Fancy trying my hand at learning the Guitar.

Le_Petit_Lapin

Le_Petit_Lapin

Le_Petit_Lapin

Soldato
Joined
5 Sep 2005
Posts
11,742
Location
Northern Ireland
Used to play the piano, but didnt really fancy it a lot. Its been years and years ince I've played anything, so I'll be effectively starting from scratch. Would it be possible for me to teach myself? (If not, I can get lessons from a bloke, who is very good)

I was looking at the sticky at the top of the page, and it seems that for a first electric guitar the most people seem to reccommend the Yamaha Pacifica 112, does this still apply?

I'm technically left handed, but I've always done everything in the right handed fashion, except writing, so I'd intend to pick up a right handed guitar.....am I mad?

What equipment will I need to get myself started? (full list)

Would anyone want to provide any info they think is relevant?

Cheers!
 
I would master the acoustic guitar first then go electric. Although most guitar players I know did the opposite. You can teach yourself if you wish, start of by learning some chords then learning your fav songs using tabs from t'internet. You can quite good acoustic guitars like the Yamaha F-310 for £70-£80. It's a good start and despite the low price sounds better than some guitars that cost a bit more.

How much would you be charged for lessons with this guy you know?
 
Tony Soprano said:
I would master the acoustic guitar first then go electric.
Click to expand...

Agreed! Also, go for steel string guitars as oppose to nylon string guitars. It will be a bit harsh on your fingers in the beginning but once you get use to it, migrating to electric guitar would be more comfortable (IMO)... plus it sounds far better than nylon string guitars.

Pick up a few plectrums too and get rid of any long nails :p
 
I'm a guitar teacher.

Don't by any means think learning an acoustic instrument is easier than electric for a beginner.

If you're wanting to play some of your favourite songs etc, are they on acoustic? If they are, get an acoustic, if not, get an electric. If you want to do both, then get an electric.

Electrics areeasier on the fingers. If you practise enough and acquire decent technique, your fingers will be 'strong enough' (as I presume that's why people are suggesting try acoustic) as they need to be.

I'd suggest getting a teacher, even if it's only for 4/5 lessons. You may even really enjoy having lessons and have them full time. If you get a few, they're very handy help for getting to grips with the basics of just holding the damn thing! You can also get into some bad picking and fretting habits earlier on which can be avoided with some half-decent instruction.

You'll know from learning piano that it's not easy, but I think compared with piano (as I play both) that guitar's harder, it's frustrating for the first few months/weeks (depending how much you practise :D) but stick with it, as it is afterall the best instrument! :D Learn how to read tab, play a few chords, get to grips with various techniques then get learning some of your favourite songs, and most importantly have fun :p

EDIT:

On the left/right hand thingy, I think you will find that playing either left/right on guitar will be difficult in the beginning. In my opinion learn right handed, as it is technically the norm to play right handed, it'll make it easier learning from others/watching videos etc and you'll also have a much larger choice of guitars. Plus, lefties are weird!
 
Last edited:
I certainly agree with all the replies. I am just learning too. I am bad at learning. It can be very frustrating, and I keep playing for a few days like mad, then getting frustrated and put it down for weeks at a time, then trying again. The odd thing is - I find all the things I learn in those few days are still there weeks later.

I chose an Acoustic guitar, because thats the sort of music I want to play. Oddly enough, I got the exact one Tony Soprano mentioned to you. It is a Yamaha F-310, and it cost me about £100 including a hard case.

The worst thing about getting one though, when you can't play a single note is choosing one. You go to a guitar shop - you say what you are looking for and they point to a few and tell you you can have a play. Well I was thinking how utterly stupid I was going to look not being able to play a note.... but I was lucky - I found a guy playing the guitars at the back of the shop. I asked him if he would play a couple of guitars for me so I could listen to them.
Turns out he was a guitar tutor, and we got talking and he gave me some lessons. He even recommneded that Yamaha guitar over one that was much dearer - said it sounded much nicer.
 
When i first started, i bought a cheap nylon stringed acoustic but soon got my hands on a yamaha paciffca 112, which is still my favourite guitar that i own. I would recommend having a least a few guitar lessons as this should help you to learn faster which will in turn keep your interest in learning the guitar. I've had a few friends that wanted to learn guitar, got all the equipment but didn't take lessons and their enthusiasm soon dissapered. Good luck and have fun :)
 
aceface57 said:
I've had a few friends that wanted to learn guitar, got all the equipment but didn't take lessons and their enthusiasm soon dissapered. Good luck and have fun :)
Click to expand...

I have to agree with that statment based upon first hand experience. I purchased an Aria STG004 plus an amp, tuner and all the extra bit's but, within week's I became fustrated. Now, the guitar is collecting dust becaus I cannot bring myself to pick it up.
I was going to put my guitar on Ebay but so far failed to do so.
 
do it mate

and buy the instrument you actually want to play, i personally am self teaching atm (been playing around a year)

tbh having played my mates yamaha rgx and pacifica i would say there pretty much of a muchness - im no expert, and my guitar is shocking, but i do think there are better guitars for the cash - if you can get hold of an 80s squier (non fender) strat in good condistion then youll get an excellent guitar for ~120 quid (regretting not doing this myself)

im shure youll have alotta fun :)
 
If you want to learn electric guitar buy an electric guitar. If you want to learn acoustic, buy an acoustic guitar.

This 'You have to learn acoustic first' is a pile of nonsense. Why spend years perfecting an instrument you don't want to play before starting to learn the instrument you do want to play?

The Pacifica is still top of the heap when it comes to budget guitars and you wouldn't go too far wrong with one :) If at all possible, go to a guitar shop and take along someone who already plays and get them to try guitars out with you. Try holding the guitar yourself to get comfortable with it and see what models you like - even if you don't know any chords :)
 
IceBus said:
The Pacifica is still top of the heap when it comes to budget guitars and you wouldn't go too far wrong with one :) If at all possible, go to a guitar shop and take along someone who already plays and get them to try guitars out with you. Try holding the guitar yourself to get comfortable with it and see what models you like - even if you don't know any chords :)
Click to expand...

Totally agree with what you have said there. I'm getting rid of my ephipone les paul because i play my Pacifica so much more, just seems silly to have it doing nothing in my room, spent loads of money on it aswell (dimazio tone zone pickups put in) but i still prefer my Pacifica.
 
The old wives tale of learning on an acoustic first does has some truth in it.
If you can form chord shapes and play the notes all properly when pressing down the strings, it then becomes easier when you pick up an electric.
Its the same with keyboards. If you learn on a touch sensitive keyboard first and then go on a proper Grand Piano you will have trouble pressing down the keys. Reverse the learning process and modern synths become easier to play.
 
dmpoole said:
The old wives tale of learning on an acoustic first does has some truth in it.
If you can form chord shapes and play the notes all properly when pressing down the strings, it then becomes easier when you pick up an electric.
Its the same with keyboards. If you learn on a touch sensitive keyboard first and then go on a proper Grand Piano you will have trouble pressing down the keys. Reverse the learning process and modern synths become easier to play.
Click to expand...

Yes it will strengthen your fingers, but only if you can stick at it. I tried to learn guitar three times as a child and gave up dejected because of the pain/discouragement of trying to learn on an acoustic with a cheese grater action. The next time I wanted to learn I decided I'd just go ahead and buy an electric. That was nearly 7 years ago and I haven't looked back.

As for amps I'm not too sure what's good budget wise these days. I'd recommend checking out Peavey, Fender and Marshall as starting points in your price range :)
 
Another thing to consider is what sort of music you'll be wanting to play... I wouldn't recommend trying to play heavy metal on a guitar with only single coil pickups for instance, you'd just get annoyed that it doesn't sound right. I believe the Pacifica has a bridge humbucker and some single coils so is probably a good all round guitar.

I had a Yamaha SG and now own a Yamaha CPX acoustic... both are good sounding instruments, so i would definitely recommend a Pacifica based on that.

As for amps, I would recommend getting one that sounds good clean and then buying a Marshall Jackhammer distortion pedal (approx. £35 - 40, they've come down in price a lot since I bought mine 8 years ago for ~£75) as you won't be able to find a budget amp with a decent gain channel.
 
Last edited:
From reading around and hearing it, it seems to me that people tend to reccommend the Pacifica for pop, blues, and soul, that kind of music, which frankly I'm not overly intrested in playing. Its a nice looking guiter though in my opinion.

What about for rock / metal style of music, can it deliver the goods?

Oh, and just thinking about it, Hendrix too, I'd love to give a few of his a go, "All Along the Watchtower" expecially.

Edit: And if I ever stick with it, eventually I'd like to try playing that "Canon in D" that is on Google Videos. Doubt that will be any time soon though. Just think along the lines of that sort/style of playing.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom