Who Should Take Guitar Lessons? How many guitar chords are there? The question itself may indicate that you’re still not familiar with basic music theory. Just as it’s impossible to count colors, it’s impossible to count music. But if you take into account the basic construction of today’s guitars, you can say that there could be as many as 450,000,000 chords possible!
Of course, no one expects you to learn all these chords, especially when most songs can be played with just 3 or 4 guitar chords. But if you want to learn how to neatly execute the most important ones, it’s a great idea to take guitar lessons.
Guitar Lessons: For Beginners and Everyone Else
The first guitar lesson you should keep in mind is that anybody can take guitar lessons—yes, even those who could play the instrument very well. Why? If you’ve been playing the guitar for some time, you’ve probably come to that infamous point where no matter how much you practice, it seems you’re not improving at all. If you have this problem, the best way to keep on progressing is to learn from a certified teacher.
Being stubborn about teaching yourself won’t give you anything but loads of frustration. Worse, there’s a huge chance you’ve been picking up wrong techniques along the way and you don’t even know it. Learning from a good teacher could save you years of unlearning harmful habits that impede the development of your technique. Even if you know quite a bit about guitar-playing, you’ll be shocked at how much more you can learn. As mentioned, there are millions of guitar chords to learn and to create yourself. There are also many different types of guitars and musical genres to choose from. If you’ve stopped growing as a guitar player, then it’s time to let go of your preconceived notions and just concentrate on exploring your musical potential to its limits.
What to Look For in a Guitar Teacher
There are lots of guitar teachers out there, so you should be very careful not to end up with the wrong sort. For the best results, make sure the teacher you choose is pleasant to work with. He should act professionally but can empathize enough to know when you’re already getting overloaded with information and you’re not going anywhere. Of course, you should also consider the teacher’s skill, so as much as possible, look for someone who’s an active composer and who’s well-versed in different kinds of guitars and musical genres. But be careful not to end up with someone who’s going to hammer you with musical theory until all your love for playing the guitar is gone. Finally, he should also appreciate your current level and what you can realistically accomplish at each stage of the learning process and not force you to become the next Slash. Learning how to play guitar is a continuous process. Some would even say it’s a lifetime process because at the core of this skill is the ability to express emotions. Just as there are innumerable emotions to express through music, there are also limitless horizons when it comes to learning to play the guitar. So let go of all your assumptions and start looking for a certified teacher today.