Guitar: An absolute Beginner

[fearlessone77]

Well the time has come for the first of many crisis in my life, I turn 30 soon and am realizing I am not Joe Walsh, but still want to be. I have plenty of friends in the music industry in various bands etc. and am somewhat of a music snob but alas I don't know the difference between one end or the other on an actual instrument.

Can anyone recommend some basic packages or some shops etc. in Melbourne where a late starting Keith Richards can buy a relatively inexpensive package of guitar and amp and start the road to making my friends say "coo"l at BBQ's by being able to belt out the start of Hotel California.

I have been looking at Allans Music website in the Melbourne CBD, are they any good? Do they handle beginners well? Is there any particualr books etc anyone would recommend!

Cheers in advance.

 

[mark73]

Someone that teachers themselves has a fool for a teacher. A lot depends on how serious you are. If you're just one of those that wants to pump out a few easy listeners at a mates BBQ then I wouldn't bother taking lessons. There are heaps of sites on line that teach basic three chord guitar with a few applicable songs to go with it. One is :

http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/chords.html

Hotel California from memory was in B minor. I think the chord structure for the verse was: B minor - F# major - A major - E major - G major - D major - E minor - F#7. Thats purely from memory as I haven't played it for years.

 

[purple sneakers]

Get a 2nd hand one mate. You never know when this fad might wear off. Trust me. Trading Post would be my first go.

 

[FIGJAM]

Step 1: Learn Wild Thing

Step 2: Learn House of the Rising Sun

Step 3: Learn Stairway To Heaven

Step 4: Learn the works of Heitor Villa Lobos and Jimi Hendrix

 

[Binxy]

kumbaya my lord, kumbaya

 

[oaksy]

im kind of in the same boat. but i want to learn softer music and i'm thinking about getting a second hand acoustic and teaching myself. this is mainly because i'm not very good at sticking at things so i dont really want to make any expensive commitments.

is this a good move?

 

[Heisenberg_]

buy guitar hero

 

[Creasy]

Im with Oakesy here, I want to learn acoustic guitar so I can play around a campfire etc.
Some bands who are what I want to play are
The Shins
Bright Eyes
Bloc Party
Pixies
Jack Johnson
Death Cab For Cutie
Kings Of Leon
The Strokes
The White Stripes etc.
I am currently teaching myself to play "We're Going To Be Friends - The White Stripes" but my finger can't reach the top string, chord 1 (right handed guitar upside down as Im a lefty) I think is the correct terminology.
Any advice? Should I take lessons etc.
cheers

 

[Pantsless]

I
I am currently teaching myself to play "We're Going To Be Friends - The White Stripes" but my finger can't reach the top string, chord 1 (right handed guitar upside down as Im a lefty) I think is the correct terminology.
Any advice? Should I take lessons etc.
cheers

Get the right guitar perhaps??

 

[finrod]

Get the right guitar perhaps??

Never stopped Hendrix...

 

[gPhonque]

How much do you wanna spend?

What kind of guitar/amp do you want?

What kind of music do you want to play?


Without knowing the answer to any of those questions (especially the first one), it's impossible to offer any advice other than think about what you want to get (at the moment, you'd probably be happy with any electric guitar, but in a years time when you're getting the hang of it and playing more, you don't want to discover that your guitar and amp suck for getting the sound you really want!), look at lots of stuff, try different versions of the same guitar/amp/combo if possible (you'll start to notice the differences in feel and sound more), and then I'd look in the trading-post if you want value for money. (and even if you just want something "good".... new guitar gear sucks balls and is overpriced junk imo.)

So think about what you want.

And The Trading Post is your friend.

As for learning, I'd get a few lessons..... once every few weeks I reckon.... just enough to have somebody show you some basic things that you can go off and mess around with in your own time.... different chords, basic scales etc.... you probably don't want to learn music theory yet (if at all?).... just enough to bash out a few tunes yeah? The occasional lesson will help point you in the right direction every now and then.

The rest you learn yourself imo.....use your ears, check out tabs (just download them) .... and DEFINITELY buy a small "pocket guitar chord book" or something like that.... just a little cheapo book that shows you all the fingering for different chords.... that will teach you a hell of a lot.... and will be invaluable to you when you download the chord chart for that latest tune you want to learn.

 

[Binxy]

Can't recommend this book highly enough for any guitarist.

It is the bible for guitarists and is not only a great starting point but a great reference tool later on.

 

[patsmith]

Never stopped Hendrix...

I'm assuming you have the strings around the proper way for a left hander, otherwise you might have some trouble.

And yeah, don't get an expensive guitar. I've had heaps of mates who have put down a fair investment on a good guitar, only to give up after a month. It was then left up to me to help them pick up the pieces and buy their guitar for a heavily reduced price.

 

[Binxy]

Poor bloke. You going to be ok?

 

[Mr Magoo]

Once you learn to play a few chords i suggest you try any of the following combinations

E
G
A
D
B

Presto instant AC/DC ... tnt = E (then) G (followed by) A

It's best to start with old rock 'n' roll songs & practice until you can play them from the beginning until the end of the song. Then slowly work your way up to more difficult songs.

 

[melbournemartin]

You can get some guitar/amp packages at Billy Hyde for 100-150. It'll definately do the trick for a beginner. The shop is nearly always packed so don't expect too much service, especially if you aren't spending too much. I, on the other hand, got great service when I bought my ESP Eclipse off them

Syndal Music is a much smaller place out in the SE suburbs and is more expensive but you are paying for a more personal experience and better service.

 

[melbournemartin]

Once you learn to play a few chords i suggest you try any of the following combinations

E
G
A
D
B

Presto instant AC/DC ... tnt = E (then) G (followed by) A

It's best to start with old rock 'n' roll songs & practice until you can play them from the beginning until the end of the song. Then slowly work your way up to more difficult songs.

I agree. I've been playing for 7-8 years now and often I prefer to learn a relatively basic song in full and play that rather than only knowing bits and pieces of songs.

Besides some obvious ones like Smoke on the Water and Iron Man etc, I'd recommend:

Breaking The Law - Judas Priest (No solo, a few easy riffs, great song)
Enter Sandman - Metallica (Whammy bar solo that you can ignore or improvise your own. The whammy allows you to **** up without people noticing. Average song but kind of catchy)
Godsmack - Greed (decent song with a catchy, repetitive riff. It will take you into the world of drop tuning as it is drop C. PM me if you need help on that tuning)

Also, as much as it kills some people, I cannot recommend enough learning some classical guitar pieces. It will increase your overall playing immensely as well as opening your ears to some amazing music. It's sad to see so many people these days not being able to read music. You can also learn finger picking these days which comes up in lots of rock songs (I prefer to fingerpick Stairway to Heaven for example...and of course Classical Gas )

 

[The Dice Man]

Can't recommend this book highly enough for any guitarist.

It is the bible for guitarists and is not only a great starting point but a great reference tool later on.

Bought that book back around 1994 for 50-odd bucks and it is a ripper. Even teaches/shows you how to build an acoustic and electric guitar from scratch IIRC.

Unfortunatley I was seeing a MILF at the time who had a lil kid who wanted to learn guitar and I passed the book onto him.

Ive regretted that decision at least a dozen times since and might even go out and get myself another copy.

 

[Truck Rutten]

Im with Oakesy here, I want to learn acoustic guitar so I can play around a campfire etc.
Some bands who are what I want to play are
The Shins
Bright Eyes
Bloc Party
Pixies
Jack Johnson
Death Cab For Cutie
Kings Of Leon
The Strokes
The White Stripes etc.
I am currently teaching myself to play "We're Going To Be Friends - The White Stripes" but my finger can't reach the top string, chord 1 (right handed guitar upside down as Im a lefty) I think is the correct terminology.
Any advice? Should I take lessons etc.
cheers

Hey PSP, I don't know the song that well, but have just had a listen to it and will try to help you out.

If you've only just started I'd really consider learning to play right handed. I do everything left handed (yes, even that ) except I play guitar right handed. Don't know why or how, but I'm glad it turned out that way as you just have so much more choice in guitars & parts that are available. Leftys are generally more expensive as well.

Have you re-strung the guitar you're currently playing to left handed? It probably isn't a great idea on an acoustic as the angle of the bridge saddle will be wrong and the guitar won't intonate (the relationship between the pitch of the open strings and the fretted notes) properly.

Have you got it tuned low (thickest string) to high - EADGBE?

I'm a bit confused when you talk about the fingering for chord 1 in this White Stripes song. There's only one fretted note to start with, which alternates with individual open strings. I'm wondering if you've got a tab that's wrong or something like that? I assume you are working from a tab or sheet music?

Here's a tab to the song that looks reasonably accurate:
http://www.xguitar.com/guitar-tabs/white_stripes/white_blood_cells/were_going_to_be_friends.txt

Does that make sense?

 

[Crosby87]

I taught myself a few years ago for something to do. Definitely worth it. If you enjoy music, you'll enjoy playing, even if it is for yourself.

Give it a go

 

[patsmith]

This is a tip for everyone who is or wants to learn guitar from someone who has played guitar for twelve years, as well as teaching it for the past two; learn to actually play guitar, not just a bunch of songs.

What I mean by that is that it great to know some singalong tunes that you can whip out with your mates, but it is far more rewarding to be able to create music rather than replicate. Learning familiar tunes is a good way to start, as it is an easy way of measuring your progress, but don't fall into the trap of learning songs verbatim and never branching out.

Try to learn some guitar theory, which may seen boring but will reap enormous rewards further down the track (if you do stick with guitar). This allows you to sit on your own and create new music, and most importantly it lets you play with other people. No band wants someone who can play TNT but doesn't know what a scale is.

 

[melbournemartin]

If you know your scales and positions of notes on the fret board then you can, like patsmith said, make your own music It's great when a guitarist can say 'I'm gonna play E, G, A and you can go nuts over it' and you can actually do it. Ladies like a songwriter

 

[spanna050]

Never stopped Hendrix...

Or Ford Fairlane

 

[Creasy]

Hey PSP, I don't know the song that well, but have just had a listen to it and will try to help you out.

If you've only just started I'd really consider learning to play right handed. I do everything left handed (yes, even that ) except I play guitar right handed. Don't know why or how, but I'm glad it turned out that way as you just have so much more choice in guitars & parts that are available. Leftys are generally more expensive as well.

Have you re-strung the guitar you're currently playing to left handed? It probably isn't a great idea on an acoustic as the angle of the bridge saddle will be wrong and the guitar won't intonate (the relationship between the pitch of the open strings and the fretted notes) properly.

Have you got it tuned low (thickest string) to high - EADGBE?

I'm a bit confused when you talk about the fingering for chord 1 in this White Stripes song. There's only one fretted note to start with, which alternates with individual open strings. I'm wondering if you've got a tab that's wrong or something like that? I assume you are working from a tab or sheet music?

Here's a tab to the song that looks reasonably accurate:
http://www.xguitar.com/guitar-tabs/white_stripes/white_blood_cells/were_going_to_be_friends.txt

Does that make sense?

Hey mate,
Yeah I've tried learning right handed but I have little to no co-ordination on it, I always hit the wrong strings etc. I feel alot more comfortable on my left and I hear thats what I should feel like.

I haven't done a Jimi Hendrix because I have no idea how to tune or re-string a guitar so I've left it as it is. I forgot to mention I'm using a Electric guitar atm because we cant find the acoustic thumbsd: )

I don't understand the whole EADGB thing lol but my mate tuned it awhile back and I think its out of tune atm.

Yeah I read my page I printed off and it missed chord e (is that correct?) so yeah. I'll have a crack again later knowing the right chords etc. I have the intro nailed, its so easy lol. I use Ultimate-Guitar.com, my mate an awesome guitarist told me about it and its great. I know how to read those tabs its just when they write
Chords:
C: X32010
C/G: 332010
F: x33211
G: 320003
Am: X02210

and then
Intro: C C/G

C C/G C C/G
Untie me, I've said no vows
C C/G C C/G
The train is getting way too loud
F
I gotta leave here my girl
C C/G C C/G
Get on with my lonely life

but yeah.
cheers for the help mate.

 

[patsmith]

I haven't done a Jimi Hendrix because I have no idea how to tune or re-string a guitar so I've left it as it is. I forgot to mention I'm using a Electric guitar atm because we cant find the acoustic thumbsd

Mate, don't bother until you have restrung it. You are playing the guitar with the strings around the wrong way. You won't be able to play anything. If you feel more comfortable with a left-handed guitar, buy one. At least put the strings around the proper way for a leftie (which probably won't sound too flash anyway unless you are playing a quality guitar). Otherwise don't even bother for now.