In order to keep your brains young and your intellects sharp, specialists from all over the world recommend that you learn new things on a regular basis. For instance, you could try concentrating on a foreign language or even taking up an instrument, such as the guitar. If you are interested in this latter option, read on for a guide as to how you should proceed.
The first thing you need to do is make up your mind on certain things. For instance, you should be able to tell if you want to play the guitar just for fun, or as a main occupation (professionally, if you wish). Then, you need to decide if you'd rather play the acoustic guitar or the electric type, depending, of course, on the genre of music that you prefer. These simple things will help you get on the right path, if only by getting you in the right state of mind.
Secondly, you should make sure you have all the appropriate equipment, such as a guitar of your liking and a tuner or a pitch fork. By having your own instruments, you will be able to practice as often as you like, without having to depend on anyone else to lend you theirs.
Thirdly, you need to learn the right way of handling the guitar and the correct way to hold your hands and fingers. This might not seem like a big deal at first, but in fact it can influence your later success, because certain chords cannot be played unless your hands are in the right position. Also, get used to changing the strings, stretching them and tuning the instrument, because these are all actions that you will have to do on a regular basis if you continue playing.
Finally, get to work learning how to actually play the guitar. Gather all the necessary resources (such as books, images, videos) and surround yourself with more experienced musicians that you can turn to in case you ever need advice. Then, start practicing the basics, and work on them as much as you need, so that you can later move on to the more complex stuff. Try not to skip any steps and don't get too confident thinking that the basics are too easy for you; it's very important to set a solid ground of knowledge, so that you can build on it later on. Plus, this will prevent you from the disappointment of rushing into things for which you don't have the skills or the experience yet.
The first thing you need to do is make up your mind on certain things. For instance, you should be able to tell if you want to play the guitar just for fun, or as a main occupation (professionally, if you wish). Then, you need to decide if you'd rather play the acoustic guitar or the electric type, depending, of course, on the genre of music that you prefer. These simple things will help you get on the right path, if only by getting you in the right state of mind.
Secondly, you should make sure you have all the appropriate equipment, such as a guitar of your liking and a tuner or a pitch fork. By having your own instruments, you will be able to practice as often as you like, without having to depend on anyone else to lend you theirs.
Thirdly, you need to learn the right way of handling the guitar and the correct way to hold your hands and fingers. This might not seem like a big deal at first, but in fact it can influence your later success, because certain chords cannot be played unless your hands are in the right position. Also, get used to changing the strings, stretching them and tuning the instrument, because these are all actions that you will have to do on a regular basis if you continue playing.
Finally, get to work learning how to actually play the guitar. Gather all the necessary resources (such as books, images, videos) and surround yourself with more experienced musicians that you can turn to in case you ever need advice. Then, start practicing the basics, and work on them as much as you need, so that you can later move on to the more complex stuff. Try not to skip any steps and don't get too confident thinking that the basics are too easy for you; it's very important to set a solid ground of knowledge, so that you can build on it later on. Plus, this will prevent you from the disappointment of rushing into things for which you don't have the skills or the experience yet.
