How to Play Songs on an Acoustic Guitar Step-by-Step
The acoustic guitar, along with electric guitar and piano, is one of the most popular instruments for beginning musicians to pick up when they want to begin learning music. While learning to play an acoustic guitar well can take years of practice, a beginner can learn to play simple songs with a little knowledge and patience. Learning to play songs on the acoustic guitar can lead to a lifetime of pleasure if you choose to do it as a hobby, or even a career in music if you want to pursue it to that extent.
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Instructions
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Learn a new chord or two a week. Although you can begin playing songs with a few basic chords, the more chords you know, the wider you can expand the song list you play. You can purchase a chord dictionary at a music store or find one online at no charge. Since there are so many guitar chord options, a chord dictionary can come in handy for looking chords up when you encounter one you need to learn to play a new song.
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Select a piece of sheet music you want to play. Choose a song you're familiar with. Note the chords in the song so you can learn how to form those chords. Stay with a song that uses basic chords such as G, C, A, A7, D, F, A minor or E minor. Try to stay with a song that uses three chords or less. This can help keep you from getting overwhelmed. Also, look for songs that sound good strummed on an acoustic guitar. Many country songs, or songs by groups like the Eagles, Bob Seger, John Mellencamp, and Matchbox Twenty, sound good when strummed. While the songs you choose to play don't need to be songs originally performed on acoustic, you want to select songs in the beginning that rely heavily on strumming.
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Practice the chords you will need for the song you choose to play. Once you can perform the chords without difficulty, strum them as you review through the song. Change the chords as indicated on the sheet music. When you can change the chords on time in the song, try playing the song at the proper tempo while you sing along. It may take you several attempts before you can sing and change the chords smoothly, but practice will help you improve.
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Experiment with your strumming hand. In the beginning, you may just strum each chord one time as you play it, but the better you get at making chords and switching between them, the more inclined you will be to experiment with changing rhythms. Try alternating up and down strums or playing the notes of the chords one after the other instead of at the same time. These playing techniques can help your playing sound more sophisticated.
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Tips & Warnings
The more songs you attempt to play when you learn new chords, the faster your playing will improve.
You can find free sheet music online.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Playing acoustic guitar details image by Nicky Jacobs from Fotolia.com
