If you have recently come to the conclusion that you want to play the guitar, but not sure what to do first then be aware there are some basics that you will need to master before you will become an excellent guitar player.
Obviously it is imperative that you have your own guitar, after all you need the right tools for the job.
You will have to make decisions at which type of guitar you want to play.
Will it be electric or acoustic? Maybe a friend has one you can borrow, but will you have access to it whenever you need it for guitar lessons or practice sessions? Once you have your guitar it is sometimes a good idea to choose a favourite tune.
It needs to be something that you are happy to listen to over and over while you try and play the guitar chords continuously trying to perfect them.
Something that you will aspire to play well.
Once you have a song that will motivate you to get better you probably still won't know be sure how to read the music.
If you have a friend who can play he or she may be able to offer some assistance.
They may also be able to teach you the correct positioning of your fingers in order to play the right notes.
You should try and learn some of the basic guitar chords concentrate on the easiest first and not the more challenging ones.
Chords such as A minor, A and E are pretty simple to pick up so it is a good idea to start here.
Mastering these will enable you to become a more proficient guitarist.
Statistics have shown us that a huge majority of people that actually play the guitar have learned to play the hard way.
Learning without any help is practically impossible as you have to have a good understanding to be able to play well.
It is advisable to get some sort of lessons from a guitar tutor.
If you cannot afford a tutor every week then you have some more options available to you.
You can get numerous books on the subject but this can be a difficult way to learn as you do not hear how the chords you are learning are supposed to sound.
One of the best ways I have come across to learn the guitar is with the help of an online course.
They have video lessons that are easy to follow along with, you can pause and rewind to practice as many times as you wish.
You can have the entire course for the same price as a couple of private lessons.
Oh and the best thing is you can study when you want to, so you can fit learning a guitar around your other commitments.
Whichever way you decide to learn to play a guitar you have to remember, it will take practice and hard work.
Nobody learns a new musical instrument overnight.
Once you make some progress you will see yourself going in the right direction and this will encourage you to keep going.