Posts Tagged ‘acoustic guitar’
Teach Yourself Guitar
When people make resolutions or set goals for themselves, a common thread is that they would like to learn how to play a musical instrument. And for many people, there is a strong desire to learn how to play the guitar. Guitar is a great starter instrument because once you learn some of the basics, you can already sound halfway decent. Of course, learning the finer points and the complicated picking patterns can take you years to master, but it really only takes a few weeks to master some of those basic chords.
This is why so many people opt for acoustic guitars. If you want to learn how to play this instrument, just pick yourself up a guitar, a tuner, and a few how-to beginner books. These will offer the basics of reading music along with a chord list. Once you feel you have a handle on these very basic elements, hop onto YouTube for step-by-step tutorials on how to play all your favorite songs.
When kids pick up a guitar for the first time, the learning curve can be rather steep. Once children learn a basic song or two on the instrument, they are generally well on their way to a lifelong love of playing. Early on, though, before they can grasp such techniques as stringing chords together in sequence, playing the guitar can feel like work. This perception is only magnified by the development of calluses.
Before the fingers grow accustomed to pressing guitar strings tight to the fretboard, they are susceptible to some minor pain. It’s important for parents to emphasize the value of developing calluses as they will make playing a classical guitar much simpler and more enjoyable. In time, a young guitarist’s fingers will begin to look and feel like that of a manual laborer. That’s how you know you’re on the right track.
While electric guitar may be at the forefront of most mainstream music today, many artists will still occasionally go back to the classic acoustic guitar. There is still a love for acoustic music in the mainstream, and there are efforts to assure that the tradition doesn’t die. Although MTV has done a lot to “kill the radio star,” their popular series Unplugged has helped revive the mainstream appreciation of acoustic music.
In the last few years there has been an increase of bands exclusively performing acoustic music. Sub Pop Records is home to some of the most notable of these bands, including Fleet Foxes and Iron & Wine. The Seattle radio station KNDD features a full three hour radio show each week devoted exclusively to acoustic mainstream music.