So you finally bought the beautiful beast or had it as a gift and you are ready for your first electric guitar lessons. What should you expect?
Learning Your Way Around Your Guitar
The first thing of course is to understand your guitar from a technical point of view. If you are having lessons with an instructor then he or she will go over all of this with you in the first lesson. If learning by yourself, you will need to take a good look at the manual. It is also a great idea to get somebody that you know to check out your new guitar with you.
As well as the basic parts like the body, neck, and tuning keys that you will find on any type of guitar, an electric guitar also has switches for volume and tone, and probably some more fancier features. Many electric guitars have a lot of bells and whistles.
What To Play
If you have never played any kind of guitar before, you will need lessons in how to play chords and follow tabs. This takes some practice. Unfortunately, nobody is going to be able to play electric guitar like Jimi Hendrix in just a couple of days. It is important not to be discouraged if your progress seems slow at first. Keep practicing every day and everything will soon fall into place.
Many people learn first on an acoustic guitar which is easier on the household and neighbors just because it is quieter. It is also more simple in that you do not have to learn to manage so many controls. However you do need to develop more finger strength to play acoustic guitar so in that sense, electric is easier. You can generally practice for longer each day when learning electric guitar.
It is important to place the hands correctly so pay attention to this if you want to learn to play guitar online or with a play guitar DVD. The first chords that most people learn are the common major chords of C, G and D which are the basis of many popular songs.
You will probably also learn scales which are great for developing stretch, muscle and agility in the fingers. Scales may seem less fun than chords when you are practicing but don’t be tempted to skip them. Developing these strengths in the fingers starting with your first electric guitar lessons is what will make you into a fluent and confident guitarist in the shortest time.
