5 Tips for Getting Started with Guitar & Bass
It all starts with the pleasure of discovering a new passion, a hobby, and the incredible joy that results from the first notes and harmonies made with your new instrument. And of course, as a beginner on guitar or bass, you have questions about the first steps and which instrument will suit you best. ? So that you don’t get lost in the maze of musical learning, here are some thoughts on how you can move forward and progress in a structured way. ?
1. Tuning is essential
Harmony is the basis of your playing. We must therefore keep all strings tuned to take full advantage of this! You can use a digital tuner for this, a tuning fork, or even an app. It is important to note that the strings are not only tuned at the start of your session or rehearsal, but that they are checked regularly during the session. The side effects are also positive: When you tune, you train your hearing and learn the names of the strings and the notes on the different frets.
Thomann CTM-700 Metronome
2. Divide your time and respect the minimum daily workload
To progress well, regular training is inevitable. This will be more effective than training for hours on one day and not at all on the other days. Better to practice regularly, 30 minutes per day, for example, and to divide this time into different stages:
- 10 Minutes: Warm-up
- 10 Minutes: New lesson
- 10 Minutes: Repetition of known songs
Of course, these are only recommendations and you are free to adapt this program to the time you have or to your level of progress by including scales, composition sessions, improvisation, and more!
3. Study the basic chords and your first scales
It’s hard to imagine how many songs can be played with three or four chords. They just have to be the right ones. One of the main steps in your learning is knowing and mastering the most important basic chords. To do this, you must learn to read the so-called grip images. The fingering charts show you where to put which finger on which string and which fret of the fingerboard. For single notes, it’s best to enter the pentatonic scale – the five-tone scale – first and play it up and down. For that, it is useful to be able to read tablatures or even scores.
Small list of magic chord suites!
- G Major | E minor | C Major | D Major
- C Major | A minor | F Major | G major
- A Major | D Major | E Major
- E Major | A Major | B flat Major
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4. Maintain good posture and let your fingers rest every now and then!
The annoying thing about bad posture is that it quickly prevents smooth play and can quickly link to more serious issues. This of course starts with the correct position of the fingers, hands and arms as well as a suitable posture, especially at the beginning. For example, be sure to push the wrist of the hand holding the neck of the instrument far forward to create space for the fingers. The picking hand remains loose, the guitar close to the body, and practicing while standing is also recommended so that you don’t put too much pressure on your back and shoulders by sitting for too long. And don’t forget to smile!
5. Set realistic goals to avoid unnecessary frustration
You need to set goals for yourself and take it step by step. There’s nothing like the feeling of playing a piece from start to finish without a single mistake! If, on the other hand, nothing sounds good because the bar was set a bit too high, it will only cause more frustration. Nobody needs this. The goal is to maintain a structured program with which you can advance in your skills.
Something like this, for example:
- Tune your guitar or bass, first by ear to practice and then with a tuner
- Memorize the names of the strings and notes on the fingerboard
- Understand and apply fingerings, tablatures
- Practice basic chords neatly and fluidly
- Learn your first songs perfectly from start to finish
Again, there are many other possible goals that you can set individually depending on your time and level.
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Instruments and accessories to get you started
A beginner’s instrument should be affordable, but it should meet your requirements for playability, build quality, and sound. Manufacturers these days produce at such a high standard that newbies also benefit from cool guitars and basses at affordable, and sometimes even unbelievably low, prices.
For everything to go well, you also have to think about the essential accessories such as tuners, guitar stands, bags and cases to transport instruments, picks, amplifiers or cables. All of this remains fairly affordable in bundles, and without such accessories, carry-on luggage is incomplete for your musical journey.
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- Harley Benton ST-20HSS CA Standard Series
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- Harley Benton ST-Shorty BK Standard Serie
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- Marcus Miller V3 AWH 2nd Gen
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- Squier Mini P Bass Dakota Red
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- Marshall MG10G
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- Harley Benton HBAC-20 Akustik Gitarrencombo
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- Harley Benton HBCA-7D-A D-Style Kapodaster A-E
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- Harley Benton Nylon Player Pick Set Mixed
This link takes you to our favorites when it comes to guitars, basses and accessories for beginners!
Don’t be afraid to ask questions!
If you need advice on instruments or accessories, for example, contact us! Colleagues from the guitar & bass department will help and advise you without obligation. You are also welcome to personally visit our store in Treppendorf if you feel like it 😉
If you can’t come, use our live chat at thomann.de or send an email. You will find below the contact details of our guitar department and under this link all the contact details of the respective departments and specialists are listed.
Contact our Guitars and Basses Department
✉ gitarre@thomann.de
☎ + 33-176548596
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Livewires says:
The quality of this course is exceptional. The video lessons are clear, well-produced, and packed with useful information. The instructors are engaging and really know how to make complex concepts easy to understand.