As the title says, I’ve been playing the guitar for about 5 months. Still a long way to go, but here is my review on what to expect. Note that I’ve made it a habit to play the guitar almost everyday, with some inconsistencies when I was busy or when my string snapped (I need to order for strings replacement).
Early Progress
The 1st month was hectic. My hand couldn’t even curl to form the chords properly. When you’re new to the guitar, you have a tendency to place your hand flat onto the fretboard, which is not good. My fingertips are struggling from constant pain of fretting the chords, and start to develop calluses. I learn the very fundamentals of the guitar, such as the standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E), basic major and minor chords of C, G, A, E and D as well as strumming patterns. I first started by playing songs that is limited to 2 – 4 chords only. Chord changing were chaotic, but with practice, it does get better over time. At the end of the month, my high E string snapped (1st string). I ordered a new set of string online with a special kit to replace it for about RM10. It delayed my progress for about 2 weeks, but now I know how to replace the strings. As I practiced, my strumming sounds horrible, with long delays and full of buzzing. The situation lasted until the 4th month.
‘White’ as a symbolic to a fresh new start.
Beginner Phase
During the 4th month, my strumming started to sound like a song, with occasional buzzing and delays. My chords vocabulary extended to major F (easy version) and the 7th chords (A7, B7, E7 etc.). This is also the first time when I started to learn actual guitar and music theory from a book titled The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer. I learned about the guitar anatomy, types of guitars, various hand techniques such as fingerstyles and arpeggio, and the three-chord theory and progressions which forms a song or music. For example, it started to make sense why the C chord is called a C, as the root note C that builds up the chord is played with the other harmonics. The major chords sound happy, while the minor chords sound melancholy etc. For me, the 4th month is the moment that I transitioned from absolute newbie to a beginner phase.
Yet, the challenge was still there. After 5 months in, I am still struggling with G and D chord transitions. Currently, I am playing a total of 8 songs (most of it is not complete songs or songs that have been altered to become easier) with a mix of almost 20 open-chords. I started to learn barre-chords, which is the dreaded F major chord. I am also learning other expression techniques such as ‘chuck’, guitar tapping, thumb strumming etc.
Reflection
For now, I would say that learning guitar is tough, but with practice, it should get better. For anyone thinking of starting to play an instrument, I highly encourage you to do so. Whatever is the reason behind it will be worthy of your time and effort.