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  #1  
Old 03-19-2020, 01:58 PM
PeterMacK PeterMacK is offline
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Default Looking for motivation, and help :)

Now that we are staying inside so much I really want to get back into learning the guitar... I have tried off and on for years. I can strum some chords but I never have been able to get it together and actually play a song...

Just looking for some quick tips that might have helped you out along the way, something that helped you see progress and kept you going...

Thanks!!
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  #2  
Old 03-19-2020, 02:01 PM
tomcstokes59 tomcstokes59 is offline
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Default try this

https://www.justinguitar.com/categor...essons-grade-1
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  #3  
Old 03-19-2020, 02:03 PM
reeve21 reeve21 is offline
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Hi Peter,

Not sure what you need is a quick tip.

I would recommend a teacher. In the meantime check out justinguitar.com and methodically plod through his materials. https://www.justinguitar.com/

Random YouTube "lessons" are like candy, you need meat and potatoes.

Good luck. Play every day. We all had the same struggles you describe, but stuck with it. You can, too. Use this forum to keep motivation high
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Old 03-19-2020, 02:04 PM
Joe Beamish Joe Beamish is offline
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Probably some mix of the below. Whatever suits you best:

1. Learn SONGS. Decide what guitar style you're most interested in learning, and emulate the players and arrangements you like. Who do you want to be when you "grow up?" Tons of videos.

2. Learn GUITAR BASICS. Chords. The major scale. Pentatonic scales. Etc.

3. Learn MUSIC BASICS. Memorize the circle of fifths. Memorize the notes on your fretboard. Learn what a triad is. Learn the triad notes for every major chord. Learn to spell the major scale. Etc.

Songs seem most important. They're fun. They keep you motivated. You sing, or somebody else can sing while you play accompaniment.

Edit: You'll have to choose an approach that fits your learning style. A long, plodding, and linear approach can be great for some people. It was never my cup of tea.

Last edited by Joe Beamish; 03-19-2020 at 02:20 PM.
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Old 03-19-2020, 02:09 PM
AcousticWoody AcousticWoody is offline
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I'm not one to talk and I am no expert, but here are a few things I think help.

1. Practice every day for at least 15 minutes. 30 if you can manage it
2. Learn the notes on the fret board. Lots of free diagrams that show this online.
3. Practice your scales after #2 to gain dexterity
4. Learn the top 10-15 chords.
5. Learn some easy strumming patterns
6. Practice every day for at least 15 minutes. 30 if you can manage it
7. Pick a song that interests you using the chords above and play it over and over, until you can play it without looking at the fret board
8. Practice every day for at least 15 minutes. 30 if you can manage it
9. Practice through the finger tip pain. It gets better.

No magic here. Learning, muscle memory, and practice will win the day.
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Old 03-19-2020, 02:19 PM
DownUpDave DownUpDave is offline
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What most people do for motivation is learn to play songs they really love. But it depends on your tastes, time available and personality type (most important)

If you are an easy going type that likes to play and sing, that’s me, a site like Justinguitar is awesome, I use it. If on the other hand you can’t or won’t sing and want to do instrumentals fingerstyle or flatpicking is for you.

The over riding principle is start small and easy, crawl, walk then run. Steady progress helps to keep one motivated. Unless you are a hard charging overachiever (the personality thing) and have the discipline to immerse yourself in proper classical guitar studies.
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  #7  
Old 03-19-2020, 09:16 PM
The Bard Rocks The Bard Rocks is offline
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Just stick with it - longer than you have in the past. Insist that you will not give up until well after your fingertips stop hurting. By then, you will have learned enough to stick with it.

Pick a 2 or 3 chord song that you really like, get the strums down so they are on auto-pilot and regular, then start singing (even if it's to yourself). Keep going and don't stop if you make a mistake. If there's a tricky part, go back after you finished the song and work on that part alone, then play it all the way through again.
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  #8  
Old 03-20-2020, 03:44 AM
MChild62 MChild62 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterMacK View Post
Now that we are staying inside so much I really want to get back into learning the guitar... I have tried off and on for years. I can strum some chords but I never have been able to get it together and actually play a song...

Just looking for some quick tips that might have helped you out along the way, something that helped you see progress and kept you going...

Thanks!!
Peter, a couple of ideas:
1. Lessons by Skype: a lot of musicians also teach, and most are hurting by staying home. Many are ramping up their Skype lessons. My niece started lessons by Skype (although her teacher lives nearby but neither can leave the house). The teacher has down time, too, so he has doubled up the lessons with his students who want extra time with him - at no charge. He's got the extra time and he's sharing it. I don't think he's unique among musicians, and you may find some win/win situations out there. Great time to learn; great time to support guitar teachers.
2. On-line courses. I just gifted a relative the Susan Mazer course for late beginners. He's loving it. Unfortunately with TrueFire, you have to wait for their sales each month when things go 30-50% off. They have a sale underway right now on their courses.
Good luck!
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  #9  
Old 03-20-2020, 05:50 AM
Sonics Sonics is offline
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Default Every good boy does fine.

You've probably been putting this off for all your life (..I know I did), but you now have the time to begin learning to read music and basic rhythms. Learn one string a day in first position (start with the high E string, then B, etc) and you will have the basics down in ONE WEEK. It doesn't matter if you're reading 'happy birthday' or 'twinkle, twinkle little star', it's a start.

When you have mastered first position, then learn the notes in fifth position.
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  #10  
Old 03-20-2020, 06:28 AM
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TBman TBman is offline
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I had started learning way back when I was a kid (1964). We all wanted to play Beatles tunes. Having the lyrics and melody of a song to keep tempo was really important in our early chord changing struggles. Find some easy/beginner sing along songs to learn.
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  #11  
Old 03-20-2020, 07:55 AM
PeterMacK PeterMacK is offline
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Thanks for all of the responses, I know there is no quick fix, just looking for what helped all of you. I really appreciate it!

Last edited by PeterMacK; 03-20-2020 at 07:55 AM. Reason: typo
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  #12  
Old 03-20-2020, 09:54 AM
Tadmcd Tadmcd is offline
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I posted the same sort of query here about nine months ago. I was a total beginner with nothing more than a desire to play along with my kids (all pretty good). I got the same advice here that you’ve now received. All the stuff I’ve been told (here and elsewhere) has been good, but I realized fairly quickly that none of it would have made any difference if I wasn’t self-motivated, especially at the outset when it hurt like the dickens, the chords/notes rang out like a scalded chicken, and a lot of things I read just confused me. I’m also blessed with fairly unlimited time (yeah, was a biggie for me; your mileage may vary).

So, here’s what worked for me (so far…and assuming you’re not bent on becoming Tommy Emmanuel or Carlos Santana or [fill in the blank] overnight):

Disclaimer-esque Sacrilege: Forget the Circle of Fifths, learning scales, and all that esoteric musician stuff; that will all come later. Yes, at some point I began to learn all the notes on the fretboard and began to better understand the musical sausage-making process. The theory is interesting, but unnecessary at the outset, in my humble opinion. [You’ll soon discover there are MANY very accomplished musicians/teachers/performers on this forum; you can always reach out and ask/discuss anything; heck, just lurking has made my journey more fun. And, you start to pick up the language.]

I started with Justin Guitar and I’m still at it with him. His site is really nice and you can learn at your own pace; you also have the ability to “peek ahead” about all sorts of stuff which may interest you, now or later; you always have the ability to go back and review things. [The site/content is free, by the way. I eventually made a donation just because I found the experience so rewarding; you don’t have to, of course.]

The most important thing I’ve done is to PLAY. Every day. Yeah, you’ll be awful (probably) and, again, it will hurt for three weeks or so. But, if you stick with it, it gets better (relatively…I mean, I’m “better” but I’d never say “good”).

Learn some basic chords like A, D, E. You’d be surprised how many songs you can play just knowing three chords (there are also a lot of two chord songs…some famous hits, actually).

While your left hand (assuming you’re right-handed) is fumbling around with chords, spend time on your right hand, working on the rhythm (Justin has a pretty entertaining lesson on the importance of rhythm; you can totally hack the chords, but if you keep up a proper rhythm, it doesn’t sound totally awful. The reverse is not generally the case.).

So, learn some basic chords, learn to strum with some modicum of rhythmic regularity (or fingerpick or whatever your goal is), and hack away whilst you complain constantly about the pain it’s all causing. Eventually, you’ll discern something that sounds like “music” and you’ll pat yourself on the back and grin like a cat from Cheshire (most likely, you won’t be able to repeat your “performance” for a while, but it will happen again with ever increasing frequency).

Finally, there are technical/knowledge things you’ll face (learning chords and strumming patterns and the like), but at the end of each “lesson” or practice session, HAVE SOME FUN. Bang on your strings and let loose (the musical version of “Dance like no one is watching”).

Bon chance.

[Sorry this ended up being sooooo long.]
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  #13  
Old 03-20-2020, 10:07 AM
100LL 100LL is offline
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Thanks for that Tad. As a beginner progressing through Justin’s lessons (I’m in the new beginner lesson 1, about 2/3 through).

Did you go through his new or classic beginner course?
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Old 03-20-2020, 10:12 AM
Big Band Guitar Big Band Guitar is offline
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Three rules to learn a instrument. In order of importance.

1 Practice
2 Practice
3 Practice with a metronome
4 Learn to count
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  #15  
Old 03-20-2020, 10:26 AM
Tadmcd Tadmcd is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 100LL View Post
Thanks for that Tad. As a beginner progressing through Justin’s lessons (I’m in the new beginner lesson 1, about 2/3 through).

Did you go through his new or classic beginner course?
I started last year; the "new and improved" course wasn't online at that time and I've sort of progressed past the beginner stuff (I do go back and review things, but I haven't really focused on the differences). Admittedly, I peeked at the stuff with him trying to learn by playing left-handed; that was fun.

Keep at it!
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