August 2021

T he guitar is a wonderful and fun instrument. On it, you can play the smooth melody of a ballad or a rock song with a harsh strum. Learning an instrument is never an easy feat but practicingandhavingthecorrectequipment will help you succeed. These are five things to know as a first-time guitar owner. How To Hold the Guitar If you’re right-handed, hold the neck of the guitar with your left hand. Your right hand will then naturally drape over the sound hole. If you are left-handed, you have some options. You can either restring the gui- tar in reverse order to flip the whole thing around, or you can buy a left-handed guitar. How To Tune the Guitar When learning to play the guitar, you should invest in a tuner. There are tun- ing apps now, but they aren’t as relia- ble as a tuner. You can also try tuning it by ear, but this isn’t recommended. Invest in Good Equipment You should purchase more picks than you think. They’re going to get lost or break frequently, and it always seems to happen at the most inopportune times. Cables, ca- pos, and a maintenance kit are also great to have on hand. From one guitar player to another, you should also get Aquaphor and Band-Aids because calluses are inevitable. Get To Know Your Guitar It’s great to know the anatomy of the guitar. Learning it is a pretty basic task. Knowing your guitar’s basic anatomywillmake things easier when you are learning how to play. Practice, Practice, Practice This may seem silly to say, but practice is the only way you’re going to get better. Learning an instrument takes time. We’re not all prodigies. It can just take a few min- utes a day to learn a new chord. Practice at your pace and when it’s convenient for you. Now that you’ve learned the five things to know as a first-time guitar owner, you are ready to begin your guitar-playing adven- ture. Maybe you’ll be the next great gui- tar player and take the world by storm! 5 Things To Know as a First-Time Guitar Owner by | Mallory Knee 18