Learning Guitar

Marky

Marky

Marky

Soldato
Joined
16 Apr 2007
Posts
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Location
UK
Hey all,

I'm interested in learning to play the guitar...
I've checked eBay and a lot of people are selling these Starter Packs, where you get a pretty basic Squire Electric Guitar with all the neccessities etc.

I'm planning to just learn from the internet/youtube/experimenting on my own...

Any links or advice that you could give would be a great help! I'm a complete NEWBIE when it comes to guitars, I've never played one in my life. I think the nearest I've got is to playing Guitar on Rock Band on the XBox 360 ;D

I need help with the basics/which guitar to start with etc.

I'm dedicated, so please take your time and explain things in new boys terms ;)

Thanks,

Marky
 
I did it the same way as you want to. Haven't had any lessons or anything, just picked it up as I've gone along. It depends on what kind of music you want to play, but the 2 main options are:

1) Get a second hand acoustic

This is what I did. Got my Uncles old guitar. It had a big crack in it, but if you find one with a nice sound, you can enjoy learning to play. Also, learning on an acoustic will help you develop stronger fingers and better technique. It's also easier just to pick it up and have a play, which is the best way to learn to begin with, as it won't seem like a big thing to get it out and learn.

2) Get a starter pack

Option 2 is to go for one of the starter packs that you have seen. Advantages of this is that you jump straight into having an electric guitar, but the problem is none of the equipment will be very good, so once you have started to get the hang of playing you will find yourself wanting to spend more. I realise this is a problem with getting an acoustic as well, but at least you could keep the acoustic and then have a different guitar depending on what you want to play.

Overall it's down to you, but I found that to begin with, because I had to find the motivation myself, the acoustic was better. Just sit it next to your desk and whenever you get the urge to play just pick it up and have a go.

To learn to play the best thing to do is to find some songs that you like. If you want to play guitar, I'm presuming you listen to music which contains guitar. Have a listen, and write down a list of easy songs that you like the guitar part to. Then, when you have a guitar, search google for tabs to that song (just type in *song name* tabs). Tabs are a simple type of notation, that quite literally tells you where to put your fingers on each string. I used these to learn some simple riffs, and you quickly get the hang of learning the notes to play, then playing along to the song to get the timing. Within a month or so I could already play a few Red Hot Chilli Peppers songs.

The main thing to remember is that at some points you will hit flat spots, and will get frustrated, but if you give it a rest for a few days, then come back to it, you will enjoy it even more.

Good luck.
 
^^ thats pretty good advise.

I started with a cheap squier combo and picked it up along the way. I had a few lessons but found i could progress a lot faster (and cheaper) on my own. I brought a cheap acoustic after that and totally hated it. Ive found that i really dislike playing on cheap acoustics and dont find it comfortable at all.
 
Get lessons.

Even just a single hour long starter lesson from a local guitar teacher. You'll learn more in an hour with a good teacher than you will in a month of reading the internet, looking at youtube and experimenting by yourself. A teacher will also stop you picking up any bad habits or techniques that a lot of self/internet taught musicians develop.
 
What differences do you recieve from one guitar to the next? Is the difference in the amp you choose?

Also, my music taste are in bands such as Foo Fighters, and Red Hot Chilli Peppers - not sure if that helps in any advice you guys have :p

Thanks jr1104 for that, great advice :)
 
i started with songs which contained easy chords i.e g,em,a,dm,c. you will be surprised how many songs you can play for just a small selection of chords!
 
A cheap electric starter pack will do you just fine for the first year or so of learning.

You'd be best to get the starter pack and a basic "How to play guitar" book. Once you're comfortable enough with the instrument, book yourself in for a few lessons with a guitar tutor -- it really does make the difference. Bad habits are very easily taught when self-learning, but are a right ******* to get rid of afterwards.
 
I haven't had lessons, but that was because I was living in a remote location and it would have been a lot of hassle getting to a lesson. But if you are able to get to lessons, then it might be better, as you won't pick up bad habits, like others have said.

In terms of what difference you have between guitars and amps, you will find that a starter pack will be just a small amp and a cheap guitar. This will be fine to begin with, but once you go into a guitar shop and try some better guitars, you will see how much nicer they feel and sound. I started with a Squier Telecaster and small Peavey 15 watt amp, and then upgraded to an Ibanez RG350 and a Line6 Spider 75 watt amp. The difference was huge, and I also found that it helped my playing a lot having a better guitar.
 
if the music you want to learn is more acoustic get an acoustic, likewise with electric.

i would recommend the occassional 1 hour lesson, maybe one a month if you can afford.
even better having a 2 hour lesson every month or two.
definitely get a big chord book with pictures of each chord along with the tab & chord charts.
some great advice above as well

the main thing is that it requires a real load of legwork. a guitarist i play with is completely self-taught and he is of a very high standard, for a solid 3-4 years he played every day for an hour plus. having a teacher wont mean a thing unless you can clock in a good few hours every week
i was gonna post up a few worksheets that i give my students, i might get round to it this easter and ill let you know if i do
 
Great advice guys! :)

MidnightLamp said:
if the music you want to learn is more acoustic get an acoustic, likewise with electric.

i would recommend the occassional 1 hour lesson, maybe one a month if you can afford.
even better having a 2 hour lesson every month or two.
definitely get a big chord book with pictures of each chord along with the tab & chord charts.
some great advice above as well

the main thing is that it requires a real load of legwork. a guitarist i play with is completely self-taught and he is of a very high standard, for a solid 3-4 years he played every day for an hour plus. having a teacher wont mean a thing unless you can clock in a good few hours every week
i was gonna post up a few worksheets that i give my students, i might get round to it this easter and ill let you know if i do
Click to expand...

Cool are you a Guitar Teacher? Any worksheets etc. would be a great help so let me know if you do :)

Also - any suggestion on the guitar and/or starter pack to start with? I'm not sure what to look for in a guitar...
 
i bought this to start with

http://www.reverb-store.co.uk/product-detail.asp?prod=1719

it wasnt 170 i think i got it for £110, think theres a price error there.

i prefered starting with an electric as thats the sort of music im into and want to be able to play, and i think they are overall a lot more comfortable and easy to play than an acoustic. id recommend something like this.

and most of the chillies songs are relatively easy, get your hands on the californication tabs book (or look on internet) its good for beginners i think :)
 
yeah i teach when im not sessioning! is it electric you're wanting to go for? and what styles of music?

starter kits are pretty much the same, great value for everything but if you really find yourself progressing you'll be aching for a better guitar & amp quite early on.
good kit would be:
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/yamaha-pacif-012/10383 for £260
quite expensive but pacificas are among the best quality guitars in that price range.

good thing is if you buy a guitar and amp at a shop, they'll throw in a soft case, strap and lead or you'll tell them you'll look elsewhere, always worked for me!

for hard rock/metal ive just bought a student an ibanez GRGR 121EX and im impressed
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/79434
i like vintage guitars too for price range £100-200

for starter amps i really like kustoms
KGA10FX, can be had for maybe £70-80,
also the roland cubes - lots of different effects and distortion settings
roland microcubes are tiny tiny amps that can run on plug or battery and they're not bad, very very cheap. standard roland cube 15x are good too.
or go look for second hand at your music shop!
 
MidnightLamp said:
yeah i teach when im not sessioning! is it electric you're wanting to go for? and what styles of music?
Click to expand...

I'd really love to play some of the Foo Fighters songs, also like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Them sort of songs are the sort of style I'd love to get into.

MidnightLamp said:
starter kits are pretty much the same, great value for everything but if you really find yourself progressing you'll be aching for a better guitar & amp quite early on.
good kit would be:
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/yamaha-pacif-012/10383 for £260
quite expensive but pacificas are among the best quality guitars in that price range.

good thing is if you buy a guitar and amp at a shop, they'll throw in a soft case, strap and lead or you'll tell them you'll look elsewhere, always worked for me!

for hard rock/metal ive just bought a student an ibanez GRGR 121EX and im impressed
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/79434
i like vintage guitars too for price range £100-200
Click to expand...

I've read quite a lot about the ibanez and it's been nothing but positive reviews! May just start off with a starter kit however, due to me not even playing a guitar before. Then I'll work my way up and grab a better guitar later on.

MidnightLamp said:
for starter amps i really like kustoms
KGA10FX, can be had for maybe £70-80,
also the roland cubes - lots of different effects and distortion settings
roland microcubes are tiny tiny amps that can run on plug or battery and they're not bad, very very cheap. standard roland cube 15x are good too.
or go look for second hand at your music shop!
Click to expand...

Cool thanks a lot buddy :)

taz448 said:
i bought this to start with

http://www.reverb-store.co.uk/produc....asp?prod=1719

it wasnt 170 i think i got it for £110, think theres a price error there.

i prefered starting with an electric as thats the sort of music im into and want to be able to play, and i think they are overall a lot more comfortable and easy to play than an acoustic. id recommend something like this.

and most of the chillies songs are relatively easy, get your hands on the californication tabs book (or look on internet) its good for beginners i think
Click to expand...

Similar packages are available on the auction site for around £100 - £120 so that's cool :) Thanks!

Marky
 
I started with an acoustic and taught myself with tabs off the internet. I also learnt my basic chords so when igot frustrated with learning tabs i could make basic tunes by just doing afew chords.

After a while i bought a bass guitar and now neglect acoustic a bit for bass. But i still use acoustic a bit to make hooks for whenever me and some mates hit the practice rooms.

All this was taught to me by myself and happened in 3 months.

ALSO: i found that bass guitar is quite basic. You can learn simple plucking techniques and get the general feel for playing guitar as well as develop hard ends on your fingers with bass. its less frutrating too. However, i did pick bass up a while after trying acoustic for a while so im not enitrley confident learning bass first is a good idea.
 
MidnightLamp said:
cool peppers stuff sounds good on a strat
will scan in some exercises tomoro
Click to expand...

Nice one thanks :D

lozzick said:
I started with an acoustic and taught myself with tabs off the internet. I also learnt my basic chords so when igot frustrated with learning tabs i could make basic tunes by just doing afew chords.

After a while i bought a bass guitar and now neglect acoustic a bit for bass. But i still use acoustic a bit to make hooks for whenever me and some mates hit the practice rooms.

All this was taught to me by myself and happened in 3 months.

ALSO: i found that bass guitar is quite basic. You can learn simple plucking techniques and get the general feel for playing guitar as well as develop hard ends on your fingers with bass. its less frutrating too. However, i did pick bass up a while after trying acoustic for a while so im not enitrley confident learning bass first is a good idea.
Click to expand...

Cool I've been taking a look at some stuff on the net and have been reading how to read TABS :p I'll give them a go :)

Gustov said:
Guitar

http://www.dv247.com/invt/41664/

Amp

http://www.dv247.com/invt/53192/

Don't buy one of the starting kits, they are trash.
Click to expand...

I think I'll start with the starting kit purely because I don't want to spend as much as that on my first guitar. Gotta start small ;)

-----

I found this...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Washburn-Elec...h=item270296527935&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262

wkg2gn.jpg


Any thoughts?

Also... is that button next to the Gain dial the button to change to the distortion channel (Or the Dirty channel - See I'm already picking up the jargon ;))?
 
yeah that button will change from clean to distortion
looks like a good deal there. good having a humbucker (the double pickup) at the back if you want a nice fat rocky sound. only thing that puts me off that is having the tremolo (whammy bar) because using it on cheaper guitars instantly plays havoc with tuning but its not a big deal at all, you wont find yourself using the whammy much at all except for guitar hero posing :)
go for it!
 
Last edited:
Blackvault said:
Hi Marky. Some good advice in this thread. If you want to chat about guitars and stuff feel free to add me to msn.

:)

Blackvault
Click to expand...

Nice one :D I'll add you buddy :)

MidnightLamp said:
yeah that button will change from clean to distortion
looks like a good deal there. good having a humbucker (the double pickup) at the back if you want a nice fat rocky sound. only thing that puts me off that is having the tremolo (whammy bar) because using it on cheaper guitars instantly plays havoc with tuning but its not a big deal at all, you wont find yourself using the whammy much at all except for guitar hero posing :)
go for it!
Click to expand...

Are you not able to remove the whammy bar from the bridge? Or is this just one certain guitars?
 
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