Learning how to play guitar by ear is not easy when you first start out. But it is the best way to learn guitar for a number of reasons. It is the more natural way to learn guitar as opposed to reading tabs. When you learn how to read tabs and learn how to play songs from reading them you will be developing a mechanical skill. But when you learn how to play songs by ear you will be developing your senses for music.
Reading tabs is like cutting corners. Sure you will be able to learn songs much faster at first. But there will come a time when you realize you cannot translate songs on your guitar just by listening to them. In other words you will not have developed your ears for music. You will have gotten so used to reading tabs that you will not be good at transcribing music which is how great guitar players have learned.
To be a very smooth guitar player that people would like to listen to you need to put a lot of practice into simply playing your guitar. When you start to listen to music and translate it on your guitar you will start to develop a feel for music. This is a more natural way to learn how to play guitar. You start to become more of a musician when you learn to transcribe music.
I am not saying that reading tabs is a bad thing. It is fine to learn how to read them when you are just starting out. After all they do give you that early boost in your learning curve. You can also learn music theory and how it applies to guitar. Learning music theory will give you a better understanding of the fretboard. It will really help you find notes and scales faster.
But actually listening to music and playing along will make you a much better sounding guitar player. The great guitar players are the ones who are a pleasure to listen to. Their music is very smoothly. They don't play like robots. They learn to play with feeling. This takes a lot of practice and dedication. But you need to understand how to practice if you want to sound smooth on guitar.
I recommend you start off with the basics just like with anything else. You can learn the chords using a guitar course online, from a book, or you can take lessons from a teacher in person. Learn how to read tabs so you can look up a few guitar songs. Then practice forming chords. Practice your chord changes as it will be challenging when you first start playing. Your fingers will get sore fast which is why you should not have long practice sessions in the beginning. Instead you should practice for a little while every day so you progress faster. Then after you have mastered the basics it is time to start learning by ear.
Reading tabs is like cutting corners. Sure you will be able to learn songs much faster at first. But there will come a time when you realize you cannot translate songs on your guitar just by listening to them. In other words you will not have developed your ears for music. You will have gotten so used to reading tabs that you will not be good at transcribing music which is how great guitar players have learned.
To be a very smooth guitar player that people would like to listen to you need to put a lot of practice into simply playing your guitar. When you start to listen to music and translate it on your guitar you will start to develop a feel for music. This is a more natural way to learn how to play guitar. You start to become more of a musician when you learn to transcribe music.
I am not saying that reading tabs is a bad thing. It is fine to learn how to read them when you are just starting out. After all they do give you that early boost in your learning curve. You can also learn music theory and how it applies to guitar. Learning music theory will give you a better understanding of the fretboard. It will really help you find notes and scales faster.
But actually listening to music and playing along will make you a much better sounding guitar player. The great guitar players are the ones who are a pleasure to listen to. Their music is very smoothly. They don't play like robots. They learn to play with feeling. This takes a lot of practice and dedication. But you need to understand how to practice if you want to sound smooth on guitar.
I recommend you start off with the basics just like with anything else. You can learn the chords using a guitar course online, from a book, or you can take lessons from a teacher in person. Learn how to read tabs so you can look up a few guitar songs. Then practice forming chords. Practice your chord changes as it will be challenging when you first start playing. Your fingers will get sore fast which is why you should not have long practice sessions in the beginning. Instead you should practice for a little while every day so you progress faster. Then after you have mastered the basics it is time to start learning by ear.
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Before you exit and learn how to play guitar be sure to check out this guitar course called Jamorama. It is loaded with online guitar lessons that teach you the basics as well as how to play by ear.