How can I learn to play the guitar?

Question

For the past few years I have wanted to learn to play acoustic guitar. The problem is that I don't have the extra money to pay for lessons. Is there a program someone can recommend, as well as a "beginners" guitar to get me started? I've seen a lot of different advertisements for programs that claim to "teach" you how to play, but is it really sufficient to watch someone on a DVD and "learn" that way?
(FYI: I've never tried a string instrument before, but played trumpet, french horn and alto horn years ago! This will be strictly for hobby, as a I realize it's going to take quite a bit of practice to even make it sound decent ;-)

Answer 1

I've never taken lessons, but I've taught myself and can play any acoustic or electric song you've ever heard of, and without practicing first.

Go to www.ultimate-guitar.com and find the tabs and chords to the songs you want to play, it will say CHORDS or TABS, if you wish to play acoustic songs and sing, like strumming ect. you will want CHORDS, if you want solos and ACDC riffs, you're going to want TABS.

You go to the song you want, and you'll get the song lyrics and the chords, you run your mouse over the chord letter and it will show you in a little box where exactly to put your fingers to play that chord, and the rest is practice practice practice.
I've been playing since I was about 14 (now 18)

If you want tabs, it will be a series of numbers on lines, the numbers indicate which fret to put your finger on, and the line indicates which string, it will usually have E e big E and little e telling you which is the lower string but you can usually figure it out on your own.

Anyways good for you for picking up a guitar, I guarantee you once you learn you will never regret it. You should have yourself playing in no-time.

P.s... those DVD's and websites you have to pay for suck, I bought a dvd AND a membership to a website, they didn't teach my anything i couldn't have figured out on my own.

I'm stressing that you go to www.ultimate-guitar.com and search the database for the song you want and play away.

There will be several different versions of the same song, pick whichever seems the least complicated or the one that sounds the most correct.

Answer 2

Honestly, guitar is pretty easy to start learning.

Tablature (or the sheet music where it tells you what frets to hold on what strings) is easy to read and a lot more logical for the guitar than normal sheet music.

You can go to any of a number of websites online to look up tablature for songs, or can download Guitar Pro (you're supposed to pay but can find ways around that...) and then get any of a gazillion songs transcribed to special guitar pro files that will show you tablature, sheet music, and play the song for you.

The best way to learn on the cheap is to find songs you like for guitar (simple ones at first), and then go get the tabs. Practice playing them and you'll get better and better... it'll happen pretty quickly if you're diligent.

Answer 3

Consider:

1. Find a qualified guitar instructor, if possible, 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.

As a side note, I'd enjoy listening to Lisa play "The Flight of the Bumblebee." I have yet to master it and I've been playing guitar since August 1956.

Answer 4

Go and try to save up and by yorself a small price guitar at the pawn or at garage sales ...then look up www.yahoo.com free guitar lessons...good luck =)