So you want to learn guitar? Great idea. Making music is good exercise for your brain and your soul. The guitar is one of the most popular instruments, so you will be able to find one cheap (or free), and there is a ton of free content online for you to learn at your own pace.
The problem: there’s too much information, not enough structure. Where do you start, what do you focus on, what do you really need to know? The “Big Ideas Approach” is aimed at solving that problem by providing a curated framework for self-learning in a world that has more than enough free information available for a self-learner, but no real structure.
There are 8 Big Ideas in this series, each presented on its own page. Think of them as a room in an Art Gallery or Museum – each “room” holds things closely related, and each of the rooms relate with the others. You should explore each Big Idea in the order presented for at least as long as it takes to be comfortable with its core concepts. As you explore other Big Ideas you may come upon ideas that further illuminate something you’ve encountered previously.
Each Big Idea is broken into a video and 3 sub-sections:
- Things You Need (Prerequisites): the core skills you need in order to succeed with the Idea. We have tried to keep music theory to an absolute minimum – most theory will be found in the “Deeper” section, which is offered for you to explore as you desire. You do NOT need to learn music theory at all, but at some point a lack of solid understanding can hold you back as a musician.
- Core Topics: the central concepts for each Big Idea. These are the things you need to understand, and the skills you need to develop before progressing to the next Big Idea. We also include ways to search for other content on these concepts – this is the power of the Big Ideas Approach: once you understand a core concept you will be able to find the content out there that works best for you.
- Deeper: music is infinitely complex. If you want to, you can go “swimming” into any of the Big Ideas and never find the bottom or the other side. The “Deeper” section will provide links that are suggestions for this type of exploration. Explore in this section when it interests you, skip it if it doesn’t – you might find yourself coming back years and years later.
Common Questions About Learning Guitar:
- What gear do I need? Pay attention to this very carefully: you do not need anything more than a cheap acoustic or electric guitar to start playing. You do NOT need to buy an expensive guitar, you do NOT need an amplifier and 3 different kinds of pedals. As you progress you will naturally start learning about different types of gear. Wait until you are able to play some songs and become attracted to one or more styles of music before spending any more on gear.
- Do I need an Instructor ? No and yes. You do not need an instructor to start learning the basics using the curated content we provide. Most of the content is developed by professional instructors, and available free of charge online. In person music lessons can be extremely valuable. At some point you should seek out a local instructor that can give you information based on your particular level and desire to improve.
- Do I need to learn theory? The amount of theory in this curated approach is absolutely minimal. You cannot avoid having to learn some theory, but we’ve kept it very low with references to theory in the “Deeper” sections for you to dive into if and when you have the urge.
- How much and how hard do I need to practise? There will be times when your fingers don’t want to do what they are supposed to. There will be times when the concepts you need to learn aren’t forming in your mind. Unfortunately, learning anything will require some “work” at times. You will need to do some repetitious exercises, especially at the very start as your fingers learn new motions. Like everything else in life, you will get out of the guitar what you put into it. Have realistic expectations and you will progress as quickly or slowly as the focus you put in. And there will always be somebody “better” than you. Enjoy playing music for what it is, and it is NOT a competition.
Have fun! If you find yourself in the middle of an exercise and you aren’t having fun, put the guitar down and try again later.