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Gary LoRusso | Musical Advice for Starter Guitarists

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Gary LoRusso, a professional surveyor, taught himself banjo when he was 25. He took lessons from banjo legend Frank Valentino and joined a ragtime band in Alaska. The group performed in several different venues, and he would occasionally join up with Polka Dan, a man who he first met by chance one cold New Year’s Eve while surveying in King Cove, Alaska way out on the Aleutian chain. Some years later he and Dan would eventually find themselves playing with some outstanding musicians for a cruise ship that was docked in Anchorage. LoRusso played with the Big Cabbage Jazz Band and also played space rock with the Nomadic Milkmen at the Alaska State Fair. He picked up tenor guitar when he turned 40, which he learned was not an automatic transition from banjo.

“String instruments have a lot in common,” musician Gary LoRusso says. “However, there are differences in finger spacing, sound, scales, and overall style between banjos and guitars. The same applies to other similar instruments, but your general play style is the hardest challenge.”

Learning banjo and guitar was an incredibly worthwhile pursuit for Gary LoRusso. He did not have any traditional training, though he never thinks it is too late to pick up an instrument. Knowing how to play guitar is a rewarding experience, especially the process it takes to get from amateur to guitar picking pro, a status that he says he may never achieve but is working hard at.

Research

“Before you go out and buy a $1000 guitar, do some research to see what kind of guitar fits your style and price range,” Gary LoRusso says. “There’s no need to spend an outrageous amount for your first one; find one that is comfortable and affordable.”

One of the best ways to find a guitar is to go to a music store. Most shops are staffed by trained musicians who know what to look for. Or, for a cheaper route, find someone willing to sell an old guitar or, perhaps, lend a guitar for use. Next, guitar students need to figure out how they are going to learn how to play. A lot of people elect to sit down and practice without any aids or guidance; this strategy has worked in the past, but the lack of progress often leads to people giving up the instrument.

There are numerous guidebooks, DVDs, and other “how to play guitar” resources out there. Utilize them, or purchase two or three different mediums. With the Internet, people have access to thousands of online tutorials and videos that teach guitar basics. A lot of these resources are free and are created by people who enjoy teaching guitar.

People often struggle between learning to play on an electric or an acoustic guitar. In essence, they are the same. However, electric guitars “act” much differently than acoustic because the sound is generated electronically. Acoustic guitars are much easier to practice on and help train people how to play rather than how to make noise. Once a guitar student feels comfortable, he or she should feel free to pick up and mess around with an electric guitar. This decision often hinges on a person’s musical influences and goals for learning how to play. A rock fan, for example, will most likely aspire to play electric. This is fine and the rock enthusiast’s choice, but starting on acoustic usually leads to more successful playing.

Next, Gary LoRusso says people need to learn everything there is about the instrument. “Not knowing your instrument is like being an artist who doesn’t know the names of colors,” Gary LoRusso says. “It’s easier to learn when you have formidable guitar vocabulary and understand how the guitar works.”

A guitar has several parts. The bridge (on the big wooden end) is where the strings rest. The bridge is attached to a saddle. The body of an acoustic has a sound hole with a pick guard. The neck makes up the rest. On the neck are metal frets, the marked up fingerboard with position markers, and finally the nut. The nut separates the neck from the head and tuning keys.

“A lot of people learning the guitar become over enthusiastic and try playing things way out of their ability level,” Gary LoRusso says. “It’s true that challenging yourself is useful for improvement, but you need to understand the basics to master advanced techniques and styles.”

Gary LoRusso Outlines Basic Practicing

A good place to start is with the notes. Guidebooks and the Internet have diagrams on which notes are where and why they operate as they do. Practice using all of the fingers and picking out individual notes and plucking them with the other hand. Consider not using a pick while starting guitar; it is better down the road to develop calluses and for fingerpicking purposes. “Everything on a guitar is transitive,” Gary LoRusso says. “Once you learn the basics, you’re able to apply foundational knowledge to the entire instrument.”

Individual notes make up chords. A C chord, for example, is played in at least 10 different ways. A chord is when all (or most) of the strings are played at a single time to produce a fuller sound. The basic chords (E, G, A, F, C, Dm) are easy to learn. Experts recommend for beginners to find a chord chart and learn a few basic ones by playing them over and over until fingers are able to automatically transition between them. One method for keeping this interesting is by finding easy songs that use basic rock chord progressions. This, however, leads to other learning difficulties.

While the chords for most songs are simple and revolve around a few simple chords, the style makes the song unique. First practice by learning the chords and try to keep up with a recorded version of the song. Eventually beginners learn a repertoire of simple songs that are good for practicing.

Practicing is the number one factor for learning an instrument. It is recommended that beginners practice five days a week for no more than an hour a day. Gary LoRusso says this helps develop a person’s “ear,” strumming, picking, and other techniques.

ABOUT:

Gary LoRusso is an enthusiast banjo and guitar player. He is also a Licensed Professional Land Surveyor in Alaska and New Hampshire where he owns and operates his own surveying business. LoRusso learned to play when he was 25, and he performed at gigs throughout Alaska “Whenever someone will have me,” he quipped.