Guitarists! Need your help!

[unstabLized]

So I picked up my very first electric guitar today. A Gibson Epiphone Les Paul. I've played Piano for about 8 years, but it's been a while since I've touched on that. (About 4-5 years). I still sort of have some idea of what I'm doing. I'm trying to start with the very basics, but I haven't even learned chords yet. Need to get used to it. But do you guys have any tips for a beginner guitarist? All help appreciated!

Edit: I'm also trying to self-teach. Lessons cost a lot of money

 

[DustyDrB]

Same thing as piano, really. Watch some videos of people teaching proper technique (hand positioning, chord transitions, and then to more advanced stuff when you get ready). A lazy technique will limit you and it becomes a hard habit to break (I know, I taught myself to play when I was 13. Then I retaught myself when I was 19, with the help of some friends of mine who were actually properly tutored).

The big difference at the beginning is going to be the discomfort. It'll be frustrating at first, because the strings resist more than you think they would. It'll probably hurt until you build your callouses, and you'll be really fumbly in general. Keep at it.

When you get all that down, then start playing songs you like. Play it on your computer and see if you can keep up with it. Start simple, of course.

And fiddle around. When you're just sitting around idly (watching TV or whatever), have the instrument in hand and just...make noise. Get familiar with it. Learn the feel of it: How far you need to go to get to the sweet spot in each fret, what going from this note to that note sounds like, what happens when you play these two strings together. That sort of thing. And apologize to your roommates (if you have any), because it will annoy the piss out of them. Just remind them that it could be worse. You could be trying to learn how to play the harmonica...

Also, learn how to maintain your guitar. I don't like to use stands. I could knock it over by accident. It gets dusty out in the open. Sitting at an mostly vertical angle for prolonged periods of time isn't good for it. I keep mine in their cases and flat on the ground. Get used to changing strings, tuning, making adjustments (to the bridge, the pickups, whatever). I play a Fender Jazzmaster mainly, which is a wonderful sounding guitar that is a plays like a dream. But it also requires a good bit more TLC than the average guitar. Learn how to make truss rod adjustments too. You likely won't need it for a long time, but it's good to be self-sufficient. Saves you trips to the instrument shop, and thereby saves you time and money.

 

[BeeGeenie]

First learn the basic chords, that's important. Then, learn the kind of music that you're interested in. Look up chord charts and tablatures on the interwebs. There are plenty of free guitar tabs to a wide variety of songs. As long as you continue learning what interests you, you'll have the motivation to keep at it. Start with music that just has the basic chords, then move to more complex ones at your own pace. Good Luck and Have Fun!

 

[unstabLized]

Same thing with as, really. Watch some videos of people teaching proper technique (hand positioning, chord transitions, and then to more advanced stuff when you get ready). A lazy technique will limit you and it becomes a hard habit to break (I know, I taught myself to play when I was 13. Then I retaught myself when I was 19, with the help of some friends of mine who were actually properly tutored).

The big difference at the beginning is going to be the discomfort. It'll be frustrating at first, because the strings resist more than you think they would. It'll probably hurt until you build your callouses, and you'll be really fumbly in general. Keep at it.

When you get all that down, then start playing songs you like. Play it on your computer and see if you can keep up with it. Start simple, of course.

And fiddle around. When you're just sitting around idly (watching TV or whatever), have the instrument in hand and just...make noise. Get familiar with it. Learn the feel of it: How far you need to go to get to the sweet spot in each fret, what going from this note to that note sounds like, what happens when you play these two strings together. That sort of thing. And apologize to your roommates (if you have any), because it will annoy the piss out of them. Just remind them that it could be worse. You could be trying to learn how to play the harmonica...

Also, learn how to maintain your guitar. I don't like to use stands. I could knock it over by accident. It gets dusty out in the open. Sitting at an mostly vertical angle for prolonged periods of time isn't good for it. I keep mine in their cases and flat on the ground. Get used to changing strings, tuning, making adjustments (to the bridge, the pickups, whatever). I play a Fender Jazzmaster mainly, which is a wonderful sounding guitar that is a plays like a dream. But it also requires a good bit more TLC than the average guitar. Learn how to make truss rod adjustments too. You likely won't need it for a long time, but it's good to be self-sufficient. Saves you trips to the instrument shop, and thereby saves you time and money.

Thanks a lot Yeah I was thinking a case would work best. I had it standing up but now I just laid it down on the ground under my bed. Tuning doesn't annoy me, it's part of the deal. The more annoying part was when I knew what I wanted to do on the guitar,as in what notes to play,but my fingers wouldn't co-operate. Just getting used to it I guess. I don't really have friends who have been tutored. Two of the people I play online with are pretty good guitarists, they shoved some pointers my way that helped with my sound. Chords are my biggest problem right now. No matter what I do, I'm still not getting what I'm expecting, even though I think my positioning is right. I think its because of me still hitting other strings slightly. Roommates aren't a problem xD I still live in my parent's house till I move out next year hopefully, and no one's home till late anyway. I'm gonna buy headphones at some point.

 

[DustyDrB]

Thanks a lot Yeah I was thinking a case would work best. I had it standing up but now I just laid it down on the ground under my bed. Tuning doesn't annoy me, it's part of the deal. The more annoying part was when I knew what I wanted to do on the guitar,as in what notes to play,but my fingers wouldn't co-operate. Just getting used to it I guess. I don't really have friends who have been tutored. Two of the people I play online with are pretty good guitarists, they shoved some pointers my way that helped with my sound. Chords are my biggest problem right now. No matter what I do, I'm still not getting what I'm expecting, even though I think my positioning is right. I think its because of me still hitting other strings slightly. Roommates aren't a problem xD I still live in my parent's house till I move out next year hopefully, and no one's home till late anyway. I'm gonna buy headphones at some point.

Coordination takes a little time, though not too much. At first, it's almost like trying to throw a ball or write with your non-dominant hand - like something gets lost in the process of your brain knowing what you want to do and your hand actually doing it. But it'll come more quickly than you might think. I think (I don't really remember all that well. I'm 25 now so this was over a decade ago) I just played chords very slowly at first, and repeated it over and over and over while trying to get faster and faster. I'd work on just starting on one cord at first. Then when I got that, I'd work on the transition from that one to another. Then from that one to yet another.

And soon enough I had my very first shitty sappy G, C, D middle-school campfire tripe. Oh well. Have to start somewhere. Though looking back, I really wish Green Day wasn't what I was trying to learn at the start. And you know which song [http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=good+riddance+cover&oq=good+riddance+cover&gs_l=youtube.3..0l6j0i5l3.8972.9310.0.9958.3.3.0.0.0.0.125.362.0j3.3.0...0.0...1ac.6W7QgcZCA3E] I'm talking about.

 

[unstabLized]

Thanks a lot Yeah I was thinking a case would work best. I had it standing up but now I just laid it down on the ground under my bed. Tuning doesn't annoy me, it's part of the deal. The more annoying part was when I knew what I wanted to do on the guitar,as in what notes to play,but my fingers wouldn't co-operate. Just getting used to it I guess. I don't really have friends who have been tutored. Two of the people I play online with are pretty good guitarists, they shoved some pointers my way that helped with my sound. Chords are my biggest problem right now. No matter what I do, I'm still not getting what I'm expecting, even though I think my positioning is right. I think its because of me still hitting other strings slightly. Roommates aren't a problem xD I still live in my parent's house till I move out next year hopefully, and no one's home till late anyway. I'm gonna buy headphones at some point.

Coordination takes a little time, though not too much. At first, it's almost like trying to throw a ball or write with your non-dominant hand - like something gets lost in the process of your brain knowing what you want to do and your hand actually doing it. But it'll come more quickly than you might think. I think (I don't really remember all that well. I'm 25 now so this was over a decade ago) I just played chords very slowly at first, and repeated it over and over and over while trying to get faster and faster. I'd work on just starting on one cord at first. Then when I got that, I'd work on the transition from that one to another. Then from that one to yet another.

And soon enough I had my very first shitty sappy G, C, D middle-school campfire tripe. Oh well. Have to start somewhere. Though looking back, I really wish Green Day wasn't what I was trying to learn at the start. And you know which song [http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=good+riddance+cover&oq=good+riddance+cover&gs_l=youtube.3..0l6j0i5l3.8972.9310.0.9958.3.3.0.0.0.0.125.362.0j3.3.0...0.0...1ac.6W7QgcZCA3E] I'm talking about.

I hope it does come quick. In my mind I know what I'm doing, but my body doesn't react. I'm trying to start with very very basic things. My favourite band of all time is Metallica, as you can tell, and their Black Album songs are easy, so people recommended Enter Sandman for beginners, even though I've heard that song so many times that it's just annoying me half the time. Oh well, have to start somewhere. For Chords, someone recommended me Am I Evil by Diamond Head. They said it was simple, but I couldn't figure out the positioning of the fingers. Oh well.

 

[unstabLized]

First learn the basic chords, that's important. Then, learn the kind of music that you're interested in. Look up chord charts and tablatures on the interwebs. There are plenty of free guitar tabs to a wide variety of songs. As long as you continue learning what interests you, you'll have the motivation to keep at it. Start with music that just has the basic chords, then move to more complex ones at your own pace. Good Luck and Have Fun!

Thanks Guess I'll just have to fiddle around till I get something out of it xD