Learning to play an instrument is a skill that everyone should try at least once in their lives. Globally, the guitar is one of the most popular string instruments people want to learn and play. If you want to learn the guitar from the comfort of your own home in an easier yet effective way, you should look into online guitar classes for beginners.
In this article, we will discuss what to expect from online guitar classes for beginners.
The anatomy of the guitar
A guitar, like anything else, is made up of various parts, each with its own name. This is very important to know because your guitar instructor may tell you to play the fifth string at the third fret or something similar in guitar classes for beginners.
String names
As we all know, a guitar has six strings, but those are not all the same. The guitar strings are named, going from the thickest to the thinnest. A good way of remembering this is:
Eddie.
Ate.
Dynamite.
Good.
Bye.
Eddie.
Also, guitar strings are numbered 1 to 6, from thinnest to thickest (not vice versa!).
How to tune a guitar
Your guitar must be in tune if you want to play anything to sound good. A guitar tuner is the best way to get in tune. There are a few tuners available. For example, you can download a free app called GuitarTuna if you have an iPhone. This is why knowing the names of guitar strings is important, so you know what notes you're tuning the strings to.
How to hold a guitar
The most important thing you must know if you want to be a guitarist is how to hold your guitar correctly. If you don't hold your guitar correctly, everything will be difficult to play. If you're right-handed, the guitar's body should rest on your right knee, with the neck pointing to the left, so you can strum and pick the strings with your right hand - while pressing the strings down against the frets with your left. If you're left-handed, the position is reversed: body on left knee, neck pointing to the right, left hand for strumming, and right hand for fretting.
How to hold a guitar pick | guitar classes for beginners
You'll have difficulty strumming and picking your guitar if you don't hold your pick correctly. To properly hold your pick, first:
Make a thumbs-up sign.
Next, place the pick on top of your clenched fingers.
Finally, clamp your thumb down on top of the pick.
Basic chords
It's time to try out some chords now that your guitar is in tune and you're holding it correctly. Start with easy chords of G6 or Em7. Don't try advanced chords by stretching your fingers into all sorts of unnatural shapes (or even intermediate chords). Get a handle on the easy stuff first. Ideally, you should know your easy chords inside and out before trying anything more difficult.
How to strum
Next, we need to know how to strum our first chords once we've learned them. There are only two ways to strum a guitar: downwards and upwards. We combine down and up strumming to create different strumming patterns.
Learn easy songs | guitar classes for beginners
There's a reason we learn how to tune our guitars, hold them properly, strum chords, etc. It's for us to be able to sing songs. It should go without saying, but you should start with easy songs. You don't want to move to anything more difficult until you're completely confident that you can play easy songs.
Learn guitar scales
The guitar is more than just an instrument for strumming chords. You can also pick out solos, melodies, and riffs. You need scales to do this. Scales are patterns of notes that work together. Scales with open strings are the best for beginners to start with.
Learn how to practice effectively
If you're learning to play the guitar, you'll need to practice. But how should you go about doing so?
The best strategy is: little and often.
Don't try to fit all your practice into one day of the week.
For one thing, you'll be putting yourself through a lot of work.
Also, if you only practice once a week, you will most likely forget everything in between practices.
What if something unusual happens on the day you've designated for practice? You won't be able to practice that week. Set aside some time daily to pick up your guitar and work through your basic chords, easy songs, scales, or whatever else you need to practice that week. Investing in guitar classes for beginners is also a good idea. Don't forget to check out our online guitar course at Mela Music School.
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