The 3 P's of Guitar

By Kelly Douglas


So you.re thinking about learning to play guitar, or maybe you have just
recently started playing. You went out and bought your guitar, signed up for
lessons, and you have even told your buddies that you are going to be the next
guitar god. You have found only one problem.learning to play isn.t as easy as
it looks. If you only had a formula for successful learning. Well let.s take a
look at the 3 P.s of guitar. Now I can.t guarantee that you will be on the next
cover of your favorite guitar magazine, but if you follow these 3 points, you
definitely will speed up the learning process.

1. PRACTICE

Practice, practice, practice. You have probably heard this a thousand times
over, but it is essential in learning to play the guitar. If you are just
getting started, I would recommend you spend at least 20 . 30 minutes every day
going over the previous lesson your instructor has given you. After you have
advanced a bit, and you have learned the basic techniques of playing, your
practice time should be a minimum of 30 minutes long. Try to set aside
the same time each day to do this. Don.t sit in front of the TV while
practicing.Why? You will probably end up watching your favorite show, rather
than concentrating on what you.re doing. By focusing on what you.re doing,
there is less chance of you developing bad habits and poor technique.

Spend the first 10 minutes just doing finger exercises to warm up. Playing the
guitar is a very strenuous physical activity for your hands so don.t ignore
this point. The next thing you should do in your practice session is go over
your assignment for the week. Repetition of the lessons is essential. Finally
end off your routine with a short review of previous material, or spend some
time on a technique or chord that is giving you problems.

2. Patience

One thing to keep in mind while learning the guitar is that you are asking
your fingers and hands to do a number of very unnatural tasks. There will be
times that no matter what you do; your fingers just will not do what you want
them to. This is where patience is the key. You are training your fingers to
play, and this takes time. This ties in with the next .P..

3. Perseverance

Keep at it. If you can.t play that chord, note, or exercise today, you might
tomorrow. Remember that every bit of effort that you put into it will pay off.
You will succeed.

So there you have it the 3 P.s of learning the guitar. If you want to have a
fourth .P..it would be without question passion. 

Keep these points in the back of your mind when learning the guitar and you
will be playing your favorite songs sooner than you think. If you have any
questions or comments, please feel free to email me at [email protected] .
Web_Address: http://www.compusmart.ab.ca/strynchu

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