The right lighting. Choose a room with either plenty of natural light or be sure that your room is well-lit. Being able to see your fretboard clearly is essential for beginners learning the correct positioning to play a note. It may not be as exciting as playing your first solo or strumming the chords to your favorite song, but little things like learning the names of your strings and the different parts of your guitar can help you build greater familiarity with your instrument. Here are just a few guitar basics and why you should learn them: It’s impossible to achieve your guitar goals with wannabe celebrity instructors, or searching through Whether it's the thought of Keith Richards ripping through a classic Rolling Stones riff on his favorite Telecaster or of Adam Granduciel weaving wonderful War on Drugs solos on his trademark Jazzmaster, the cultural and emotional influence of the electric guitar transcends generations.

Every week, Fender Play LIVE features free YouTube episodes that show players of all skill levels how to play different songs, explore techniques within a variety of musical genres, and broaden their depth of knowledge with experienced players sharing their own stories. Beyond that, Fender Play also has an online community where players can compare notes, victories, and ask questions. 7. Practice, Practice, Practice

LEARN TO PLAY BASIC GUITAR SCALES

Looking for a beginner guitar? Our interactive gear guide, FindYour.Fender.com, matches you with the perfect model by learning about your sound & style. You’ll be well on your way to finding the right guitar for you. There are different ways people have tried and failed to learn guitar. In-person instructors and YouTube Be the first to know about new products, featured content, exclusive offers and giveaways. Sign Up 1. Start With The Basics Of Playing Guitar If you’re learning to play guitar at home, you might not necessarily have other new players to chat with about what you’re learning, challenges you face, or breakthroughs in your practice sessions. Having a community of musicians and music lovers to connect with can help keep you more motivated to keep playing, practicing, and cheering one another on.

Warm up first. Warming up your fingers and practicing a few scales or finger exercises can help you prepare for a practice session. It can also help you be sure your guitar is in tune. How to Play Notes On Your Guitar - One of the earliest things you’ll learn as a beginner guitarist is learning where to place your fingers on the fretboard to be sure that note clearly rings out. Hearing notes clearly is key to identifying notes and learning how to play guitar. Learning which notes -- sharps, flats, and root notes -- comprise a particular scale can help you identify the key of a song. In turn, that can help you narrow down what chords and notes are included in some of your favorite songs and how the artist decided to structure a riff or solo based on those scales. One of the most important things beginner guitar players should know is that they should be patient with themselves. Even the best guitarists don’t become great overnight. It’s important to devote time each week -- even if it’s a few minutes every day -- to sit down and practice chords, scales, and techniques involved with playing guitar. Developing good habits is harder than breaking bad ones. How to Strum like a Pro - Little things like keeping your wrist loose while strumming can not only help you to achieve a more fluid style of playing, but it can also help to decrease pain or tightness after a practice session. Get more tips for strumming like a pro!Carve out regular time to practice. Setting aside as little as 15 minutes to practice each day can help you to steadily increase your proficiency as a guitarist. Fender Play’s bite-sized video lessons are an ideal way to help structure your practice sessions, guiding you along a specific path and building upon learned skills. Record yourself. Sometimes, it can be difficult to hear yourself getting better without having a starting point to compare yourself to. When learning to play guitar, it’s best not to measure your progress against anyone but yourself. Every player learns at a different pace. However, if you record your practice sessions, you can compare your progress from one month ago to where you are now and notice a marked improvement. Recording your practice sessions and reviewing them -- like an instant replay in a sporting event -- can help you not only see what you might be doing wrong, but also hear what you are doing right. In addition, an electric guitar also has individual bridge saddles where the strings attach at the bridge, as well as a knob that controls volume and another knob that controls tone. These knobs are located on the lower left side on the front of your guitar. For many new players, using an online guitar lesson app can help give you access to the tools you need to learn no matter where you’re at. Fender Play gives new guitarists access to top-notch instructors who have been there, done that, and created an easily-accessible curriculum broken into bite-sized video lessons. The portability of using an app like Fender Play allows you to practice anytime, anywhere -- as often or as you like. If there’s a particular concept of lesson you haven’t quite grasped, simply replay the lesson and practice it until you feel satisfied. Fender Play also gives you access to a library of hundreds of songs that you can learn to play. Learn chords, riffs, or even songs in their entirety to put the skills you learn to practical use. How to Set Up a Guitar - Keeping your guitar in good working condition is essential to better playing and developing your ear. Learn how to use a guitar tuner and be sure your strings are properly tuned. Learn how to replace a string in case one breaks during a practice session. Understand the different parts of your instrument and how those little things impact the sound of your guitar.

These components all work together to produce a louder, more sustained sound that sets the tone of an electric guitar apart from an acoustic. An electric guitar can also be used with effects pedals to create custom tones, ranging from fuzzy distortion to echoing reverb to full-throttle overdrive. Both styles of guitar generally have six strings. When played in standard, Open E tuning, each of the strings have the following tones: One way to help narrow the field is to try out our Find Your Fender tool. Find Your Fender asks you a few simple questions about the type of tone you prefer, your budget, and even your physiology -- such as whether you have smaller hands or if you play guitar left-handed or right-handed. Based on that criteria, it gives you a short list of guitars to explore to see if they might be the right fit for you. 3. Create An Ideal Learning Environment You’ll feel confident learning with our easy-to-follow lessons that build on your skills slowly, soAt one time or another, almost everyone has found themselves caught in the moment of listening to a great song and overcome by the urge to rip into an air guitar solo. And while mostly everyone can play air guitar, learning to play a real acoustic or electric guitar is something that takes practice and dedication. Inspirational decor. Making your learning environment comfortable and inviting. Whether you choose to decorate it with colorful plants or paintings, or posters of some of your favorite artists, creating the right atmosphere can go a long way toward prompting you to practice regularly. 4. Build Skills By Learning Songs But for everyone that wants to emulate their musical heroes or just wants to jam with their friends, there are few things you need to know when you are just getting started on the electric guitar. Electric Guitar 101 Relax! Learning to play guitar should be a fun experience that’s more about the journey than the destination. Even the best guitar players find new ways to express themselves and experiment with new techniques. As a beginner, one of the best ways to learn guitar is to start slowly and learn the style you love to play. Even new musicians can learn to play easy songs on guitar, helping you put any new skills or chords that you learn into practice. This can help keep you motivated. Whether you want to learn your favorite songs or compose your own original tunes, you’ll find what you need among Fender Play’s catalogue of chords, scales, songs and skill-based lessons.

Fender Play recognizes the importance of community. It allows you to connect with other like-minded musicians who are at a similar point in their learning journey as you, as well as learn from more experienced players and level-up your skill set.It can’t be said enough how important regular practice is to improving as a guitarist. Here are a few tips to help you make the most out of your practice sessions: One of the first steps on your path to playing guitar is to set up an environment that makes you want to practice. If you’re learning guitar at home, setting up a comfortable practice space is key to wanting to sit down and play more often.