Having been a professional guitar instructor for well over 12 years now, one of the most common questions I am often asked is...
"How can I learn to play my favorite songs on guitar?"
Learning how to play popular songs on the guitar can be one of the most rewarding accomplishments for any aspiring guitarist. Having the ability to pick up the guitar and easily begin playing your favorite tunes will not only prove to be fulfilling, but is also a great way to entertain your family & friends during holidays and get-togethers.
Now to a beginner guitarist, learning to play any popular song can sometimes "seem" equivalent to climbing Mt. Everest. But keep in mind, this is only because that individual has not yet realized that there are certain elements that virtually all songs are composed of...
And if he or she will allow themselves to become familiar with these elements, then playing songs on the guitar becomes easy! Let's take a look at a few of these key elements right now...
1. Chord Fluency: If you are going to learn to play your favorite tunes on the guitar -- and play them well, it is absolutely necessary that you become fluent with at least the basic chords. Now when I say "fluent", that does not mean perfect. It simply means that you have reached a level of playing where your chords are sounding nice & clean. Some of the most important chords to master are your basic major & minor open chord shapes.
2. Strumming & Picking Patterns: If you listen to just about any song, you will notice that there are certain rhythmic patterns that are being played with each chord. Understanding how to apply these various patterns is what gives you that "Professional Sound." One of the best ways to improve your strumming & picking patterns on the guitar is by practicing to a metronome or click track.
3. Transitions: This is a very important area to become fluent in, simply because in order to play through -- and actually keep up with any song, your ability to transition (or change) from one chord to another has to be rock solid. If not, then you will most likely find yourself falling behind in the song. A great way to get started in this area is by taking a few basic chords that you may already be familiar with and simply strumming each chord a few times -- then changing to the next, while staying as consistent as possible.
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