You may have marveled at others who play the guitar, but believed it was something you could not do. Be that as it may, the guitar is actually fairly easy to learn on your own. Continue reading for information on teaching yourself how to play the guitar.

One of the most important things to remember when learning to play guitar is to practice. While this sounds obvious, many people overlook it. Try to practice the guitar a little each day. You should shoot for 20 to 30 minutes each time. Eventually, you should see your skills improve.

Do not attempt to learn anything too complicated in the beginning. Trying to figure out all the scales and chords may actually overwhelm you and cause you to lose your love for the instrument. Instead, get to know the guitar itself. Find out what the parts are called and what they are used for. That will get you started.

One good way to become a great guitar player is by learning how to listen. Make sure that you listen to other guitar players, both on albums and live. Pay attention to the type of guitar they are playing as well as how they are achieving the tones. Don’t forget to also listen carefully to yourself as you play in order to improve.

Be realistic with yourself. Progress can be slow, so don’t get ahead of yourself. Try not to set too many expectations. This could just discourage you and cause you to quit altogether. Take things slowly and get plenty of practice in. Just remember learning the basics can take a considerable amount of time.

Play along with a CD, another guitarist or use a metronome. This will help you learn to play in time. When players first start learning to play the guitar, they often pause slightly to arrange their fingers properly. This will throw off your rhythm. You should practice playing slowly and quickly.

Try adding variety to your guitar practice. When you practice the same things over and over again, it can get boring. While routine practice is essential to playing well, you should also throw in some enjoyable items. Try playing songs that you like. You can even try playing in different locations outside your home.

If you wish to learn to play guitar, start out by purchasing an affordable, or even used, guitar. Don’t jump right in and spend a bundle on an expensive instrument before you know if you will like playing it, or have the ability to learn how. If you find you want to continue learning, you can always upgrade to a better guitar later.

Before you start playing your guitar, take the time to learn all about it. This helps you when the time comes to learn to play because you must know the guitar parts when you learn string names, chords and scales.

Learn all your chords before you start playing songs. Do not try to play your favorite Jimi Hendrix tune your first week. Start with really simple songs and work your way up. Practice every single day. Taking a week off, when you’re first learning to play, will ensure that you forget everything you learned.

Find a good balance between learning music theory and physically playing the guitar. Music theory is important to learn. If you’re serious about playing the guitar, it’s crucial to study the technical side of it. Just don’t forget to apply all you’ve learned. Try to strike a nice balance between the two.

Use a tennis ball to make your fingers stronger. Warm up a bit before your guitar lesson or practice session by taking a tennis ball and squeezing it a few times. This is a great way to work the fingers you’ll need to play the guitar. By squeezing the ball, you’ll make your fingers strong enough to play different chords.

Learn how to care properly for your instrument. Practice is important but so is the guitar you practice on! Learn when and how to change your strings. Learn how to tune your guitar and how to clean it. It’s important that you keep it in good shape if you want it sounding its best.

To save money with the guitar as a hobby, learn how to change your own strings and to adjust your own Truss rod. You save a good bit of money over time, but if you do not know how to do it right, you end up damaging the instrument. Have a mentor show you before you try it yourself.

One important factor in learning to play guitar is staying motivated. This can be difficult when your fingers hurt, and your music doesn’t sound great. Keep at it. Find a buddy to learn with. Practice over and over until you earn success. Reward yourself for learning a new piece with small things, such as a new pick or other accessory. You CAN do it!

Now you know the basics of playing the guitar. Use these ideas with a guitar you own or can borrow. You will improve in no time.