10 Common Mistakes Beginning Guitar Players Make and How to Avoid Them

When starting out on the guitar, every beginner experiences a few classic mistakes.
In this post, I picked 10 common beginner struggles or mishaps, and I’ll explain the causes and how to solve each one.
Take a look and see if any of them sound familiar to you!

01 Fingers hurt from pressing the strings too hard

Many beginner guitarists tend to press the strings with excessive force because they’re focused on getting the sound out right. As a result, sore fingertips are a very common issue.
Especially in the beginning, your fingertips are still soft, so it’s natural to feel discomfort after just a short practice session. However, pressing too hard can actually make the sound worse, cause fatigue more quickly, and even lead to physical strain.

There may not be an easy fix right away, but the first thing you should focus on is your left-hand form.
For example, when playing an open C chord, if you press the string with the pad of your finger, it may touch the neighboring strings and cause buzzing or muffled notes. By keeping your fingers arched and pressing down more vertically, you can apply minimal pressure and still get a clean sound without interfering with other strings.

Rather than relying on brute force, focusing on proper form will help reduce finger pain and improve your overall tone.

02 Struggling to Hold the Pick Steadily

A common issue among beginners is holding the pick too lightly or too close to the edge, causing it to shift or even fly out of your hand while strumming.This can lead directly to inconsistent rhythm and uneven sound.
A good countermeasure is to hold the pick further down the pick. For example, I grip it so that only about 1mm of the tip is showing—it’s a fairly deep grip.

Of course, pick grip varies from person to person, so it’s important to experiment and find what feels balanced and comfortable for you. Also, picks come in many different shapes, sizes, and thicknesses, so trying different varieties is key to discovering your ideal match.

For reference, I prefer a JAZZ-style pick, which has a sharp tip. Compared to teardrop or triangle (onigiri) picks, it's better suited for precise picking, arpeggios, and single-note playing.

⇒ Pick: Jazz Series

03 Not Muting Properly

In guitar playing, the ability to sound only the intended strings while muting the unwanted ones is extremely important. However, beginners often struggle with this muting technique, resulting in unintended strings ringing out and the overall sound becoming muddy.
This issue becomes especially noticeable when using distortion effects. Even small mistakes can produce unwanted noise or excess sounds that stand out.

To mute properly, you need to use both your right and left hands in what’s known as "combined muting." For strings you’re not picking, lightly touch them with the palm of your picking hand, your thumb, or unused fingers. At the same time, pay close attention with your fret hand to prevent any accidental notes from coming out. Building this habit will help you maintain a clean and controlled sound, especially as you progress into more complex playing.

04 Not Practicing with a Metronome

When first starting out on the guitar, it’s easy to become fully focused on finger placement and picking technique—often at the expense of keeping accurate rhythm. However, no matter how cleanly you play your chords or scales, if your timing is off, it won’t sound musical.

Especially for beginners, it's common to unintentionally rush or drag the tempo. That’s why using a metronome is so important.

Start by practicing at a slow tempo (around BPM 60–70), focusing on playing clean quarter notes. Whether you’re working on chord changes or picking exercises, getting into the habit of playing in time will naturally build your sense of rhythm over time.

⇒ Metronomes – Browse Collection

05 Poor Posture During Practice

When practicing guitar or bass, it's common, especially beginners, to become so focused on sound and hand movement that posture is neglected. A typical issue is hunching over to see the fretboard, or tensing the shoulders and elbows, leading to poor body alignment.
If bad posture becomes a habit, it not only puts unnecessary strain on your body but can also negatively affect your playing. For example, many beginners find they can play fine while sitting but struggle when playing standing up. This often stems from a big discrepancy between sitting and standing posture.

The ideal playing form involves keeping your back straight, relaxing your shoulders, and maintaining a natural, comfortable position. Even when practicing while seated, using a strap to simulate standing posture can help build better habits.

⇒ Guitar/Bass Straps – Browse Collection

When sitting, try to sit near the edge of your chair and keep your feet flat on the floor.

Using a footrest can also improve your posture and playing comfort.

⇒ Footrests – Browse Collection

Also, to maintain good posture during long practice sessions, checking your form in front of a mirror is an effective way to check your posture and be sure to take regular breaks to stretch and refresh your body.

Maintaining proper posture not only improves stability and focus while playing, but it also helps to reduce fatigue and gives off a more polished and professional appearance. For better progress, try to be mindful not only of your sound but also of how you use your body during practice.

06 Using Too Many Effects During Practice

Playing with a lot of reverb, delay, or distortion can feel satisfying, but it may actually hinder your improvement. Especially for beginners, heavy effects can mask mistakes, making it harder to notice issues like inaccurate picking or timing errors.

For example, strong reverb or delay can make it harder to detect missed notes or timing slips since the sound is more forgiving with the effects. While this might make your playing sound better temporarily, it prevents you from developing proper finger technique and rhythm. When you later try to play in an ensemble or switch to a clean tone, these hidden weaknesses may suddenly become obvious.

When practicing, it's important to use a clean and dry tone as much as possible. This allows you to clearly hear your picking, touch, and timing. If you do use effects, keep the settings light and always stay aware of the actual sound you're producing.

Of course, effects are an important part of musical expression. But to truly make them shine, you need to first build a solid foundation in clean playing. Before dressing up your tone, learn to control your raw sound.

07 Starting with Songs That Are Too Difficult

Having the mindset of “I want to play this song because I love it!” is wonderful—but starting with a song that’s too technically advanced can make it hard to build a proper foundation, leading to slow progress and frustration.

Let me share with you my own experience. When I was in high school, I admired fast-playing guitarists like Yngwie Malmsteen and Paul Gilbert, and I spent most of my time practicing solos. However, once I entered music school, I struggled with backing parts and chord work due to skipping over the basics.

The best approach is to start with songs that use simple chords, build up your foundational skills, and then move on to more technical playing. It may seem like the longer way around—but in truth, it’s the most effective and shortest path to improvement.

08 Not Tuning the Strings (or Not Knowing How)

Are you skipping tuning and thinking, “It’s close enough, so it’s fine”?
This is a very dangerous habit that can distort your sense of pitch.

No matter how good your technique is, if your guitar is out of tune, whoever is listening to you will just think you’re tone deaf. If you continue practicing with poor tuning, your sense of pitch and chord recognition won’t develop properly.
Make it a habit to check your tuning every time before you practice.

I also have a separate column dedicated to just tuning—be sure to check that out as well!

⇒ Guitar & Bass Tuning Guide｜Common Beginner Mistakes and How to Tune Correctly

09 Practicing on an Unmaintained Guitar

When your guitar feels harder to play than usual, the problem might not be your skill—it could be the condition of the instrument itself.
During lessons, instructors often find that students’ guitars have warped necks, strings set too high, or incorrect intonation (octave tuning). Practicing on a poorly maintained instrument makes progress much more difficult.

If this sounds familiar, I highly recommend having your guitar properly adjusted.
Once it's correctly set up, you’ll be amazed at how much more comfortable it feels to play. Even difficult phrases may suddenly become easier to execute.

⇒ How to Adjust a Guitar Neck

⇒ How to Do Guitar Intonation (Octave Tuning)

10 Playing Through Your Song Without Actually Practicing It

One common pitfall in guitar practice is feeling like you got a part when you actually didn’t. For example, you might play through a phrase somewhat successfully and feel satisfied and then move onto the next part. This is a very common mistake.

However, that sense of achievement based on feeling doesn’t necessarily reflect your actual skill. Often, your timing might be off, the notes might not sound clear, or your rhythm might be unstable. Especially when playing with a band, you might realize, “Wait, I’m not playing as well as I thought.”

What’s important is to objectively check your own performance. Recording yourself on a phone, either audio or video, can reveal mistakes you didn’t notice. Also, practicing while paying attention to things like maintaining a steady tempo, clean note articulation, and good form will help you develop skills that hold up in real performances.

Instead of just kind of going through the motions of playing it, aim to play it accurately and consistently. That’s the first real step toward truly mastering a piece. Don’t stress too much; view mistakes and setbacks positively and work to improve little by little.

The guitar is an instrument that becomes more enjoyable the longer you stick with it. Take your time and steadily improve at your own pace!

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