Key Tips For Beginners

So you've decided to fight the good fight, you've picked up a bass or a guitar, you're on the road to becoming the next Steve Vai. But you don't know where to begin, well i've got you covered.

For a beginner I would highly recommend that you find yourself a local teacher who can show you the ropes, face to face. This isn't feasible for everyone, I know, and for whatever reason not everyone will be able to utilise a local teacher. But do not despair as there are a great many online resources for learning to play, my personal favorite is Justin Guitar because it's incredibly comprehensive and, most importantly, free. 

The way you learn isn't the be all and end all of developing your guitar skills, ultimately your ability to become an amazing guitarist or bass player is entirely down to your drive and determination. I remember when I first started playing I felt pretty down on myself, people that started when I started quickly became better than me and I thought that I lacked the 'talent'. 

Talent is obviously important, not many of the worlds most famous instrumentalists are lacking talent. What you've gotta' remember though is the most important aspect to developing your skills is pure, bloody-minded determination. What I started to realise was that my peers, regardless of how talented they were, were putting in the hours. They were playing every minute of free time they had, I was lazy.

When you first start playing you'll find that you're playing all the time anyway, if you genuinely want to continue to improve then you need to carry that on indefinitely. I obviously can't deny that some people learn quicker than others, don't let that demoralise you. Guitar and bass playing are skills that you can acquire, not something that you have to be born with.

And remember, if your fingers are in agony you're probably doing something right (I'm sorry to say that i'm not even kidding). Talent can be acquired if you're determined enough. You want to be able to shred? Be determined, put in the hours and you will be rewarded. 

If you are thinking of learning to play, you can't go wrong with a Squier Bullet Stratocaster and a Marshall MG10 10 watt combo.

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