Answers to Everyday Questions : I want to learn to play guitar, where do I start?

I want to learn to play guitar, where do I start?

4 Responses to “I want to learn to play guitar, where do I start?”

1. jeligula said :
   October 4th, 2010 at 6:52 pm

   Almost nothing on the internet is free. But this site is. My repertoire has benefited more than I can possibly say from this guy’s transcriptions and videos. He has beginning lessons, too, but it is classical.

   http://www.learnclassicalguitar.com
2. Reyn said :
   October 4th, 2010 at 7:33 pm

   ultimate-guitar.com It’s awesome.
3. Am I A king Pin Or A Pauper? said :
   October 4th, 2010 at 8:11 pm

   alot of people i see here post things such as ”i taught myself piano its easy”
   let me say any instrument is easy, but to properly play it & understand what the heck your doing (this helps your creative process when writing your own stuff) is another different matter.
   i could be taught to recite out 10 basic piano tunes, but give me the likes of Mozarts music & ask me to use certain techniques that are heard on piano. i would fail (as would all the people claiming ”its easy”)

   the problem with teaching yourself guitar (or any instrument) is that alot of people give up they get frustrated. (supposedly 90% of self taught musicians quit)
   also alot of people can ”play” guitar, ie bang out a few songs & intros eg starirway to heaven.
   guitarists are a dime a dozen, everybody plays guitar (heck i play guitar) however a decent guitarist is hard to find this is where you can benifit from lessons.

   Lessons are definitely a great idea, a teacher can show you techniques & correct you. i still get corrected over things i do at my lessons.
   alot of the internet resources aren’t that great, again it is alot of amateurs with bad technique or looking to make a quick buck.

   every music autobiography i have read (& i read quite a fair bit of them) the guitarist/any instrument, has gotten lessons at some point.
   there are a rare few virtuoso (ie talented) people who didn’t get lessons but even at that they start practicing with other people who have got lessons & learn off them.
   As somebody said those ”guitar for dummies” are great, however that is as a side tool to reference to. not to just teach yourself, at a glance you learn the basics but when you study those books they can get quite complicated & a teacher can clear any questions you have.
   a teacher also encourages you to practice & gives you set goals.

   PS try not to ask people to give you the chords to a song, its better if you can work them out yourself it creates an ear for certain notes. however make sure what you are playing is correct.
4. Brooke said :
   October 4th, 2010 at 9:10 pm

   I have started giving free online guitar lessons at http://www.youtube.com/user/UKGuitarGirl. They are very simple and short, and will have you playing in no time! I’m going to put a new one up every Friday.

   Once you know how to read chord diagrams (as I show in my first lesson) you can look up any chord diagram you like and you’ll be able to work out how to play the chord.

   Then, once you can read guitar tab, which I will cover in a few weeks, you can go onto websites like http://www.ultimate-guitar.com and play songs by your favourite bands and artists.