Can You Learn to Play Guitar? Test Yourself
Do you need to be talented to learn how to play guitar? Well, I wasn't planning on dispelling any myths about guitar players and what it takes to become one, but it seems that the talent myth is mostly just that.
Sure, there are those that are just naturals at it, but what we're talking about are the child prodigys and such like.
Us regular folks have to work with the 80 - 20 rule.
That would be 20 percent talent and 80 percent work.
The 2 things you need to learn to play guitar.
1.
) The first thing you need to be able to do is keep time.
If you can tap your fingers in time to your favorite music, you've got 10 percent of the talent needed to play the guitar.
The strange thing is that even the simple act of walking requires rhythm, but this natural talent we all possess becomes overly complicated when we want to learn a musical instrument.
Most guitar tutors will tell you to practice with a metronome to perfect your timing.
2.
) A good ear for music.
Well, actually just a mediocre ear is needed.
The thing about learning to play music is that the longer you stick with it, the better your ear gets.
You can test this nicely with a piano.
Think of one of your favorite songs and see if you can press the melody notes on a piano or keyboard.
Here's the thing.
You don't even have to get it right, but if you know whether they're wrong or not, you're not tone deaf and as you learn to play the guitar, it'll get better from there.
The only other thing you'll ever need, apart from a guitar.
I could sum this up in one word - Tenacity.
A better word would be passion, but when the passion lessens for whatever reason, persistence is probably the only real difference between an average guitarist and a great one.
Last but not least: There is no talent that can't be learned and practiced.
Are you too old to learn the guitar? A large number of people who begin with their first guitar lessons are over 40 years old.
Most of them make a success of it.
This is just something I've observed from visiting many guitar forums.
Who says you can't teach us old dogs new tricks?
Sure, there are those that are just naturals at it, but what we're talking about are the child prodigys and such like.
Us regular folks have to work with the 80 - 20 rule.
That would be 20 percent talent and 80 percent work.
The 2 things you need to learn to play guitar.
1.
) The first thing you need to be able to do is keep time.
If you can tap your fingers in time to your favorite music, you've got 10 percent of the talent needed to play the guitar.
The strange thing is that even the simple act of walking requires rhythm, but this natural talent we all possess becomes overly complicated when we want to learn a musical instrument.
Most guitar tutors will tell you to practice with a metronome to perfect your timing.
2.
) A good ear for music.
Well, actually just a mediocre ear is needed.
The thing about learning to play music is that the longer you stick with it, the better your ear gets.
You can test this nicely with a piano.
Think of one of your favorite songs and see if you can press the melody notes on a piano or keyboard.
Here's the thing.
You don't even have to get it right, but if you know whether they're wrong or not, you're not tone deaf and as you learn to play the guitar, it'll get better from there.
The only other thing you'll ever need, apart from a guitar.
I could sum this up in one word - Tenacity.
A better word would be passion, but when the passion lessens for whatever reason, persistence is probably the only real difference between an average guitarist and a great one.
Last but not least: There is no talent that can't be learned and practiced.
Are you too old to learn the guitar? A large number of people who begin with their first guitar lessons are over 40 years old.
Most of them make a success of it.
This is just something I've observed from visiting many guitar forums.
Who says you can't teach us old dogs new tricks?
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