FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If you have any questions that are not answered here, send me an email at support@makingguitarsimple.com and
I will help you.
Am I too old to learn?
No! Definitely not! People of all ages who want to play guitar can greatly benefit from these books and lessons.
When is the best time to start learning guitar?
NOW! In a year's time you may wish you had started today.
I’m new to guitar - Is this a disadvantage?
No. It’s actually an advantage. Many people learn wrongly and then find it difficult to adjust to learning the right way. One of my many teaching philosophies is “Start at Perfect … and Work Up!” Because of this your learning journey will be easier than many people who are playing some guitar already.
Should I learn acoustic or electric guitar?
If you learn on a slim neck acoustic guitar, the fingering skills will be the same as an electric guitar. This enables you to learn both instruments from the start.
What is the best guitar to learn on?
A slim neck, acoustic or electric guitar. The slim neck makes it much easier to change chords quickly, especially for women, or if you have smaller hands. And either electric or acoustic. Both are perfect, assuming you want to play songs by all major artists.
What size of guitar should I learn on?
A full size acoustic guitar. And for under 12’s a ¾ size or travel size. For many women and people with smaller body frames, a smaller full size acoustic guitar.
What type of strings should I use?
Definitely steel strings. They may hurt your fingertips at first. But then they give you a much better sound when you play.
Will a nylon string guitar be ok?
No!!! Unless you want to learn classical guitar. Your fingertips will not produce clear sound on other types of guitar. And the wide neck makes learning chords difficult, especially if you have small hands.
How often do I need to practice?
Little and often!!! For the first few weeks, 15 minutes 3 times a day would be much better than 45 minutes once a day.
What are my biggest obstacles to success?
1. Learning to change chords fast. 2. Producing a clear sound. If you’ve tried other lessons without success, that’s probably why you’re here. These books, lessons and videos help you with both of these issues more than any other program.
Do I need any other equipment to get started?
Yes! A clip on guitar tuner, a capo and guitar picks. They’re not expensive but will definately make learning guitar easier.
What if I have small hands?
Because you have to get your hand around the guitar neck before you play each chord, you will definitely need a slim neck acoustic or electric guitar.
What if my fingers are short?
Again you will need a slim neck guitar. You will learn to stretch your fingers and improve your hand position. The added stretch, combined with good hand positioning makes it much easier to play guitar chords.
Will I learn to read music / theory?
Many of the greats did not know how to read or write music. So why should you. But you will need to read guitar tabs which takes only 5 minutes to learn.
I can’t make noise. Is there a solution?
Yes. If you buy an electric guitar and a mini-amp with a headphone input (Eg; Roland Microcube). The electric needs amplified to sound. And with your headphones on, you can play as loud as you want. Nobody else will hear it, except you.