So you've got a guitar for Christmas. You've always dreamed of being able to play but never got round to it. Well now you have an instrument, you'll probably want to learn to play it. The early stages of your guitar playing experience will either make or break you. This is going to be a challenge regardless of any natural talent you may have. I am going to suggest a few things that will make a difference and will give you the best chance of succeeding. The first thing you need to do is check out the guitar you were bought. Obviously, it is going to feel difficult to play at first but there are things that you should look at to see if the instrument is not going to hinder your learning.

1. Check that the guitar sits comfortably on you. There are many styles of guitar and not all of them will give you the best chance of learning. Take the Flying V style for example, a guitar literally shaped like the letter V. You may have always dreamed of owning a guitar like this and there is no reason why you shouldn't, just don't learn to play on one initially. The reason for this is that they don't sit on your knee very well and you will spend more time wrestling with it rather than playing it. Sit your new guitar on your knee, if it stays there with the minimum of effort, you are on to a winner.

2. For the younger guys reading this, the next step is to check that you can reach the first fret comfortably without over stretching. If you can't, you need to swap the guitar for a smaller scale. These guitars are readily available from music stores and are referred to as either 1/2 size or 3/4 size. They tune the same so you can still learn your favourite tunes and then upsize as you get bigger.

3. The next thing to check is the action. The action of a guitar is a term used to describe the space between the strings and the frets (the metal bars on the fingerboard). This space can be altered on good quality guitars and the preferred distance changes between experienced guitarists making it a personal choice. However, If the strings are so high that you could pass a cigarette lighter through it, or so low that you couldn't pass a piece of paper through it, you could be in trouble. Take the guitar to a well respected guitar shop or repairer for them to adjust it for you.

4. Make sure the guitar is in tune. It always shocks me when a student comes to a Stringstocks Guitar School for their 4th or 5th lesson and the guitar is wildly out of tune. If you practice out of tune, you'll find it hard to realise when the guitar is in tune. You can buy a digital guitar tuner that is pretty easy to use from almost any musical instrument store.

I believe that if you have the 4 points above checked then you are ready to start learning productively. There are many routes to learning to play the guitar. You can teach yourself, get a tutor, learn from books, videos, DVD's or even the internet. Which is the best one? Try and think about how you learn. Do you like to explore things for yourself? Do you like to have someone take you through the process step by step? Do you like to study books? Or do you like to be visually entertained whilst learning? Your answer may point you to one of the options I have mentioned. However, there are pitfalls to each method which I will briefly highlight.

TEACHING YOURSELF

May pick up bad habits that could lead to long term injury or limitations to your playing.

GUITAR TUTOR

Are they qualified, experienced or enthusiastic enough to help you.

BOOKS, VIDEOS OR DVD's

They show you what to do, but don't tell you if you are doing it right.

INTERNET

You can find amazing resources on the internet but some information is wildly wrong causing you to learn the mistakes of a self confessed expert who may have been playing less time than yourself.

WHAT I RECOMMEND

I believe that if you visit a respectable, knowledgable, enthusiastic, friendly guitar tutor even for just one lesson, you will be on the right track. This will help you get off to a very solid start. If you are able to visit for more than one lesson then you can build on your skills without developing bad habits. A good guitar tutor should feel like a best friend that you look up to but also looks up to you for your courage in wanting to succeed with the guitar.

The reason why your guitar tutor should feel like your best friend is that he should be enthusiastic about the same type of music as you. Best friends usually click with each other through similiar interests. This makes learning fun for you and teaching rewarding for your tutor.

I have sat in lessons with guitar teachers in the past who have completely ignored my musical tastes and even ridiculed them. If you find yourself in front of one of these, fire the tutor immediately, they will only discourage you.

I hope you succeed with your new venture, if you need any advice you can contact me through my website.