"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." Victor Hugo.
According to a Canadian study, at the age of 5, we will have 80% creative potential, and it will drop to just 2% by the age of 12. However, if you already left your childhood behind many, many years ago, it doesn't matter!
Learning to play the guitar will bring you many benefits regardless of age, and it will also get that creativity back! Playing any musical instrument can allow you to boost your creativity, help you improve your coordination, and even promote new neural connections! Fiction?! no! just science!
Dare to know everything that involves playing the guitar, such as holding a pick, playing an easy and cool riff, learning to read tablature, and even improvising and channeling your feelings and emotions differently through your music.
Do you want to know how to improve your creativity by learning to play the guitar? Let's discover it! In this article, you will learn many interesting facts and all the benefits of playing the guitar!
What are the benefits for the brain when playing a musical instrument?
If you feel that lately, you have lost motivation, you feel stressed by the hectic life that we all tend to lead, and you are looking to do something new to get out of the chaotic routine, maybe learning to play guitar is not a bad idea. There are many benefits to learning to play an instrument no matter how old you are! Let's check some of them!
- Cultivate your creativity: Creativity helps us do something as important as adapting to change and being resilient. It is essential to know how to find different solutions to solve our daily conflicts, and we can achieve all this thanks to creativity. When you promote your creativity, new alternatives will open up for you, and you will realize that it is an expression of freedom. What better way to encourage your imagination and boost your creativity than with guitar lessons?
- Psychomotor development and maintenance: Psychomotor development is how motor, sensory, intellectual, and affective functions are acquired. Learning to play an instrument contributes to the maintenance of psychomotor development in adults because it requires a lot of synchronization and coordination.
- Worried about your bad memory?: Memory is the capacity that makes it easy to record and preserve any experiences, ideas, images, etc. Learning to play an instrument requires constantly exercising your memory, reviewing the musical notes repeatedly in your head, and playing them correctly. Also, if you forget any of them, the guitar teaches you to improvise!
- Enhancing neuroplasticity: It is also defined as brain plasticity and refers to the ability of the nervous system to modify its structure and function as a result of adaptation. Neuroplasticity will facilitate the creation of new synaptic connections, and for these connections to happen, we depend on learning new things! So anything you do repeatedly is going to promote better brain plasticity. For example, if you spend many hours a day practicing guitar!
And you may say, well, this sounds cool; however, why is this brain plasticity this important? Enhance brain plasticity is crucial to maintaining good intellectual capacity and a better state of your mental faculties! Let's practice guitar!
- Reduces the effects of mental and cognitive deterioration: Among the most critical benefits adults acquire when learning to play an instrument is to reduce the impact of mental and cognitive decline, such as memory loss, perception loss, and a low resolution of problems. In addition, when playing a musical instrument, we will help reduce the risk of suffering from cognitive disorders, such as amnesia and dementia, generally associated with aging.
As you can see, playing guitar has many health benefits. However, did you know that a person who plays the guitar is generally considered someone more attractive? It is no coincidence that playing a musical instrument increases self-confidence! Were you looking for a sign to start? Here you have it! Your welcome!
Find out about effective online guitar lessons here.
How to start playing guitar?
Now maybe you are a little more convinced to start practicing guitar. But, maybe you are wondering how long it takes to really learn it?
Generally, mastering the basic chords and being fluent will take you between three and six months. However, this will depend entirely on your practice and how skilled you are. Playing the pentatonic scale, making slurs, and starting to improvise, for example, could take another six more months. But remember that everything that takes time is worth it!
Here you will find some tips on how to start playing guitar:
- Start with the very basics! Learn the basic chords: You can play any song you want when you learn to play the seven universal basic chords! Once you know how to place these chords, you will not have any problem with sharp or flattened chords, enjoy it and take it easy!
- What about rhythm and strumming? These here may take a little longer, but remember that it is all a matter of practice. Start with the simplest, simplify the strum downwards to achieve the chord change better. Here you have some ideas of easy strumming songs: The Beatles: "Let It Be; Oasis: "Half the World Away."; Green Day: "Time Of Your Life."; The Jam: "That's Entertainment."; Eagles: "Tequila Sunrise."
- What about the tablatures? A tablature represents the guitar's strings made up of six horizontal lines. The bottom line represents the lowest and thickest string, and the top line represents the highest and thinnest string. The low strings represent E, A, D, G, B, and finally, high E in tuning.
- Practice regularly: the key to success! 15 minutes a day is much better than an hour once a month. Well, this depends on what goals you have in mind! However, within your objectives, we recommend, for example, learning to play a solo little by little, move more fluently along the fretboard, write a riff, etc.
- Be patient: the second key to success! Don't try to play as fast as possible from the start, but rather take it easy. As you probably already know, patience is a great virtue.
- Get out of your comfort zone: Remember that technical exercises stop being effective once they become too easy for you. In this case, you will need to find new and more challenging activities to make sure you keep progressing.
- Other ways of learning: Technology gives you many virtual tools that are always available to practice from home or anywhere. You can check out different tutorials on YouTube, for example, or take guitar lessons with the right tutor to boost your creativity. Remember that if at some point it becomes boring, it is because perhaps you have to change your learning technique but do not stop playing guitar!
As a beginner, what kind of guitar is best to buy?
As you can imagine, there are many types of guitar, such as classical, electric, acoustic, electroacoustic, among many others. However, as a beginner, you don't know which one to buy?
Perhaps the steel-string acoustic guitar is the best way for beginners to start this art. The acoustic guitar is ideal because it is versatile and easy to handle. This type of guitar is used mainly in pop, rock, blues, and folk music. A wide variety of options, right? Go for it, tiger!
However, remember that this is only a recommendation. If you feel more comfortable, you can also start with the classical guitar, whose nylon strings are accessible, especially for the little ones. The classical guitar can work very well, for example, for styles like Bossa Nova, Jazz, and Flamenco.
When you start playing the guitar, the main thing is practicing and not giving up shortly after starting. For this reason, it is essential to have an instrument that does not make the process difficult for us. We also recommend you choose the guitar depending on the most exciting music style for you.
Guitar vocabulary you must know!
Do you want to start familiarizing yourself with all the basic vocabulary of the guitar? Let's make a game to begin expanding your technical vocabulary! Search in the alphabet soup for classic guitar concepts. If you are a beginner, you can guide yourself with the definitions that you will find below. Good luck, future guitarist!
- It is assigned pitches to the open strings of guitars, including acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and classical guitars.
- They refer to a set of notes played on a guitar. They are often played simultaneously, but they can also be played sequentially in an arpeggio.
- This refers to a broken chord, where the chord notes are played in succession instead of simultaneously.
- Are diagrams used to show patterns of notes on the fretboard. They use dots to show where to place your fingers. They differ from chord diagrams because you do not play all of the notes simultaneously.
- It is a method of notating music that empowers beginner guitarists to learn songs quickly and easily. Guitar tabs share similarities with music staff notation by showing you what notes to play, how long to play them, and what techniques to use.
- It is a way of playing a stringed instrument such as a guitar and ukulele. It is a sweeping action where a finger or plectrum brushes over several strings to generate sound.
- Refers to the vibrating element that produces sound in an instrument such as the guitar, harp, and piano. They are lengths of a flexible material that a musical instrument holds under tension so that it can vibrate.
- It is a popular five-note scale that you'll need to know for riffs, solos, and melodies, especially for rock and blues.
- It is a device a musician uses on the neck of a stringed instrument to transpose and shorten the playable length of the strings—hence raising the pitch.
- It is a short, repeated, memorable musical phrase, often pitched low on the guitar, which focuses much of the energy and excitement of a rock song.
- It aims to help you quickly improve your playing and develop more effective ways of practicing and learning.
| G | U | I | T | A | R | T | U | N | I | N | G |
| A | Z | F | R | R | ? | A | A | U | P | S | M |
| S | S | O | P | P | A | B | S | E | M | T | C |
| T | D | ? | K | E | E | L | R | G | K | R | R |
| R | F | G | Y | G | I | A | D | T | G | U | E |
| I | A | Y | H | G | O | T | Z | G | I | M | A |
| N | R | T | G | I | O | U | S | E | A | M | T |
| G | C | A | P | O | U | R | I | F | F | I | I |
| S | H | S | S | E | A | E | T | T | Y | N | V |
| C | O | X | F | G | A | X | C | I | K | G | I |
| F | R | E | T | B | O | A | R | D | P | N | T |
| G | D | K | W | X | Z | E | V | R | Z | Y | Y |
| P | E | N | T | A | T | O | N | I | C | M | P |
Get to know more about the guitar here!
Boost your creativity when playing guitar!
There are several ways to boost your creativity while playing guitar, even if you are a beginner:
- Work out when you feel creative: not everyone is creative at the same time. Ask yourself, when are you creative? When do you feel like having energy? Maybe after exercising? Before going to bed? In the middle of the night? After breakfast? Take note of what time of day you are most creative, write down your ideas (even if it's the middle of the night), or just pick up your guitar and start playing when that creative energy hits you.
- Exercise your creativity: As you may recall, we were all creative when kids. This is one of the possible reasons why it is recommended to learn to play an instrument or speak a foreign language at an early age. However, as the years go by, we begin to spend our time and energy on our daily tasks, leaving a little space to practice our creativity. So, if you are a person who does not consider yourself so creative, the only way to develop your creativity is through daily practice.
- Be curious: Try to learn as much as you can about the guitar and music in general. Being curious and wanting to feed your creativity can be done through various art forms. For example, look for your favorite songs online! Something that you can take full advantage of today is a large number of tools on the web that can jump-start your curiosity. Your inspiration can come from anywhere (literally)! And, we swear that you can find everything you are looking for on the internet!
- Use a Looper pedal: A looper pedal can really kickstart your creativity. You can create, improvise, and play your guitar as if you had a whole band with you.
- Try to hang out with people who practice guitar: By getting together with people who enjoy the art of the guitar, they can teach you songs easy to play, give you the advice to progress little by little, and give you techniques to improve your creativity! This will also be a great way to train your ear and an excellent way to open your circle of friends!
Reasons why you may not be creative on the guitar yet!
We mistakenly think that we need to play an advanced level of guitar before we can begin to express our creativity, start improvising and even think about composing our own music. Although it is true that as beginners, this creative process is a bit difficult, most of the reasons why creativity is not flourishing are very varied:
- You think inspiration is going to magically come to you. The ugly truth is that creativity and inspiration to be a superstar don't come easily. If you keep waiting to be creative from one day to the next, we are afraid to disappoint you, but it will not be this way, sadly. It is important to create a source of creative ideas and write down everything that comes to mind!
- Maybe you still don't understand the language of music. If you are a beginner in playing the guitar, it is normal that you feel a little limited at first, but be patient with yourself because it is a process that takes time. You may have many ideas in your mind, but if you do not know how to express them through the guitar, your creativity may be a bit stagnant. Enjoy the road! You will see that in a few months that creativity will begin to flow like water!
- You often ignore little ideas that come to mind daily simply because you think they are not too good. Stop boycotting yourself! The only one who sets limits is your mind! You never know what idea could make history as small as it is. Here we are not exaggerating; we are only teaching you that the world is full of possibilities and that perhaps the only one who does not see them is you! This point is applicable for the guitar and life!
- You are easily distracted. It is true that sometimes, among all the pending tasks that we have to do, we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed and we do not enjoy our hobbies as we expect. But, give yourself a break, and when your mind is closer to that state of ease, go back to playing guitar! Avoid any distractions, please! Defining a space to play the guitar calmly and a special schedule for you to learn this art to the fullest will be very important to keep yourself on track.
- You want to be overly productive all the time. There is nothing more negative than working too hard, without resting, without taking time for yourself. Spending all the time doing productive activities takes the spontaneity out of life! And where is creativity going if your mind is always busy? Nowhere, my friend! Give yourself proper rest, and as soon as you feel that your brain is clear, return to explore all those areas of yourself that will contribute to becoming a guitar expert.
Developing creativity takes time. Be patient with yourself and enjoy the path of learning. Get to know more reasons for learning the guitar! We assure you that you will find plenty of varied exercises and advice to improve your guitar practice, such as websites and thousands of blogs.
However, maybe the best way for you to learn is through private tutoring. Let it flow! You can always improve your techniques through the right tutor for you without stifling your creativity.
So, are you ready to learn to play guitar as an expert?
If you're finding that your technical ability is holding you back, you can always seek the help of a private guitar tutor in Canada! No matter what style of music you're interested in, consider checking out the tutors on Superprof and seeing who's the best fit for you! You can look for face-to-face tutorings or online classes with guitar tutors from all over the world!
Learn guitar in the best way in Canada!
Have you thought that perhaps taking private guitar lessons could be a great option for you to progress in your own way? If you are a beginner with the guitar, if you already have some time practicing it, or if you are already advanced and want to know other types of techniques, you can be sure that with Superprof, you will find the best guitar tutor in Canada! For example, find some courses in Toronto here!
Superprof is an online learning platform where you can find private lessons in guitar, painting, mathematics, history, and everything that crosses your mind. Regardless of your postal code, with Superprof you will find the perfect private tutor closest to you throughout the Canadian territory. Go here to learn more!
By taking guitar lessons with Superprof, we ensure you will find the right tutor who will improve your techniques and creativity! Discover your inner musician with Superprof ASAP!
Are you interested in joining a band as a lead or rhythm guitarist? Click on here!
Now, since we are super cool in Superprof, we won't let you feel frustrated with the Alphabet Soup activity! Here you will find all the answers! Hopefully, you are now full of knowledge!
- Guitar tunings
- Chord
- Arpeggio
- Fretboard Diagram
- Tablature
- Strumming
- Strings
- Pentatonic Scale
- Capo
- Riff
- Creativity
Hasta la vista, future super rock star!
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