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Common Questions About Learning The GuitarThe Justinguitar.com Beginner's Course |
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Things you wanted to know but were afraid to ask? Well here's the answers you might be looking for! If you have more questions then pop over to the forum (hit the big '? Get help with this lesson' below) and ask there!! |
Let's get started by looking at some of the most common questions I get asked about learning the guitar. The guitar is an easy instrument to play badly, but with practice anyone can learn to play well. In this lesson I just want to clear up a few things so that you know what to expect of this course, and of yourself.
I have tried to answer many of the common questions asked in the video, but the cool thing about these web pages is that I can update them easily (try doing that with a book!) and it means that I can add any new questions here in the text, so please check the text FAQ bit below aswell before you post a question in the forum!
Watch The Video Lesson
F.A.Q...
* Please read these questions below (and the next few lessons) before posting your question on the forum, as most questions asked seem to be already covered in one of these few lessons! *
For "What Guitar Should I buy?" related questions, please click here.
Am I too old to start learning the
guitar?
I find it amusing that I get this question a lot... from 16
year olds! You are never too old to start playing and enjoying
guitar. Sure, you will read about the guitar legends we all
admire, and how they started when they were six months old and
were playing the Albert Hall by the time they were two, but
that's not the case for most guitarists. It seems that about a
quarter of the people using my website are over 50 years old
and loving it. It's a wonderful hobby and I have had a few
students in their 50s that started gigging regularly after a
few years practice; a couple even turned professional! So it is
never too late.
One thing to be aware of however is that children do tend to learn faster than adults. I've been surprised time and time again at how quickly children between 12–18 learn stuff. I guess because they are still growing they develop the muscles in their hands faster, but they also have less pre-conceived ideas about what might be difficult to learn. Many grown-ups will hear a song and think “that sounds amazing, I bet it's very hard to play” and struggle if they try, whereas an 18 year old will hear the same thing and think “that sounds amazing, I want to learn that” and then do it without thinking about how hard it might be. Just remember it's mostly about practice time: put in a lot of time and you'll get good, no matter what your age!
Here's a forum thread to the topic!
How quickly will I be able to play
songs?
You should be able to play a basic song or two after about
three to five hours of practice (over a week or more—not in one
go). It probably won't sound perfect, but it will at least be
recognizable. How much time it takes you to learn the basics
will depend almost totally on how much you practise. Note that
if I give a recommended practice time—say, five minutes— it
means five minutes of intense practice, not half-watching TV or
answering phone calls or whatever. Try to stay focused when you
practise, and then you can ‘free up' when you play
‘for real'.
How often do I need to practice?
If you play for fifteen minutes a week, expect it to take at
least a year to get the very basics under your fingers.
However, if you practise for fifteen minutes a day, you will
notice that things are getting easier after just one week.
There is such a thing as ‘natural aptitude' — so some
people naturally learn things faster than others — but
perseverance will always prevail. Lots of people who learn
slowly at first learn better and faster in the long run
(usually because those people are taking the time to figure out
what they are doing).
Do I have to practice every day?
The best way (but not always possible) is to try and find a
little time to practice every day. It is much better to do 10
minutes a day 6 days a week than an hour practice every
Saturday. Aim for daily practice but if it is not possible, try
to get in a little time often and then have one main practice
time each week. Many of my students have found that playing at
the same time (such as straight after dinner, when you first
get home after work/school or just before you go to bed) is the
best way to develop a consistent routine.
Do I have to follow your suggested practice
routine?
Well, I'm suggesting it for a reason, and that is that most
people need to work on similar things. However, everyone is
different, and so if you feel the routine does not fit well for
you, then change it. But try and keep to the general structure:
it works!
My fingers hurt and have deep grooves in them,
should I stop practicing?
Yes, if it is painful at all, then you should take a break.
It's normal for things to be a little sore at the beginning.
Getting grooves in your fingers is quite normal, and they are
just from the strings sitting in the same place under your
fingers (which is good). They will toughen up after a short
time and then you won't notice it at all. The very first
few times you play your fingertips are likely to get VERY sore,
very quickly (in 5 minutes or even less!) but don't worry: just
put the guitar down for a while and come back to it later. It's
normal.
Sometimes the lines in your fingers can stay there for a whole
day after you finish. Don't worry about this! Some people
like to start playing on a nylon string guitar when they're
starting out, for this very reason. It hurts a little less I
guess, but it shouldn't be long before your fingers toughen up
enough to play for 10 or 15 minutes on a steel string guitar
without crying!
Also check that you're not pressing too hard! You only need to press hard enough to get a good note, any harder is just wasted energy! A good test is to see how lighly you can press while all the notes in a chord (or an individual note) sound good. That's how hard you should press. As lighly as possible while getting all clean notes. The position of the finger in the fret effects this too - but we'll be getting into this in the lessons!
Try not to let it get to the point of a blister, because then
you need to take a few days off to let it heal. Also, make
sure your hands are dry when you play; if you practise right
after a shower or after doing the washing up then the skin will
last hardly any time at all. If you get any pain in your hand
or forearm you should stop straight away and see a doctor if
the pain persists. Playing should be fun and enjoyable, not
painful.
My fingers get tired quicky, should I buy a "hand strengthener" machine or something?
Just practice dude! Those machines are a waste of time and money. If you're new to guitar you just need some time to let the muscles get strong. Don't stress out, just get practicing. :)
I can't feel my fingertips! Help!
If you're just starting out and you do a big practice session then it's not uncommon to hear people say they can't feel their fingertips or that they feel numb. Some hand stretches (just random stretching, not some strict routine) and a bit of massage
(use the thumb of your strumming hand) should sort it out pretty quick. If it lasts a day or more, go see a doctor!
What strings should I use?
If you are a beginner playing steel string acoustic or electric
guitar you probably want to start with very thin strings. On
electric they are referred to as ‘9s' (.09 to .46 inches
thick); on acoustic you would use ‘11s' (.11 to .52
inches thick). If you just go to a shop and ask for light
strings—or 9s or 11s—you should be given the right set.
However, this is really a matter of personal
preference. If you're really suffering from painful fingertips, you could try .08 gauge, but they're only for real wusses! ;)
Some people prefer thicker strings, and don't mind the pain so
much. Thicker strings tend to have a fatter sound too, which
many people prefer. I use 10s or 11s on electric and 12s or 13s
on acoustics. I use lighter strings when I practice a lot so I
don't hurt my hand muscles, but for recording I usually use the
thicker strings as they sound a little better most times.
The string thickness (or string gauge) is a lot less important
with nylon strings, so any set will do. You'll see high
and low tension, I usually buy High Tension, but I'm not
entirely sure why if I'm honest... I need to do some more
research too!
There's more about strings in lesson BC-103 and also lessons in
the Essential Skills
area on changing strings and other FAQs about our stringy
friends.
If you change strings, you might (only might!) need to adjust your 'truss rod' (which changes the angle of the neck), but for beginners this is usually better done at the store because doing it wrong can damage your guitar! If you're really new to playing a quick set up your local store with some light (.09) strings would be a solid investment in your playing future!
Do you have a mobile app?
How nice of you to ask! As a matter of fact I do have one, called the JustinGuitar Beginner Song Course App which has hundreds of songs for beginners that you can play along wth karaoke style which is awesome for beginners to vibe on the feeling of playing
with a band, and playing along will really help your strumming and rhythm skills too! Available on Apple iOS and Android!
How do I know what gauge strings I have on my guitar?
Very good question - it's very difficult to tell, even for me! Changing strings is not too expensive so that's probably the easiest way to find out, or ask the store where you bought your guitar!
I only want to play rock guitar (or country guitar
or jazz or whatever): why do I have to play pop songs and
rhythm guitar?
What you should learn when you first start, no matter what
style you want to aspire to, is the same basic chords, and
developing a sense of rhythm. Any serious guitarist in any
style should know all of the things in this course. Often
learning things in one style will help your playing in many
other styles.
Even if you might think that a particular skill is not needed for what you want to do, you will often miss an important technique or 'a piece of the puzzle' that you will be searching for later!
My advice is to follow the beginner's course all the way through and then decide what things you might want to specialize in.
We don't learn much about rhythm in the first few
stages. Why?
Learning to play good and consistent rhythm guitar is only
possible when your strumming hand can move without stopping.
This helps you get in the groove and keeps your timing solid.
If you can't change chords fast enough, then you will keep
putting little stops in your strumming and this is a very bad
thing to learn. If you work on building up the speed of your
chord changes first, you will start playing rhythm easily.
People learn a lot faster this way: by mastering the individual
elements first and then combining them.
Do I need to grow my fingernails?
It is very important that the fingernails on your fretting hand
(the one that holds down the notes on the neck) are very short
or they will make your hand go in a funny position. I have fake
nails on my strumming hand because I play guitar all day, every
day and natural nails just don't last long enough. They can
help with fingerstyle playing but many great players use flesh
and not nails, so you don't have to have fake fingernails. In
fact, I don't recommend getting fake (acrylic) nails unless you
want people giving you funny looks when you go out! See more on this in lesson BC-184
Does it matter if I'm left-handed?
No! But you'll either need to buy a left-handed guitar, or
string a right-hander upside down (like Jimi Hendrix). There's
advice on the forum about being a left-handed player. In this
book we've tried to use ‘fretting hand' and
‘strumming hand' to avoid dictating which hand you're
using.
Worth noting that the majority of left handed guitar players I know play a right handed guitar, and it's what I recommend generally. It's more common to find right handed guitars at parties, there's often a bigger ranger to choose from and it makes learning a little easier as most things are written for right handers!
Can I use a different fingering than you suggest for playing chords?
Sure you can, do whatever you like! However I have given this stuff and the course a LOT of thought and I think you'd be better off following through the Beginner and
Intermediate courses before deciding to branch out on your own and change things up!
Do I have to use a pick?
Nope, many great players don't, but I recommend you start with one, learn the basic and then explore other options. It certainly won't hurt to have some experience with a pick, even if you decide later on to play only fingerstyle!
How do I know when to move onto the next
stage?
Very common question this one, but the answer is a little vague
I'm afraid. I have tried to give you as much advice as I can at
the end of each stage about what to expect, but everyone has
different goals, abilities, expectations and aspirations and
all those things will come into play when you have to decide
when to move on. My advice is "when you feel ready".
As a self learner you will have to make that decision, but if
you are confident in most of the skills from each stage and can
use them in a song or two (just bumbling along, not concert
level just yet!) then you are probably ready!
How long should it take to finish the beginner course?
It seems on average to take between 3 and 6 months. Some people a lot faster, some a lot slower. Just go at your own pace - it will mostly be related to how much practice you do, these averages are based on the recommended amounts. Double or triple the suggested times and it will obviously happen a lot faster!
Can I practice more than you suggest?
Of course, but be careful in the first month you play as going crazy might lead to injury or straining muscles. I don't recommend beginners practice more than 2 hours a day - that is a LOT or practice!
When should I start doing the Finger Gym and other
Technique exercises?
I'm surprised to see this question on the forum so often - as a
beginner you should not be worried about specialist technique
exercises yet - just play and enjoy it! The Finger Gym is a
hardcore exercise and certainly not for beginners, doing it as a beginner would be like an
unfit person deciding to get fit and wanting to run 20 miles on
the second day. Just leave all that until you finish the
Beginner's Course and know what special technique work you
actually need!
I've got blisters, should I keep going?
Absolutely not! If you have blisters you have done too much too soon and need to take a little time off (maybe a week) to let them heal. If you keep playing they won't get any better!
I pulled a Bryan Adams and "played until my fingers" bled (it's a lyric in his song, the Summer Of 69) a couple of times as a teenager, but I sure don't recommend it, takes ages to heal
and was just plain stupid in hindsight, but I guess my friends thought it was kinda cool.
Some days I really suck. Why?
Me too! Guess we all just have days like that. Usually I just do something else on a day that it's not really working for me (in fact, I'm updating these lessons today because I had a good practice this morning but this afternoon I don't seem to be enjoying it, so I stopped!). Either grit in and stick with it (I've done that many times!) or take a break and come back to it later, and if it still don't feel good, find something else to do today!
Do I have to read Tabs, or music or what?
We'll get to all those things as we need them. Don't worry about it when you start!
Forum
Please use the forum links if you have any questions. I would
love to help you all individually but I just don't have that
much time. Under each lesson will be a link that will take you
right to the forum. I go there as often as I can and help out,
but there are many experienced players there too that help out
a lot. So if you have any questions, please check there
first!
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