by Clarence Bell

Created on: November 21, 2008

Everybody wants to play guitar. Everyone wants to play a complicated solo and have fans cheer wildly. Many believe that they can just pick up and play. But you can't. You can't learn from a book, you can't learn by ear. If you want to be serious about playing, you need to get a teacher, and one still may experience set-backs. Many include:

1. Incorrect Playing Techniques

Many young players develop bad habits, and if you don't have a teacher to identify and eradicate them immediately, the effects may be irreversible and you could very well ruin your chance to play proficiently. Many include:

Looking at your hands while you play.

Yes, it's okay for beginners and during solos, but you can't get in the habit of staring at your hands constantly when you play. It takes away all your stage presence.

Playing with your knee raised.

Many guitar players perform standing up. New players get in the habit of resting their guitar on their knee while they stand. It takes away your ability to move as you play...and frankly, it just looks stupid.

Incorrect Fingering

Say you jump from fret 1 to 3. Players without formal instruction may use their index finger to play the notes. WRONG! If you use your index finger for the 1st fret, you use your 3rd for the 3rd fret. This habit will make you stumble on solos. Practice doing scales to rid yourself of this horrible habit. it also helps to have a teacher nagging you about it.

Thumb Positioning

With your fingering hand, your four fingers press on the strings while your thumb is pressed against the back of the neck. Many unconciously turn their thumb so that is horizontal instead of vertical. This can lead to health problems, like carpa tunnel syndrome.

Reading Music

Overall, if you have no teacher, you may not learn to read music and chords. Guitars also have weird little sounds they can make (Harmonics, Vibratos) and the way you produce these sounds could affect your playing if not done correctly.

2. Guitar Quality

Many other difficulties is getting a defective guitar. NEVER EVER BUY A GUITAR WITHOUT PLAYING IT. Say you're playing a nice Gibson Flying V. You decide to buy it. If the salesman says "Well, we have another one just like that in the back," respond with, "Okay, get it out, I'll play it." Guitars are made of wood, and wood is a variable. Guitars can experience defects, like a bowed neck or raised frets. These can be repaired, but for a price. Might as well avoid it all together by buying a quality guitar.

Also, never buy guitars from Wal-Mart or Toys R Us. They don't hold tuning, and fret spacing/sizes are not correct. They are made for 3 year olds to bang away on, and are meant to look appealing to the 3 year old, not someone interested in playing seriously.

3. Disregard of Fundamentals

People disregard the fundamentals, like correct fingering, and bending a string with TWO fingers not one. If you learn yourself, or ignore these basics, you will not succeed. There's a reason that these are taught to everyone. Once you're on the wrong track, it's nearly impossible to get off it.

4. No Practicing

Those self-confident "guitar players" think that they can practice 15 minutes a week and sound awesome. No, you can't. You should practice AT LEAST 1 Hour a week. During these practices you should perform scales, songs, and chord progressions. Practice what your guitar teacher tells you to, and you're 2/3 of the way there!

I hope this helps you in your guitar-playing journey!

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