How to play electric guitar...

[Kajinku]

Hello all,

I'm planning to buy an electric guitar and learn how to play it. Is there someone here with any experience? Is it hard to learn by yourself? There are lots of books, magazines, programs and websites with good exercises with all kinds of tabs, but I wonder if a teacher is really necessary.

Thanks. :)

[dru_nasty]

I personally don't think a teacher is necessary. Many of the bands you hear, or ever heard of never had lessons. Just pick up some good books on learning. Books that focus on the proper way to hold a guitar, pick, hold chords, change chords, and keep rhythm are the most important things first. This way, learning the basic fundamentals will help you when you start getting into more complicated playing. Most of the time, these beginner books have exercises you can go through. Also, I'd recommend picking up a good tab book on a band you know, but look at the tab first and make sure its not too hard. This way, you can listen to the music, then try to play along with it. I remember when I started, I picked up Nirvana Nevermind, Green Day, and simple stuff like that with basic chord progressions and such. But most important, is PATIENCE and PRACTICE. So many people try to learn this instrument, but get frustrated because its so hard, you have to stick to it, stay persistent, practice your arse off, and you'll get there.
Good luck! :thumb:

[alialo]

If you decide you want to teach yourself with tabs etc., there's a good site for rock/metal music at:

http://mxtabs.net/

Very useful for learning tabs :)

[thoriphes]

I've been playing for at least 3 years and haven't taken a single lesson (though I'm starting to think I should for the discipline). Playing the guitar isn't hard to learn if you're willing to learn it, but it's not exactly like riding a bike either. Like all instruments, you simply need practice: learn how to read tabs, know how to tune and detune your guitar, etc.. All these things you will learn on your own once you need to know them. For example, first time I had to detune my guitar (to drop D) I had the worst experience. I remember I was trying to learn Everlong by Foo Fighters. I read that the low string was D instead of E, so I tuned it up to D, instead of down. Not only did the song not come out right, but that string broke later on because of stress. It's learning experiences like these that get you going.

Take some simple songs and learn how to play them. The first thing you'll probably want to learn is power chords, the most overused excuse for melody the guitar has to offer. I say that because it has a really simple pattern and you can play an entire song using only those types of chords. Seeing as you don't have your guitar yet I won't go further, contact me later when you do and I'll give you some more pointers.

As for teaching yourself, take really simple songs (Blink 182 is a good place to start) and just play. And keep playing. Once you get the hang of some basic power and major/minor chords, jam with what you know, make up your own music. Then start learning scales, and different patterns. Once you learn those you can start soloing on your own.

So yeah, go find yourself a good guitar and start playing.

[RussianBeer]

Nah nah!

Kajink, it all matter what you want to acheive, if you want to learn how to play a few songs, then all you need to know is how to read tabs, it takes about 10 min to learn.

If you really want to understand how to play and really learn music, the easiest way to start is go to this site www.guitarnoise.com

[Disco-Stu]

Okay, anybody can learn to play a guitar on their own. BUT!! I'd definitly reccomend lessons. It gives you a good plan on how to start off playing, and it keeps you from developing bad habits that can get you stuck in your playing.

[blabj]

Yes, I started to learn on my own, But what I really wanted to know was how to be a better musician, so therfore I took lessons ( I still am :D ) and I have progressed soooo so much in the past years. you will definately notice the diference if you do take lessons, but like Russian Bear says, it depends what you want to learn.
Also, Its surprising how many people play guitar on this forum... :)

[prstudio]

I taught myself for the most part - had a lot of friends who played and I always hooked up with them. My one friend and I started playing at pretty much the same time, only he had a year of lessons...there was a startling difference between us and I usually looked to him for help.

But if you practice and approach it seriously as you begin, you will be having a lot of "confident" fun on the guitar in no time.

There is a book that is amazing for the guitar, and pretty much teaches you all the essentials, fundamentals, and even extends beyond, from stringing, to modal scales...

here is a picture of the book - i dont know where the best place for you to get it from would be...

[love police]

learn how to read music first. dont get pulled down into the world of tabs. its the lazy guitarists way.

i know.. cos thats what i did. i learnt guitar and instead of learning to read the music, i just went of the tabs.. and i regret it now. i sooo wanna know how to read music. i could probably pick it up if i try. see if you learn how to read music. it means you can pick up any instrument and pretty much start playing it if you know where all the notes are on the instrument.

[prstudio]

yeah you have to know THEORY and SCALES - have to know it - without it, the guitar won't make much sense!

good point LP!

[Kajinku]

Wow, thanks for all the advice! :)

I think I will try finding that book and learn it by myself (thanks prstudio). I know someone who plays the guitar, so I could go to him when I have a technical question.

The only thing I'm afraid of is... well, me and my patience.

Again, thanks for your help guys! :thumb:

[garyzero]

I've been playing since 1990 and when I first started I took 2 years worth of music lessons. Mainly it was for me to learn the basics and figure out how to read music. It took me two years to figure out I can play by ear and suck at reading music.

Once I quit reading music my skills improved, the downside is can't write a song out by hand.

But a book can probably teach you the basics of reading notes. Hopefully they sink in for you.

[PROsk8ER04]

do u have to play an acoustic first before playing an electric and also how long does it take to teach yourself

[deletedUser459]

i recommend learning with ana coustic first, i also highly recommend tabs. the only way to get better is to practice, and practicing is fun if you're learning songs that you like.

[Seb Hughes]

AHAHA the other day the police came to my house because sombody was complaing about the noise he was making with his guitar. But the police were cool about ti because the played guitar as well. My bro has been playing for 6 years he is amzing. He self taought himself. He got a atrter kit you cna buy when he first strated.

[hl]

i recommend learning with ana coustic first, i also highly recommend tabs. the only way to get better is to practice, and practicing is fun if you're learning songs that you like.
oh yeah, tell me to just go electric head on in gtalk :P

[neobonzi]

I looooooooove this post.

IM SO GLAD YOU ALL PLAY GUITAR! (best instrument everrr!)

I've been playing drums for as long as I've been playing guitar ( a little under 5years) and piano since iw as a little kid, vocals since i was 6. GUITAR is the best thing to learn.

Like a former poster i took 2 years of lessons. Youll find that eventually the teachers start teaching you songs instead of theory and other things, and youll be able to go home and learn things on your own. Make sure you start practicing scales early on even though they're not impressive or whatever, when you get into doing solo parts and moving around on the neck youl lrealize how much it paid off.

Heres a pic of my set up, all my babies in one place!

http://myspace-858.vo.llnwd.net/00208/85/88/208018858_l.jpg

[deletedUser459]

i'm trying to make out the pedals.

digitech rp100, morely bad horsie, and a boss eq?

[neobonzi]

i'm trying to make out the pedals.

digitech rp100, morely bad horsie, and a boss eq?

Digitech rp200
Morely Bad Horsie
Ibanez Ph7 Phaser
Boss equalizer GE-7
Zoom 510 Dual Power Driver
Marshall Foot Switch

[hl]

what's a pedal? >.<

[iLikePie]

^ haha

or were you serious? (pedals are often used to control effects, like a wah wah pedal which basically alters the sound, depending on how far you push the pedal down. so you can put the pedal on and off to get a cool kind of effect).

[deletedUser459]

how has this not been moved to music yet?

[PROsk8ER04]

can i be able to start an electric before an acoustic

[deletedUser459]

i don't reccomend it

[hl]

i don't reccomend it
biotch

[PROsk8ER04]

is it possible to learn an electric before acoustic

[PROsk8ER04]

whats the difference also

[PROsk8ER04]

wuts the difference between acoustic an electric

[frizzle fry]

IMO pick up an electric. they're usually cheaper and you can set the action way lower to help when you push down the strings. you really have to toughen up your fingers before you can play an acoustic without it hurting to much.

[deletedUser459]

thats the point. play acoustic to build up calouses so its easy to play

[hl]

uh pick :)

[PROsk8ER04]

how can u tell an electric guitar from a bass

[PROsk8ER04]

is an acoustic easier

[T-O]

I never had a lessen.. and I rock the boat, I even play in a band now. just after 2 years playing. the key is to practis every! day. for aleast an half an hour

[deletedUser459]

hah

or maybe 4

[frizzle fry]

it comes down to if you like it or not. don't think of it as practice, its just like learning a new program. there's many ways to learn it and after you get use to it you'll find the shortcuts. its really just about being comfortable with the insturment and liking the sound your creating, no matter what it sounds like.

[PROsk8ER04]

how can u tell an electric guitar from a bass

[deletedUser459]

:lol:

that's it. i'm done with this thread

[PROsk8ER04]

how can u tell an electric guitar from a bass

[sk8achik167]

i personaly think that an ecoustic looks easier but after a while with the electrics just as easy looking =D

[deletedUser459]

electric is easier to play but i think its easier to play once you played acoustic for a while

[frizzle fry]

proskater and skaterchick eh? :sigh:

[deletedUser459]

i'm been practicing for the last 2 hours


damn you sweep picking >.<

[sk8achik167]

hey girls can sk8 board too ya know! just because we can sk8board doesnt meen we fall for evey guy that says he can...no offence the other sk8er dude...

[λ]

Could you just generally stop being immature sk8achik167? Yes, that is a warning.

[sk8achik167]

im sorry...

[deletedUser459]

Could you just generally stop being immature sk8achik167? Yes, that is a warning.

:lol: a warning? hahaha

[salvador marley]

i've played both acoustic and electric for ten years - million times easier than web design - it comes together once you get some chord changes together. do you know how to read tablature?


depends on the sort of thing you want to do - is it complex solos?

[slumgutt]

If u gonna learn to pick, start using all 5 fingers! I play classic guitar, and I started picking with 4 fingers (everone but the pinky). So, 3 months ago I had to learn to play with all fingers, and thus had to learn every song I knew from scratch. The point is, when you play with 5 fingers every finger is dedicated to one string (except the thumb which controlls both A and E string), and the whole pattern of playing changes. And you can play way faster with all fingers, which is the whole point of playing guitar, if you're a jerk.

[salvador marley]

sk8 - you ask the difference between bass and accoustic guitars - hmm dont know if you are serious. Accoustic is a six string instument that has a hollow body and therefore needs no amplification. often used as a lead or rythm accompaniment to a song or tune or whatever. A bass is usually electric, and acts along with the drums as a sort of backbeat to a song. Lending a rythm if you will. Although bass in the hands of a great player such as John Entwhistle from the who or McCartney from the beatles lends great artistic flair to a composition.

[PROsk8ER04]

dude lay off her

[frizzle fry]

:sure:

[sk8achik167]

i think I'll keep my mouth shut for a while... save λ some time so he/she ( sorry i dont exactly know) doesnt have to call me immature... im just here for some tips on learning the electric guitar... you guys seemed to know alot about it... I'll just sit back and listen... :)

[PROsk8ER04]

i got an acoustic but dont kno how to play it

[frizzle fry]

http://www.guitarnoise.com/
search time= 17 sec. ;)

[slumgutt]

i got an acoustic but dont kno how to play it

I would try practicing...

[PROsk8ER04]

how

[λ]

I'm not an arsehole, you know ;) You've made me feel really bad now. I didn't mean to pick on you at all. Normally, though, if you're trying to ask a question, you should only ask it once and wait for someone to reply, and not crosspost it and stuff.

[salvador marley]

my advice is this. find a guitar teacher - ask in your local music shop they always know about guitar teachers. even if you only take ten one hour lessons, it will set you up for life. Then when the teacher has told you how to read tab (not music, dont worry) you can then pick up any book, or look at any internet site that shows tablature and take it from there.

[frizzle fry]

i don't think this dude is serious. if he was he would have taken the advice from all the other posts.

[deletedUser459]

how

best post ever

[PROsk8ER04]

who here loves girls

[boswell255]

If you know how to read tabs i suggest www.mysongbook.com . Unfortunately you'll need to buy a program called Guitar Pro (use the trial , it doesnt run out ;)) It displays the tabs you download off My songbook.com and plays them with MIDI aswell, so if you're a beginner it can be very helpful. Also most tabs have Bass tracks, Drum tracks and other tracks also, so it's great even if guitar isn't your main instrument.

[Mik3]

If you wanna play guitar, you don't need lessons. If you want to really master it then you need to take lessons. Take lessons if you really want to understand and be able to play with music. (Not just good sounding noise, but really music... Like technical music, composing, harmonics, etc.)

[PROsk8ER04]

DOES NEONE no how to do a b :ponder: note

[deletedUser459]

2nd string open
5th string 2nd fret
6th string 7th fret
1st string 7th fret
2nd string 12th fret


to name a few

[adman_9000]

if you wanna learn to play guitar rather than just copy other people then dont bother learning pages of tab. just learn some scales, have a few lessons with a decent tutor & try to work out songs for yourself. Tab is just a list of notes, it isnt music.

[guitarboy]

I have an electric guitar but everybodeys says to get a accoustic what should i do which one is easy

[saxx]

Have you ever picked around with a guitar? I think its more preference, with electric of course you have to have an amp, which can be cumbersome if your not always at your house playing, but again its more of a preference thing. Mastery of any instrument won't be easy, so get that out of your mind.

[hl]

Electric is easier to play, so acoustic is better to learn on.

:lol: at spam thread revivals.

[graylensman]

Electric guitar can't be that hard to learn. That guy in 2112 found one that had lain under a waterfall for like a hundred years, and in the space of one song could play well enough to rock out and piss off the Priests of the Temple of Syrinx.

[Rickster]

In my opinion you dont need to take lessons i know plenty of people that are self taught and are awesome musicians.
also there is no main diffrence between electric and acoustic guitar but ppl do find it easyer to play acoustic.

[graylensman]

By the power of rawk, i raise this thread from the dead!!!!!!!

[Iamthejuggler]

By the power of Grayskull...I have the power!

[a tadster]

power to rawk! Rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
learn about the guitar, teach guitar, see some really really old posts of mine and an old site that predates the whole social network site thing...
www.wholenote.com