How does one begin to teach themselves guitar?

Question

I want to learn to play the guitar, but i dont know where to start! i know some chords but now i dont know what else to do.

Answer 1

Beginner books are great, but I found that quality instructional DVD's are even more effective. It is extremely helpful to actually see what you are supposed to do so you can model the correct techniques, rather than trying to figure out some of the written instructions.

The single most important thing you need to do though is practice. 15 minutes a day. Practice your scales, chords, strumming...anything to get your fingers used to moving the way you need them to. Any good instructional DVD should give you a good idea of how to practice effectively.

Good luck.

Answer 2

One of my kids got interested in guitar but he was stubborn and wouldnt do what the teacher asked. He quit lessons. BUT eventually he started learning from some websites online. He learned so much that when he was in college he minored in guitar and was playing right along with kids who had been taking lessons for 8 or 9 years.

If you have a lot of will power you can do this. Check the web for sites that include guitar instruction.

Alos, like all music, you should get some CDs of the guitar players you really like and you should listen to them over and over and over. Trying to learn by listening will get you ready for playing in a group.

And, once you have learned some basic stuff, try to look around for some guitar camps where you can go and get some personal workshop classes from real guitar geniuses. There are quite a few of these camps around and they are a lot of fun. One of the famous ones is Swannanoa Camp in North Carolina

Play nice!

Answer 3

I taught myself how to play about 13 years ago by just picking up the guitar and a beginner's book and going through it. I never learned how to play "other people's" songs, but I've become a good player with a unique style that people can't seem to get enough of (or my friends are all leading me on...)

So if you really want it, do. And practice every day, that's important. Don't worry about sounding bad at first. It took me five years just to get to a point where I started to like myself. It takes time, but damn it is worth it!

Best of luck to you.

Answer 4

Well, i am teaching myself how to play. The first thing that i did was bought myself a basic chord book. Then, i bought a couple of song books and learned those and tried to play those (over and over again until l got those down.
I kept going over those until it sounded like the ones i heard before. It takes time. it wont happen overnight

Answer 5

Find a good beginner's book on playing guitar at your local instrument store. It can teach you some chords and how to play certain things.....

Answer 6

Trial & blunders. some ppl are born with an "ear" - it is the ability to hearken to a music and %. it out on a guitar interior some tries. Others, like myself, learn greater with the aid of memorization. For me, it could have been impossible to benefit chords w/o books. when I knew a stable sort of chords, i'd desire to oftentimes play a music I knew with the aid of determining which chords utilized at a given place contained in the music.

Answer 7

theguitarsuite.com