Q&A for How to Play Guitar

The A minor or A major, which are literally one finger difference, and then E minor or E major, are always the best chords to start with. Then eventually, from there, you can add a D major or D minor, depending on the scale.

It's really important to start correctly. Don't just know a chord, but learn what the chord is, lwhat that chord can do, and where you go from that chord. That's the best way to start. Once you understand what the possibilities are, from each chord, from each note, from each sound, and how they blend and move together, it will be a lot easier.

It's never too late to start playing. Go for it!

A chord consists of more than one note (of varying pitches) sounding (or intended to sound) at the same time. For help playing them, try to watch a video instead of reading about them.

Actually both. If you're practicing, you're going to want to sit down. Once you're comfortable sitting and practicing, then you stand and start practicing.

Just keep practicing. You'll eventually grow into the guitar and you'll be able to stretch further and further each time you try. Once you get used to it, it'll stop hurting!

There is no such thing as an easy way. All instruments require practice and effort and the guitar is no different. Try to motivate yourself instead, thinking of why you want to play guitar and visualizing yourself playing it around the campfire with others singing or in a band, etc.

Keep practicing holding different string with different fingers to get your hand and fingers more used to different positions. The more you do it, the more control you will have, and will be able to effectively mute, or keep from muting, any strings.

You do not need long fingernails to play guitar. In fact, it's best to keep your fingernails short! As for the callouses, these may be unavoidable. If you would like to avoid them as much as possible, ask your guitar instructor about lowering the action of your guitar (the action is the distance between your strings and your frets) so that the frets are easier to press down on.

The first fret of the guitar is the fret that is closest to the tuners.

It's not harder for them to learn, but their fingers may be sore for the first month or so because they're not as strong as an adult's.

There's a wealth of guitar lessons online these days, but the most useful recent change is the explosion of online videos. If you're having trouble following written instructions, search for beginner lessons on video websites instead.

There's no one right answer, but a beginner should look for a guitar with reliable tuning and (if electric) simple controls. Visit a guitar shop or a guitar teacher's collection and ask to try out a few.

The guitar is a very versatile instrument, one that can be used to play a variety of music genres. For example, the Les Paul, which is used by many rock guitarists, including the iconic Slash of Guns 'n' Roses, was originally designed to be used for jazz music. Having basic knowledge of the guitar can allow you to master one genre, whether it be classical or heavy metal. How many instruments can go from playing Pachelbel's "Canon in D" to Metallica's "Master of Puppets" to Lukas Graham's 7 Years" all in a matter of minutes? The guitar's versatility caters to every taste in music.

There are many techniques for strumming without a pick, but the most common makes heavy use of your nails. Keep your nails long and strong.

There's no way around it: lots of practice. Keep in mind that you should play whichever style is easiest for you.

It won't sound the same, but it might sound similar enough to practice on, it depends on the quality of the toy guitar.

Fender Squiers and Gibson Epiphones are cheap, and are great for starting out on!

Sure! There is no age limit for learning new things.

You should go to a music store and buy new strings. Any store selling guitars should have them.

In standard tuning, the top line of the guitar tab is highest e (the thinnest string) and the bottom line is lowest E (the thickest string). Think of the notes from low to high, not the way the strings are physically located on your guitar.

Chordbook.com is good to learn chords, scales, arpeggios, and for tuning your guitar.

To learn the basics, you'll need to practice about 2 hours a day for a few months but to learn it all would take a few years.

Try to find a video online for guitar tuning. Or if you own a piano, find the notes and use them as reference for your guitar tuning. You can buy automatic tuners at most music stores, which would be the easiest method. There are also tuning forks which can help.

To master anything, make that your goal. Decide what you want, clearly, then focus on it and never give up. Practice makes perfect.

They do help to some extent... But your will to do it and to make something new plays a more important role.

Of course you can. Being autistic has nothing to do with your guitar talents. In fact, some people say that autistic people may be more talented in arts and music than others! If others keep mocking you, try to explain to them that everyone, autistic or not, can play and enjoy guitar.

Yes. Usually if you are using a lefty guitar, the strings are flipped so the thickest string is always at the top.

There are pegs located at the base of the neck and the bottom of the guitar. The straps should fasten on these pegs.

With enough practice (and ideally a few music theory lessons) you can learn to identify the root note of the chord, and figure it out from there. If you just want a quick answer, you can find the chords to any popular guitar song with an online search.