Okay so I’ve stated in a previous post, that someone who’s beginning to play an elecric guitar needs a decent guitar in order that she/he won’t be disappointed and forget about the guitar, let alone learning how to play it.

I was and am not saying, however,  that you need the best electric guitar out there.

You never “need” that to produce good music. You may want the best electric guitar, but you don’t need that.

All you need, if you really want to “learn” an electric guitar, same with any other things, is 1)a good instrument, and 2)you.

What’s that mean?

Having a fairly good guitar, coupled with full determination to learn it, is the best combination, ever.

Your time, effort and attention is needed.

The process of learning a guitar can start out as a hobby, but it does not have to end at that. Learning is endless. The more we learn, the more there is to learn. You can start by simply staring at your guitar for about less than a minute everyday for one week. But you don’t want to do the same thing the next week, or the next, or the next.

Improvement.

If you are serious is learning something, it is imperative that you realize that it could be hard. But hard as it may be, you have decided to learn, and thus, you are a hundred percent or more willing to learn, no matter how hard it could be, no matter how rocky the path may be.

Calluses.

I looked at my fingers, then realized, the calluses at the tip of my fingers - the left hand - have become so thick, really thick.

Now does that make sense?

For me it does.

These calluses made my fingers resist pain while playing my guitar. If I didn’t have these - as I did when I was beginning to learn a guitar - give me two minutes and I’d give up playing the instrument. It hurts like hell. I’d feel like some knife is cutting my fingertips, that’s how hard it’d hurt.

I experienced that. Seriously, it hurts.

But…

I wanted to learn a guitar, and I didn’t just want to learn it, I wanted to be good if not great at it.

So what happened?

I continued playing even if it hurts a lot.

Idiot?

Yeah I think I am, but I did that, and on my mind forged was this: “If I do this for just an hour or two today, tomorrow the pain’s gone. I’ll do this until calluses appear on my fingers. Then I won’t feel the pain anymore”.

And guess what?

I found out two things - one right, and one wrong - about what I was thinking.

Right: When calluses appeared my fingers hurt no more. Yay!

But, wrong: The pain of an hour or two’s guitar playing in one day is still there the next day.

So did I skip days?

Of course I did!

I didn’t wish for self-torture, plus I was just a kid!

Now how does that connect to you learning your guitar?

Calluses are similar to what you get when you overcome a certain problem, or a big trial, or a very unfortunate event. In the same way that calluses make guitarists stronger when it comes to resisting pain in their fingers, the lessons you learn from conquered problems or trials or unfortunate events, also make you stronger, better.

Calluses are like rewards.

But what do I have to endure to have this reward?

I assume you already know. If not, re-read my story above.

So, what did it take me to really learn a guitar?

I didn’t have a great guitar. In fact I just had a simple guitar(I started on an acoustic, and I hope you know how that differs from starting with an electric), but what I equipped myself was determination.

I was so determined to learn the instrument.

—–

Ask yourself these two questions.

1) What makes me want to learn a guitar?

2) Am I determined enough to learn a guitar?

If you’ve got good answers, then go on, continue(I’d help if you want me to), but if it took you an hour, and you’ve still got “maybe…” answers, then maybe it’s not yet the right time for you to learn a guitar, but don’t give it up yet. There’s a reason why you have that guitar, and you’re yet to figure that out.

Good luck!

Thank you for reading.

—- Question? Comments? Suggestions? Violent reactions?

Please leave a comment below so that I’d know what’s on your mind.

Technorati Tags: beginnerelectric guitar, electric guitar learn, guitar learning determination

I really can’t remember the first time I played a guitar. Maybe I was seven, or eight at that time, and it was my father who taught me to strum those strings and place my fingers on that fretbaord. Aside from guitars, however, I was also taught basic keyboards(organ for some), and integrating one with the other has become my habit until now.

But…

Enough with my story, we go to the topic.

There are different types of guitars out there. I categorize them into six: acoustic steel-stringed guitar, classical guitar, acoustic-electric guitar, acoustic bass guitar, electric guitar, electric bass guitar.

An acoustic steel-stringed guitar is a hollow-bodied guitar, which can produce an audible sound without the need for an electronic amplifier. The quality of the music produced with this kind of guitar is based on the type of wood used, and the shape of the body. A good set of strings may produce a better sound, also. This is best for those who play as a solo in a cafe or a quiet environment, as the music will be felt much in such surroundings.

A classical guitar is also a hollow-bodied guitar, and being so, it can also produce an audible sound without an amplifier. The major difference between a classical and an acoustic steel-stringed guitar is the string type. While, living up to its name, an acoustic steel-stringed guitar uses steel strings, while a classical guitar, uses nylon strings. Also, this type of guitar has a wider neck. Very similar to an acoustic steel-stringed, this also is best played in a quiet environment. Be of knowledge though, that because of the fact that this type has nylon strings, and a wider neck, it is much tougher - or challenging for others - to learn or play this instrument.

There is not very much to say about an acoustic-electric guitar as it simply is an acoustic steel-stringed guitar, with an electronic pickup system incorporated. One who performs in a wider audience need the pickup system in order that everyone - and not only those near him - can hear his music. (This type was the first I played, and still the one I like, until now, because it’s a crossbreed of the acoustic and the electric guitar. Cool!)

How about acoustic bass guitars? I don’t know when they came to exist, but that’s because I’m an idiot. The first time I saw them (about a year ago), I was surprised, and amazed! Again, I’m an idiot so I don’t know when exactly did they first come to existence, but just seeing the instrument on a shop near us, I imagined how it’d be to play such an instrument. Well, basically, a bass guitar supports the other guitars by providing the bass of a specific chord, or simply providing the bass. This makes the sound more complete to one’s ears. They can be picked(using a pick, of course), plucked, or slapped(which is my favorite, though I’ve been unsuccessful in this). However, most of the bass guitars I’ve used (because we exchange instruments in my ex-band), are electric bass guitars, which need an amplifier, but can really produce a heart-thumping drive.

And here goes the electric guitar.

Now, what about the electric bass guitars, eh?

Well, I already included the definition of an electric bass guitar in the definition of an acoustic bass guitar, didn’t I?

If things confuse you, let me have a word. Comment below and I’ll see what I can do.

Okay, we go back to electric guitar, which maybe, is the major reason you came upon this blog.

An electric guitar, by simple definition, is a guitar with a solid body. This instrument relies heavily on an electronic pickup system and an amplifier for its sound. The guitar pickup is an electromagnetic device that is used to increase the volume of your guitar. It’s that thing with six circle-shaped metals straightly aligned. Ahh but of course, I am an idiot, that’s why I cannot explain very well what a pickup is, but if you bought a nice electric guitar from a trusted brand, you can be assured that it has with it a good-sounding pickup, so no need for customization, no need to fuzz. Next, the amplifier. A guitar amplifier, or simply “amp”, is what uses the small amount of energy sent to it through the pickup and converts this energy into a larger amount.

Quite hard to understand, eh?

I know. All my life I’ve been experiencing this difficulty in explaining stuff. (Maybe that’s the reason she left me…) But, but, picture it this way.

You are holding a microphone to your mouth. The mic is plugged into a sound system, or a player which has an input.

Ready?

Your mouth is the guitar strings.

The microphone is the pickup.

The sound system, or the stereo player, is the amplifier.

Okay?

When you say something, the sound is received by the mic and is then received by the sound system, which makes your voice several times louder.

The same process is done when you pluck or strum your electric guitar. The sound is received by the pickup, and is then received by the amp, which makes it audible enough.

Whoo! I wish I had that right.

That’s about it for now.

Next post, buying your first electric guitar.

(Note: The processes described above will never work if 1)the amp is turned off, 2)the cord/s is/are unplugged, or 3)there is no power source.)

The question is: Are you really an Electric?

I want to know. Leave a comment below, and we’ll start the discussion.

Technorati Tags: beginner electric guitar, beginner guitar, choose an electric guitar, electric guitar