My eight year old child came home one evening very excited, after spending the day at his friend’s house.

“I want to learn how to play the guitar Dad”.

“Why son, what has made you suddenly decide you want to play now?”

“Because they are amazing that is why Dad. Jack (his friend) has an electric guitar and he let me play on it.”

“OK”

“Can you buy me a guitar Dad?”

“Calm down!”

“Please dad”

“We will have to wait and see”

As you can see my son was rather eager to learn to play the guitar which has to be a positive thing in reality.

I am certainly not an expert when it comes to any form of musical instrument; my line of work varies between offering stammering treatments and with business cost cutting experts, plus in a DVD replication capacity. I therefore decided that it would be prudent to try and find a professional guitar teacher.

My son has now been learning to play his new guitar for the last six months and he is still as eager today as he was back then.

I actually think that it is has been superb for his overall character building and you never know he may one day become part of a famous band such as the Rolling Stones. Well the early signs are very positive and last week he even performed in front of his school friends at the morning school assembly. I went along to watch him and I have to say that I was extremely proud and that he was extremely impressive.

A lot of people take the advice of the shop assistant, which can often turn out to be a little misguided and driven by his desire to make a sale rather than getting the best deal for yourself. Many people, me included, make the mistake of buying a nice economical purchase to start learning on, and find that it does not even come close to meeting their needs.

If you are in this situation, and are looking seriously into the possibility of buying a guitar in order to learn, then there are a few things that you should be considering before you depart with your hard-earned cash. The following are all questions that you really need to know the answers to before you step foot into a guitar shop.

1. What style of music do you want to play?

It may sound quite obvious to say that an electric guitar is more suited to rock music whereas an acoustic guitar is better for strumming and singing along. However, many people make this mistake. You will know what you want to play, and what you want to learn. Make sure you keep this in mind so that you don’t get pressured into buying something that will not be suitable for your needs.

2. How much can you afford?

In reality, you should be looking at paying somewhere in the region of $250-$300 (US) for a decent electric guitar, and around $150 (US) for an acoustic. Your first guitar should be seen as an investment – an investment in your own musical future. Bear this in mind when you set yourself a budget for what you want to spend. If this is your first guitar, and you’ve never played before, then do you really want to spend thousands of dollars on a top-end instrument?

This is often a fraught step, and will take a little time to get it right, but the time is well invested to make sure that you get the right instrument. When you decided on the style of music that you want to play, and the budget that you can afford, then it’s time to make the decision on which guitar you buy. Bear in mind your answers to the questions above, and consider the following.

· Try before you buy. Buying your first guitar is a little like buying a new car – you wouldn’t just take the first one you see, right? Try as many guitars as you want! There’s also no reason why, at this stage, you shouldn’t be looking at guitars that might be outside of your budget – by doing this you will be getting a good idea of the range available to you, and the big differences that exist from one guitar to another.

· Pay special attention to the playability of the frets. Look at the condition of the frets – are they worn out? Do they show signs of excessive usage? Take a look at each fret, and play a note on each. If you listen to the sound that this produces, you may find that there is a small buzzing sound – if this is the case, then it means that the action of the guitar is not set properly. It could even point to a case of poor workmanship on the instrument.

· A quick and easy way to purchase your first guitar can be online. If you do decide to go down this route, then make sure you check out as many user reviews as you can in order to find out whether this particular guitar is right for your needs. . Online guitars can often be a lot cheaper than the store on the high street, with the added advantage that it will often arrive straight to your door.

· Be comfortable! Make sure you select a guitar that you like, and that you feel comfortable with. If you find one that fits you like a glove and makes a sound that you genuinely enjoy, then there is a much higher chance that that guitar will stay with you for a much longer time.

Whatever you do, do not get pressured into spending more than you want to append, as this will breed resentment before you have even begun. For the beginner attempting to learn to play the guitar for the first time, then you should be considering all of the above before you start. Playing the guitar really can be a wonderful pastime, always rewarding and great fun to boot.

Copyright 2009 Liam Gibson (Pro Guitarist)