Guitar...

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I've been thinking a lot about learning to play the guitar. I saw a video of Billy Corgan playing Long Way to the Top with an accoustic guitar a while ago, and was a bit inspired at how awesome just a voice and a guitar can be... just a few questions towards people who play guitar themselves... Can you learn to play by yourself, or are lessons necessary? The thought of having lessons really bothers me... and if you can do it by yourself, how? secondly, is it worth learning for yourself, as in, no intention to join a band or anything? I think it would be cool to play with my friends if I ever got the chance, and I'd like to just be able to play song without "performing" if that makes any sense... annnnnd, what do you have to spend to get a decent guitar? Oh, and tuning a guitar, is it difficult? thanks...

i my self play bass whith program called guitar pro5 ..u can get orginal guitar pro for free...but i would sucess u to download it as torrent..i leaned two songs (ironman,smoke on the water) after that i used guitarpro5 to learn songs now i play children of bodom

oh and just about any guitar is ok t play even bodom my bass payed 100€ never been in lessons u can always ask me if u wanna more info about guitarpro or someting

You don't have to take lessons to be a good player. Of course, teacher may be really helpful in learning advanced techniques. I started by playing simple well-known tunes (main riffs from "Smoke on the Water" and "Black Night" by Deep Purple, Black Sabbath's "Electric Funeral"... well, I don't know what you like, everything that is simple and melodic is good for begginer). Next you should learn some theory, chords, scales. Yes, it's worth to play for yourself. Tuning a guitar by ear when you begin playing may be difficult, but if you get Guitar Pro it should be quite easy.
I'm pretty average player, but if you need some help, feel free to PM me and I'll try to help.

Sure, I'll take this opportunity to talk about one of my obsessions!



Plenty of people learn by themselves. Among the guitar players I know, those who have had even one lesson are a minority.

However, it depends on what you want to play and how you plan to educate yourself. If you teach yourself, I recommend getting a good book or two. The one I use is The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer. It's concisely written and it covers just about everything. Most of the important information is presented visually and described in text. You can also find a lot online.

Lessons are probably a good idea if you find you need something that books and experimentation can't provide, such as structure or feedback.



What I just said. Also, practice regularly and be patient. For a lot of people, it takes a while to get the hang of doing the fingering correctly and rapidly switching between chords. I think it took me a month or two. Once you can make chords that sound right and switch between them effortlessly, it gets a lot easier, and everything else comes more quickly.

Of course this depends in part on what kind of guitar you use. Electric guitars are the easiest, then classical (nylon string), then regular acoustic steel string guitars. If you start on an electric guitar, you'll be able to sound good pretty quickly, but you might have to struggle a bit when you want to play acoustic. If you start with an acoustic guitar, playing electric will be extra easy. So of course I'd recommend starting acoustic unless you're sure you only want to play electric.



Yes. Definitely. Playing music by oneself can be immensely rewarding. I've never really been in a band, and I only started performing a few years ago, but playing in private by myself has been a significant source of happiness, relaxation, etc.



It depends on what you consider "decent". There are a lot of different guitars out there. You might want to do some research before you get one. And don't limit yourself to new guitars. Older guitars can be just as good, and often better. You might have to work harder to maintain an older guitar, but you'll have to learn those maintenance skills anyway.

To be specific, if you want a nice guitar, you should expect to spend about $1,000 at least. I think you could get a decent one for about $500. If you look around enough, you could even find a good guitar for about $300. If I were looking for a decent, affordable acoustic guitar, I'd get an old Harmony or Kay and expect to spend $300 - $500. Maybe cheaper. But I'm partial to American guitars from the 50's, 60's, and 70's. You might decide you want a brand new Japanese one.



It doesn't have to be. Some people find it easy to tune a guitar by ear. Some people go to the effort to teach themselves to do so. Others rely on an electric tuner. Tuners are small and inexpensive ($10 - $20). You play a note and the tuner shows you what it is and how far it is from the note you want. Then you turn the pegs to make the strings looser or tighter, which adjusts the pitch. It's very easy. And if you keep your guitar in the same tuning, break in your strings properly (consult the book you use), and don't subject it to extreme temp and humidity changes, it should stay in tune for the most part.

Good luck!

I play classical guitar and am pretty much self taught.

I would suggest get a few lessons and then pratice and when you have mastered what you have learned get a few more.

Learn chords G C D and then you will be able to play "Ring of fire" by jonny cash.


Also learn some finger exercises to improve your coordination.

I get really obsessed with my guitar and play it heaps, then I put it away for ages.

Thanks guys, you've been a big help. I feel weird playing any instrument because I've never really showed that side of myself to my parents... my dad used to play guitar heaps, and I know we've got a really good one somewhere around the place... (Gibson Hummingbird, I think... does that sound right? ) I wouldn't feel comfortable holding it, let alone playing it. Or asking my dad to show me how to play it. but I was thinking of this one, if I was to just one day go out and get one...

http://www.acousticcentre.com.au/index. ... 5046-8810#

It's the second from the top, Fender Stratacoustic, or something... they sound okay without an amp, right? keep in mind, those are AU dollars. Would that be okay for a first guitar? if not, what else can you suggest that's in that price range?

*edit*
actually, you're probably better off looking at it here,

http://squierguitars.com/products/searc ... 0937400092

I play guitar...have been a mediocre guitarist since the age of about 16 or so...but my favorite instrument is the ukulele....which is heaps easier to play than the guitar. I love it..and it is so small and portable.