Learning to play the Electric Guitar

Learning to play the electric guitar is an exciting prospect but where to start could confuse anyone. It really depends on the styles of music that interest you.
You can learn strumming, fingerstyle, chords or lead, learn to read TAB or standard notation. These are just a few of the decisions that need to be made in order to get off to the right start.

A good place to start is to learn a few chords and a strumming rhythm. There are hundreds of songs that can be accompanied with just three chords - A, D and E for example - and if you like to sing even better! By combining your voice with the guitar chords will help make sense of what you are playing - especially to anyone who is listening in the background.
A simple blues or rock rhythm on two strings or power chords played on two strings can enable the beginner to play and sound like a good guitarist in a very short period of time.

However, be aware of developing a good technique and hold your hands and the guitar in the correct position. There are many exceptions to the rule, but a good technique and a lesson or two from our teachers will produce the best results in the shortest period of time.

The electric guitar can be played with a plectrum or fingerstyle. If you want to play like Jimmy Hendrix you’ll need to use a plectrum or end up with very sore fingers!
If you enjoy Chet Atkins or Mark Knopfler a fingerstyle approach would be best. Some players such as Eric Clapton use both their fingers and a plectrum - a very versatile way to play but will be needing a lot of practice!

Perhaps the most important place to begin, is with the style of guitar music that you like most and the other decisions should then be easier to make.

If you like heavy rock or metal, then power chords could be a good starting point. If your taste is a little less heavy, learning to play the blues or pop would be a good place to start.

Learning to read TAB is an essential skill for rock guitar players and listening and copying your favourite riffs from your favourite guitarists and bands is a good idea.
Once you get used to playing and listening to the blues and pentatonic scales, it will open up the possibility of playing most riffs as almost all playing in this style is based on those scales.

If you are a beginner, it’s important to be realistic about what you can achieve. Learning to play the likes of avenged sevenfold in a couple of weeks is being slightly optimistic! But you could learn some chords and some scales - very useful for improvising.
Although it is very cool to be self-taught it is usually quicker to get few lessons from a teacher who can give you some realistic goals to achieve and lots of good advice about technique. That’s something that only someone who can see the way YOU play can help you with.
If you get frustrated practising - just get out the air guitar!

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