There are two common ways that most people use to learn to play the guitar when they don’t want to pay for lessons. The first way is look around you. Is there anyone you know that plays the guitar? Maybe a close friend, colleague, someone in your class or even your significant other? When trying to find someone you know to help you, make sure they are someone who is patient and willing to spend a good amount of time working with you. After all Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you wont learn to play guitar in one either!

Another method to finding basic guitar lessons for free is to use the resources available to you. There are many tools online that can help you to learn to play the guitar. The advantage with doing online learning is that you can practice at will. No one else’s schedule to work around, but your own. When you feel you need more work on certain things, you can take the time to practice those skills and not feel a burden to anyone else. And if you want to learn for multiple hours a day, or rest if you need to, then that’s your call. You are your own tutor.

I have outlined 5 steps below to get you well on your way to learning guitar.

1. The first thing is essential in learning to play guitar. You actually NEED a guitar. If you can’t afford your own, ask friends and family to see if anyone has one you can borrow until you decide if you want to buy your own. Also you will need a pick (or you can strum with your fingers, that’s your call), a stool or chair (whatever you are comfortable on), and mostly dedication and time. Once you have all these things, learn the different parts of your guitar.

2. If you have never played the guitar before, chances are your fingers will be a little tense. So move your fingers. Do what ever you think will help them not feel “stiff”. If your fingers are tense, your notes will not flow correctly. The more you practice, the easier it will get.

3. Once you are comfortable with your guitar, learning the chords is your next step. Start off with the basic chords. Probably the easiest chords to begin with are C, Cm, and C7. D, Dm, D7. E, Em, E7. F, Fm, F7. G, Gm, G7. A, Am, A7. B, Bm, B7. You can find the finger placements for these chords online for free. Once you master these chords you will have a great start in playing many songs as these are some of the easier chords that are widely used by many musicians.

4. Once you are more familiar with the chords, you need to practice strumming. Listen to the song you are trying to play and how they strum. Play along with the radio until you get the hang of it, and then try it alone. It is alot easier to strum than to pluck, so don’t jump ahead of yourself. You can try the strumming pattern of “down, down, up, up, down, up…” to help you when you start.

5. Finally the last and most important step is to practice. You are not going to become a famous musician over night, but if you practice enough, you will get better. Have a personal goal you want to reach and try to stick to that (like playing your favorite song within the next 6 months). Don’t set your expectations too high. And have fun! That’s why you wanted to play in the first place right?

In conclusion, there are several resources around you that will help you get basic guitar lessons for free. Now the rest is up to you.

For the most part, when an individual is interested in learning how to play a song, they are drawn to the electric or acoustic guitar. This is due to the fact that hearing someone that is educated on an acoustic or electric guitar play can be beautiful. But when listening deeper into the song you can feel the power of the Bass guitar. When you hear a song and there is no Bass line, you can tell there is something missing, almost like the heartbeat of the song.

When looking at a Bass guitar, the noticeable difference is that there are usually only 4 strings and also the strings on a Bass are much thicker than that of an electric or acoustic guitar. Also the body of a Bass guitar is usually bigger. Bass guitars are made from many different types of wood depending on the year they were made, and the model of the guitar.

Once you learn how to play Bass Guitar you will see that for the most part there are no chords involved as in the tradition guitar method of playing. The notes are usually single string notes played constantly throughout the song. This gives the rest of the band timing and helps the band to stay together. If chords were played on a bass, it would overpower the rest of the instruments.

There are several things to keep in mind when you have made the decision to learn how to play bass guitar.

* The beat of the song is important. The bass, along with the drums, are the root of the song and being in touch with the beat of the song makes for a good Bass player. The band can only stay in time if the Bass and Drums are in time too.

* Bass guitars are tuned the same way as a standard guitar, but on a bass, the tone of the note is much deeper. This is due to the fact that the stings on the Bass are much thicker, producing a deeper sound. Knowing how to tune a regular guitar will essentially help you in tuning a bass.

* There are frets along the neck of the bass as there are on a standard guitar. Placing your fingers in the correct position on the strings and frets is essential, and knowing where the notes are along the neck is important.

* Having strong fingers is not essential, but definitely helps. The strings on the bass are very think and heavy and having good hand strength helps to make the notes more crisp and clear.

Keeping these things in mind when you learn how to play the Bass guitar will definitely benefit you. There are several methods of learning the bass guitar. You can go to private lessons; teach yourself from books, from DVD’s and other methods. These tips will aid you in which ever method you decide to use.

So what are you waiting for? Practice makes perfect, so don’t waste any more time. Pick yourself out a Bass and get going.