Just got a guitar, Where do i start? x_X

[JazzyJake]

Hey guys,
My buddy just sold me his fender strat for $50.
I have no idea where to start.
Does anyone who plays have a favorite book or video that teaches the basic from the very beginning?
I'm eager to try stuff so i'm jusst making noise and giving my dog a headache atm, but youtube seems to have just goofy stuff from what i can find.
Any suggestions?
Thanks, Jake

[qazwsx]

I found this while looking around Beginning Guitar Lessons: Introduction Ive read through it and it seems great for starting off. After you feel pretty confident with fingering and strumming you could try some songs. I find Power Tab .net - Download Center very good (download the editor not the Librarian) and you can download the tabs for songs off ULTIMATE GUITAR TABS ARCHIVE | 300,000+ Guitar Tabs, Bass Tabs, Chords and Guitar Pro Tabs! When you search for a song on there you are left with a list for all different formats, use the powertab ones with the software or just the plain text ones if you like.

I like powertab as it plays it for you as it goes along so you can hear how things should sound in certain parts.

Thats where i'd start off playing. I wish you the best of luck, playing the guitar is one of the best decisions I think ive made, I love it.


...oh and have Patience, it's worth sticking too

[stevensonmat2]

If you really want to get off to a good start, you should find a teacher. A lesson a week could give you plenty of quality exercises and techniques to work on, and your teacher could also catch any bad habits you that you might start forming.

Oh, and learn to read music! It's not that hard, and you'll be able to study from actual music books.

[JazzyJake]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it!

[Hitman]

Originally Posted by stevensonmat2

If you really want to get off to a good start, you should find a teacher. A lesson a week could give you plenty of quality exercises and techniques to work on, and your teacher could also catch any bad habits you that you might start forming.

Oh, and learn to read music! It's not that hard, and you'll be able to study from actual music books.

Thats really good advice, some people have the gift, some can learn, and others just can't make music come out of anything. My brother just picked up a guitar one day and started playing Metallica and AC/DC songs by ear. He's had people show him a few things, but he has never had one real lesson in his life. He can't read music, but he can play any song, once he has heard it once. Me I am doing good to get music to come out of speakers.

[simple_inhibition]

learn chords and power chords first. once you learn them, you can pretty much make up songs as you go. then from there you can progress to the finer aspects of playing the guitar

btw i have a fender squirestrat as well. mines black and white, whats yours?

[JazzyJake]

Originally Posted by simple_inhibition

btw i have a fender squirestrat as well. mines black and white, whats yours?

Black and white

It's a nice, clean looking guitar..it's no Gibson mind you, but their guitars are just effin beautiful

[petarggh]

Yeah, basically teh best way to learn is a good teacher. Seeing and hearing it done in person is by far the fastest.

If thats not a possibility then I recommend you go to TAB sites and learn songs you like. This will help your fingers get used to the feel and layout of the fretboard. Once you feel a bit more comfy, start looking into chords and things--you'll start to realize all the things you've been sheepishly following on the screen are actual chords. This is when it gets exciting :D

well, if you're like me or a few of my friends.

It just seems lots of people who start with a book like approach are more likely bored, as playing isn't too satisfying when you only know 3 chords (Em Am C)


Each of us is different though, so i bet if you had specific questions one of use here could help you

(and congrats on the buy!)

[Boy'nBlack]

man, Hit pretty much has it. You are a musician or you play tab. AC/DC and metallica are basic riffs, so if you play them with either, you have fundamentals down and can truck on. Power chords, pull on/pull off, tapping, and bends. That's working on the neck. Good, but open.

I'm trying to teach the GF and her daughter guitar. Fun, yet frustrating. It's been power chords and basics. Sloooooow playing in the least. I gotta describe what's not only happening, but what's about to happen.

What I've learned in teaching is that it's more interesting if the music they like is what they're learning. Tap your foot, lead them by a half step, and chords should fall into place. Let screw ups be and play through them. Play through! If you stop, the learning does too. Play a song wrong, and you eventually get it right. But focus on not playing that same section wrong each time, ya know? Tends to stick. Have it in your mind that section is coming up and get ready for it.

I don't like the teaching though, not in general anyway. I was taught in HS by the band teachers, mostly Stage Jazz type stuff and they wanted us to pick up more than one instrument in Advanced Music. Anyway, all those habits they pointed out as shear sins I still do. Why? because I see others doing it as well and I'm fine. Hey, if Angus, Eddie, and Stevie Ray can pull the thumb over the neck I can't call it a bad habit. Although schooled, I consider myself more self taught and try to mimic anything I can. Mix it up, and you get a song of your own.

I honestly feel fundamentals can be self taught up to a point. Tab can get you associated with the guitar and making it start to work. When comfortable, go back to basics again and learn chords from sheet music. I've watched others try to pick it up, and think a written G is just a G strummed...the song might be calling to pick it out.

Just getting an instrument and playing with it is good for the mind. Something about music opens you up emotionally and gets the mind figuring things out. There's a lot of low dollar rigs out there as well, so it's not a huge investment. I see a Jackson Dinky Reverse for $300, some Yamaha Pacifica's (strat) for $240, and kits easily in the $350 range. That, a cord, couple sets of light (.09) strings, variations of picks, a pignose amp, and maybe one or two effects pedals, and you're up and ready to go. Tinker and see what you like.