Learn how to play guitar with all of these tips. I did not put these tips in numerical order because, as I explored each one, I thought, ‘This is number one!’ I recommend you make use of all of them.

Take a few lessons with an experienced music instructor.

If you want to learn to play guitar, hire a guitar teacher. I will cover this suggestion in depth in Part 2 because this is probably my number one tip on this list.

DO NOT start with exercises.

This advice might seem counterintuitive coming from someone who wrote the book Rehearsals and Exercises. Success in learning an instrument starts with playing music. Improving your technique by rehearsing exercises comes after you experience the joy of playing even a small part of one of your favorite songs. Once your hard work pays off and you are delighted in the fruits of your success, you will do almost anything to play better tomorrow compared to today, even practicing music exercises.

Start learning a song that is resonating with you right now.

I will continue to remind you of my setbacks so you can learn from them. When I was ten years old, my guitar teacher taught me songs by John Denver. But I wanted to learn KISS, and after pushing through and learning the cowboy chords, I lost interest. Said another way, avoid pushing yourself to learn a song you don’t like if you can avoid it. On the other hand, learning songs that inspire you will motivate you to practice for hours to reach your desired results.

Start learning a style that is resonating with you right now.

Expanding on my previous tip, my grade school guitar teacher taught me her favorite style. I spent hours practicing right-hand finger-picking with cowboy chord changes, which I found uninspiring and, at worst, dull. I cannot imagine how different my life might have been if she had taught me right-hand alternate picking using a downward pick slant with an upward escape motion to play KISS songs and Ace Frehley solos. My number one tip for beginners is to choose the guitar style that excites them most and learn to play in that style. Secondly, if your music interests change, so does the style you’re practicing.

DO NOT fret over technique.

I was twenty-one years old (84 Seasons), a senior in college. I was in love with my guitar. I was thinking about changing my major from accounting to music. I enjoyed my first in-person one-on-one classical guitar lesson. I had practiced 4 to 5 hours a day for two weeks, trying to impress the hell out of my private teacher, who spent my second classical guitar lesson harping on an inconsequential flaw in my right-hand technique. It was my second lesson, and he crushed my dreams. I left the lesson literally in tears. Six months later, I graduated with a degree in accounting. I have not played classical guitar since. Imagine how different my life might have been if that classical guitar teacher had waited to exorcise this common technical flaw, instead offering encouragement during my second classical guitar lesson. My main goal as a music teacher is to encourage my students to keep practicing. I applaud their success, help them discover music that inspires them, and point them to their future as shred guitarists. I wait until the right time to fix common technical flaws. My number one tip on this list for beginning guitar students is to find a way to position your fretting fingers and pluck or strum the strings to make music that sounds good to you. You want to impress the hell out of yourself and have fun doing so. We can improve your technique once you have fallen madly in love with your instrument. At the start of your second lesson, your teacher’s first words should be, ‘You have made great progress. Let me point out several things you are doing correctly.’ Anything less, start looking for a new instructor.

Be aware of the tension in your body, but DO NOT obsess.
My one secret, central to developing my methods and tools, is this: In the long term, the enemy of playing guitar fast is tension, which leads to discoordination at fast playing speeds. My secret is learning to recognize and avoid overwhelming tension while allowing “just enough” to create bright, colorful notes. There are hundreds of ‘good playing habits’ for every musical instrument. You have the rest of your life to discover and perfect them. As a beginner, you aim to become aware of these best practices. However, don’t rush to implement any, even one as important as playing as relaxed as possible. My number one tip on this list is to avoid obsessing over ‘good playing habits’ for now and focus on doing whatever it takes to impress yourself with the songs you are learning.

Make plans to play in front of your fans sooner rather than later.

My number one tip on this list is to plan to impress your fans with your new musical talents as soon as possible. Most good music teachers arrange for their students to play in front of family, friends, and strangers at least once a year during a recital because they know there is no more significant motivator than sheer and utter terror. As a beginner, embrace stage fright and understand that the only cure is preparing to step onstage to play your musical piece, whether London Bridge or For the Love of God, as Steve Vai suggests, while running around your practice room doing flips, kicks, and splits. You need serious motivation to practice a song one thousand times. Preparing to play it on stage in front of a live audience will motivate you to do just that, and the rewards you reap will be priceless.

Learn how to play the guitar by following a road map and be prepared for the vistas.

Knowing where you are headed is invaluable when you set out to learn to play a new instrument. The lists of essential skills music teachers present to beginning students are similar across all instruments. My road map for acoustic and electric guitar players of ‘must-know vistas’ includes (I based my list on the ROCKSMITH 2014 Edition. See Part 2 of this series to learn more about this complete guitar learning system):

1. Most music stores will re-string and tune your guitar, but the sooner you learn how to do it yourself, the better.
2. How to name the parts of your guitar and refer to the parts of your hands and fingers
3. How to set up and use a guitar amplifier and cord
4. How to attach your strap to your guitar’s ‘strap buttons’
5. How to hold your guitar while standing up and sitting down
6. How to pick strings using a plectrum (guitar pick)
7. How to pluck strings using your fingertips (finger-picking)
8. How to navigate your ‘fretboard’ to sound your first notes (This is your left hand for right-handed players)
9. How to sustain your first single notes
10. How to read guitar tablature
11. How to play slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs (Easy-to-learn techniques to make impressive sounds)
12. How to play double stops (Includes two-finger barre chords, the ultimate short-cut to playing almost any song)
13. How to play tremolo/vibrato and palm mutes (More easy-to-learn techniques to make impressive sounds)
14. How to strum chords (This is your right hand for right-handed players)
15. How to read chord diagrams
16. How to fret chords (This is your left hand for right-handed players)
17. How to play bends, harmonics, legato (Ambitious techniques to make impressive sounds)
18. How to play rhythms and use a metronome
19. How to play pinch harmonics and two-hand tapping (More ambitious techniques to make impressive sounds)

Learning to read music is invaluable, so why did I leave music theory off my list? Too much music theory too soon impedes learning for most beginners. Students new to their instrument should not apologize for wanting a fast track to impress themselves and their family and friends by playing music versus learning about music. Look for a teacher who helps you make impressive sounds and play the music you enjoy early. Starting on your music journey, you want to have fun making music. If you are bored with music theory, ask your teacher to focus on my ‘how to’ list of technical vistas.

Click here to read Part 2 of my series, Tips for Absolute Beginners Starting the Path.