hi, new to guitar, where and how do i start?

[noobastank]

hi been working and saving to get a e.guitar for myself. keen in learning. have a budget around 600, most likly im getting epiphone lp copy or the ayamaha pac 112 cos of its maple fingerboard and natural finish, slerp*. how do i start to learn guitar? must i learn all the chords first? can i juz skip learning chords, and learn to play by readin tabs for the certain songs?

 

[Scream_ed]

I guess for buying guitar, you have to try them for yourself to see which ones you prefer.

As for learning, here are no shortcuts. Chords, leads, everything. They aren't modules in university, they're the whole package. It'll take time, but be patient and learn your basics well. They'll serve you well in the long run.

 

[tany]

chords first. get familiar with changing wif ur left hand and rhythmn for ur right hand using the pick. then coordination with single notes

dont rush take it slowly...

 

[Fruitwine]

+1 abt the chords.

u might wanna try learning slower solos, stuff that u are attracted to. also, set out some goals. for example, if u love gnr or something, then u can prolly aim to master their songs and solo more or less like slash. similarly, if u have any other guitar hero, follow him then, learn his songs. but essentially, as tany said, the chords first. helps alot.

 

[mi2tom]

theory first get a good theory teacher learn about scales and how do they make chords in it.

 

[hifi_killer]

theory is not so important for now, it will bored the hell out of you and kill your passion. would recommend the self-taught approach .You can learn basic techniques from website like www.cyberfret.com And learn train your ears too, not just your hands. Learn to recognise different intervals, minors and majors etc. You dont have to start by learning all the chords, you will learn them naturally as you learn to play a song.

 

[mrteddybear]

u just missed the epiphone sale man...

 

[noobastank]

theory is not so important for now, it will bored the hell out of you and kill your passion. would recommend the self-taught approach .You can learn basic techniques from website like www.cyberfret.com And learn train your ears too, not just your hands. Learn to recognise different intervals, minors and majors etc. You dont have to start by learning all the chords, you will learn them naturally as you learn to play a song.

if i learn frmo cyberfret, which section i start 1st? it look very confusing for me hehe, sorry if im very noobish :lol:

 

[hifi_killer]

techniques?

 

[pooo]

Start with what interests you Alternatively, go learn some of your favourite songs. It's one of the most effective ways of learning not only chords, but solo techniques :wink:

 

[spikes]

get a second hand stratocaster, a japanese stratocaster would be around 600...

 

[nunob]

heyho!

remember when you play by tab - actually take note of the note names and chord names you are playing and the structure of the songs (e.g modulation from relative major to minor etc).. don't just play it cos the number says 15 and you have no idea what you're playing.

trust me.. playing this way will kill you when you realise all you've been doing is playing blindly.

doing everything in moderation is best imho. your basic 1-2-3-4 dexterity and coordination exercises. music theory knowledge. and of course just playing the damn guitar!

and yes, write your own songs! that will surely keep your passion burning.
this way you will actually find yourself intrigued as to why certain chords tend to want to resolve to certain chords,why popular progressions generally sound that way, why certain notes really stand out against certain chords, how can you create melodic and harmonic variations in your songs, and so on. and then you'll begin your never ending journey of understanding music 8)

below are some useful sites as to songwriting guidelines,some more basic, some more complex. also some sites that are useful for music theory knowledge. well they are all useful in some way.

http://www.guitarknowledgenet.com/
http://chordmaps.com/
http://chrisjuergensen.com.hosting.domaindirect.com/composing music.htm
http://www.ibreathemusic.com (amazing forums and articles)

if you're interested to improve your hearing/relative pitch, head on down to
http://www.good-ear.com/servlet/EarTrainer

and, whenever you're feeling down or feel that you're lacking that so called "natural musical talent", head on down to this site.
http://www.aruffo.com/eartraining/copp.htm
amazing article.

sorry if i sound over enthusiastic. its just that i self taught myself with no one guiding me :lol: pretty much wasted alot of productive time playing senselessly. hope that will not happen to you.

regards

 

[Mobius]

Start with chords and learn how to strum, this will help in building a sense of rhythm, and coordination between ur left and right hand. Building a sense of rhythm is important as there is no point if u cant play in time. Chords are also the easiest to learn and u get a faster gratification, this should help to keep u going. Chords are important as they are the basis of every piece of music so dont skip them.

After u have gained some dexterity in ur fingers, learn scales, start with the major scales then minor then pentatonic then watever scale that suits the style u are playing. And when u have reached the stage of practicising scales, u can also start practising some techniques like pull offs, hammer ons, bends, vibrato, harmonics and etc.

The thing is take ur time to learn, music is a lifelong learning process, take it step by step, don't rush.

 

[mi2tom]

theory is not so important for now, it will bored the hell out of you and kill your passion. would recommend the self-taught approach .You can learn basic techniques from website like www.cyberfret.com And learn train your ears too, not just your hands. Learn to recognise different intervals, minors and majors etc. You dont have to start by learning all the chords, you will learn them naturally as you learn to play a song.

Well is it???? Not for me I learn to play the guitar first.... But one day when I've decided to take theory . I said to myself I should have taken theory a long time ago. But remember theory is just a guideline. Music is about freedom

 

[spitfire_121]

there are a couple of things u can do. when i started off, i did alot of finger exercises. they reali help. practice scales and chromatics to get ur right and left hand coordination. nw while ur at it, learn a couple of songs, even if theyre simple songs. then get out wif more experienced frens and jam. this will reali get ur morale up n not get u bored. it is important though to continue wif the finger exercises. as alot of people say, the basics are very improtant. try not to take short cuts when learning something coz u will tend to develope bad habits. oh n this might sound like a stupid thing to say but use a pick as often as possible. some of my frens who are begginers dont lie to use picks coz they say its harder. they prefer using their thumb to pluck. its hard at first but once u get a hang of it, u will find playing the guitar without a pick an uncomfortable thing. unless ur into classical that is which is a whole diff story.

juz my 2 cents. wat i usually tell frens who juz start to play the guitar. oh and for the guitar, i suggest u avoid guitars wif floyd rose systems. i tink quite a number of ppl wiff secon my opinion on this.

 

[noobastank]

is there any website tat teach guitar one step by one step? iw ent to cyberfret i cant understand any thing, i dun even know where to start . . . i know i should start with chords, but thier website seems not so "idoit proof", guitar-idoits like me i couldt find anywhere to start. any idoit proof website u guys intro?

 

[ChanMin]

best bet is to find a guitar teacher... no need to pay for pros though...
alot of fellow softies here have gone thru your stage... the clueless stage...
just ask around and you shall find answers.

 

[noobastank]

ok i learned those basic chords alreadym like Em, E, C, G, all those, able to strum those simple songs liao waht to do next ar? actually i also able to play "dont cry" by GNR the lead one, but the way im playing is fret by fret, not by chords, i still have a problem to idenfity them. what shall i do next? am i progressing in a slow or fast speed?

 

[Jayshen]

take your time... guitar no shortcuts one... i tried to shortcut... end up still after 5 yrs of playing i still had to go back and relearn everything cos i skipped alot of fundamental stuff....

anyway one thing to help u along... Guitarpro 4... avaliable in the nearest US shop..ahaha.. or u can just get it from a friend ... its a very good guitar program to use... can help u to learn how to play ur fav songs very professionally....

 

[noobastank]

yeha i got guitar pro 4 how do i follow? i simply juz follow the tabs, but i notice theres a guitar fretboard on top, i should follow the way it printed on the fretboard?