Starland Founder Tomas Michaud Shares with Us the Simplest Way to Learn to Play Guitar
Learning to play beautiful music on the guitar is not as difficult as many people might believe.
It can be achieved by following the simple process:
1. Hire a competent teacher with both experience in the system
2. Follow his instruction by practicing daily
3. Keep at it until you succeed
If that seems too simple here’s my more expanded version. I have learned over many years to break it down to the following areas:
– Basic chords and strums
– Common Chord Patterns that are used in popular music
– Theory and note reading
– And applying it all to learning songs
I’ve found this order of learning to produce the best results:
First learn some basic open chords and practice moving from one to the other using a Common Chord Pattern and going slowly and in time.
Then add to the process music theory and note reading while adding more chords and strums.
Practice for 30 minutes daily and each week add some new material while making sure the basic techniques are being practiced accurately.
A competent instructor can be very helpful in making sure you’re doing everything correctly and in the right order. I can look back over my progress over the years and see how a good instructor could have helped me
tremendously.
There are many aspects of playing that would’ve come much easier and quicker.
Looking back it’s clear to me that I thought I knew more than I did and the feedback and guidance
of instructor would have shortened my path and help me avoid some bad habits from the beginning.
I think of it as climbing a challenging mountain. Having a guide that has done it and knows which path to take and which to avoid would be invaluable.
The secret is to select a teacher which knows what they are doing, knows how to instruct it, as well as wants to instruct it to you. It would not help you if the instructor either wasn’t a good teacher or they didn’t care if you learned or not. When learning a complex skill like playing a musical instrument you really need an instructor who knows how to teach the right thing at the right time. If an instructor just improvises each lesson it really can waste a lot of your time as well as make the whole experience very frustrating.
The good news is that even an ordinary teacher together with a good system is like anyone with a highly effective tool. Anyone with a good tool that knows how to use it can get more done in a shorter period of time. Mastering to play guitar may not really end up being easy but with a good instructor, a good system and motivation it can be incredibly fulfilling.
Along with learning to play a musical instrument you will also be cultivating patience as well as
perseverance which will be an advantage in all aspects of your life. Like most things it becomes more and more enjoyable the better you become. In fact it’s likely if you stick with it you be able to play things you never imagined you can play. You wouldn’t experience such a great feeling if it weren’t a challenge.
With the right attitude you’ll find the process an exciting and rewarding adventure.