So You've Decided to Play The Guitar

So you've decided to learn to play the guitar. I'm going to throw some things out for you to think about first.

One of the first things you need to do even before you spend any money on a guitar or lessons is to be totally honest with yourself. Go somewhere by yourself where nobody will interrupt you. Think really hard about the guitar and why you want to learn to play. If your reasons are anything other than to satisfy a deep desire to express yourself musically and be great at something, admit it to yourself. Then realize it will just be a hobby for you. If you just want to play with your friends or around the house, your goals are not as high as the person who wants to play professionally and make it a career. But that's O.K. The important thing is to make that decision.

If you just want to play for fun then either find a teacher or get some CD's or videos and dive in. Before long you'll be playing all your favorite songs for yourself and all your friends. Soon you will have a hobby that you can enjoy for the rest of your life.

For those with dreams of a music career as a professional guitar player there are other things to consider. Once you've given it allot of thought and you've decided you want to "go for it" you need to think about exactly what you want to do. Whether you want to accompany yourself while you sing your own songs, play in an artist's band or be a session musician playing on other people's CD's you need to understand the road ahead of you.

If you want to play with the big boys you must be one of the best. Do yourself a favor. Take the time to prepare yourself. If you really want to be a professional guitar player you had better practice, practice, practice. You must be able to play any style you are asked to play, be it Rock, Blues, Country, Jazz, Disco or Hip Hop. When you get on stage you must be able to play any song in any key with no rehearsal. Can you do that? If not, keep practicing!

Whether you just want to play for fun or try and hit the big time check back here regularly for tips and lessons to help you in your journey. See ya then!