The best way to learn guitar is up for debate. It seems like everybody is going to have a different opinion of it. If you have no idea where to start then read on for more insight. Beginner guitar players usually fall into the trap of doing nothing but reading tabs. They want to learn how to play their favorite songs quickly so they take the short cut of learning songs by looking up the sheet music for them.
It is indeed learning how to play guitar by ear. Think about it. Do you think the best sounding guitar players read tabs all day to sound that smooth with their instrument? Of course not. Great guitar players are different from average guitar players because they have mastered the skill of transcribing music which means to listen to music and then play what they hear on their guitar. This is the real way to learn. Forget about learning music theory and how it applies to the fretboard.
Of course if you want to learn how to read tabs in the beginning that is fine. There are countless resources where you can find guitar tabs for songs. But that does not make it the best way to learn guitar. Put it this way. If you spent all of your practice time looking up the guitar tabs for songs then you would not know how to learn songs just by listening to them. Great guitar players have the power to listen to a song they never heard before and then figure it out right away on guitar because they trained their ears.
Guitar players in the old days did not even have guitar tab booklets or even teachers to learn from. All they had was their guitars and music to listen to. So they had to start out from scratch. They had to learn the chords on their own just by spending all day learning by ear. So if you would like to become an adept guitar player I highly recommend learning by ear. Start training your ears by listening to music and playing along as best as you can.
Go ahead and learn how to read tabs. Learn the major and minor chords. You can even learn some basic guitar theory so that you have a good understanding of the fretboard. You have to get your fingers used to playing which takes a while. But after you get past the basics with the help of another guitar player or online guitar lessons you should start training your ears.
I see aspiring guitar players all the time ask what they should do to improve their playing. They simply get better by listening to music and then perfecting the skill of translating it on their guitar. My suggestion is to start out getting the basics down just like with anything else. Learn the chords, scales, and even some music theory. Take lessons or learn from online guitar courses. Just do what you have to do to get started. Then once your hands have adjusted to playing and you have a basic understanding of the fretboard you can start training your ears. Practice every day so you progress quickly.
It is indeed learning how to play guitar by ear. Think about it. Do you think the best sounding guitar players read tabs all day to sound that smooth with their instrument? Of course not. Great guitar players are different from average guitar players because they have mastered the skill of transcribing music which means to listen to music and then play what they hear on their guitar. This is the real way to learn. Forget about learning music theory and how it applies to the fretboard.
Of course if you want to learn how to read tabs in the beginning that is fine. There are countless resources where you can find guitar tabs for songs. But that does not make it the best way to learn guitar. Put it this way. If you spent all of your practice time looking up the guitar tabs for songs then you would not know how to learn songs just by listening to them. Great guitar players have the power to listen to a song they never heard before and then figure it out right away on guitar because they trained their ears.
Guitar players in the old days did not even have guitar tab booklets or even teachers to learn from. All they had was their guitars and music to listen to. So they had to start out from scratch. They had to learn the chords on their own just by spending all day learning by ear. So if you would like to become an adept guitar player I highly recommend learning by ear. Start training your ears by listening to music and playing along as best as you can.
Go ahead and learn how to read tabs. Learn the major and minor chords. You can even learn some basic guitar theory so that you have a good understanding of the fretboard. You have to get your fingers used to playing which takes a while. But after you get past the basics with the help of another guitar player or online guitar lessons you should start training your ears.
I see aspiring guitar players all the time ask what they should do to improve their playing. They simply get better by listening to music and then perfecting the skill of translating it on their guitar. My suggestion is to start out getting the basics down just like with anything else. Learn the chords, scales, and even some music theory. Take lessons or learn from online guitar courses. Just do what you have to do to get started. Then once your hands have adjusted to playing and you have a basic understanding of the fretboard you can start training your ears. Practice every day so you progress quickly.
About the Author:
Before you exit and learn how to play guitar be sure to check out this guitar course called Jamorama. It is loaded with online guitar lessons that teach you the basics as well as how to play by ear.
