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- Choosing The Right Guitar. First things first, we need to get you a guitar. Your learning experience is largely influenced by the guitar you choose, which should be comfortable and easy to play.
- Essential Equipment For Beginners. With your guitar in hand, the next step is to assemble the essential equipment that will enhance your playing experience.
- Understanding Guitar Anatomy. Next up, we have a quick lesson on the different parts of the guitar. Understanding the anatomy of your instrument is a key step towards becoming a proficient guitarist.
- Tuning Your Guitar. There’s nothing worse than an out-of-tune instrument. Period. For an enjoyable playing experience for yourself (and your audience), ensuring your guitar is well-tuned is vital.
- Which Style to Learn First?
- The Different Guitar Styles / Genres
- What Is The Right Style For You?
- Should You Try to Master One Style Before Moving on?
- Conclusion
- Related Questions
It is strongly recommended to choose one style of playing and to stick with this as you aim to get the basics perfected. Switching between two can make it more confusing to get your techniques and rudiments right and can ultimately slow down the process of becoming a guitarist. There are a few reasons why rock guitar is our number one recommendatio...
Blues
Blues guitar is a soulful genre and the best guitarists to ever come out of the blues genre, such as BB King and Muddy Waters were kings of improvising. This is one of the key skills for blues and to be able to improvise successfully, you will have to know blues scales inside out. Blues skills aren’t always exceptionally hard, and both acoustic and electric guitars can be used to learn. Because blues often uses slightly different chords to other mainstream genres then the skills aren’t always...
Fingerstyle
Tommy Emmanuel and Andy McKee probably the reason huge numbers of people want to learn fingerstyle guitar. There are also some excellent YouTubers out there and some truly impressive videos of playing fingerstyle guitar. The genre is usually played on acoustic guitar, and the challenges for beginners are many. Fingerstyle guitar involves quick playing, moving around the fretboard and using all of the strings. If you can get good at this style then others such as bluegrass will come more easil...
Metal
Metal is a style of guitar that a lot of people jump into without realizing just how complex it can be. Though there are some simpler heavy metal riffs which can be learned as a starting point (think “Smoke on the Water”), metal musicians are known for the complexity of their songs and often a lot of equipment too. If you want to emulate someone like Eddie Van Halen then you might not have too much difficulty getting a few basic songs nailed, but enter the realms of Yngwie Malmsteen and years...
For us to claim that there is only one method of learning guitar would be incorrect. Though we recommend starting with a genre such as pop, rock or folk to help you get transferrable skills and to get the basics of playing mastered while having access to plenty of resources, there are many different ways to do it. Plenty of people have started out ...
Once you have decided to try and play in one style, is it best to stick to this style until you have 100% knowledge of it, or is it okay to try other genres out? Once you have decided that one genre is the correct choice for you, there is a chance that it will slow you down to then start to play other genres. A huge consideration here is how simila...
The question of which guitar style you should learn first is not one which has one simple answer. Everyone is slightly different. Ask most guitarists and they will have a story about how they got into the hobby and mistakes they made along the way. Most guitarists don’t do things the ‘easy’ way, but the perseverance to carry on until you’ve mastere...
Should I choose my guitar based on the style I want to learn?
Generally speaking, the main consideration is whether you are going to play acoustic or electric guitar. Though the feel is different depending on which you play, and the strings are harder to play on an acoustic guitar, the actual positions of your fingers won’t be different. You can make a decision of which guitar you want to purchase based on the genre and style you would most prefer. For example, if you only ever want to play folk music then you might be satisfied with an acoustic guitar.
I am struggling to learn one style, shall I move to another?
There is always a learning curve. Keep in mind the list of styles we have created on this list and try and evaluate based on this. If you’re trying to learn metal guitar and have started to struggle then it might be worth stripping it back and learning rock. If you are trying to learn some simple pop and rock songs and are struggling with changing chord positions or with finger strength then this is just a part of learning guitar. It will be the same whichever genre you opt for. There is no s...
Should I just learn the music I like?
There is definitely an argument for this. Learning songs you actually enjoy and listen to can help you to stay motivated. Imagine piano lessons where you have to learn to read music and other aspects of theory before you even touch a piano. This can be very boring and challenging. The reward of eventually being able to play songs you love is great, but you may have to choose some simple songs along the way to ensure you build the foundations of your knowledge.
Mar 28, 2019 · By Steve Vai and Andy Aledort. published 28 March 2019. Grab your guitar and sit down for a comprehensive, GW-exclusive guitar masterclass taught by Steve Vai. (Image credit: Larry DiMarzio) People are turned onto the guitar in different ways.
Sep 26, 2022 · By James Uings. ( Total Guitar ) published 26 September 2022. This beginner guitar lesson takes you from tuning the guitar and strumming your first chords through to playing your very first guitar solos. (Image credit: Olly Curtis/Future) Jump To: Lesson 1: Tuning up. Lesson 2: Holding your guitar. Lesson 3: Your first chords.
- James Uings
But where do you start? What genre of music should you tackle first? It’s a common question for beginners and one that can shape your entire guitar journey. Guitar music spans an incredible range of genres, each with its own unique characteristics and techniques.
Aug 17, 2023 · To learn how to play guitar, you should start with basic exercises to get acquainted with every part of your guitar and how your fingers should move. Afterward, you can start learning chords, riffing, and strumming. If you want to learn more skills, you should study scales and music theory.
People also ask
Is rock guitar easy to learn?
What guitar genre is easiest to learn?
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What genre is rock guitar?
The electric guitar is the first choice for most School of Rock students learning the guitar and there are many reasons for that. The electric guitar can produce a wide variety of sounds and has the most versatility. You’ll hear it over the most popular genres of music.
