learning guitar...

[IamFilthy]

I have been wanting to learn guitar slowly in my spare time,......I don't need to learn overnight, but I was wondering what the best software or video is to help get me started...simplest possilble

[titan9]

In all honesty, I haven't heard about any DVDs that are really amazing as far as teaching is concerned. I mean, I heard good things about Fender's DVDs for guitar, but I have not checked them out myself. I own a Hal Leonard: guitar for beginning guitarists DVD but I haven't really used it much.

As for software, I've heard eMedia is good. They're kinda pricey though(50 bucks a set) Again, I haven't checked them out for myself, but from what I've read, it looks to be pretty sound.

My personal recommendation, though, is to start with some free on-line lessons and perhaps pick up a book or two on chords and scales. Two online places come to mind for lessons: guitar.about.com and http://www.zentao.com/guitar/guitar-lessons.html Both of these have excellent free lessons(guitar.about.com's lessons helped me a ton when I first started out) that'll get you started. Additionally, you could pick up Hal Leonard's Guitar Method Complete edition, which has three instruction books combined into one spiral-bound book. I bought the edition without CDs and it cost me 15 bucks. It'll help you learn the notes on the fretboard, as well as read standard notation(which is something a lot of guitarists don't know that well; guitar tab is far more common).

You didn't mention what guitar you're interested in learning. That could somewhat effect what kind of advice I give. I personally have been playing Acoustic guitar since last December, and plan on buying myself an Electric in March. Acoustic is, imo, much harder to start out on. But that's a good thing, as it makes it that much easier, from what I've heard, to go on to Electric. Plus starting out on Acoustic helps you to develop solid technique on the guitar.

I'd recommend setting aside at least 15 minutes a day to practice. That might not seem like much, but even that little bit can help you improve your playing. Also, don't get discouraged if you can't play songs after a few months of playing guitar. It took me until September of this year to play my first real song on the guitar, and that was a really "simple" song. We all progress at differ rates(mine has been slower, mostly due to my lack of practice), so don't beat yourself up if you can't play "The Great Divide" after a few months of practice.

To help stay motivated, I'd recommend picking out 5 songs that you really want to play. Anytime you get un-motivated, think about those songs. That should hopefully help you keep motivated. Another thing, and this is something I've adapted from my favorite guitarist(Tremo, of course) to do to help keep motivated is keep a guitar diary or log. Write down everytime you play. You'd be surprised at how much more you play when you do this. Tremo mentioned this in an interview with one of the guitar magazines and I decided to try it. It worked perfectly for me, and it has led to me playing far more than I did even six months ago.

Well, this has gotten much more long-winded than I wanted it to. I hope what I have said is helpful to you(or anyone else on here who is starting out on guitar). If you have any questions or just want someone to chat with about the guitar, feel free to contact me via PM or on here.

[RMadd]

I hear Esteban (that guy w/ the black cowboy hat on infomercials overnight... and now on Geico commercials by day) is pretty amazing lol.

[IamFilthy]

Quote: (Originally Posted by titan9)

In all honesty, I haven't heard about any DVDs that are really amazing as far as teaching is concerned. I mean, I heard good things about Fender's DVDs for guitar, but I have not checked them out myself. I own a Hal Leonard: guitar for beginning guitarists DVD but I haven't really used it much.

As for software, I've heard eMedia is good. They're kinda pricey though(50 bucks a set) Again, I haven't checked them out for myself, but from what I've read, it looks to be pretty sound.

My personal recommendation, though, is to start with some free on-line lessons and perhaps pick up a book or two on chords and scales. Two online places come to mind for lessons: guitar.about.com and http://www.zentao.com/guitar/guitar-lessons.html Both of these have excellent free lessons(guitar.about.com's lessons helped me a ton when I first started out) that'll get you started. Additionally, you could pick up Hal Leonard's Guitar Method Complete edition, which has three instruction books combined into one spiral-bound book. I bought the edition without CDs and it cost me 15 bucks. It'll help you learn the notes on the fretboard, as well as read standard notation(which is something a lot of guitarists don't know that well; guitar tab is far more common).

You didn't mention what guitar you're interested in learning. That could somewhat effect what kind of advice I give. I personally have been playing Acoustic guitar since last December, and plan on buying myself an Electric in March. Acoustic is, imo, much harder to start out on. But that's a good thing, as it makes it that much easier, from what I've heard, to go on to Electric. Plus starting out on Acoustic helps you to develop solid technique on the guitar.

I'd recommend setting aside at least 15 minutes a day to practice. That might not seem like much, but even that little bit can help you improve your playing. Also, don't get discouraged if you can't play songs after a few months of playing guitar. It took me until September of this year to play my first real song on the guitar, and that was a really "simple" song. We all progress at differ rates(mine has been slower, mostly due to my lack of practice), so don't beat yourself up if you can't play "The Great Divide" after a few months of practice.

To help stay motivated, I'd recommend picking out 5 songs that you really want to play. Anytime you get un-motivated, think about those songs. That should hopefully help you keep motivated. Another thing, and this is something I've adapted from my favorite guitarist(Tremo, of course) to do to help keep motivated is keep a guitar diary or log. Write down everytime you play. You'd be surprised at how much more you play when you do this. Tremo mentioned this in an interview with one of the guitar magazines and I decided to try it. It worked perfectly for me, and it has led to me playing far more than I did even six months ago.

Well, this has gotten much more long-winded than I wanted it to. I hope what I have said is helpful to you(or anyone else on here who is starting out on guitar). If you have any questions or just want someone to chat with about the guitar, feel free to contact me via PM or on here.

WOW...i appreciate your very thorough advice. I was gonna start out on acoustic,...but honestly i know nothing about playing and have no one to teach me in person. I do, however, have a rock-solid drive to learn how to play and I am a very patient person. I work from 4 AM to about noon everyday so that gives me plenty of time during the day to practice. I'll try the online lessons first and thanks again!

[titan9]

I also forgot to say a couple of other things: 1.definitely get an electric tuner(they are LIFE savers that will quickly and easily get your guitar in tune; I recommend a Korg CA-30, which costs 30 dollars brand new and is excellent for both Acoustic and Electric guitars) 2.what type of music do you want to play? If you want to play acoustic-based music, definitely get an Acoustic guitar. However, if you are more interested in playing Rock(like Creed), you'd probably be better served buying an Electric. However, if you choose the Acoustic, don't think that'll limit what you can play. TGD, for instance, is played by two Electric guitars; however, it can be easily played on the Acoustic and sound nice. Many great songs can be played and sound good on the Acoustic. Also, have you decided what brand of guitar to buy? For Acoustics, I've heard that Taylors, Martins, Seagalls are great. I personally play a beginner Epiphone PR-100, which sounds good considering the price(under $200). I recommend that you pay a visit to http://www.acousticguitar.com which has forums, even on specifically for beginners seeking advice. Those people are mighty helpful and could probably tell you about other good brands.

Don't worry about knowing nothing and having no one to teach you; most guitarists are self-taught and do just fine. We all start somewhere; 6 months ago I didn't know most of the stuff I now know about guitar. It all takes time. With time comes experience and knowledge.

That drive, that desire you have now will definitely come in handy when you start playing. So will that patience.

[titan9]

Quote: (Originally Posted by RMadd)

I hear Esteban (that guy w/ the black cowboy hat on infomercials overnight... and now on Geico commercials by day) is pretty amazing lol.

Don't believe the hype, Esteban sucks....well at least his GUITARS do. I've heard he's a good musician, but I've never listened to that fool.

[IamFilthy]

I checked out the guitar lessons on zentao.com, and I'll defenitely be going with that. Looks fairly easily to understand and doesn't rush things, so thanks for that. As with any beginner, I'm sure, my fingers don't wanna work along with my brain, ya know?.....coordination in fingers isn't use to holding chords. BUt I'm sure that will get better and easier with practice. As for the music,..I defenitely like acoustic but LOVE the harder rock.

[titan9]

Haha, yeah, the coordination, strength and calluses will take time to build up. But the more you practice it, the more it becomes second nature.

Zentao.com's lessons are really good(probably the best on the net) and like you said, they don't rush things. That's really important when you start out: you just cannot try to put a time-frame together of how quickly you'll do things. Just progress at a comfortable rate and you'll do just fine.

I love my Acoustic.....and I didn't know if I'd ever say that. When I first began, I thought I'd never be able to play the stuff I listen to. I got bored with it. But now that I've found tabs, I know that I can play Acoustic versions of basically any song I want to. I still plan on buying myself an Electric in six months time, and I'll probably enjoy that a bit more because I'll be able to solo(which is something I dream about doing, heh). Still, I'll continue to play my Acoustic because I love the unplugged sound. I guess you'll have to really think about it, if you are having second thoughts about whether to get an Acoustic or Electric. Maybe go to a local guitar shop and try out a few Acoustic and Electric guitars. If you have a Guitar Center in your area, they'd probably have a good selection of guitars for you to choose from.

[scrit]

Quote: (Originally Posted by RMadd)

I hear Esteban (that guy w/ the black cowboy hat on infomercials overnight... and now on Geico commercials by day) is pretty amazing lol.

He's my mom's favorite musician lol

[titan9]

Quote: (Originally Posted by scrit)

He's my mom's favorite musician lol

My dad likes him as well. He keeps saying how he wants to get an Esteban guitar. I keep telling him, "Dad, it's a waste of money. They SUCK. Get a good guitar, like a Fender or a Epiphone or even a Yamaha. Just don't get an Esteban. Those guitars might as well be made out of cardboard."

[uncertaindrumer]

I love Esteban. How can you not? His guitars are so bad you can't help but not laugh... and the Geico commercial is amazing... lol

Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend starting on an acoustic. Moving to an electric after six months or a year of acoustic makes the electric feel like... well, REALLY DARN GOOD. Anyway get lessons. No simple way to say it, lessons are the best way to learn. If you absolutely can't get lessons though, books are second best.

Still, lessons.

[titan9]

But Tremo never took a lesson when he first began....and look how he turned out. Honestly, I think it all comes down to practice, dedication and technique. Lesson's can only do so much good.

I second the recommendation to start on Acoustic. It is just easier after getting good on the Acoustic to transfer that to Electric, from what I've heard. Acoustic's learning curve, though, is much steeper than Electric's, so you're going to have to be really patient to overcome that.

[Wylde-Tremonti]

Quote: (Originally Posted by titan9)

But Tremo never took a lesson when he first began....and look how he turned out. Honestly, I think it all comes down to practice, dedication and technique. Lesson's can only do so much good.

He Did Check Out Intructional Videos... which technically are Lessons...



Anyways... If You ever get to the point where you want to learn how to play solos... Check Out Any Intructional DVDs By John Petrucci (john Petrucci's Rock Discipline is Great) or Paul Gilbert... They Know their Sh*T and are AMAZING Players

[titan9]

Yeah, I know he did that(I do it myself as well), but I meant that he never really took any private guitar lessons with an instructor.

[RMadd]

i never took lessons on my saxophone, but i'm hella better than kenny fucking g!