Picking up the guitar can be one of the most exciting things you will ever do, I will guarantee you that. What I’m interested in is your reasons why you decided to pick up this magical instrument. Do you like rock music or good music in general? Wanting to be like Kurt Cobain is a good reason like any to wanting to become a musician? Or there’s a girl you would like to impress? Whatever it is, I congratulate you as you’re doing a magnificent thing. Deciding to play the guitar can be one of the most important things you’ll ever do as it will discipline you and it also has the rare ability of making you a truly interesting person.

I think it’s wonderful that you’re interested in playing the six-stringed instrument and I’m sure you’ll come to love it. If you have a burning desire to learn some songs you like or just simply uncover the mystery that’s behind those strings why not venture yourself into the abyss of knowledge? Just think about all those opportunities that await you when you’ll become a virtuous player.

The first part is always the hardest: how do you want to learn to play the guitar? Do you want to learn by yourself and with the help of the Internet or from an instructor? One method is entirely for free and the other isn’t. Once you decided to take the first route it won’t take a lot of time before you actually start picking things up but it’s good to know that there are quite a few things that could make things easier for you.

How would you like your tutorials to be? This step is quite essential in your learning process. The best tutorial is a video one, which has a combination of good and crisp clear images and high quality audio. If the information is very well presented then there should be nothing in your way to pick things up easily and fast. Once you start digging for tutorials either on Google using phrases like learn to play guitar, learning guitar, or how to learn guitar or either on YouTube you will soon find out that the majority of them are pretty low quality and that many tutorial makers make this one simple mistake: they fail to understand your skill level as a guitarist. If you’re a beginner then make sure to seek out beginner lessons that are easy to understand. Look for videos that tackle simple subjects like the parts of a guitar or how you hold the instrument. Many tutorials fail to show you this but there are some that will show you so don’t be alarmed.

But if you’re a more advanced student there’s no reason why you should seek out beginner lessons as you will get bored and you will quickly lose interest in them or even your guitar. Here is a trick to determine whether the tutorial is helping or not: make sure it’s fun. If it’s a fun experience then more than sure you’re on the good path.

Also, you should know that there are two types of lessons on the Internet: those that cost no money and those that do. If you decide for whatever reason that you want to buy lessons make sure they are reasonably priced and that they fit your budget, yet they’re still high-quality. Here’s a thing I noticed during my years of learning: if you like the instructor, even if he’s just a guy teaching you stuff on your monitor, things are much easier and you will learn things much more faster than with an instructor who’s clearly doing it just to show off or simply for the cash.
Another great way to learn how to play the guitar are DVD’s. If you’re really serious and you’re determined to turn yourself into a guitar player then buying some DVD’s would be a great choice for you. I truly believe that the desire to learn how to play the guitar should come from the heart and not being inflicted upon you by someone else. If you’re really passionate about it then you’ll learn it with hours of practice and DVD’s may come very handy in this process. I’ll tell you this from the start, DVD’s should be recommended only to those you really want to learn how to play.

These DVD lessons come in a multitude of varieties and they’re usually divided into several lessons that range from beginners stuff, introductions, elementary chords and up to all types of music styles, from blues to rock n’ roll. If you want to learn a set type of music style you should know that you could buy a DVD that only covers that type of music. So for example if you want to get into jazz guitar playing make sure to pick up a DVD that tackles this type of guitar playing. The same goes with rock or blues music. But most elementary lessons can be applied to any type of music genres so don’t worry about a thing. Any thing you’ll learn can be used in any type of guitar playing.

If you’re busy or simply shy these tutorial DVD’s can be the perfect solution for you as you can play them whenever you want them without fearing that you might miss a lesson or two because of a busy schedule or because of any other reason. Or you might feel self-conscious, especially if you’re an adult so you might find these lessons rather difficult, more difficult than a kid would find them. But these DVD’s could help you a great deal, especially if you have absolutely no prior knowledge in guitar playing. They can be heave sent as they allow you the chance to practice and play from your living room sofa!

But let’s not forget the best thing these discs can offer you. The greatest benefit of them all is the ability of replaying them or fast forwarding them anytime whenever you need a second look at a chord or finger positioning. This is not like a classroom where you’re afraid to raise your hand and ask you teacher to explain things a second time. This time you have control over everything and the beauty part of it all is that you’re all alone!

Now let’s go back to the online tutorial as this is probably your best pick. Whenever you come across an online tutorial that is to your liking you can decide for yourself what you will do and when to do it. If you want to spend 5 minutes on a video or an entire day is all up to you. It’s a good strategy to take a video a day and practice it until you’re sure you got everything right. Also, make sure to spend more time on the videos that teach you stuff that you don’t really understand and less on the things you’ve already learned. Once you learn something practice it as it’s the only way to make sure you’ll remember it tomorrow and in the end never forgetting it. Hiring an instructor can be unpleasant for a variety of reason like money and the lack of free time so finding some good online videos is sometimes all you need to master the six-stringed instrument. Why not spend time on the lessons and not worry about the costs and limits or dates? The vast majority of courses offer a big selection of material from which one could choose, starting from the type of guitar you have (acoustic or electric, six stringed or bass) to even the type of music you want to get acquainted with (jazz rock, grunge, punk, rock n’ roll). The sky is the limit!

So if all you have is the guitar and no money to spend (especially if you’re just a kid) online tutorials are the way to go. You can’t go wrong with these especially due to the fact that they have more advantages than disadvantages. Think of this: you get to start and play the videos whenever you want. Plus, you have the ability to re-play them over and over again until you finally crack it. Many people complain when it comes to being taught by an instructor who’s sitting right next to you and it’s mostly because of the pressure. A teacher can hinder you, depending on your nature. That’s a thing an online tutorial, video or text, will never do!