I don't know anyone I can take lessons from, so what's the best way to learn how to play an electric guitar? Any youtube videos, or something?
What's the best way to learn how to play guitar?
- Thread starter TheBritishAreComing
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Well, I just started learning recently, and I have a book for it, but teaching myself seems to be easier. Just find a chord chart and play around a lot, practice chords for simple songs and work your way up, use the wonderful internet to learn techniques. Or you could do it the right way.
Books are nice, guitar pro rocks (http://www.guitar-pro.com), but the most important part is that no matter what you choose to do, keep doing it. You won't be awesome overnight. Even if you don't feel like you're making process, just keep playing and don't quit. Believe me, discipline is your best friend when it comes to learning any instrument. 
Self-taught guitarist.
Self-taught guitarist.
Same way you learn any skill. Find someone who knows, acquire their teachings whether it be in person or through literature, and practice the hell out of it.
My brother used computer software to learn the basics, but quickly abandoned it in favor of simply learning songs by tabs he looked up on the internet, then improvising. Just about anything works, as long as you keep playing and keep learning.
It's probably too late now, but I liked starting with accoustic. It sounds better and is more portable. Plus the strings tend to be a little harder on the fingers, so you develop callouses quicker.
My brother used computer software to learn the basics, but quickly abandoned it in favor of simply learning songs by tabs he looked up on the internet, then improvising. Just about anything works, as long as you keep playing and keep learning.
It's probably too late now, but I liked starting with accoustic. It sounds better and is more portable. Plus the strings tend to be a little harder on the fingers, so you develop callouses quicker.
There are plenty of online tutorials, and plenty of books too. It doesn't matter how you get started, the key ingredients are practice and determination. You're hardly going to be Hendrix overnight, just follow whatever tutorials or books you find best, and don't get bummed out if you're not seeing immediate progress.
A lot of learning is trial, error, and finding your own style.
I play bass guitar, and have never read a piece of musical theory concerning guitar playing. Just pick it up, persevere, and do it however you feel comfortable, regardless of what people tell you.
It's a rewarding thing to do, good luck.
I play bass guitar, and have never read a piece of musical theory concerning guitar playing. Just pick it up, persevere, and do it however you feel comfortable, regardless of what people tell you.
It's a rewarding thing to do, good luck.
I taught myself a while back and it's actually easy. It's just all about practice. Learn the basic or most common chords, practice them, then slowly start looking up songs you like and try to learn them.
Anyway, if you feel like giving up, don't! It might be awkward at first, but keep on. I would recommend learning on acoustic first, then electric but hey. Whatever you want to do.
I swear by this site. It's amazing. It has every tab I've ever looked for.wicked_dementia said:
Anyway, if you feel like giving up, don't! It might be awkward at first, but keep on. I would recommend learning on acoustic first, then electric but hey. Whatever you want to do.
Something else you could try is this new Ubisoft game called Rocksmith. It's about $70 and comes with a 1/4" Phono to USB to plug your guitar into your Xbox/PS3/PC (though I don't think it's out for PC yet).
It really is a great program that teaches you everything you need to know through playing songs and minigames. Even if you don't remember how to play a song after you've turned off the TV, it's okay because you'll still remember where everything is on the fretboard without looking.
Sometimes the game is very hard on you, like when you're in practice mode and the game only gives you five "lives" to complete a verse of the song. If you get all the notes correct, it lets you go to the next verse and adds another "life". Though if you fail, you lose one "life." If you lose all lives, it quits out of practice mode, no matter how far through the song you were. But it does this because it loves you, and wants you to succseed.
Yeah, and pretty much what everyone else said too. This is also comming from a self-taught bassist/guitarist. Ultimate-Guitar and Guitar Pro will definitly be your best friends.
It really is a great program that teaches you everything you need to know through playing songs and minigames. Even if you don't remember how to play a song after you've turned off the TV, it's okay because you'll still remember where everything is on the fretboard without looking.
Sometimes the game is very hard on you, like when you're in practice mode and the game only gives you five "lives" to complete a verse of the song. If you get all the notes correct, it lets you go to the next verse and adds another "life". Though if you fail, you lose one "life." If you lose all lives, it quits out of practice mode, no matter how far through the song you were. But it does this because it loves you, and wants you to succseed.
Yeah, and pretty much what everyone else said too. This is also comming from a self-taught bassist/guitarist. Ultimate-Guitar and Guitar Pro will definitly be your best friends.
I also haven't even bought a guitar yet . How much does the average electric guitar + amp cost? Also, what are some good beginner songs?
. How much does the average electric guitar + amp cost? Also, what are some good beginner songs?
A cheap beginners electric guitar isn't going to cost you much at all, there are some combos from makes like Squire which gets you a practice amp, Fender copy and lead/strap for a couple hundred.
As for learning - just play a lot. Seems like poor advice but really that's all there is to it. I've been playing for nine or ten years now and while I've shifted from electric to fingerstyle acoustic the most valuable thing I've found is simply keeping playing, keeping trying things out and keep developing. Give yourself targets. If there's a song you really want to play but know is way outside your skill zone just keep working towards it. I've had a string of these targets and I find it always just drives me forward. Even if I stop playing for an extended period of time these targets remain so when I pick up a guitar again I have something to work towards.
As for learning - just play a lot. Seems like poor advice but really that's all there is to it. I've been playing for nine or ten years now and while I've shifted from electric to fingerstyle acoustic the most valuable thing I've found is simply keeping playing, keeping trying things out and keep developing. Give yourself targets. If there's a song you really want to play but know is way outside your skill zone just keep working towards it. I've had a string of these targets and I find it always just drives me forward. Even if I stop playing for an extended period of time these targets remain so when I pick up a guitar again I have something to work towards.
Doing it yourself is only viable if you have truckloads of free time and already have (major) talent for music, if you do not have any of these things.
It might be better to take lessons mostly so that you actually know what your doing with rhythm and writing music.
It might be better to take lessons mostly so that you actually know what your doing with rhythm and writing music.
use ultimate guitar, and just try to learn some easy songs which you like. basic punk rock is usually a good starting point, nothing too hard.TheBritishAreComing said:
to get the timings and up to speed, people have been saying guitar pro, yes and no to that. the guitar pro files are awesome, but for some LEGALLY free software, use a program called 'tux guitar'. works in exactly the same way, and you aren't breaking the law.
i got lessons after about 6 months, and they do help a lot because they break you out of your bad habits, but you can do fine without them for quite a while. just remember real progression will probably require proper tuition.
good luck!
edit:
good beginner songs: one, metallica (only tthe intro)TheBritishAreComing said:I also haven't even bought a guitar yet
kids arent alright, offspring
jingle bells
try learning a few chords or really really simple things to start with
then maybe try moving on to some tabs if you cant read music
then just keep practicing and suck up all the new information you can
thats how i first learned to play the bass
then maybe try moving on to some tabs if you cant read music
then just keep practicing and suck up all the new information you can
thats how i first learned to play the bass
You should be able to pick up a decent rig for $100-300 (depending on where you live, local currency, whether you buy second hand, etc.), but I would strongly recommend getting an acoustic guitar (or even an acoustic-electric) as they have a higher resale value (if you should decide you don't want to play), generally stay in tune better and have thicker strings that will callous your fingers quicker.TheBritishAreComing said:I also haven't even bought a guitar yet
I found the best stuff to start on was just learning simple little blues licks - they'll teach you your way around the fretboard, as well as introducing you to the most common rock and roll intervals. The most important music to learn though is the music that actually interests you. If you're playing stuff that you enjoy you'll be far more likely to stick with it, rather than playing old macdonald and getting bored and giving up.
Go with by the book teaching. I'd get one of the ones with a CD though. They're more useful than they seem.
Yeah, I agree. The thing to note is the first several weeks of playing are going to hurt as you develop muscles you haven't used much and callouses you haven't had before. Acoustic strings tend to be thicker and have higher action (the distance between the strings and the fretboard), so they hurt more, but you'll develop your muscles and callouses faster as a result. When I was teaching myself bass, it hurt a lot at first because those strings are even thicker, but in my case 2 years of piano lessons helped a lot with finger strength and flexibility.2xDouble said:
Whatever you're looking to play, learn your open chords and barre chords. So much of rhythm guitar uses those as the foundation, you should be able to fret them without thinking, and once you know your E and A-form barre chords, you can fake your way through almost any song. If you get into lead playing, learn your scales for the same reason.