So you've made up your mind to play songs on the guitar. Let me tell you about how I learned and how you can avoid making some common mistakes made by many other guitar players. One thing far too many beginners attempt to do is play entire songs before they've even learned the basics. Choosing a song you'd like to know how to play will motivate you to learn and force you to learn the basics-that's if you go about it the right way.
There can be a number of reasons why you'd like to learn how to play songs on the guitar. One may be just to play songs for yourself while you hide out in your bedroom. Another may be to play in front of your friends, just to impress them. Perhaps, you'd like to play for customers in a local coffee shop. You may even have dreams of becoming a rock star and playing in front of thousands of people. It doesn't really matter why. As long as you're absolutely serious about it let's get started.
Now I'd like to think of playing songs on guitar like playing basketball. Learning to play guitar songs is easier than a beginner may think. But learning guitar takes lots and lots of practice. It's very important that you practice, practice, practice. This is because once you start playing basketball you're not very skilled at it. Have you ever tried it? I have a neighbor who is only 12 years old and he can shoot baskets like a pro. That's far better than how I shoot. You may say he has some natural talent, maybe a little, but he spends hours practicing day and night on the hoop in his parents' driveway. You can become good at playing guitar if you practice it like he practiced basketball. It's all a matter of perseverance and repetition.
So how do you start out playing songs on guitar? Simply start out by buying a cheap guitar, or even borrowing one. Some guitars sell for $150 new which include a practice amp, pick, strap, and an extra pair of strings. This guitar set would be perfect for beginners if they could afford it. Still, I would not recommend that someone spend a great deal of money on a high-classed guitar, especially when starting out. You can do like I did, pick up a used guitar at a garage sale. My first guitar was a Delta Acoustic with nylon strings and it only cost me $10. But if you're really broke and can't find a cheap guitar, chances are you know someone who already has one that you can borrow. If they use it frequently, you'll have to work out some kind of deal with them, like washing their car. If they never use it, most likely they'll be more than happy to loan it to you, knowing it'll get some use.
Now that you've got a guitar to practice on, most likely you've looked it over and tried playing it. You've strummed it several times but the sounds you produced sounded nothing like music whatsoever. So now you ask yourself: "How are you supposed to play this thing?" You looked over the guitar and noticed it has six strings that extend down its neck, and the neck is filled with several frets. You think playing guitar songs on this thing must be really complicated. How can anyone really do that?
When learning how to play songs on the guitar you start out small. Become acquainted with all six strings by striking each one by one. Start out at the lowest string and work your way down to the highest one. Learn to distinguish between the lowest string (E) and the highest string (e). Why did the inventor of the guitar use a string called "E" and another, "e". Was he just trying to confuse us? Who knows? Anyway the notes go in the following order starting from the top string to the bottom: first is the "E" (the lowest note) proceeded by "A", "D", "G", "B", then "e" (the highest note). To memorize these notes in sequence from the lowest note (thickest wire) to the highest (thinnest wire) just remember an acronym created by Eddie Van Halen: "Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie!"
Start out by mastering the open strings on the guitar. When you're ready, upgrade to playing regular notes. Let your left hand be your guide. Remember that the guitar neck contains a great number of frets. The first fret is the furthest from the body of the guitar. Small metal bars divide the frets. A string striking exercise helps one become familiar with the guitar. Though this exercise may seem cumbersome, it's still important so don't skip it. When playing a certain note your finger should press down on the string as close to the vertical metal bar as possible without touching the bar. Simply strum the string. A clear note should sound without the string vibrating. If the string should vibrate either you're not pressing down hard enough on the string or your finger is touching the vertical metal fret bar.
You may also wonder: "How could I play guitar songs if I can't read music?" One way is to use guitar tabs to learn particular songs instead. Guitar tabs are the easiest way to play songs on the guitar. A guitar tab will display the six strings and coexisting string numbers. So if the first number on a tab is a "2" on the "A" (second string from the top) you'd then place your finger on the second fret on the second string and strike that string.
Continue playing the riff in order of the guitar tab and soon you'll be able to play a guitar song.
Also, if you see a guitar tab with numbers stacked one upon another that means you're about to play a chord. A chord is when you strike more than string at once. In the case of a "3", "5", "3" stacked on top of each other on the "A", "D", "G" strings, this means that you should play the "A", "D", "G" strings at the same time with the corresponding tab. In this case, the third fret for A, fifth fret for D, and the third fret for G. A "0" label on the tabs means you play the string open (without pressing down on the string).
Lots of great resources exist for learning how to play guitar songs. One outstanding resource is Learn and Master Guitar. The lessons here start out rather easy then work their way up to the more advanced material.
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