Learning to play the guitar can be a very rewarding thing. It can also be very hard. I was so excited when I got my guitar as a gift. I immediately picked it up and made believe I was a Rock Star

.

I stood in front of the mirror and acted a fool. I tried to play a few of the chords with the documentation provided with the guitar. Wow, it was hard. It was not that the chords were hard; it was that the guitar and fretboard were too big for me.

If you are thinking about learning to play the guitar I would suggest getting fitted. Go to a music store and have a professional fit you for a guitar. They will suggest a variety of guitars that are made to fit your arms and hands.

This is one of the reasons people give up on trying to learn to play the guitar. The fretboard is too big for their hands, and they just can’t form the chords. I thought I would list a few of the smaller guitars available:

• Yamaha JR1 FG Series: it is a ¾ size acoustic guitar. Yamaha offers a great smaller guitar that is not too expensive for a beginner. A great guitar with 18 frets and a beautiful natural satin finish.

• The Little Martin: Comes in a couple color schemes. Fantastic craftsmanship and quality. This guitar is one you can grow with. It produces beautiful sound and music. The small size makes it easy for everyone to learn to play. Comes with a big bag to carry it in. They are more expensive and may not be the best for beginners.

• Squire MA1: small ¾ size acoustic guitar. Affordable and easy to play. Produces superior sound and is made with great quality. MA1, sounds like a tank and has the durability of one. Will take the punishment of someone learning to play the guitar. This guitar is affordable for a beginner.

These are just a few of the many small guitars available for beginners to learn on. If you do not have a music store go to your local music store and try out the guitars they have. It will let you know if you will have a size problem. Bigger is not always better. The only way is to actually put your hand around the neck.

Testing a guitar is the best tip I could possibly give. It will help you learn to play without having to overcome physical limits. Rock on!

Hi, my name is John and I wanted to comment on how I learned to play the guitar. I was given a six string acoustic guitar as a gift some time ago. It set in the closet and collected dust for a while. Then one night, at a party a friend started playing

his guitar. Everyone was singing along and it was great. Later he showed me a few chords and I was hooked.

I decided I was going to learn to play the guitar. My problem is I do not have time to do much more than eat and sleep. Personal local lessons were also so expensive I would never be able to afford it. I began to research alternative methods to learn to play. Some of the ways I found were:

• Computer Software: There is a wide variety of packages available to teach you to play the guitar. You can learn to play acoustic or electric guitar this way. It is recommended you learn acoustic before trying to play an electric guitar.

• Local Lessons: For me this was too expensive and too time consuming. Lessons would take over an hour. It would also take an hour to get there and back. I just did not have this kind of time or money.

• A friend to teach you: If you are lucky enough you can get your friend to teach you. This is how I started to learn. My friend is not a professional but he has been able to teach me a few things.

I left out the way I learned; video training. I learned through a web site that had teachers who taught through video clips. My friend also sat in on some of the lessons and helped me a little on the cost. This web site had a wide variety of teachers. You could learn beginning guitar, jazz guitar, rock guitar, blues, acoustic and even classical. The amazing part was the cost. It was amazingly affordable. I could take the lessons when I wanted to, and learn at my own pace.

There are many web sites that offer video training. The other cool thing is that you can try before you buy. That saved me some money. I tried classical and found that it was too hard for me. It saved me the money of having to pay for a lesson that was too advanced, and really not my style.

The other great thing about the site I learned from, was all the free tools available. Some of them were:

• Metronome: you will need the shockwave browser plug-in to use this tool. It is great to help you keep time and stay in rhythm. A must have tool, as any instructor will tell you.

• Chord Dictionary: You will need the flash plug-in to use this tool also. This tool is awesome. It has sixty three basic chords and allows you to both see, and hear them. You could probably learn to play with just this tool.

• Fretboard Tuner: A Simple tool that helps you visualize the chords and can be used to tune your guitar.

• The Fretboard Note Chart: Great tool. It requires flash. It is great for the beginner because you can use your mouse to see all the chords available on the fretboard. It is very cool and extremely helpful.

• Minituner: A simple graphical tool that allows you to record and play back a chord or music. It's a very useful way to tune your guitar.

I believe if you search you will find these tools all over the Internet. It was nice that they were right there on the site I chose to learn from.

I learned to play the guitar over the Internet through video lessons and would recommend learning this way to anyone. It was fun, easy and very affordable. I hope my journey of learning to play the guitar via the Internet has been helpful for at least some of you.

Learning to Play the Guitar with Software

Learning to play the guitar can be a time consuming process. Loading up in the car and taking the trip across town to the Music Center for your lesson can get to be a mundane routine. Today, it is even more expensive with fuel prices sky

rocketing. Well, you can now learn to play the guitar anywhere you have a computer.

Learning to play the guitar with software is fun and easy. It is not for everyone though. Some people just need the personal touch of a teacher to help them. If you learn well on your own and can follow instruction well, learning with software is for you.

There is a wide variety of software packages available to teach you how to play the guitar. Some of these software programs are:

• Jamorama: learn to play the guitar with this low cost software based instruction course. The software is downloadable from the Internet. You must use a computer to take these guitar lessons. You can use your laptop also, to learn most anywhere. There are video clips used to help teach with this software making it better than some of the others. If you are looking for an affordable way to learn the basics of learning how to play the guitar then this software might be right for you.

• Learn and Master Guitar: This software package should be considered one of the best training packages to learn to play the guitar. It covers everything. You have ten different DVDs, a huge 108 page book, and CDs with music to help you learn. It is more expensive than other packages, but none of the others approach the training level in this package. If you really want to learn how to play the guitar with one time buy software, this package is for you. Everything about it is quality. It provides training from the beginning to the advance levels. The play along music CDs and the instruction booklet round out the program and make it easy to learn using this package. You will also get free support from the company producing this learning software. This is a fantastic feature not offered by some competitors.

• Guitar Tutor Pro: this is another downloadable software package and is affordable for any budget. You must practice and learn in front of a computer. It teaches through the use of Ebooks and audio files. It does not provide video clips and this is a drawback.

• Beginner’s Guide to Unlocking the Guitar: this is another in the downloadable computer based training packages. There is no video available and you learn through audio files with pictures. It is affordable and can quickly get the beginner up and playing with a few songs.

These are just a few of the programs that are available to train you to play the guitar. Learning to play the guitar with software is not easy for some people. Many of the companies offer free trials that can help you see if you will be able to learn using their software. Use this trial software to see if you can learn to play the guitar using their software, before you buy. Try before you buy might save you disappointment later. Often times you can't get your money back, or try a teacher giving lessons without paying. Software learning to play guitar is a great way to learn.

Be sure you have a comfortable chair because you will be setting in front of the computer for extended periods of time. If you have self discipline you will be able to learn to play the guitar using software. Find the right package that meets your budget. Using software to learn guitar playing is a unique way to train, practice and learn to play.

• Local teachers: you can find many teachers to give you guitar lessons in your local area. Pick up your local telephone directory or newspaper, and you should find several artisans offering lessons in your area.

• School: if you are still in school or college, check out your music department. Even if you're not a music major, you can find someone who is providing lessons. Check the bulletin board in the music department. You should find several posts offering to teach you to play the guitar.

• Internet: there are hundreds of web sites devoted to “Learning to play the Guitar”. A quick web search for “learn to play the guitar” will return approximately 625,000 web sites. Many of these will offer free lessons to teach you to play the guitar. Other sites will provide lessons for a fee.

• Internet Video Lessons: yes, today you can learn to play the guitar over the Internet by watching video lessons. Augmented with email and instant Messaging, make this an easy, affordable way to learn to play the guitar.

• Software: there are a variety of different software packages available to teach you how to play the guitar. Learning to play the guitar this way has become a very popular way to pursue your endeavor. Pay one fee to buy the software and off you go.

These are just a few of the popular ways to learn to play the guitar. There is no excuse not to pick up a guitar and get going today. You do not even have to leave the house. You can video conference with a teacher and enjoy learning from the comfort of your home.

Guitars are very affordable to purchase today. Learning to play the guitar is also very affordable. Learning to play the instrument does require a great deal of commitment on your part. If you choose to learn over the Internet, through software, or in person with an instructor, the one thing you will also need is self discipline.

Dust off that old guitar and learn to play today.