Getting Started On Guitar
Welcome to the Melbourne Guitar Academy!
If you’re reading this you’re either considering getting yourself a guitar or have already purchased an instrument and are now looking to learn how to play it. If you fall into the first category, you are one step away from making the best decision of your life. If you fall into the latter category, congratulations! You are ready to begin.
Whether you have your guitar yet or not, we’ve prepared a handy little guide with everything you need to know to get started on guitar.
Get Your Equipment
In order to play guitar, you first need a guitar to play and a few other little pieces of equipment. We’ve listed all of the essential items below which should be easily found at your local music store.
- An acoustic or electric guitar and amplifier
- A guitar pick
- A tuner
- A music stand
Most music stores offer a beginner guitar starter pack for both electric or acoustic guitars. My advice is to set a budget and get the best guitar you can within the budget as a quality instrument is essential to the learning process.
For more information on choosing a guitar to get started on read my article here
Learn The Basics
When taught correctly guitar is the easiest instrument in the world and you should be able to get some basic skills down relatively easily. Watch each video below for a guide on how to master your basic guitar playing skills.
- The Parts Of The Guitar
- How To Pick Notes
- How To Fret Notes
- How To Read Guitar Music
- Putting It All Together
- How To Read A Chord Chart
- How To Play & Practice Chords
You can get a more compressive Introduction To Guitar Course or free in our Online Guitar Dojo.
Set Some Goals
If you’re to go on a holiday you usually start by deciding on the destination BEFORE working out how you are going to get there. As with any journey, your guitar playing journey is no different. Take some time to reflect upon what kind of guitarist you want to be, what kind of songs and music do you want to play, what do you want to achieve? Whether you’re just looking to play your favourite songs around the campfire, release a CD or even do a live performance, writing down these goals is the first step towards making them achievable.
Find A Guitar Teacher
The most important thing you need to consider is learning from an expert teacher. A great teacher will make learning fun and easy, and will constantly inspire you to take the next step in your musical journey. Good teachers might cost a little more but the advice you get and the progress you make is well worth the investment.
An inexperienced or bad teacher on the other hand may make things frustrating, leave you feeling overwhelmed and may even put you off learning entirely. I often put YouTube, free online learning resources and Phone Apps into this category because
despite often giving you good information, have no way of giving you feedback on your playing or adjusting the lessons to your own individual needs. They are usually a one sized fits all approach targeted with very broad and general ideas.
While there is so much information out there and much of it is good, nothing substitutes for having a real person in the room with you who can give you active feedback on your playing and arrange a lesson plan based off of your goals and what you need right now in your guitar playing. If you’re looking for a Guitar Teacher in Melbourne we’d be happy to book you in for a free trial lesson.
If you’re outside of Melbourne let us know and we can help you find a teacher in your area.
Your Next Steps
Congratulations, you are now in a much better position to begin learning to play guitar. Your next steps should now include:
We recommend from here you
- Check out our full Introduction To Guitar video series by signing up for a free membership to our Online Guitar Dojo
- Book a free Introduction To Guitar session with us at our Melbourne Studio so that we can help you get started in person.
- Check out Macron Music for some great deals on all the gear you need to get started on guitar.
We wish you all the best!
Michael & The MGA Team