Tips for Learning How to Play the Guitar

[Never_Scurred]

Whats up, anyways, I just bought an acoustic Fender Squire in hopes of learning the basics so I can one day move on to the electric guitar. I've been fucking around with it here and there for the past month, but I need to know what I should be focusing on as a beginner. Like what kind of regimen should I follow for training. I know the notes and shit and have a little bit of basic musical notation knowledge under my belt. I've heard some people tell me I should focus on chords first to start playing songs, while others have told me I need to focus on more each individual note per fret or something like that.
At the moment, I don't have the money to pay for formal instruction and I don't really like sitting in front of a computer learning from YT videos, though some have been very helpful.

[MX7]

Learn chords. Sounds boring, and some people would suggest starting with single note riffs and scales, but learning the main variations of the major chords will allow you to start playing songs more quickly, which is what you want when you pick up a guitar, isn't it? I find with new learners, if they don't start playing full songs very quickly, interest can wane, which isn't good at this pivotal stage.

Additionally, learning these simple chords will start to help you think about more complex things to do with them, and the inter-relationship between them. I found it was nice to discover these just by playing around. Adding a forth finger on an Am or D chord is simple as hell, and very satisfying for a new player!

Also, be strict with yourself. Pick up a chord book or song book, and if it tells you to use a certain finger on a certain note, do it! It may be uncomfortable, but you're training your hand up, and you'll find it easier to learn new chords and riffs later. Remember the tired old maxim: 'you're making your hand do something it was never supposed to do"! So yes, it's going to hurt.

There are loads of nice books on the market. Try and get one with a CD. What book you get depends on what style of music you want to play.

What kind of music do you want to play, BTW?

I've played the guitar for roughly ten years now, mainly self taught with about 4 months of free tuition at school, and it's still great fun. Unfortunately I haven't played in a band for about a year now, but this was definitely what made me progress the fastest, so if you get the opportunity to jam with other people, go for it!

So to sum up, my personal advice is to start playing simple songs as soon as possible. Do you know House of the Rising sun? It goes Am C D F Am C E, Am C D F Am E Am. Find an mp3 of the song, learn those chords and try strumming it out! Some chords will be harder to learn than others (F is a pain in the neck for at least a month!). It was the first song I ever learned to play

[Kiel]

While you said you dont have the money now for lessons, its really the best way to go about it. If you go on your own you can pick up bad habits and improper technique plus you really have no fucking clue what the hell you are doing when you are just starting out and some guidance goes a long way.

[shake_zula]

There's loads of information freely available online for beginning guitarists, I don't think lessons are necessary. I'm not denying that it's the ideal way to learn, but it's not essential.

I second everything MX7 said, learn two or three chords at a time and practise going between them until you can do it fluidly, then add another chord and keep going until you can play like the seven most common chords or something. By then you'll be able to play loads of popular songs and you can start focussing on more advanced techniques :]

[TrevHead (TVR)]

i too recommend starting with a few basic chord shapes, work on getting your fingers used to actually making those shapes and then work on your timing with your strumming/picking hand. Great thing about chords is that you can strum to songs and cds you like, even better if u like to sing aswell. Later work on barre chords and get yourself a cappo (those clamps that auto make barre chords)

Tip make sure your guitar is set up properlly to play, u might not notice the diffence as a beginner but playing with a badly set up guitar is like playing DDP with a crappy controller. Also even if ur guitar is new it might not of been set up at all or just had a basic setup.

Oh and as Kiel said try not to pick up any bad habits as itll just make everything harder in the long run. If u cant get lessons try to get some support from friends who play guitar, get them to give u a lesson or 2 to make sure ur doing everything correctly and to point u in the right direction.

Then just pratice everyday even if its for 30mins (work on chords and timing)

Later u can maybe involve ur PC and record music and produce ur own tunes, have it run backing music or as a guitar amp and effects.

Playing the guitar is alot of fun once youve got past the first hurdle and can to the basics. I really should get back into the guitar its been awhile since i last played a choon

[Never_Scurred]

Man, chords make me sore.
I am just starting to hold a C chord shape for a decent period of time without my hands, wrist, and arm shutting down from strainage.
Now I just have to practice getting into the C chord position with ease. C maj is pretty easy, only needs two fingers.

On a side note, I went to the local Guitar Center after school this afternoon to chill and handle some geetars. I tried this Mitchell solid top one that was MAD comfortable, fretwise. I put my fingers in the C chord position and did not once feel any strain. It felt like sweet love to my left hand. Could this mean anything?
I figure if it does, maybe I can save up and get one in a couple of months.

Tip make sure your guitar is set up properlly to play, u might not notice the diffence as a beginner but playing with a badly set up guitar is like playing DDP with a crappy controller. Also even if ur guitar is new it might not of been set up at all or just had a basic setup.

Its funny you should mention that. A coupla weeks ago, I had some nasty sounding notes on the first fret of the B string and the second fret of the G. I did some research and made some adjustments to my truss rod until the buzzing went away.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

electrics usually are easier then acustics to play especially for chord shapes. As for buying a new guitar i personally would stick with the fender for atleast alittle while (aslong as its step up relativly well and it doesnt have rusty strings on). just work on those chords and your hand will strengthen up soon plus your fingers skin will toughen up and itll get allot easier. No pain no gain eh

Before u go for a guitar learn abit about them, listen to recordings off the net of the diffent types of guitars, so then when u do get one its the right choice for u. For eg for a rocky full tone theres the gibson type with the humbucker pickups, a stratacaster with single coil pickups has a thinner tone, a fender telecaster sounds twangy and good for country etc.

BTW make sure u store your guitar properlly as the neck will bend with time.

[Square King]

Just buy lots of pedals.

[Acid King]

Play the drums instead.

[Never_Scurred]

Play the drums instead.

I already do, or at least I used to.

[sjewkestheloon]

I second MX7's advice. Pretty much exactly what I was going to say.

I'd also recommend you pick up a few chord books for simple songs that you know well. It may sound obvious but it is a lot easier to learn to play a song you know very well from top to bottom than one you just like the chorus of.

Also don't be afraid of just messing about. Listen to some Derek Bailey, Family Taboo, some good noise music, anything unconventional, and just listen to what they are doing. This kind of thing really helped to liberate my playing. I stopped learning Metallica solos note by note and really started playing, improving my musical instincts 100 fold.

[dpful]

On hand pain: students have to hold a chord for a long time to get it right. That hurts. If I held a chord that long, it would hurt too. When you get good, you develop a very light and precise touch, that's why your hands don't hurt anymore.

On material: if you bought a song book, there'd be a higher chance that all the notation would be explained (as opposed to Internet charts). Keep it musical and work on stuff that can be executed at you're current skill level.

On skill development: father time is what makes you good, not hard work. You should have faith in you muscle memory development, and spend every second of practice on how do things easier and more efficiently. Don't waste one second grinding away on something difficult. If your attempting to do it more proper or efficiently, then you'll be better at it as if by magic the next day, week, or month. It really should be effortless in the end, if you know just HOW to do it. That's the only reason to take lessons. Watch other guitarist and study the ones who make it look the most effortless, or who's hands move the least (to see which muscles their using or how they're holding their pick etc. )

in general: study intervals and basic chord construction outside of the guitar for major insights into how guitars work and how notes and chords and song parts relate to each other. Just learn the piano at the same time (using interval language rather than note letters).

[dcharlie]

Man, chords make me sore.

yup, "guitarists play it calously" will start making sense after a few weeks or so!

Adding in - There really is nothing quite like picking out a song you love and then playing it. Not all of them are as difficult as they seem too. Wish You Were Here is a great song for accoustics and it's fairly straight forward.

On a side note, I went to the local Guitar Center after school this afternoon to chill and handle some geetars. I tried this Mitchell solid top one that was MAD comfortable, fretwise. I put my fingers in the C chord position and did not once feel any strain. It felt like sweet love to my left hand. Could this mean anything?

There is a magical evil at work in all guitar stores that makes every guitar you try devilishly awesome. With electric guitars, this is usually because they are demo'ing through an amp that doesn't suck balls. With accoustics... i guess it's different. I am going to be near guitar shops tonight - now i'm tempted lol.

[EPS21]

Watch K-ON!

[TrevHead (TVR)]

My father has just bought himself a all valve lanley lionheart http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Ba ... bo-Amp/85W
looks like i might be moving back home again

[The Expanding Man]

I've dabbled at learning the guitar for over 20 years now.

Here's my advice.

Start off with a good quality instrument. By that, I mean that it has a low action (distance from the strings to the fretboard), stays in tune and is properly set up (that is, the notes are accurate as you move down the fretboard).

Get a good digital tuner and be religious about keeping the thing in tune.

Broadly speaking, electric guitars are easier to play than acoustics (much lower action and less pressure from the strings on your fingers and have narrower necks). However, they seem to require more maintenance than an acoustic.

Buy something second hand. If you can find it, get a Japanese copy from the 1970s to 1990s. The good ones are Tokai, Greco, Burny and Orville. Best value out there imho. It helps to have someone with you who can recognise a good instrument.

Practice.

What held back my playing was that to get really proficient, you need to practice 2 hours a day, every day for 2 years. There really are no shortcuts. And get a good teacher, even if it is only one short lesson every 2 weeks.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

if u do buy second hand its always worth checking to see if the neck hasnt bent out of shape over time as theres allot of tension on that neck especially electric guitar with thin necks and thick strings on. To check place your head at the headstock and look striaght down the neck / fretboard, the frets should be parrallel to each other.

as i said b4 make sure u store ur guitar correctly in a case or if its against the wall make sure its facing towards the wall. Plus be carefull when adjusting that trussrod.