how can i teach myself to play guitar??

Question

i bought a guitar and i cant play it but i really want to

Answer 1

there are many different ways to learn to play guitar, all the ones suggested here are worthy.

in my personal opinion i think you should start off learning the chords, and maybe a few tunes that you enjoy listening to. from the beginning of your playing i think you should dive straight into learning musical theory, since its the heart and probably the most important part of music. there is an endless amount of information on the internet, for both beginners and advanced players .

some of my fav sites are below

www.wholenote.com
http://jrsmoots.com/guitarlessons/guitarlessons.htm
http://chrisjuergensen.com/ (check out the lessons)
http://www.fareed.com/lessons.html

there are millions of guitar lessons on the internet. guitar can be painless and an extreme chore, depending on how good you want to get. like anything else, practice makes perfect.

however, getting a musical teacher is probably the fastest way, and the most efficient. they can sit you down and quickly explain to you proper technique, and find out what your doing in your playing that needs work. i recommend a teacher, even though i never used one myself.

Answer 2

Although I know a few people who have taught themselves how to play the guitar, I strongly recommend you don't follow this long, stubborn, dead end and hard road. At some point you will need to get intruction from someone or something. It'll also make your life a lot easier and help you start enjoying your instrument lot more.

But for starters, I'd walk into a music store. Talk to a guitar playing sales associate, preferrably a manager, and ask for a good book containing Chords and Scales for beginners. There are hundreds of them available.

Also, you should purchase a Guitar Chord Dictionary. It'll help you.

Once you know the different ways you can play Major, minor, Flat, Sharp, Diminished and Half Diminished chords you're in very good shape. The next step, after you master the chords, will be to jump on Pentatonic Scales. The next step will be Pentatonic Scales with blue notes. The next step will be the Greek Modes/Harmonic Minor/Major/Melodic Scales.

After you master all that I'll be watching you on T.V. LOL.

I strongly encourage you though, to also take a few guitar lessons just so your teacher can tell you the basic tricks on how you can form chords in different keys through the neck. It'll save you a lot of time.

All in all, be curious, passionate and creative about your instrument. Break all rules when playing guitar and you'll go above and beyond. Be dedicated and practice everyday.

In the beginning most people quit because they get too discouraged but it may take 6 moths to 2 years for you to reach the confidence level that will bring you to enjoy playing the guitar.

Good luck and don't stop rockin!

Answer 3

if u haven't got one already, buy a tuner.Or if u have a keyboard, the notes u need are ,from the lowest, E A D G B E. The highest string is E above middle C. Get urself a book of chords. Choose 2 or 3 easy ones, Like A D E. Learn to finger one, like D ,then another, like A. Practise changing between them. When u can do that, add in more chords, like E or G. Every key has 3 basic chords in it, so key D has D G A .Key A has A D E. There are stacks of songs out there that use these chords.Eg: Going to the Zoo, He's Got the Whole World in His Hands, Johnny B Goode, Hound Dog etc.
Be aware of 2 things. U can't have long, ptretty nails on ur left hand, and ur fingers will hurt for a while. Hope this helps, and All the best.

Answer 4

Well lessons are, of course, your best bet.. But if you cant get any right now, get a beginners guitar book, preferably one with a cd you can learn to play along with, and a chord chart, and just get working on it! Have fun with it!

Answer 5

You should start by getting a book!then just play from the fingering chart until you remember some of the notes, then try to play a easy song!good luck!
=)

Answer 6

i taught myself- just buy a chord chart or use the internet and learn chords- it's a start- or you can buy a teach yourself book- there are dvds that help. Just learn whatever you can like chords, barre chords, etc

Answer 7

play songs you like. find tabs online of the songs then a chord chart if the songs don't have diagrams. learn how to read tabs then play. it takes a while to get chord changes down and to remember the chords, but with practice it comes to you. i started out playing little one string songs (like meow-mix) then moved to punk songs, then chords then beatles songs then barre chords and such.

Answer 8

I posted a few links below where I have answered similar questions. Hopefully you will find everything you need there. If not, give me a shout and I will be happy to do what I can.