At this point in developing your guitar skills, you’re building up your chord vocabulary, a list of rhythm techniques, and several fingerstyle patterns. You have also learned to play some classic songs in your genre. It’s now time to move to the next level.
TrueFire's Online Acoustic Guitar Lessons
Learning to play an acoustic guitar is a technical skill. If you focus only on what is in your lesson or play only songs you know, you are only learning to repeat what you have been shown. Some guitar lessons online teach mainly how to play songs.
TrueFire, on the other hand, focuses more on technique so you will have a solid foundation for advanced playing. Yes, you will learn how to play chords, keep a steady rhythm, and be able to change chords smoothly. As you progress you will learn how to arpeggiate chords and incorporate rests for more dynamic rhythms and strumming patterns.
TrueFire’s “Easy-To-Digest” Approach
TrueFire is known for presenting guitar lessons in “easy-to-digest, bite-sized chunks” so you never feel overwhelmed or frustrated. Your instructor guides you through every step of TrueFire’s unique play-along jam practice session. You are never sent off to practice on your own.
Some lessons or teachers launch into teaching music early in the lessons. TrueFire teaches technique leaving the study of music until later in your intermediate or advanced lessons. Why?
Many people who are taught music theory early in their guitar lessons either get bored and won’t practice or get really confused with the lessons. TrueFire has discovered after years of teaching that people can become a great guitarist without learning music theory. When a guitarist needs or wants to study music, it is available in TrueFire.
There are six styles of guitar playing, Acoustic, Jazz, Blues, Country, Rock, and Bass.
Acoustic Rhythm Guitar Lesson Samples
Tips For Learning To Play Acoustic Guitar
Tip #1 Practice every day. TrueFire lessons start you with easy chords and fingering. You have video lessons and practice tapes. When I was learning to play, an important principle was, “if you don’t practice you can’t learn.” Practice as much as you can with the Jam Tracks. When you play with the track it will be more fun, therefore, you will stick with it longer.
Tip #2 Don’t try to master everything at once. Follow TrueFire’s schedule. Take the lessons in bite-sized chuncks. Learn the first part first before moving on to the next part.
Tip #3 The basic chords and rhythm styles or basically the same. After finishing the first tape and you want to choose a different style, do it. Pick the genre of music you like to listen to. That will make taking lessons much more enjoyable and you will be able to stick to it.
Tip #4 As you begin your lessons select a 15 min slot per day that you can stick to. In learning to play acoustic, you will want to stick with 15 minutes in the beginning until you get used to playing and your fingers are less painful, then increase the practice time. Until your fingers get tougher, stick with short practice periods with focused practice on your lessons. It will get better if you stick to it. Don’t give up.
Tip #5 As you learn to play the songs in your lesson, slow them down at first. Increase the speed as you begin to play them smoothly.
Tip #6 If you’re considering an electri guitar over an acoustic, there are several things to consider. Electric guitars do have thinner strings with lower action, which can help ease the pain some what as you learn to play. Remember that with an electric you do have to have an amp, cables, headphones, effects which is an added cost. But, starting with an acoustic will help you develop your overall skills better. Since the strings on an acoustic are thicker, you will develop your fingers faster than with ana electric.
Tip #7 Your beginning experience with your first instrument is vital to your long-term success. If you don’t like your guitar or the music you are playing there is a higher likelihood tht you wo’t stick with it long term.
Tip #8 How to Toughen your finger tips by GuitarTricks.com
– Increase your guitar’s playability. Have the strings lowered.
– Keep your nails trimmed.
– Get the light gauge strings.
– Learn on a steel string acoustic guitar. Don’t press on the strings so hard.
– Don’t play with wet fingers.
– Refrain from biting, picking, or shaving off your hard-earned calluses.
– Soak your fingers in apple cider vinegar.
