So, you want to learn to play the acoustic guitar?

First off, congratulations! There are so many benefits of guitar playing. It can serve as an enjoyable hobby or even evolve into a full time job of playing in a band. Some people prefer the acoustic guitar over the electric. Why? Because the feel and the sound is perfect for any setting and doesn’t drain the vocals out. It’s also easier to handle and transport.

Learning to play is a bit difficult at first, but it will become much easier in time. After a couple of years of regular practice, you’ll be playing with ease!

It’s not hard. Just follow these 5 acoustic guitar instruction steps:

1.    Get yourself an acoustic guitar that is comfortable. You can start out with an inexpensive one and buy a more expensive one after you become more experienced.

2.    Pick a certain time of day to play. You need to set aside a half hour in which you do nothing but play. Don’t play for any longer than an hour since it is easy to pick up bad habits. You should play 5-7 days a week.

3.    Grab your guitar, place it in the proper position, and allow yourself to become comfortable with the strings. Pay attention to how each string sounds. Strike one at a time, working your way down individually and then back up.

4.    As you learn acoustic guitar basics and become more comfortable with each string, shift your attention to the acoustic guitar’s neck. Practice playing the notes individually. Check that your left hand is positioned correctly and pay attention to how the note sounds.

5.    Gradually evolve into playing the chords individually. Start with simple 2 or 3 fingered chords and go from there. The “D Minor”, “A Minor”, and “E Minor” chords are the best place to start.
Beginners often seek further advice by consulting with an instructor and engaging in a lesson or two every week. However, there are some downsides to this. For one, private lessons are rather costly and time consuming. You will have to set aside two to five days a week to travel and meet with your instructor. Then you’ll need to set extra time aside to practice with an instructor.

The instructor will work with you personally during your acoustic guitar lessons, which is great, but many of them care more about money than anything else. Also, they work with many different beginning players and aren’t quite as “personal” as you would expect them to be. It can vary between teachers.

Some newbies also struggle learning and playing in front of someone else, especially when that person is more advanced. They would prefer playing on their own and alone. Plus, playing the acoustic guitar with a private teacher can be rather expensive—$150+ a month or so, for only two lessons a week! Still, trying to learn on your own can be extremely difficult.

This is where print and online acoustic guitar lessons can come in handy. You can a great deal from Jamorama Acoustic. It’s a video course that provides all the techniques, material, tricks, and lessons for getting started.

The nice thing about these private courses is that it teaches you all you would learn from a private teacher, anyway.  They also only cost a one-time fee, and you can use and practice with the course on your own time.  The result is a much more time and cost effective lesson plan which is just as strong as what you would get from a more expensive private lesson. Plus, you’ll be able to rewind and fast-forward!

You should definitely invest in a home study course, rather than spend $15 or more per lesson. Although not everyone will agree with this, beginner acoustic guitar lessons on the web are the best. If you think you’d be comfortable learning with instruction videos and exercises to practice with, then a home study course may be the perfect choice for you!

In conclusion, it all depends on how much money and time you’re willing to invest in learning the acoustic guitar.

Copyright Liam Gibson (Pro Guitarist)