Monday, November 23, 2009

Acoustic Guitar Lessons - Find Them On Line Or Locally

By Birgit Eff

Acoustic Guitar Lessons are offered in just about every town and community. Teachers can rent spaces in music stores or they can give lessons out of their own homes. In some communities schools offer guitar lessons or you may be able to find an organization that offers group lessons. You can also find lessons on the Internet that come in the form of written word and lessons on video.

One of the easiest instruments to play is the guitar because the notes progress on the frets by half steps. If you understand the distances between the notes and how to use your fingers on the frets it is possible to know just where all the notes are located and to make it even easier, there is more than one place to make each note.

Learning to play acoustic guitar differs from learning electric guitar. You may notice that the guitars are quite different. Acoustics are wide and made out of wood while electrics are usually very thin and made out of metal. Acoustic Guitars usually do not have an amplification system that is internal. You have to use a microphone or other device to make it sound louder.

An electric guitar has an on and off switch and is amplified internally. Strumming an electric guitar that is not on results in not being able to hear it. When you strum an acoustic guitar you hear it right away.

There are other differences in the way an acoustic guitar is played. Both electric and acoustic employ the use of a pick to pluck the strings, but the acoustic guitar player does not need to use a pick. They can strum with the fingers or do what is called finger picking.

One of the very first things you may learn in a guitar lesson is the way to hold a guitar. You can stand as electric guitar players do providing you can attach a guitar strap to the acoustic guitar. Sitting to play is advisable when first learning and when playing acoustic guitar the player usually does sit. When learning to play classical guitar there is a specific way to sit in order to reach the fret board in the proper way.

The second thing almost every guitar player needs to learn and will probably be part of that first lesson is how to tune the guitar. Guitar strings slip and go out of tune. You will either be taught to tune the guitar by touching certain frets on different strings that make the same note or by using a device. You can tune it if you know what the notes are by tuning it to a piano. They are from the bottom E, A, D, G, B, and E again. Electronic tuners are available as well and your teacher can teach you or read the directions.

Next your acoustic guitar lessons will progress to using your pick or strumming the strings and reading tablature or music. If you are using a pick, and most beginners do, you will learn down picking, using a downward motion on the string, and flat picking methods, or going up and down. Fret exercises will come next and you will learn were some notes or chords are played.

Practice is important when learning to play guitar so plan on taking at least half an hour a day to do some practice if not more. Make sure to check out the guitar lessons available on line, in video, in books before getting a teacher. You can learn the basics this way and then maybe go on to a human teacher that can fine tune your abilities.

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