newbie guitarist

[Kuragari]

i went digging through my closet the other day because i remembered my dad's old guitar was in there somewhere, well, after much ado about looking for it, i finally found it, granted i have never even touched a guitar before, one string is broken, it's a 6-string acoustic, any idea/tips/helps for me on what i should do to get started playing? cause i really wanna learn how to play the guitar! thanks!

[Raistlin]

For a start you should replace the string :)

Your best bet is going to be to replace them all, with the same type as are on there at the moment.

You will find that you will need to keep retuning quite frequently at first as the new strings will stretch for a while, but eventually they will settles down ok.

After that your best bet is probably to get a couple of music books for bands that you like and start learning to play the songs that you already know and love.
Go for books that have tablature in them (a graphical representation of the strings/notes) and that should make things easier to start with.

[Mr_love_monkey]

Well, first thing to do is get it restrung - a local guitar shop will do it for you if you ask nicely - shouldn't cost too much.
Secondly, unless you have a very good ear, get a guitar tuner - you get them from argos - I'll dig out a link for you.

[Kuragari]

sounds like a kool idea, any generalized simple book though to get me started? or just grab a few band books and have at it?

[Raistlin]

The best thing about books for bands that you know is that you already know how the songs should sound. That should help you know if you're getting it right.

[Mr_love_monkey]

The best thing about books for bands that you know is that you already know how the songs should sound. That should help you know if you're getting it right.

Just make sure you get a proper 'tab' book and not a musical notation one.

The internet used to be a good source of tab for guitars, it's not something I've looked at for years, but I assume olga is still around?
__________________

link for tuner : http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=3151&productId=122020&clickfrom=name

[Raistlin]

The internet used to be a good source of tab for guitars, it's not something I've looked at for years, but I assume olga is still around?

Looks like it:

http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/tab.html

[Mr_love_monkey]

Just make sure you get a proper 'tab' book and not a musical notation one.


Sorry, Raist, I just realise I repeated what you had already said :)

[Raistlin]

Sorry, Raist, I just realise I repeated what you had already said :)

:LOL:

No problems, "Great Minds" and all of that..... :)
__________________

Wasn't going to say anything, I need to stay on your good side - might be needing some help towards the end of the year ;)

[danielf]

link for tuner : http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=3151&productId=122020&clickfrom=name

Alternatively, get youself a mike for you computer, and download a free guiter tuner here:

http://www.aptuner.com/cgi-bin/aptuner/apmain.html

[Mr_love_monkey]

:LOL:

No problems, "Great Minds" and all of that..... :)
__________________

Wasn't going to say anything, I need to stay on your good side - might be needing some help towards the end of the year ;)

Interesting..... long as it doesn't involve me taking the lead in an all male cast of 'cats' it will be ok

[Raistlin]

Interesting..... long as it doesn't involve me taking the lead in an all male cast of 'cats' it will be ok

How did you guess?

Actually no, I'm starting an OU degree at the end of the year and the first couple of modules contain some Java content. I noticed in your signature that you're a Java developer and thought I might bug you when the time comes.

:angel:

[Mr_love_monkey]

How did you guess?

Actually no, I'm starting an OU degree at the end of the year and the first couple of modules contain some Java content. I noticed in your signature that you're a Java developer and thought I might bug you when the time comes.

:angel:

Damn.... *puts away 'cats' outfit*...

Sure, no probs - always happy to help :)

[eerrrr]

I strongly suggest that you try to figure songs out for yourself, if you really want to be a good guitar player. Learn the basics with guitar magazines or whatever, but try to play along with songs you like by ear. It doesn't matter if you get it entirely perfect, but it'll help you develop your ear a whole lot.

I don't want to sound cocky, but I know guitarists who've taken lessons from the start, and been through like 5 different guitars, and yet they still can't tab a song or tune a guitar by ear.
If you teach yourself the guitar, you might find that you'll develop your own style of playing, and be better at improvising and jamming. Though, take all the help you can get of course, taking lessons for a while aswell if you can.

I might be going a little overboard here since you're just starting, sorry! Anyhow, the most important thing about playing the guitar (or any instrument) is making sure that you enjoy it.

[timewarrior2001]

12 years ago I started teaching myself how to play guitar.
I still cant play well.


Get lessons from the start

[danielf]

12 years ago I started teaching myself how to play guitar.
I still cant play well.


Get lessons from the start

I'll second that. I gave up, too bloody difficult to teach yourself...

[tick]

is it realy hard ? thought about trying myself

[danielf]

is it realy hard ? thought about trying myself

I felt I started when I was too old (30). Looking at your profile... :erm:

I don't know. I find it hard. I can't get my head/fingers around chords. Being left-handed doesn't help either, as chord schemes are usually for right-handers, so I have to mirror them.

Oh, and it hurts your finger tips...

But, I play a mean 'love me tender' :)

It's fun, though frustrating at times. Be happy with small mercies I suppose...

[Graham]

For a start you should replace the string :)

Your best bet is going to be to replace them all, with the same type as are on there at the moment.

NB it is *not* a good idea to replace all the strings at once unless the guitar was deliberately "de-tuned" (ie all the strings slacked off) when it was put into storage.

There is a fair bit of tension in those strings and taking them all off in one go can result in the neck warping.[/QUOTE]
__________________

sounds like a kool idea, any generalized simple book though to get me started? or just grab a few band books and have at it?

I don't know of any books, but what you want is one that will first teach you the basic chords and scales.

The most important this is *PRACTICE*!

Yes, it's boring, yes, it's tedious, yes, it makes you get tired of it, but unless you have natural musical talent, it's the only way you're really going to get good.

I'd suggest trying to spend at least two sessions of half an hour a day practicing to start with, don't try to do an hour all in one go as your fingers won't be used to it and it will probably hurt (especially if you go for steel strings!)

Keep persevering and it will become a lot easier.

[Kuragari]

neck warping? i'm guessing that's a bad thing, but i'm sure they do all desperately need to be replaced (i don't think they were all loosened before put in storage) but three strings are one kind (one of which is the broken one) and the other three are a different kind, is that something i should do something about?

EDIT: also, is there any specific book anyone recommends? or just any beginner's guitar book would be good? also what kind of tuner am i looking for? i remember that being mentioned once or twice

[timewarrior2001]

3 steel and 3 nylon strings indicates it is a spanish/classical guitar.

They have a nice sound to them.

My 4 electric and on acoustic are all steel string.

Have a look at www.mysongbook.com
download a program called guitar pro 4.......its a beatuy program and will teach you to read tablature (guitar tab) instead of music.
It will play the song for you in midi format and you can mute any track so you can play along.

There are thousands of songs in the database on mysongbook.com and it includes lessons although not many.

[zoombini]

There are some good beginners books in the music shops, have a trip down & look, they are not too expensive.

Play with it yourself for a while & if you can afford it look for some lessons, along with lots & lots of practise you should learn quite well then.

Since I took my son to lessons he has improved immensely as there is someone else telling him what he is doing wrong & how to correct it etc.

[Graham]

three strings are one kind (one of which is the broken one) and the other three are a different kind, is that something i should do something about?

At a guess the three bottom strings are metal wound around a nylon core and the top three are simple nylon ones? That's the standard setup for a classical acoustic guitar which gives a "mellow" sound (think John Williams playing Cavatina in the film The Deer Hunter).

If you want a "harder" sound often used in "slide blues" (if you've ever heard Robert Johnson playing "Crossroads" or similar you'll know the sound), go for steel strings (although, as I mentioned, they're harder on the fingers to start with).

Best thing to do is to find a local guitar shop and talk to them.