Learn to play guitar

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I was able to rent a guitar for 3 months for just $30. If you are not sure if you want to buy you could do such a thing.

I'm terrible. I've been struggling with it for a month and I can kind of play King of the Hill, but not really.

the best way is to just copy somebody else's performance on youtube. once your muscle memory is on board the instrument, you can move onto learning other songs in a more conventional way.

and if you howl at your dog in tune, it will howl back at you out of tune.

I love puppies and guitars. Remember, you CAN have it all.

I play guitar (horribly). It's challenging, but fun.

I learned/am learning on a (fairly cheap) electric. It will hurt your fingers, but, if you really want to play, you won't mind...

My biggest problem is squishy fingertips that make forming chords hard/frustrating because I don't play often enough anymore...

However, it isn't that hard to learn and play power chords. There are a lot of easy to learn punk rock songs that are all power chords. Whenever I get frustrated or discouraged with my playing, I just bang out a few Ramones tunes and feel like a star!

If you like punk, I'd say buy a cheap Les Paul and start with power chords.

...and if power chords are too tough, get a cheap fender squire and turn it into a guitbass!
(CLICK)

The point is, if you want to make music, you can... talent or not.

It's easy to learn the guitar, you just got to want it. I started on a old cheap Classical Guitar, learned bits of my favorite tunes then went on to electrical. Cheap electrical guitar with mini amplifier, upgraded to a Ibanez and a big amplifier but sold it already.. guess making loud music wasn't meant to be for me.

Practice is a key ingredient to learning. When it comes to learning how to play guitar, you never stop learning. Not everybody follows a cookie cutter path to learning so my suggestion would be if it feels right, go with it. My opinion is use whatever guitar you feel the most comfortable with. When you are learning chords, place your fingers in a way that fits you best. I can recall trying to learn chords and they would say to put certain fingers in certain locations and it frustrated me. When I started to make it fit me, it seemed to work better. If you want to learn on an acoustic, go for it. If you want to learn on an electric that's cranked with lots of gain, go for it. Maybe start out with simple songs that don't have many complicated chords. If my advice helps, thats great, but remember only use the advice you can use. We are all different.

I would actually advise you against starting on the classical/nylon string guitar, as it requires different technique. Classical guitars are specifically created to be played fingerstyle. The spacing between the strings is a lot larger than the normal steel-string. Though, if you're planning to go with the fingerstyle, by all means go right ahead! With a pick however, which is what I assume the technique you're wanting to learn as most hobbyists just wanna learn chords and play songs they like, I suggest a steel string guitar. While, yes, the strings are a bit rougher on the fingers, it doesn't take very long for callouses to form with consistent practice.

In my experience though, the guitar's really easy to learn. And really, really fun and rewarding if you learn to do it well! Just don't set yourself with high expectations like I did haha, I tried to learn Nick Drake from the beginning, waaaay too hard for a beginner.

Just remember regular practice routines and excercises for both the left and right hands and you should be fit as a well-worn shoe!

the wider string spacing and softer nylon/gut strings are easier for beginners.

I totally agree with this statement. Sometimes I would practice scales and picking techniques while doing something unrelated like having a conversation. If scales aren't your thing, practice chord switching accuracy and speed. Another neat thing is to experiment with different tunings so instead of the standard "E" tuning, you might want to try an open tuning. There are plenty of resources on the internet for alternate tunings and they can open up a whole avenue of different possibilities.

If you find yourself thinking that playing and learning is becoming a chore, set it aside for a few days to let your mind rest.

My 2 cents. Whatever kind of guitar you want (acoustic or electric) get a decent one. It doesn't have to be top of the line, but a poorly made guitar is no fun to play. If it's possible get a friend who plays go with you to pick out your instrument. A good local guitar shop can also help out.

If guitar is what you want then by all means. Get one and learn. It's not hard, and there are resources abound. But If you just want to play music I would suggest some other instrument. ( ukulele. mandoline, banjo, synth, steel guitar, et) Here is why. Soooooo many people play guitar. So there is rarely a need for a guitar player. I played guitar for over 20 years and nothing much ever became of it. I switched to lap steel a few years ago, and I am playing gigs like crazy. ( I play guitar too, but it was my steel playing that gets me the job). I am considering working on mandoline next.

Even if you don't ever plan to play out for money, it's nice to get together with folk and jam. If you bring something different it can be a great way to get invited.

Whatever you do, have fun. If it's not fun don't bother.

When I was a teen I saw KISS at the Garden. It was their Dynasty tour. I just had to learn how to play guitar, especially after seeing Ace Frehley turn his into a rocket ship. Somebody should have come to me and said, "Hey kid, forget about the guitar. Get a puppy. Life would be simpler." I would've listened.

Last edited by redrobin62 on 13 Jul 2012, 3:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

it's not too late for that.