Learning to play guitar.

[Stranger]

Howdy all,

 

I'm thinking of picking up an acoutic guitar sometime in the next few weeks - I feel that if I don't learn now, I never will. I can't read music, but I'm obviously keen to learn - how would I go about doing so without lessons? How do I teach myself? Is there anything I would need?

[AshMat]

Online lessons are your friend, jsut google free online guitar lessons or something along those lines.

Guitar tabs are also incredibly easy as they require no knowledge of sheet music and you don't even need to learn them

[KingOfHyrule]

I'm proof that anyone can learn without being taught by someone. I play the guitar in an Irish band called Ghost Of A Dead Dog, listen to our tracks if you like, namely Lakes Of Pontchartrain or Star Of The County Down:

 

Ghost Of A Dead Dog

 

I've been playing for 7 years and completely taught myself. What I've learned is that listening to music you enjoy and analysing it aurally will be your Holy Grail as you progress. When you have a basic grasp of music, and if you take it seriously enough, it'll all come together.

 

Without waffling on lol get yourself a good guitar, maybe buy a beginner's DVD, and start playing. If it's acoustic playing you want, I would suggest trying a beginner's fingerpicking DVD. A lot of players get into the habits of strumming shite on the guitar and learn nothing beyond chord shapes.

 

Learning to read music is something you have to be taught, but you can teach yourself without much hassle. A music theroy book can do this no problem. I wish you the best of luck and you'll enjoy every minute of your playing if you're passionate enough!

[Girly hiyaz!~ Gamer]

I picked up how to read music in Music GCSE and A Level. SO.............

 

But yeah, I highly suggest you learn guitar yourself. You can go at your own pace and learn what you want etc.

[Haver]

I think you've made an astute choice in (or at least planning on) picking up an acoustic guitar. I was determined to go electric from the start and it’s been a pain in the arse trying to grasp the basic concepts with all the knobs and doodads telling me I'm Frank Zappa. I've spent two years attempting to goad this huge fucking lion into eating lamp chops off my arse and I haven't even got those bastard fleas nailing their Russian Rolls.

 

Self-teaching can be a messy, messy process. The general consensus is play Tabs Tabs Tabs until you trial and error your way to success. Videos are fiddly. Books are good, but finding one that doesn't treat you like a 1960s schoolboy is not an easy task. In this context that is a bad thing.

 

If you've got some expendable cash, I'd hit your local independent music store and see if the staff can highlight some products that might suit. You'll either talk to a ill-humoured dowdy arsehole who is all too familiar with '60s schoolboys or you might get someone with a perspective worth considering. It's a lottery.

 

I feel like the acoustic guitar and the web are technologies with such contrasting tenets that they shouldn't really be allowed to communicate but there are some useful facilities available online. Wikipedia is a hive that you will almost certainly want to tap.

[Jon]

Hit me on MSN James if you need help

 

I would like to think im pretty good on guitar and I would always recommend people to learn themselves, that way they can devleop their on style instead of copying some else. I learned on acoustic with 56 gauge strings, it hurt like fuck to begin with but after a while i got used to it, it made playing the electric guitar very easy. Start of learning the basic chords, A, Am, C, D, Dm, E, Em, G

 

Once you can fret them properly work on changing chords, this will take you weeks of practice mind, but its very worth it. If you want to become good i'd recommend practising at least 2 hours a day, especially as you start. A good idea to develop calluses on your fingers is to use alcohol, it helps strengthen them and avoid doing the washing up as it will destroy them.

 

Just get i touch if you need any heklp.

[Ninty 182]

I would advise lessons personally. I feel they've helped me progress very well compared to the piano of which I tried to teach myself and I always end up getting frustrated and annoyed. However my guitar teacher is self taught so I guess it works for some. If you know someone who already plays guitar, self teaching will probably work better as when you get stuck you can ask them

 

but I would advise lessons. They're not just learning scales and music theory (mine so far has consisted of little, just enough to get me by) and if you ask them to teach you how to play songs you like they'll teach you it and it'd be quicker than figuring it out yourself.

[BeerMonkey]

ive been learning to play for a few weeks i get lessons by "speed musics" recommended tutor hes a nice guy and have learnt alot (£8 per hour)

[Strider]

teach youself, Download Powertabs and get all your songs from http://www.ultimate-guitar.com would have said Mxtabs, but they went down due to the MPA (is it mpa?)

[bob]

I learned on acoustic with 56 gauge strings, it hurt like fuck to begin with.

 

Now i'm no expert......but i'm pretty sure acoustic guitars are only supposed to have 6 strings. No wonder your fingers hurt......

[Fierce_LiNk]

As others have said, books, scales, tabs and videos are the way to go. The internet has a thousand and one sites about technique and how to play. Google is your friend.

 

But, i don't think you should totally rule out having a teacher. Even if it's just one hour a week, it's still some form of guidance. Just consider it.

[mario_jr]

Now i'm no expert......but i'm pretty sure acoustic guitars are only supposed to have 6 strings. No wonder your fingers hurt......

 

HAHA dork:laughing: . Gauge means the thickness of a string.

 

 

Anyways first you should learn Tab then move to Chords and Scales when you have your speed built up and you can place your fingers on the right spot with out looking, then move to Sheet music notes when your ears can pick up the right pitch (sound) and you are able to play through ear (play what you hear with out prior knowledg of how the song is played).

[Shorty]

I didn't take guitar lessons from a professional, but if I had, I think I would've been much better much faster.

[Roostophe]

You don't exactly need lessons, I've been playing guitar for 2 1/2 years (the first 6 months spent learning to play with a right-hand guitar.) I do have handicaps compared to everyone at school, which includes:

The guitar isn't mine, it's my brothers.

I can't afford lessons, some of the other guitarists have lessons in school.

I can't read music.

 

But lessons are handy, although I've been playing guitar for so long and I can play many chords. I still have no idea how I put a string on/off a guitar.

A friend of mine has had lessons for a year now. A year ago, he didn't play guitar, therefore, can't play anything. Less than a year later, he can play the beginning to Stairway To Heaven, I'm still struggling with it.

 

The most annoying thing about playing guitar is that if you can't/don't/won't play any "famous" songs (inc. Seven Nation Army/Smooth Criminal etc.) They'll classify you as, quite simply "shite". You try to impress them with your version of 'Dream Brother' by Jeff Buckley, and you get nothing.

[Arragaun]

It seems that most people who can play guitar at the moment have learned off their own backs, and do not know how to read sheet music. I'm one of these and I thought I was all original and special until I went to college, where everyone and his fucking dog play guitar.

 

And yeah I undesrtand what you mean Vill, guitar teachers do only teach current faves.

[Jon]

I can read sheet music, i know scales and plenty of theory which I learned off my own back. Its a matter of plugging away until you get it, learning the guitar is a pain in the arse, but its awesome to play basically anything you want once you have got it.

[Nintendork]

I tried for years, got several guitars.. first when I was about 7 or so.

I did music GCSE, I still couldn't get it.. I don't quite know what's wrong with me.

 

I always have wanted to.. I got an E in my GCSE yonder year.

 

Classical notation wasn't for me obviously, and tablature wasn't much more help because there's so many shit tabs out there thrown together in minutes..

 

I can play chords good and switch between them fast, I've got thick skin on my fingers and they're pretty long and broken in several places.. so I can do B chords with like 2 fingers and A chords with just my little one.

 

I got the tools just not got it up there I guess.. I think perhaps it's one of those things you have to do as a kid when your brain's like a sponge.. the older you get the harder it is.

 

Good luck man.. do what you enjoy, if your forced to do something you hate you'll just push yourself away from getting to what you want to do.

 

When you're starting out learn some of the old school flamenco stuff, very rewarding and remarkably simple.. you want some light strings when you start too so it doesn't hurt your fingers as well.

 

Cheap acoustics are the best.. mine was £15 and cacme with a free hammer through it, patched up the hole with polyfilla and it sounds good as new.

 

What I can play is self taught though.. and that is rewarding.

[Ramar]

I've been trying to learn Guitar since Christmas. I've been trying to use a book, I found the video too patronising. And I don't seem to be getting anywhere. Partly down to lazyness and college work. I wish I could afford for a tutor but being jobless doesn't help. Hell I can't even play a song yet, I can't really do anything.

[Stranger]

Picked up a sexy blue acoustic guitar today. Been trying to play some chords, and I can just about play C and G - but with C especially I keep hitting the bottom string by accident. I'll keep at it.

 

Any suggestions about a practical way to kick off learning? Is learning the chords first a good way to do it? I have a book here I'm learning everything from, and may invest in lessons soon.

[Mr. Bananagrabber]

I can play Guitar and Bass. But I can't read music. Tabs are all you need if you've already heard the song you want to play (Which I assume you will :P)

Good luck with that mate!

[Stranger]

Surely you need to know chords to play tabs, dude?

[Arragaun]

Nah tabs do all the work for you. They tell you exactly where to put your fingers and when to play the notes/chords.

 

Granted they are often a tad inaccurate and are hardly ever timed in a way that fits the song, but the better ones are really good. You might consider downloading Powertab, you can then search tabs on databases like Ultimate Guitar and find tabs that can be run using that software.

[Mr. Bananagrabber]

Surely you need to know chords to play tabs, dude?

Nope. You just need to know how to count :awesome:

[Stranger]

Nope. You just need to know how to count :awesome:

 

Bugger.

 

FUCK YOU, WORD LENGTH! FUCK YOU!