"The Biggest Guitar Learner Mistakes!"
You know, what really gets me, is the fact that around 95% of all
guitarists learn the wrong way and NEVER reach their true potential!
Sad but true.
And that's the primary reason for my
site... to help you, the beginner or intermediate guitar player, learn how to avoid this mistake to rapidly
propel your knowledge and playing to new levels of creativity—NOW, rather than later.
I want to help you experience the pure joy of
playing HOT, very creative guitar NOW!
So, how do we do this...?
Simply by doing what all good musicians do...
"Mastering the Rudimentals, or Basics, IS The Number One GOAL of ALL Musicians — No Matter What Instrument They Play!"
Now I'm sorry to SHOUT... but this fact is IMPORTANT! In fact it is so
important, I'm going to repeat it... mastering the rudiments, or basics, IS the
number one goal of all musicians — no matter what instrument they play!
The Two Major Aspects of Learning To Play Music
1. Basic Music Theory - The Head
Aspect
Playing a musical instrument is mostly about knowledge. About what you know in your head, rather than
what you can do with your fingers and hands.
You need to learn some basic theory about scales and chords, how they are made and how they all fit
together. Then you need to learn how those basics apply to the style of music you like, or want to play,
AND the instrument you have chosen.
But mastering the basics must be your #1 goal if you want to be a real musician. Unfortunately, this is the
most neglected aspect guitarists, especially guitarists, are notorious for. The main reason for that is a lack of
understanding of how the fretboard is organised. (See 2b below for a short explanation.)
2. Applying the Theory To Your Chosen Instrument - The Physical or Body
Aspect
Now, there are two very important sub-aspects to this, too. And it is very important you keep the two
seperate.
a) Developing Auto-Pilot Muscle-Memory
You have to learn the motor-skills and teach/train your body and muscles to play the instrument you have
chosen. Your body, or more specifically, your muscles, have to learn what movements they need to make
to produce the results you want. You have to develop muscle memory. And there is a right and wrong way to do
that.
It is mostly through repetition. But if you are are using your body wrong in the first place, you will
damage your potential to develop technical ability. In other words, your growth will be stunted!
The ultimate aim is to have your muscles on autopilot... that is, to do everything your
'head' tells them to do, automatically without thinking about it. But... you want your muscles
to be as efficient as possible. No wasted or unnecesary movements, no tension, You want
your muscles to always be nice and relaxed and perform effortlessly without wastedmovement or stress.
b) Learning HOW the theory actually applies to the guitar
Essentially, this means you need to understand why the guitar is physically different from a piano for
example, and what those differences mean when learning how to play a guitar.
Firstly, you need to understand that a guitar is a two-dimensional instrument and because
of this can be very difficult to master. (A piano is one dimensional.)
Secondly, you need to learn that the unusual tuning of the guitar is what causes the most confusion
for beginners and experienced players alike. It's this problem that MOST guitar players never
overcome or understand... ever! It's this problem that is the biggest cause of most failures and the number of
people giving up in disgust and selling up!
Once you understand this concept fully, nothing can hold you back!
Once you actually understand these unique qualities of the guitar, your learning progress will be much more
rapid.
To sum up... the biggest mistake any beginner can make, is to get sidetracked away from
mastering the basics.
This happens when you start learning a few songs off your friends, or off tab from the internet. Sure, that's
more exciting because you are actually playing songs, which is what you want to do in the first place, right?
Now while it is very important to learn songs, licks, riffs, and
solos etc, it is also very important to keep up your study of learning the basics of guitar chords and
keys on a daily basis. Most guitarists DON'T do this. Don't be one of them.
Even if you are learning songs, don't neglect to practice the basics... EVERY
DAY.
This site is primarily about helping guitarists master the basics, NOT to teach
you how to play specific songs.
The best course is Learn & Master Guitar. Check it out.
Next up...tips on how to buy a guitar.
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