Have you always thought about how to play the guitar but keep putting it off because you just don't have the time? Well that shouldn't be an excuse!

Playing the guitar is a great hobby that can enrich your life in ways you never knew possible. If you didn't think it was so easy to start playing before, here are 7 tips to get you started in your new musical career.

1. Go to a music store.

There's no point in purchasing an instrument or diving right into the guitar unless you talk to someone who knows and plays guitars themselves. If you have a close friend who has played guitar for a long time, have a conversation with him.

The point is to learn whether or not you really have the ambition to undertake this new hobby. Learning how to play guitar sure is fun, but there's a lot of dedication involved to perform well.

2. Purchase a guitar!

Before you even think about the "purchasing" part, you should do some serious research. Go online and read reviews and comments on some notable guitars for beginners.

Only after you've found the guitar you want to play, you need to become a bargain-hunter. Look at garage sales, pawn shops, Ebay, Amazon, music stores, and online music stores until you find the best deal on a guitar and case.

3. Sign up for online guitar courses or lessons.

Signing up for an online guitar course shows that you're very serious about how to play the guitar. When you've completed the lessons, you'll be a much better player than when you began.

4. Become familiar with guitar tablature.

As you're passing through each guitar lesson, you should be becoming more familiar with guitar tablature. Guitar tablature is the short-hand version of sheet music that instructs you how to play a guitar song.

Learning to read guitar tablature will completely open your eyes to the vast world of music that is available for you to learn and play. Additionally positive is that most of this tablature can be found free anywhere on the web.

5. Practice chord changes in order to learn songs later.

Guitar chords are the foundation of any simple song. Look up a chord chart so you can study the finger placement and chord names.

Then, when you look up songs online to play, your movement between chords should be effortless and enjoyable.

6. Practice only one or two easy songs for awhile.

It's better to play one or two songs very well than to play a dozen guitar songs badly. Pick a couple of your favorites that sound easy to play and go at them for as long as it takes you to learn.

Don't get discouraged if they don't come easily because you've only just begun. After your first five tunes, you should know how to tackle quite a few more.

7. Call up your friends who play guitar and have a jam session!

This is what it really leads up to. Playing with your friends will not only loosen you up a bit, but you'll gain more quick skills from each other, learn a couple new tunes, and learn cooperation for playing with other musicians.

At this point, you should be proud that you can focus on how to improve your guitar playing as opposed to just how to play it in general.

How to play the guitar is not as easy as some people make it seem, but it's not an up-hill battle either. Make smart decisions, take your time, and be consistent and you should find yourself to be a fine guitar player some day.