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Photos credit: Jacci Giuliani
Learning to play guitar involves consistent practice, patience, and a focus on building fundamental skills like strumming, chords, and basic techniques. It's a journey, not a sprint, so setting realistic goals and enjoying the process is key.
That's a great goal! Learning to play guitar can be both fun and rewarding. However, it isn’t, and it is, as easy as it seems. What do I mean by that? Afterall, many guitar enthusiasts start and then stop taking lessons within months if not weeks after buying their first guitar. When I first started learning how to play guitar, my biggest roadblock was thinking about “what are my friends doing, right now”. I didn’t want to be stuck inside learning how to play an instrument that I wasn’t going to stick with. At least that is what I thought at first.
I always had a passion for music. Every genre of music in fact. However, performing it was a different story. I didn’t have the ability or discipline to stick with it. I learned the popular riffs, and some chord progression. However, those were some fundamentals. It wasn’t going to be enough to “sustain” a rich experience as a guitar player. Something more was needed.
During my time as a guitar student, my brother was also taking lessons. He didn’t care what other possible distractions life through at him. He was dedicated to learning how to play. Eventually, he became the inspiration that I needed to focus on becoming a better guitar player. My brother was in several bands and could play any song on guitar. It wasn’t a matter of reading music; it was listening to what he heard with an intense desire to master the sound. My brother became “my inspiration” for developing my skills as a guitar player.
For now, I want to cover just some basics to getting started playing. The rest is desire, and dedication to the craft of playing guitar. You are on your way.
Here are some practical steps to get started:
1. Choose Your Guitar
2. Learn the Basics
Learning string names EADGBE isn’t difficult. However, it is a basic fundamental that you will always need to refer too.
3. Practice Daily
4. Play Easy Songs
Playing songs is a reward for practicing other necessary fundamentals. Do not get caught up in learning how to play songs. You never will grasp the bigger picture.
5. Use Online Resources
6. Stay Patient and Motivated
There are some practical suggestions for the popular CAGED system, published on our website www.guitarthrills.com
Australian guitarist Sophie Giuliani is home for a well-earned rest after a year filled with countless opportunities working with some of the most prominent people in the US music industry. From graduating college to writing masterclasses, playing at major festivals and touring.
Sophie left her home in Shepparton Victoria in June 2021 where she had already gained worldwide attention from her 100k followers on Instagram. She spent the next 9 months finishing her music degree at Musicians Institute in Hollywood California, making the prestigious Dean’s list for every quarter.
Able to finally work on her OPT (occupational practical training) Sophie didn’t waste a minute, eager to put her talents to use. Her first project was to design and compose a masterclass for one of the most popular online guitar communities Pickup Music., with its 20,000 subscribers. Her master class has been one of their most successful to date.
Sophie is also endorsed by many of the most well-known guitar companies such as Fender, Taylor guitars, Suhr Guitars, D’addario and many more. Sophie is highly regarded by many companies and often her work includes doing product demonstrations and promotions for them.
INTERVIEW WITH SOPHIE GIULIANI AND GUITAR THRILLS MAGAZINE
Guitar Thrills: According to several creditable resources, about 90% of those who start taking guitar lessons, quit within the first year. This is staggering. There are several reasons listed. However, it all comes down to being lazy. Time should never be a factor. Losing interest, is unacceptable to me. My focus this year is go grab ahold of those 90% and keep their focus on an instrument that will always reward them for the rest of their life. They just must maintain some consistency and find ways to re-energize their enthusiasm for an amazing opportunity.
Today, we are going to chat with an amazing guitarist by the name of Sophie Giuliani. She is a gifted guitar player. However, I am sure that it didn’t just happen overnight. Learning how to play guitar required effort.
Hi Sophie. It is awesome to chat with you today. Especially about a topic that has inspired us both. When did you first start playing guitar?
Sophie: Around the age of 11
Guitar Thrills: What was your inspiration for learning how to play?
Sophie: I was involved in a couple of extracurriculars outside of school—mainly sports and dance. I wasn’t particularly great at dance, though; I found myself more drawn to the music than the movement. One Christmas, I was gifted an iPod, and my dad loaded it up with songs I had grown up listening to. That opened a whole new interest in music for me. I ended up wanting to quit dance and start taking music lessons instead.
A real moment of inspiration, though, was watching Crossroads in 2008—I believe that was the year. I already knew the classic legends like Clapton and B.B. King, but that was the first time I saw John Mayer in a different light. I knew his popular music, but I had no idea about his blues side or the John Mayer Trio. That performance changed something for me. It made me see the guitar in a completely new way and helped me realize the direction I wanted to go in musically at the time.
Guitar Thrills: Do you recall the difficulties of learning? What were some of your challenges, and how did you overcome them?
Sophie: I remember some early challenges - barre chords took a while to get comfortable with, and I struggled with semi-fast lines or specific picking patterns. I’m actually an impatient person by nature, but weirdly, guitar is the one thing I’ve always had patience for.
There’s no shortcut to overcoming musical challenges, it just comes down to dedicating the time and doing the things that most people would consider boring. Repetition, slow practice, focusing on the fundamentals.
Guitar Thrills: Realistically not all guitar enthusiasts can become guitar players. I mentioned laziness, while it’s true, some have good intentions, but learning can be a challenge too difficult to overcome.
I provided some basic exercises and key elements that are required in learning how to play. What are your suggestions for those that want to begin playing the guitar?
Sophie: Start by learning some basic chords and try incorporating them into a simple progression - something in the key of C is usually a good place to begin. After that, learn the open position C major scale and keep expanding your knowledge there. Learning songs, you actually enjoy can keep things fun, but avoid pieces that are way beyond your current skill level -they’ll only leave you feeling discouraged.
Once you’re comfortable with the basics, start exploring the A minor pentatonic scale, it's a good place to start since it’s the relative minor of C major. Practice scales using alternate picking and use a metronome. That combination helps build timing, speed, and control. From there, try learning the same scale patterns in different positions across the neck. Then start working on the arpeggios within those scales—visually, this will open up the fretboard and deepen your understanding of how everything connects.
One important thing: don’t try to focus on too many things at once. When you're learning something, stick with it long enough that it becomes ingrained and memorized. Otherwise, you risk learning it just to forget it. Consistency and focused practice make all the difference.
Guitar Thrills: You Tube has been a great resource for tutorials, etc. However, there is just way too much information for beginners. Beginner level video lessons on You Tube, or social media is not effective. There is way too many topics, chords, notes, progressions and styles of playing that can be confusing. Most of the clips are just not for beginners, and I believe it an EPIC fail, for most people.
Tell me about what you have achieved through your online guitar community? What have you accomplished thus far, and what is your end goals with it?
Sophie: When I started learning, it wasn’t nearly as cluttered as it is now. I actually found it pretty straightforward to pick up the basics. But once I reached that intermediate stage, things got more complicated—and that’s where a lot of players tend to feel lost. For me, it became really important to lay out my goals early on and define how I wanted to sound. That gave my learning a sense of direction and purpose.
I always recommend writing things down - physically, in a notebook. Make a list of the things you want to learn, the players who inspire you, and the styles you’re drawn to. Pay close attention to what you naturally gravitate toward, and the teachers or lessons that really resonate with you and make things click. That kind of awareness can keep you focused and help you avoid the overwhelm that’s so common today.
I’m definitely someone who jumps between genres. I’m influenced by artists from all corners of music. Going from learning a Wes Montgomery line to diving into something by Brent Mason is a constant balancing act for me. But that’s the beauty of it—when you absorb the things you love and start blending and shaping them in your own way, the result becomes something entirely unique. Eventually, it’s almost unrecognizable from where the original idea came from, and that’s when your own sound really starts to take shape. That’s my end goal, anyway.
Guitar Thrills: How has having a music degree helped you in what you are now accomplishing in the music industry?
Sophie: Having a music degree definitely gave me a solid foundation. I could already play at a decent level before going to school, so for me, it was really about filling in the gaps - especially coming from a country town where resources were pretty limited. It helped me deepen my understanding of theory, composition, and how to communicate more effectively with other musicians. It trained my ear, taught me discipline, and introduced me to a lot of new concepts through some amazing guitar instructors. Honestly, just being in conversations with people who are as passionate about the instrument as you are was incredibly inspiring.
School also gave me a heavy workload with tight deadlines, and I think that really prepared me for the real world. In this industry, it's not unusual to be sent a big setlist just days before a rehearsal, or to have things thrown at you on the spot. That kind of pressure at school helped me develop the ability to adapt quickly and handle those situations with confidence.
Guitar Thrills: Would you still have moved forward as a guitar player without the degree? In what ways would it have affected you?
Sophie: Absolutely. I don’t think a degree is necessary to move forward as a guitar player. For me, it served multiple purposes, one of which was being a way to get into the US—it’s not easy to just move and get a visa, so school provided a pathway for that. Without the degree, I probably would’ve had to move a little later.
In other ways, it might have affected me. It could’ve taken me longer to connect some of the dots, especially with theory. But I think I would’ve found my way eventually, just at a slower pace, maybe a little less structured.
Guitar Thrills: I really appreciate your candid and on point advice. I know you have performed with some well-known artists. For our readers, who have you performed with in your career as a guitarist?
Sophie: Thank you! I’ve been lucky enough to perform with some incredible artists over the years. Some of the most memorable gigs have been with artists like Charlie Puth, Jennie (Blackpink), Benson Boone, Olivia Rodrigo, Alexander 23, Thuy & Mayer Hawthorne to name a few.
A show in specific would be headlining the Rock In Rio festival with Charlie. I think that’s the biggest show I’ve played.
Coachella has been a memorable one too, I've been lucky enough to play that 2 years in a row.
Guitar Thrills: Are you planning on going on tour with an artist, what is the timeline?
Sophie: Yes, unfortunately all unannounced at the moment and working through some clashes with artists timelines. But definitely have some shows coming up over the next few months, I’m active on instagram so that’s probably the first place to hear of it.
Guitar Trills: You are an extraordinary guitar player. Some of the major guitar brands have noted it as well. Is there a particular guitar you prefer to play with, and why?
Sophie: I switch up my guitars depending on what the gig requires. I like to take time and make decisions that will best serve the song. A go to is my PRS Fiore (Mark Lettieri Signature), it's a great all round guitar. I love it so much that I have a back up. I also really gravitate towards my Willows Spinster. It’s my light blue Telecaster type guitar, loaded with 2 Kloppman humbuckers, and a 6 way switching system. The neck is really comfortable, it sounds great and holds up well out on the road.
Some other notable guitars would be my Martin OMJM, that’s my go to for any acoustic duties. My gibson 335, I took that out with Charlie, Mayer Hawthrone and Olivia.
Guitar Thrills: Nice.
Undoubtedly, we will keep tabs on your successes. We hope to have you back soon. Our readers will also benefit from it as well. Thank you for your time.
