Due to the ongoing pandemic, experts have advised us to stay at home to help reduce the spread of the deadly virus. With many of us spending long hours in front of the TV or on social media, why not make your time a bit more worthwhile and learn a new skill.
Like many people around the globe, you might have dreamed about one day being able to play the guitar. Well, there is no time like the present, and with all the free time on your hands, this is the perfect opportunity. Whether it’s learning the guitar or figuring out how to make bread, the process of learning a new skill has plenty of benefits. Learning the guitar is much more than strumming a few strings on the instrument. Most people are amazed by the psychological and physical benefits that can be gained when learning how to play the guitar. You can use these benefits in your regular everyday behaviors and activities to help improve your life.
Physical & Psychological benefits of learning the Guitar?
The reason why most people pick up the guitar is to impress family or friends. Realistically, most guys want to learn to show off in front of girls and become a rock star! So often these benefits are overlooked, but these are some of the best reasons why you should learn to play.
- Improves your motor skills: Learning any new instrument, especially the guitar requires time and patients. If you work hard you will notice that your hand-eye coordination will improve. At first, it might seem impossible, but after daily practicing different chords and scales, it will become easier to perform. As time goes by, you’ll realize that you can pick up new movements a lot quicker.
- Improves your concentration and memory: Learning a new musical instrument is not an easy task, especially in the early days of the learning process. If you want to improve your skills on the guitar, you’ll need your brain to be able to focus and memorize lots of things. From remembering where to put your fingers, strumming techniques and timing are just a few of the many tasks you’ll have to remember when playing the guitar. All this might be overwhelming for beginners, however, understanding that learning the guitar is a gradual process is important. During the pandemic, sometimes it is hard to remember what day, date, or even what the time is because of the long hours stuck inside. Learning a new instrument can help you get a grip on life again.
- Teaches discipline: Figuring out to play basic chords is not that easy at the start, but to become an advanced guitarist requires serious discipline and dedication.
If you want to learn even basic chords for guitar, expect to practice a lot. Practicing the guitar will be frustrating at times, especially at the beginning of your journey, however, it is also one of the most rewarding skills you can have.
Learn the Guitar from the comfort of your own Home
There has never been a better time in history to learn the guitar without having to leave the house. You can order a guitar online and they will deliver it to your door. Plectrums, capos, strings, etc. are all readily available online.
Although 2020 and 2021 have proven to be difficult to get face to face music lessons, the internet has offered many solutions to help you learn how to play. Here are a few examples to help you figure out how to play the guitar:
- YouTube is packed with lots of different musicians offering viewers free tutorials on how to play the guitar. Lots of people have created their own personal channels and many of them regularly upload new videos. You can subscribe to their channels to receive updates and further information. So not only is it free, you will be able to handpick your guitar teacher.
- On GooglePlay and the AppleStore, you will find lots of applications to help you learn the guitar. Some of these apps are free, while others require a small payment.
- There are many private online lessons available so you can still get a personal lesson, without risking your health.
- There is plenty of software, YouTube videos, and applications available online to help you tune your guitar properly.
The days of purchasing chord books seem to be a thing of the past for guitarists. You can easily find all your favorite chords online nowadays. The Beatles, Oasis, The Cranberries, and coldplay chords are easily found online.
Playing the Guitar can help you Release your Emotions
During the pandemic, many of us have built up emotions. Although online platforms like Zoom, Skype, Facebook, and WhatsApp are fantastic to help us keep in contact with loved ones, many of us find it hard to express our emotions through an electronic device. Even before the pandemic, lots of people found it difficult to release their emotions.
Playing the guitar is a fantastic way of expressing yourself. The better you get, the more chords and scales you learn, the better you will get at expressing your feelings. ‘80s love ballads with long guitar solos are a perfect example of a guitarist expressing their emotions through a guitar. You don’t even have to be that advanced to show emotion when you play. For example, in E minor, one of the first chords you will learn is downbeat and sad, while chords like the G will give you a warmer, happier sound.
Expressing yourself through playing a musical instrument is linked with many health benefits such as:
- Helps lower your blood pressure
- Reduce your heart rate
- Reduce stress levels
- Help with depression and anxiety
Experts also claim that playing a musical instrument can help boost your immunological response to bacteria, but this is just a recent claim that is still being debated.
One of the major factors people experience emotional and health benefits while playing a musical instrument is because the person enters a ‘’flow state’’. This is also common with writers, poets, artists, and people who practice meditation. When a flow state is achieved, a person may feel distorted and more relaxed.
Summary
You are not alone if you are struggling during the pandemic. None of us expected or were prepared in any way for such a strange thing to happen in our lifetime. Anyone who enjoys playing a musical instrument will tell you how enjoyable and soothing it is, and that’s something we all could probably do within 2021!
Don’t expect to pick up the guitar and sound like Jimi Hendrix after one hour of practicing. Realistically, you’re probably not going to hear many sounds at the start as your fingers won’t push the strings down properly to create a proper sound, but stick with it! In the long run, it’s definitely worth it. Pandemics don’t go on forever, and when you return to the real world you might even have a new party piece! When things go back to normal it would be terrible to look back on this free time as a wasted opportunity. If you go back to the rat race it might be impossible to fit in the time to learn how to play the guitar.