What's the best way to learn how to play the guitar?

Question

My preference right now would be to not have to pay for private lessons because I'm on a budget. I figure I'll have to eventually if I ever want to be real good at it, but for right now I just want to know what are my options are far as learning on my own.

Answer 1

To tell you the truth, the best way is to do it on your own. I teach guitar myself, and I definitely see no reason to pay someone. To begin, just learn all the basic chords, C-B sharp and flat, major and minor, after that, learn some songs. Practice those songs with those chords, memorise the chords and get your fingers used to them, I know it hurts at the beginning, so just keep preacticing, the pain soon oges away and your fingers start getting used to eat, trust me it is worth it, after that, you have to get a perfect pitch, try to play songs that you don't know how to play, what I tell my students is, try to do it by the bass line, get the note that the bass is playing, then try to see if it is a major or minor chord. With perfect pitch, everything turns easy, however, you need patience and practice to get it. After that learn some Scales, and improvise them, and please try to improvise, don't be scared of doing it, improvise to see what sounds good, never do the scale up and down, do notes, and skip notes, bend a little, and then just keep practicing and listen to good guitarist and only get tabs for really hard songs, like Jason Becker, Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert and such, if not you'll mess up your ear. My advice would be, never do tabs at the beginning of being a guitar player, you have to do it AFTER getting your perfect pitch. Hope I could help and you choose me as best answer, cause I am really f-ing tired of working my *** off at answering and then people don't choose me!!!!

Answer 2

Really the best way is lessons: you have someone to answer questions that a book can't. The second best way is to get a Mel Bay beginners book and follow it. Don't stray! The reason is that if and when you do take lessons, if you have strayed from the traditional method, you will have to unlearn everything that you learned wrong. That can actually be harder than learning the first time.

Answer 3

Teach yourself, i do and it really isnt that hard. You could go to a music store and ask for a beginners book with all the chords and stuff and teach yourself all the chords OR go online and look up Guitar tabs for some of your favorite songs and then learn the chords for just that song and learn the song.. i do it all the time and im gettin better every day..if you want to learn that bad it will come easy!

--Ally<3

Answer 4

A whole of practice. private lessons are a good thing but not needed, i taught myself how to do it, with no help of that nature just books and practice like crazy

Answer 5

just get like 2 lessons just to give you the basics then go on the internet and look for tabs and just teach yourself the best you can.

or you can pick up a book at your loacal music store.

Answer 6

Get a book on playing the guitar or ask a friend to teach you.

Answer 7

Interactive dvd , or computer software. there is some great software online,, just check out e-bay...

Answer 8

You have to practice every day like I did!!!

Answer 9

how 'bout PRACTICING ??!??!??