Picking up the guitar for the first time and starting to learn how to play is a really exciting and wonderful time, but, if you are starting to play without a teacher or a guide of some sort, some crucial basic points and techniques can be overlooked by accident.
In this post I am going to show you six things to notice when just starting to play the guitar. The post is written with right hand guitar players at mind but it also applies for left hand guitar players.
Sitting Correctly
It may sound silly and simple, but sitting correctly is an important aspect of playing the guitar. If you sit incorrectly you can hurt yourself or have pain while playing.
You should sit at the end of your chair, back straight and arms loose with no tension in your shoulders. Make sure that the neck of the guitar is facing upwards and not downwards. You can use a foot stool, a strap or just put one leg over the other to create the angle you need.
Over my years of teaching guitar I saw many students with back and hand pain that all they needed to do is correct their sitting.
How Much Pressure To Use When Pressing With My Left Hand
In order to play certain notes on the guitar you will need to press the strings using your left hand fingers. It may sound easy enough, but actually it can be quite difficult at first to understand how much pressure should you use with your fingers. Too much pressure and your finger will hurt, not enough pressure and the sound won’t be clear. I have met many people that suffer from pain in the fingers or all up to their wrist because of applying too
much pressure.
In order to understand the correct amount of pressure to use, I suggest you do the following:
Only slightly touch the string with your first finger.
Slowly apply pressure while picking the string with your right hand until you get a clear sound.
Let go and repeat with all fingers until you memorize the exact amount of pressure that is needed.
Remember! When pressing a string down you should use the tip of your finger and try to press as close as you can to the fret on the neck of the guitar.
How Strong Do I Hit The Strings With My Right Hand
The answer to this question can change depending on the guitar you are playing. But the truth is that you do not need to strike the strings very hard. If you are using a classical or an acoustic guitar you will notice that even the slightest of attack on the strings will create an acoustic projection. And if you are playing an electric guitar then the amp does the job for you.
Just make sure that you do not hit the strings too strong (especially on the electric guitar), for that can cause unwanted noises and, eventually, break your strings prematurely.
Learning Songs By Heart
At some point in your guitar learning journey, you will start learning how to play songs using chords and how to read chords symbols. And one of the most common mistakes that beginner guitar players do is to rely on reading the chords from a piece of paper and not learning them by heart.
Learning chords by heart have many benefits, such as some of the following:
Giving you more mental space to think on how to actually play the chord, rather than reading what is the next chord.
The ability to play any song anywhere while not needing your song notebook.
The room to listen to what others are playing when playing with friends and react to what they do.
Building A Practice Routine
Knowing what to work on is only one part of effectively practicing the guitar, or any skill for that matter. You also need to know exactly how much time you need to practice on a specific task.
Building a good and effective practice routine can really elevate your guitar playing to the next level. Make sure to check my post on Organizing Your Practice Routine to learn more.
Pain Issues When Playing The Guitar
You will feel some pain on your journey with the guitar. You need to build your muscles and strengthen your fingers on both hands.
However, there is a difference between normal pain, intense pain or lingering pain after you finished playing. It should not be too painful to play (as long as you do not over practice).
Make sure to take note of your pain while playing. And if you think that the pain you are feeling is not natural, go and ask a professional guitar teacher for help and guidance. A simple change of the way you sit or hold the guitar can make all the difference.
Starting to play the guitar without a teacher can be difficult and sometimes confusing. If you feel you need guidance you should contact a professional teacher to help you on your first steps of playing.
For more information, contact me today.
Gal Dornay
Comments