How to begin learning to play

[Wil23]

Hello, i'm new here. I want to learning how to play the guitar. What is the best way to learning it? What is your experience?

[The Bard Rocks]

I can only give you my experience and that was to buy a cheap book on how to play and start reading.. and playing. That was 1964. Today, there are tons of internet and hi-tech resources. A lot of folks like lessons from something called Justinguitar (do I have it right?).

If you have the money, a real life instructor is probably the best. Some are better than others and will work better with you, so if you can, find one that "clicks" and can start you on the kind of music you want to make. It's really fun, sore fingers and all (that goes away soon enough, but the fun remains and only gets better).

[hubcapsc]

Originally Posted by Wil23

Hello, i'm new here. I want to learning how to play the guitar. What is the best way to learning it? What is your experience?

Use youtube and google the chords for songs you want to
play...

Take advantage of opportunities to play with other people
of any skill level...

-Mike

[cdkrugjr]

I'm a Book Learner.

The best book I've seen yet is All About Guitar by Tom Kolb.

If you prefer videos, look at Justin Guitar.

[DesertRatt]

In order of my preferences:

1. A friend

Having a friend get you started is great. You can ask all the "dumb" questions without being intimidated. You can learn more in 5 minutes with a friend than in an hour with a book. It's so direct, so immediate.

2. Good SET of videos from a good teacher.
There are millions of poor videos. The usual problem being that "good players are not necessarily good teachers!" Teaching is an art. To do it well is a special gift all by itself. Most video players talk WAAAY TOO MUCH and keep repeating useless chatter over and over and over, trying to sound friendly. It makes learning so tedious. Good videos however are very helpful. The first clue is "less pointless chatter" and slower, meaningful commentary.

3. Books
Books are the driest form of learning music. Good ones are useful, but often certain things are not clear and there is no way to clarify without getting another book. They are also wildly expensive, and hard to sell when you advance to the next level. BUY THEM USED on Ebay to save some money.

The good side of books is the songs sheets, but with the Internet you can get the songs for free.

Good luck!

[rmp]

I've taught for many years, and the first thing to understand is how committed you plan to be.

Have you ever even dabbled with guitar before, or is this a 100% new endeavor?


How much time do you plan to spend and how much time DO YOU HAVE each day to devote to playing guitar? The answer is some where between 30 to 90 minutes a day.

Start out slow, with easy songs. Look for "Beginner" lessons and books. Don't jump head long into songs that are complicated and difficult to play.

You should get in with a teacher as soon as you can. The youtube, books methods are all fine but to really "get it" you need interaction with someone who can show the ropes, and work along with you, especially in the first 6 months. If you do go the Youtube route, try to stick with one virtual teacher (Justin Guitar as mentioned is a good site)

A lot of playing guitar is use of muscle memory, it's very hard to undo what your brain has trained your muscles to do. You don't want to start making any habits that you need to break later.

If you do start on Youtube, try really hard to focus on one thing at a time.
Part of the problem with Youtube is the never ending searching for ideas and songs, and trust me, there are millions of sites by now.

That can work against you because you'll never finish one thing before moving on to another song to learn.

Accomplishments are the prize as you start to acquire your abilities. Each one you get past, motivates you for the next.

[Deliberate1]

Friend, welcome to the forum. I have found it to be a great community and resource, especially in these interesting times when joy is under siege.
This time last year I was where you are right now. I bought a very nice guitar (Larrivee) and began to look for books and instructional vids on line for basic instruction. I was convinced that the more books I got and sites I pollinated, the more swift and assured my progress would be. In fact, it was the opposite. Like....squirrel.
After several months of thrashing about, I connected with a local teacher. Frankly,I was not sure it was a good match. The path he was paving was not obvious to me. But I continued despite my doubts.
Fast forward eight months. I am surprised and frankly, thrilled, with where I am in my guitar journey. The instrument no longer feels like a stranger in my hands. The work with triad chord structure and forms we have been doing in the past month has accelerated my understanding of the fret board. I am beginning to see patterns and the way the guitar makes music. That is so much more revealing and constructive than simply memorizing chord patterns. It is the difference between learning the instrument and playing it. And I have discovered that the more I know, the easier it is to take the next step. Sometimes I will happen upon a discovery, or my fingers will take me somewhere quite unexpected. That is when I know I am learning the instrument. And I owe that to my teacher. Not a book. Not a video.
But it is also due to the time I invest as well. I play several hours a day. I hate to say that I owe this to the pandemic, but it is true that I am home more these days. And the guitar sits on the couch next to me.
May I also make a final suggestion. And that is to spend time away from the books and vids and practicing. Just play with it. The guitar is a puzzle. Discovering how the pieces fit together can come when you are not trying. And “not trying” can be very rewarding.
Wish you well in your journey. I just turned 64. Never too late to learn new tricks.
David

[bobster7]

Don’t waste time and simply start with Justin Sandercoe’s beginners course. It’s free and of very high quality. It’s undoubtedly the best online course there is and very logical in its layout. Justin is an excellent world class teacher.

[rokdog49]

You are far better off if you can find a good instructor. In these times, that may not be feasible. There are plenty of free lessons available on You Tube.

Here’s a link to an example of what is out there.
https://youtu.be/BBz-Jyr23M4

[brad4d8]

Originally Posted by rmp

How much time do you plan to spend and how much time DO YOU HAVE each day to devote to playing guitar? The answer is some where between 30 to 90 minutes a day.

I agree, even a little time each day is important. If you think your improvement is too slow, or if you just want to gauge your advancement, record a session, or part of a session. Then, in a month record the same exercise/song/chord progression again and compare the two.
Good luck, you're beginning on a journey that can last a lifetime.
Brad

[tnvol]

Great advice from all. The best in my opinion is to team up with a friend or take some one on one lessons from an instructor. Playing with someone else will get you there faster...

[Slothead56]

My advice is to delete the link to AGF and spend all your guitar related hours practicing and learning. Come back here in a year or two.

Being serious. You don’t need information on string gauge, neck width, tonal differences or type of capo. You need to learn how to play a Bm....

[innocent75]

I crossed the same bridge about 7years ago.

The biggest thing, especially starting out, I can say is figure out what you want to play, figure out what you need to play it, and learn that. Is it finger style or flatpicked? What chords do I need? Figure out the strum pattern...

If you get a song or two under your belt, it is motivation. I am not saying skip over “beginners” things but set aside some time to work on a song or two you want to play. I practiced between 15-45 min a session when I started and I put aside about 1/3 of that time to learn my song.

It’s a long journey and each practice session will make you a better player however slightly. Play slow to play fast.

Enjoy the path. Don’t get frustrated. This is supposed to be fun.

[tnvol]

Originally Posted by Slothead56

My advice is to delete the link to AGF and spend all your guitar related hours practicing and learning. Come back here in a year or two.

Being serious. You don’t need information on string gauge, neck width, tonal differences or type of capo. You need to learn how to play a Bm....

This is perhaps the best advice of all. lol

[mmann964]

Hi Wil,

I started playing about 3 years ago. I had an instructor at the time, but I also spent a lot of time on Justin’s site. https://www.justinguitar.com/

There’s lots of instructional material on the web, so it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Justin has a great structure for beginning your journey with the guitar, he’s a good teacher, and seems like a really cool guy too.

Have fun!