When you want to learn to play the guitar, there are a few things you should think about first. This article has some of the best tips out there to help you get a head start when playing guitar is what you want to do. If this seems interesting to you, then keep reading.

Keep yourself motivated. Many people think they want to learn how to play the guitar. They buy a guitar, practice for a few weeks, then shove their instrument in the back of a closet to gather dust. Try to keep yourself enthusiastic about learning to play. Never let yourself get discouraged.

Stay motivated. Develop goals that are attainable when you begin. See if you have any friends who are also interested in learning and playing guitar together. If you practice every day for a week, give yourself a reward when the week is over. Keep in mind that where there’s no pain, there’s no gain.

As you progress along your journey to become a skilled guitar player, take some time to determine your favorite style of music to play. No matter if you prefer rock, jazz or classical guitar stylings, having a genre you truly love is the best way to allow your creativity and musical personality show.

Many beginner guitarists become discouraged by the pain, and muscle cramping that often accompanies the first few weeks of learning. Check out the internet, or get a good guitar exercise book, and use your first few minutes of practice each day concentrating on finger exercises. This will help you to build up callouses on your fingers, and strength in your finger muscles to keep them from cramping.

Buy a device called a metronome. This is going to help your timing and rhythm. With a metronome, you won’t have to waste time worrying over whether you have the right tempo. You can learn the song at slower speeds and pick up the pace when you’re ready. Trying to learn a certain song with a metronome will improve your accuracy.

A great way to perfect the hand positions necessary for playing chords on the guitar is to practice them silently without an instrument in hand. This can be done repetitively while doing other activities such as watching television or having a face-to-face conversation. Doing this will give you the muscle memory you need to become a more intuitive player.

Look for instructional videos online. With the internet, learning a new skill has become exponentially easier. One on one instruction, while ideal, is rather expensive. If you can’t afford classes, look on sites like YouTube instead. Find popular guitar tutors and watch their videos. There’s a lot of helpful instruction out there.

This is a simple tip for anyone wanting to learn to play the guitar: don’t rush! It is easy to get over-excited, and expect too much too soon. However, although you may learn quickly at first, trying to learn too fast often causes beginners to give up when they cannot play like a pro right from the start. Give yourself time, and learn slowly, practicing each technique till you get it right!

Don’t make the mistake of assuming you cannot learn to play guitar because lessons are too costly. Many guitarists have learned to play on their own, with no help from an instructor. There are a number of good books for self-learners, and the internet is full of information and videos that make it easy to learn to play.

Listen to different styles of music. Do not be afraid to branch out from your favorite genre of music. You can learn a lot from listening to all sorts of songs. Listen to as many different styles of music as you can. Learn what it has to offer and get inspired by it.

If you want to play the guitar well, you have to practice everyday. This is how you strengthen your fingers and train your ears. The more you practice, the more your finger muscles will get used to the chords. Your brain will remember what your fingers should do, and it will become more natural.

Think about learning to read music. This can help your guitar playing, especially when you are able to read the notes that are played in a guitar solo. Learning to read music can also help you learn to play chords. You’ll find that your playing is easier when you can read a little mustic.

Experiment with different styles and different ways of playing the guitar. Learn how to use a pick and how to strum with your fingers. Play a simple song in a different key. Try open, regular and special tunings. Trying new things will make playing the guitar more interesting and help keep you motivated to practice.

After reading the above article you can probably see that most people can learn to play the guitar. It just takes a little bit of time and patience, but it can be done. If this is something you’d like to do all that’s left is to put these tips into practice.