Learning to play the electric guitar (or any musical instrument) can feel like a daunting endeavor, but there are so many resources out there for anyone to jump in and start learning whenever they can make the time. If you’re interested in playing the electric guitar, here are four tips for making your learning journey the best it can be.
1. Take Lessons Online
Online learning opportunities are helpful for all kinds of applications such as school and work, and music lessons are no exception! If you feel like you’re too busy to take electric guitar lessons, the convenience of online learning can take away some of the stress on your schedule. This is also a great option if you live in an area where there aren’t any instructors nearby. Take advantage of this accessibility and try taking electric guitar lessons online from a company that offers them such as Forbes Music Company; it’s a great way to get started.
2. Make Time to Practice
Making time to practice is important if you’re gonna spend your well-earned money on electric guitar lessons. Even if you’ve played the acoustic guitar or another similar instrument before, playing the electric guitar well takes a lot of nuanced control and a particularly good feel for the action of the instrument (that is, the way the strings respond to being played). To some extent, these things can be learned intellectually and then applied, but in general it will simply take several months and years of repetition to master an instrument like this and get the sound you want from it. Practice makes perfect, after all!
3. Get the Right Gear
Getting the right gear can make or break your experience learning any instrument, and that includes the electric guitar. You might not want to break the bank on your first pieces of equipment, but be sure to get what you need to practice at home. You could start with just a simple tube (or solid state) amp and the necessary cables, but over time you might want to add some pedals to your setup, such as a volume pedal, a reverb pedal or a tuner. You’ll thank yourself later on for getting what you need in the event that you start playing at a church or another venue that doesn’t have the gear to provide its musicians.
4. Play with Other Musicians
Finally, playing music with other people is a great way to get better faster and have more fun playing music. It doesn’t have to be a formal thing; just periodic time with friends jamming at someone’s house is enough. Bringing out your guitar with other people (especially other guitarists) will inspire you to get better and will give you the opportunity to ask questions of those more experienced than you are and, in turn, offer help to those who have less experience than you.
As you get better at playing, you’ll feel a growing sense of pride and fulfillment in honing your art. Playing music isn’t just about the music itself; it can develop someone’s overall creativity, give them confidence in their abilities and enrich their life and relationships.
