Learn how to play guitar?

CyrildoSquirrel

Hi, I'm a newbie so please let me know if this is in the wrong forum.

Does anyone here play the guitar? I'd love to learn but I don't know if I'm very musical, I don't play any other instruments. Is it hard?

Karl Hungus

Hi, I've moved this to the appropriate forum.

As for learning the guitar, it doesn't really matter if you think you're not musical, if you put in the effort to learn then you'll become as musical as you push yourself to be. Yes, it can be hard as first, especially as the muscles in your fingers start to get used to playing, but it just keeps on getting easier and easier untill it becomes an absolute joy.

CyrildoSquirrel

Thank Karl. Sorry about that.

Rigsby

All good advice from Karl above. My advice would be to get a teacher to get you off to a good start. Once you get the basics down you could learn through the net or a book. You could then go back to the teacher if you reach an impasse. While no instrument is "easy" to learn, with constant practice you'll make good progress. The trick is to be patient and take your time.

I say GO FOR IT !! and best of luck with it.

Gaspode

Same advice from me, but I'd add that Youtube is truly your friend when it comes to lessons. There's thousands of them available for all levels if you search around.

crazzzzy

started guitar 3wks ago & luvin it. try to practice almost every day for 10min to learn chords & build up the fingers. i wldnt consider myself musical & havnt played any instruments other than when i was n primary school. have u already got guitar?

Bring it on!!!

if you dont think your very musical..guitar is definitely an instrument i'd try, once you know the basics it really not too difficult. I would recommend going to lessons in the beginning, this will stop you getting bad habits that you may not notice but an instructor would.

windsurfer99ie

No dissing of the previous poster intended, but I would not bother going to lessons. I am a beginner, and I find a wealth of stuff on youtube, and I don't care if I develop bad habits, I just want to be able to play a few songs that I like. If you want to sing along I suggest songs with simple strumming patterns. You'll find suggestions on boards. Good luck !

kerrrory@gmail.

Not really. but its very tough on the finger tips at the beginning as you have to really press into the frets. Learning to play the guitar is easy enough but playing it well is another thing altogether. Still great craic if you are in any way creative musically.

NoQuarter

windsurfer99ie wrote: »

No dissing of the previous poster intended, but I would not bother going to lessons. I am a beginner, and I find a wealth of stuff on youtube, and I don't care if I develop bad habits, I just want to be able to play a few songs that I like. If you want to sing along I suggest songs with simple strumming patterns. You'll find suggestions on boards. Good luck !

not to sound bad to you mate but its clear from that post you havent a clue and you are a beginner!

bad habits are a bigger issue than you know at the moment, simple bad habits you dont know youve picked up will cripple you when you get good enough to play songs that you like but are slightly harder!

the blind really shouldnt lead the blind

windsurfer99ie

I'd just like to point out that there are a lot of people trying to ply their trade as guitar instructors on this web site (see the warnings about posting requests for lessons etc).

Like many people, I've learned to do many things in life without the need for instructors (like opening doors, eating, windsurfing, playing the guitar etc. ) However, I know that I can always improve by listening to and watching others (and youtube is great for this).

I may be a beginner guitarist, but it does not mean that I do not know what I am talking about! Like many people learning has been a lifelong activity for me. My opinion is that guitar instructors are a waste of time and money for casual players like me with no serious aspirations to perform in public. I recognise and respect that other people may hold different opinions, but I am not sufficiently arrogant to assert that they don't know what they are talking about.

Rigsby

windsurfer99ie wrote: »

I'd just like to point out that there are a lot of people trying to ply their trade as guitar instructors on this web site (see the warnings about posting requests for lessons etc).

Like many people, I've learned to do many things in life without the need for instructors (like opening doors, eating, windsurfing, playing the guitar etc. ) However, I know that I can always improve by listening to and watching others (and youtube is great for this).

I may be a beginner guitarist, but it does not mean that I do not know what I am talking about! Like many people learning has been a lifelong activity for me. My opinion is that guitar instructors are a waste of time and money for casual players like me with no serious aspirations to perform in public. I recognise and respect that other people may hold different opinions, but I am not sufficiently arrogant to assert that they don't know what they are talking about.

I agree with some of this. Basically, it depends on what you want out of playing the guitar ( or any instrument ). The main benefit of a teacher, especially when starting from scratch on guitar is that he/she can assess you and show you if/when you are making a mistake, where as You Tube, a book, DVD ect can not.

As in all walks of life there are chancers and genuinely qualified teachers. All the student has to do is ask for proof of qualification, or get a recommendation.

I completely disagree with you saying a teacher is a waste of money, whatever your aspirations. As well as teaching, a teacher can give you motivation and show you different aspects of playing that you might not otherwise have discovered. It's always a good thing to learn from a professional IMO.

For the record, I am not, nor do I advertise myself as a teacher.

windsurfer99ie

OK, thanks for posting, but I want to challenge the prevailing view here so this is my last post on this topic (for now anyway):

Instructors (guitar, driving, sailing, golf or otherwise) often impede progress because they often believe that they should correct your bad habits. They often believe that if you learn a bad habit it is difficult to unlearn it. This is a misunderstanding of the way we all learn. Since we were babies, we have all learned by a process of trial, error, watching others and reflecting on our accomplishments. We normally give up on things when we find we are unable to continue to make progress in them - instructors are often a big part of the problem.

As an example, when I first started playing basic open chords I often used to mute strings unintentionally. I ignored this fault, and carried on learning new stuff, although I could hear that it did not sound very good. As a result, I quickly built up a modest repertoire of songs that I could play (badly). However, because I was, in my eyes, making progress my motivation increased. Gradually as I improved my dexterity I naturally started to arch my fingers more and the songs started to sound better. Unlearning bad habits is a natural process for all of us providing we reflect (in this case listen) upon our learning. A guitar instructor would probably have impeded my progress by insisting that I formed my chords properly from the word go.

Now I am trying to play a song with B chords in it. Needless to say, I don't care that it sounds bad for now - I really want to play this song and I am not going to spend hours practising forming the chord properly - I know that it will sound good eventually (the ironically titled "With A Little Help From My Friends" !).

Most of us have a lifetime's experience of learning and we learn best when we, and not an instructor, drive the process. Of course, there is a place for instuctors if we reach the point where we cannot make progress, or are unsure about what we need to learn next. Of course some instructors are better than others. However, in my opinion, most beginners should steer well clear of guitar instructors initially.

NoQuarter

just to clarify my previous post, ive never had a teacher myself and i agree that its not necessary but the point i was making was specifically about the bad habits....suggesting to someone that bad habits mean nothing even if you have no aspirations to play live is still terrible advice...


but what would i know im only playing 7 years.....

Rigsby

You say "instructors often impede progress because they often believe they should correct your bad habits" Surely this is their job. It's not so much that it's difficult to unlearn a bad habit, but it sometimes takes a long time as muscle memory has come into play. Time that would be better spent doing new things instead of going backwards to unlearn something. If you get it right the first time you dont have to unlearn. I accept there is no "right" or "wrong" way to play. Everyone has their own way of playing. There is however, a tried, trusted, and generally accepted way to play any instrument and it's up to the teacher to convey this to you. If you dont accept this or dont like it, that's not the fault of the teacher. As I said in the other post, it depends on what a person wants to achieve on the guitar whether they go to a teacher. Just because it's not for you, I think it's a bit disingenuous of you to say you believe all beginners should steer clear of a teacher. Do you think the late great blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan would have been half as good as he was ( he himself said he would not ) if he had not had Albert King as his teacher ? Same goes for Eric Clapton with Freddy King. They saw the need and advantage of having a good teacher.


Pity you wont reply as it's an interesting topic.

dubtom

I have always wanted to learn to play the banjo,love the sound of it but know absolutly nothing about the instrument. Can anyone give me a few pointers about what to look out for,brand,how much I should pay' I've seen a few on buyandsell for little money,between €150-€250,is that too cheap?,I mean in terms of quality. I know it's said you get what you pay for,but I cant justifie one that is going to cost 5-600 quid. Also,should I opt for a 4 or 5 string. Most of the ones I seen for sale are tenor banjo's,which tbh means nothing to me. Although I love the sound of the banjo,I couldn't tell by listening to different songs which one is being played,ie, is the banjo played in traditional Irish music different from say a bluegrass banjo? Hope someone can help.

Hub

windsurfer99ie wrote: »

OK, thanks for posting, but I want to challenge the prevailing view here so this is my last post on this topic (for now anyway):

Instructors (guitar, driving, sailing, golf or otherwise) often impede progress because they often believe that they should correct your bad habits. They often believe that if you learn a bad habit it is difficult to unlearn it. This is a misunderstanding of the way we all learn. Since we were babies, we have all learned by a process of trial, error, watching others and reflecting on our accomplishments. We normally give up on things when we find we are unable to continue to make progress in them - instructors are often a big part of the problem.

As an example, when I first started playing basic open chords I often used to mute strings unintentionally. I ignored this fault, and carried on learning new stuff, although I could hear that it did not sound very good. As a result, I quickly built up a modest repertoire of songs that I could play (badly). However, because I was, in my eyes, making progress my motivation increased. Gradually as I improved my dexterity I naturally started to arch my fingers more and the songs started to sound better. Unlearning bad habits is a natural process for all of us providing we reflect (in this case listen) upon our learning. A guitar instructor would probably have impeded my progress by insisting that I formed my chords properly from the word go.

Now I am trying to play a song with B chords in it. Needless to say, I don't care that it sounds bad for now - I really want to play this song and I am not going to spend hours practising forming the chord properly - I know that it will sound good eventually (the ironically titled "With A Little Help From My Friends" !).

Most of us have a lifetime's experience of learning and we learn best when we, and not an instructor, drive the process. Of course, there is a place for instuctors if we reach the point where we cannot make progress, or are unsure about what we need to learn next. Of course some instructors are better than others. However, in my opinion, most beginners should steer well clear of guitar instructors initially.

lol

Dude seriously...you're talking sh1t

While I agree that it is not necessary to get a teacher now in the days of the internet, saying that correcting bad habits from the start will hinder progress is retarded

Accidentally muting stings is a big mistake and if you practiced it right from the start, instead of playing the songs badly, you'd be half decent now.