[wataru]

I'm thinking about taking up the guitar. Does anyone have any advice? I have two major concerns: 1. I'm left handed, and 2. I have little to no musical experience or ability. Before making the plunge on a guitar and lessons I'd like to hear what people have to say.

[rozwado1]

What are your intentions after you learn guitar?

[budster101]

Probably play it... ya think?

[Doofy]

OK... If you're serious about learning, here's some stuff to get (and I'm assuming that you're talking electric, not acoustic)...

• A reasonable guitar. Not too cheap, because the playability of a cheap guitar will discourage you from practising.
• A reasonable amp. Something like a cheap Marshall. A crappy sound will discourage you from practising.
• Something which acts as a drum machine - either a bit of software or an actual drum machine. Timing is kind of important, and it'll give you inspiration.
• A tuner.
• A copy of The Guitar Handbook.

Don't bother with lessons. A bit of dedication and that book are an adequate replacement for lessons.

Regarding your concerns:

1) No worries. Just get a leftie guitar.
2) No worries. Everyone has to start somewhere.

[wataru]

My intentions are honorable, sir. I intend to marry yer geetar right 'n proper.

Seriously, though, this is purely a hobby thing. A potential hobby at that. So I don't plan or want to train seriously to "go pro" or anything like that.

Thanks for the advice, Doofy. I talked to a guy about this and he recommended an acoustic guitar so I don't have to deal with amps and whatnot. I don't have a stong preference either way, but acoustic seems like a good place to start. Is there any particular reason you recommend electric?

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by wataru

Is there any particular reason you recommend electric?

Ummm... ...I'm a metalhead?

Seriously, it's swings and roundabouts.

An acoustic will be easier to deal with from a technical point of view (i.e. not having to adjust the bridge, etc), but will be a little harder to play (due to string tensions and the increased distance between strings and fingerboard). An acoustic will also obviously be cheaper as there's no amp to buy.

An electric will be easier to play (due to a decreased string tension and decreased distance between strings and board) and a bit more fun (because you can experiment with different sounds). Due to the decreased string tension, you'll be able to practice for longer before your fingertips start to bleed.

I guess it's all down to personal preference and what music you intend to be eventually playing. Are your favourite guitarists playing mostly acoustic or mostly electric? Is your idea of fun strumming out a country tune or spanking out a metal riff? I started on electric so maybe I'm a little biased towards it.

[ratter]

I'm lefthanded, but play guitar righty. Just pick one up and hold it each way and strum a bit and, likely, one way will feel a lot more natural than the other, even though you can't actually play anything yet.

As for acoustic vs. electric. I say just go for the one that you'll enjoy playing more. Go for both if you have the funds.

[jonasmac]

Originally Posted by wataru

My intentions are honorable, sir. I intend to marry yer geetar right 'n proper.

Seriously, though, this is purely a hobby thing. A potential hobby at that. So I don't plan or want to train seriously to "go pro" or anything like that.

Thanks for the advice, Doofy. I talked to a guy about this and he recommended an acoustic guitar so I don't have to deal with amps and whatnot. I don't have a stong preference either way, but acoustic seems like a good place to start. Is there any particular reason you recommend electric?

I play guitar and have very limited musical ability. However, I can say that playing the guitar has helped me improve what meager musical talent I do have. I play acoustic. I'm trying electric now, but all the extra stuff can be confusing sometimes.

Just go at it. Learn to play songs you like, and not necessarily what's popular. EVERYONE asks me if I can play "More Than Words." Hate the song. Also, learn to play a couple of tunes for the ladies as well.

What I hear is a man with a guitar in hand is 10x's more attractive.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Doofy

OK... If you're serious about learning, here's some stuff to get (and I'm assuming that you're talking electric, not acoustic)...

• A reasonable guitar. Not too cheap, because the playability of a cheap guitar will discourage you from practising.
• A reasonable amp. Something like a cheap Marshall. A crappy sound will discourage you from practising.
• Something which acts as a drum machine - either a bit of software or an actual drum machine. Timing is kind of important, and it'll give you inspiration.
• A tuner.
• A copy of The Guitar Handbook.

Don't bother with lessons. A bit of dedication and that book are an adequate replacement for lessons.

Regarding your concerns:

1) No worries. Just get a leftie guitar.
2) No worries. Everyone has to start somewhere.

This post should be the default google result when searching for "learn to play guitar".

The only thing I'd add would be the three Ps. Practice, Practice, Practice, and Practice.

[Teronzhul]

I'm learning myself right now, but I'm just picking tabs off the internet. All I can say is, if you get an acoustic, prepare for a week of no feeling in your fingertips =)

[Kevin]

And remember, super glue can make a good fingertip replacement.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Kevin

And remember, super glue can make a good fingertip replacement.

I like liquid skin too.

[loki74]

Heres my advice:

Play rightie. My bro is a leftie too; he plays rightie and is freaking insane. Although I would attribute this more to his "perfect pitch" (a very rare gift) and inherent musical inclination... the point i guess is that it doesnt hold him back, and is much more convienient.

Start with an electric. If you want to play clean you can play clean, and if you really want an acoustic sound you can get an acousitc simulautor. It aint as good as the real thing, but the point is its close enough and you have options--you can play distorted and clean. And don't get a crappy "starter" electric. (You know, the kind that comes with an amp and all...) I reccomend Jacksons.

Don't give up. It's very easy to, especially if you happen to be teahing yourself (are you?). I have the luxury of a teacher who kicks ass... few have this luxury so I am extremely grateful.

Be eclectic. Alexi Laiho is one of the most insane guitarists in the world. As lead guitarist for the death-metal band Children of Bodom, he comes out with some pretty heavy and brutal stuff. What did he study? Rock of course, but classical as well. In fact, the classical influence is recognizable in many of their songs, especially their earlier works. I studied classical as well--learning "Canon in D" greatly helped me with my other playing, electric and acoustic. My brother studied jazz, and benefitted much as a rocker. And if you can play neo-classical stylized death metal, believe me, nearly any common punk song will be a walk in the park. Also, eclecticism is impressive. So many people just go up there and strum one genre and everyone has seen it before. If you can go and pull out a jazz piece, a classical piece, and a punk piece, they will probably be much more impressed not only with your skill, but also with your interesent and dedication to music.

Learn music theory. It is my advice to familiarize yourself with the relationships between the seven scales of the diatonic modal family. These are:

Ionian (aka Major)
Dorian
Phrygian
Lydian
MixoLydian
Aeolean (aka Minor)
Locrian

Once you understand how these scales work and relate to each other (in fact, the are actually all the same scale--literally) You will not only be able to easily pick up and play any scale in any key (assuming it is diatonic) but you will be able to utilize other modal families, deriving them from scales such as the Harmonic Minor and Hungarian Gypsy Minor, etc etc. In so doing, you will not only know how to switch between different scales, but also between different modal scale families.

Once you know a fair amount of musical theory, invest in the Guitar Grimoire.

IF you decide to start with acoustic, DO NOT LIMIT YOURSELF TO REPETITIVELY STRUMMING CHORDS!!! Learn fingerstyle guitar--it sounds much nicer and is more refined. Also, if you can play fingerstyle, getting some pretty tite funky chords should be much easier.

Don't always trust tabs on the net--many of them are simply wrong. Try to learn songs by ear, trial and error, etc. Even if you don't have "perfect pitch," this is possible. Tabs off the net can, however, be a good reference point so you know where to get started.

well thats all I can think of for now. This is all just my opinion, though... its not like I'm some crazy guitar man...(i wish) So if there are any crazy axmen (or women) on this board, take their advice over mine.

[Troll]

My advice would go against some of the advice above. If your inspiration for playing the guitar is big metal solos or Stevie Ray, then you'll want to pick up an electric guitar and immediately start learning scales. Otherwise, you'll want an acoustic guitar and as many chords as you can remember.

My advice:

1) Sign up for lessons. In person is best, but if you don't have the time, there are some online solutions that aren't bad. I've taken some advanced lessons at learnguitar.net and found them to be quite good. In person is no doubt better when you're new to guitar though.

2) Contrary to the advice given elsewhere, at this stage of the game, I wouldn't worry about scales and modes. You want to focus on learning chords and strum patterns at this stage. For the most part, scales teach you how to solo. My desire to solo developed a long time after my desire to play tunes. Once you've learned a couple of chords and are comfortable switching, you can start buying or downloading tabs and that's when your guitar playing will take off. As soon as you can play whatever you want to play, you'll find that you enjoy the guitar much more. At that stage, you might decide to get an electric.

3) Definitely buy an acoustic guitar. It's a heck of a lot easier to go from an acoustic to an electric than the other way around. You want to impress chicks, you need to be able to play an acoustic at a campfire. Electrics are useless around a campfire. Because the acoustic guitar is less forgiving of errors, you'll learn to be more precise. An acoustic rig costs less. You can spend more on a decent guitar rather than spreading your budget out and winding up with a crappy guitar, crappy amp and crappy effects. You can pick an acoustic up and take it anywhere so you wind up practising more. You can feel the vibrations in your chest which for me makes a difference to understanding pitch. The decision you'll need to make is between nylon stringed (classical) and steel string (folk) guitars. Steel strings are the real deal but they hurt your fingers more. You may get frustrated learning on steel. If you go for nylon though, you'll inevitably wind up getting a steel later on. The best is to try both types and see which you prefer. If you're going to get a classical, there are a lot of decently built cheap guitars out there. Yamaha and Takamine make very decent classicals. On the folk side, Washburn have some great cheapish electro-acoustics but they aren't very consistent. Try a few different ones. The Taylor 100 and 200 series guitars or the Big Baby are excellent for the money (if you have it). If you buy a folk guitar, have a luthier set it up properly before you start playing. This is very important. Too many people walk out of the guitar shop thinking they're good to go. It's always best to have a luthier set the action for you.

4) Get a tuner with the guitar. Contact tuners are the best imho.

5) Get a metronome or download one for your computer.

6) Practice. Practice. Practice. However, if you're getting frustrated, put it down and walk away. Come back in an hour and you'll be surprised how much easier it is once your brain and your muscles have recovered.

[Kevin]

Yeah Troll that last bit is true.

I'll be trying some complicated run for hours and not be able to do it smoothly, so I'll get bored and stop playing.

About a hour or so later I will pick it up and do it righ off the bat.

It's about relaxing I think.

[Doofy]

OK, needed to comment on a few points I don't agree with (assume that I'm in agreement with the rest of the comments)...

Originally Posted by loki74

Once you know a fair amount of musical theory, invest in the Guitar Grimoire.

This is a good book, but not essential. Once you know a bit about musical theory you can pretty much work out everything in this book for yourself.

Having said that, the only three guitar books I own are The Guitar Handbook, The Guitar Grimoire vol 1 (scales), The Guitar Grimoire vol 2 (chords).

Originally Posted by Troll

My advice would go against some of the advice above. If your inspiration for playing the guitar is big metal solos or Stevie Ray, then you'll want to pick up an electric guitar and immediately start learning scales. Otherwise, you'll want an acoustic guitar and as many chords as you can remember.

One can also play chords on an electric.

Originally Posted by Troll

3) Definitely buy an acoustic guitar. You can pick an acoustic up and take it anywhere so you wind up practising more.

Likewise, you can practise on an electric in the middle of the night without waking your neighbours - either by unplugging it or by using headphones. You can't turn an acoustic's volume down. Electrics are also portable - one guy I know spent the first couple of years playing an electric which wasn't plugged in and it's no detriment because this guy's playing now will just about kick everyone else's to the kerb.

Originally Posted by Troll

Steel strings are the real deal.

Sorry, but this is complete tripe. Nylon strings are just as much the "real deal" as steel - It's kind of hard to play professional classical guitar on steel strings. The choice between steel or nylon is down to what style you want to play, nothing more, nothing less.

Originally Posted by Troll

5) Get a metronome or download one for your computer.

I suggested the drum machine instead of a metronome because it'll perform the same function yet also let you "rock out" when you just want to casually mess about. Adds a bit of fun to the proceedings when you need it.

Originally Posted by Troll

6) Practice. Practice. Practice. However, if you're getting frustrated, put it down and walk away. Come back in an hour and you'll be surprised how much easier it is once your brain and your muscles have recovered.

Your muscles shouldn't need to recover if you've warmed them up correctly.

My recommendations for this are twofold...
1) Look for an instruction video by John Petrucci, which has a few really good exercises to warm you up.
2) Spend thirty minutes to an hour at the start of each session doing nothing but warm up patterns... ...that is, play 1-2-3-4 on each string, then 2-3-4-5, then 3-4-5-6. and so on. Use different patterns: 1-2-3-4, 4-3-2-1, 1-3-2-4, 1-4-2-3 (etc., etc..)

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by Doofy

OK, needed to comment on a few points I don't agree with (assume that I'm in agreement with the rest of the comments)...



This is a good book, but not essential. Once you know a bit about musical theory you can pretty much work out everything in this book for yourself.

Having said that, the only three guitar books I own are The Guitar Handbook, The Guitar Grimoire vol 1 (scales), The Guitar Grimoire vol 2 (chords).



One can also play chords on an electric.



Likewise, you can practise on an electric in the middle of the night without waking your neighbours - either by unplugging it or by using headphones. You can't turn an acoustic's volume down. Electrics are also portable - one guy I know spent the first couple of years playing an electric which wasn't plugged in and it's no detriment because this guy's playing now will just about kick everyone else's to the kerb.



Sorry, but this is complete tripe. Nylon strings are just as much the "real deal" as steel - It's kind of hard to play professional classical guitar on steel strings. The choice between steel or nylon is down to what style you want to play, nothing more, nothing less.



I suggested the drum machine instead of a metronome because it'll perform the same function yet also let you "rock out" when you just want to casually mess about. Adds a bit of fun to the proceedings when you need it.



Your muscles shouldn't need to recover if you've warmed them up correctly.

My recommendations for this are twofold...
1) Look for an instruction video by John Petrucci, which has a few really good exercises to warm you up.
2) Spend thirty minutes to an hour at the start of each session doing nothing but warm up patterns... ...that is, play 1-2-3-4 on each string, then 2-3-4-5, then 3-4-5-6. and so on. Use different patterns: 1-2-3-4, 4-3-2-1, 1-3-2-4, 1-4-2-3 (etc., etc..)

SMACKDOWN!!!


oops, wrong forum for that... sorry.

I agree with Doofy on all points, and wish I'd gotten his advice when I started playing, would have been a better guitarist today.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Railroader

This post should be the default google result when searching for "learn to play guitar".

Originally Posted by MacNStein

SMACKDOWN!!!

oops, wrong forum for that... sorry.

I agree with Doofy on all points, and wish I'd gotten his advice when I started playing, would have been a better guitarist today.

The cheques are in the mail, gentlemen.

[waxcrash]

I recommend that you start with an acoustic. The strings are a higher tension than electric. You will build calluses faster with better dexterity/strength in your fingers compared to an electric. When you switch to an electric - it will be so much easier. Also, an electric is more forgiving of mistakes, whereas an acoustic is not - which will make you a better player. I've seen some great electric guitar players that sound like crap when they play acoustic. You can get a good beginner acoustic for around $200 and once you get better trade it in for something better.

[AB^2=BCxAC]

AB's sensible guitar questionnaire:

1. What kind of music do you want to play along with?

Don't answer all kinds. Pick your predominant favorite genre, like Blues or Alternative rock, and then choose your favorite group. For example: if you admire the Edge from U2 or Kaiser Cheifs, you're going to want an electric guitar eventually, so get started there. If you prefer Dave Matthews or Johnny Cash, then you'll probably want an acoustic. Consider the fact that to teach yourself for enjoyment, you'll want to strum/play along with your favorite guitar music, so you might as well play what they're playing. Eventually, the decision between acoustic or electric will resolve itself because if you're into modern music, you'll likely want both.

2. How much money have you got?

Seriously, don't spend less than $300. It's like getting into cameras, where a good amateur setup is at least $600 to $1000. The same goes for regular guitars. If money is tight, go used, and get a friend's advice. You'll need to buy at least a guitar, extra strings, and pay for "set-up" (about another $30), which is where the repair desk adjusts the bridge and everything properly for playing because most "factory" or old guitars need some TLC. Electric guitars need a cheap amp and cable. You'll probably also want a handheld guitar tuner to put the guitar strings at the right pitch if you don't trust your ears. And hardshell cases are always better than "gig bags". A free "gig bag" is an insult.

3. Can you spot a hunk of junk?

Probably not if you're just starting. If an acoustic guitar is thickly laminated with shellac or the frets are like sharp, jutting metal, it's a hunk of junk. If the neck of the guitar is a bit loose from the body, avoid it. If you hear a lot of static through the amp and there's no 'gain' or 'distortion' effect turned on, the pick-ups or wiring of the guitar are probably going to need to be fixed. If they tell you that the strings are still going to be really high off the neck after setup, then avoid it. Strings should lie close and evenly all along the fretboard.

4. Can you spot a deal?

Epiphone is the cheap name brand of Gibson Guitars; Squire is the cheap name brand for Fender; Ibanez for electrics and Washburn for acoustic are quality cheap name brands. There are nice custom guitar houses in Canada and the southern US that have inexpensive guitars, but for the most part there is a lot of trash imported from overseas without any real quality assurance. The cheap name brands suck at the very bottom end ($150 guitars), but generally offer okay mid-range quality ($250-$350).

5. Do you want to read music?

Yes? Take lessons. Seriously. No? Get guitar books with tabs. These show you what string and fret you need to hit at what time to get the note for a song. Tabs are easy to figure out without knowing music, and you can decipher Jimmy Hendrix or complicated finger picking much easier.

[xi_hyperon]

Originally Posted by Troll

My advice would go against some of the advice above. If your inspiration for playing the guitar is big metal solos or Stevie Ray, then you'll want to pick up an electric guitar and immediately start learning scales. Otherwise, you'll want an acoustic guitar and as many chords as you can remember.

My advice:

1) Sign up for lessons. In person is best, but if you don't have the time, there are some online solutions that aren't bad. I've taken some advanced lessons at learnguitar.net and found them to be quite good. In person is no doubt better when you're new to guitar though.

2) Contrary to the advice given elsewhere, at this stage of the game, I wouldn't worry about scales and modes. You want to focus on learning chords and strum patterns at this stage. For the most part, scales teach you how to solo. My desire to solo developed a long time after my desire to play tunes. Once you've learned a couple of chords and are comfortable switching, you can start buying or downloading tabs and that's when your guitar playing will take off. As soon as you can play whatever you want to play, you'll find that you enjoy the guitar much more. At that stage, you might decide to get an electric.

3) Definitely buy an acoustic guitar. It's a heck of a lot easier to go from an acoustic to an electric than the other way around. You want to impress chicks, you need to be able to play an acoustic at a campfire. Electrics are useless around a campfire. Because the acoustic guitar is less forgiving of errors, you'll learn to be more precise. An acoustic rig costs less. You can spend more on a decent guitar rather than spreading your budget out and winding up with a crappy guitar, crappy amp and crappy effects. You can pick an acoustic up and take it anywhere so you wind up practising more. You can feel the vibrations in your chest which for me makes a difference to understanding pitch. The decision you'll need to make is between nylon stringed (classical) and steel string (folk) guitars. Steel strings are the real deal but they hurt your fingers more. You may get frustrated learning on steel. If you go for nylon though, you'll inevitably wind up getting a steel later on. The best is to try both types and see which you prefer. If you're going to get a classical, there are a lot of decently built cheap guitars out there. Yamaha and Takamine make very decent classicals. On the folk side, Washburn have some great cheapish electro-acoustics but they aren't very consistent. Try a few different ones. The Taylor 100 and 200 series guitars or the Big Baby are excellent for the money (if you have it). If you buy a folk guitar, have a luthier set it up properly before you start playing. This is very important. Too many people walk out of the guitar shop thinking they're good to go. It's always best to have a luthier set the action for you.

4) Get a tuner with the guitar. Contact tuners are the best imho.

5) Get a metronome or download one for your computer.

6) Practice. Practice. Practice. However, if you're getting frustrated, put it down and walk away. Come back in an hour and you'll be surprised how much easier it is once your brain and your muscles have recovered.

Best advice in the thread. Definitely go for some lessons, especially if you've no musical experience. Find someone who can work with you on the music theory, and teach you the CAGED sequence. The theory will help you eventually be able to create your own stuff as well as improvise, and the CAGED will help you get the main chords down quickly. Lastly, lessons provide a real structure to your learning, and help reinforce the self-discipline you're going to need if you are serious about learning. Good luck!

[loki74]

Originally Posted by Doofy

1) Look for an instruction video by John Petrucci, which has a few really good exercises to warm you up.

Oh HELL yes.

Originally Posted by Doofy

2) Spend thirty minutes to an hour at the start of each session doing nothing but warm up patterns... ...that is, play 1-2-3-4 on each string, then 2-3-4-5, then 3-4-5-6. and so on. Use different patterns: 1-2-3-4, 4-3-2-1, 1-3-2-4, 1-4-2-3 (etc., etc..)

Well I dunno about 30 mins to an hour.. once you can do it pretty good, you don't need it as much IMO. But that is a very effective exercise, I remember doing it tons myself.

---------------

As for getting lessons... I would say definately be very careful. Make sure you don't get someone who will limit your perspective/horizon into one way of thinking. Try to find a teacher who is willing to think outside of the box.

Best of luck!

[wataru]

Well I've heard just about every conflicting piece of advice possible: Get a leftie guitar / learn to play as a rightie; go acoustic / go electric; take lessons / learn on your own; learn music theory and scales, modes, etc. / don't bother with that stuff yet... I'm more confused now than I was before I started this thread.

[Troll]

Yeah, poor you. Okay, let me try to smackdown Doofy's smackdown and give you some clarity. I've been playing guitar for about 27 years and there are still loads of things I don't know and loads of basic things that I do "wrong". For instance, I don't hold the pick the way the book says you should and when I'm fingerpicking, my thumb is closer to my fingers than the book says it should be. I had a chat with a guitarist called Tommy Emmanuel a few weeks back and the discussion made me realise that there are so many different ways to approach the guitar. There is no single right way. Tommy smacks his guitar with a steel brush. He plays with 5 capos sometimes. That's not in any manual you'll ever read. He learned to play the guitar by listening to the radio. No one told him which way round to hold the guitar or how to pick. In fact, he learned to play Chet Atkins songs without a thumb pick and only realised the "trick" when he saw a picture of Chet. And Tommy is considered one of, if not the best living guitarist.

Basically, what I'm saying is that there isn't a single right answer here. There are some guidelines we can throw down for you but there are as many ways to approach the guitar as there are guitars.

So, some more guidelines:

1) Leftie vs. Rightie
Whatever's more comfortable for you. Judging by left-handed friends of mine, it's not that difficult for a left handed person to learn to play right-handed. Bear in mind that both hands are working pretty hard on a guitar so you're going to have coordination problems on both hands. Left handed people that play right have an advantage when it comes to fingering but they sometimes find picking and strumming slightly harder. Sit down with a guitar and see which one feels more comfortable. That said, I'd just warn you that leftie guitars are more expensive and more difficult to come by and this cost and availability problem gets worse the more you progress. There aren't a whole lot of lefties going cheap on eBay. So if it feels weird either way around, or feels good either way around, get a rightie.

2) Acoustic v Electric
I've already weighed in on this one. I take Doofy's point about playing at night but that's about the only point I'd consider. If you're in a small apartment with ratty neighbours, then you have no real choice but to get an electric and play with headphones. If you're joining a metal band once you can play, then you can also forget about an acoustic.

For a beginner, I strongly believe that an acoustic is the right way to go for the reasons I mentioned. I'll say a few more things though. Most guitarists have followed the acoustic - electric route. When I perform solo, it's always with an acoustic and I think that applies to most musicians. When last did you see a guy with an electric and a mic capturing an audience? Around a campfire, an electric is useless and this is all the audience most of us are ever going to get. A majority of guitar-playing musicians write their music on acoustics first. I think that's because there's an elemental connection with a piece of vibrating wood that you don't get with an electric. Incredible things are done with just a voice and an acoustic guitar by a heck of a lot of people. I love my electric guitar but if I only had one guitar, it would be an acoustic.

I personally feel that the first experience of filling a room with the sound of a piece of wood vibrating and your voice doesn't compare to the experience of filling your earphones with the solo from "Welcome to the Jungle" or even with the sound of Kumbaya coming out of your Marshall but that's probably also because I didn't develop a desire to play the solo from Welcome to the Jungle until much later.

That said, if you have a good idea what kind of music you want to play and it's the kind of music that is played on an electric, then perhaps do go the electric route. Tell us what music you like. Of course, the compromise would be to get an acoustic/electric (an acoustic guitar with a microphone or pickup inside so it can be amplified) or something like a Taylor T5 (if you have a few thousand dollars to spare).

3) Chords and Scales
I think my point on this score was misunderstood. I'm not saying that you can't play chords on an electric guitar. You can although it's not the electric guitar's forte, imho. Listen to most songs out there and you'll find an acoustic guitar carrying the rhythm. When you think of electric guitar music, you don't think of Tracy Chapman strumming away, do you?

But that wasn't my really my point. My point was that for me, it's much more important for a beginner to learn chords so that he can start making music quickly and maintain interest in the guitar. Scales can come later. Something clicks the first time you are able to sing along as you play "Kumbaya" . I can't see the same gratification coming from getting through the Ionian mode in the key of G for the first time. If you want to see your guitar wind up in the corner never getting played again, get a guitar and start by learning scales! Personally, I think you can learn why a G chord uses the notes and what the Phrygian mode is later. For now, better to just learn the shape of a G chord off by heart and start banging away.

Once you've got a few chords under your belt (let's say 6 weeks or so), then you can start exploring tabs that use the chords you know and you'll learn more and more chords until you can play a lot of songs. Then you'll want to be able to do some of the fills and the lead bits in the songs you know and you might want to learn how lead guitarists can improvise the way they do. That's when you learn scales. That might also be the time that you decide that you'd like an electric guitar as well. But, for me, you want to get up and running with a few songs first and leave the technical stuff to later.

4) Nylon v Steel
Okay, I concede, steel is not the real deal ... for everyone. I assumed you weren't interested in learning classical or Spanish guitar which is why I said that steel strings are the real deal. Let's put it this way, most of the songs on the radio that feature acoustic guitars feature steel stringed guitars. Again, a nylon stringed guitar is going to be more forgiving but most people are going to grow out of it quicker.

If I were you, I'd find a decent cheapish acoustic electric (consider using us to help you find one on eBay), take it to a luthier and have him set it up for you and then go and get some lessons. If you really want to become an electric player, fine, but wait until you've got some of the techniques down on the acoustic first.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Troll

...campfire...
...Tracy Chapman...

Hippie!

[Gee4orce]

If you have Garageband on your Mac, and an audio in mini-jack, you don't need a guitar tuner OR an amp. Garageband will do both of those jobs (so long as you don't mind having to play infront of your Mac all the time !) You don't NEED an amp to play an electric guitar either - in fact, at first you might be happier if nobody else can hear the noise that you are creating !A non-amped electric guitar is loud enough to hear for yourself in a relatively quiet environment.

Forget about scales and chords at first ! At least, don't worry about the theory and the names for things. Find a song you like, one with a nice guitar part that's relatively simple. Then find the guitar tab online for it - there are loads of site for this, search Google. This will tell you the fingering required (or the chords, if it's strummed) to play the song. I guarantee that the first time you hear yourself play something recognisable you'll be hooked !

Don't expect miracles, but at the same time don't worry about needing hours and hours of practice. Playing the guitar is all about programming your fingers to do strange things. At first you'll feel very awkward, but soon enough you'll get the hand of it. The more you practice, the better you'll get - and remember that EVERYBODY who plays the guitar has had to go through this process.

Good luck - and don't forget who gave you all this good advice when you're a rich and famous Rock God

[Gee4orce]

Oh - and buy a decent guitar lead. You won't believe how much difference this can make to the sound...

[ShotgunEd]

Ok, for the left/right contention, just try both in the store, see what hand is better at fretting notes and which is better at picking/strumming. You don't need to be able to play guitar to make this distinction.

When I started when I was 16 I started with a really crap acoustic guitar. The strings were about a mile away from the fetboard and I gave up after like a week.

A year later I bought an acoustic with a really low action and was a dream to play. It was tough at first, with my fingertips being sore and what not but soon I developed calluses.

I used lessons on the Internet, a few different books and started to read tab. It wasn't long before I could tell when the tab was incorrect because it sounded wrong.

I started to try to figure out how to play songs by ear, listening to the bass notes first, and working ot the chords from there.

I know people who recommend getting chord books with like 300 chords in them. This is completely unnecessary. If you learn your major and minor chords in a few different positions then you can figure out the minor sevenths and stuff later.

Listen to music. If you are into your guitar bands or your folk or county music then you can listen out for the guitar parts and start to think hmm, that sounds like a G, then you try it, realise its a C and learn from there. I listen to my iPod loads, and I'm nearly always thinking about the music, be it the guitar, the drums, the bass or even the banjo.

Play along with songs you like, it'll help your timing and you should be able to tell if you are playing correctly. I'm big into neil young, and quite a lot of his songs are played with simple C, G and Am chords.

Try to sing at the same time as playing. This is tough to begin with, its like patting your head and rubbing your stomach. I know a pretty good rhtyhm guitarist who can't say a word whilst playing. I couldn't do it at the start either then all of a sudden I realised I could.

Try some different styles of guitar playing, strumming, finger picking, and lead.

Try and take some theory on board, if you understand how notes, chords, keys and scales interact, then you are landed.

Look at a map of the fretboard (a diagram with the notes for each fret and each string). You'll notice patterns, then all you'll have to do is learn the notes on the E and A strings and you'll be able to figure the rest out from there.

I'd definitely recommend an acoustic over an electric because you can play it anywhere, take it to parties etc and get a nice sound out of it.

You can get an electric later, when a) you are willing to spend more money on your new hobby, and b) you won't get distracted by all the cool sounds and distortion and reverb and feedback and stuff.

[Troll]

I tell you what Wataru, why don't you list 5 songs (that feature guitars) that you'd like to learn. That'll help us help you.

[undotwa]

Originally Posted by loki74

Learn music theory. It is my advice to familiarize yourself with the relationships between the seven scales of the diatonic modal family. These are:

Ionian (aka Major)
Dorian
Phrygian
Lydian
MixoLydian
Aeolean (aka Minor)
Locrian

Once you understand how these scales work and relate to each other (in fact, the are actually all the same scale--literally) You will not only be able to easily pick up and play any scale in any key (assuming it is diatonic) but you will be able to utilize other modal families, deriving them from scales such as the Harmonic Minor and Hungarian Gypsy Minor, etc etc. In so doing, you will not only know how to switch between different scales, but also between different modal scale families.

As a lover of Gregorian Chant and other modal music, I would be most inclined to recommend to learn the traditional Church modes. However for the purposes of the guitar they are most pointless. What percentage of guitar music would utilise modes other than the Ionian or Aeolian modes? If you want to become a 'muso' and are genuinely interested in music theory and classical music, then sure, a thorough understanding of the modal systems is necessary. For the purposes of the guitar and strumming chords, one really only has to know how triads work, intervals and the relationship between the major and minor scales. Don't confuse the poor lad! Anyway, here is a good web site which outlines the basic of music theory:

musictheory.net

It also contains many ear training exercises which help develop your sense of pitch.

[wataru]

I borrowed a friend's metal-stringed acoustic guitar and I'm playing it right-handed. Right now I'm using the about.com guide. I can't do the first listed chords (G major, C major, D major) for the life of me. How do you twist your hand into those configurations!? I guess I either need a lot of practice, or surgically enhanced hands.

[loki74]

Originally Posted by undotwa

As a lover of Gregorian Chant and other modal music, I would be most inclined to recommend to learn the traditional Church modes. However for the purposes of the guitar they are most pointless. What percentage of guitar music would utilise modes other than the Ionian or Aeolian modes? If you want to become a 'muso' and are genuinely interested in music theory and classical music, then sure, a thorough understanding of the modal systems is necessary. For the purposes of the guitar and strumming chords, one really only has to know how triads work, intervals and the relationship between the major and minor scales. Don't confuse the poor lad! Anyway, here is a good web site which outlines the basic of music theory:

musictheory.net

It also contains many ear training exercises which help develop your sense of pitch.

Very interesting. I would definately agree, traditional Church modes can produce some very beautiful sounds. As for going beyond Aeolian and Ionian--well this happens a LOT! You sound pretty well versed in musical theory, so I assume you know what tension/resolution is? If you ask me, the easiest way to achieve this (quick-fix if you will) is to play in the Locrian (tension) and then the Ionian (resolution). I also use the Phrygian a lot, in conjunctio with the Dorian. The ones I rarely use are the Lydian and MixoLydian. Especially the MixoLydian, mainly because in the way I have them memorized, its the only mode with a wholetone set on one string, which I don't like.

===============

Wataru--well, if the G, C, and D seem to tough, why not start easy? Try the E minor chord...IIRC first freet on the A and D strings, all others open.

Regarding whoose adivice to take, obviously I'm pretty much on the same page as Doofy, myself. Although instead of taking anyone's advice word for word, why not use our replies to find out the good and bad of each option, and decide what suits you best?

Oh and BTW remember, Elephants And Dogs Got Big ears. EADGBe.

[lothar56]

I don't know if I'm too late with my advice, but here it is:
When I first started, I got a left-handed accoustic, because it felt a lot more natural. Since then I've gotten a right-handed electric, and it's just about as easy to play. So I really recommend going right-handed. It will probably be a tad cheaper too.

[saddino]

My advice: whatever level you're at during your studies, pick songs you love to work out. At first, you'll be thrilled just to play the correct chords along with your favorites. This is the key to keeping yourself practicing. As you progress, keep working songs out, but start applying your evolving skills.

The way to keep yourself interested in music is to play music you're interested in.

Depending on your level of commitment, there's always time to get into theory, improvisation, orchestration, writing, etc. Don't get discouraged, and keep it up. You'll get better, you just have to be patient. After a year of picking up your guitar whenever you can, you'll be better than most of the people who have ever tried to play.

[undotwa]

Originally Posted by loki74

Very interesting. I would definately agree, traditional Church modes can produce some very beautiful sounds.

Not merely beautiful but divine.

As for going beyond Aeolian and Ionian--well this happens a LOT! You sound pretty well versed in musical theory, so I assume you know what tension/resolution is? If you ask me, the easiest way to achieve this (quick-fix if you will) is to play in the Locrian (tension) and then the Ionian (resolution).

If possible, could you show me a musical example (link to a score or something)? I've rarely seen the Locrian mode used in conjunction with the Ionian mode and I would be interested to see what you mean.

I also use the Phrygian a lot, in conjunctio with the Dorian. The ones I rarely use are the Lydian and MixoLydian. Especially the MixoLydian, mainly because in the way I have them memorized, its the only mode with a wholetone set on one string, which I don't like.

Do you play any renaissance instruments?

I myself am an organist/pianist. I do not claim any real depth of knowledge in Church modes other than an amateur interest.

[undotwa]

Originally Posted by loki74

Try the E minor chord...

That is the only chord I can play on the guitar So whenever I try to play the guitar I play exclusively in this key and on the first string

[Kevin]

Or you could just play what your ears tells what sounds good.

Some people were born with the gift of being able to put notes together without learning theory. And they do a fine job.

Of course I am not slamming theory, I know a bit myself.

But it isn't required to make music.

[wataru]

I have no musical sense like that. Maybe I'll slowly develop one, but I think winging it at this point is just going to piss off the neighbors.

I mentioned those chords because that's what the about.com guide tells you to do first. I will try looking around at other guides and whatnot. And I imagine practice will make things much easier (eventually).

[villalobos]

Originally Posted by undotwa

musictheory.net

It also contains many ear training exercises which help develop your sense of pitch.

Wow I STILL suck at chord recognition. I remember having those melodies with chord that we were supposed to listen to and write down. I have no ear, that is pitiful....
Interesting to review that stuff in English... Glad I don't have to deal with that anymore though...

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by villalobos

Wow I STILL suck at chord recognition.

http://www.wubbahed.com/trove/ might help.

[villalobos]

Originally Posted by Doofy

http://www.wubbahed.com/trove/ might help.

Oops, I meant identifying chords by ear, not on a piece of paper. My ears just suck....

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by villalobos

Oops, I meant identifying chords by ear, not on a piece of paper.

Yeah, I know. Install that to your Dashboard then click the little arrow at the bottom left of the panel - you'll get the chord notes sounding individually then as a chord. (note: it's kinda quiet, so volume up!)

Maybe it'll help. Maybe not. Maybe it'll help the OP some.

[Troll]

Originally Posted by wataru

I borrowed a friend's metal-stringed acoustic guitar and I'm playing it right-handed. Right now I'm using the about.com guide. I can't do the first listed chords (G major, C major, D major) for the life of me. How do you twist your hand into those configurations!? I guess I either need a lot of practice, or surgically enhanced hands.

They're telling you what finger to put on what string, right? If so, surgically enhanced hands are optional. With practise, you'll be able to play those no problem.

[villalobos]

Originally Posted by Doofy

Yeah, I know. Install that to your Dashboard then click the little arrow at the bottom left of the panel - you'll get the chord notes sounding individually then as a chord. (note: it's kinda quiet, so volume up!)

Maybe it'll help. Maybe not. Maybe it'll help the OP some.

Well I have been playing the guitar for 20+ years now so.... I believe my case is hopeless. Neither the playing nor the 8 years of music theory helped too much...

Nice widget tho.

[undotwa]

Originally Posted by villalobos

Well I have been playing the guitar for 20+ years now so.... I believe my case is hopeless. Neither the playing nor the 8 years of music theory helped too much...

Nice widget tho.

I too experience difficulty in identifying chords, especially seventh chords. When the chords are played one note at a time, it's not too difficult for me though.