So, You Always Wanted to Play Guitar?
- Diego Fedora
- Sep 20, 2020
- 3 min read
What's stopping you?
I've decided to do beginner guitar lessons for people 55 and plus. Why this group?
Because you've always wanted to play guitar, and now you finally have the time to do it. There are plenty of places for younger people to go, but if you've always wanted to play and just never got around to it––or if you started a long time ago and put it aside, let's get going.
First, a couple of myths we need to bust…
Playing guitar is hard.
No it's not! Playing guitar like Dick Dale, Eric Clapton or Wes Montgomery is hard. But it's not hard to learn to play plenty of songs, enjoy yourself and amuse your friends.
You have to learn a lot of chords and scales before you can play music.
No. You don't.
You need 3 chords. And they don't even have to be full chords. I start you out with the most powerful technique known to the human species: The "Power Chord." Which really isn't even a chord. It's playing two simple notes you can reach without turning your hand into a pretzel. And then we move the same shape around to make simple songs.
Sure, it can get complicated. But it doesn't need to. Once you enjoy playing music, you'll probably want to take it to another level. We'll worry about that when the time comes!
You need a lot of expensive gear.
Nope.
Nearly everyone can find a friend or neighbor who has a guitar tucked in a closet or attic and maybe doesn't even remember it's there. Just borrow it and get started.
If you do want your own gear, and there are advantages to that, you can get in cheap. You can buy used at your local music store or pawn shop or check out used gear at Reverb.com. You might get lucky!
And if you want new, here's a package I recommend that just can't be beat! It's got a Fender Squire Affinity Stratocaster. This is a versatile guitar that will suit any type of music you want to play. The package includes a practice amp, strap, cord and even picks.
You will want to add the tuner too––trust me!
DO NOT go to Guitar Center and let some spotty faced kid talk you into dropping 2 large or more!!!
If you start getting serious, you'll outgrow this and you can upgrade later. Believe me, there's no limit to what you can spend if you put your mind to it! And if you just get tired of it, you can just give it away to some kid down the street! You only spent a couple of hundred bucks.
Why not acoustic?
Look, I'm not prejudiced! I have acoustic instruments too. And if you have access to an acoustic, cool. Let's start with that. Hell, I'll even play mine when I work with you.
There are two advantages starting out with electric. First of all, dollar for dollar an electric instrument is usually a little easier to play. And you can tweak it a little very easily, which is much more difficult to do with a cheap acoustic.
And even more important, with a practice amp like the one in the package above, you can strap on a set of headphones and practice to your heart's content without anyone else hearing you. Unless they're sitting right next to you, of course!
And OK, there is one more thing. If you really get into it, and you like rock, blues or pop, you can play really loud with an electric. And let's face it––that's really cool!
Guitar is something you can enjoy for the rest of your life. And the best time to start is right now––especially if you've been putting it off for years.
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