On getting started

A few years ago a friend said to me, "Randy, I want to play guitar. How should I get started?"

I said, "Buy a guitar, put your hands on it, and start fiddling around. Then come see me and we'll get you some direction."

Guess what ...

It never happened.

The question is: Why didn't he buy a guitar?

The answer is: He didn't want to.

But it's not just a matter of his not wanting to buy a guitar; I would have lent him one of mine, and he knew this. What he didn't want to do was put forth the effort to learn how to play.

This is something that I see frequently: Many people want to be able to play an instrument, but they don't want to expend the effort needed to learn to play that instrument. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way, unless you happen to be a freakishly talented prodigy like Mozart. (My guess is that even Mozart had to practice.) But if that were the case, you probably would not be reading this. As mere mortal non-prodigies, we simply have to learn. And learning takes effort and commitment.

Even fantastic players who have been playing for decades are still making the effort to learn. There are respected guitar "gods" who still take lessons in order to improve their skills. The biggest mistake is to give up and not make the effort. But how to get started? The first thing you should do is to be honest with yourself. What do you want to achieve? Do you want to play like Joe Satriani, and you've got a band lined up with your first practice session next week? Are you envisioning spotlights, crowds fans screaming in adulation and wearing T-shirts proclaiming that you are "God?" Or conversely, do you want to learn about the guitar for its own sake? Maybe you just want to learn about music, and the guitar is your chosen tool for doing that. Perhaps you just want to learn to play one of your favorite songs. These are just a few of many possible reasons, and there is nothing inherently wrong with any of them. Being honest with yourself will enable you to set effective and realistic goals for your own musical development.

The next step is to buy a guitar, put your hands on it, and start fiddling around. That is the subject of the next installment, On buying your first guitar.

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