If you’ve been wanting to pick up the guitar, you may be wondering the best way to learn guitar at home. Lucky for you, you’ll find plenty of resources available to you on the web to get you started! Video tutorials are a great way to begin the process, as you can mimic what the person does on screen. Depending on what you want to play, you may also want to learn to read music or chord charts to make it easier to pick up new music. Don’t forget to check out your local library for resources and then just get started playing!
Using Video Tutorials
Some of the best resources available to you are video tutorials. When looking for videos, make sure you do focused searches. Begin with videos about holding the guitar properly, using search terms like “how to hold and play guitar.” Next, decide what you want to learn first. Do you want to learn chords to accompany yourself on songs? Use search phrases like “guitar chords for beginners.” Would you rather learn how to pick melodies? Try terms like “learning the notes on the guitar.” You may also want to watch a few videos on guitar music theory to get a general idea of what playing guitar is all about.
If you want something a little more focused, try a guitar learning course. That way, you’ll work through the basics at a steady pace.
Do I Need to Learn How to Read Music?
Strictly speaking, no, you don’t need to learn how to read music if you’re just going to play chords. There’s nothing wrong with that! However, if you do want to pick melodies and learn the notes on the guitar, you should educate yourself on the basics of reading music. You can use music videos to start learning what all those notes and lines mean!. For a more interesting approach, try finding a fun game to play to help you memorize the basics. Search online with words like “games to learn to read music.” Try apps like Music Tutor (Sight-Reading), Music Crab, or Read Music, which are designed to teach you about musical basics. Some apps even use guitar frets in the games, so you learn the notes on the musical clef and the guitar at the same time!
If you need a mnemonic to help you remember the treble clef, use EveryGoodBoyDoesFine for the lines, starting at the bottom and going up. For the spaces, just think FACE, starting with the bottom space and going up.
Should I Learn to Read a Chord Chart?
Reading chord charts is very helpful if you’re going to learn to play the guitar. Once again, it’s not strictly necessary, but once you understand how to read one, you can learn any new chord you want! In fact, you can print chord charts off the internet or even download a chord app to your phone. Look for apps like Chord! Free, 7 Chords, or ChordBank. You’ll have all the chords at your fingertips, so when you’re learning a new song, you can simply look up the chords you need.
Using Your Local Library
If your goal is not to spend money while learning the guitar, your local library will have a lot of resources for you! You’ll likely find plenty of books on learning to play the guitar. If you can’t leave the house, check online to see if you can check out e-books on the guitar – most libraries offer e-book checkouts now.
Some libraries may even have kits with a guitar that you can check out. That way, you can decide if you like playing before you commit to buying one! You might also find workshops or classes at your library or groups that meet at the library to learn the guitar together.
Do I Need a Tuner?
These days, you don’t need a dedicated tuner, though it can make life easier. However, you can find tuners online or as apps for your phone. Before you play each time, make sure your guitar is in tune by checking the strings against a tuner. To use a tuner, turn it on and hold it near your guitar. Play the lowest string (the biggest string). It should register as E6 on the tuner. Turn the matching key on the head of the guitar until the note is exactly in the middle, not flat (too low) or sharp (too high). Then do the same for the other strings, the A5 string, D4 string, G3 string, and E1 string. If you have a good ear, you may be able to do this without a tuner after practicing and training your ear.
Start Playing!
It can be a little daunting to pick up a new instrument! The key is just to pick it up and start doing it. Play along with beginning videos, and don’t get discouraged if you don’t sound perfect at first. It takes time to play well, so keep working through it. The guitar is a fairly forgiving instrument, though, and you may be able to pick up a simple song in under a week if you learn a few chords!
Also, keep in mind your fingers are going to hurt for the first week or two. It takes a little while to build up callouses on the tips of your fingers, so playing doesn’t hurt. Once you have those callouses, though, you can show them off proudly to your other guitar-playing friends. You earned them!
How Often Should I Practice?
You’ve probably heard that practice makes perfect, and that’s no different with the guitar. The best way to learn quickly is to practice a little each day. You only need to put aside 15-30 minutes but using your skills every day will help them cement them in your memory. If you can’t play that much, make sure you’re playing 2-3 times a week to build up your skills.
In the age of the internet, you’ll find plenty of great resources out there from the comfort of your own home. Just make sure that you pick videos and websites from experts so that you learn the correct way to play. The best way to learn the guitar at home is just to get started! The guitar can be a great instrument to play. Keep at it, and you may realize you’ve found a lifelong passion.
