Thinking of taking up the Guitar

[DoTheDrew 0]

I have been looking around online and am thinking about picking up the guitar. Was wondering if any one had some advice on good guitars for a beginner as well as tools for self teaching?

[AlexCrowley 0]

one with 6 strings.

2 hands

1 brain

A tuner.

your ears.

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.

[lawrocket 3]

I'm self taught. I think what worked for me to start off was a good chord book and a songbook. It's more fun if you can play stuff you recognize.

You can get pretty good starter guitars for 200 or 300 dollars. Hell, my acoustic is an Alvarez acoustic/electric refurbish that I picked up for 200 at a pawn shop, and it works great. Spend an extra 30-50 bucks on a "set up," too. It'll make it better for you immediately.

For God's sake, start off on an acoustic. Electrics are easier to play, which means that you don't get the basics down as well. Now's the time to build hand and finger strength, and familiarity with it. Wait till later to get an electric. You can do everything on an electric that you can on an acoustic, but not the opposite. Start acoustic. Start acoustic. Start acoustic.

Get a tuner and know how to use it. Out of tune guitars aren't too helpful.

Also, get a basic introduction to the fundamentals of western music. At the very least, you want to know the chromatic scale so that you can follow why a barre chord at the 3rd fret is a G and an A at the fifth fret.

Next, it's easier to play with your thumb at the beginning. Use a pick, anyway.

Finally, work with simple open chords to get started before barre chords. E, A, D, and C should be fairly easy to get the idea. Open G will be a bitch. Then recognize how minors are different from majors and apply it through all of your chords, as well as 7ths and major 7ths.

After a few weeks, you be doing well with those chords. Then you want to learn some scales, and identify how they fit into the chord structure. Triads will open up the whole instrument.

There are plenty of great resources for you now online (not like when I got started). I was learning everything by ear. But don't set your sights too high too quickly. Dont' worry about moving up and down the neck yet - you won't be ready for a while.

Get the basics down, and move on from there.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[AlexCrowley 0]

start with an electric. Acoustics are for people who dont like feedback.

Based on the fact you're going to suck when you start the ability to create raw noise can be a good motivator, unlike an acoustic that simply sounds like shit until you can play it properly.

(btw, self taught guitarist of 20 years, bought my first acoustic 5 months ago due to aging).

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.

[DoTheDrew 0]

I've never actually liked electric guitars, so the plan was acoustic from the get go. I'm not completely new to music, but I like the fact that the guitar is like nothing I have ever played before.

[skymick 0]

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Finally, work with simple open chords to get started before barre chords. E, A, D, and C should be fairly easy to get the idea. Open G will be a bitch. Then recognize how minors are different from majors and apply it through all of your chords, as well as 7ths and major 7ths.

how long did it take you to switch between chords while strumming whithout any noticeable break in the sound/rhythm?

I have only started playing (accoustic) and have been practicing chords like G, C, D and while i dont have a problem getting a 'clean' sound from them, I take way too much time switching between chords as I cant to move my fingers to the correct frets all at once when switching. I have only been playing for a few weeks and havent been spending as much time as I'd like practicing but I cant see any improvement lately...

[AlexCrowley 0]

it's not too much time.

practice practice practice practice.

muscle memory is your friend.

When I had time and was learning I'd practice 10 - 15 hours a day

Get a metronome if you want to measure it. Increase by a couple of bpm per week.

Early stages are really tough, eventually you wont have to think about it. Like skydiving and any other skill.

It just happens and you never have to think about it again, until you learn new chord shapes, and then its faster because you already have the basic mechanism down its just finding the RIGHT ones.

It'll come, it wont feel alien anymore. Eventually the guitar is you and you are the guitar and then its like singing.

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.

[GARYC24 3]

I say do not get a cheap guitar (or one that has bad fret action)it will discourage you to play.
I suggest to get a good guitar, a Baby Taylor would be nice to start with.
There are so many DVD to learn from, and teach all kinds of top 10 songs,etc. , that it will be esay to copy them and learn.
I myself have an Alvarez and a cheap Fender 12-string. I hate the Fender 12 string! Hard to play chords past 3rd fret..and when I play other 12-strings (lot more expensive, I can play them for hours, and any where on the neck!)

[ChrisL 2]

Self taught is great but I dont know any self-taught guitar players that know shit about music theory and most of them have terrible technique.

I've been playing guitar for 30 years. The first 5 were under professional instruction
from a working professional studio musician who stressed music theory and sight reading heavily and was majorly biased towards Jazz and classical.

Almost everything of value that I play today I taught myself, and I prefer hard rock, HOWEVER
I wouldnt be a fraction of the musician I am today if I had not started out with competant professional instruction.

You cant learn technique from a video or book. You cant talk to a book.
You cant ask a book questions. A book isnt going to interrupt you and say "no, you arent doing that correctly"

Can you learn to play on your own? Sure you can.

Can you get a solid foundation of theory and technique on your own?

Possibly, but its not very likely.

Do you need that solid foundation?
Well, if you ever want to be more than a hack, then yes. You do.

If you just want to hack around in your bedroom late at night or with a couple friends and a case of beer, then dont bother with instruction. But if you want to be a musician as opposed to someone that just plinks away on the guitar occasionally, then find a good teacher.

A really nice guitar will still sound like crap if you cant play it worth a damn

__

My mighty steed

[AggieDave 6]

Do yourself a favor, buy a decent guitar for your first guitar. If its a crappy guitar, with crappy sound and hard to play then you won't enjoy it and may not continue. That doesn't mean you have to go drop $1000 on your first guitar, infact I really hope you don't (that's a lot of money). However, there are good brands and models for beginners.

Personally, I'm a pretty big fan of Seagull guitars, I feel like its a good guitar for the money, but that's just my opinion. I have a Fender acoustic, but that was given to me. If you have any idea that you might end up playing open mic nights or similar, you might want to get an acoustic/electric, but maybe not for your first guitar.

Also, don't buy Tab books, get a learners book, but there are thousands of free guitar tabs on the interenet.

http://www.chordfind.com

That site has helped me out a lot as I've learned (and continue to learn).

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[AlexCrowley 0]

I'll agree on technique (mine is pretty much the shits). However I am (or more likely was) as educated and capable regarding musical theory and composition than any classical musician I know (of course, only at a regional orchestra level).

Of course, I'd been playing classical music since I was 5.

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.

[ChrisL 2]

Not to put down anyone that was not trained professionally.

Its much more likely that someone will aquire both proper technique
and understanding of theory (and faster too) if they are
properly trained.

If you want to teach yourself, then for gods sake learn theory and learn to read music, otherwise when you try to jam with other musicians
you wont be able to speak a common language.

It will be a lot harder to work with other musicians, especially if they are trained in theory and can read music.

__

My mighty steed

[AggieDave 6]

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Self taught is great but I dont know any self-taught guitar players that know shit about music theory and most of them have terrible technique.

Hmmm...I didn't notice a problem with the theory, but then again, I've been playing trumpet for nearly 15 years, with a lot of that time playing lead for a few different jazz bands.

I will give you that my technique isn't that great with my guitar, but who cares, I have a good time and I'll never be a professional guitar player.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[ChrisL 2]

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Do yourself a favor, buy a decent guitar for your first guitar. If its a crappy guitar, with crappy sound and hard to play then you won't enjoy it and may not continue.

100% agreement.

__

My mighty steed

[ChrisL 2]

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I will give you that my technique isn't that great with my guitar, but who cares, I have a good time and I'll never be a professional guitar player.

As I say, its all about what you are in it for

__

My mighty steed

[AlexCrowley 0]

of course, if you're jamming with guitarists you run the risk of sounding pretentious as you try to explain that the Gmin 7 chord is actually what he calls the 3 chord with the finger down a bit.

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.

[AggieDave 6]

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As I say, its all about what you are in it for

Lets see, what do all the stars say?

Oh yeah, in it for the drugs and the girls.

Hmmm...I don't do drugs and I'm married.

So I guess that leaves me no where with no motivation to be a famous rock or Texas Country star.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[ChrisL 2]

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of course, if you're jamming with guitarists you run the risk of sounding pretentious as you try to explain that the Gmin 7 chord is actually what he calls the 3 chord with the finger down a bit.

__

My mighty steed

[ChrisL 2]

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So I guess that leaves me no where with no motivation to be a famous rock or Texas Country star.

Still waiting for someone to step up and fill the void left by Stevie Ray Vaughn.

That could be you, man

__

My mighty steed

[AggieDave 6]

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Still waiting for someone to step up and fill the void left by Stevie Ray Vaughn.

That could be you, man Smile

Man, you know what, if I could play that good you would never hear from me again.

I can't even play "Life by the Drop" past the first couple of bars...I guess if I wanted to I could practice and practice and get better at it, but I don't.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[GARYC24 3]

Oh, a good tool would be a cd player,
there are some out there that are play along with, then next track with guitar part silence and you play.
Learn easy stuff like 2 and 1 string blue riffs, I,IV,V patterns, vice-versa.
You can learn and pick up real quick and if you play with other guitarist or someone who plays harmonica it can be really entertaining around a campfire, bbq etc.

[AlexCrowley 0]

good point.

Play with other people!

You will learn about 40x faster.

YMMV.

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.

[ChrisL 2]

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You will learn about 40x faster.

Exactly 40x faster, or just approximately?

__

My mighty steed

[AggieDave 6]

Most of the people I've talked to said that they only learned about 37x's faster. I think its a lot like the MPG rating on the sticker on a new car.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[AlexCrowley 0]

Your
Mileage
May
Vary

YMMV.

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.