im getting a guitar.....?

Question

i've wanted a guitar for a year and my mom finally said "well... ok"
but i know like basically nothing about guitars so..... ya....

**be ready, im guitar-retarded

1 where is a good site to buy musical instruments from (or should i just get a guitar from amazon or something)

2 what size picks should i get

3 im left-handed so should i get a left-handed guitar or try to play right-handed

4 what is a "capo"

5 will the book "rock guitar for dummies" be helpful to me

6 could i play a right-handed guitar upside or would that change the notes

7 what guitar maintenence/fixing supplies will i need

8 whats the most important thing about guitars

9 if i unplug an electric guitar, will it sound like an acoustic

10 are electric and acoustic guitar notes the same

11 what kind of guitar should i get

Answer 1

First off congrats on wanting to get ur first guitar. As for ur questions here u go
1. go to Musician's Friends its a magazine and they have all types of guitar
2. For guitar picks I suggest some Medium size picks there great for beginners
3. Yes get a left handed guitar u can learn on a right handed one but left handed would suit u much better and make playing more enjoyable
4. A "capo" is just a device used on ur guitar to change the pitch by fretting the whole guitar one fret up from original tuning
5. It would be but I would recommend visting guitar tab sites. I find the easiest way to learn is to pick out ur favorite song and learn how to play it. Thats what I did
6.Yes it would change the notes unless u strung the guitar upside down like Jimi Hendrix did
7.A string winder, polish cloth, Sting cleaner, and a extra set of strings
8. To have fun with it. Experiment. Take good care of it. Keep ur strings clean and free of oil in ur fingers
9.No u need a acoustic for that. U can get an effects pedal I would recommend a digitech rp50 it has an acoustic guitar efffect on it
10. Yes the amplifier on the electric actually makes the notes louder. The sound from an acoustic comes out of the sound hole of it.
11. I would recommend getting an acoustic first to pratice and learn on. It will help greatly building finger dexterity and strength. Plus it will build up the calluses on the ends of your fingers. Then once u got all the basics down switch to an electric and give it a whril.
Good Luck I hope this helps. If u have any other questions or need advice on playing feel free to email me at [e-mail]

Answer 2

ok i hope i cover everything.

1. go to a guitar store. pick one you like and buy it or find you you like and then order it from musiciansfriend.com cuz they may have a better price!
2. get light picks for begining and move up as you get more comfortable.
3. when youre trying guitars at the store try both lefty and righty to see which is more comfortableto you.
4. a capo frets all the stings. ie. makes the key of your guitar higher. its tuned to E normally. its makes playing a whole song in a higher easier.
5. the most basic book you can find will be helpful now, then move on to styles after you have the basics...also, always try things that seem too hard while youre learning it helps you see how much better you're getting as you go!
6. you can play a right guitar upside down it will not change the notes but you'll have to learn everything upside down which makes learning harder!
7. get a guitar polishing rag. if you want it to stay shiny always wipe it off after you play. the body and the back of the neck!
8. the most important thing is not to go from cold to hot temps too quickly!
9. if unplug a guitar it will have a sound but not as loud as an acoustic. some guitars are louder than other unplugged it just depends on the wood.
10. yes the notes are the same on both electrics and acoustics
11. you should get a fender or squire stratocaster. they are easy to play good to learn on and very versitile when you arent set to a certain style or tone yet! dont shy away from used ones as they are broken in and may be more comfortable and have alittle better tone!

GOOD LUCK!

Answer 3

Okay, I'm no guitar expert, but I can answer some of these.

1. Find a music store near you. The people there will help you with anything you need, and most likely will be able to answer all these questions a lot better than I can. Don't rely on the internet.

9. No, unless it is an electric/acoustic guitar it won't really sound like anything.

11. I suggest you get an acoustic to learn on. Once you get pretty good there, move on to electric. Sicne electrics also demand more money, maintence, etc. it will be good to get an acoustic and then figure out how serious you end up being about it.

Answer 4

You should get a left handed guitar if you are not ambidextrous. I would go to an actual store to buy a guitar, then you can see how they sound and make sure they aren't going to fall apart. I would also buy a cheap guitar as your first. I started out with a cheap one because I wasn't sure if I'd catch on and didn't want to spend a bunch of money on something I might toss aside. I did catch on and I'm now on my third, and have finally spent the money on a nice one that will last me a life time. It was worth playing crappy had me downs to finally purchase a very nice guitar that I can play well. I don't know about guitar for dummies, I have taught myself over the years. The Internet actually helped me the most. Good luck.

Answer 5

I was mildly guitar-retarded myself until I had a roommate that worked in a guitar shop. :-)

1. Don't get one from a website if you can help it. You want to feel the guitar and make sure you're comfortable with it. Different makes & styles have different weights and feels, so you want to find one you can bond with. Having an instrument that doesn't feel right will make you give up playing before you've even started! (I know this from experience!) If you CAN'T go to a shop yourself for whatever reason, musiciansfriend.com and zzounds.com are good. There are others, but I've used those two more than once.

2. Again, it depends on what feels right. Also on what style you want to play. You'll need heavier picks for an electric guitar, but it might take you a while to decide what kind you want to use.

3. Many left-handers (including the guitar shop guy I lived with) play right handed. It can be hard to find a leftie guitar. Jimi Hendrix was a leftie and he played a right-handed guitar strung backwards. Just so you know, that could make the guitar sound slightly different (not to most people, but audio geeks like me can hear it sometimes). This is another good reason to go into a guitar shop to get your guitar. Don't be afraid to ask questions at the shop, but be wary of the answers. In my experience, guys at music shops don't always take girls seriously, so you should talk to a few people at different shops.

4 A capo is a clamp-like thing that you clip onto the fret board to raise the pitch of a guitar without retuning. It gives you the advantage of quickly changing key between songs.

5. It can't hurt. It's a good idea to get a few lessons from a guitar teacher, just to learn the basics. The dummies books are always good though. :-)

6. See my answer to question 3. Also, look up Jimi Hendrix & his upside down guitar.

7. Gig bag, quick tuner (allows you to quickly wind/unwind strings if you need to change them), a polishing cloth & cleaner (you can get a spray cleaner & cloth at guitar shops- DON'T use any other cleaner on your guitar!), electronic tuners are handy and not too expensive.....erm....that's all I can think of right now.

8. There's not really one answer to that. I guess don't let your strings get rusted, don't drop it, and don't stop playing if it's too hard at first ('cause it won't be easy right away!)

9. Not really, it'll just be quieter. You can get a more "acoustic" sound out of an electric guitar if you have the right amp, right tone and no distortion or any effects on the guitar. Acoustic guitars sound the way they do because they have different bodies. They're meant to resonate naturally. Electric guitars use pickups that convert the vibration of the string to an electric signal, which is why you need an amp. They just amplify sound differently.

10. Yes

11. If you want to go for super-cheap just in case you don't know how long you'll want to play guitar, you could always get a Squier. A cheap one is around $100. They're not great though. You could get a cheap-ish Epiphone SG if you want a grungy sounding guitar. I like the sound, but not everyone does. Epiphone makes other models too- they're worth checking out. Gibson is fantastastic, but not cheap. Fender is good too- you can get a left-handed Fender for around $400. Again, the best thing to do is to go into a guitar shop and find the one that feels right. It doesn't matter what the model is as long as you're happy with it and it's in your price range. As you become a better guitarist, you'll learn more about what kind of sound and feel you like and you'll know EXACTLY what kind of guitar you want in the future.
Also, get yourself a small, cheap, but good guitar amp (obviously, you'll need one) and try a digital multiple effects pedal like the Korg AX3G (about $50). It'll help get you used to FX pedals and it'll also help you learn what kind of guitar FX you like so you can buy better pedals later.

Good luck! Hope this helps!

Answer 6

I just wanted to add on the left handed part... guitar playing isn't really a task where you will have a dominant hand issue. Both hands are involved, and if you play "left handed" or "right handed" is largely a matter of what you learn (there are probably exceptions to this, but overall, this is the case). As such, you would probably be best served to learn to play right handed. Left handed instruments are sometimes completely unavailable from some manufacturers, and when they are they may cost more and have fewer options.