How to Teach Yourself to Play Spanish Guitar
Teaching yourself to play Spanish guitar can seem like a nearly impossible task for a new musician. However, while learning to play the guitar is challenging for everyone, it does not have to be an overwhelming task. While many beginning players seek private or group lessons, it is possible to teach yourself everything that a teacher would show you. As with all musical instruments, practice, dedication and patience are the most important things you need when setting out to learn the Spanish guitar.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Spanish guitar
- Guitar scale book
- Guitar chord book
- Easy Spanish-style sheet music
- Finger-picking technique book
Instructions
-
-
1
Learn to play the most basic and important guitar scales for Spanish guitar. The most commonly played scales are the major scale, minor scale, pentatonic scale, minor pentatonic scale and the blues scale. Many beginning guitarists find it beneficial to get a book of scales that will show the various hand positions and fingerings, though these resources are widely available online for free.
-
2
Learn to play basic chords. While you may not end up playing as many chords when playing Spanish-style guitar as some other styles, learning them is necessary to understand the chord changes and theory involved behind the music. Learn the major and minor chords first, and then move on to more advanced chords like major seventh, augmented and suspended chords. Purchasing a chord book is a good idea, and most guitarists, even advanced players, have one for reference.
-
-
3
Begin to read guitar tablature or sheet music. While guitar tablature is much easier to read than sheet music, sheet music is much more expressive. Purchase some beginning tablature or sheet music in the Spanish guitar style so that you can learn to read while you practice basic, simple songs.
-
4
Learn proper finger-picking technique. While this is a very difficult skill to master, it is nearly impossible to break bad habits if you learn incorrectly. A book on Spanish-style picking is highly recommended, especially if you are going to be learning without a teacher. Try to find a book that has simple finger exercises in it that will help you develop finger independence.
-
5
Practice for at least one hour every day. While it has become an old cliche, practice is especially important for beginning guitarists, as muscle memory and rote memorization are an important part of learning to play Spanish-style guitar.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Be patient when you first start playing. Playing the guitar, especially Spanish-style guitar, is very difficult, and it cannot be achieved overnight. Just keep practicing, and before you know it, you will have improved greatly and you will be playing more difficult songs with ease.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit guitar image by Mikhail Olykainen from Fotolia.com
