Tagged As: Guitar For The Absolute Beginner
Question:
I felt the itch to learn guitar Now I'm stuck with learning the damn thing so please help a n00b out! I'm starting completely from scratch and this is a total departure from the only other instrument I've played the trumpet. So I'd like to learn everything about the anatomy of a guitar first and then onto something simple like learning a basic technique or syllabus. Oh and I've been fortunate enough to be given an electric guitar if thats any help. Suggestions on a good place to start
Answer:
I've held back until others have had an opportunity to offer their advice and comments, because I learned so long ago I don't remember the process all that well. In my day, learning at home often meant buying an extremely inexpensive guitar acoustic guitar that usually came with a braided cord, a pick, a chart that showed three chords, and sometimes a phonograph record on which an instructor talked the student through those three chords -- total cost usually around $30US, which should give you an idea of the guitar's quality. (The action was so high that even experienced players had trouble playing it; and I had never even heard of having a good technician to a proper setup, not that they'd be able to do much with this guitar anyway.) I thought my fingers would never toughen up enough to let me play! Then I got a somewhat better guitar, fortunately one with the action already adjusted low, and discovered that my fingertips were plenty tough; I had gone through the callus-development phase and developed thin-but-tough pads without even knowing it.) Today a decent beginner-level guitar costs more than thirty bucks, but most of the increase is due to nearly forty years of inflation; in terms of buying power, the 2003 equivalent of thirty mid-1960s dollars will buy a very playable guitar that is at least as good as the intermediate-level instruments of my youth. The chart-and-record combo has been replaced by computer software that may provide tuning tones, a metronome, and much more audio-visual guidance than was available to me. Some software even shows how to place the fingers on the strings, which is much more instructive than just listening to a three-minute recording and trying to follow a crude chart. I like guitar-instruction software, and use it today as a sort of refresher course. Guitar-specific music books are also useful. I can't read music, but I can follow sheet music that includes both the lyrics of a favorite song and the chord-changes the song calls for. I usually learn a song by playing it slowly as I hear the original performance play in my head. As I improve I play it faster, eventually getting to where I can play along with the original artist's recording or jam with a more talented friend who knows the song well. Learning from a good teacher is best, of course. Even the best canned instruction falls short when the student just can't grasp a technique. A live instructor can rephrase the instruction, demonstrate the technique slowly while you watch, and even reach out and position your fingers if that is what it takes. A good instructor can give you a wealth of other useful information, especially when the time comes to buy new gear. The best instructors inspire their students to practice when they'd otherwise give up, and to learn far more than they ever thought possible. It's possible to use all three learning techniques, of course. Books and software are good practice aids for use between lessons with a teacher. And sometimes you may even learn a new chord or technique from your practice sessions; a good teacher is happy (rather than offended) when you learn something outside of class, as long as you don't mis-learn and have to be taught the correct way to do it. Different musical styles require different playing techniques, but the basics are always the same. Learn with the short-term goal of playing the sort of music you enjoy, and you'll benefit by being able to use what you learn to play other styles as your musical tastes expand (as they almost certainly will). Electric or acoustic; rock, country, blues, jazz or classical; clean or distorted; mind-numbingly loud (with ear protection, please!) or soft and gentle -- it's all good, and it's all available to you once you learn the basics. And then there are the girls -- and let's be honest, that's the main reason most of us took up the guitar in the first place. When your fingers hurt and you think you'll never master that new chord, take a moment to remember the girls
Add to favorites