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7 January, 2008 - BBZGuitars, the High Wycombe based guitar specialist, has announced its top-ten recommendations for anyone learning to play the guitar for the first time.

A recent consumer poll of hobbies and interests, conducted by BBZGuitars, found that the guitar is now one of the most popular instruments taken up by both children at school and adults seeking alternative forms of relaxation.

BBZGuitars has compiled its list of tips to help beginners get up to speed and enjoy playing the guitar as quickly as possible while, at the same time, ensuring the longevity and protection of their instrument. The recommendations are as follows:

By purchasing a chord book and making a conscious effort to learn two or three new chords each day, even a complete guitar novice will find that after just two weeks of practise, they can play a large catalogue of music. BBZGuitars also recommends learning chords in logical triplets such as C, F & G, A, D & E, etc. This makes sense because many songs are three-chord-tricks, thus a beginner will find it much easier to transition between chords by adopting this approach.

While finding the chord shapes with the ‘fretting’ hand (the left hand if the player is right-handed), BBZGuitars suggests trying to play the chord by finger-picking individual strings with the other hand. In addition, strumming with or without a plectrum in different directions and combinations up and down can add ‘colour’ to the song being played, taking it to an entirely different dimension.

Playing the guitar for at least two hours each day will not only improve hand strength and build calluses on fingertips to alleviate soreness and blisters, it will also train the guitarist to move quickly and seamlessly between chords, achieving a richer more satisfying sound.

To create a more fluid sound, BBZGuitars advocates changing chords, and playing in general, without looking at the fretting hand; this is probably easiest to achieve with closed eyes, enabling muscle memory to take over, but may be difficult to command at first. Perseverance, however, will pay off, allowing the player to take alternative cues for chord changes, e.g. from a band mate, as well as accelerating their sight reading of music.

Learning to play the guitar can be painful for the fingers so BBZGuitars advises all new players to soak the fingertips of their fretting hand in rubbing alcohol after playing in order to harden them quickly; just a 5-10 minute soak while watching TV will help to reduce tenderness.

Every guitarist has a guitar hero they would like to mimic; the easiest way to learn the chords of a favourite song is to play along with it. Most popular tracks are available quite cheaply as guitar tabs or chord books. BBZGuitars recommends using an iPod, CD, MiniDisc or similar ‘device’ to run selected tracks in a loop while playing along.

Playing the guitar does not lend itself to sitting in an easy chair. An inexpensive bar stool from Argos (or another low-priced supplier) can help guitarists develop the correct playing position. It is important to ensure that any stool purchased does not have arms but does provide support for the lower back. BBZGuitars also recommends wearing a guitar strap while sitting as this provides extra comfort for the player.

Apart from looking better in front of the mirror, learning to play the guitar standing up puts the player’s hand in a different position to when they’re sitting down; important to any guitarists aspiring to gig. In addition, Flying V and other shaped guitars, most commonly used for heavy metal, do not actually allow users to sit when playing. Buying a strap will help to support the guitar while standing although most acoustic guitars have only one strap button and rely on a cord around the headstock to secure the top of the guitar. This can severely hamper playing the guitar (especially when learning). However, one alternative that BBZGuitars recommends is a Head Hugger; this fits most acoustic guitars and forms a top button without drilling the guitar.

Pitch pipes and tuners that rely on internal microphones or jack plug connections are all usable but the best solution is a tuner which attaches to the headstock and displays the pitch of the individual string by using a piezo pickup to sense the vibration of the strings through the neck of the guitar. Apart from ensuring that no other sound can interrupt the tuning process, a backlit version guarantees that lighting is not an issue either.

Fast Fret makes it easier to play the guitar by reducing the amount of friction generated on the strings; it also increases speed and agility on the strings. Fast Fret should be applied to the strings before and after each use; like rosin on a violin bow its application allows the fingers to slide over the strings with less effort. It can also be applied to the back of the neck of the guitar to prevent the lacquer getting ‘sticky’ from perspiration in the palm. Fast Fret is manufactured by GHS.

For both budding and seasoned guitarists who would like to enjoy some live guitar music (other than their own), BBZGuitars still has a few tickets left for Gav Coulson’s Vintage Guitar Clinic which, in association with JHS, it is hosting on 30 January 2008 at the Nags Head in High Wycombe. The clinic starts at 7.30pm and tickets are on sale for £2 each in advance, either at the venue or online from www.bbzguitarsshop.co.uk

For more information on playing and caring for guitars, visit BBZGuitars’ High Wycombe showroom at 10, Cressex Enterprise Centre, Lincoln Road, High Wycombe, BUCKS, HP12 3RL or call 01494 533554.