Of course, like any other first time attempts, there are certain pros and cons accompanying your struggle to become a musician. These pros and cons are only guides and learning how to play a guitar solely depends on the patience and practice.

On the Do’s list, one must secure the following items to begin learning how to play a guitar; a guitar, a chord chart, strumming guide, an instructional video, or a friend who has knowledge on how to play.  The instructional video and the learning partner are optional, but it can help you speed up the learning process. Taking private guitar lessons in Glasgow is the fastest way to learn but also the most expensive.

Another on the Do’s list, one must not rush into learning quickly. The memorization of all the major and minor chords is sufficient. There are only 7 major and 7 minor chords, so you won’t have a hard time memorizing it.

Now we go to the don’ts list. The don’ts list starts with the proper guitar to begin learning. There are two types of guitars according to the strings used, first is the steel strings, and the second one is a guitar with nylon strings. Do not start with steel strings since beginners have generally softer and stiffer fingers than those who actually play the guitar. If you start with steel strings, you will end up with aching fingers. Thus, nylon strings are very much recommended.

The succeeding advise on the don’ts list are only words of wisdom such as, don’t get frustrated when you can’t easily learn the chords, don’t be angry if you can’t put your finger properly as stated in the chord chart, and finally, don’t smash the guitar when you get irritated.

Private Lessons

If you can afford them – and if you can commit to a regular lesson time each and every week – then getting private lessons from a good guitar teacher is the best way to learn guitar.  That said, getting lessons from a poor or mediocre guitar teacher can be pretty much a waste of time.  How can you tell if a teacher is any good?  Well, one way is to listen to them play.  But being a good guitarist and being a good teacher of guitar are seperate skills.  So it’s better to have a listen to the teacher’s students, if you can.  Sometimes, the best teachers can be expensive, or you might need to travel some distance to be able to learn from them.

Instruction courses

If you can’t find a really good teacher, or if a really good teacher isn’t affordable or convenient for you right now, then some guitar instruction material can be of great benefit.  Guitar instructional programs come in a variety of media and formats:  there are printed materials, like the Mel Bay courses; DVD materials, like the Metal Method series; and even digitally downloadable courses, such as Jamorama.

Going it alone

The phrase “self-taught” guitarist is something of a misnomer – because all guitarists learn by watching and listening and then putting it all together in our heads.  But many guitarists have learned to play guitar without any formal instruction, including famous players like Jimmy Page and Kurt Cobain.  If you learn without any formal instruction, your learning cure might be slower, and you might pick up bad habits, but you can still learn a great deal by playing along to CDs, jamming with friends, and these days there is quite a lot that you can pick up off the internet.