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Starting to Play the Guitar
9216544
Member Posts: 1,904
Well I have decided that I want to start playing the electic guitar. I made a new thread to keep on the topic of guitars, so please do not go off topic.
Anyways, any helpful information, equiptment, or anything that relates to the guitar and how to get started is helpful.
I am really exicited to start, hopefully soon I will.
Comments
Electric. I need to buy anything that I need to start playing, so I guess a guitar and amp. My price range will probably be 250-400 dollars. I'm looking for quality, and a good guitar to start on. I don't need an extremely nice guitar to start on. If I like playing, then in the future I will buy something nicer.
If you are serious about playing the guitar, you should take the time to learn how to read sheet music, this stuff is what the pros use. Its more professional to read and will enhance your playing style/skill far beyond a guitar tab. Some people take years to read and understand the rules and notes on the sheet music. You can find alot of that on the net or just buy a book at a local music store, be sure to ask the shop owner or worker if they have any books that are most popular and actually get you results.
Once you learn that, there's plenty more to learn like achieving perfect tuning the abillity to tune by ear. But, that's advanced stuff, so most beginners start with an electric tuner. It can be bought in most any music store.
Alot of songs for guitars do come in tabs which you can find on the net just about anywhere. These work well to just get the melody down of the song and that's it pretty much. It doesn't really go deeply into the song's inner workings, as sheet music does it'll just teach you the song chords and basic melody nothing more, Most music I've heard from people that learned via these tabs generally come out gaudy not really professional. Tabs in my opinion are only for the amatuers.
For your warm up exercises during practice you should learn a couple basic scales by heart and whenever you begin playing always do those to get your fingers and mind ready for the jam session, guitar riff, power chording, ect. Usaully, the b flat scale is most commonly used in warmups. Once you learn these you will notice your fingers being more limber, this usaually happens after 2 weeks of practice, 30mins at least a day 2 hours max.
That's all the advice I can offer at the moment, if you actually sat and read all that then you'll be on your way to becoming a good guitarist, in order to become a great one well that's up to you.
Professor Hubert Farnsworth - That question is less stupid but, you asked it in a profoundly stupid way.
Ok, but can I read sheet music and try to understand them without having a guitar to play on, or even understand the chords and such?
How much time would be recommended per day to become a good guitarist, if I like playing, then of course I will want to be as good as I can get. Is 30 mins - 2 hours good like you said? I'm sure after alot of practice a day you will end up declining in your focus and clarity of your mind.
Great post Betrayal-X, alot of good information. Sheet music is hands down the best way to go and is what I use, but it is only fair to point out that finding tablature on the internet is much different than buying a bands actual tabulature book.
I use tablature programs where when you are doing it it tabs it out and puts the tab in relation right under the sheet music, this is an awesome program to share music to both crowds, it also produces a midi file for the song so you can play along. You probably know which program I am talking about, but I'm not gonna link it unless someone asks for it.
Internet tablature is what most people use, it is usually far from what the band actually plays, however if you buy a bands book of tablature it is exactly what the band plays, but yea, sheet music is most definitely the way to go, but it is viable to use both.
I am going to address a few things you have mentioned so far 9216544.
First being your price range you are restricted to, I would most definitely try to go for used equipment, try to stay away from premade packages. If you go to a guitar store such as Guitar Center you'll see packages that include a guitar, amp, cords, and everything else you will need, however I would not recommend these to anyone. Almost every guitar store you go to will have used equipment, make sure to check it all out and make sure it works properly, most of the time people get rid of equipment because they are in need of money or they just personally didn't like the product, most stores will not buy equipment that is defective.
You can look at the sheet music and you can learn how to understand it without having the guitar, you really won't get it all until you have the guitar and can try to play what you are looking at, anything sounds easy and you can understand it in theory, but to actually do it is different. But it is good to surf around and find out all you can and try to understand as much as you can before you get started.
Practice as much as you want, I have practiced until my fingers bled, I would not recommend it though. I usually have my guitar in my lap the whole time I am at home, even while I play games, I use my acoustic though. I would atleast try to get 30 minutes to an hour in each day you can, not counting warm-ups.
You do lose some focus and clarity the longer you practice, but that's when I try to make background music for tv shows and events happening around me, adds a little entertainment to it, adding happy melodic music to horror scenes is very entertaining.
The main thing though is to have fun with it, don't force yourself to practice if you're not having fun with it, set it down for a day or two and pick it back up, i took half a year off form playing one time, didn't really lose anything in that time, just never felt like playing.
Yeah, like Tannayr said, most of the sheet music for guitar comes with a chord tab in top and bottom areas . The sheet music has everything you need to know on it. You just need to learn how to read it, learn the scales, finger positions for each note and, the sheet music langauge.
If you truly do love the guitar and it's like the greatest thing you've ever experienced play it as often as you want, hell I've seen guys walk around, practicing their fingerings with the air guitar they seem almost obsessed.
But, not everyone is driven to play it all hardcore, for most people they should only play it 30mins to 2 hours aday. EVERY DAY! I forgot to put that part in. My old music teacher told me that every day I skip practice, you will lose 2 days worth of practice. It's consistency that will allow you to hone your skills.
Tried to make that as brief as I could.
Professor Hubert Farnsworth - That question is less stupid but, you asked it in a profoundly stupid way.
Well as far as price range, im not quite sure yet. Price really isn't a big issue, as long as the price is worth the quality. I would not want to spend over 500 though (for all of the equiptment I need), that would be a bit too pricy for just beggining the guitar.
I will practice every day, one thing that I have gotten bettar at as I grow older is forcing myself to do something. I don't mean forcing even if I do not like it, I mean forcing myself to have the patience and persistance to keep going.
So what all do I need to start, I understand I need the guitar and amp, but what else is there to get? I mean everything, not just the most important.
Basic things you'll need
With your power cords make sure you take real good care of them, they can break easily so watch out there. Bout all I know you'll need on the top of my head.
Professor Hubert Farnsworth - That question is less stupid but, you asked it in a profoundly stupid way.
Good basic list, but does he really need a case, and what is the power adapter for?, strap is questionable, can get a cheap one for around $10, but is not really needed, he can play sitting down just fine without it. Cases can be expensive, as long as he is just playing at home I would suggest just spending $10 on a guitar stand instead of $40-$100 on a decent case.
I would give a revised list of
That is about 356 bucks for some very low end gear, if you have 500 total to spend, I would adjust the amp, guitar, and cord prices, get a little better than bottom of the line of those, and maybe you would want to get a distortion or overdrive pedal, most overdrive and distortion channels on amps are pretty horrid, there are a few that are good, but in the most part horrid.
Also he may want to invest into a book/movie or two on music theory and the functionality of the guitar, while this is not necessary and you can find some of it online, i find books to be a better source, just personal preference though.
Also lessons will cost you money, you should take that into consideration.
The more practive the better. Like somebody already stated, I too pretty much always have my guitar in my lap just playing whatever.
As for sheet music, reading it, and understanding it? Hmmm, im not self taught in that area but learned from my teacher. Personally I would definitely recommend going with a teacher, because although you can learn from a book, who do you ask questions and go to for more in depth information? Also for tab's its very hard to show rythm properly. Sheet music has the different type of notes listed (quarter, half, whole, 8th notes, etc), and it also has the notations for the timing, beat, loudness, speed, and other things that make the song sound like its supposed to be played. Ive only been learning this stuff for 6 months or so but I can tell ya its alot of fun.
At first I was sort of bored becuase I was just learning stuff on the first few strings with just basic 1/4 notes over and over. As I moved on I can now read a great deal of sheet music(even if my skill level isnt high enough to play it :P). I have also learned alot of techniques such as putting "swing" into a normal sounding song which makes it sounds very bluesy and having a cool beat. This is also where a teacher steps in, becuase they can play chords in the background to make songs sound more full, the way they should be.
I think the greatest tip I can give to somebody starting out, from my own experience, is to just practice and practice. As you learn more you can start looking away to where you place your fingers on the neck and frets so that you can concentrate on reading the music in front of you, which will allow you to play a great deal faster.
I do recommend that you begin to learn chords fairly early. Once you know chords and are into reading sheet music and tabs, you begin to see that although the finger picking looks difficult, the finger positions are actually in the postion of a chord or a small variation of a chord. A song I have been learning by Greenday, Tell Me When September Ends, is just switching between 6 or 7 different chords and then picking the strings. You can also experiment with chords by making your own tunes. My teacher showed me how playing an Em(which uses only 2 fingers) and then putting down one more finger to make an E chord changes the melody from happy to sad. Or switching between an E and an A chord(I think) gives a sorta south-western mexican melody.
Go to www.mxtabs.net and look in their forums under guitar for beginner song suggestions. Lots of easier stuff to learn. Its great to be able to teach yourself the fingering for Blink 182's Stay together for the kids or Incubus' Pardon Me and play for people.
One more site for music theory is, http://www.dolmetsch.com/theoryintro.htm.
Good luck with everything, and dont be afraid to get a teacher.
Nice post lanmoragon, few points I would like to comment on and correct however though.
On the part where you said it is very hard to show rhythm properly for tabs, it is not hard at all, given the right tools, using word pad to do it, yes it is hard. But look at an issue of guitar world, it has tablature in the back, it comes fully loaded, tells you the tempo, it also shows you whether the note you play is a, eighth, quarter, half, or whole note. Tablature can be 100% correct, you just will not find it on a website.
As for chords, most definitely, learn them as soon as possible, you would be suprised how many people who claim to be able to play the guitar cannot play 5 different chords, all they know is power chords. Learn chords, cannot stress that enough.
You also mentioned getting faster, I believe I read that in there somewhere. The best way to get faster is to get a metronome, and maybe cut the tempo in half and learn it slow and slowly increase your speed.
Last thing I want to comment on was the E A thing, think you meant E and Am, sounds more mexican to me atleast, also can get a really nice little mexican sounding melody going if you use those formations and do a little pull off, hammer on, finger tapping. Play around with it you'll see what I mean.
What a coincidence. I just started playing electric guitar. I have to lessons under my belt. At this point even my farts are sound better than my playing.
member of imminst.org
Since you have heard from some very avid guitar players, here is a little advice from someone who attempted to learn the guitar, but could not... Apparently my palms are too big, and it hinders my ability to use the bridge of the guitar... After tons of practice, my fingers literally felt like I has arthritis... Physically it is not possible for me to play the guitar, a couple of my friends had the same problem... However, I can play bass just fine, it's that the bridge and frets of a guitar are too much for my hands to wrap around, definitely try out a guitar with correct hand positioning, and make sure you have the long flexible fingers that a guitar player needs...
If you are like myself, and can't do it, pick up a bass... I picked up a bass and a trap set, so I am literally the 'masta of tha beats'....
SOme amps come with adapter cords (the good ones IMO) they keep your distortion and clean cut sounding best, cause of the electric limit. Some just come with a plug already built into the amp, which doesn't give you a quality sound.
Most guys that learn guitar usually learn it sitting down, it be for the best to learn how to play standing up as soon as possible.
Professor Hubert Farnsworth - That question is less stupid but, you asked it in a profoundly stupid way.
Professor Hubert Farnsworth - That question is less stupid but, you asked it in a profoundly stupid way.
SOme amps come with adapter cords (the good ones IMO) they keep your distortion and clean cut sounding best, cause of the electric limit. Some just come with a plug already built into the amp, which doesn't give you a quality sound.
Most guys that learn guitar usually learn it sitting down, it be for the best to learn how to play standing up as soon as possible.
Lol ok, what I thought you were talking about, but wasn't sure, thought maybe you were hinting at a pedal.
But yea, learn to play standing up, even if you never join a band or plan to play a live show, versatility is always good to have.
Well what are some good amps? I know I have asked that before but what are some better ones for around 100-150 maybe. I really do not know how to even shop for an amp, so suggestions would be helpful.
As far as the guitar goes, I will just try some out and make sure I like the sound and that my small hands can play it alright. Litterally my fingers are about 3.5 inches long, maybe shorter.
My friend has a fender that he never really played, I dont know what type but he just said a Fender. One of the chords is broken I guess. He played it maybe 3 times and I think the chord broke for a different reason. Also my other friend has a unused guitar, he would sell that to me too maybe.
So the better brands are Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, and what else? Same goes for amps?
And what parts do I need to make sure that my hands can fit? The neck I know, to see if my hand is big enough to wrap around. But where should be fingers be positioned on the frets, I dont even really understand what those are.
This site shows the top 5 recommended guitars for beginners.
http://guitar.about.com/cs/beginners/tp/electricguitars.htm
And this is a guitar I saw on Musicians Friend.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/s=electric/search/detail/base_pid/512496/
That guitar seems like a good price, I would not want to pay over 250 for just the guitar. I know I should go to a guitar store first, which I am going to do. But it would be nice to know some guitars to try out when I get there.
Fender 25R Frontman Seriest II
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/s=amps/search/detail/base_pid/480669/?c_tid=topseller
Also this amp seems to be very popular, it has 25W and seems to be bigger then some of the rest. It has alot of good reviews, and is not very pricy.
This is what I came up with on musicians friend. Im not sure about the guitar, but I was just trying to get a price idea.
You are off to a great start in my opinion. I do not agree with the top 5 rated guitars for beginners, but that is also just my opinion.
Good brands of guitars in my opinion are: Ibanez, Gibson, Fender, Jackson, and even B.C Rich. Gibson is going to be the most expensive, and I would recommend them to more advanced players who are looking for a phenominal instrument.
Good brands for amps are: Roland, Fender, Vox, these are in most people's opinions the best for small practice amps. As you get to different types of amps the brands will change. I would recommend a Roland Cube or a Fender Frontman.
As for how you should hold your hand I will post a pic shortly of the proper way to hold your fingers on the neck and fretboard, and will show you a basic D chord.
Ok cool, well what do you think about that amp? Can you even see the image? My friend can't see it for some reason. The amp will be good I guess then. As far as clothes and such I don't really care, that can be changed when I actually buy. Main things are guitar and amp.
Sorry I could not get my cam to work, so I scanned a pic from a book I found, so this pic is not of the D chord but the C chord.
You will notice the placement of the thumb, this is the proper way to hold your hand, you can move the thumb up above the top of the neck, but in this case that would be considered the Lazy C, and it is very hard for beginners to get a clear sounding note like this.
You will want to arch your finger to get a clear note, you should be able to put a pencin between the arch in your fingers and the fretboard. Also use the tips of your fingers, not the fleshy part.
As for the amp, I have never personally used that amp, but it should be fine seeing how it is a frontman, but always try before you buy.
Ok well, my step dad used to play so he told me some stuff, its still very hard to understand what sheet music exactly is. I mean I know what it is, just dont really understand any of it once so ever.
My step dad and mom suggest diong acoustic first, but im already set on doing electric. THey think acoustic will be easier, but based on what I have read here and on the internet, that doesn't seem to be the case.
My step dad does not want all the noise, so couldn't I just put on headphones that connect to the amp?
Also my friend is loaning me his guitar. He has an amp and everything and I think its a Fender guitar, I have to check. But that is perfect, now I can see if I like playing before I spend 400 dollars. Should I just play tabs and such in the internet? Because I can't really take lessons until I get my own guitar.