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Your First Guitar
Congratulations, you just bought you first guitar! Now that you've met the love of your life and made that big commitment, you're probably excited about building a good relationship with your new partner. But where do you begin? You've just come home from the music store with this beautiful, mysterious stranger, or perhaps even rescued an abandoned orphan from the flee market or pawn shop. Cradling it lovingly in your hands, you admire it's graceful form and captivating voice. Before you lay several items that you acquired along with your purchase- a case, strap, picks, and of course, that book or video explaining "everything you need to know in 10 easy lessons." You stare at it blankly, wondering what lanquage it is. This is often the experience of a new guitar enthusiast. "Love at first sight" engenders high hopes of playing like a Rock Star overnight. Then reality begins to sink in and you reallize that it's going to require some effort and hard work to make this happen! But that doesn't mean it can't be fun. A positive attitude will go a long way in helping you meet your goals. In fact, setting some short-term and long-term goals is one of the first things you should do. Here are a few suggestions: GET TO KNOW YOUR GUITAR - Familiarize yourself with its various parts GET TO KNOW YOURSELF - What type of music do you enjoy? I often receive calls for help from individuals who are frustated because they are having trouble understanding the book or video that came with their purchase. If this is the case for you, consider taking some lessons from a private instructor. It can be a great way to get moving in the right direction. If you set up a weekly guitar lesson, then you will probably begin to establish a regular practice routine too. This is because you will feel a sense of obligation and accountability to your teacher. A guitar teacher can also watch your progress and offer helpful advise and critique so that you will be able to develop good technique. This is an invaluable asset which you will be unlikely to get from a book or video. Local music stores often have someone who teaches right out of their store, or they may be able to provide you with a list of teachers in your area. If there is a college or university nearby, be sure to check the bulletin boards and school newspapers. you could also contact the Music Department to see if they know of any instructors who may be offering private or class lessons during after school hours. Most importantly, be sure to take the time to do a little "personal inventory" and get to know your instrument by answering the questions in this article. Then, you will be able to establish a good mental picture of where you are now and where you want to be in the future. FREE Reprint Rights - You may publish this article in your e-zine or on your web site as long as you include the following information: Kathy Unruh is a singer/songwriter and webmaster of ABC Learn Guitar. She has been writing songs and providing guitar lessons to students of all ages for over 20 years. For free guitar lessons, plus tips and resources on songwriting, recording and creating a music career, please visit: http://www.abclearnguitar.com
MORE RESOURCES: UNT Denton College of Music Will Offer a Commercial Music Major Dallas Observer What Is Music? Forbes The Retro Music Genre That Will Change Your Life The New York Times Russian Music Goes East The Moscow Times Why T M Krishna gets under the skin of Carnatic music traditionalists The Indian Express Billboard Hot 100™ Billboard Beyoncé Shifts into Country Music – The Dickinsonian The Dickinsonian Opinion | See music heroes before they die The Washington Post VocalFlo to host South Georgia Gospel Music Festival ValdostaToday.com Students create paintings based on music played by members of CLSO w/VIDEOS Alexandria Echo Press Farmville Pride: Let's consider trans voices in music | Farmville Farmville Herald Biden's NYC fundraiser with Obama and Clinton raised $25M, campaign says The Associated Press Best music festivals in the U.S.? Bristol, CMA Fest made top 10 list The Leaf-Chronicle Protests, street closures for Biden fundraiser create gridlock outside Radio City Music Hall CBS News The Music That Made Us The New York Times Laurie Anderson Q&A: Candid Reflections From the Music Pioneer on Releasing Rage, Yoko Ono, and Amelia ... The Stranger Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters denounce Biden as 'war criminal' outside star-studded, $25M Radio City fundraiser New York Post Song Lyrics Really Are Getting Simpler and More Repetitive, Study Finds Scientific American Anti-Israel protesters heckle Biden during lavish, $500K-a-ticket NYC fundraiser with Obama, Clinton: 'War pig' New York Post Art and music combine for “Music in the House of the Medici” The Daily News Holst’s ‘The Planets’ Was a Hit, and a Team Effort The New York Times Livin the Dream: Salem Dover makes music in Irvine, CA Now Habersham Missouri nuns gained fame for founder’s exhumed body. They’re known for their music, too Kansas City Star Spotify to Add New Features for Universal Music Artists The Wall Street Journal Music, Comedy And Magic All On Edmond Town Hall Calendar The Newtown Bee Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Rollout Pays Homage to Country Music’s History: All the Easter Eggs Rolling Stone Calvin Harris Defends His Ultra Music Festival 2024 Set: ‘Whatever I Do Is Gonna Piss You Off’ Rolling Stone Fauré: Complete Piano Music album review – fresh and revealing insights into a quiet radical The Guardian Q&A — Slow Joy Talks Trusting Your Instincts and Playing Loud Rock Music Ahead of Black Buzzard Show 303 Magazine EBONY Weekend Playlist: New Music from Beyoncè, Future and Metro Boomin, Doechii & More! - EBONY EBONY Sheryl Crow calls Taylor Swift 'a powerhouse' for re-recording old music Webster County Citizen Beyonce's New Album Cowboy Carter and the History of Black Country Music Yahoo Canada Shine On Stephen Adams, Who Made Yale Music School Tuition-Free, Dies at 86 The New York Times Loyola University and Offbeat Magazine announce “Fridays Off…Beat,” a music podcast showcasing local and national ... OffBeat Magazine Beyoncé is upending country music. These 5 Black country artists are already feeling the effects. Yahoo Lifestyle UK BMG - Director, Deep Catalog (US) Music Business Worldwide Enoch's Pub added to Northeast Louisiana Music Trail The News Star Reviews | Einstürzende Neubauten The Quietus Sony Music boss Rob Stringer: 'We want the artist to be paid' Financial Times Sara Evans Recruits Daughter Audrey for Powerful New 'Pride' Music Video — Watch Now! (Exclusive) PEOPLE Hipgnosis Songs Fund Overstated Revenue, Earnings & Its Stakes in Music Catalogs, Says New Report Billboard 10 takeaways from Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' - The Washington Post The Washington Post 2024 CMT Music Awards: Little Big Town and Sugarland to Perform Together Entertainment Tonight Local music roundup: March 28-April 3 Evanston RoundTable 'I was 5 when I studied the violin. At 19, I rebelled and moved to Ireland thinking music was not my future' The Irish Times Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' Is Here, and It's Much More Than Country The New York Times TOHO Releases Frieren: Beyond Journey's End "Special Music Video" Anime Trending News Sounds of Music, Etc. National Review Rock star blames ‘huge prejudice’ toward genre of music for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame exclusion cleveland.com |
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