Is it Easy to Learn Guitar?

I'm often asked "is it easy to learn guitar?" and although your mileage may vary, overall the answer is that with regular practice and an interest in learning, you'll start to pick up the necessary skills before you even realise it's happening.

The question "how easy is it to learn guitar?" is not so black and white, and if you're keen to make your experience of learning guitar easier, I can help.

Simple starter questions like deciding between electric vs acoustic guitar for learners, and finding the best beginner guitar amps if you choose to learn electric guitar, can set you up for success.

A good guitar teaching method helps too - that's why my system is all about improving your musicality and learning from the masters, rather than teaching technical skills that you will pick up naturally anyway.

Your Musical Background

Can anyone learn to play guitar? In general, yes. However, you might find it easier to learn guitar if you already have a musical background, for example if you play another instrument - especially a stringed instrument, but also other orchestral families.

This is also the case if you've had music lessons before for any instrument, or singing lessons. You're more likely to have a trained ear for musicality, and you'll know what to expect on day one.

Talent is Not Essential

As mentioned above, the answer to "can anyone play guitar?" is generally yes. Too many people worry about natural talent, but in most cases 'talent' is another word for passion and practice.

You might have natural rhythm, good dexterity or an ear for accurate notes and chords, but on the whole if you practise your instrument regularly, you'll pick those up over time anyway.

Transferable Skills

Transferable skills from previous music lessons, such as the ability to read sheet music notation, can be beneficial in the early days, but it actually becomes less important over time unless you plan to become a session player.

As you develop through intermediate to expert level, you're much more likely to learn songs by heart or just play by ear, and you can see some of my students' jam sessions on my website for an idea of just how far you can go without following sheet music.

Music Theory

Is it easy to play guitar? With regular practice, yes. Is it easy to learn music theory? Again it takes time and a genuine interest in finding out more about how composers write the music for songs that shape our world and shake our soul.

You don't necessarily need to learn music theory to play guitar - you can learn from the masters and pick up the same techniques instinctively - but you might want to learn basic music theory for a better understanding of why some songs sound so special.

Musical Preferences

When you start to learn guitar, you're likely to find it easier if you choose a type of guitar and a genre that you feel an affinity with. You probably have an idea of whether you'd rather learn acoustic or electric guitar, for example.

Bear in mind that you can learn different styles of music. I teach Rock, Blues, Jazz and Pop as distinct genres, and the type of guitar you buy can depend on the genre too. If you want more help making any of these decisions, please contact me.

Challenges of Playing Guitar

There are a few caveats to the question "can anyone learn to play guitar?" While learning guitar is not difficult in itself, you will learn faster, more easily and more successfully with regular practice. Here are a few rules of thumb to keep in mind.

Time

You must practise regularly to reinforce the new skills you learn and to embed them in your muscle memory. It doesn't have to take a lot out of your personal time. My teaching method recommends half an hour a day or an hour every other day.

A mix of short bursts and longer sessions can work well, along with rewarding yourself when you stick to your schedule. For more in-depth information about how much time to spend on practising, read my blog How Long To Practise Guitar. 

Effort

Practising should be tiring, at least some of the time. It's an indication that you've concentrated hard and that your brain has focused its energy on learning and remembering, helping to improve the efficiency of your practising.

Try not to be exhausted when you start your practice session - if you always practise at the end of a long day at work, for example - as your brain is less likely to learn if you're already tired when you pick up your guitar.

Space

A guitar takes up less space than, say, a drumkit. So you probably don't need a dedicated practice room. What you do need depends on the type of guitar you want to learn:

• Acoustic guitars can be played anywhere, so you can find a spare room, quiet corner or even practise outside, but people in the area can hear you play.

• Electric guitars need an amplifier (or equivalent output e.g. a computer) so you're likely to need a mains electricity connection, but you can practise on headphones if you don't want an uninvited audience.

Amps don't take up that much room really - so both acoustic and electric guitar can be practised almost anywhere, as long as you have some kind of power supply for your amp.

Finger Pain 

Excessive practice and poor fingering technique can leave you with hand and finger pain, but this is very easily avoided, and I can help show you how to practise guitar pain-free in your first guitar lessons.

All it takes is some discipline and to listen to your body. If you've been playing all day - even if you're having fun - it's useful to take a break when your hand or fingers start to get tired. That way you'll be in good shape to practise again tomorrow, and the day after, and so on.

Reasons Why Learning Guitar is Easy

So why is learning guitar easy? In addition to everything I've already looked at above, here are a few more reasons to learn to play guitar:

Low Cost of Entry

A beginner acoustic guitar is one of the most affordable musical instruments you can buy and they are very widely available.

Even a starter electric guitar can be a good deal, especially when you buy a beginner kit complete with amp and any cables you need included - remember to check whether your kit includes a tuner to keep your guitar pitch-perfect.

Lots of Material Online

This one is a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there's a vast wealth of information online about learning to play guitar, including scores, charts and guitar tabs, as well as handy apps like digital tuners and tools to analyse your pitch and rhythm.

On the downside, it's sometimes hard to tell if you're looking at guitar tips for beginners, or next-level guidance for intermediates and professionals. Try not to feel overwhelmed - if you don't understand something at all, assume it's not aimed at you, set it to one side, and ask me in your next lesson if you want an explanation of what it means.

Versatile Instrument

Guitar is massively versatile. This is obvious in terms of acoustic vs. electric guitar, but even on the same instrument you can play everything from popular music, to genres like jazz and blues, to much more niche styles and compositions.

You can even use different tuning systems to change the pitch of your guitar, such as 'open tunings' which tune the strings to the notes of a chord. This makes it even easier for beginners to produce a chord and is a common technique in blues guitar even at professional level.

Read more about open tunings and other tuning systems in my blog How to Tune a Guitar.

Improvements are Exponential 

The benefits of playing guitar far outweigh the challenges. When you first pick up a guitar, it can be difficult to see that end goal, but once you're over the first hump of gaining the basic skills needed to practise independently, the gains quickly start to stack up.

Learning to play guitar can even cross over into other parts of your life. You can feel less stressed, because you have an interest outside of work or family pressures. Music in itself can be soothing - especially as you hit fewer and fewer incorrect notes! Learning invigorates the mind and can have similar benefits to meditation, flushing distractions out of your active brain and consigning them to long-term memory where they're easier to ignore.

Over time, your proficiency and muscle memory will naturally improve and you'll find you can play entire songs from memory or even just by instinct. The exact experience is different for different people, but in the vast majority of cases, if you have half an hour a day to practise, learning guitar is not overly difficult at all.

Read more about the Benefits of Playing Guitar in my blog post.

My Thoughts

While there are many reasons why it is easy to learn guitar, obviously there will be difficult challenges along the way. A good way to think about going through periods of hardships is that there will always be rewards to balance them out. Logically and rationally speaking, practising always pays off and therefore is very much worth it.

Another perspective to view learning guitar from is that it is something enjoyable rather than feeling like having work cut out. It should feel like play rather than work, although the lines seem to be blurred from time to time. Ultimately, the fun more than makes up for itself! Please visit my website to find out more about my thoughts and outlook on learning the guitar.