Pitfalls to Avoid When Learning Acoustic Guitar

We’ve all heard the expression, “Practice makes perfect”. But, as I once heard, “Practice makes permanent.” Ingrained terrible habits can be very hard to break. When you learn to play acoustic guitar, this is especially right. So, if you are practicing incorrectly, you are spending a lot of time not getting where you want to go!

Let’s take a look at some common mistakes and pitfalls people make when they learn acoustic guitar.

Don’t give up too soon. Many people fine that learning to play the guitar often isn’t as simple as as they thought it would be. Nearly everyone has difficulty when it comes to learning guitar chords. In the beginning, your fingers will hurt! Until you’ve built up some toughness on your fingertips, it can be downright painful when first starting to play the acoustic guitar. In this way, playing electric guitar is simpler.

Start with playing simple chords. If you are making chord practice too hard initially, you will get frustrated and quit. Choose simple chords like G to A, E to A, and D to G. And practice 2 or 3 chords at a time. This helps you learn the finger placements when moving from one chord to the next.

Don’t watch your hands too much. Expect to do this some when first learning to play, but later you want to stop relying on your eyes to make sure you are playing the right chord. This can hinder you more than it helps. Eventually you will get the feel for it and won’t have to look at your hands at all.

Don’t neglect the importance of visualization. Visualize where your fingers need to go and how to make that chord. You must stay focused on each chord you play and visualize moving on to the next. Eventually you can get to the point where your hands are on “auto pilot” and you don’t even have to reckon about playing, but that won’t happen immediately unless you are a musical genius. And if you are, I doubt you’d be reading this article!

Learn the root or bass note of each chord. This determines which string you should start from when playing that chord.

Our brains learn in many different ways, so experience a chord from every angle. See it on paper so you can get the right finger position. Watch someone play it in a video so you can see how someone else gets their fingers into position. There are many guitar instruction DVDs or online lessons where you can watch a guitar instructor play while you learn. Listen to the sound that the chord makes. This gives your brain the opportunity to learn it on more than one level. This gives you the best shot to learn guitar efficiently and really “own” it.

So learn to play acoustic guitar the right way from the start by avoiding these common mistakes and pitfalls when you learn acoustic guitar. You’ll improve quicker, have less frustration, and more fun.

Related posts:

1. Learn to Play the Acoustic Guitar
2. Learn To Play Guitar Chords – 5 Errors To Knock Out When Learning To Play Chords On Guitar
3. Acoustic Guitar Playing – Learning the Basics For Free

Tagged with: Acoustic • Avoid • Guitar • Learning • Pitfalls

Filed under: Acoustic Guitar

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