Let's be honest with each other. When you're all alone in your room and your favourite song is blasting from your speakers, you're not sitting there quietly. Chances are you're singing along, moving with the beat, and when that amazing guitar solo sweeps through the melody you're possessed with the sudden urge to air guitar along with it. If your Toronto apartment has a lot of windows, it can be embarrassing to know that any of your neighbours can see your frantic gesticulations. Maybe you've been caught before. Without the music, your sick moves look pretty ridiculous. But if you had a real guitar on which you could play your favourite riffs, being caught by your neighbour wouldn't be so humiliating.

There's just one thing working against you. The air guitar is the most democratic of musical instruments. Any novice with two hands can pick up the air guitar and become a veritable pro within a day. The real guitar – be it acoustic or electric – isn't quite so easy. It can take weeks just to feel comfortable with it in your hands and months before your fingers build up enough calluses so that they don't hurt when you're attempting to hold down advanced chords. A year might pass before you're skilled enough to take on the solos of your heroes.

But just because it's hard doesn't mean it's impossible. It's like learning a new language. All you need to learn the guitar is passion, dedication, and practice. If you want to become a guitar hero, you need to put in some serious time refining your technique. You need to create a practice regime that covers chords, scales, picking techniques, and timing. While you don't need to sit down at the same time every day, it's in your best interest to set aside quality time each week to work on your practice.In this case, repetition is your friend, as rote drills will help you get down your fingering and timing.

That's all well and good for those of you who already have a guitar. But if you're truly starting from scratch, you're going to have to buy your very first guitar. Without any prior experience with the instrument, shopping for a guitar can be intimidating. Do you want to go with the acoustic or electric guitar for your first? From there, which brand and model is best? Should you pick up any accessories, like an amp, capo, or tuner? If these are similar to some of the questions racing through your mind, don't worry. When you go to a quality music store in your neighborhood, you won't be left to your own devices. The knowledgeable and friendly staff can help answer all of your questions – even the ones that you think are silly. To make your guitar truly customized, you could opt to get some personalized guitar picks for yourself, or even some guitar wraps or skins of your choice! Your first guitar will always be your baby, so many might want to opt for customizations of their choice, though it entirely depends on their choice.

That said, you can find a guitar shop in Toronto that can cater to your every need by simply checking out your local music store. As the largest city in Canada, you'll find plenty of stores offering expert advice and superior musical instruments in Hog Town. But be sure to keep with those that have a long history of supplying the city with quality guitars. When a store's been in business in Toronto for decades, you can trust that the advice they dish out can be taken seriously.

Once you've got a real guitar in your hand, you can finally retire your air guitar. After some serious practice time, you'll be able to pull out your guitar and riff with all of your favourite songs, just like a real guitar hero. So ask for help from your neighbourhood guitar store, and get started today.