Ever wanted to learn guitar? It's not too late.

[sixstringsteve]

ANY adult with enough desire and time can learn the guitar (unless perhaps you are arthritic or missing your left hand). The problem is, most adults don't have the desire or time, and they like to make excuses for why they haven't learned, or why it doesn't work for them. Quite simply, with enough dedication and time, you can be playing your favorite songs in 3-6 months (and maybe even less if you practice a lot).

With learning guitar, the first 3 months are critical. If you can force yourself to practice (and practice well) for 30 min a day, after 3 months you'll be over the toughest part and it only gets better after that. Having a teacher helps hold you accountable, but if you are good at holding yourself accountable and actually practicing, there are TONS of great online resources. Here's one of my favorites:

http://www.justinguitar.com/


Also, if you watch this video, you can learn how to read tab.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qUASiCcgvQ


Once you can read tab, just google any song you want to learn plus the word "tab" and you'll find free tablature of the song. Pick an easy song that you'll be motivated to practice.


I currently have more students than I have time to teach, so I'm not trying to drum up business. If you'd like help with a song or a particular technique, shoot me a PM and we can get together and I'd be happy to help you for free.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I'd be happy to give tips and pointers in this thread. Post up questions, videos, etc and I'd be happy to help.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Here's a couple tips:

If your fingers are sore, get over it. Just kidding, this is part of guitar playing. it happens to kids too. Your fingers will eventually develop calluses and it won't hurt anymore. If you're having a tough time getting to that stage, you can put a drop of superglue on the tip of each finger to simulate calluses. But eventually you're going t need to develop calluses.

you do not need to learn piano before learning guitar. It can help in some instances, but it's never necessary.

you do not need to start with an acoustic. You can go straight to an electric if you know you're going to want to rock out. Electric guitars are actually easier to plan and learn on. They require a lot less pressure to fret, resulting in less pain on the left hand, and quicker learning curve.

posture is important. you can hurt yourself with improper fretting, holding, and positioning of the guitar. If you feel joint pain, you're doing something wrong. As a rule of thumb, unless you're GreenDay, don't sling your guitar super low, and always have the neck pointing up. Somewhere between 30* and 45* is a good angle for most people.

practice time is important, but only if you're practicing right. Practice doesn't make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect. Playing your guitar for 30 min is not the same as practicing for 30 min. When you practice, focus on areas that need improvement, don't just skim by them and play the fun stuff. Try to play each assignment 5 times a day without any errors.

use a metronome. if you're not musically inclined, you'll need a live demo to understand how a metronome works. My students that have mastered practicing with a metronome are 10x better than my students who can't use one. If you can't play with a metronome, you can't really play.

slow down. I know it's exciting to play the song fast and rock out, but that's not a good way to learn. in fact, I believe the reason most people play faster than their abilities is because it masks their mistakes. If your timing is off, speeding it up will make it sound "closer" to correct. Don't fall into this traip. It's actually harder to play a song slow and in time than it is to wank away and play super fast. If there is a passage or section you can't quite master, slow it down with the metronome. If you still can't do it, slow it down even more. This takes patience and dedication. You must be able to play it slow with a metronome. Then, when you speed up, it'll be really easy to play it fast.

start making a list of songs you want to learn, Start listening to more and more guitar music, and focus on the guitar parts. This is the toughest, but most important, part of learning guitar. Try to ignore everything in the music except the guitar line. This takes years of practice, but eventually you'll be able to play any song you hear by ear.

don't worry about knowing everything. Guitar playing is all about having fun, not being the most technical or theoretical person on the planet. Enjoy it. Who cares if you don't know the notes you're playing? Until you've been playing for several years, it's not important and it ends up sucking the joy out of it for all but the most dedicated students. Jimi Hendrix didn't know much about the guitar. He had no clue what notes he was playing, but that didn't stop him from making great music.

If you're having a hard time learning on your own, hire a private teacher, if nothing else than to force you to be accountable to somebody.

 

[lhracing]

Thanks Steve, now you have taken away all of my excuses for still not being able to play.

 

[sixstringsteve]

So you have a guitar Lane?

 

[Deleted member 12904]

Is there a pill I can take to learn the guitar?

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[sixstringsteve]

Is there a pill I can take to learn the guitar?

No, but for a small fee I can get you a "master guitarist" certificate.

 

[benjy]

This is great info! My desire to learn to play the guitar has steadily increased in the last year. My life is also getting to a place where I could easily commit 30 minutes-1hour/day to practicing...

What would you recommend for a guitar? Definitely acoustic, and I would want something durable that I would be happy with long term, but I also don't want to spend a ton on it. Local stores or online? Used? Brands? Anything else to watch out for?

 

[TurboMinivan]

When I posted my desire to play guitar, I knew Steve would chime in and say something supportive... though I admit I wasn't expecting a whole new thread. Still, I appreciate all your comments. I'll have to give it another go.

 

[sixstringsteve]

What would you recommend for a guitar? Definitely acoustic, and I would want something durable that I would be happy with long term, but I also don't want to spend a ton on it. Local stores or online? Used? Brands? Anything else to watch out for?

Sorry for the overabundance of info, I could talk guitars all day.

Great questions. You can get some great deals on used guitars, but you need to know what you're getting, or you'll get hosed. I see a lot of guitars selling for $500 that only cost $170 new, and buyers have no clue they're getting ripped off. The good part is, guitars are always worth ~70% of what they cost new, so they hold their value well. If you buy a $500 guitar, you can always sell it for $300 later.

Guitars are interesting. The more durable a guitar is, the worse it sounds. Guitars are typically made of laminate (thin plywood) or solid wood sheets. The solid wood allows it to vibrate a lot more, since it doesn't have so much glue and extra wood in there. However, solid wood is more sensitive to climate changes (humidity, temperature, etc).

A good compromise is a solid-top guitar with laminate (plywood) back and sides. These are still really sturdy and they sound great. There are some laminate guitars that sound great, and some all-solid guitars that sound like crap. It's going to take you a year or two to be able to hear the difference between a "good" and a "great" guitar, so don't worry about it.

$220-300 can buy you a great new 1st guitar. They'll have a solid top, and they'll be built a lot better than a $100 guitar. Usually, the super cheap guitars ($80-120) are a lot harder to play because they weren't built with the best QC or care. Guitars with poor fit and finish make it tougher to fret and keep in tune. $220-300 gets above these issues.

Your first guitar won't be your last one, so don't worry too much about keeping it for 10 years. I'd go to a music store, tell them your budget, and they'll have some great recommendations. Guitars in that price range that I like: Seagull, Alvarez, Washburn, Yamaha. That's not to say there aren't any other great options out there, there are tons.

I used to work at Best in Music in Orem, on 8th north. Talk to Marcus and tell him you're a friend of Steve's, and he'll take care of you. Their prices are every bit as good as online, but they have them in stock, and offer lifetime setup (adjusting it, lowering string heithgt, etc). Plus they're a lot easier to deal with if there are warranty issues.


Do you have big, wide fingers, or dainty little girl hands? People with huge (wide fingers) will prefer a guitar like the seagull, which has more space between each string. It makes it easier to play. People with small hands can still play them fine too.

 

[sixstringsteve]

A little more info about acoustic guitars. For your 1st one, a regular non-electric would probably be your best bet. If you plan on playing live for an audience, and plugging in, I recommend an acoustic-electric.

A lot of people think that if they have an acoustic-electric that they won't need an electric guitar down the road since their acoustic is also an electric. Not the case. And acoustic/electric is an acoustic guitar with an internal microphone that allows you to plug in to an amp or sound system. It will sound exactly like an acoustic guitar, only louder. It won't make you sound like slash. it will make you sound like john denver or dave matthews, only louder.

Also, some guitars have cutaways (scoops missing so you can access the frets up higher). if the music you enjoy is all about meenely meenely meenely solos high up on the neck, these might be worth looking into.

Here is a traditional (non-cutaway) guitar.




And this one has the cutaway.




And just for clarity, this is NOT an acoustic guitar, even though it has f-holes.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I recommend getting a tuner as well. Now there are apps for your phone, and they work great. They'll help your guitar be in tune.

 

[Herzog]

I love playing... I just need to play more.

 

[ricsrx]

Steve., I am one of those guy's that needs to learn 2 songs really well, hoping it only takes the two selected songs for my wife to fall in love with me, I know i have been mairried for 20+ years but better late than never....

i have been so close to calling you, i wish I lived closer

 

[sixstringsteve]

Rick, let's get together. I can teach you 2 songs in about 30-45 min. Which songs are they?

 

[Maverick]

Sweet! Time to pick up my guitar and learn to play. Matt and I have two guitars and two amps. He learned a little in school, but doesn't play much. I actually want to learn to play bass, but keep telling myself that I need to learn 6-string first. Does it matter?

 

[sixstringsteve]

Nope, it doesn't matter. Bass is even easier than guitar.

 

[Maverick]

HAHAHA that's EXACTLY what I needed to hear!

See you at 6.

 

[benjy]

Sweet! Time to pick up my guitar and learn to play. Matt and I have two guitars and two amps. He learned a little in school, but doesn't play much. I actually want to learn to play bass, but keep telling myself that I need to learn 6-string first. Does it matter?

If you want a bass to mess around with your more than welcome to mine. I messed around with it a little after high school (jazz band), but it's not a very good standalone instrument...

 

[Maverick]

Deal!