jonathan100

Right I made a new years resalution to learn to play the guitar.(all ways wanted to but never got round to it) Wanted some advice from people who have been playing for a while.I'm quite a musical person ie i've been a bedroom dj for about 5yrs and basicly live for music. i love all types of music motown inde some emo etc etc.
I really just wanted to know how easy it is to pick up the basics. Say from having your first lesson to being able to play a very basic tune. I think i should be able to fit in about an hours practic in every day. Also i have no idea how to read sheet music and i'm a bit unsure how important it is.
Any advice or links to good web sites would be cool. thaks

pwhittle

I can't read sheet music. Tab is much easier and more appropriate for guitar music and you can get virtually anything from TabCrawler.Com - 255,000+ Guitar Tabs, Bass Tabs, Lyrics, Keyboard and Drum Tabs Archive, though you're always going to be a bit limited if you can't read music.

you could do what I did (15 years ago), and jump straight in learning Stairway to Heaven, Guns n Roses etc, then actually learn some chords 10 years later.
Wouldn't recommend it though. I'd go with leasons!
If you want to play chord-based tunes initially, you should be able to pick some up pretty quickly. Obviously playing riffs and solos take a bit longer!

I hardly ever play (hence still being cr*p), but I find I can play things I learned years ago, until I start thinking about it, then I go wrong. Recently bought a 12 string too, just love the sound they make, as they rip your fingers to shreads.

Loads of DVD tutorials around now. Might be worth Googling for reviews.

D.K.1

To start with you need a decent guitar that suits YOU. Some have better action etc than others and some sound better, all depends what you want really.

I agree with the tabs, although I can't quite follow them, a lot of other people can

If you have any mates that can play, pop round for a jam session together and you might pick a few things up there too

AFAIK, there are quite a few guitarists on here

RUDDY

hi mate! as already said just learn chords!
once you have learnt A B C D E F G you will be able to play loads of basic songs then you can progress from there! theres a few books about and they are quite good!

jonathan100

I have found a fender acoustic in a local shop that i realy like and makes a nice sound.
Not realy into playing electric rock stuff! more acoustic oasis verve etc. I've got a local teacher calling me back later today to have a chat.

D.K.1

Acoustic os probably better to learn on anyway, I prefer acoustic You can get some really nice electro acoustics when you're ready for that

Teacher would be a good way to go, depending on the type of teacher.

I agree with the chords too, and you can get plenty of books for beginners in music shops. They can sometimes help you choose one to suit you too

jonathan100

thatks for all the help guys just spoke to a mate who told me about iPlayMusic - Learn Guitar the Quick, Simple and Easy Way there seems to be some good vids on a few very basic drills etc i can start with.

D.K.1

You might want to *try* the guitar you're looking at before you buy it too

jonathan100

ye most def will mate no point getting it if i don't get on with it. The guy at the shop has been realy helpfull. he got like 7 guitars out for me to have a look at said they would all be good for a novice. The fender seemed to be the best option though.It's slightly more expenceve than the others but i think i'd keep it for longer rather than wanting to upgrade.

Luan Pra bang

For the first year you will be completely ****e you just have to persevere. I would recomend that you start with a nylon string acoustic as this will be easy on you fingers and you can learn to play properly ie picking with your fingers not banging around with a pick. To start pick up a few chords usually E A D G F C and practise them day and night untill you can swap from 1 to the next. You will be playing house of the rising sun in no time. Just remember though that how crap you are at the start is normal every one is like that and it takes a year to start to get your fingers around to working properly.

jonathan100

Ye a few people i know who play told me i'd be utter sh** for the first year but they said that it will all just start to come togetter after that. i'm not the most patient person but i'm gonna realy stick at it.

*Sonic*

PMSL why miss B out, you got all the others

F is hard (along with B), as its a barre chord, guy at work is still struggling with barre chords, but they do come in time

I preferred to start on a steel strung acoustic, the fingers heal after a while anyway

jonathan100

i'm a chef so i've got fooked skin on my hands already so a bit more won't make a dam bit of diff

Luan Pra bang

I always found B harder thats why I left it out.

WRX_Rich

iTrader: (5)

don't bother - you swill spend years and years learning then go to a gig and watch a 10 year make you look like a beginner

don't do what i did and learn all the songs you like and keep playing them untill you get them right will take years and, ok you will have one or 2 show pony tricks but won't really learn how to play

get some lessons from the start ( should take my own advice but lost interest after about 5 years or stairway to heaven )

SiPie

Jonathan

Based on that you should be able to string D,C and G together after your first lesson and be making a rough tune (loads of songs are made up of those 3 simple chords, Sweet Home Alabama etc)

Reading music helps, but you can easily get by without it. As others have mentioned, guitar tab is easily readable and will help you out.

Amazon.co.uk: Peter J. Finlay - The Complete Fingerstyle Guitarist - Six Guitar Lessons - Series One : Complete Beginner: Video: Peter J. Finlay

I taught myself from scratch using the above series of videos and ten years later I'm roughly where I want to be Check the reviews on Amazon for others opinions

Guitar wise, I bought a steel string Tanglewood to begin with

Tanglewood Guitars

(a make that in my opinion balances excellent value for money with a great tone)

You'll get a really decent guitar for around £150 that will do you the first few years. I'd go straight for the steel strung option (nylon strung is good advice but seeing as you have workies hands, you'll find the steel strung more rewarding for sound variation IMHO).

PS Further advice would be to accept from the beginning that there will always be someone better than you....will save you alot of disappointment further down the road

Good luck..... learning to play guitar was one of the best choices I ever made. Apart from the enjoyment and the people I've met through playing, I've even earned quite a nice bit of cash from it

David Lock

Stringsdirect - Online Guitar Strings and Accessories

are one of the best on-line suppliers for bits and pieces.

good luck

SiPie

Agree with David, always reliable and next day

jonathan100

Thanks Sipie the guitar i'm looking at is £130 the dude at the shop said he's been playing for 15 years and he's got one because it's very good for the money(he's given me a few cheaper options as well).
I had a chat on the phone last night to a local teacher who sounded realy good. i'm gonna book a few lesons with him and see how i get on! Think it's a better idea to have lessons from the start than trying to teach my self and picking up bad habbets.

SiPie

Nice one

Just make sure that the guy is prepared to teach you what you want to learn and not his own agenda.


Have fun

jonathan100

Ye one of the first questions he askes was what songs did i want to learn to play. if i can play lucky man by the vere in a couple of months i'd be dead pleased love that song (will prob hate it after playing it non stop for a month)

PPPMAT

Get a big book of songs with simple tab and learn the chords first. I found once I could play pinball wizrad all the way through I had pretty much got chords sorted - its got some difficult changes in it for a beginner. The riffs and lead work need scales (boring) but necessary I found.

SiPie

Great song for sorting your rhythm out too......

Flaps

iTrader: (1)

Pinball Wizard is THE best song to play on an accoustic IMO. It's one of my favourite tracks of all time. I got a digital multitrack recorder recently and had the chords on the accoustic and the 'twangggggggg' bit on electric, sounds quality even if I say so myself!
I started off with A D and E. 'Wild Thing' was the first song I got to grips with.
Yeah your finger tips will hurt (mine used to hurt most when I got them wet) but now after 17 years of playing they just look dinted and shiny
I taught myself. I like to pick up my guitar whenever I can.
TabCrawler on the above link is a site I spend a lot of time on.
Good luck and don't give up!