So you want to be a rock and roll star. You want to shred with the best and perform as a lead guitarist for a legendary rock band. This dream may be way closer to reality than you think. If playing guitar in a rock and roll band is what you truly want, you can absolutely make it happen. It all starts with some quality rock guitar lessons.
The First Step
The first step to achieving your goal as a rock star is to schedule some private rock guitar lessons. It is important to find the teacher who is right for you. Many guitar teachers specialize in classical or jazz guitar, and it is important to have a teacher who will teach you all about rock guitar.
Acoustic Vs. Electric
The question of whether to get an acoustic or electric guitar to start is one I receive often of people seeking rock guitar lessons. The truth is, either option is great. Many people choose to start with acoustic guitars because it is often less expensive and you don’t need to purchase an amp. Also, people choose to start on acoustic because it is actually more difficult to play chords, thus making it easier if and when you switch over to electric. Many of the great rock and roll songs of all time were composed originally on an acoustic guitar.
That being said, playing electric guitar is a whole different animal, and can really open up a player’s musicality in a whole different way. There are an infinite amount of tones to be explored for electric guitar, thanks to effects pedals and different amplifier choices. I personally think it’s a great idea to start on an acoustic guitar, and then once the basics are covered, explore the vast amounts of tones by purchasing an electric guitar.
What To Learn
The first things to learn are the basics of the guitar such as the different parts, string names, tuning, how to hold a pick, etc. After becoming familiar with the instrument, the student can then how to play specific notes on the guitar by holding down the proper strings. Once the student gets the hang of holding down on the string with their left hand and strumming a string with their right hand, the student may start learning how to change notes in time. The student may start by changing the left hand and playing the same string with the right, to changing the right hand playing a different string while holding the same note with the left hand. Once both of these movements become comfortable, then we can switch both at the same time.
Scales
When the student becomes comfortable playing these notes one after the other, then the next step in the rock guitar lessons would be to arrange these notes in a logical progression called a scale. There are certain hand patterns that can pertain to any major scale in its root position on the guitar. These should be worked on with a metronome to keep time.
Chords
Chords can be worked on at the same time as scales. A chord is a group of notes played at the same time. On a guitar, this requires strumming all or some of the strings in either an upward or downward motion. Strumming itself can be worked on by playing one chord up and down with a metronome. Then, the student may work on changing the chord with their left hand while maintaining the up and down movement with their right hand in time with the metronome.
Learning Songs
This is a very important aspect of learning rock guitar and can be a great tool in rock guitar lessons. The student comes into a lesson wanting to be able to play a particular song and the teacher goes through the song with the student, showing the student how to figure out and play the song. If this is done often enough, the student will eventually figure out how to play songs they enjoy on their own, and may come into the lesson only with specific questions. Eventually, the student will learn enough about composed songs to be able to write songs on their own. This is how the transformation into becoming a rock star takes place, and it all starts with some rock guitar lessons.
