There are plenty of excuses as to why a person "can't" learn to play the guitar, but few of them hold much water. For example, the "My hands are too small" excuse is, for the most part, a myth. Individuals with hands the size of giants all the way down can learn to play the guitar.
As with anything else, certain attributes will enable more advantages for learning, but not having those attributes does not necessarily mean a person can't learn.
If a person is tone deaf - that is, really tone deaf -, it can be more difficult to learn. The same can be said if a person is rhythm deaf, or can't follow a basic rhythm. However, it's still not impossible. The student may have to compensate for his or her lack of tone or rhythm by focussing more on theory and the x's and o's of the lessons.
Still, it can be done. Furthermore, most people who claim to be tone deaf aren't tone deaf at all. There's a difference between being tone deaf and not being able to sing. If a person is truly tone deaf, he or she isn't able to distinguish when he's on key or not. Most people who can't sing can hear that they can't sing. No singing is necessary in guitar playing.
Attitude is EverythingIf a person doesn't desire the skill, he or she won't learn guitar. It's as simple as that. With that in mind, a good indication of a person's desire can be verified by the first lesson. If the student isn't enjoying the basic, one or two string lessons (i.e., "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" types of songs), then chances are, he or she won't get past those lessons.
The trick is for the student to get excited about what level he or she is at and not worry about what level more experienced guitar players might be at. The beauty of guitar playing is that, once you get past the basics and can hold a basic rhythm, you can play with practically anybody, no matter the skill set (provided they can play a basic rhythm). That's when the real music happens.
The "I Don't Have Time" Myth
Learning guitar can be intimidating, and folks often use the excuse that they don't have enough time. While that may be true for some, the argument probably isn't wholly true for most. The stigma is that a person has to practice for hours each day in order to learn the instrument.
That simply isn't true. What's more important than the amount of time spent on the craft is how often the person practices. 15 minutes per day is enough to learn the guitar within a reasonable amount of time, so long as the person practices 15 minutes each day, or most days. Obviously, the more time put into practicing, the quicker the player will improve.
Getting Over the Hump
The "hump" refers to the toughest part for most about learning guitar - finger dexterity. Some will suggest learning on an accoustic guitar before transitioning to electric guitar. The reason for this is that it's usually more difficult to go from playing solely with an electric guitar to an accoustic than the other way around.
Also, electrics often intentionally muddy the sound up a bit, which makes it more challenging for the student to hear his or her mistakes in order to correct them. Whether a person's learning on accoustic or electric, the issue of finger dexterity is likely to come up. For this reason, it's often best to start slow and practice exercises string-by-string, rather than to jump into playing chords when the fingers aren't prepared to.
Plateau-Climb-Plateau Learning
Learning guitar is not like learning, say, a sport. For instance, in basketball, if a person wants to improve their shot accuracy, that person would typically focus on the shots that gave him or her trouble until he or she improved.
Learning to play the guitar is typically different for most. In guitar learning, the player typically finds his or her skills plateau for a stretch before noticing drastic improvements. For that reason, if a player is having a hard time with a concept, or becoming frustrated, it can often help to go back and practice the lessons he or she is good at. Once calmed, try the challenging lessons again. Eventually, the player will be able to master it more easily.
Have FunLearning guitar should never feel like work. If it does, the student won't stick with it. The most important thing to remember when learning guitar is to always enjoy it. If for some reason the player isn't enjoying it, he or she should put the guitar down and try it again later.
Guitar Learning Resources
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