Guitar is difficult to learn, especially if you don’t know anything about music theory.
You might want to start with a basic digital piano, and learn basic keyboard skills, and music theory at the same time. As a drummer, you have good hand independence, and will probably pick up piano pretty quickly.
Music theory is a supremely elegant system, and you may find it soothing for your anxiety.
This is really intensely packed information, but EVERYTHING you need to know about music theory is on there, especially the basic stuff. You’ll find lots of great explanations on YouTube. It’s a lot like mathematics, one small thing leads to another, and it all develops into an elegant complex system built on logic at every step. Most of it becomes pretty intuitive once you figure out the basics.
When you get a keyboard, make sure to get one with weighted keys, so it feels like a real piano. I got a really nice Donner on sale, and it’s lasted for years.
And of course practice every day. Try to get 20-30 minutes a day, either when you first get up, or before you go to bed, or preferably both. Make it a habit, and you’ll get better quickly. Keep it up and you’ll get fluid at reading music, and then it gets fun. You can be there in a year. You can take up the guitar next year.
And don’t worry about playing with someone else, just learn to play keyboard and you can start making your own recordings on your computer, and you only have to play with yourself. That’s what I do, along with guitar and bass. I wish I played drums, I have to use pads and program drum grooves.
Yeah, the guitar is really hard, you have to really want to play. There’s a long learning curve (endless, really), and it’s not very intuitive, ESPECIALLY when it comes to theory. That’s why guitarists have a much different approach to theory than other musicians.
Piano on the other hand, makes theory seem ridiculously easy, once you’ve mastered the notes on the staff.
I’m a guitarist, primarily, but I learned music theory getting a degree in music history about a million years ago, so I got the educational grounding BEFORE I really got into the guitar. It made it a LOT easier. I can’t imagine learning proper theory on guitar. I run through chord progressions on the guitar just fine, but so much of early theory is harmonic note leading, and that can only be taught, and learned, properly on a keyboard.
Once you’re decent on the keyboard, not a master or anything, but you know basic theory and can play some easy stuff, you can try to learn guitar, and transfer your knowledge over there. It should shorten the learning curve a bit, or at least make it less frustrating.
You’re fingertips are still going to scream either way.
Guitar is difficult to learn, especially if you don’t know anything about music theory.
You might want to start with a basic digital piano, and learn basic keyboard skills, and music theory at the same time. As a drummer, you have good hand independence, and will probably pick up piano pretty quickly.
Music theory is a supremely elegant system, and you may find it soothing for your anxiety.
Here’s your textbook
This is really intensely packed information, but EVERYTHING you need to know about music theory is on there, especially the basic stuff. You’ll find lots of great explanations on YouTube. It’s a lot like mathematics, one small thing leads to another, and it all develops into an elegant complex system built on logic at every step. Most of it becomes pretty intuitive once you figure out the basics.
When you get a keyboard, make sure to get one with weighted keys, so it feels like a real piano. I got a really nice Donner on sale, and it’s lasted for years.
And of course practice every day. Try to get 20-30 minutes a day, either when you first get up, or before you go to bed, or preferably both. Make it a habit, and you’ll get better quickly. Keep it up and you’ll get fluid at reading music, and then it gets fun. You can be there in a year. You can take up the guitar next year.
And don’t worry about playing with someone else, just learn to play keyboard and you can start making your own recordings on your computer, and you only have to play with yourself. That’s what I do, along with guitar and bass. I wish I played drums, I have to use pads and program drum grooves.
It’s a lifetime journey, have fun!
Can confirm, switch from drums to piano after trying the guitar.
I couldn’t stick with the guitar but the keyboard, aw man, that’s awesome.❤️
Yeah, the guitar is really hard, you have to really want to play. There’s a long learning curve (endless, really), and it’s not very intuitive, ESPECIALLY when it comes to theory. That’s why guitarists have a much different approach to theory than other musicians.
Piano on the other hand, makes theory seem ridiculously easy, once you’ve mastered the notes on the staff.
I’m a guitarist, primarily, but I learned music theory getting a degree in music history about a million years ago, so I got the educational grounding BEFORE I really got into the guitar. It made it a LOT easier. I can’t imagine learning proper theory on guitar. I run through chord progressions on the guitar just fine, but so much of early theory is harmonic note leading, and that can only be taught, and learned, properly on a keyboard.
Once you’re decent on the keyboard, not a master or anything, but you know basic theory and can play some easy stuff, you can try to learn guitar, and transfer your knowledge over there. It should shorten the learning curve a bit, or at least make it less frustrating.
You’re fingertips are still going to scream either way.
This resource is awesome, thanks for sharing!!