Best way to learn guitar?

Site Notices

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Best way to learn guitar?

Posted: 12/18/2005 11:23:19 AM EDT

Right now, I'm using a "youth-sized" acoustic guitar that my sister gave to me, and I'm learning the basic string notes out of a book. What is the best way to learn guitar? Private instruction? Self-teaching? I'd think private instruction would be, but it is really expensive.

Posted: 12/18/2005 11:24:43 AM EDT

[#1]

Play every day 1-3 hours. NO SUBSTITUTIONS!

Posted: 12/18/2005 11:24:49 AM EDT

[#2]

I did private instruction for 6 months, to learn technique, then everything was practice, research theory and technique, then practice some more.I was worried that if I taught myself, I'd develop bad habits that would handicap my playing, I'm happy with my developed level of guitar skill

Posted: 12/18/2005 11:26:39 AM EDT

[#3]

I recomend buying the video from the informercial.

The one sold by the dude in the black hat and sunglasses.

Posted: 12/18/2005 11:28:42 AM EDT

[#4]

Start young, play often. VERY often.

Posted: 12/18/2005 11:29:08 AM EDT

[#5]

Practice,Practice and more Practice.

Find someone who can show you a bit.

Those self help books and videos will only get you so far .

Posted: 12/18/2005 11:31:39 AM EDT

[#6]

Begin by practicing individual notes. Use good technique and make sure to use all four fingers. Do exercises such as 1, 2, 3, 4 (index, middle, ring, pinky), 1, 3, 2, 4 (index, ring, middle, pinky). Mix it up a bit and practice doing this and switching between strings while you do it. Then practice basic chords - C, G, D, A, F, etc. Then practice switching from said chords. When you have this down you can go with private lessons if you wish, or you can continue practicing on your own. The reason I suggest you do all this stuff first is that you really don't need someone else to show you how to do it. You can just learn it on your own and save some money. Plus learning those few things I mentioned is enough to play a majority of rock music. Many people have been successful with only those skills.

There are many sites you can check out for help. Here are some:

www.guitarnotes.com Lots of tabs and lessons.

www.guitarnoise.com Lessons.

www.olga.net Tons of guitar tabs.

There are more. Look around. Good luck with the playing.

Posted: 12/18/2005 11:32:38 AM EDT

[#7]

Lessons are so hit and miss! You could easily be learning the TEACHERS bad habits. Just practice your scales until you can do them in your sleep. The idea of "Technique" is for later, AFTER you can play. Learn simple scales and songs. You'll take weeks/months to do that well IF you do it every day. Worry about the next step after the first step.

Posted: 12/18/2005 11:48:40 AM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
Lessons are so hit and miss! You could easily be learning the TEACHERS bad habits. Just practice your scales until you can do them in your sleep. The idea of "Technique" is for later, AFTER you can play. Learn simple scales and songs. You'll take weeks/months to do that well IF you do it every day. Worry about the next step after the first step.

Lessons are only hit or miss if you don't do your research. There are TONS of guitar teachers out there (everyone and their freakin' uncle play guitar). You say that "technique" is for later...WTF does that mean? You cannot play without technique, regardless of the instrument. The basic mechanics (technique) are first and foremost.

Natedog,
Private instruction (and of course, practice) is the way to go. Whatever part of the country you're in, start by looking at the colleges around your area (you can PM me cuz some schools music depts. suck) and ask the prof there who he/she would recommend. If you look at the music stores, ask to see bios/resumes for all the guitar teachers. The teacher should have at a minimum a masters degree in PERFORMANCE ( not "ed" ) on their instrument. If they don't have the degrees, then suitable "real world experience" should then be there. If you can, seek out a classical guitar player, someone who will teach you things other than "power chords". For the most part, a good classical guitar player will have much more skill than a good rock player (some of the best "rockers" have at least some classical training....sorta think of it as the shooter who has "mastered" his irons before going to optics

).

HTH
Rich

Posted: 12/18/2005 11:58:55 AM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
Lessons are so hit and miss! You could easily be learning the TEACHERS bad habits. Just practice your scales until you can do them in your sleep. The idea of "Technique" is for later, AFTER you can play. Learn simple scales and songs. You'll take weeks/months to do that well IF you do it every day. Worry about the next step after the first step.

I diasgree. Proper technique should be practiced from the beginning. If you practice playing whatever way works the best, THEN try to pick up the pieces later on and relearn a new way of doing it, there is a lot more work for you. If you start by using technique from the beginning however, it might take longer to progress but you will have done it the right way.

My $0.02.

Posted: 12/18/2005 1:28:15 PM EDT

[#10]

The IDEA of 'Teqnique" is something that comes later. How long have you been playing? Years probably. Do you remember your first couple of months? The idea that "You are doing it WRONG" is what scares off 99% of players in the first SIX WEEKS.
Fuck teqnique! They can't form a chord yet! They certainly can't decipher WTF an experienced musician is telling them, so they just stop.

To all beginning players...PLAY WHATEVER YOU WANT. If it's wrong, who cares! You can't fuck up a scale anyway if you read it from a book. If you stick with it long enough to understand the difference between major and minor scales, then start worring about the vaunted, praised, and HIGHLY OVER-RATED guitar-god wannabe IDEA...

TECHNIQUE!

BTW...
Most of the greatest "players" are boring and pretentious.
Jazz is masturbation for over-trained primadonnas.

Posted: 12/18/2005 1:30:42 PM EDT

[#11]

Take lessons to get the basics, buy some theory books and read them at night, then never put the damn thing down unless you absolutley have to.

Posted: 12/18/2005 1:44:28 PM EDT

[#12]

Start with private instruction. Go to a few teachers for a few weeks. Yes, it's expensive, but you will find that you will connect with one teacher more than the others. At that point, quit the other teachers and start seeing the one you like.

And practice, alot. Get a cheap cassette recorder and tape yourself practicing. Listen to it. You will hear things you didn't hear while you were playing. Use this to change, improve, you playing.

Also invest in a metronome.

Posted: 12/18/2005 1:53:53 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:

BTW...
Most of the greatest "players" are boring and pretentious.
Jazz is masturbation for over-trained primadonnas.

I don't know why but that struck me as funny as hell. I agree with the non-technical approach for beginners to draw them in. Buy a beginner's book, get your fingers moving on individual notes. Learn some basic chords and practice a lot. Have fun with it.

Posted: 12/18/2005 1:59:12 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
The IDEA of 'Teqnique" is something that comes later. How long have you been playing? Years probably. Do you remember your first couple of months? The idea that "You are doing it WRONG" is what scares off 99% of players in the first SIX WEEKS.
Fuck teqnique! They can't form a chord yet! They certainly can't decipher WTF an experienced musician is telling them, so they just stop.

To all beginning players...PLAY WHATEVER YOU WANT. If it's wrong, who cares! You can't fuck up a scale anyway if you read it from a book. If you stick with it long enough to understand the difference between major and minor scales, then start worring about the vaunted, praised, and HIGHLY OVER-RATED guitar-god wannabe IDEA...

TECHNIQUE!

BTW...
Most of the greatest "players" are boring and pretentious.
Jazz is masturbation for over-trained primadonnas.

Where'd you go to school? How long have you been playing? How many years have you been teaching? Because this is some of the most ignorant ranting I've ever seen.

"If it's wrong, who cares"?! You've got to be out of your mind. I'll tell you, the person who does it wrong without caring will sure as shit care, when years down the line, they have to fix a learned mistake.

Posted: 12/18/2005 2:03:52 PM EDT

[#15]

Get a metranome
Play everything slow. Work up to speed.

Posted: 12/18/2005 2:11:05 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:
The IDEA of 'Teqnique" is something that comes later. How long have you been playing? Years probably. Do you remember your first couple of months? The idea that "You are doing it WRONG" is what scares off 99% of players in the first SIX WEEKS.
Fuck teqnique! They can't form a chord yet! They certainly can't decipher WTF an experienced musician is telling them, so they just stop.

To all beginning players...PLAY WHATEVER YOU WANT. If it's wrong, who cares! You can't fuck up a scale anyway if you read it from a book. If you stick with it long enough to understand the difference between major and minor scales, then start worring about the vaunted, praised, and HIGHLY OVER-RATED guitar-god wannabe IDEA...

TECHNIQUE!

BTW...
Most of the greatest "players" are boring and pretentious.
Jazz is masturbation for over-trained primadonnas.

I agree and disagree. While it is good for beginners to just play anything any way they can, I've met a lot of self taught musicians (myself included) that wished they had learned proper technique from the get go because bad habits are hard to break.

I remember I spent a week learning as many chords as I could. When I went to play a progression I realized that even though I had learned the chords by themselves, I didn't have the best placement for my fingers to transfer between them in the easiest way.

Now that I've been playing for so long I can change between chords with any placement that I want to because I can do it much faster.

Posted: 12/18/2005 2:13:09 PM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
Quoted:

Where'd you go to school? How long have you been playing? Because this is some of the most ignorant ranting I've ever seen.

"If it's wrong, who cares"?! You've got to be out of your mind. I'll tell you, the person who does it wrong without caring will sure as shit care, when years down the line, they have to fix a learned mistake.

You sound like someone who went to a fine institute of learning. Spent years honing and polishing the teqniques of the true musical craftsman, sweating and toiling through dusty manuscripts and tomes of your learned betters. Hardly blinking from the iron-willed concentration required to become that most highly esteemed, gloriously praised and respected of bard's......
A middle school band teacher.

Posted: 12/18/2005 2:16:22 PM EDT

[#18]

Not quite Nef...
But what are your qualifications? Not to mention a middle school band teacher still knows more about teaching than you.

Posted: 12/18/2005 2:26:58 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
Not quite Nef...
But what are your qualifications?

What difference does that make? It's just an internet opinion anyway! I kept highlighting IDEA and you guys still didn't get it. The beginner is only a TRUE beginner for 6-10 weeks. During this time, you learn such basic things as 1. The G chord. 2. A major scale at a snails pace. etc.
Worrying about tying all this together is not important yet. If someone sticks with it, and plans on being a classical guitarist for a living then maybe a teacher is the next logical step. If they want to be able to fucking sing and play "All my rowdy friends are coming over tonight" at a party then they don't need to pay some dick-head $60.00 an hour to learn it.

The most highly trained guitarists I know can't improvise for shit, and choke-up whenever the eyes of the room are on them.

Oh, and I've been playing for thirty years, not that it matters. Once again, it's an opinion. Just give yours and stop fucking picking at mine.

Posted: 12/18/2005 2:41:20 PM EDT

[#20]

Zorro?

Quoted:
I recomend buying the video from the informercial.

The one sold by the dude in the black hat and sunglasses.

Posted: 12/18/2005 3:36:01 PM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:

What difference does that make?

When you start giving pedagogical advice, it makes a big difference.

The beginner is only a TRUE beginner for 6-10 weeks.

As opposed to a "partial" beginner? Where do you get this 6-10 week estimate? Whether someone is a beginner or not is solely up to the individual's progress. There is no timeline. Someone with a less-than-good ear and good practice habits will not stay in the "beginner" category as long as someone with a good ear and bad practice habits. There are just too many variables to gove a timeline.

During this time, you learn such basic things as 1. The G chord. 2. A major scale at a snails pace. etc.

You know what? That's technique.

The most highly trained guitarists I know can't improvise for shit, and choke-up whenever the eyes of the room are on them.

Then they're not that "highly trained".

The problem is that you claim to detest "technique" so much, yet even in your first post you say

Just practice your scales until you can do them in your sleep.

That IS technique. Technical studies are chords, scales, arpeggios, long tones (for wind instruments) etc. Yes lessons can be hit or miss, which is why I told Natedog to do his research on teachers.

Oh, and I've been playing for thirty years, not that it matters. Once again, it's an opinion. Just give yours and stop fucking picking at mine.

You were the one coming on and basically saying that beginners don't need a teacher (you could pick up their bad habits), and just play whatever you want regardless of how wrong it may be. NOWHERE did you say "it's just my opinion". Then you go on to try to make a clever little insult regarding middle school band directors for whatever reason.

They certainly can't decipher WTF an experienced musician is telling them, so they just stop.

Who is "they"? Give students some more credit. The "can't decipher" thing is a bullshit copout excuse students and teachers say when they don't want to face the fact either a) the student can't play or b) the teacher sucks.

R

Posted: 12/18/2005 4:15:18 PM EDT

[#22]

Damn, I can't believe you wasted that much time typing that up!

You win! Everybody get a $60.00 an hour teacher to learn "B.I.N.G.O." on the guitar, and when you are a world famous jazz guitar god in twenty five years you can thank trumpet for the lousy $75.00 you make a night playing at the Cleveland Hilton. And keep your chin up, because maybe the next album you cut with Branford Marsalis will sell enough copies to cover the cab fare home!

ENOUGH ALREADY....I'm about to leave work and i don't feel like typing another "clever rebuttal."

Posted: 12/18/2005 4:18:18 PM EDT

[#23]

practice a lot.

Posted: 12/18/2005 4:22:22 PM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:
Jazz is masturbation for over-trained primadonnas.

"Yeah man, BB could wring more soul out of one note than any of those "jazz" faggots could ever do."

Opinions are like assholes.

Posted: 12/18/2005 4:25:42 PM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Jazz is masturbation for over-trained primadonnas.

"Yeah man, BB could wring more soul out of one note than any of those "jazz" faggots could ever do."

Opinions are like assholes.

Preach it brother!

Posted: 12/18/2005 4:31:29 PM EDT

[#26]

Quoted:
Zorro?

Quoted:
I recomend buying the video from the informercial.

The one sold by the dude in the black hat and sunglasses.

He's not going to teach Duane how to play.

Posted: 12/18/2005 4:42:01 PM EDT

[#27]

I think this is the best way to get going:

Posted: 12/18/2005 4:42:41 PM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:
I recomend buying the video from the informercial.

The one sold by the dude in the black hat and sunglasses.

I followed your advice, but ended up switching to Geico instead.

Posted: 12/18/2005 4:56:25 PM EDT

[#29]

There are a couple of good instuctional DVD/Video's out there. Guitar Grimore is one I've heard good things about as are some of the "learn the style of "X" video's.

Learn to read tablature and then search www.olga.net for whatever songs your are into. I don't know any theory so I can't solo on my own yet I can play just about every Zeppelin, Hendrix or Clapton song note for note. People who hear me play think I'm pretty good yet I couldn't tell you what key a particular song is in or what mode they are playing.

If I were to do it over again, I would learn on the piano and then pick up the guitar after I learned the theory.

Posted: 12/18/2005 8:47:39 PM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:
Damn, I can't believe you wasted that much time typing that up!

You win! Everybody get a $60.00 an hour teacher to learn "B.I.N.G.O." on the guitar, and when you are a world famous jazz guitar god in twenty five years you can thank trumpet for the lousy $75.00 you make a night playing at the Cleveland Hilton. And keep your chin up, because maybe the next album you cut with Branford Marsalis will sell enough copies to cover the cab fare home!

ENOUGH ALREADY....I'm about to leave work and i don't feel like typing another "clever rebuttal."

Hey, you got the TAB for BINGO?

I've been playing about a year now and I think I could just about handle that.

Posted: 12/18/2005 8:55:49 PM EDT

[#31]

If you are just starting, I'd find others that play and learn all they will show you. Everyone and their brother can play guitar and you can pick up different songs, chords and tricks from them. I've started many people playing and I do it by showing them a song and playing along with them at their own pace. It's fun to have a "jam" where a few get together to play.

It's hard to keep at it by yourself but if you find a few people to play music with, it makes it fun and interesting. Playing by yourself is boring as is playing the same songs over and over. Books and videos are OK but it's hard to stay motivated for long. Find others to jam with to keep it fun.

Check out your local library to see what books and things they have and most can order stuff from other Libraries.

Posted: 12/18/2005 8:58:17 PM EDT

[#32]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Zorro?

Quoted:
I recomend buying the video from the informercial.

The one sold by the dude in the black hat and sunglasses.

www.bigpinekey.com/Images/estaban.JPG

He's not going to teach Duane how to play.

Thats the guy.

Posted: 12/18/2005 9:14:44 PM EDT

[#33]

Quoted:

If I were to do it over again, I would learn on the piano and then pick up the guitar after I learned the theory.

I would too.

I've played for five years.... although I the last two years I really have let it drop off.

I got pretty decent in the first three though... I won a contest at my college and won $50... I never got in a band though, and I got tired of playing by myself all the time. Now I might put some time into it once a week, and thats just jamming on songs I already know.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Best way to learn guitar?

General » General Discussion

Warning

Confirm Action

About AR15.COM

Stay Connected

Newsletter

Contact Us