable enough to encourage you to practice often. You can set a place at home or opt for a place offering guitar lessons.
Ensures that the temperature, lighting, privacy, and quietness are as you like. The décor should also inspire; including guitars in it can go a long way.
The chair or stool should be comfortable. Learning to play is already hard, and discomfort could worsen the situation.
Choose a Great Guitar
Don’t choose a guitar blindly because that could jeopardize your learning experience. Whether you choose an electric guitar or its acoustic counterpart, ensure it suits you best.
Things to consider should include the size of your hands, budget, and type of tone. You should also check whether the guitar suits right-handed or left-handed players.
Practice
Regarding learning guitar, it is not just about getting to know something new. You will also have to do it repeatedly to perfect it.
One way of ensuring that you practice sufficiently is by scheduling frequent sessions. Ensure that you also adhere to the schedule religiously.
Patience
Learn to be when learning this art because it can take quite some time to master it. Some days will be great, whereas others will leave you wondering if you were cut for it.
During the bad days, remember to cut yourself some slack. After all, you aren’t alone since even experts often experience such days.
When frustrations come your way, try to be as positive as possible. Don’t let mistakes derail you from your goal.
Instead, learn from these mistakes and improve your guitar-playing skills. The bottom line is appreciating even the slightest progress and overlooking the bad days, mistakes, and frustrations.
Learn as a Group
Learning from home is good and convenient, but doing so as a group can make playing guitar easier. However, don’t make a mistake by learning together with professional players.
On the contrary, learn these skills with new players like you. Discuss your progress, breakthroughs, and challenges as you learn to play the instrument.
It is an effective way of getting the motivation to practice consistently and keep playing. It also means you have a cheering squad that can go a long way.
Picking a Song by Ear
Master the art of identifying a song’s key, chords, and notes with your ear. It requires you to practice and repeat various chords and notes.
Eventually, you will identify patterns and notes easily and correctly. It makes playing the guitar easier.
