Q&A for How to Teach Yourself to Play Guitar

Definitely! If you get stuck, visit your local music store and ask about guitar practice books. These can be helpful in trying to teach yourself how to play guitar.

Of course you can! I picked up one at that age, and I wish I had not put it down. Two years later I picked it up again. If I had played it at 11, I would've already been so much better.

Yes it can, in fact many people play a musical instrument to relieve stress and anxiety, and as an emotional outlet.

Firstly, you have to know and understand the shapes you want to switch between. Secondly, take things slow and steady. Thirdly, you could simply just pick your guitar and do switching exercises. Ensure you get the sound right. With time the speed would come.

It's never too late to learn if you're willing to put in the time and effort. Be patient and don't get frustrated, virtually nobody can learn a new instrument overnight.

You can learn how to play the guitar at any age. It's all a matter of how hard you are willing to work.

If you have a book with chord charts, look at the chord chart. The black dots are where your fingers go. If they have numbers assigned, then use that finger (your pointer finger is one and ends with your pinkie as four). The horizontal lines are the frets, and the vertical lines are the strings.

Any guitar will do. It is not the instrument, the sound is in the playing and the way you play, your feel andyour passion.

Practice. You have to learn it slow at first and then gradually work up to greater speeds. Nobody can play fast right away, it takes time and patience.

Keep your arm moving in an up-and-down motion throughout the song - even when there is no strumming. This keeps your rhythm consistent.

A key is basically how many sharps or flats are played (instead of a natural note) in a scale. The scale is best described if you look at a piano or keyboard. If you find middle C, playing the next white key is a whole step. Playing 8 notes will get you to the next octave up (the next time there is a C note). Basically it's the same note, but higher. The key that you are playing the song in will have the name of the first note in a scale. So C major has no sharps or flats, so you just play whole steps all the way up.

This indicates rhythmically when you play that note. You read the table from left to right just like you are reading this answer right now. When you see multiple numbers on a string, it just indicates when you play it. For example, if you saw "E--2------4-----0-----6---," then first you would pluck the string with the second fret down, then with the 4th, then with no frets, and then with the 6th. To know the exact rhythm to the notes, some guitar tabs will have music notes underneath so you know at what rhythm to play the notes.

Normally, I would say not to put the strings on yourself as you could damage the bridge, neck and the body unless you are a professional like me. Go to any guitar shop close to you and they should be able to do it for you without costing too much.

In your local guitar shop, or in any music shop. They can also be purchased online, though you might appreciate the assistance of a salesperson if it's your first purchase.

The numbers represent the frets. You play on certain frets with the certain string(s).

Get a new string to replace the broken one, and use a guitar tuner app to make sure the strings are in tune. Other then that, you'll be able to play just fine. Consider taking a couple of lessons, or at least watch some beginners tutorials on YouTube.

You can try learning minor pentatonic scales; the only other way is by connecting your guitar to an amplifier.

If you have a piano or another instrument, use it for the tuning of the guitar from low to high E,A,D,G,B and E. You could also find guitar tuners online, and there are multiple apps that you could use.

If you practice often enough, like 5 times a week, you can learn the basics of melodies and chords. You won't be a guitar master, but you could be well on your way!

Practice often, and it will become muscle memory. As for your fingers, the will stretch. I started out with very small hands when I started, but they stretch eventually. The more you play, the easier all this will be.

No, the thumb normally stays on the back giving the rest of the fingers support to play a chord.