Learning the guitar

[Gunslinger4887]

I got me an acoustic guitar. I want to start learning it. I have tried to look up how to learn online but there seems to be two methods to learn - Tabs or Scores. Tabs I can see being fun to just merely play the songs that I know, but scores would be good to me personally cause I'd like to know everything about the guitar. I played the trumpet and trombone already through high school, so re-learning score wouldn't be hard, just fingering the guitar. Another style of learning is by guitar lessons. There IS a guitar shop in my town I can use, but I don't know if guitar lessons are that much better than just googling vids on how to play. Suggestions would be appreciated :D

[Unspun]

I play by ear, but I know a friend that can teach you to read notes. Since you can only come out every once in a while though, I suggest forking over $50 for guitar lessons, it's worth it.

[JLXC]

Don't think Guitar Hero is some kind of substitute, some of the people I know play guitar, and they say it not only doesn't help, it hurts if you never touched a guitar before. Just sayin' ..... :happysad:

[Unspun]

Don't think Guitar Hero is some kind of substitute, some of the people I know play guitar, and they say it not only doesn't help, it hurts if you never touched a guitar before. Just sayin' ..... :happysad:

QFT, guitar hero is harder than the real guitar, and you can't finger the chords in the same way so I can see how that would be more harmful.

[JLXC]

QFT, guitar hero is harder than the real guitar, and you can't finger the chords in the same way so I can see how that would be more harmful.

It was explained to me that you begin to develop your reflex nerves to do one thing, and then when you try to do the other, you keep falling back on what you did before, especially if you "Guitar Hero" a lot. Also, there is NO WAY guitar hero is harder than a real guitar. The songs you play in guitar hero are some of the best guitarists in history, and there's no way millions of people now play something harder than that with amazing skill. There's no way.

[Unspun]

It was explained to me that you begin to develop your reflex nerves to do one thing, and then when you try to do the other, you keep falling back on what you did before, especially if you "Guitar Hero" a lot. Also, there is NO WAY guitar hero is harder than a real guitar. The songs you play in guitar hero are some of the best guitarists in history, and there's no way millions of people now play something harder than that with amazing skill. There's no way.

try it some time =) I play the guitar, for a guitar player, guitar hero is harder. Ask any other real guitar player.

Sorry. To elaborate, on GH you can't slide your fingers up and down the frets in order to get sound, you have to lift your fingers and press buttons like a damned simon says.

[Gunslinger4887]

damnit, i play guitar hero on expert.

[JLXC]

try it some time =) I play the guitar, for a guitar player, guitar hero is harder. Ask any other real guitar player.

Sorry. To elaborate, on GH you can't slide your fingers up and down the frets in order to get sound, you have to lift your fingers and press buttons like a damned simon says.

I have tried it, on easy heh. It's just what I was talking about, if you really play the guitar then the motions confuse the nerve memory you already have. The same is true in reverse. I do know how hard the game is, but there's still no way in hell it's as hard as Really playing some of those songs.

I'm just saying training for one doesn't help with the other, especially if you've never done one before.

[Boot2thehead816]

1. Have a friend who knows teach you, it helps. 2. Every guitarist I know sucks at guitar hero and say that its very different..

[Hater808]

If you go to Ultimate Guitar (http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/) They have alot of tabs as well as free lessons on how to play guitar. Both written lessons and video lessons.

[thekid65]

Easy Choice:

Guitar lessons, in person. You cant ask a video a question. If nothing else, to at least understand the basics, and build a good foundation. Then when you have a general clue, look for books, or stuff on da'net....and practice yer fucking ass off if you wanna play like yer worth a shit.

[d_pistachio]

Easy Choice:

Guitar lessons, in person. You cant ask a video a question. If nothing else, to at least understand the basics, and build a good foundation. Then when you have a general clue, look for books, or stuff on da'net....and practice yer fucking ass off if you wanna play like yer worth a shit.

Definitely, i agree. My dad's been playin for 20 years, self-taught, and ive been gettin lessons for 3 years and i am playin better than he is....and he'll willingly admit that. Even if you jump around from teacher to teacher it helps to learn the basics and then even the different styles people use. Once you've got your niche it becomes quite easy. The only problem with lessons is the cost, sometimes they can be quite expensive.
Anyhoo, good luck with it all. Definitely a good hobby to take up. Nice one :thumbsup:

[kich]

Learning where the notes are on a guitar is the easy part. Trust me, it's better to get the foundation down first before you go with scales etc.

In my opinion, you are not a musician if you can't read sheet music. The old guitar class trick of playing whatever sounds good is bullshit.

If you want any help with sheet music send me a pm. I hate tabs, and many guitarists I've met can't read sheet to save their life.

[ready_aim_rock]

Learning where the notes are on a guitar is the easy part. Trust me, it's better to get the foundation down first before you go with scales etc.

In my opinion, you are not a musician if you can't read sheet music. The old guitar class trick of playing whatever sounds good is bullshit.

If you want any help with sheet music send me a pm. I hate tabs, and many guitarists I've met can't read sheet to save their life.

And damn proud of that =P

guitarnoise.com or, like aforementioned, ultimate-guitar.com are both great sites.

[thekid65]

This is also kind of a fun guitar site (http://www.guitarshredshow.com/), a lot of tabs, but also kinda fun cuz you can hear what the shit is supposed to sound like.

[shellfish]

I used to play acoustic...finger picking style. Learning to read music is key (just remember Every Good Boy Does Fine and FACE). Don't be modest, get a beginners guiar book even if it looks like its for kids and start playing twinkle twinkle over and over again. Or if you plan on just playing chords get a book and just practice. The mor eyou strecth out your hands by practicing the better. If you are having trouble with bar chords get one of those hand grips that tennis players use.

[Epidemic]

I can read music. Treble and bass because I play the keyboard a little. I can almost sight read treble. But bass I have to think about...

Learning where the notes are on a piano was easy but on a guitar it'd seem to be more difficult. I have a guitar, I just never picked up on it because I tried to play it when I couldn't read music and I was using tabs...and I hated it. But now that I can read music, I'm seriously thinking of picking it back up.

Anyone know a site where they teach where the notes on the guitar are?

And no worries, I play hard on Guitar Hero and I don't play it well. :thumbsup:

[That1Guy]

I would suggest to not spend money on guitar lessons, because everything they teach you in basic instructions I've learned from searching for techniques on the internet and just practicing them. True it may be slightly more demanding if you take this approach, but personally I think it has helped me to learn guitar on my own and set myself at a slow, but effective pace.

[dull_bullet]

I would suggest to not spend money on guitar lessons, because everything they teach you in basic instructions I've learned from searching for techniques on the internet and just practicing them. True it may be slightly more demanding if you take this approach, but personally I think it has helped me to learn guitar on my own and set myself at a slow, but effective pace.

But sometimes when you're by yourself you just think "eh that's good enough." A teacher would tell you precisely what you're doing wrong and precisely how to fix it.

If you want to learn ANY instrument you pretty much have to invest in two things; A teacher and a Metronome.

[BrackishWater]

damnit, i play guitar hero on expert.

lol. Me too, amigo.

I've been noodling about on guitar as well(I started with bass). I'm autodidactic all the way, though. :D

Never really been a fan of lessons and all that; Musicianship is expensive enough as is! Just learn how to keep the thing in tune and some basic major chords, and play what sounds cool to you.

Oh, and what everyone has said about playing Guitar Hero and playing actual guitar is true: If you've played a real guitar first, GH is a bitch. Its especially bad if you're playing a song in GH that you already know how to play on guitar, since the fret buttons are set in one place. I actually found myself sliding my hand up the guitar controller's neck on a few songs, trying to play on strings that weren't there. :happysad:

[What The Funk]

damnit, i play guitar hero on expert.

:lol: you should learn how to play the ukelele instead

[ready_aim_rock]

Anyone know a site where they teach where the notes on the guitar are?

http://www.guitaralliance.com/images/fingerboard3.gif

There's not really a 'FACE' or 'Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge' sort of trick to this. Just grit your teeth and memorize the hell out of it, its worth it in the long run.

[watson05]

Does anyone know any kid friendly sites? I've been playing since I waas twelve ,but I'm a lousy teacher for many reasons . And I lack the patiente to teach the nine year old the buisness. Also he wants to learn a different style of playing and my foundation is bluegrass "pickin".

[BamWam]

Don't think Guitar Hero is some kind of substitute, some of the people I know play guitar, and they say it not only doesn't help, it hurts if you never touched a guitar before. Just sayin' ..... :happysad:

Thanks Sherlock Holmes.

[DirtyBird]

Standard notation on guitar is notoriously awkward. It is for me anyway. Score on trumpets/piano etc is, to me, easier because there is only one place for a note. On guitar the same note can be played in many different places... and to me it's just not very easy because you'll have to figure out on the fly which of those different places is located most conveniently for where you're playing and it's not always easy to move around on the neck fast enough to just use whatever. Throw chords into the mix and finding an ergonomic way to play a given score is difficult to say the least. You may be better at it, I am not. Give it a shot.

Tabs are fine, they'll force you to play, and when you're learning it's not about learning to notes, it's about learning to play. Finger strength, muscle memory, etc.

http://www.power-tab.net/ + http://www.powertabs.net

Those will get you a LONG, LONG way. I dont even use regular tabs these days except just for chords.

Play AT LEAST 30 minutes a day. an hour if you can muster it. Be careful not to arch your back too much while you're looking down at the guitar - it hurts your back after a while. ;) Learn to love the fret markers on teh side of the neck.

And no amount of strategy or scored notation is going to make you a good guitarist. You just gotta play. Build up your callouses, practice, and practice until you can just enjoy it and freestyle a bit. It's meant to be fun, and it is fun, but you gotta practice to get the most out of it.

I've been playing since 2001 (when I was 16). I never owned an acoustic because I dont like how acoustics sound. If I had started on an acoustic I dont think I would still be playing today.

http://bellsouthpwp.net/D/i/DirtyBird133/Band2.jpg

[Phrosty]

Everyone should start on an acoustic and then move to electric. Just learn your basic chords and transitions, then scales and advanced chords, and then make the change to an electric. That's the easiest way to learn.

I'm a better drummer, a much better drummer, but all you need for that is rhythm and bodily coordination. I'll post some recordings of my stuff as soon as I can get a band together and start recording shit.

[DirtyBird]

Everyone should start on an acoustic and then move to electric. Just learn your basic chords and transitions, then scales and advanced chords, and then make the change to an electric. That's the easiest way to learn.

I'm a better drummer, a much better drummer, but all you need for that is rhythm and bodily coordination. I'll post some recordings of my stuff as soon as I can get a band together and start recording shit.

I disagree entirely. If you want to play acoustic , then play acoustic. If you dont like the acoustic guitar sound, then there's no sense in punishing yourself by playing a guitar you dont like for the sake of purists. You play an instrument to have fun, to amuse yourself and get your creative juices flowing, not to please or satisfy other people. It's purely masturbatory and therapeutic until you get to the point where you're playing with others.

Granted, if you think you'd enjoy playing an acoustic, then by all means get one. But I play clean 10% of the time at most and if I had started on an acoustic it wouldnt' have held my attention and captivated me enough to get me to the point where Im at today. No regrets. I'm not hte best guitarist in the world, nowhere near, but I have fun with it and that's all that matters.

Oh and as for acoustic being the easiest way to learn, you can learn chords just as easily on an electric as you can an acoustic. You may not be forced to build as much finger strength immediately, but practice is practice and you'll get better at whatever style you practice at, regardless of what kind of guitar you're playing.

Im sorry, this is just something I feel strongly about because playing an instrument is an immensely wonderful, rewarding experience, and I know in hindsight that had I been forced to start out on an acoustic I wouldn't have enjoyed it enough to stick with it until I got any good at it. It bothers me how many people have picked up a guitar and later quit just because they didnt enjoy it because they were forced to start on some crappy $100 acoustic guitar. If learning on an electric guitar means it's more rewarding for you, then go for it. It's hard enough to stick with it as it is, to put hurdles in front of yourself like "learn on an acoustic" is foolish because it's hard enough to do as it is. And when do you decide you're "Good enough" for an electric? Again, it's just silly because it bothers me how many people have picked it up and quit because tehy didnt like playing an acoustic and would have stuck with it had they played an electric. It's not about following a recipe or roadmap. It's about having fun and enjoying yourself. Do it the way you want to.

[ready_aim_rock]

I disagree entirely. If you want to play acoustic , then play acoustic. If you dont like the acoustic guitar sound, then there's no sense in punishing yourself by playing a guitar you dont like for the sake of purists. You play an instrument to have fun, to amuse yourself and get your creative juices flowing, not to please or satisfy other people. It's purely masturbatory and therapeutic until you get to the point where you're playing with others.

Granted, if you think you'd enjoy playing an acoustic, then by all means get one. But I play clean 10% of the time at most and if I had started on an acoustic it wouldnt' have held my attention and captivated me enough to get me to the point where Im at today. No regrets. I'm not hte best guitarist in the world, nowhere near, but I have fun with it and that's all that matters.

Oh and as for acoustic being the easiest way to learn, you can learn chords just as easily on an electric as you can an acoustic. You may not be forced to build as much finger strength immediately, but practice is practice and you'll get better at whatever style you practice at, regardless of what kind of guitar you're playing.

Im sorry, this is just something I feel strongly about because playing an instrument is an immensely wonderful, rewarding experience, and I know in hindsight that had I been forced to start out on an acoustic I wouldn't have enjoyed it enough to stick with it until I got any good at it. It bothers me how many people have picked up a guitar and later quit just because they didnt enjoy it because they were forced to start on some crappy $100 acoustic guitar. If learning on an electric guitar means it's more rewarding for you, then go for it. It's hard enough to stick with it as it is, to put hurdles in front of yourself like "learn on an acoustic" is foolish because it's hard enough to do as it is. And when do you decide you're "Good enough" for an electric? Again, it's just silly because it bothers me how many people have picked it up and quit because tehy didnt like playing an acoustic and would have stuck with it had they played an electric. It's not about following a recipe or roadmap. It's about having fun and enjoying yourself. Do it the way you want to.

I'm in complete agreement with the last part of that, but if you don't have a problem with motivation (in my experience anyway, and I've heard agreement from others) the acoustic is better as a starter because it trains grip and strength in your hands, and the fretboards tend to be wider, the sound harder to produce. That's just my experience though, and I wouldn't be surprised if you've had differently. Everybody learns a different way, and I agree: just as long as you're happy with what comes out on the other end.

[53V3N]

When I was a kid I wanted so badly to be able to play guitar like Randy Rhodes. I talked my mom into helping me get this crazy yellow and blue zebra/tiger-striped electric. I took some lessons and tried to make music come out of the amp but in the end I took up archery. I bet starting out on an acoustic would have been a better idea but I've also come to realize that I'm a tard when it comes to playing an instrument.

[DirtyBird]

I'm in complete agreement with the last part of that, but if you don't have a problem with motivation (in my experience anyway, and I've heard agreement from others) the acoustic is better as a starter because it trains grip and strength in your hands, and the fretboards tend to be wider, the sound harder to produce. That's just my experience though, and I wouldn't be surprised if you've had differently. Everybody learns a different way, and I agree: just as long as you're happy with what comes out on the other end.

I don't believe there is such thing as "not having a problem with motivation" when it comes to guitar. Even if you're one of those special cases, there's no way to know until you get tehre. I've talked to plenty of "motivated" people who quit despite their alleged motivation.

Playing acoustic and playing electric and playing distorted electric are all very different things. The things they have in common can be learned on either acoustic or electric and if you wnat to build finger strength by playing an acoustic you can always do that later, after you get good enough to enjoy it.

I still call BS on it because you build coordination and fingerstrength all day long on an electric. It's just about practicing on whatever you've got. You can't say learning on an acoustic is better because it's harder and then also because it's easier (string tension and fretboard width respectively).

Guitarists are pompous shitbags who think you have to start on acoustic. I think they're just trying to convince newbies to "pay their dues" or something. I've known so many guys who just play chords on an acoustic all day long and I woudln't consider them guitarists (For better or for worse). They're songwriters and/or singers. Just playing chords on an acoustic doesn't make you a guitarist. I can take what I know about music theory from playing guitar and go play a piano, does that make me a pianist? No, it doesn't.

Regardless, for the kind of music that I like, there is very little place for acoustic. The music I enjoy playing is mostly distorted, scale/modal based, and has very few full chords in it and it involves lots of leads and soloing high on the neck. You just can't play stuff like taht on an acoustic. And since that's the kind of music I like to play, I usually dont have nearly as much fun playing acoustic.

It's just about what kind of music you'd like to play.

[JLXC]

Shit now for Rockstart you can play Guitar or Bass, and drums with 4 drums and a foot pedal, and a microphone that actually judges your voice! I played on Expert, and I sang my ass off, and I was passing with like 77-90 percent. It's a blast.

[wickedmint]

ive been playing guitar, acoustic and electric, professionaly and for fun, for 15 years, and i promise you, "Guitar Hero" is in no way, nor could it ever be, harder or as hard as playing an actual guitar. Unless maybe you stick to power chords or something. Im not trying to insult anyone, but thats just the way it is.

As fas as learning to play, I would suggest taking a few lessons, just enough so that you can tune the guitar confidently by yourself and play a few basic chords. Then just practice changing those chords, back and forth, for hours and hours every day until you get it down. Then pick up a couple of books with simplified versions of songs you like and learn to play them. Once you can sing along while switching chords smoothly, your on your way.

[YoungYesrod]

Gunslinger, I would personally suggest that you at the very least take a couple of lessons and tell your teacher that you want to learn as much of the basics as humanly possible in those couple of lessons. After you learn how to hold the guitar right, how to tune right, different tuning, basic chords, how to hold down the fret right, blah blah blah, it will make everything else so much easier.

I would suggest that you not learn by tabs, tabs are usually wrong no matter what. If you take the time to learn by sheet music it will be much more worth it in the end. :thumbsup:

[Phrosty]

I disagree entirely. If you want to play acoustic , then play acoustic. If you dont like the acoustic guitar sound, then there's no sense in punishing yourself by playing a guitar you dont like for the sake of purists. You play an instrument to have fun, to amuse yourself and get your creative juices flowing, not to please or satisfy other people. It's purely masturbatory and therapeutic until you get to the point where you're playing with others.

Granted, if you think you'd enjoy playing an acoustic, then by all means get one. But I play clean 10% of the time at most and if I had started on an acoustic it wouldnt' have held my attention and captivated me enough to get me to the point where Im at today. No regrets. I'm not hte best guitarist in the world, nowhere near, but I have fun with it and that's all that matters.

Oh and as for acoustic being the easiest way to learn, you can learn chords just as easily on an electric as you can an acoustic. You may not be forced to build as much finger strength immediately, but practice is practice and you'll get better at whatever style you practice at, regardless of what kind of guitar you're playing.

Im sorry, this is just something I feel strongly about because playing an instrument is an immensely wonderful, rewarding experience, and I know in hindsight that had I been forced to start out on an acoustic I wouldn't have enjoyed it enough to stick with it until I got any good at it. It bothers me how many people have picked up a guitar and later quit just because they didnt enjoy it because they were forced to start on some crappy $100 acoustic guitar. If learning on an electric guitar means it's more rewarding for you, then go for it. It's hard enough to stick with it as it is, to put hurdles in front of yourself like "learn on an acoustic" is foolish because it's hard enough to do as it is. And when do you decide you're "Good enough" for an electric? Again, it's just silly because it bothers me how many people have picked it up and quit because tehy didnt like playing an acoustic and would have stuck with it had they played an electric. It's not about following a recipe or roadmap. It's about having fun and enjoying yourself. Do it the way you want to.

I'm just saying that, should you want to learn both, it's generally easier to learn the acousitic first.

[DirtyBird]

Gunslinger, I would personally suggest that you at the very least take a couple of lessons and tell your teacher that you want to learn as much of the basics as humanly possible in those couple of lessons. After you learn how to hold the guitar right, how to tune right, different tuning, basic chords, how to hold down the fret right, blah blah blah, it will make everything else so much easier.

I would suggest that you not learn by tabs, tabs are usually wrong no matter what. If you take the time to learn by sheet music it will be much more worth it in the end. :thumbsup:

Eh... tabs are usually wrong (powertabs.net baby! Usually not wrong!) but it's not really about playing something right, it's about having something to play. If tabs give you a base to do that I dont see anything wrong with it.

[YoungYesrod]

I actually learn by tab DirtyBird. In fact that's all I play by. I'm just saying it's probably more efficient and more fun if you learn the hard and right way.

[DirtyBird]

I actually learn by tab DirtyBird. In fact that's all I play by. I'm just saying it's probably more efficient and more fun if you learn the hard and right way.

Try powertabs bro! They're awesome and free! :thumbsup:

[lies on myspace]

Can unnaturally fat fingers prevent someone from being able to play the guitar? I'm asking for myself, not Slinger.

[DirtyBird]

Can unnaturally fat fingers prevent someone from being able to play the guitar? I'm asking for myself, not Slinger.

There are people taht play guitar that dont even have hands, people that dont even have all their fingers.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/14/Django9.jpg
Ring and pinkie fingers were paralyzed at the age of 18. This is Django Reinhardt, world-renowned jazz musician.


http://www.galaxyguitar.com/images/TonyIommi-Thimbles.jpg
Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath. Cut off the tip of his birdie finger and pinkie when he was a teenager. You can see here that his middle finger's tip is a little shiny. ;) Coincidentally, he used very small gauge strings because of his injury, so he could use his homemade prosthesis to keep playing, and the small strings combined with lower tunings practically defined the sound of modern metal! Everyone that tunes low today to be "heavy" got it from Iommi, and he did it out of necessity! :D


I know you just wanted a simple answer, but very few people have the perfect physiology for an instrument as awkward as guitar. But one of the reasons I love this instrument so much is because of that. You can get so much personality out of it just from being yourself alone, that when you really develop your style, it just amplifies in tenfold. There is so much room to express yourself, and it's all about working around your limitations in various ways and exploring your strengths.

As far as fat fingers causing problems... I think I have fat fingers... I can't get a clean A chord out of most guitars because I cant fit my fingers in there very well. But that's fine, it really doesn't matter much to me at all. I can still express myself and work around it. Whether that be playing a truncated version of the chord, getting a guitar with a longer scale, or getting a guitar with a wider fretboard, or simply squeezing my fingers together more.

Physiology doesn't really affect it as much as you think as far as potential goes. Physiology will affect your style much more than it will ever affect your technical ability.

In my opinion, Yngwie Malmsteen has fat fingers when he was heavier... played fine. Probably one of hte most technically talented shredder guitarists of the 80s.

Zl81Mq4llZg
It's certianly not holding him back. ;)

Im just triyng to make sure no one gets discouraged! It's a wonderful thing to learn an instrument, and dont let things like that scare you, you can overcome anything. :)