Think back to when you first had the desire to play. Remember when you went to the music store for the first time. You picked up a guitar off the rack. It was a little heavier than you had imagined. You cupped your left hand around the neck with your thumb and fingers touching the strings on either side. As you ran your hand up and down the neck of the guitar it made, kind of, a scratchy sound. You strummed a couple of times with your right hand changing positions with your left hand. Music!! You ran your hand down the body of the guitar feeling it’s smooth, cool surface and contour.
You may have been really young, maybe 4 or 5, or maybe closer to 10, like I was. Or have just retired and want something to do during your golden years. No matter your age. A new adventure is about to begin, like moving to a new city with places to explore, new experiences to enjoy. Your new adventure as a guitarist is about to begin.
My First Guitar
You may have been younger or a lot older, but, you just couldn’t wait to get started on your journey to being a guitarist. At about ten, if I remember correctly, I bugged my mom and dad until they finally got me a cheap guitar from either JC Penney’s. I wanted to play so badly that I didn’t quit even when my fingers were hurting from the higher strings on the cheap guitar. It just didn’t matter. I wasn’t able to take lessons, but I didn’t care. I spent hours digging through music books, despite my hurting fingers.
When I got my guitar I started trying to teach myself how to play. I got a book by Nicky Baker on how to play jazz and pored over it day and night until I got so I could play the chords and songs in the book.
As one of six kids there was no way my parents could afford to give me guitar lessons, so I had to teach myself how to play. It worked. I’ve now played for years, but that’s the hard way. Today, there are many more options.
Getting Started With Guitar Lessons
Do you have a teacher or are you trying to teach yourself? Is your teacher the right person to help you achieve your goals? If not, find another teacher either in person or online.
If you are trying to teach yourself, is it working or is the slower progress draining your motivation? If so, find a teacher or good online video lessons. If it’s too difficult you will lose your motivation and quit.
Several of the websites that offer online guitar lessons offer the first lessons FREE. TrueFire offers style-specific lessons. AND the First Steps For Beginners in each style is FREE. Just enter the course you want into the shopping cart and follow the directions to download it. Many people don’t like to enter a credit card number into a shopping cart until they really know the company.
No credit card is required!!!
Download and start practicing.
TrueFire Courses
All of TrueFire’s lessons are designed for quick progress. You will be playing before you know it.
Many students worry about having to learn music theory and reading music. TrueFire’s focuses on guitar technique instead of theory until you get into the advanced lessons.
Instead, the focus of your beginning lessons will be learning how to strum your first chords. You will be playing with a jam track so you will know if you are doing it correctly. The entire first course will have you playing from the first lesson.
You will also learn how to play more chords and to strum a steady rhythm. You will also learn how to change chords easily and smoothly. This free course will give you all the beginner guitar tools and having you playing a handful of songs.
To get you started painlessly, TrueFire’s beginning guitar course is structured in easy, small chunks to avoid you feeling frustrated and overwhelmed.
TrueFire’s Jam Track Practice is designed as a play-along practice guided by the instructor. You will not be sent off to practice on your own. The instructor will guide you through each step of the practice.
An added benefit to the Jam Tracks is that you will hear how your guitar part sounds with a live band.
You will get all the video guitar lessons, tablature charts, and the jam tracks with each lesson download.
Also, they offer a free mobile app so you can take your lessons with you so you can practice anytime and anywhere.
This beginning guitar course will prepare you to start the Next Level Guitar Lessons.