Starting to play guitar?!?! NEED HELP!!!!!?

Question

Ok so I want to start playing guitar. Excuse me if I sound stupid or ask any stupid questions but I am 100% new. I dont even have guitar yet. I just decided I love rock and music and I want to stat playing guitar. So I dont get what type of guitars are there. I dont want to start playing like country or heavy metal music. I want to start playing guitar and playing and learning good rock songs like the red hot chili peppers or guns and roses like that kind of guitar playing. What kind of guitar would I need? Also how long would it take till i start learning it and getting into it and learning how to play any notes? Should i get a guitar teacher to start me off then i go my own ways or should i always have a guitar teacher and get lessons every week or so. I want to make it a hobby not my life by the way.

Answer 1

OK. Try getting a Gibson knock off= Epiphone les Paul is great, also a Fender Squire. Check out www.musiciansfriend.com on some package deals that include amps. Lessons would help, at least at first, so you can start on the right foot. There are many books/cd's that can help you, also check out www.youtube.com and type in beginners guitar lessons..... great free resource!! Good luck and have fun!

Answer 2

The beautiful thing about guitar, it is a life-long hobby. You'll never finish or master it completely.

I wouldn't spend a lot of money on your first guitar. You'll want to see if it is something you'd like to keep doing. I'd suggest a starter package. A Fender Squire/Strat would be a good start. Packages even come with little practice amps.

I'm self-taught; however, I'd love to take lessons. Anytime you can take a lesson, do it. My lessons have came from those who have played for years and years. We just play and I always learn something new from them.

The first three months are the most trying. Some people pick it up and just go; however, if you're like the majority of us, it is a pain-staking process to get started. It is worth it to take your time and learn the fret board. The more time you place in the basics, the more it'll pay off down the road.

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

I would suggest that you search for a guy name Justin Sandercoe on youtube.com and watch every single lesson from him. He can teach you like aaallll of the basic stuff that you need to know when you are starting out. Also check out his website justinguitar.com for references. The dude is amazing and he is a great teacher. I hope people who use his lessons donate some money because he really deserves it. Oh and the girl above me said to get a fender squire. I have hear a lot of people say that they are the worse guitars you can buy. I have never played one but that is the kinda guitar that you love or hate and apparently it is more likely you will hate it. Ibanez makes very good cheap guitars if you want to start electric, and so does Yamaha. I would probably wait a couple years before buying something like a Gibson to make sure you are still into it and not wasting your money.

Answer 4

Get a guitar that feels good to you. It's your guitar, so obviously you should like it. Pretty much any place that sells guitars will let you test them out.

As for learning to play, a teacher is a good way to go. Unless you are a musical protege, you can only learn so much on your own. After a while, if you feel comfortable with your abilities, you can head off on your own and experiment.

If you want an alternative, I suggest going online for guitar lessons. Youtube has a ton of instructional videos and there are plenty of other sites that offer basic knowledge. Either way, you can also check out guitar tablature sites and just mess around on there; those sites are a way to build up experience and technique

Answer 5

Regarding the guitar:
Neck action is everything. You want a guitar that fits your fingers. If you can play well with an acoustic, you'll be able to throttle down on an electric and let the fuzz of the amp cover your sloppiness. It doesn't work the other way. Acoustic is more demanding, and requires your fingers to be trained. Your electric presentations will always be better if you start with the basics of acoustic control.

Regarding the lessons:
Proper position is important. If you start with bad positioning of your left thumb (or right, if you're left-handed), you'll never be able to bar cords or move your fingers properly. I suggest at least a few lessons with a pro. Your results will be better, and you will be less likely to be discouraged as you progress to more difficult levels.

Regardless of my opinions, I believe all professional musicians would agree with me (I'm a hobbiest, I do it for personal pleasure only): Practice is the key.

Perfect practice makes perfect.

Have fun and good luck. No matter what level you take it to, your experience with music will enrich your life.

Answer 6

OK. Depending on finance, go for a steel strung acoustic. Crafter, Takamine Tanglewood Ovation Applause, Vintage are all good. If you want an electric, the Fender Squier pack is good (my daughter has one) . or there are plenty of other packs around.If you have a friend who plays, take him/her to your local music shop and see what's around. Get him/her to try those that are in your price range, and see which one has the sound you like. Get him/her to show you a chord shape or two and try to play them. Are the strings easy to push down. It will hurt your fingers. If no friend, ask an assisitant. See what kind of deal the shop will offer - free gig bag or whatever.
Get a medium thickness plectrum to start with, you can always get thicker or thinner as you go on. Get a book of chords, and learn 2 or 3. A D E are god. practise one ata time, then learn to change between them. Early rock'n'roll songs like Johnny B Goode or Hound Dog or Blue Suede Shoes are a good starting point. It will take time but with regular practice it will happen.Hope this helps and all the best.

Answer 7

Well when you first start playing your fingers will hurt, but within about 2 weeks you will get calices on your fingers and it wont hurt at all First you should start playing those easy songs, not for very long though, just play songs that you like that sound easy. For the first six months of playing guitar, i didnt have lessons, and it worked out pretty well,but then it got to the point that i was just playing songs that i like and not making my own stuff, so lessons are a good idea. and being able to read music will make it alot easier because you wont have to go through all of that if you do take lessons.

Answer 8

i've been playing for 6 years now, its a good idea to start off w/ an acoustic guitar because the strings are harder to press down making ur fingers stronger so playing electric will be really easy. that's how i started. but if u want to start on electric get an epiphone les paul (slash from guns n roses uses a gibson les paul which is just a better more.. much more expensive version of an epiphone les paul) and maybe a tiny practice amp. u can try amps and guitars out at most music shops. its a good idea to start out w/ a teach for maybe ur first year just to learn enough to start teaching urself. how long it'll take u to start playing songs depend on how much u practice. just be patient and you'll get good. good luck!

Answer 9

First off, it seems like your not going to be attempting to create your own style. In this case a guitar won't change much for you whether it's a "blues" or a "heavy metal". One thing I am going to say is DO NOT TAKE CLASSES ONLINE. They will not get you anywhere: they are uninteractive, meaning you can't stop and say "Well, what if I can't bend?" orany other deviant. Don't get a teacher either. If you go onto Google and type "guitar chords", plenty will come up. Learn the simple power chord shape. Already you will be able to play 1,000 songs. Literally.