How To Get Back Into Playing Guitar
Whether you’re learning simply to play your favourite songs or because you want to pursue a career in music, playing guitar is one of the most useful skills anyone can have. It can also be one of the most frustrating, with many people giving up at the first hurdle when they do not see immediate results. But if you’ve decided to come back to the skill after years of not playing, or simply haven’t had the motivation to play for a specific period, getting to grips with the basics can seem a little daunting. Fortunately, that is where this article will come in handy.
If you’re ready to begin easing yourself back into the swing of things, let’s jump right in!
Reasons Why You Should Pick It Up
First and foremost, playing the guitar is a valuable life skill. Not everyone has the attention span to learn the guitar, so you should take any opportunity to pick up the instrument and brush up on your skills.
Playing the guitar can be a great way to alleviate stress or simply forget about the world for a few hours. It helps you to focus your attention on something meaningful.
If that wasn’t enough, playing the guitar also works to actively improve your memory, coordination, and your musical ear.
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How To Get Back Into Playing Guitar
There are a couple of simple steps you can take to get yourself back into the mindset of wanting to learn and play the guitar. Below, we have outlined some of these so that you can get straight back into playing.
Have the Correct Equipment
You can’t play the guitar without the proper equipment! Here, the star of the show is obviously the guitar itself. However, you must also have some important accessories available including the following:
- Cleaning equipment
- Guitar picks
- Tuner
- Guitar amp
- A gig bag
- Backup strings
- Guitar strap
You might also want to consider purchasing some guitar pedals. These are vital if you want to enhance the sounds and effects that you make using a guitar.
Properly Set Up Your Guitar
If you’ve taken an extended break from playing the guitar, you will likely need to make some adjustments to your guitar to get it back in good performing condition.
You can start by changing the strings and then wiping the guitar down so it is clean and fresh. You should also check the intonation and action (distance between the strings and frets of a guitar).
If you do not feel comfortable doing these checks, you can take your instrument to a local music store where they will do all the checks on your behalf.
Work On Basic Finger Exercises
Practising basic finger exercises is another great way to get back into playing guitar. This involves holding each of your fingers in different positions on the fretboard and playing a note or a sequence of notes to create a simple melody.
If you are successful at executing any basic finger exercises, you should feel some sort of stretch in your hand. If you do not feel this, there is no need to panic. The familiarity with playing notes and chords will come back to you as you keep practising.
Find A Song You Can Play
Realistically, if you’re only now getting back into playing the guitar, you may find that you can no longer play the music that you used to. And this is completely okay!
Rather than stressing yourself out about playing, you should do a search online to find a practice resource that matches your current skills rather than the playing skills you previously held or want to achieve in the future.
Essentially, we’re saying that your best bet is to make short, realistic goals to ensure that you remain motivated to continue playing.
Practice, Practice, Practice!
Finally, the only way you are ever going to get back into playing guitar is to practice your skills. This applies to just about anything in life but is especially important when it comes to musical instruments.
Summary
As you now know, getting back into playing the guitar doesn’t need to be an overly complicated process. Sure, it will take plenty of time, effort, and practice to restore the skills that you once had. However, this does not mean you will not get to that point again! Make sure to have patience with yourself and set realistic goals to stay on track.
