Top 6 Common Mistakes to Avoid as a Beginner Guitarist

It can be an exciting prospect to get your first guitar. You feel a sense of trepidation as well as exhilaration as you first strum its strings. It is only a matter of time when you would be able to play all chords, notes, scales, and slides of it. Imagine flaunting your newly acquired skill in front of your friends.

Beginner Guitarist

However, in their bid to reach that flaunting phase sooner, many beginner guitarists make the mistake of not following the learning process that can hinder their progress and discourage them from continuing their lessons. 

So what can you do to avoid that? For starters, read this article!

Here will share some expert tips straight from the Top Guitar Classes. Educate yourself about the common mistakes beginner guitarists make and come up the learning curve faster!

1. Not tuning your guitar before practice

Many beginners are unable to tell when their guitar is out of tune. So when they start practicing, half the time they don’t even tune their guitars that can impede your learning process. First of all, anytime you play something new, your brain tries to retain information so that you can do it again. Therefore, when you use a properly tuned guitar, your brain remembers the right pitch and recognize when a note is out of tune.

Another important thing to note is that when you practice on an out-of-tune guitar regularly, then you would always wonder why you don’t sound as good when you hear a well-tuned guitar. This can create self-doubt and make you give up the instrument. So every time you start practicing guitar, make sure it is properly tuned. You can use online tools, download an app, or buy a tuner.

2. Spending more time playing what you can already play

Practicing what you know how to play is a rookie mistake all beginners make. If you sit down and only play the stuff you know, then you are basically staying the same spot and not making any progress. The idea is to move ahead. The songs that you know can work as a great warm-up exercise and prep you up for something new.

Don’t be scared to push yourself outside the comfort zone in order to evolve as a learner. This you can do only by adding more tunes to your existing repository. Having said that, experts also recommend that when you are learning new songs, you should make sure you learn them till the end! You will be surprised to know how many advanced guitarists are unable to play all the way till the end.

3. Skipping barre chords

Barre chords are tricky and something that every beginner avoids because it frustrates them. However, playing these chords effortlessly will help you achieve a new level in your playing ability. So stop trying to get around the barre chords and be prepared to put in the extra effort in learning them. Guitar teachers for beginners recommend that you can set aside few minutes from your practice session every day to practice barre chords. You can start with a few minutes at first and then gradually work your way up. As your fretting hand gets stronger, it will be easier for you to play these chords.

5. Using too many sources to educate yourself

As a beginner, you should consider using one source to learn the instrument and stick with it. Don’t jump between online tutorials and group classes that you recently enrolled. Reading too much about it or consulting too many resources will only confuse your brain. Avoid the classic information overload and stop confusing yourself with too many courses. Sometimes, stuffing yourself with too much can make you lose focus and paralyze you with excessive information. So keep your lessons simple and trust your instructor in helping you learn the art. If things get tough, don’t hop online to find more answers. Just persevere and follow the instructions given by your teacher.

6. Being impatient

The trick to learning guitar lies in being patient. If you trust the process and follow your lessons regularly, then it is only a matter of time when you will be able to progress. At the same time, it is important to understand that there will be a point when you will not be able to speed things up. Just remain patient and don’t expect unrealistic results from your exercise. If you let your impatience frustrate and overwhelm you, then it is possible that your guitar will end up in the closet, gathering dust.

Learning guitar can be a fun and enjoyable process. However, making these mistakes and not practicing enough can make it overwhelming just as easily. So avoid these mistakes and make some serious progress in your lessons!