[Woffy]

I'm attempting to learn guitar for the 3rd time (my impatience has always bested me in the past).

Im using Justinguitar to learn; at the moment it's doing as many chord changes (with A, E & D) as I can in a minute and spending time just plucking the chords and then picking the notes to make sure they sound good.

I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket so looking for some experienced players feedback on:

• How you learned?
• How often do you think I should practice to play basic songs quickly?
• Do you agree with the above method?

Thanks

[Waldstein]

With guitar, I'm mostly self taught and like you it took a few attempts. I just learned the basic chord shapes first and once this was done I'd learn songs by ear. I learned how to read tab quite early also.

I've heard great reports about Justinguitar and I think it's great that you're also learning rhythmic things like chord changes per minute. Sometimes, I think people can get so focused on learning chords that the rhythmic side can get completely lost and undeveloped. At the same time though, don't get too overwhelmed by trying to master too many things simultaneously. My advice here would be try to set goals and feel confident with the area you're covering before moving on to the next.

Another suggestion is to find others to play with (if you can) because it's a great way to learn. Most people are helpful enough and won't mind if you're a 'novice'. Everyone had to start somewhere.

I'd say practice every day if you can even if even for a short time. You'll definitely notice the improvement that way as you're constantly refreshing what you've learned. The more you practice, the more automatic and fluid your chord changes will become.

Learn simple songs as you go along so you can just pick up your guitar and play.

Lastly, just enjoy it.

[Zuree]

Sorry to but in on the thread...
but I also want to start learning guitar and know nothing whatsoever.

So my question is what guitar should I buy to start with? Any recommendations as there's so many different types it's confusing!

I want an acoustic guitar btw

[thecakeofkorea]

My pops taught me, out in the back shed on the farm strumming along the chords to the auld anthems. The sun creeping in the window framed the moment, the sweet smell of rural life. I was six years old, on my school holidays when I took an interest in music (and I'm talking about real music, of course). I learned by the process of trial and error until I could strum an entire song after about a month. Every afternoon at three thirty, pops would teach me some chords. It was the best time of my life.

Nowadays people are learning guitar off the Internet. Where have the good old days gone? This thread makes me sick. Why don't you search Google for somewhere you can illegally download a soul?

[unique]

i got a chord book which showed the basics, and then a beatles song/tab book, as most people know the beatles songs so you know if you are playing them right, whereas some of the self teach books teach you songs from over 100 years ago, plus the beatles have many simple songs with simple chords, so they are easy to play

if i tried with another artist i liked i'd probably struggle. some floyd is easy to play the chords, others is more tricky for example. some weller is simple, likewise oasis

[Woffy]

Originally Posted by thecakeofkorea

Why don't you search Google for somewhere you can illegally download a soul?

Sorry, what has using the internet to learn guitar got to do with illegal downloading?

[Leightonisme]

I'm learning 1st hand from my other half. Seems easy enough once you get the hang of the strings.

[Woffy]

Yeah, I'm slowly but surely getting faster at changing chords - nowhere near fast enough to attempt a song though!

I'm taking a note of how many chord changes I get in a minute so I can see the improvement to keep me motivated.

Hoping I can learn Blowin' in the Wind in the next coupe of weeks

[grps3]

How you learned?

i learned from youtube also
i also used justin sandercoe videos , and still do occasionally , but i mostly use Marty Schwarz...he has a few different channels(i'll link them at end of post)


How often should you practice?

id say at least half hour a day to begin with, but when i first started , my fingers/hands really hurt after a few mins, so i just played until it felt uncomfortable, a few sessions a day.
id also recommend learning the chords

C , AMinor, F, AND G
Once you get those chords down you can play millions of songs....every song in this video for example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pidokakU4I ...they are all played with those 4 chords


also practice finger picking/scales once you get hang of holding chords and changing between them

Do you agree with the above method? yes absolutely, when i first purchased my guitar i knew nothing , justin taught me chords and marty taught me songs



here is links for marty's channels he has a ton of really easy songs and is awesome teacher

http://www.youtube.com/user/guitarjamzdotcom?ob=4

http://www.youtube.com/user/martyzsongs

http://www.youtube.com/user/youcanlearnguitar

if you subscribe and add yourself to mailing list, he sends out ebook that covers all chords he uses in his videos

good luck and keep trying
practice as much as you can , and once you learn a bit more , start trying to figure out songs on your own , and attempt tuning by ear and check with tuner(you will eventually not need tuner)
also download or buy a metronome as they great for helping keep time

[ags_rule]

Originally Posted by thecakeofkorea

My pops taught me, out in the back shed on the farm strumming along the chords to the auld anthems. The sun creeping in the window framed the moment, the sweet smell of rural life. I was six years old, on my school holidays when I took an interest in music (and I'm talking about real music, of course). I learned by the process of trial and error until I could strum an entire song after about a month. Every afternoon at three thirty, pops would teach me some chords. It was the best time of my life.

Nowadays people are learning guitar off the Internet. Where have the good old days gone? This thread makes me sick. Why don't you search Google for somewhere you can illegally download a soul?

What a total WUM post, not even worth addressing.

I've been playing guitar for the past six years. To answer the OPs questions:

How you learned?
A mixture of a few different methods. I had a beginner's guitar book that I used for getting the absolute basics, such as chord shapes, hand placements etc.

Mostly, however, I went to ultimate-guitar.com, learnt how to read tabs, and just went methodically through my music library looking for easy tracks to learn. I mixed and matched between chords and riff-orientated songs - often I was just learning sections of songs rather than full songs, which is absolutely fine, as it's all building up your experience.

I don't know what sort of music you're into, but there's a rock band called Audioslave who are fantastic for beginning to learn guitar, as they have a great mix of chords and riffs. In particular, check out their 'Out Of Exile' album, particularly the tracks: "Doesn't Remind Me" and "Dandelion" for simple chord progressions, and "Your Time Has Come" and "Be Yourself" for riffs (the latter song also has the first solo I ever learnt).

How often should you practice?
How long is a piece of string? It all depends how quickly you want to progress. I've been playing for six years, yet there's folks who have only been playing for three years who are better than me, simply because they practiced more. It's only the past 2 years I've really started to amp up my practice time and have reaped the rewards.

As a general rule of thumb, about an hour a day sounds good, but really, just practice when you can. Even when you don't have a guitar on you, practice making the chord shapes with your other arm as a fretboard (sounds ridiculous, I know, but you'd be shocked how well it works), and hold an imaginary pick to practice your strumming and picking.

Do you agree with the above method?
You do what works best for YOU. There are lots of different ways to learn guitar and lots of different styles to play, and therefore, the way you learn will reflect that. But I definitely think that, regardless of what you want to play, the best way to learn is just to find songs and practice them. All this business about just changing chords as fast as you can in a minute might sound fine in theory, but in my opinion, you'll bore yourself silly. Find some songs which achieve the same thing and it's a lot more fun!

I noticed another poster saying something about learning rhythm as well - this is something I can't really comment on. I'm not trying to be big-headed or anything, but I always "got" rhythm. I never had to learn it - I suppose since I learnt piano when I was younger, and violin too, that I already had some experience with that, plus I listened to a lot of rock/metal music and got rhythm ingrained in my mind. I remember my friend started to learn guitar around the same time as me, and one day after about six months of practice, we got together to jam and try and work out a Foo Fighters song, and he kept asking me "And how many times do I strum that?" A lot of folks like to be told "strum this measure six times etc." I never did that. I was always able to figure out the rhythm from the other instruments. I've never used a metronome either, again, because I've never needed one. So I honestly can't help you with how to learn rhythm, because in my experience, it's just something I picked up on naturally!

One last thing I'd say is that the absolute hardest time playing guitar is that first month-six weeks. STICK WITH IT! Once you break through that barrier and learn your first few songs, and start to get more competent, it's only uphill from there. Sure, there'll be times when you hit a peak and need to challenge yourself to progress even further, but there's certainly no time more frustrating as a guitar player than when you're first starting out. That's why so many people have a guitar in their house, and yet surprisingly few can play it - because they didn't have the will to persevere. DON'T GIVE UP - I can honestly say being able to play guitar is one of the best things I have in my life. It's a fantastic instrument with such a wide range of expression, and being able to tap into that is a real privilege.

[Woffy]

Thanks for all the message guys, a lot of great methods for me to look at.

I think I'll make an attempt on a song tonight.

I was wondering how you know whether to strum up or down; is it just a matter of how it sounds and adapting until it's correct?

[Waldstein]

Originally Posted by Zuree

Sorry to but in on the thread...
but I also want to start learning guitar and know nothing whatsoever.

So my question is what guitar should I buy to start with? Any recommendations as there's so many different types it's confusing!

I want an acoustic guitar btw

Zuree, I could start listing you brands but really the easiest thing is to go into your local guitar shop and ask their advice. Pick up a few guitars that they suggest and see how they feel in your hands. Best of luck with it.

[ags_rule]

Originally Posted by Woffy

Thanks for all the message guys, a lot of great methods for me to look at.

I think I'll make an attempt on a song tonight.

I was wondering how you know whether to strum up or down; is it just a matter of how it sounds and adapting until it's correct?

That's how I've always worked it, yes. Some good YouTube videos for songs will show you strumming patterns for more complex arrangements, but most of the time you should be able to pick it up by ear.

Just another note on the other poster who said they want an acoustic guitar - are you absolutely sure about that? There is a false notion that an acoustic is somehow easier to learn on than an electric because it's more "raw". The truth is that an acoustic has thicker strings, a wider neck, higher action and a larger body - these all make it more difficult to learn on. An electric is a sleeker instrument and the cost differentials between them aren't huge - you're maybe looking an extra £50-75 for an electric and an amp.

I started on electric and then bought an acoustic a few years later.

[Zuree]

Originally Posted by Waldstein

Zuree, I could start listing you brands but really the easiest thing is to go into your local guitar shop and ask their advice. Pick up a few guitars that they suggest and see how they feel in your hands. Best of luck with it.

Thanks, I think I'm gonna go today. (Just feel bad as I don't want to buy one first hand, too expensive! )

Didn't realise how many different aspects there are to take in to account. I have small hands so need a smaller neck, but also want the strings not too far apart I guess!

[ags_rule]

Originally Posted by Zuree

Thanks, I think I'm gonna go today. (Just feel bad as I don't want to buy one first hand, too expensive! )

Didn't realise how many different aspects there are to take in to account. I have small hands so need a smaller neck, but also want the strings not too far apart I guess!

As I was saying, an electric is easier to learn on. I have small hands too, and so I can only imagine how difficult it would have been to learn on an acoustic with thick strings and a wide neck. Once you get comfortable with an electric though you learn how to compensate when playing acoustic.

[Zuree]

Originally Posted by ags_rule

As I was saying, an electric is easier to learn on. I have small hands too, and so I can only imagine how difficult it would have been to learn on an acoustic with thick strings and a wide neck. Once you get comfortable with an electric though you learn how to compensate when playing acoustic.

Hmm I appreciate that but I don't really like the sound of electric guitars. I really want to learn acoustic as it's the kind of music I like but I get what you're saying

[jonner101]

Originally Posted by ags_rule

That's how I've always worked it, yes. Some good YouTube videos for songs will show you strumming patterns for more complex arrangements, but most of the time you should be able to pick it up by ear.

Just another note on the other poster who said they want an acoustic guitar - are you absolutely sure about that? There is a false notion that an acoustic is somehow easier to learn on than an electric because it's more "raw". The truth is that an acoustic has thicker strings, a wider neck, higher action and a larger body - these all make it more difficult to learn on. An electric is a sleeker instrument and the cost differentials between them aren't huge - you're maybe looking an extra £50-75 for an electric and an amp.

I started on electric and then bought an acoustic a few years later.

I think the main benefit of starting out on an acoustic is there is no setting up needed, just pick up and play and it's more suited to solo playing. You will need to build up strength in your hands and callouses on your fingers anyway before it really becomes comfortable. You can always put a set of electric guitar strings on an steel acoustic anyhow if you want to start with lighter strings. Only nylon Classical acoustics have a much wider neck than electrics.

I think Yamaha guitars are generally the best beginners as they are good value and generally don't suffer the bad intonation and stay in tune much better than some of some of the really cheap and nasty 'argos' types

[Capablanca]

My brother taught me the basic chords when we were kids. We found a guitar in a skip and he taught himself with the help of a book that showed the chord shapes and he showed me.

I found a chord book of Beatles tunes really useful to learn more chords.

A few year back I decided to start playing again and learn lead guitar. I found Justin's videos really useful. I also use Audacity to slow some solos down to figure them out. It's a lot easier than the old days of ruining records by flicking the stylus backward and forwards!

Good luck and stick with it - one day you'll pick the guitar up and find you can play it. Then you'll have to learn barre chords and a few riffs. It's good fun!

[callmediva]

I taught mayself to play. I started to play in the days before the internet, no one else in the family was musical, so I had no choice, unless I went for the Bert Weeden way

As someone who also teaches a bit, I'll tell you what I tell my students.
Play what you like, find the songs (tab) on the net, learn the chords and play the songs.
If you can't play a chord, just attempt the shape and don't worry if it doesn't ring out, it will eventually
Play at least once a day, even if it's only for 2 minutes while the kettle is boiling
Have patience, it won't happen overnight
Don't keep you guitar in it's case, if it's in it's case, you have to get it out, if you have to get it out, you won't. If your guitar is sitting looking at you, you;ll play it
If it's sunny, and you've got the space and an acoustic, take it outside, nothing sounds better than an acoustic outdoors
If it's raining - don't
Once youve mastered the basics, you can decide on the style you want to play, acoustic, electric, rhythm, lead etc

[callmediva]

Originally Posted by ags_rule

As I was saying, an electric is easier to learn on. I have small hands too, and so I can only imagine how difficult it would have been to learn on an acoustic with thick strings and a wide neck. Once you get comfortable with an electric though you learn how to compensate when playing acoustic.

Unless you're looking at a classical guitar, an acoustics neck isn't that much wider than an electric
The main differences are that the strings on an electric tend to be thinner and lower, making in easier to play, phyically

However, an acoustic is more forgiving for the beginner because an electric amplifies everything, including your mistakes

[callmediva]

Originally Posted by ags_rule

That's how I've always worked it, yes. Some good YouTube videos for songs will show you strumming patterns for more complex arrangements, but most of the time you should be able to pick it up by ear.

Just another note on the other poster who said they want an acoustic guitar - are you absolutely sure about that? There is a false notion that an acoustic is somehow easier to learn on than an electric because it's more "raw". The truth is that an acoustic has thicker strings, a wider neck, higher action and a larger body - these all make it more difficult to learn on. An electric is a sleeker instrument and the cost differentials between them aren't huge - you're maybe looking an extra £50-75 for an electric and an amp.

I started on electric and then bought an acoustic a few years later.

That's not entirely true though, One of my electrics has 11s on it, and one of my acoustics has 9s, so strings can be heavier on an electric

[Dr. DoNothing]

Originally Posted by thecakeofkorea

My pops taught me, out in the back shed on the farm strumming along the chords to the auld anthems. The sun creeping in the window framed the moment, the sweet smell of rural life. I was six years old, on my school holidays when I took an interest in music (and I'm talking about real music, of course). I learned by the process of trial and error until I could strum an entire song after about a month. Every afternoon at three thirty, pops would teach me some chords. It was the best time of my life.

Nowadays people are learning guitar off the Internet. Where have the good old days gone? This thread makes me sick. Why don't you search Google for somewhere you can illegally download a soul?

I think you have issues, you've posted in a few threads about the world having no soul etc. your comment "I'm talking about real music of course" is obsurd. The OP wants to learn and instrument and it doesn't matter how they go about learning it. What's next, you're a better guitarist because you were taught by your father instead of a guitar teaching website? Young people learn from the internet, the world has changed. Get over it and stop posting such ridiculous negativity in the threads.

Anyways, I learnt chords from a friend then started playing songs by ear. I practiced constantly for about a month and now I usually play for an hour or so daily. Good luck learning how to play

[Willard]

I've been learning via youtube too. I also got myself a couple of learning acoustic guitar dvds and I have a poster with chords on it which is on the back of my door, that was useful.

Some things that helped me was learning a chord at a time and practicing it, then if I'm stuck looked up youtube or online to see how to play that chord (there's plenty of videos to show you what to do) and just do it gradually, I've been playing for 2 years now and I am still learning but I'm doing it for fun when I like.

I also agree about the electric guitar thing, I bought an acoustic and have small hands and it's extremely complicated at times to play some certain chords, wish I'd have known... however I love the acoustic guitar and I'm happy enough, it's good fun. Good luck, I'm sure you'll love it, just give yourself a little time to improve, you can only get better.

[CABLEDUDE]

I learnt by learning songs and through that chords, the only regret I have it that I didn't learn scales which is what I'm doing now.

[ags_rule]

Originally Posted by callmediva

Unless you're looking at a classical guitar, an acoustics neck isn't that much wider than an electric
The main differences are that the strings on an electric tend to be thinner and lower, making in easier to play, phyically

However, an acoustic is more forgiving for the beginner because an electric amplifies everything, including your mistakes

I think it's swings and roundabouts, because you need to push down harder on acoustic guitar strings, which makes you more likely to make mistakes, particularly when you're first starting out.

One possible solution is, of course, to buy an electric without an amp. It still makes a great clean sound but obviously not with the same tonal warmth or volume of an acoustic. Naturally, that would only be a temporary measure until you could afford to buy a decent amp!

I think Yamaha guitars are generally the best beginners as they are good value and generally don't suffer the bad intonation and stay in tune much better than some of some of the really cheap and nasty 'argos' types

Can't agree enough with this statement.

In terms of electrics, Yamaha Pacific 112 is still the ultimate guitar to start with. Anywhere between £150-£200 new, it's well worth the extra money - I'm still playing with mine, have played gigs with it and everything. Sounds fantastic and is absolutely reliable.