does anyone know where I can go to learn ?


ive been meaning to start this up as a hobby.

1/6/2008 12:57:48 PM

Guitar Hero III


Get a X Box 360

[Edited on January 6, 2008 at 1:47 PM. Reason : x]

1/6/2008 1:47:31 PM

yes... guitar hero is awesome

[Edited on January 6, 2008 at 1:55 PM. Reason : x]

1/6/2008 1:55:07 PM

http://www.google.com

1/6/2008 2:06:10 PM

I was going to suggest guitar hero but since this is the lounge I figured that it would be best to not.

But go get guitar hero

1/6/2008 2:07:50 PM

go to a music store and see if they offer lessons

1/6/2008 2:31:09 PM

first, make the commitment. buy a guitar!
Find a friend who plays to show you some chords and get you started with strumming.
Just watching someone up close is worth a thousand charts and videos.

regarding the guitar. Unless you're rich, buy a used reasonable quality guitar.
I always suggest acoustic before electric. and if you want to play the blues, you've gotta pay your dues, and (well you know how it goes)
What I mean is your fingers will hurt at the start. You will sound like shit!
But once you get to the point where you can play some chords with your eyes closed
and actually hear and enjoy the music you are making it will somewhat boring.

stick with it and good luck.
The guitar has saved my sanity more than once, and I try to play every day.

1/7/2008 5:49:58 PM

there's a guy on Craigslist who charges $20 for a 30 minute lesson, that seems a fair amount to me

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/msg/525595238.html

1/7/2008 5:54:53 PM

at least get a decent guitar. Don't get the cheap ones. For acoustic, I'd recommend Seagull or Yamaha. For electric, I'd recommend mexican strat.

1/7/2008 6:00:46 PM

When buying an acoustic guitar, play around in the music store. The strings should be close to the neck, and relatively easy to press, at least at the top of the neck. I've bought cheap guitars that were fine, but if they're hard to fret(press the strings) you'll give up.

I also recommend thin picks. Thick picks give a hard plunking sound if you're not used to them, and I think that also causes many people to give up.

As mentioned above, a friend or a 30 minute lesson on a borrowed guitar will teach a lot to look for. Your finger tips will hurt at first, but that fades as you build calouses. As mentioned above, start with a few basic chords and then move on to bar chords and scales.

1/7/2008 6:13:44 PM

^
I've got a practice guitar that I have the action set higher than my normal so I can
work those fingertips etc.

1/7/2008 6:16:47 PM

i always recommend The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer. It covers pretty much everything guitar, from beginner basics like how to choose a guitar to tuning to advanced chords, scales and modes.

with a little commitment you can teach yourself to play. if you have some prior music experience, a good ear is all you need. otherwise, you may want to spend a little time learning some elementary music theory.

as others have mentioned, playing with others is invaluable.

1/7/2008 6:36:56 PM

All you need to do is have a desire to learn and stick with it and you will learn it. I taught myself from tabs off the internet. Look up chords and get those down first. I wanted to play sweet home alabama so I practiced and practiced until I could play it from tabs I looked up off the internet. The key is to not give up after the first month like 95% of people will. Once you get the chords down then you can play with any song and the other stuff will come.

1/7/2008 7:24:38 PM

1) pick up a guitar
2) download a few song tabs and learn only those
3) bust it out at every single party you throw

...

4) i would say profit, but you'll just be like every other moron that pulls out a guitar and plays dave or something like that

1/7/2008 11:44:53 PM

haha I play

but I suck

the only time I even jam out is when people are drunk and I'm drunk


we did get a fun game of strip, "name that song" going at the beach

1/8/2008 1:06:37 AM

stay away from guitar hero for awhile



it has nothing to do with playing a real guitar

1/10/2008 1:26:49 AM

I agree completely with bigun20. I wanted to play sweet child o mine, so i did the same thing, I got some tabs and played and played and played until I learned it. preserverence(sp?) is the key.

1/10/2008 8:15:21 AM

lollers you can be "the guitar guy at the party"

he always sleeps with everyone's girlfriend so it's not a bad position to have

1/10/2008 11:24:21 AM

you have to keep it fun. learn stuff that you want to play from tabs. dont worry about the music theory behind things...that will naturally come with time. You have to get your fingers working first and your picking patterns down and to do this learn songs you want to play. you will become curious as to why you play certain thingsat some point. When this happens, you can learn the theory behind it all, go back to the songs that you previously learned and see how the scales and theory work with the song, and then write your own stuff in "insert artist" style.

1/10/2008 12:46:05 PM

^ This is a terrible way to go about things if you actually want to learn to play the instrument. If you just want to learn some songs to throw out at parties, then sure, it's fine...but one day you'll get caught in a situation where it would really benefit you to know how to play and you'll be SOL. There's nothing that makes me madder than meeting someone who can play a song or two very nicely, asking them if they want to play around some time, and then finding out they can't really play at all.

Learn your open chords. They're the basis of everything and you NEED to know them. There are plenty of songs that can be played off the bat for fun with just the use of open chords, and you'll avoid jumping to a point in development where you'll be content with knowing your five songs and never learn to play for real.

Learn the six basic barre shapes and the position of every note on every string for at least the first seven frets. Learn your movable scale shapes (major, natural/pentatonic/harmonic/melodic minor, blues) and how to apply them inside a song. Do finger dexterity exercises (each finger on each fret of each string, 1-2-3-4 on E, 2-3-4-5 on E, all the way up, then the same on A, D...) to get your pinky into shape so that you can throw it in on chords to add new voicings and color to your playing.

I know this is ranty, but it's all a matter of whether you want to be able to pick up a guitar and run through a certain song, or be able to pick up a guitar and play it.

1/10/2008 1:40:16 PM

Quote :

"lollers you can be "the guitar guy at the party" he always sleeps with everyone's girlfriend so it's not a bad position to have "

All I can think of is that scene in Animal House where Belushi smashes that wimpy dude's
guitar on the staircase.

1/10/2008 3:10:10 PM

1) Buy a book of basic chords and a used acoustic. If you must, buy an "Easy Guitar" book for some artist you like, too.

2) Sit down for a weekend and bang out a couple hours of practice on basic strumming.

3) Repeat step 2 until chord changes are natural (i.e. you do not look at the neck) and not painful.

4) Start trying some of those "Easy Guitar" songs. Listen to the song on your iPod or whatever, then keep practicing till you have basic rhythm.

It's all skill development after that. You could go into scales and picking or just polish rhythm. Either way, you should have fun.

If you have to, usually music store bulletin boards are flooded with guitarists who'll teach you the basics. I'd offer to help, but my strum hand is broken all to hell right now.

GOOD LUCK! The world needs more musicians.

[Edited on January 10, 2008 at 3:18 PM. Reason : ...]

1/10/2008 3:16:30 PM

Sign up for one of Bett Padgett's group guitar classes. She has them every semester and they are a great way to get started. She has classes at different levels and also does individual instruction. E-mail her at bett_padgett@mindspring.com She will even loan you a guitar if you don't have one. She is advertising now for her spring classes.

1/10/2008 3:18:07 PM

Quote :

"This is a terrible way to go about things if you actually want to learn to play the instrument. If you just want to learn some songs to throw out at parties, then sure, it's fine...but one day you'll get caught in a situation where it would really benefit you to know how to play and you'll be SOL. There's nothing that makes me madder than meeting someone who can play a song or two very nicely, asking them if they want to play around some time, and then finding out they can't really play at all."

i agree 100% with this. it follows the old 'give a man a fish vs. teach a man to fish' analogy.

Quote :

"he always sleeps with everyone's girlfriend so it's not a bad position to have"

i can categorically affirm this has never happened to me.

1/10/2008 7:40:57 PM

I've got time, and I can give you some lessons on Fridays, $25 an hour, anytime till 7pm. I've got a nice Takamine you can play on during the lessons. Furthermore, if you decide to buy a guitar after a couple of lessons, I'll help you out finding a guitar.

1/10/2008 8:47:18 PM

What kind of time frame do you guys suggest for playing? In other words, how many times a week for how long? How many months from noob to "I know all of X's songs" to being a decent guitarist? (obviously, it's going to vary, I'm just curious as to the "average")

I'm interested in learning again. I picked up a Takamine about 10 years ago to learn on. Messed around for a couple of weeks before giving it up for some stupid reason (actually 19 hours that semester plus 30 hours a week at work and a girlfriend in Chapel Hill but...). I really regret giving it up and selling the guitar for the past few years. Now that I'm older, I'd like to try it again. I've always loved acoustic guitar & it's usually one of the first things I choose to listen to when I need to relax.

Oh yeah, anything other than Seagull, Yamaha, & Takamine to look for? I'm going to try to find a local person that gives lessons.

1/10/2008 10:26:58 PM

Reader's Corner always has a good flyer for guitar lessons up, too.

Time frame? Dave, you gotta be kidding, dude. Only you know how frequently you're going to practice, and that'll be the single greatest contributing factor to shortening that. Answer enough for ya?

1/10/2008 10:49:57 PM

Seagull FTW

The finish on my is aging very well and the sound is getting warmer.

1/10/2008 10:50:15 PM

Quote :

"Time frame? Dave, you gotta be kidding, dude. Only you know how frequently you're going to practice, and that'll be the single greatest contributing factor to shortening that. Answer enough for ya? "

That's why I put the "how often" part in there. You know, something like "If you practice an hour a day, three times a week, you'll probably be able to play (insert random song here) within X weeks and within Y months/years you'll be able to play by ear / write songs for Eminem's next acoustic Christmas album...

I was more wondering about personal experience rather than "How long before i can play 'Stairway to Heaven'."

1/10/2008 11:09:46 PM

it really depends on the person, i've played with guys who've only played for six months that blow me away. musical talent does not necessarily correlate with time. however, with regular practice you should be able to master tonal coordination within 2-3 years. btw...STH was the first song I tried to learn. still haven't learned the whole song.

For guitars, I've played customs that sounded terrible and martins that don't beat my takamine (2nd best guitar I've played). it's all in the guitar and the way it plays.

1/11/2008 2:44:42 AM

i wanted a seagull s6, but ended up getting a really good deal on this alvarez pf90sc.

1/11/2008 3:40:31 AM

If you're serious about learning guitar you should learn the notes, major chords, and the more widely used scales (blues, for example) first...........and then later the modes after you've played for a while

a cheaper used guitar from a pawn shop for example should be great for you

lessons are fun and a great way to learn, provided the teacher knows the things ^ mentioned above.....but hit up guitar center or maybe barnes and noble and look at some instructional books to see how you like them

1/11/2008 8:38:29 AM

Also, I cannot stress the importance of developing the grimace early on.
The grimace is the expression made when playing guitar.
It is made in all styles....classical, jazz, rock, and of coarse the blues.
It becomes more critical when playing higher up on the neck.

The grimace is an integral part of my practice session. I probably spend a good 10 minutes
on grimace before even warming up and doing scales.

1/11/2008 9:04:47 AM

your going to waste your money and be another person with an old squier strat in their basement collecting dust because you "didn't know it was going to be this hard"

1/11/2008 11:20:46 AM

I'll be honest with you. Practice for about an hour every day. Get used to doing that. And depending on your innate musical ability (varies greatly), could be a month or so on the short end, or several years on the long side before you're good enough to play comfortably.

1/11/2008 1:46:24 PM

^ That's good advice.

When I started I was in seventh grade and it was the only thing I wanted to do, so I practiced between four and six hours a day. Granted, that wasn't all sitting and doing chord exercises...a lot of it was walking around my house noodling around in pentatonic scales to avoid homework. Still, the more time you spend with the instrument, the more it will show up in your playing.

Also, the grimace or "guitar face" is very important. See: Vaughn, Stevie Ray.

1/11/2008 2:19:34 PM

OMG You're in a band!!!!

1/11/2008 2:26:07 PM

Step 1: Tune to open G or open D
Step 2: Put slide on finger
Step 3: Channel Robert Johnson

Profit!

1/11/2008 3:10:09 PM

buy a cheap electric (acoustic will make you want to quit in like 20 minutes) with a humbucker in the bridge, tune to "dropped d" tuning, crank distortion, and be original.

1/11/2008 5:05:51 PM

Oh, and to repeat another good point, start with an acoustic.

No ifs, ands, or buts.

1/11/2008 8:39:49 PM

Quote :

"^ This is a terrible way to go about things if you actually want to learn to play the instrument. If you just want to learn some songs to throw out at parties, then sure, it's fine...but one day you'll get caught in a situation where it would really benefit you to know how to play and you'll be SOL. There's nothing that makes me madder than meeting someone who can play a song or two very nicely, asking them if they want to play around some time, and then finding out they can't really play at all. Learn your open chords. They're the basis of everything and you NEED to know them. There are plenty of songs that can be played off the bat for fun with just the use of open chords, and you'll avoid jumping to a point in development where you'll be content with knowing your five songs and never learn to play for real. Learn the six basic barre shapes and the position of every note on every string for at least the first seven frets. Learn your movable scale shapes (major, natural/pentatonic/harmonic/melodic minor, blues) and how to apply them inside a song. Do finger dexterity exercises (each finger on each fret of each string, 1-2-3-4 on E, 2-3-4-5 on E, all the way up, then the same on A, D...) to get your pinky into shape so that you can throw it in on chords to add new voicings and color to your playing. I know this is ranty, but it's all a matter of whether you want to be able to pick up a guitar and run through a certain song, or be able to pick up a guitar and play it."

Do not listen to this guy. If you dont make it fun and enjoyable to begin with, you'll quit. The worst thing in the world to do when you first start is to get bogged down with the music from a technical standpoint, you will be completely overwhelmed...especially if you have no music training.......the first thing you have to do is develop your fingers. Doing the dexterity exercises is about the only thing that you should do from this post to begin with.

Also note that doing what this guy has recommended will several months if not years. You will not be able to play any barre cords except maybe in the A position for a looooooong time. If you do decide to learn any scales, it should be the Major Scale first. It uses the WWHWWWH spacing and is the basis of western music. The W's stand for Whole Step, the H's stand for Half Steps. On the guitar, a whole step is 2 frets and a half step is 1 fret. So if you were playing in C, using this pattern you would play CDEFGABC. If you notice, you have 7 notes in this scale. Each individual note relates to a Mode. You basically keep the scale structure of the C, but you use the individual notes as the root. Each mode sounds different. You determine which "mode" you should use based on the cord structure of the song.

Once you get these down, move on to the minor scale. It is WWHWWWH only the third and seventh note are flatted (youll here the technical guitarists taking bout minor thirds or flatted sevenths alot). Same deal with modes here!

If you completely take these notes away, you get a 5 note scale called a "pentatonic scale". this scale is the basis of blues/rock/country/everything. LEARN THESE AND KNOW THEM LIKE THE BACK OF YOUR HAND. THERE IS NO MORE IMPORTANT SCALE TO KNOW!!!!!

ITS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE MAJOR AND MINOR SCALES ARE SEPERATED BY 3 STEPS. Aminor uses the same notes as Cmajor....the only difference is the root note.

To keep track of the notes, most guitarists use the CAGED method. CAGED is how the barre cords are laid out as you run up the neck. The C position is first followed by the A position, ect.....

Come back in around 4 years once you learn all of this well jam sometime.

Remember, make if fun for the first 6 months by learning stuff you want to know, otherwise youll never make it far.

AND MAKE SURE YOU DEVELOP YOUR EAR.........alot of the older guitarists (duane allman, santana, eric clapton) do not think about scales, they "play what sounds good" as duane described it. Its important to realize what spacing will create what sound. Then you can play what you want to as opposed to noodleing around scales all the time.

[Edited on January 11, 2008 at 9:05 PM. Reason : had to add the last part.]

1/11/2008 8:59:15 PM

start with thin strings, regardless if it's acoustic or electric - i actually put electric strings on my acoustic once in a while so i can do some unplugged shredding.

but seriously an electric would have helped me learn and reproduce songs i liked more quickly, but instead i had sore fingers for the first 6 months.

I have been playing guitar 22 years, since i was 5 years old.

Star with an electric. Reason: thin strings and the ability to bend easier will allow you to practice for longer periods of time, before your fingers get sore, and you hand cramps up...+ being able to use headphones and practice completely silently will be a hit with your roommates!

1/11/2008 9:02:40 PM

dont listen to this guy ^^




if you at least dont learn the basics of what you're doing, then you'll be at a huge disatvantage when you want to start playing with a group

which you will
eventually

1/12/2008 3:14:53 AM

We're saying the same thing, moron. Of course the theory behind it is important, but it dont make a bit of difference in the couple of months. You just think people magically are able to form cords, especially barre cords! It aint gonna happen. Learn the stuff you want to play early simply because youll quit if you dont! Ever taken piano lessons, where the teacher has you play classical music. If you did, you probably quit. Its because of people like you that so many people quit playing after 2 or 3 weeks. Trust me, I've given way to many lessons to know I'm right and your wrong on this.

1/12/2008 11:29:26 AM

vinylbandit and bigun20 have different approaches which are both valid depending on how ambitious you are.

If you just want to be able to dick around with a guitar, play songs that you like, there's nothing wrong with that, and taking an academic approach WILL make you want to quit.

If you do want to be a GOOD guitarist, play in a band, compose your own music, etc. definitely listen to vinylbandit.

I fall under the first category. I just like to dick around, I have no desire or need to play in a band or make a career out of it. It's just something fun to relax with. I don't give a shit about the academics of it. I get tabs and learn songs that way, and i don't care to know more than that.

[Edited on January 12, 2008 at 11:41 AM. Reason : asdf]

1/12/2008 11:40:45 AM

^ I can get behind this philosophically, just not personally. I have no problem with people who just want to dick around, but if I'm going to teach someone, they're going to learn it my way.

1/13/2008 12:08:46 PM

^ luckily, guys like us make it easy to learn, since we tend to want to help learn the easy way, avoiding unnecessary bullshit that we dealt with in abundance while we were coming up with guitar.

it's like, i learned to play guitar like a family grills out: you light the grill, make the patties, slice tomato's, shred lettuce, etc. and when i teach people, they still get a great burger, but by comparison, it's like taking your student to burger king's drive-thru, time wise.

if you want to do anything besides acoustic folk music, buy an electric, and start learning the songs that you like to listen to. if you don't like country, don't fucking learn it. if you hate metal, don't fucking learn it. learn techniques that help you make the sounds you want to make, so that it makes you happy ASAP. I have been playing a long time, and I'm here to tell you, it takes a lot of work to get that guitar of yours to earn you money, and you are better off striving for enjoyment to start with.

[Edited on January 13, 2008 at 12:35 PM. Reason : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUdWO5d2M2U]

1/13/2008 12:31:54 PM

Quote :

"it takes a lot of work to get that guitar of yours to earn you money"

AMEN!

1/14/2008 1:20:37 AM