I mad a remark to my wife that I saw a sweet GLes Paul at a pawn shop and that I would give a nit to be able to play it and I would have bought it. Guess what, even though my business is going to shit she goes and buys it for me for Christmas. I got home amd found a amp on my doorstep today so I know what she did. So now I have to learn how to play it. I know she won’t take it back if I tell her to.
Yes you do. Pick 3 songs you REALLY really like AND would like to play along / rock out / sing along to. Hardest thing to learn is how to hold your left (presuming you are right handed). Find an actual teacher in person. Virtual if you have to. YouTube or prerecorded lessons is a waste of time until you have the basics.
Be warned, guitars reproduce even faster than pinball machines. I predict you’ll be looking at Telecasters by next week. Then you are going to need an acoustic, of course. Then, maybe a twelve string, and on and on. Don’t even get me started on foot pedals!
Quoted from zombywoof:Be warned, guitars reproduce even faster than pinball machines. I predict you’ll be looking at Telecasters by next week. Then you are going to need an acoustic, of course. Then, maybe a twelve string, and on and on. Don’t even get me started on foot pedals!
Hahah this is totally true
I never bought one because I am not geared in that direction. I am severely ADD and it’s tough for me to read some books much less learn to play guitar. I guess it’s ok have to figure it out. I can’t sit it in the corner. I guess I’ll be learning to play Stairway to Heaven at 54
Nice! Let’s see some pics!
Oh..and learn the opening riffs for iron man and smoke on the water just like 80 percent of us and you’ll be off to a good start.
Your heart has to be in it to learn guitar. If not, don't fool yourself. It takes a lot of practice to be decent. But it is very rewarding to learn a song. Everyone makes fun of Stairway to Heaven, but it is a great guitar song, acoustic intro, arpeggios, and then an awesome solo at the end.
If you really want to learn, there are several good YouTube channels that teach guitar.
What type of music do you like? Rock, classical, etc.
Learn to read TAB. Here's a good web site to search for a song you want to learn:
http://www.911tabs.com
https://www.classtab.org
Go to the bookstore and pick up a guitar magazine that has song TABs or look on eBay for back issues of guitar magazines with songs that you like.
Start off with learning the open chords: E, A, D, C, G. Then learn barre chords (E and A type). You'll be able to play a thousand songs just knowing those basic chords.
Quoted from zr11990:I never bought one because I am not geared in that direction. I am severely ADD and it’s tough for me to read some books much less learn to play guitar. I guess it’s ok have to figure it out. I can’t sit it in the corner. I guess I’ll be learning to play Stairway to Heaven at 54
You need to have a little OCD in you to play a guitar. You practice something over and over and over again. And secretly the person (wife) living with you thinks you're insane,for how many times you can repeat something. 
Just hang it on the wall,and appreciate it like you would a painting.
You can play a hundred songs with the G C and D chords. The game Rocksmith is really good for learning the guitar too.
luckily nowadays with the magic of youtube, you can learn your favorite songs pretty easily. 20 yrs ago we had no visual teachers for this, so we were forced to listen and train our ears to pick up the notes which is a slower process, but priceless in the long haul.
Learn an E chord. Hold it till its right. Do it again.
Get up the next morning. Hold that E chord. HOLD IT TILL YOU CRY.
After 3-5 days the pain from your fingertips will be gone and you will notice little callous developing.
Once you get past the pain of holding down strings?
Superman.
Be aware of your shoulders.
Don't hunch up over the guitar.
Don't tense up.
Keep an upward posture.
Get a comfortable chair.
A good office chair without one arm is great to learn in.
Keep trying new chords until your fingertips are tough.
One day of suffering holding chords will pay off with TOUGH finger tips.
Good to go.
Not everyone gets to learn on a Les Paul.
Relax.
If you like video games and have an Xbox/PS, you might want to check out Rocksmith. https://www.amazon.com/Rocksmith-2014-Remastered-PC-Standard-Mac/dp/B01KVVSRPW
You basically plug your guitar into the console and it gamifies learning the instrument. You start by tuning it and then can learn songs by notes in the beginning, and as you get better, they introduce chords and other techniques. There are minigames too to help you remember the different notes and chords. Overall it's pretty cool.
Quoted from phil-lee:Learn an E chord. Hold it till its right. Do it again.
Get up the next morning. Hold that E chord. HOLD IT TILL YOU CRY.
After 3-5 days the pain from your fingertips will be gone and you will notice little callous developing.
Once you get past the pain of holding down strings?
Superman.
Or, get the guitar setup from the get go and avoid the pain altogether. The strings should not be hard to fret. The biggest mistake new players dont understand, its worth the $50.
Quoted from Fezmid:If you like video games and have an Xbox/PS, you might want to check out Rocksmith. amazon.com link »
You basically plug your guitar into the console and it gamifies learning the instrument. You start by tuning it and then can learn songs by notes in the beginning, and as you get better, they introduce chords and other techniques. There are minigames too to help you remember the different notes and chords. Overall it's pretty cool.
This is cool.
Here’s something to work on while you are waiting on your guitar. With your wrist straight, touch the tip your index finger to the tip of your thumb, then your middle finger, ring finger, and pinky, then reverse the order. Move the thumb minimally. You are working your fingers. Keep repeating the pattern to build speed.
You can do this anywhere. Do it often. Playing guitar will have you moving and stretching your fingers in ways that are unfamiliar. This exercise will help with dexterity and help you loosen up.
If you are right handed, focus on your left hand at first. Focus on your right if you are a south paw. If you want to eventually play finger-style, start working both now.
For maximum fun with minimum effort learn chords instead of meledy. Many popular songs can be played with just a few chords. Check this out!
Learn the open position chords 1st. Concentrate on the most common ones 1st. Place your fingers on the chord shape strum a few times and then slowly change to another position and repeat. You need to get these shapes into muscle memory. Once you know a few open position chords you can strum along to a ton of songs.
1CCB4CDD-BC27-4486-BC5A-7E3B2D53ED64 (resized).jpegFind a local teacher. Some lessons will make a big difference early on. Perhaps you local music shop if they recommend someone?
Online is a great resource, but doesn’t replace in person. Perhaps Marty Schwartz, he has tons of youtube videos with various songs you may like.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmnlTWVJysjWPFiZhQ5uudg
If you totally want to nerd out on Rock music and it’s composition,
Rick Beato.
Learning to play a sting instrument well is not easy, takes dedication
and a lot of time. About 25 years ago started taking lessons for
acoustic guitar and the instructor also taught the 5-string banjo.
I've had far more fun with it and dumped the guitar. Have always
felt music doesn't have to be loud to be good.
Steve
Here’s my quick advice. Recognize up front how hard the guitar is to play. It takes a lot of time, effort and patience. It will give you realistic expectations. People that you see on TV and the like have spent 1000s of hours practicing. Lastly, find a teacher. If nothing else, it gives you someone to answer to. No one wants to show up for a lesson with only 20 minutes of practice for the entire week.
I would learn power chords first. they're the basis for countless songs and not that hard to figure out how to play.
the same shape can be played up and down the neck on the 1st and 2nd string and on the 2nd and 3rd string. the fender play app / website is actually pretty good for beginners and i wish it'd been around when i started.
power-chords (resized).jpgGood luck! I was in the same boat a few years ago and a friend loaned me one to use. I used Rocksmith on the PS3 and it got me started ok. Then he moved and took guitar back so I stop practicing. I just picked up a way too nice guitar for a beginner and haven’t made time to get back in it.
Looking forward to hearing more good advice here!
AE244418-4AC7-41A8-B6B3-98B2C3D456B3 (resized).jpegC9A3479A-BA4A-4810-9496-6E4DC97591E8 (resized).jpeg
Buy yourself a guitar chord poster and stare at it all the time. Start with posture, a tuned guitar and learn to switch between basic chords. Learn first basic chords around the guitar with confidence then hire a teacher.
If you make it boring and hard, you won't stick to it. Learn a little tab and pick a few songs. Play them incessantly for several days and fight through the finger pain until you callous up - it won't take long. When you are tired of it, put it down for the day. But try to practice a little every day, so long as you are having fun. Look up song breakdown videos on YouTube and learn a new part of a new song, or the next part of a song you are working on, and keep at it.
You can also get Rocksmith for the Playstation 4 if you have one, and it's actually a pretty fun way to play and practice songs while having decent fun with it.
If you're not gonna put the time in, tell your wife not to bother, it'll just sit in a corner.
I played from the time i was 11 until well into my 30s when pinball took over. My Marshall amps and guitars have basically just sat for the last 20 years. I don't have the time/desire to practice every day, or every other day, any more, and if you don't, the dexterity and speed just slips away. Sure you can still strum along to something, but I was never a strummer, I played lead guitar in hard rock bands. Gotta stay in practive for that.
Quoted from pinzrfun:If you're not gonna put the time in, tell your wife not to bother, it'll just sit in a corner.
I played from the time i was 11 until well into my 30s when pinball took over. My Marshall amps and guitars have basically just sat for the last 20 years. I don't have the time/desire to practice every day, or every other day, any more, and if you don't, the dexterity and speed just slips away. Sure you can still strum along to something, but I was never a strummer, I played lead guitar in hard rock bands. Gotta stay in practive for that.
Sad!!!
How come you don't sell the collection? I'm sure that stuff is significantly more valuable than it was 20 years ago.
Quoted from CrazyLevi:Sad!!!
How come you don't sell the collection? I'm sure that stuff is significantly more valuable than it was 20 years ago.
2 reasons -
1. I keep telling myself that someday I will play again, and
2. It looks great in the gameroom! lol
20211215_150435 (resized).jpgI highly recommend anyone learn how to play an instrument. I've played guitar since I was 15 and it was one of the best things I ever learned how to do. That being said, I would find it overwhelming to learn an instrument now (at 38) if your time is crunched and you don't have a lot time to practice. At 15, all I did was play guitar all day and then jam all night with my friends. Now, I'm lucky if I get out for serious play once a week. At best, I pick up the acoustic in the leaving room and strum around some of the same stuff I've played for 20 years haha. But, I love it and love playing, made a living at it in my early 20s, just wish I had more time now.
Quoted from zr11990:Think I could learn to play Seven Bridges Rd in short order
the opening will take a practice but is fun to have a goal. On the other hand, if you can harmonize like the Eagles, your voice is money! 
Learning to play any instrument is special. You need to WANT to do it. Not for anyone else or anything thing else.
As others mentioned it’s going to take a lot of time, discipline and dedication if you want to get “good”.
Remember to have fun while learning and playing.
This guy helped me a lot over the years
A good book to pick up if you stick with it
343651CB-0C5F-4286-821C-C51CCDCF560C (resized).jpegQuoted from zombywoof:Be warned, guitars reproduce even faster than pinball machines. I predict you’ll be looking at Telecasters by next week. Then you are going to need an acoustic, of course. Then, maybe a twelve string, and on and on. Don’t even get me started on foot pedals!
Darn right
1CB5D21F-321F-4DCA-B9F8-64827E4311CB (resized).jpegStage 1 Smoke On the Water
Stage 2 Mel Bay's guitar chords
Stage 3 Power chords
Stage 4 Iron Man
Stage 5 Bar chords
Stage 6 I-IV-V chord progression
Stage 7 Pentatonic scales
Stage 8 Stairway to Heaven faked and played badly
--- 10 to 20 years of mindless noodling and wanking
Stage 6 Minor scale
Stage 7 All the other modal scales
Stage 8 Stairway to Heaven played properly
Stage 9 Any guitar solo you ever wanted to play
Stage 10 Eruption
Stage 11 Buckethead
Final stage Jazz
Quoted from zr11990:That’s gotta be really hard
If it was easy, everyone would do it. That’s what I tell myself over and over when I don’t feel like practicing. You just need to decide it’s something you are going to do and never look back.
Quoted from joelreeves:I keep hoping one of these will help to make me play better.
Hasn't worked yet. The search continues...
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Man, that Gretsch looks nice. So much better without the Bigsby hardware cluttering things up. My two nicest guitars (Les Pauls) and only remaining amp (silverface Vibro Champ) are on pretty much permanent loan to a friend's studio. I've got a SG Standard and a Gibson CL-20 Standard Plus here at the house that haven't been out of the cases in years. I've also got a fleet of metal shredding axes that have been sitting in storage at my parents house for about 20 years: BC Rich Warlock, Charvette Model 100, Jackson Soloist, Kramer Pacer Imperial, and a ESP Horizon.
Quoted from beergut666:Man, that Gretsch looks nice. So much better without the Bigsby hardware cluttering things up.
Very nice guitar, especially for the money - think it was $449? I get to try and live out my Malcolm Young fantasies with it. well, try anway.
d4ef17c1a686f2fd000b6f762908c6fa (resized).jpgWanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/i-need-to-learn-to-play-guitar and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.
Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.
Humble, TX
Alcona, ON