im keen on learning how to play a guitar.. help me out pls!?

Question

after hearing the tunes from many diff bands, it really inspired me to learn how to play the guitar myself.. im planning to buy an acoustic guitar.. probably fender or yamaha to start it out.

but i know absolutely nothing about guitars.. stuffs like bar cords.. fingering.. strings.. wad else???

and wad are the basics of guitar playing will i have to learn? pls explain to me?

and what kinda equipments should i buy to maintain my guitar? Isit possible to learn how to play the guitar by myself? will my fingers get hurt from playing the guitar for too long?

help me out by answering and telling me more about guitars pls..im really excited and anxious about it.. i cant wait to start jamming =P thanks a bunch and God bless you guys..

Answer 1

Although you can learn to play on your own. A teacher can get you there much quicker, while picking up fewer bad habits. I took lessons for 6 months then it was just me, and a ZZ Top record.

Most of the starter guitars are quite playable these days. If possible get someone who plays to go with you while you try them out. They should be able to help you pick one that will serve you well in the beginning. It would hard to go wrong with anything Fender of Yamaha makes.

At first a soft cloth for wiping the neck between plays and a digital tuner will suit you well. You will want to learn to tune the guitar by ear as well, but a tuner will help immensely when you are starting out.

Then it's all about practice. The more you do it, and the more productive it is, will impact how fast you will improve. Most of all, just enjoy.

Answer 2

I was inspired to play when I saw the first live band. I set at home with books and practiced for hours these chords and it was a slow process. There is a website called rockhousemethod.com that has video instruction on dvd and you can download a thing called a backing track to help you with your rhythm and chords. Don't worry about your fingers as thay will get used to this and the pain will go away. When you are selecting a guitar get one that is easy to press on the strings which is to say that the strings should not rest too far above the finger board. Myself I have a martin sigma and it is great but expensive. Yahama guitars are usually pretty good. When buying strings you might consider a lighter guage of string as they make the guitar easier to play. I have played and jammed with bands for at least 30 years hence the screen name of lifetime rocker. I have enjoyed many years of good time with music and I hope you do the same and work hard and good luck from the old lifetime rocker. If you have questions you can click on my avatar and send me a message.

Answer 3

Think what you like more, Acoustic or Electric. Be prepared for pain because you will for callouses on your fingertips and if you are like me and don't care your strings will have blood on them. When you listen to songs, pick out the guitar and imagine yourself playing on stage to motivate you. Don't give up easily because nothing is easy to learn and takes a lot of practice. Once you can play a song decently try to rally up some friends to play with, even if they rock out on pots and pans. And above all, play for others and enjoy it because music is one of the few things that overcomes diversity. Seriously, tell me one person (other than someone that is deaf) that can't appreciate some form of music.

Answer 4

All good advice,from the other guys and gals.Heres a couple more ideas.Try to find and obtain a DVD from Andy Aledort.He has a couple for beginners.Its an inexpensive way to see the "big picture".Also I recommend subscribing to the magazine "Guitar One".It has lessons and tabs,as well as articles and reviews on gear and other cool stuff.One more thing,you must practice,practice,practice.I can't say it enough you must start a disciplined practice routine,15 minutes on minor pentatonic boxes,then major scales.And clean picking.Good luck and stick with it.After you get past the pain
hopefully you won't put it down,then one day you'll realize you can jam.

Answer 5

1. Find a qualified guitar instructor and buy a beginner's guitar chord book having basic music theory.

2. Have your instructor show the good habits to form in building chords and playing them, how to string a guitar, how to take care of your instrument, and how to tune it.

3. As you learn and practice forming various chords ask your instructor to teach you the basics of music theory.

4. As you progress, ask the instructor to help you in:

a. Chord progression
b. Key transposition
c. How to determine the key signatures in music.
d. Writing basic music notation.
e. Playing rhythm as he plays melodies and vice versa.
f. Learning the Chromatic Scale with chords and notes.


5. Practice rhythm and strumming techniques--both striking the fundamental bass tone and strumming down and then back up. Practice fingerstyle methods of right picking different strings in chord backup.

6. Keep your instrument clean and in good shape. Treat it better than you would your own body. Keep your hands clean and dry while playing. That cuts back on oily residues.

7. Watch other guitarists and their technique or style. Copy their methods up to the point of forming your own style.

And finally, your fingertips will hurt terribly until you can build the calluses on them. Until then, you must endure hours of practice. If you don't have the motivation and strong will to work past the problem of sore fingertips you will never be a guitarist.

Answer 6

find a site that can teach you and learn to read tabs. the site will keep you improving and the tabs will keep you interested.
your fingers will hurt for the first week or two when you play guitar, but only until you build calluses, there is no real damage to your fingers though.

but you definitely need to learn tabs, scales, and how to read music.

if you get a semicheap acoustic, you shouldn't need much of anything for upkeep. just occasional new strings which you can pick up even at walmart (though those are horrible strings.)

also, it kind of helps if you know the names of parts of a guitar (frets, fretboard, bridge, nut, etc.). hope i helped.

Answer 7

Find a guitar teacher,( age doesn't matter ) in your local music store or phone book. Gud luk

Answer 8

search on yahoo for basic chords and how to do them. you can find alot of stuff online about how to play a guitar. Also, that guy Estaban on HSN that sells his kit on how to learn to play the guitar is apparently one of the best on how to teach yourself.