So You Want to Play the Guitar

Guitars are one of the most widely available instruments that exist nowadays-- they are portable, not too expensive, and can be bought and found from different locations all around the world. They can also be mastered by folks of all ages, as long as they are big enough to hold a guitar and have fingers long enough to strum it. But where does one start in playing a guitar? The prerequisites are: first, a guitar to play, second, the desire to make music with it, and then the rest will follow.

Before beginning, you must first check if it is in tune. If not, tune it. If you don't know how, ask for help from someone who knows. If you are not good at tuning your guitar, it would be handy to have an electric tuner.

Now that your guitar is ready, it is time to prepare yourself. It is necessary to hold yourself in the proper position while holding your guitar. You must be sitting in a comfortable position, making sure that you have enough space to each side for your arm movements and the neck of your guitar. Learn to hold your guitar in the correct position, placed down on your lap with its back close to or resting on your torso.

Your fretting hand (left for those who are right-handed and right for those who are left-handed) should be cradling the neck of your guitar with the fingers just over the strings. Meanwhile, your other arm should be resting across the curve of your guitar, and your picking hand (the non-fretting hand) should be able to reach above the sound hole of your guitar, unrestrained and ready for some strumming action.

Now that you're ready to begin, you can start plucking those strings and making some noise; however, controlling the strings with the other hand calls for you to also study your guitar notes, chords and tablatures. Practice and study will of course make one a guitar wizard in no time.

About The Author About the Author Angela Nazario, is a freelance web developer who enjoys writing articles about learning music for a change of pace. See Music Wizard's "Library of Music Articles" at http://www.MusicWizard.com/info/ . WEB MASTERS: Use of this article requires links to remain intact.