Guitar lessons vary in cost

…depending upon the amount of experience the instructor possesses!

For example, an instructor with a degree will oftentimes charge much more than a home-based instructor. This extra experience due to higher education always touts a heavier pricetag. If you are just beginning to learn guitar…There are many affordable options available that you should take notice upon!

Check your local music Shops!

Chances are…

you can get some sort of monthly deal through a local instructor for about $50 a session. Sessions will typically last around 30 minutes-1 hour, so be certain you get your moneys worth and ask a lot of relevant questions!

Online options also exist!

There are many different online guitar instructional courses, along with actual guitar communities that you can use to assist your guitar learning effort!

Expect to pay about $50 a MONTH for online lessons.

Also, you should avoid buying dvd lessons for one reason in particular. It is not an ongoing course so there is a cap placed on the amount of education you will receive. So how much do guitar lessons usually cost? Depending on your outlook, expect to spend at least $50-$100 a month (offline or online) for great, beginner/intermediate resources. For more advanced lessons and extra attention/time with an instructor, expect to spend upwards of $300 per month!

FUNDAMENTALS OF YOUR GUITAR

All parts of the guitar are equally important, but some of the areas of particular interest are (from the bottom up) the bridge, strings, neck, fret, and tuning pegs.

Let’s begin with the bridge.  This is where your stings will be changed.  There are round pegs at the end of every string.  These will need to be pulled out and new stings inserted.  You will need to learn the string names.  Beginning from the top (biggest) string to the bottom string (smallest):  EADGBE.  The top and bottom strings are the same note, just different octaves.

On the neck of your guitar you should notice two things.  One, there are going to be a series of metal lines that extend from one end of the neck to the other.  These are called frets.   Two, if you look down the side of the neck of your guitar you will see dots.  The dots are located at frets 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, and 17.  Fret 12 has a double dot for which I will explain further once we get to that portion of these lessons.

Let’s talk for a minute about the tuning pegs at the top of the guitar on the headstock…

This is where the stings end.  Before you ever change strings, pay particular attention to which peg each string ends up.

Here is a helpful hint for remembering how the strings are placed into the tuning pegs.  If you are holding your guitar in posture (which will be discussed a little later) there will be three pegs pointing toward the ceiling (upright) and three pointing toward the ground (downward).  If you are looking at the guitar as the diagram indicates, there will be three pegs on the left and three pegs on the right. Let’s work with the latter example.  Low E (biggest string) goes into bottom left peg, A goes to middle left peg, D goes to top left peg, G does to top right peg, B goes to middle right peg, high E (smallest string) goes to bottom right peg

Here is an important reminder for you once you have reached this point.  Be sure that you thread all strings the same way.  What I mean by this is be sure that when you turn the peg clockwise, it tightens the string while counter-clockwise loosens the string.  One thing you can try, and I suggest, is that you change out one string at a time.  Do not just take out all of the strings and go for it.  This is where mistakes happen when trying to get your strings in the correct place and through the tuning pegs.  Pay attention to what you are doing so that you don’t find your guitar in a mess.

Music is something that most of us cannot live without. It has become such an integral part of our lives that we have become spoiled when it comes to pleasing our ears. But amongst the endless cornucopia of sounds, melodies and instruments stands the Acoustic Guitar. The Guitar is probably the most played and most used instrument of all time. This is mainly due to its affordability and ease of use. Many people adore it and if you’re one of them then might have thought of picking a Guitar yourself. If so, read on!

• Like all major purchases in life, the biggest factor is price. Many people like going for cheap things only to realize that they were duped. It is therefore of great importance that when you want to purchase a guitar, compare prices with a wide range of models and places. A good quality guitar is one that has a strong body and overall integrity.

• The strings should be of high quality. Low quality strings wear out easily and do not last long. You might be thinking “I can always replace them, so why does it matter?” Well, in the long run it’s going to cost more to perpetually replace the strings than if you were to have high quality ones in the first place.

• One should also make sure that the tuner is of high quality. This is because some of the tuners are weak and end up breaking easily. This may also be expensive as you have to go back to the shop to buy new tuners.

• In this day and age, branding is of utmost importance. Always check out the company behind the Guitar. Companies usually have different styles and philosophies when it comes to instrument making. So be sure to do a little research about the company before you decide. My personal recommendation is Planet. They’re one of the best companies out there that constantly produce quality guitars.

• The durability of the guitar should also be put into consideration. Some guitars can last for decades while some barely make it in the first year.

• Size of a guitar also matters when buying it. Acoustic guitars come in various shapes and sizes. Your own body size will be a big factor in this, be sure to feel physically comfortable with what you’re buying.

• The casing of the guitar should also be considered as it’ll be needed for storage and transport. Poor storage will take precious years away from your Guitar, so ensure that the casing is of good quality.

• Also, ensure that the store provides a decent warranty for your guitar. It’s a pain to have to give up the whole thing when some small part breaks down.

• Most importantly, you’ve got to feel for the guitar that you’re buying. I know it sounds cheesy but a guitar is a very personal thing and it’ll be with you for a long time, so make sure you feel some sort of connection with it before the big purchase.

Correct posture will help your overall performance.  You need to sit up straight and make sure you have a flat back.  You may find a tendency to want lean over the front of your guitar so that you can see what you’re doing with your fingerings.  Instead of looking over your guitar, use your fret dots to know where your fingers are.  Ultimately you want to play without looking at your instrument and fingers.

A lot of novice guitar players will sit anywhere; place the guitar on their right thigh and play.  You may wonder why this is a problem. Well, when your posture is completely out of alignment, this will result in sloppy wrist, hand, and finger habits.  Also, correct chord formations and scale constructs won’t be possible up the entire neck of the guitar…

You’ll want to get yourself a chair that fits your height.  When you are getting a chair make sure that when you sit in it, your feet are flat on the ground.  You also want to make sure that your lap and knees make a 90 degree angle.  Any deviation on this will result in incorrect posture.  If your chair is too low, your arm, wrist, and finger movements will be limited.  If your chair is too high, the tendency will be to lean over your guitar and the result is incorrect posture.  A good measure is to stand next to the chair and it should come up to your knees.

Second, you want to get yourself a foot stool.  You will use the foot stool to elevate your left leg.  The guitar will rest on your elevated left thigh.  I caution at getting a foot stool that is too high.  While the foot stool allows for the most secure and correct body posture, it can cause some stress to your lower back.

Third, be sure that you sit at the edge of the chair.  Do not slouch.  Sit up straight.  It’s okay to look at the guitar and your hand, but it isn’t okay to lean over and look at them.  Relax your shoulders and keep them square to your torso.  Do not let yourself lean to any side.  There are a couple of exceptions to this when you are playing up in the twelfth frets and above.  Once you have finished in those frets, resume posture.  Now I’m sure you have the right foot phenomenon.  What to do with the right foot?  I tuck it under the chair and rest on the ball of my foot.  Some like to have it almost completely extended to where it’s almost on the heel.  You decide what works best for you.

Last thing I’d like to go over with you are the principles of movement.  Our joints work in three different realms of movement. The gist of this is if you put your hand out in front of you and curve the wrist as far left as you can and wiggle your fingers.  You should feel tension and pulling in your forearm and wrist.  Do the same for the right side.  Now keep the wrist in an unbent position and wiggle your fingers.  There should be a marked difference in how this feels in comparison to the other two positions.

You also want to keep your fretting arm next to your torso.  You don’t want it smashed against your rib cage but you also don’t want it out there like a chicken wing.

Correct posture is important because as a guitar player, you want to eliminate any excess tension or straining on your body.  Believe it or not, real physical conditions can be the result of bad posture.  Take the time to be honest about what you need to work on. Bad habits come easy and perfection takes practice.

HAND AND FINGER BASICS:

There is a correct way and an incorrect way to hold a pick with your strumming hand.  You’ll want to lightly rest the pick between your thumb and forefinger.  Your forefinger needs to be arced so that it forms a semi-circle.  The pick will rest between the first and second knuckles on the forefinger.  Each finger consists of three knuckles, one right above the fingernail, one half way up the finger and the last where the finger meets with the hand.  The first and second are referring to the ones right above the fingernail and half way up the finger.  From here you will place your thumb on the pick creating a loose yet stable pressure.

As you become more advanced in your guitar playing, you will learn that there are several ways to hold a pick and all of which will be held between the thumb and forefinger.  Do not let yourself fall into the trap of holding the pick with the tips of your thumb, forefinger and middle finger.  This is incorrect and is a very bad habit to break.  It will not allow for your remaining fingers to have any dexterity…

Before I move on to posture, let’s talk about dexterity.  What is dexterity?  It means skill and grace in physical movement, especially in the use of hand.  Finger dexterity is of utmost importance when playing any musical instrument and particularly the guitar.  Moving your hands and fingers through chords and different scales requires a lot of practice in dexterity.

If you go to a music store, you will find tools to help exercise and strengthen your hands and fingers while building dexterity.  Another highly recommended exercise is to purchase a tennis or racquet ball and squeeze them for several minutes to build hand strength.  Here are some excellent finger dexterity practices that don’t require you to purchase anything:

Place your hand on a flat surface and lift one finger at a time.  Go for accuracy first and gradually build speed.  Next, try lifting every other finger and again go for accuracy then speed.

Spread your fingers out and touch the center of your palm with each finger while keeping remaining fingers as straight as possible.  This will help with coordination.  Go for accuracy and then speed.

Crumple a piece of paper with one hand, and then flatten it back out.  Repeat this process several times.

Place your fingertips on a flat surface and practice tapping them in order (refer to hand diagram and finger numbers) 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1.  Go for accuracy and then speed.

Tuning your guitar…one of the most important things you can do for yourself while learning to play.  I will go over several methods of tuning for you and ways to train your ears while you learn to tune.  Once your ear is trained, you won’t have to worry about whether or not the batteries work in your digital tuner.

As a beginner with guitar and perhaps music all together, I suggest that you go get yourself a digital tuner.  It is fairly self explanatory.  I had one of these as well as a pitch pipe.  I liked the pipe because I don’t have to buy batteries and it helps my ears train instead of relying on the digital tuner, or meter, to show flat or sharp…

Next, I’d like to discuss tuning with your guitar only.

You may wish to tune your bottom E string for this.  I call this 5th fret tuning.  What you do is tune your bottom E (biggest) string with a tuner or pluck both E strings and listen to the “wa, wa’s.”  If the wa’s are fast, you are sharp.  If the wa’s are slow, you are flat.  If you don’t have any wa wa’s you are in tune.  In succession from the top to the bottom, press the low E string in the 5th fret and then pluck your A string.  Listen to the wa wa’s and adjust your tuning pegs.  Next, press A string in the 5th fret and pluck D string.  Press D sting in 5th fret and pluck G string.  Press G string in 4th fret and B in 5th fret (note: the switch in frets here).  Press B string in 5th fret and pluck E string.  This particular form of tuning is great for getting your ear ready to hear music.

Last, but definitely not least, is harmonic tuning.  I would consider this a bit more advanced, but once you have your ear trained and have a good idea of how to touch the strings, this is an incredibly accurate method for tuning.  It goes something like this:  From the top to the bottom, lightly touch your E string at the fret line with your fretting hand, do not press the string, and pluck the string at the same time.  You must release the touch with your fretting finger so that the note will continue to play.  Play 5th fret E string and 7th fret A string, they should be the same pitch.  Play 5th fret A and 7th fret D.  Play 5th fret D and 7th fret G.  Play 7th fret low E and pluck open B.  Last, play 5th fret B and 7th fret E.

Here is a special note for you on harmonics.  Harmonics are the result of the vibrations of the string itself.

An important reminder:  Be sure that you tune often.  Don’t just tune at the beginning of a session.  Tune several times per session.  This will help you hear in tonality (when notes aren’t in tune) and get your ears trained while learning to tune your guitar.