The top 10 things students ignore when students start guitar lessons

I remember when I first started guitar lessons. The prospect of learning all of those chords and notes and eventually turning them into songs was amazing and very intimidating. Ultimately, when I had my first guitar lesson, having never had one or played any music, I realized I had yet to learn what to expect. All I knew was that it was something I really wanted to do. I just had no idea how to go about it. In my head, I conjured images of Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen ripping these amazing guitar solos and writing songs that would stand the test of time. I could become something like them if I only worked hard enough, listened to my instructor, and did what I was told. 

Unfortunately, I was soon confronted with the reality that there were many aspects of learning how to play the guitar that I never considered. Aspects that were just as important as my undying desire to learn. These key components became very clear during my first lessons and, had I been unaware of them, would have made my progress all that much easier. 

1. Start out with a decent instrument. 

I have had many beginning students who have started out with an instrument that was not a good fit for them to be playing on. Some of these instruments have been cheaply made or come from a friend or family member that was not cared for very well. The lower the quality of instrument usually means it’s much harder to play. This has caused a lot of frustration and discouragement among students. This doesn’t mean you have to go out and spend a lot of money on your first instrument. Generally, $100-$200 dollars is usually a good price range to start with. I recommend brands like Fender, Yahama, or Epiphone. 

2. Set up your instrument.

Setting up your instrument means that is in good working order. This usually requires what is referred to as a set-up job and can be conducted by your local music store. They will put on new strings for you, adjust the neck, and perform general maintenance. This will increase the playability of your instrument and make it easier for you to learn on and have fun.

3. Getting the right strings.

Many new instruments come with very thick strings on them. Thicker strings may sound good but are often that much harder to push down than thinner strings. This often causes discomfort and pain on your finger tips. By putting thinner strings on you can spare yourself some of this and get to the business at hand of learning how play. I recommend a light to medium light gauge, .08-.09. Ask your local music store and they’ll know what I’m talking about. A great brand to look out for is Ernie Ball and D’Addario. 

4. Start out with an Acoustic Guitar

While some of you might want to get to electric guitars as quickly as possible, an acoustic guitar is a great training ground for your hands. When we first start playing, the muscles in our hands and fingertips need to develop over time. This is no different than going to the gym to lift weights or exercise. Your ability to play will be developed faster on an acoustic because there is usually more tension on the strings, causing you to have to work a little harder to push them down. This will build up your hand strength quicker as you keep playing and make the transition to an electric easier. Ultimately, any kind of guitar will do when you first start playing, but an acoustic is a great way to train those hands faster. I recommend the previous brands I mentioned: Fender, Yamaha, and Epiphone.

5. Choose the right pick

I am constantly asked what is the right pick to use when learning how to play. There are so many kinds to choose from these days that it can be a little intimidating. For acoustic guitar playing while strumming chords, I recommend a nylon made pick that is medium to light thickness for strumming. The added flexibility you get from a flexible pick makes strumming chords a little easier as the pick will bend as you glide across the strings. Jim Dunlop .88mm nylon picks are a good choice here. For electric guitar players or note players, you might want to try a thicker pick as added flexibility isn’t as desirable for note playing. A stiffer pick means your pick won’t flex as much and hit too many unwanted strings. Again, Dunlop makes a great pick for this and I would shoot for around .96mm or higher. 

6. A Comfortable Chair

Feeling relaxed and comfortable is very key to beginning players. I’ve seen many of my students online playing on the side of their bed or sitting down on the floor while playing and they always seem to have to strain their backs and hands to play. Sit in a chair that has a little padding, a back to lean against, or a short sitting area that you can move yourself to the front of. Beyond all this, you want a chair that allows your feet to touch the floor so that you feel both grounded and are able to tap your foot to the beat of the music to. 

7. Have a good tuner

I can’t remember how many times I have stopped a student during their playing to tell them they need to tune their guitar. Tuning should be the very first thing you do when you pick up your instrument that day. This is essential because, even if what you’re playing is accurate, it will not sound very good if your strings are not making the right sounds to begin with. There are many kinds of tuners out there. Some tuners can clip onto the head of your guitar. A good brand for this is Snark. If you play electric guitar you can plug into a tuner from your guitar via a tuning pedal. Boss and Polytune are fantastic pedals for this. Finally, you can always download and app that has a tuner feature like Guitar Tuna app or the Fender Play app.

8. Have a good metronome

A metronome is essential to learning how to play well. It provides you with a rhythmic pulse to play so you can learn to play on the beat. Not only does this work toward a goal of playing something well, but it will also move you cloer to playing with other musicians someday. If you can’t play on the beat by yourself then how will you be able to play with others? Like tuners, there are many options for this. Brands like Quartz and Roland make excellent versions. You can also download an app that features both a metronome and a tuner, Guitar Tuna and Fender Play.

9. Choose a good strap

Many students start out learning to play while sitiing down. I suggest that you also learn how to play standing up. It is a completely different view and orientation to your instrument. As many guitar and bass players find out, if you’ve never had much experience with standing and playing, it can be quite the wake up call. So much that you wonder if you can play at all. Find yourself a good strap that fits your instrument and practice both sitting and standing. Even while you’re sitting a strap is still a good idea because you can’t accidentally drop that new instrument you’ve paid for. Some great brands for this are Fender, Gibson, and Comfort Strap.

10.Have the Right Attitude

I’m sorry to say that learning how to play isn’t easy. I know that doesn’t earn me too many points to say but it’s true. If this was easy everyone would be doing it. The students who really progress are the ones that have the right attitude. When you get frustrated, as you undoubtably will, take a breath, relax, and try it again. I promise with enough time and effort you will succeed. I have never had one student that didn’t progress as long as they put in the effort. Be kind to yourself. Instead of being down on yourself for not always sounding like you want, take joy in your accomplishments. You finally got that chord change right. That melody sounds like it should. This is why you started in to play in the first place, because it’s fun!

I hope these tips are useful to you on your journey of learning how to play. I wish I knew about them when I started. It would have made my beginning a little easier instead of discovering these things as I went along. Learning how to play an instrument is as amazing and difficult as it looks but these tips can greatly lessen some of the problems you will encounter.

Please reach out if you have any additional questions to me at garrett@garrettfondamusic.com.

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Happy playing everybody!