If you’re interested in learning to play an instrument, such as guitar, without the hassles of scheduling and leaving your house, then you’ve come to the right place. At Torrins, we’ve got all the lessons you need to go from playing your first note, to your first song, to your first live gig, and beyond! We provide a multitude of Guitar, Piano, and Bass Guitar lessons for free, so you can start learning how to play your favourite tunes on guitar from the comfort of your home. If you’re new to guitar or online guitar lessons, we’d like to tackle some of the questions you might have about getting started.
Is guitar easier to learn than other musical instruments?
Many people believe the guitar is one of the hardest musical instruments to learn. Due to the discomfort experienced in the fingers initially, many people who have attempted to begin the instrument find it discouraging and often quit before they’ve even learned one song. While there may be some challenges in the first few days or weeks with getting comfortable practising the guitar, it is actually one of the easiest instruments to accelerate at rapidly. The following points illustrate why choosing guitar for beginners can be much easier than starting on any other musical instrument.
Low “Time To Song”
Time To Song is a loosely measured metric that is used for every musical instrument learning process. With guitar, it is possible to be playing songs from day 1, making it one of the shortest Time To Song instruments available. With our online course, you’ll learn how to properly place your fingers on the guitar to play notes and chords that sound good right from the start. Unlike woodwind or brass instruments, there is no need to build strong mouth muscles and proper breathing techniques to play pleasing sounding notes. Unlike other classical stringed instruments that don’t have frets on them, the guitar is laid out in identifiable sections, making it easier to know exactly where to place your fingers.
No Need For Micro-Coordination
Another point which makes guitar a much more straightforward instrument to play is that it doesn’t require you to perform micro-coordination. Unlike piano or flute, when playing the guitar, fingers and hands are working in unison, as opposed to operating independently. The fine motor skills required to play the guitar are much easier to develop at early stages of practice. In our guitar courses, we teach you everything needed to properly coordinate your fingers and hands on the guitar.
Tons Of Learning Resources
The guitar is the most popular musical instrument around the world. One of the benefits for beginners who are looking to play guitar is that they won't have to look hard to find a learning resource. You can learn to play guitar from books, videos, tutorial websites, in-person or online personal tutors, and more. There is an option to suit any preference and learning style.
Tips on how to hold a guitar properly
Holding a guitar might seem obvious. Even those who have never played guitar tend to instinctively hold it in a natural position. But as our courses demonstrate, just because it feels natural doesn’t mean the guitar is in the most optimal playing position. If you are able to sit and hold an acoustic guitar properly, you’ll also be able to hold an electric guitar without much noticeable difference.
One of the first things to be aware of is hunching over the guitar. It is easy to fall into this habit so it’s one of the most important ones to avoid. When you hunch over the guitar instead of keeping your posture tall, you compromise the mechanics in your strumming and your grip. Also, with repeated hunching and bad posture, you can strain your back which can lead to injury and more severe problems later.
To start, take a comfortable chair and sit with your legs open to about shoulder width. The guitar should be resting on the right leg if you strum with your right hand. For left-hand strumming, it should be placed on the left leg. You can also cross your legs if you are wearing a dress or skirt. If you strum with the right hand, then you’ll likely want to cross your right leg over the left. The guitar should be angled just slightly back against the chest and your back should be straight but slightly relaxed. Your strumming arm should rest gently against the top and front of the guitar with your strumming hand in front of the hole on the guitar. The strumming arm keeps the guitar in place so you are able to move your gripping hand freely without the guitar becoming unstable.
Your left hand (or gripping hand) should be bent at the elbow and not straight out. If you can’t keep your elbow bent to almost a 90 degree angle and you find you are stretching your arm to reach the end of the neck, your guitar is likely too big for you. You’ll want your thumb behind the neck of the guitar, acting as a base for your grip on the strings.
What are the basics of a guitar?
Here is a checklist that every guitarist will eventually learn through their enduring education:
- The anatomy of the guitar
- The string names
- How to tune a guitar
- Proper pick technique
- Holding a guitar correctly
- Chords
- Strumming and rhythm
- Songs
- Scales
- How to play guitar effectively so it creates less strain on your wrist
So what are you waiting for? Start our free beginners course for guitar now and learn from some of the top artists and instructors online while remaining in the comfort of your home!