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What to expect
Many aspiring guitarists anticipate that they could play some song they like if they could only get someone to show them the hand movements, finger positions, etc. The truth is, anyone can get that kind of information on the web and from readily available books, and still won't be able to play the songs. We will be teaching some chord forms and lead patterns throughout the course, and a beginner will not be able to perform them well on the first try, or second, or third. You will need to develop great dexterity and subtlety of movement in both hands, and the only way to accomplish this is through diligent practice. The hands don't do these things naturally, and the only way to get them to do so is to force them to do it time after time after time until it works. You should expect a lot of failure up front, and if you have never played before you are going to find shortly that your fingertips are no match for guitar strings. You will see what we mean by that soon enough. All of these things are normal, so do not let them discourage you. You CAN play the guitar, and you WILL play the guitar if you DON'T GIVE UP! BUT, let’s talk about the realities of life for a moment. We have observed numerous books and web courses promising huge musical returns on minimal investment of time and money. Just buy such and such course and it will unlock the fretboard for you. We are aware of two things that will unlock the fretboard for you: (1) incredible natural gifting. We can't help you with that.(2) Obtain knowledge of music and how the guitar works, and then work yourself to exhaustion, disgust, and pain trying to master the basics, and when you are certain you have no talent and will never be able to play anything worth listening to, foolishly rededicate yourself to the torment of practicing. Get medical attention for the chronic pain in your wrists and forearms, and while your friends and family scoff and ridicule, keep practicing the same old boring scales and chords until you feel like your head will explode if you have to listen to the major scale one more time. That will take anywhere from six months to the rest of your life, depending on how often and long you are willing to practice. In the process, however, something magical will happen one day when you are practicing. You will accidentally tear off a grand riff that will make your heart leap to the moon. You won’t be able to do it again immediately, but you will realize, “Hey! I can actually do this!” You are then ready to begin studying resolving notes, which will be yet another endurance course of frustration, despair, and self-loathing. If you get through that stage, you will begin to experience the quite satisfying thrill of really making music at will. Then you will want to venture out into new areas of technique and theory, and the torture cycle will continue again, but you will be getting more out of it. And so on and so on... Bottom line: success comes at a price, as with anything. If you’re willing to pay, then you will be able to play. There are no tricks or magic short cuts. Mastering an instrument involves a commitment of time and resources to a life-long process. It is not a once-done event. Talent or not, the harder you work at it, the more time you put in, the better you will get. The fun comes in on the back end. Up front, be prepared for mind-numbing boredom and nerve-shredding repetition, on-going failure, crippling frustration, feelings of hopelessness, questioning your value as a human being, etc. The good news is, it all pays in the end! Many aspiring guitarists want some assurance that for a certain amount of effort for a certain amount of time, they can be assured of a certain skill level. It doesn't work that way. Natural talent varies from none to little to moderate to exceptional, and this will have a bearing on one’s rate of progress. However, there is no substitute for mastering the basics through persistent effort. There is no way to know up front how long this will take for any particular individual. Wanting it really badly is the only thing that keeps one going through the hard and boring stuff. If you decide to do this, then you're in for a lot of work up front. You’ll need to make a commitment now, before you start. Otherwise you will probably quit before it gets fun. But if you stick with it as long as it takes to win, it will be one of the most satisfying things in your life! |
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