Guitar as Xmas prezzie- how do I play this thing

[glove81]

Have any of you taught yourself how to play a guitar. Got an electric as an Xmas present but beyond a few chords and single note tab I'm stuck. How did you learn?

 

[stevie1556]

I taught myself how to play with the help of my brother in law.

My advice is to start easy, few easy songs and chords. I would suggest something like Wonderwall by Oasis but that's acoustic. Maybe try Fly Away by Lenny Kravitz, easy song if you learn the easier version.

Check out http://www.justinguitar.com he has loads of free lessons, teaching technique, chords, songs, etc. Also check out martyguitar on YouTube.

What guitar did ya get?

 

[fbsf]

Youtube Guitar Lessons - there is more info on there than you could wish for. That and Guitar Tab sites for copying your favourite songs.

But the main thing is to keep practising! I'm a semi-novice bass player, but if I don't play for a couple of weeks, it's amazing how quickly you get rusty...

 

[cutnrun]

if you have a games console you could try Rocksmith

I dont play but did consider this option if i ever get some spare time!

 

[pittsy]

To self learn guitar you need to practice nearly every day for an hour and by 2 years you will be able to play songs to your mates , as mentioned guitar tabs sites will give you the notes but nothing will speed up your fingers more than just playing it (even if bad at first) I first started nearly 25 years ago (bass mostly) Most people give up after a few weeks , to be a musician you need to keep at it with passion .

 

[Will12283]

As I'm a lefty I found some tabs confused me so just got a cheap how to DVD/ data cd of eBay. Didn't cost me much but I'm starting form scratch again after not using my guitar for over a year

 

[TheMumbler]

I taught myself years ago with just a book so it can certainly be done. Do you know anybody else who plays? I think motivation is the big factor with this sort of thing, you aren't going to be Jimmy Page or Hendrix (or whoever you want to sound like in a day). I am not anywhere near as good as I would like to be after 20 years. You need to practice regularly and stick at it when you sound rubbish and you have sore fingers. Barre chords will most likely be difficult at first, stick with it as they are very useful. Get in the habit of picking both up and down as soon as you can.

I found the Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer useful but I don't know whether it is still in print. I has information on set up and electronics as well as a load of scales. My copy walked off with a guy I leant it to years ago so I can't check exactly what is in there.
You might find the 10 minute guitar workout by David Mead useful too,

There is a lot of stuff online these days, youtube etc so you may well not need a book at all. I would try to stick to one book or course rather than trying to do several at once at least to start with.

Blues pentatonic scales are pretty useful to learn for rock as well as blues.

Try to practice every day if you can even if it is only for 10 or 20 minutes. It is better to practice one hour a day for 5 days than 5 hours on one day and nothing for the rest IMO.


I have been playing Rocksmith on the xbox and it is OK but I don't think it would be ideal as a learning tool. That said I found it useful as motivation to get myself playing again now I don't have time to be in a band, or even have a jam most of the time. I would consider getting a couple of lessons to get your basic technique right from the start. I still have a ton of bad habits and it is quite hard to train yourself out of them.

 

[PD]

why bother, the majority of groups of tele have never learned.

 

[LeedsBrewer]

i gave up after a few weeks i've tried learning loads of instruments over the years, accoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, piano, trumpet, violin, triangle, cow bell... i sucked at all of them and got bored. I did really enjoy my piano lessons though. would love to take that up again in the future.

 

[RobWalker]

you can do it by ear or by the book. ear is cool and creative, book is technical. a basic blues course is very very useful in all styles, it'll teach you chords, fingering, and how to play in a clever way rather than piss arsing about trying to play enter sandman.

and, as mentioned, massive persistence. i have a guitar tabs app on my phone, great for turning off everything else and just learning a new bit.

 

[stevie1556]

And when you can play, remember there is a t-shirt on ebay that says 'guitar players finger better' :thumb:

 

[james1988]

Great Christmas present!

I taught myself to play guitar and bass guitar. I've never bothered to learn to read music as most of the stuff I played (we'll get onto that shortly) was by ear.

It helps to have a few musically inclined friends to jam with especially if you're both learning as you can keep giving each other songs to learn that are progressively more difficult.

I learnt to play at the same time a friend of mine learned to play drums (I was 13 and so was he). We played on Channel 4, together when we were 15 (that's my biggest musical accomplishment lol). However, I've not played properly in about 4 years but I can still pick up both and just play. That's the wonderful thing about learning an instrument, you never forget.

One major point to remember... Don't let it become a chore. If you enjoy it, you'll pick it up quicker - in my opinion - and you won't want to put it down.

Getting those first few chords singing together is a magical moment.

James

 

[dennisking]

Any one else old enough to remember Bert Weedons Play in a day.

 

[PD]

I do. packed it in after a year..... :shock:

 

[jonewer]

What kind of guitar? If classical (nylon strings) look at Noad's books.

 

[jonnymorris]

My advice is to start easy, few easy songs and chords.

+1. Once you've learned a song or two it'll motivate you to stick at it. After that its just down to practice practice practice.

 

[kev]

What you need to do is close your eyes and pretend to be me............

 

[stevie1556]

What you need to do is close your eyes and pretend to be me............

That is epic! Would love to be good enough to play on stage!

 

[Cedaronics]

Been thinking about doing this for a while - I'm particularly interested in Spanish guitar.

Not sure I know what to buy and don't want to fall at the first hurdle and look a pratt selling the damned thing on eBay in three weeks' time.

 

[dennisking]

Do love Gibson Les Pauls Kev.