The guitar is often considered to be the world's most popular instrument - but why is this? If you're wondering why so many people choose to learn to play guitar, or are considering taking up the instrument yourself, here are three of the main reasons why it's such great choice.
1. The guitar is extremely versatile
Perhaps one of the main reasons why the guitar is such a popular instrument to learn is its versatility. Just take a look at all the musical styles in which the guitar plays a part - you have rock, metal, classical, flamenco, folk, country, jazz, blues, and pop guitar styles to name just some. Whatever type of music you like best, the chances are you'll be able to play it on the guitar.
There are also different types of guitars available, such as electric guitars, steel string and nylon string acoustic guitars, as well as more specialised types like 12 string and dobro guitars. And then you have a huge variety of effects which can be applied to your guitar, to produce an almost infinite array of different sounds.
So no matter how eclectic your musical tastes and creativity, you're very unlikely to get bored when playing the guitar.
2. You'll be part of a huge community of fellow guitarists
The guitar's popularity also means that you have the chance to connect with a large worldwide community of other guitarists. This means that there is plenty of support available to you on your guitar playing journey.
If you're looking for a teacher, it's usually it easier to find a guitar teacher than just about any other instrument (except the piano). It's also easy to find places where you can buy guitars and guitar gear. Guitar books, videos and other materials are readily available both in shops and online - and talking of the internet, there's an enormous number of sites out there which are dedicated to discussing the guitar in all of its aspects. So even if you're a self-taught guitar player who's learning alone at home, help will always be available in some form if you need it.
3. You can progress relatively quickly
A third big advantage of the guitar from the beginner's perspective is that it doesn't take long until you start sounding pretty good. Unlike some instruments, which require months of practice before they start to sound decent, you can be strumming along with your favourite songs or picking out simple melodies within a few weeks of starting to play.
Of course, as with any instrument, it takes a long time to become a brilliant guitarist, but you can still gain an enormous amount of satisfaction from mastering easier techniques along the way, and these small successes will mean you're more likely to stay motivated and keep going.
So as you can see, there are some very good reasons to learn to play the guitar. Although they're not enough by themselves - you should have a genuine love for the instrument if you want to keep it up and develop into a truly skilled player.
You can also read more answers to the question ' why play guitar? ' at my site. And if you decide to learn to play the guitar, it's vital to get some top-quality instruction to keep you on the right track. I recommend checking out the online video guitar lessons at http://learntheguitaronline.info where you can also get some lessons free of charge.
Sam Marks is a guitarist and musician who enjoys writing about music-related subjects and sharing useful, high quality resources, and may receive compensation as a result of making these recommendations.
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