The guitar is an instrument many have tried, but have given up at learning. There are a lot of aspects that newer players tend to overlook such as the huge learning curve. Whether you’re an average guitar player or just starting off, here is how to tell if guitar if meant for you.

The guitar consists of 6 strings ranging from note E to note e and 24 frets (notches on the guitar). Learning the string names and each fret usually puts off people from playing the guitar as it seems too complex and too much of a burden to know. Other issues that beginning guitarists face is learning to play chords and how to strum. Chords are especially challenging as chords such as F, G, or C requires the player to stretch and place their fingers into uncomfortable positions. Strumming is also a key factor in playing guitar as it is what allows you to play the chords and songs; however, many don’t know how to strum patterns or to a beat. This hurdle discourages many players as they have to learn to chord change all while strumming at the same time; which is quite difficult. These are the basics of playing guitar; however, there are still a plethora of other things in order to play guitar you’ll have to learn.

There’s more to the guitar than besides learning how to strum, changing chords, or learning the chords themselves. A more experienced guitar player would want to learn how to play individual riffs from songs or a melodic solo. In order to play riffs or solos, there are a lot of techniques you have to learn to even begin. To begin one has to learn how to read tablature or tabs.

Tabs are sheet music used by guitarist and bassist to learn music and songs they may want to learn. Tabs are simple to learn as they consist of 6 lines (for the 6 strings) and in each line is a number which pertains to a fret on that string. Once you are able to learn how to read tabs then you can practically learn how to play any song as long there are tabs for it.  Tabs, can be used to learn how to play a riff for example.

A simple riff is usually a 4 chord rise (sometimes more) pertaining to a certain chord progression. These riffs sometimes use a chord called a power chord in order to play their riffs and their chorus. Power chords in a tab, for example, would be third fret E string, fifth fret A string, and fifth fret D string. Power chords are used to make a stronger and more intense noise within the song and pump up the crowd; an example would be Scorpion’s “Rock You Like a Hurricane” intro.

Learning solos is difficult because they require extreme knowledge of the fretboard and what note to use and where to use it. However, some easy ways to play a solo are if you learn the pentatonic scale. The pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave hence the prefix “penta-” in the name. The pentatonic scale is an easy way to start learning to solo as notes within the scale harmonize well together and allow you to play neat licks when compiled together; some notable songs that use a pentatonic scale in their solo would be Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and AC/DC’s “Back in Black.” This just the tip of the iceberg when learning to play the guitar and also accurately portrays the huge learning curve when learning to play the guitar.

The guitar is a fascinating instrument that many try to pick up and rarely ever commit to. The huge learning curve and hardships detour anyone from fully committing to playing and as a result, lead to them dropping it in general. If you want to play heavy riffs or shred on a solo and  have the time, patience, and commitment to learn, then the guitar is the perfect instrument for you.