[HOPS5K]

I don't know why, but I want to learn guitar...I have this 'feeling' I should learn guitar for some reason...I've never been inclined to pick one up and really learn how to play, but the older I get, the more I want to learn how to do it. I've always been a music fan, and I hate to admit it, but one of my inspirations is probably somebody nobody here listens to, but she's good and kinda underrated.

Anyone here play guitar?

[wizoo]

hey buddy,

sry to say, but there is no playing the guitar without picking one up first

get yourself a cheap, used acoustic concert guitar to play around from egay, craigslist or from a second hand shop. doesn't matter what brand or how old as long as the hardware is working. an additional new set of strings and a cheap guitar tuner would be perfect.

check the feeling you get with it while exploring the instrument and the sounds you get out of it. listen to your favourite music and try to find corresponding tunes on your guitar. get an ear for both rhythm & tunes. check your fingers' handling and if you are comfortable with that at all.

start from there i'd say

Agree with everything wizoo said. Just one bit of advice hop- do some finger strength and stretching excercises and invest in a box of band-aids Unless you have thin lady fingers, they're gonna hurt!

[rasputin]

Do you know what kind of music you want to play? That will influence what kind of guitar you should get to start out, either a cheap acoustic or electric. From there it's pretty much as wizoo said.

And you should always try before you buy, a guitar that looks good on the wall doesn't always feel good when being played.

[The Professor]

I am self taught, but if you're just starting out it's not a bad idea to seek out someone who plays and have them show you the ropes a bit. Preferably before you purchase your first instrument. Whether or not they play the same style as you doesn't matter as much at first. The basics are the basics.

If you're not sure what you want in a guitar or what you're looking at in general, have them go with you when you go instrument shopping. The point is you don't want the guitar you're considering buying to be the first one you've ever held in your hands. And with the salesman your lone "advisor".

[xmobotx]

the web has seemingly infinite resources for learning guitar so; you need not worry about being able to find some instruction or new songs to try

i found a lot of joy from practicing w/ power tab and i find tabs for it on ultimate guitar

learn the cowboy chords at the nut; learn how to find the major scale; practice some finger exercises like chromatic scales

always a good idea to spend a lot of time 'internalizing' ~one way is to 'sing' the intervals as you do the scale ~then start learning the variations {minor scale et al}

[GP73LPC]

i disagree on a cheap acoustic. easy way to turn off a beginner.

i would get a reasonably priced new or used electric. $200-$300 will get you a real decent guitar these days, if you go used it will buy more. small amp for $100 and you will enjoy the ease of playing an electric so much more you will be inspired to play more.

also, look into guitar pro. great program for learning. tabs available on ultimate guitar.com and thru file sharing networks. over 30,000 something tabs


EDIT: one more thing. learning the C, D and G chords will get you a million songs you can play

[HOPS5K]

Thanks for all the help guys, sounds good. Now that I got some extra spending cash, I'm gonna go find something to look at around here...I got nothing better to do right now, so why not learn how to play guitar?

I've always wanted to learn and the one time I took a guitar class back in 2000, I did okay for never having played before. It was on an electric though and I only leanred maybe 4 songs.

I always found smoking a little bit before hand helped me to concentrate on playing a bit better.

I can't wait to get another guitar now

[GP73LPC]

best of luck !!!

[festerous]

Who is your inspiration that nobody here listens to? The best advice I can give you is not to get hung up on playing tiny part's and lick's. Learn complete songs from day one. Sublime's "What I Got" is only two chords D and G with a couple of cool slides betwixt.