One of the most common questions we get asked here at wmcmusic.co.uk is "how long will it be before i can play guitar?"
Well the answer is that it is all down to you. Some people play for fun, some wish to make a career from their music. Which ever is closest to you it all comes down to one thing. Practise.
OK some people have a natural talent for music, some have more dexterity in their fingers but there is nothing stopping you from being as good as you want to be. For instance Django Reinhardt, tragically at a young age was caught in fire, he lost the use of two of his fingers on his left had and the use of his right leg. This didn't stop him however becoming one of the greatest gypsy jazz guitar players, in my opinion of all time. Another great Tony Iommi, who is considered the first real "metal guitar" player lost the tips of two of his fingers in sheet metal factory accident at the age of 17. Inspired by Django he practised and practised and developed his own new style of playing which later became the foundation sound of Black Sabbath.
You should expect to practise for about 20 minutes per day. There is some scientific evidence to suggest that practising right before going to bed encourages your brain to repeat the process in your mind through the early stages of sleep. This means when you awaken and practise again the brain has a "memory" of what it is meant to do. Expect to see result in around a week to two weeks.
If you want to play like a Rock God then there are few easy steps you can take to improve the speed of which you learn.
1. Learn Your Basic Chords - Change between them, mix them up, run through them a, b, c, d, e.......go through them backwards. Play them over and over until you can change between them clearly. Pay extra attention to your bar chords and make sure you get a clean sound.
2. Learn some scales - The secret of a great lead player. Learn them near the start of your guitar journey the longer you leave it the harder it becomes. I saw Eric Clapton and John Mayer perform together last year in Hyde Park. Both of whom use the Pentatonic Scale at great force. This is a good place to start.
3. Learn other peoples music, play the stuff you listen to even more importantly, play the stuff you don't listen to. It will help you develop your own style. You may find you are better at blues than metal and it could change your life.
4. Have a few lessons. You may need 1 every couple of months, you may want one every week. Lessons can hone the skills you have and weed out any bad habits and help you build new ones. Sometimes there is an easier way to do something and a tutor can guide you.
5. Once you've got a few chords and a few licks under your belt. Start playing with other musicians. Jam with them, talk with them, make up your own songs and cover other peoples. Playing with a drummer will improve your timing, working with another lead player with encourage you to develop your rhythm playing. You don;t have to play Wembley Stadium or Tour the country but playing in a band is a sure fire way to improve your skills.
This list is not definitive and nor will it work for everybody but hopefully you will find some inspiration in here. Once you have your first song it feels like there is no stopping you.
If you have any success stories, tips or advice for other players please leave us comment.
