Although electric guitars have had a dip in popularity in recent years, the acoustic guitar remains on top. The versatile instrument seems to be used in almost every genre of music nowadays. From hip hop to rock, acoustic guitars never seem to be too far from the action.
So what is it that so many musicians love about the guitar? Why are kids throughout the world begging their parents for a new guitar and lessons? Why is it that guitar players get all the attention from others? And how is this string instrument that is approximately 4,000 years old still as popular as it ever has been?
It would be hard to find someone in this day and age that would not like to be able to play the guitar. You might be surprised, there is much more to the guitar than just creating a melody. There are a lot of mental and physical benefits to being able to play and learn the guitar.
You can Buy a Cheap Guitar!
Unlike other instruments such as the piano, you can easily pick up a guitar for as little as $150. Of course, there is a wide range of guitars available on the market, and some can cost a fortune, however, you will be able to purchase one that fits your budget.
The same goes for strings and other guitar accessories such as tuners, plectrums, and capos. There are plenty of cheaper guitar models available that are easily affordable. You may have to compromise for poorer quality strings when paying less. These strings sometimes don’t sound as good as a decent set, and they tend to break easily.
If you are new to buying a guitar, try not to go too cheap. These guitars are often very difficult to play because the strings tend to be far from the fret. One of the most difficult problems you’ll face at the beginning of your guitar classes is trying to push your fingers on the strings to make a chord. Chords for the guitar will be difficult to play If the strings are too far off the fret. If this happens, you might think the guitar is almost impossible to play and give up. When deciding what guitar is best for you, asking a music teacher for help might prove beneficial.
The Pandemic is a Great Opportunity to Learn
Why not turn a positive into a negative and learn a new skill like playing the guitar while you’re stuck inside for most of the day? With all the doom and gloom surrounding the world in these very strange times, why not use this opportunity to learn how to play a few songs on the guitar?
All rockstars started playing their guitars in the bedrooms. Okay, don’t think when the pandemic is over you will be headlining the Coachella music festival, but you might be able to impress a few friends when the world manages to get a grip on the virus.
The internet has an abundance of music shops online, selling everything you need to start playing.
It’s a Cool Instrument to Play
If you are looking for a way for people to notice you, playing the guitar well will certainly help. Let’s be honest, someone showing up to a party with a triangle or a flute (unless they are incredibly good) won’t blow the roof off the place. Guitars on the other hand can make people feel there is some type of mysticism surrounding the instrument. Whether the person who is playing the guitar is cool or not, the guitar will help create a persona.
Some of the best guitarists ever to have lived found it difficult growing up in school. Many of them used the guitar to help them express themselves. Queen’s lead guitarist, Brian May, openly speaks about growing up with no friends, being bullied in school, and how he helped write some of the band’s most famous songs describing his school days. Hit songs like “We Will Rock You†and “Fat-Bottomed Girls†were all down to May’s troubled lonely youth. He went from being a nobody to the lead guitarist in one of the most famous bands the world has ever seen. His solo in the song Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the most well-known solos of all time.
Lots of Learning Options
One of the main reasons why young people are still learning the guitar, even during the pandemic, is because you have a lot more learning choices.
In the past you there were not as many options as there are available today. Some were educated by a sibling or friend, and others hired a teacher. Unfortunately, not everybody had the luxury of paying a professional or had a friend or family member to help. Well, all that has changed now thanks to the world wide web. Here are a few modern ways you can learn how to play the instrument:
- YouTube tutorials: Online streaming sites like YouTube are packed with content helping you to learn the guitar.
- Find Chords and Tabs online: If you were born with an ear for music, you are one of the lucky ones. If you are like the rest of us, you would have had to buy guitar books that included tabs and chords to help you play your favorite songs. Now, if you want to find adele chords you can download them with the click of a button. If you wanted to find chords in the past of bands that were not in the charts, it was almost impossible to find in stores. The internet seems to have chords for every song you can imagine. From old school rap to techno!
- Private lessons online: There are plenty of teachers offering tutorials online, especially now during the pandemic as private lessons are seldom to help reduce the spread of the virus.
One of the best things about learning the guitar online is that you can do it in your time. Unlike face to face lessons, you can pick up or put down the guitar whenever you like. Some people learn faster than others, and if you go to group lessons this can be very frustrating. Just because people pick up the instrument faster than you, doesn’t mean that you won’t be better than them in the long run.
Guitars are Convenient
One of the problems with the eclectic guitar is that you require an amplifier to play it. Bringing an amplifier, cables, an electric guitar, and having to find an electricity output to plug it into can be very difficult. Although you can play the electric without an amplifier, you will only barely be able to hear it.
Although most acoustic guitars have built-in electrics to allow you to connect to an amp, it is not needed. All you need is a guitar bag which is readily available to bring wherever you go.
Summary
During the pandemic, life can be hard. Many of us are struggling with mental health issues such as stress, anxiety and depression. Playing the guitar is a great way to free your mind and help you forget about what is going on in the world for a while. Playing the guitar, or any musical instrument can help relieve stress and anxiety.
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