Beginner’s Guide to Guitar

I’m sure most everyone has had the thought, “I should learn how to play..” followed by a certain instrument. For some people, the hardest part of learning a new instrument is beginning. With insight from the owner of Consignment Music on the Collierville square, for those whose statements were “I should learn how to play guitar”, here’s where to start.

When selecting a guitar to learn or begin with, (although most tend to head towards electric), acoustic will positively affect your playing in the long run. Well, what’s the difference between electric and acoustic? Electric guitars are more forgiving than the latter, meaning the thinner, lighter, and far more comfortable strings of an electric are easier to play than the thick and hard acoustic strings. Because of that, if you were to learn everything on an electric and try to make the switch to acoustic, you might find you can’t play it as well or as easily as you thought. However, learning on acoustic will guarantee your ability to play well on both electric and acoustic.

“Fender makes some really good stuff, especially for beginner type [things],” said Evan Leake, the owner of Consignment Music. “The stuff that they’ve been bringing out here has been of good quality.” When asked if he allows people to try out the instruments in Consignment Music, he voiced his opinion on the importance of playing the guitar you’re thinking of buying. “It’s something that’s going to be with you for a long time. You can pick up guitars and then the same [type of] guitar but they feel different. And that’s the thing about it, if you don’t come in and put your hands on it, you’re just wasting your time.” Leake, who’s been playing guitar since he was five and has played many different types of guitars reassured that it’s the player who matters, not the guitar. “It doesn’t matter what kind of guitar it is, it’s the player himself. A good player can come in here and take a 50-dollar guitar and really make it sound good because they know how to play and they’ve been playing for a while. I’ve heard people on a 3,000-dollar guitar and not play very well at all.”

Okay so now that you’ve chosen your guitar, where should you start? Guitar is mostly muscle memory; it just takes tons of practice. But like any new thing, there needs to be a base to build from. There are three main chords that are the basis of a ton of songs: G, C, and D. (The order of the guitar strings from the top string to the bottom string is E, A, D, G, B, E, or 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1).

There are two ways to play the G Major chord, it just depends on personal preference. The first way is more common, but the second isn’t wrong. To make the chord, place your pointer finger on the 4^th (A) string of the second fret, your middle finger on the 6^th (E) string of the third fret, your ring finger on the 2nd (B) string of the third fret, and your pinkie finger on the 1^st (High E) string of the third fret. It’s extremely helpful to practice strumming and getting your hands used to the shape and feel of the chord.

To make C, place your first finger on the 2nd (B) string of the first fret, your middle finger on the 4^th (D) string of the second fret, and your ring finger on the 5th (A) string of the third fret. When you strum, only strum from the 5^th string down, not hitting the top string. Switching from G to C will be a difficult move to make at first, but the more you practice it, your muscle memory will kick in and you’ll soon find you can switch between them easily.

And finally, D. To make this shape, place your pointer finger on the 3rd (G) string of the second fret, your middle finger on the 1st (High E) string of the second fret, and your ring finger on the 2nd (B) string on the third fret. To give this chord it’s higher sound, when you strum it, you only strum it from the 4^th string down, not hitting the top two strings.

Take the time to practice switching your fingers between these three chords, and once you’ve found an easy rhythm of switching, throw in some strumming. Those three chords are the ground level for you to build from, so once you’ve figured it out, it’s only up from there.

Evan Leake, who’s currently in a band called Trouble No More who play all Allman Brothers music, is also self-taught. His advice to beginners was to watch and listen to what other people play. “While you’re watching them you notice how they’re playing the particular songs and chords and things like that. My learning came from that,” he said. “You don’t know how frustrated I was when I was a child. I mean, I really wanted to be able to go up and down the neck and do all this stuff and know where everything was and it was very frustrating for me. You know until I finally got to the point to where I started listening more and watching people.” His longstanding advice to people trying to keep going or put more work in was, “Have it in your hands as much as possible. That’s the only way you’re ever going to get wherever you want to go with it. I remember as I child I used to fall asleep with it in my hands, that’s just the love of the sound and the playability of it.”

Don’t be afraid to try and learn your favorite songs, the more you play the better you’ll get. Apps like Ultimate Guitar teach you the songs you want to play while also providing a platform for sharing it once you’ve learned it. Learning your songs will teach you new chords, new strumming patterns, new picking rhythms, until you realize just how much you’ve grown in your playing. (YouTube is also a very good source of tutorials and tips and tricks.)

Guitar may look intimidating or impossible to play, but all it takes is time and effort. Any practice you put in will ultimately contribute to your guitar abilities. If you’re looking for a guitar, Consignment Music on the square would be happy to let you try some out. “As long as they don’t sit in here all day long and get real loud and stuff. But yeah, I encourage it.” said Leake. Whether you’re looking to be closer to music or just try something new, guitar checks all the boxes. Time, energy, and motivation to play will get you closer and closer to playing it well and soon, it’ll be like breathing. Happy playing!