Like able to strum and sing along without a pause.

I tried to learn guitar and seems like alot of people think it’s easy. But i have difficulties playing while singing. Is this normal? What should i do to improve? What are the basics a beginner should learn before jumping to the advance of singing and strumming together?

It’s just a matter of practice. You have to learn the chords well enough that you make them and change them automatically while you’re singing. This is why you start with very simple (stupid) 2-chord songs like Skip to my Lou and Ten Little Indians.

Also it’s easier in keys like A or D, so you don’t have to struggle with the dreaded F chord. F isn’t really hard, but it takes some concentration.

Just keep plugging away, you’ll get it. It’s not as hard as it might seem at first, so don’t get discouraged.

I took 8 lessons this summer so I know some basic stuff. The lessons were getting quite pricey, so I decided to drop them. =(

I am really passionate about learning and I was wondering if anyone has any experience on learning the guitar on their own. Are there any useful websites? Is it possible to learn it on your own? Would I be gaining more from my private lessons with an actual teacher?

Its quiet possible to learn guitar on your own, I haven’t had a lesson in my life, yet I am an avid guitar player. Besides the basics are sometimes the hardest parts to learn, which you have already covered.

Hears a list of some useful site and such…
1. Youtube, it has lots of instructional videos on how to play songs and various techniques for guitar.
2. 911tabs.com, it is a great web site that provides links to the best quality tabs of whatever song you are looking for.
3. GuitarPro or Tuxguitar, both are programs that you can input tabs into and hear the play back. They both include other instruments as well so you can play along with drums and such. Tuxguitar is free!
4. Look up the user rockongoodpeople on youtube, they have tons of great instructional videos on various songs and techniques and styles.

I am getting a guitar for Christmas this year and I am really excited. I am 20 and have always been interested in playing but could never afford the instrument.

I know for sure my parents are getting me an acoustic guitar this year. I was wondering if anyone knows how long it will take me to learn how to play the guitar? Will I be able to learn it on my own or will i definitely need lessons?

In my case, it worked out that YEARS ago my guitar instructor would ask me to bring in recordings of songs for which there was an interest on my part to learn to play. This happened on cassette - before CDs EVER appeared on the market. It was just a matter of watching him learn the bass lines to the songs, and then figuring out the chords from the base lines and the fingering from the chords.

After a while of watching HIM do it over-and-over again for a year or so, it dawned on me that it was easier for me to learn the songs on my own! My parents would pay the the guy ten or 15 dollars for a half-hour lesson. Just keep your wrist as low as possible, and you will be fine!

My suggestion would be to take the lessons for a month, see if you are getting better at playing the thing as the month progesses. Then set a goal for three months. Then set another goal of six months. Learning on an accoustic is MUCH more difficult than learning on an electric, but it is the better option because you will ALWAYS be able to play the electric if you LEARN on the acoustic. Learning on the acoustic keeps you honest! *grin*

Oh! The LAST song my fingers learned to play on the guitar was this song by Everlast - the name eludes me, but it was sort of a bluzy song. It worked off a D-minor, Dsus4, Fmaj7, and C. The rest of the chord progression eludes me now, but if you were to put a guitar in my hands, my fingers would remember the song in an instant.

Oh! Someone else mentioned tuning! Want to know an EASY way to tune your axe? Use the FIRST note to AC/DC’s Highway to Hell! That is the TRUEST A-note in rock-n-roll!

Tune your fifth string to THAT note, my tiny brain can still hear the note even though it has been years since my ears have heard the song. If you learn to do this, you will be able to play ANY guitar you find because that note will resonate in your head to the point where you can use its resonance to tune ANY guitar.

BTW, you tune the balance of the strings off the A-string.

My plan THIS week is to learn Mark Antoine’s Madrid which is a GREAT guitar song. It sounds like it has TWO guitars in it - maybe three. My plan will be to start working on it Monday morning. It is such a sweet song - an instrumental too.

Actually, since you provided us with TWO solutions, your question should read, "Which is the better and faster way to learn guitar: with an instructor or on my own?"

The answer to the question really boils down to how much time you are going to invest in learning to play the beast. You going to give up once your knuckles and fingertips are screaming at you to stop, or are you going to ignore their pleas and just keep playing? After about month-six, you can start practicing your Townsend-like windmills, if you want. Start slowly, or your right hand will be screaming in pain too as the strings open up some skin as you start whaling on the axe! Walk before you run, always, Grasshopper

For beginners who want to learn to play the guitar, there are many ways to learn. There are books on the market provide guides as well as lessons for a person who wants to learn to play the guitar. The internet also offers an online lesson for people that do not have time to go to actual tutorial lessons.

Going to tutorial lessons, whether actual or online, would be the best way for a person to learn more and in a shorter period of time. Tutorials are a good way to learn because they have very good trainers and online instructors who can assist with guitar playing lessons.

It is more fun since a person can simply follow instructions with the help of the instructor. It is far more difficult to learn on his own because there is no one to guide and teach the proper ways of learning the chords and strumming the guitar.

Here are some reasons why tutorial classes are recommended:

1. Tutorial lessons are interactive. A beginner will realize that learning the guitar is so much fun. There are instances where there will be group sessions. Students are able to meet other new students whether in online classes or traditional classes. Playing the guitar with some new friends can be fun and enjoyable.

2. Although there is an instructor assisting the person, it is important not to forget that the student should be the one in control of his learning. Once he realizes that he is interested in the class, he will be more focused and determined to learn.

3. Tutorial lessons will help a person to be more organized. The proper way to learn to play the guitar is by starting with the basics before tackling the more complicated chords. Master all of the subtle things that the instructor will teach before going to a higher level.

4. Tutorials will teach you to give importance to the whole aspect of the guitar and its music as well as the other benefits the instrument provides.

5. A student should develop his talents by creating his own soloing techniques on the guitar. By learning the right executions he will be taught how to incorporate them his own knowledge of the guitar.

Tutorials can help a person but he must have the capacity to pay for the lessons and each session. This is the best approach to learn more about the guitar aside from just strumming and picking the basic patterns

Ian Williamson
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/guitar-playing-tutorials-25039.html

Music in its many forms provides enjoyment for people and learning to play guitar is just one way that you can have this pleasure for yourself and others. Before you can truly play the guitar decently though, you will need to have beginning guitar lessons as well as a guitar!

On the face of it, as an instrument the guitar doesn’t seem to have much to advocate it to someone who’s looking to buy this instrument. However, all this can change from the very first minute you begin your first guitar lessons. Beginning guitar players should not become disheartened even before they take their first lessons.

Guitar is an intricate process of learning. It takes patiences, articulation and a strong desire to learn. There are many faucets to understand when learning this new instrument. So, stay the course and be open to the learning process, you will be glad you did.

Beginning guitar lessons gives you an opportunity to build a foundation. Some of the things you will learn are:

* Parts of the guitar

* Names of the open strings

* The process of tuning the guitar

* How to hold and use a pick

* How to play a chromatic scale

* How to play simple songs using Gmajor, Cmajor and Dmajor chords

Now this is no means the standard and even what you will learn. Every instruction and institution teaches different elements of beginner guitar. This however, gives you an idea as to the things and level at which you will learn.

You will be able to find instructors who can give you beginning guitar lessons from your local community and also from your local newspapers and even online. Although, these are not the only ways that you can learn about beginning guitar lessons. There are numerous books and audio tapes and CDs which will also provide will the ability to learn.

However, learning from these sources has it’s disadvantages, such as:

* No personal instructor to critique your learning and no one to asks questions

* Learning bad habits that are often hard to break

* No sound feedback

This is just to name a few, of course there are many more.

When looking for an instructor choose someone who you feel comfortable with and who you respect or look up to. This person should be experience and play the genre of music you are wanting to learn. Ask for references, bio and any other information that will provide you with the information needed to make a decision.

One major aspect of learning guitar is that of confidence. Without this confidence you will not be able to understand the diverse operating instructions that you are given in your guitar lesson.

For this reason if you are learning to play the guitar from an instructor you should be able to ask the teacher for advice and help if you feel that you are missing out on some point of the lesson.

Also once you are well-situated holding the guitar and you have learned to identify the assorted chords in your beginning guitar lessons, you can then continue to learn how to mix these basic chords together to produce a little song or a tune.

Remember, learning guitar takes patiences, confidence and the desire to learn the instrument. Like anything else in life, without these fundamental elements your guitar experience may be short lived.

Having beginning guitar lessons is one of the best ways you can learn to play guitar and transform your little tunes into beautiful songs. It gives you an avenue to express yourself and give the world a little piece of yourself. Good luck in your endeavors and have fun…

Bowe Packer
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/the-basics-of-learning-beginning-guitar-120945.html