"It takes a lot of devotion and work, or maybe I should say play, because if you love it, that’s what it amounts to. I haven’t found any shortcuts, and I’ve been looking for a long time." –Chet Atkins

So ya wanna play guitar. I’ve been told, and it’s been said that the guitar is one of the easiest instruments to pick up and play but on the other hand one of the hardest to master, and coming from where I’ve been, I do agree. With just a little practice and the right guidance you can be playing the way you want in no time at all. That’s a fact. 

So many people pick up a guitar and want to learn but are not sure where to start, and they feel that it will be impossible to learn what they want to play in any length of time.  Well this is simply just not true at all. There are a few simple steps to follow to get of to the right start and before you know it, you will be playing for your family, friends and even professionally.

One thing you need to remember is that it will only get easier with time, just learn a little at a time and you’ll be amazed how self-satisfying it can be.  For some guitar playing will come easy, but for most of us it will not be so easy, with a little hard work even the most stubborn fingers will soon grab any chord or solo you want them to.

When you first start playing guitar, it is very important to play what you enjoy playing.  This will benefit in keeping you interested in learning more and more.   After all you wanted to play guitar to enjoy it not dread it.  So if some one is trying to make you learn songs or study theory that does not interest you you’ll most likely give up out of lack of interest.  Unfortunately this happens to many people.  You will also notice that your taste of music will grow as you learn different styles, and your ear will become trained to pick up sounds in music you never heard before, your sense of rhythm will increase at a pace that will surprise you. 

After a little while with the correct training you’ll be able to sit down and play whatever you want to, with who ever you want to, and the point of the aggravating hours and hours of trying to get that riff down or learning that new chord will disappear.  The satisfaction of learning an entire song in 5 to 10 minutes will be well worth the journey.

So as difficult as learning how to play the guitar might seem to you at first, you must keep in mind that it only will get easier with time. Always make it fun to play never make practicing like a job or something you put off because its too much work.  If your doing things right you should not even notice that your are practicing.

Before you smash you guitar against the wall, take a break and take you time.  Finding the right teacher or instruction makes all the difference in the speed that you make progress.  Remember a good teacher is one that will soon make themselves unnecessary.

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