Should I learn the guitar?

Perhaps you’ve been wondering “Should I learn the guitar?”  Let’s go over some of the pros and cons of taking guitar lessons so that you see if it’s the instrument for you!

Pros:

• Very portable
• doesn’t take up much space
• easy for self accompaniment
• you can also use tablature (a more direct method of reading music especially designed for guitar) to speed up the time it takes for you to learn a song

Cons:

• Not the best instrument for young children still developing fine motor skills
• Can initially be uncomfortable to play
• nails must be kept short
• notes don’t read linearly as they do on piano
• you can’t see your hands as you play

A Great Instrument for a Singers or those looking for an easy to transport instrument!

Learning the guitar is a fantastic instrument if you want something portable and especially important for singers looking to perform. It doesn’t take up much space, and it allows you to communicate with your audience face to face.

 

Reading and Motor Challenges

Sometimes students can find playing the guitar tricky because it requires you to exert a decent amount of pressure using your fingertips to get a clear sound. Because of this, it can be frustrating at first to learn at first.  Patience and repetition are the key to strengthening the muscles of the fingers and developing callouses on the fingertips so that playing becomes easier.  Students need to also be able to get a sense of where their fingers are on the strings without looking, because keeping the guitar upright is important for a clear sound.  The notes also don’t necessarily follow the same intuitive pattern on the piano.   To play nhigherpitches on guitar, you will be moving in an “L” pattern, playing both higher frets and higher strings.  Instruments like piano just move left to right.  However, you can also use something called “tablature” to play.  This is essentially a graph that represents where your fingers will be on the strings.

 

What’s the Cost?

Guitars can vary widely in price but most students are fine starting with a wide neck classical steel string or nylon string guitar.  Make sure you get properly measured for your guitar first.  Children need smaller sizes then adults.  All in all you can expect to spend anywhere from 50-200 dollars on your instrument.

 

Before You Play, Put the Claws Away

Finally, if you’re a girly-girl who likes to have long manicured nails, the guitar (and other string instruments) may not be for you.  You will need to keep your nails short to play with control and develop the correct technique.  You need to be able to press the strings with the pads of your fingers. Long nails will not allow you to do this.  So, keep the fun nail colors, but ditch the acrylics or trendy coffin nails.

 

For more pros and cons about taking lessons for different instruments, check out this video.  To learn more about piano lessons with DMA, check out our guitar lessons page.

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