Just beginning guitar? Read on……

1) “How much do I have to practice?”

Many are under the impression that hours upon hours per week are needed to get good at playing the guitar.

Unless you are planning on being a guitar superstar in the first few weeks, this is simply not true. If you can find 20 minutes to an hour a day, four or five days out of the week, you will noticeably progress. Generally, students find the more they accomplish, the more they are encouraged to practice.

2) “What if I have no musical talent?”

Some worry about being “tone deaf” or that they have “no rhythm.” Something we truly believe is that everyone has some sort of innate musical talent. Initially, some may appear to have it more obviously than others, but there are many instances when a student who seemed to be not getting it at first became the one that surpassed the rest.

3) “What if I don’t have a guitar?”

Guitars can be purchased relatively inexpensively. For under $300 one can get a decent acoustic guitar, or an electric guitar and a small amplifier. Used instruments can even be less.

4) “What if I don’t know how to read music?”

We can teach you, and our instructors will make it an enjoyable learning process. However, since most of what guitar does in popular styles is rhythm accompaniment, beginning guitar is usually is taught through a variety of other methods that make more sense to that style. As a student progresses beyond the beginning stages they will find that reading music is useful for more advanced musical understanding. Students are encouraged to make reading a part of their learning experience.

5) “What if I’ve never played a musical instrument before?”

Learning a musical instrument does not require any background. Ultimately every musician has started from zero. All that is necessary is the desire, and a willingness to practice.

6) “What if my hands or fingers are too big or too small?”

It is extremely rare that this ever true. Once a student realizes what needs to be stretched and how to work on this then they find that it’s not as difficult as they imagined. Having a qualified instructor look at the individual is recommended.

7) “Why can’t I teach myself?”

We are of the opinion that instructional materials such as videos, DVDs, internet downloads, books and CDs, regardless of how good they are produced, are best studied with a competent teacher. It’s not the student’s fault! As good as these learning aids may be, the problem is, is that you can’t ask them questions. Since everyone learns differently, there may be an issue if the method utilized by the various instructional materials is not one that works for you. This is where the experienced private instructor who can customize their approach to the individual enters into the picture. Once the basics have been mastered, then the various instructional materials available are much easier to deal with.

8) “How long will I have to take lessons before I can play anything?”

Although this is a tricky question to answer because every student is different, the average is between two to four weeks before a student can start playing some simpler songs.

9) “How long to I have to keep taking lessons?”

Our goal is to make the student self-sufficient so that after they learn the basics they can teach themselves. This could happen after just a few lessons. One doesn’t necessarily need to keep taking lessons to learn enough to become a competent player. However, once a student gets involved in the guitar they often find that they enjoy the learning process so much that they want to keep it up and study techniques beyond the basic chordal accompaniment styles.

10) “Can you learn anything in a group class?”

Yes, group classes can be useful as an introduction to playing an instrument. The problem is that everyone learns differently. This makes it difficult for an instructor to address each student’s individual concerns as most group classes tend to be short and have a large number of students.

11) “Is it better to start on an acoustic or an electric guitar?”

They are both good. It depends on the quality. Often we recommend an electric to the younger children because of the ease of playing an electric.