I think I want to learn to play the guitar

[Flames_Gimp]

i would start with an electric. I learned on a mexi-strat.

[MJK]

It is easier to learn on an electric becuase the neck and frets are smaller. ALso, if you wanna learn soem tunes real fast an electric is the best for power chords. You can play a TON of songs with only a couple power chords.

Once you get the basics, chords and power chords I would switch to an acustic and learn almost everything on that, even the "electric songs" becuase if you learn them on the acustic first, it will be way easier to play thm on the electric after. This will also allow you to strenghen your fingers up too.

I hope that helps a little. This is what I did.

[simonsays]

Originally Posted by Jayems

http://www.gieson.com/Library/projects/utilities/tuner/

If you're learning at home/near your computer this link (+a mic of coarse) is pretty useful. If you aren't, spend 30+ on a decent electric tuner. Nothing worse than trying to learn how to play an instrument that's constantly out of tune.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Barnes

I had the same feeling as you at some point in my life too Burninator and I went out and bought a nice acoustic. Cort I think?

I then realized why I had so much difficulty with my piano lessons when I was younger. I am absolutly, completly musically ######ed. Seriously, I spent months doing tutorials, memorizing chords, reading tabs, watching videos and all I got out of it was the begining of Redemption Song.

I want to learn. I have tried to learn. I am a little nervous of taking lessons because I think it's really something I can not do.

I do think that it would be better to learn on an acoustic though if you wanted to learn. In the end, if you are succesful, go out and get a nice electric. I would be happier with an okay acoustic and a great electric once I was a little more accomplished.

If you have not learned on your own, from all the tutorials, videos you mentioned, then do get a teacher. Why be nervous? And why think it is something you can not do? You got through school didn't you? What is the difference in getting a guitar teacher.

[Sample00]

would highly highly recommend starting on an acoustic. it works on fingers strength and you get better at muscle memory forming. when you the switch to an electric you will find it much easier to play.
personally, I play a Takamine G series, but I wouldnt recommend to for sittig around a campfire. it doesnt project well enough without an amp.
you can buy a takamine large body, dreadnought that will project very well. they are great guitars and hold their value quite well.
for electric. I am a big fender fan as they are a very versatile guitar and not as weighty as a Gibson Les Paul for example. Although I am a huge fan of Gibsons.
A fender Strat is a good choice, go Mexican because as a Novice player you wont notice much difference between it and an American.
thats my two cents worth.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by redforever

If you have not learned on your own, from all the tutorials, videos you mentioned, then do get a teacher. Why be nervous? And why think it is something you can not do? You got through school didn't you? What is the difference in getting a guitar teacher.

I learn very differently. I see words and numbers as though they are images and not what they truly are. I have a high level of reading comprehension but for the life of me, I could not study a paragraph and recite it from memory no matter how long I had to memorize it. I could read an entire paragraph filled with spelling mistakes and not notice a single one. School was difficult. I would see chemistry, physics and math equations as pictures.

As far as music goes, I can't put the individual notes and chords together. I can understand the piece as a whole but can't recognize the parts and the order in which they should be. I made it to grade 7 in piano when I was younger but that was because I would try and remember what my hand looked like on the keyboard at certain times. I could read music and tell you what notes they were but I couldn't actually play it.

Yeah I could try and learn to play guitar and apply tricks in order to achieve success but piano and school was not very much fun. I basically had to teach myself everything by coming up with these tricks. No one can teach the way I learn. If I were to play guitar, I would want it to be enjoyable. I am quite happy with listen and appreciating others skill's and am comfortable with the fact that it is something that is not possible for me. I have been given gifts in other areas that more than make up for it.

I also suck at tennis and wind surfing.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Barnes

I learn very differently. I see words and numbers as though they are images and not what they truly are. I have a high level of reading comprehension but for the life of me, I could not study a paragraph and recite it from memory no matter how long I had to memorize it. I could read an entire paragraph filled with spelling mistakes and not notice a single one. School was difficult. I would see chemistry, physics and math equations as pictures.

As far as music goes, I can't put the individual notes and chords together. I can understand the piece as a whole but can't recognize the parts and the order in which they should be. I made it to grade 7 in piano when I was younger but that was because I would try and remember what my hand looked like on the keyboard at certain times. I could read music and tell you what notes they were but I couldn't actually play it.

Yeah I could try and learn to play guitar and apply tricks in order to achieve success but piano and school was not very much fun. I basically had to teach myself everything by coming up with these tricks. No one can teach the way I learn. If I were to play guitar, I would want it to be enjoyable. I am quite happy with listen and appreciating others skill's and am comfortable with the fact that it is something that is not possible for me. I have been given gifts in other areas that more than make up for it.

I also suck at tennis and wind surfing.

Not all music teachers just say, learn these notes, learn these scales, then learn this piece and come back next week and we will go on from here. You have to try and find a guitar teacher who will help you develop an ear for the music you are attempting to play, jam with you perhaps?

You say you got through school by coming up with tricks to visualize things. And in respect to music, you said you can read the notes but there is some barrier to actually playing the notes. Then you have to find some method to HEAR the music first because once your ear hears it, you will find the trick to playing it. Just like with your school work, you had to visualize something, then you found the trick to learn it. I know that personally, I never just listen to music, music always tells me a story. That is why I hate what I call elevator music, that quiet repetitive stuff that just drones on in the background, not telling any story, just driving you crazy. Perhaps try to hear the story, not visualize the notes? I dont know what to suggest to unlock the musical barrier for you, seriously, have you discussed learning problems with your doctor? This is not something to be ashamed of, it just means you have some barrier that does not allow you to learn like others.

And by the way, I suck at tennis and windsurfing too. And you are right, each and everyone of us shines in some way. Thank God we are not all the same monkey doing the same trick!!!

[Lanny_MacDonald]

Burninator, I made the decision to pick up guitar a year ago as well, so I can tell you what I decided to do and how it's worked out. I went the Reg way, and bought an Ibanez Artcore hollow body because of it's flexibility. Really nice guitar and easy to move around the neck. I wanted to practice at work, so I bought an inexpensive Takamine acoustic and stuck it in the corner of my office for lunch hour practice sessions. Those who said starting out on the acoustic are right on the money IMO. The acoustic does everything they suggest, and when you move to the electric the chords are just so much easier to form. I later snagged an Ibanez AR-100 and an AR-300 on e-bay (both for the cost of my Artcore at the local music warehouse) and these two guitars are a dream to play after working out on the acoustic for a while.

If you're looking for a compromise, and want a nice blend of acoustic that can easily be amplified, look at an Ovation. Some may stick their noses up in the air at them, but they are very nice to play, have a great sound, have a built in pickup for amplification, and come at a very affordable price point. I'd consider an Ovation Applause as your first guitar, and I think you'll be very happy with everything about it. Plus, the $200 you have to invest won't be that big a loss should you get frustrated and let your guitar sit in the corner and gather dust.

Oh, and invest in a good case (protect the things you love) and a good electronic tuner. Until you learn to tune by ear and harmonics it is well advised to use a quality digital tuner (Korg for example). If you buy the Ovation, you can plug your guitar directly into your tuner and not have to worry about ambient noises causing tuning issues (an advantage, believe me). And remember, don't be too hard on yourself. Learning a musical instrument is not easy, so don't expect to be a Guitar Hero in a few weeks. Work at it, and expect to suck early. In fact, embrace your suckiness, it'll help you get better quicker as your expectations are not set so high. Oh, and ignore all the music critics around here and get yourself a Nickleback song book. After learning about four chords you'll be able to play almost all of their songs, and begin to develop a repitoire, and that's what the whole thing is about. When you're sitting around the camp fire who the hell is going to care about your musicianship and the fact that you can play some really complex chords for songs they don't know? Pull out the Nickleback, and people will be groaning, but they'll be singing along almost immediately. Just my two cents. Whatever you decide, have fun with it!!!

[troutman]

Sounds like we should have a calgarypuck campfire guitar summit.



I can't play all that well, but I can pose!

The Husker Du guitar archive:

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Museum/7147/tab.html

Pixies guitar tabs:

http://www.frankblack.net/tabs/pix.asp

R.E.M. guitar archive:

http://zenandjuice.com/music/rem/

Rolling Stones:

http://www.guitaretab.com/r/rolling-stones/

[shane_c]

I'll be learning soon too. My fiance's brother in law will be in Calgary for meetings the end of this month and he's going to bring out his old Yamaha acoustic for me.

[wookster]

My first guitar was a yamaha guitar that I bought from the sears catalog with a crappy amp, but it was cheap ($200 or so) and it did the job. Mind you this was about 16 years ago. lol. I took lessons for about 2 months and dropped them, they weren't for me. I learned to read "guitar tabs" and that has helped me the most, and other than that I just bought a book that showed me the different chords and away I went. This stuff can all be found online now. There are people that give lessons on www.youtube.com as well, just search for guitar lessons. Some are very good.

[Slava]

I taught myself on an acoustic and when I added the electric it was awesome because it is so much easier! I would recommend this route; unless you really don't want to play the acoustic in which case it will end up being a waste of money.

I learned off tab, which was great because its free and easy. Also, you can learn all the songs that you want with relative ease (new releases and the whole shot.).

[SaskaBushFire]

Buy Guitar Hero as well, its awesome! Or is this the game that made you want to learn?

[Kipru]

I have been told that the Ibanez rg321 and Yamaha pacifica 112 are great and cheap guitars for beginners. I have a Epiphone Les Paul special 2, which is about the cheapest LP-style guitar you can buy, and i think that it is OK. Maybe for beginners SC-style guitar is easier to play, perhaps because the width of the fretboard.

And a great beginner amp is Roland Microcube , you won't play with that in a stadium but its clearly sufficent for practicing. And it can be powered with batteries so you can play with it in the campfire. It has a good distortion also.

I have modeling guitar processor Digitech RP80 also, it's cool for testing different effects and getting some distortion to my headphones. But mostly it is just a toy.

I think beginner should get the best gear that your money can buy. And also the one that fits your hands like it should. I took a 2 year playing pause after the first excitement, because my LP was just so hard to play. I don't know if the fault was mine or guitar, but nowadays i have learned to play with it somehow.

The recommended purchase of acoutic guitar is also worth thinking, most of the time i find myself playing my electric without any amplification.

[Kipru]

And also, get Guitar pro or powertab software.

It makes practicing much more fun and easy, although the purists will say that you should first learn the scales and other boring stuff (which will come helpful someday)

[Burninator]

This is awesome advice guys, I really appreciate it!

With the tips and experience in this thread combined with what I've read online, I've decided to pick up an acoustic and start with that. And if I enjoy it and continue to go with it, I'll pick up an electric guitar later down the road. But for now I am going to get a 6 nylon string guitar in about the $300 price range. Something that is simple and has a solid top.

I am going to try and learn on my own, through internet tutorials and such. If I am really struggling I will get personal lessons.

So when I go to buy, what do I need to walk away from the store with? Guitar, bag, stand, pick, strap, tuner? Do I need all that or do I need more?

SaskBush I own Guitar Hero's II for the 360, I think that was part of my inspiration.

[Reggie Dunlop]

These mini VOX DA5 modelling amps are the schiznit. I bought two o' them to give out as Christmas gifts. You can get them in various colors, and they have an option to run on batteries if you like.

I also have a VOX. Love the VOX.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Burninator

So when I go to buy, what do I need to walk away from the store with? Guitar, bag, stand, pick, strap, tuner? Do I need all that or do I need more?

A case, strap and capo. I don't like to play with picks, but they will probably give you those for free. Some people grow a fingernail longer, or use a coin as a pick. You don't need an electronic tuner at this point - just get a cheap little pitch pipe. I never had need for a stand.

http://www.wikihow.com/Tune-a-Guitar

Put the guitar on your lap in a comfortable playing position. With the help of a friend, pluck the low E string while your friend plays an E note from some other sound source (i.e. piano, pitch pipe). You need to turn the tuning keys on the E string until your guitar's E string sounds the same as the sound sources E note. When the string is slightly out of tune, the E from the guitar will combine with the E from the sound source (i.e. piano), and cause the sound to "waver" in pitch. As you tighten the guitar string, you should hear this wavering slow down; the two strings are in tune if the wavering has stopped, and if you go too far, the wavering will increase again

The other strings can then be tuned from the low E string.

http://www.wikihow.com/Rapidly-Learn...uitar-Yourself

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by Burninator

So when I go to buy, what do I need to walk away from the store with? Guitar, bag, stand, pick, strap, tuner? Do I need all that or do I need more?

I'll echo Lanny's advice and hold off on a gigbag (unless you get one tossed in for free). Look at getting a hard case ASAP. It's worth it.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by Lanny_MacDonald

Oh, and invest in a good case (protect the things you love) and a good electronic tuner. Until you learn to tune by ear and harmonics it is well advised to use a quality digital tuner (Korg for example). If you buy the Ovation, you can plug your guitar directly into your tuner and not have to worry about ambient noises causing tuning issues (an advantage, believe me).

That is quite funny, I checked the guitar left in my closet by my old roomate: Ovation Applause AA13. No plug in for an electric tuner though, I think it is a pretty old model.