As the topic says :)

im wanting to learn to play, and wondered if anyone else has taught themselves, or do i really need to have a tutor? any advice/info appreciated :help:

:)

I bought my guitar a few months back and Iv been teaching myself. Id say, if you have got the money, get someone to teach you. If not, do what iv done and gets some tabs/chords off the net and try teaching yourself how to do it.

Then again, iv not had that much time lately so havent been practicing much

thansk for the reply. Is yours a classical guitar? i really want to get a gorgeous zebra print electric one off ebay, but do you have to begin on the classical?!

It is possible to teach yourself - I did, using some easy guitar type books. You may well find you are able to get up to a certain standard, beyond which lessons might be a good plan. However.......some of the best guitarists ever have been self taught, so give it a go. If you hang out at some local music evenings you'll probably find plenty of people willing to to give you a hand and show you some chords etc....
Go for it.
Halibut.

It depends how much you understand about music theory and structure. If you know very little, I'd advise you to get lessons. Once you get the basics, it's a lot easier to progress on your own. Lessons are also good if you want to master a particular style, but only if you can find the right teacher.

Originally posted by Halibut
It is possible to teach yourself - I did, using some easy guitar type books. You may well find you are able to get up to a certain standard, beyond which lessons might be a good plan. However.......some of the best guitarists ever have been self taught, so give it a go. If you hang out at some local music evenings you'll probably find plenty of people willing to to give you a hand and show you some chords etc....
Go for it.
Halibut.


cool, i think i might buy the guitar and books, then if i cant cope i'll go for the lessons. ta for the advice :)

But of course.

You need the one and only Bert Weedon.

http://www.bertweedon.com/playinaday.htm

:-)

K.

got my son his first guitar and amp about 4 months ago,he has not had any lessons but spent hours in his room(oh no not smoke on the water again)learning to play it.he downloads tabs and then goes up to his room and plugs away till he gets it,i am sure that if you want to learn how to play you will.hope it goes well.oh bye the way my son is 8 and loves rock music

yes, get a cd-rom search on amazon ive forgot the name of the one I used but it was great!

It is possible to teach yourself but one obvious drawback is that you'll not know how to overcome any problems. To this end, you need someone to correct your faults and offer advice (such as, dig your elbow into your side to master barre chords).

I learned guitar with a mate around 1984. We'd sit across from each other with a book of Beatles song opened between us. We'd always record our sessions and listen back to them. We learned a lot that way. We'd mastered most chords within about a month. Jes learned barre chords faster than I did so was able to help me master them. (We found ways round certain challenges, Jes would play a barred F; I'd 'cheat' with a Dm7 - very similar chords.)

It doesn't matter what type of guitar you play. Nylon strung guitars can be gentler on the fingers but usually the necks are quite wide. Semi-decent electrics will always have superior 'action' - as long as you feel comfortable it doesn't matter whether you learn on an acoustic or electric. But you must remember your fingers are going to harden quite painfully at first, then soften before they harden again. However, I advise putting your axe down at the first sight of any blood.

Get a book of your favourite songs, ensure they show box chords and get cracking. Concentrate on your timing, strumming techniques and ensure you play the correct strings within that chord (note for example an open D chord only uses four strings; you don't strum E & A).

Learn with a pal and above all else, have fun. We were too busy laughing to realise we were improving! Master all the major and minor chords with their sevenths then find a book on scales.

PM me if you want any further info.

i tought myself, i wrote my own songs after nicking bits out of other songs using tab song books, i also made my own chords up, i dont think it is a bad thing, it depends how it sounds. but it is always good hanging aroung people who can play, they always want to hear your stuff, and will offer advice. go for it.

i found oasis wonderwall great for nickin riffs:thumbsup:

Originally posted by sazaboo

i found oasis wonderwall great for nickin riffs:thumbsup:


Funnily enough, so did they.

www.cyberfret.com great site :D

don't just learn from tabs, you'll never get good that way unless you want to be stuck playing others songs and not understanding...

learn about chord structure and scales, you only need the basics to start understanding what your playing... you can leave writing songs and understanding modes and such till later ;)

the best advice i can give is, make sure you do warm-ups... sounds stupid maybe but you'd be amazed how many people mess up their tendons through never warming up first... make sure you learn at least a little theory... make sure you practise practise practise!

and percevire through the pain, if you play often it doesnt take long to get them callusses growing ;)

I learned from books. I think my first books were by Russ Shipton or some similar sounding name. All dead simple stuff, but you gotta start somewhere :)

Learning from books is a good way to learn. Take the stuff you read on the Net with a pinch of salt tho. Tabs and chords are fine, but technique is very important. Published 'learn guitar' books are a safer bet.

It's very very important that you focus on how you position your hands and fingers. It's easy to take shortcuts and end up with a screwy technique that you just kind of 'slot into'. This can lead to serious tendon problems, especially in your left wrist. Follow the advice you read in books fully - even if it feels uncomfy at first. Don't be tempted to wrap your left hand around the neck, for example. The thumb should be in the middle of the neck, which feels odd at first but will save a lot of discomfort later on.

I recommend learning on an acoustic guitar (steel string) if you want to play blues, folk, pop, electric etc. Classicals are a bit easier to play, but not best to learn on unless you actually want to play classical styles. If you learn on a steel string acoustic, you're less likely to get bad habits and will develop stronger muscles in your hand. They sound nicer too :)

Originally posted by Speedy_Jim
Don't be tempted to wrap your left hand around the neck, for example. The thumb should be in the middle of the neck, which feels odd at first but will save a lot of discomfort later on.

Then you get to some Hendrix stuff and various other artists that use the tip of their thumb for doing some more complex chords ;) nothing is set in stone with how you should play, but a lot of it will save a lot of pain and trouble in the future... yes correct posture and hand placing are essential... but dont think you cant or won't need to break the rules ;)

Originally posted by xafier
Then you get to some Hendrix stuff and various other artists that use the tip of their thumb for doing some more complex chords ;) nothing is set in stone with how you should play, but a lot of it will save a lot of pain and trouble in the future... yes correct posture and hand placing are essential... but dont think you cant or won't need to break the rules ;)


Aye, but I found out about the importance of 'proper' technique the hard way. I had to have injections into a ganglion under my wrist to help dissolve it. Most people are a bit sensitive under the wrist, so you can imagine how unpleasant having a bloody big needle rammed into it is. Especially when said needle has to be practially hammered into the hard bundle of tendon sheath

Still makes me shudder now to think about it

sounds nice mate :?, and exactly why I pointed out the importance of warming up, cus a friend of mine totalled his tendons through repeated crazy picking up his guitar or bass and doing solo's... a year of physio later and he can play again properly ;) I still slip into some bad habits myself but I try my best not to... but sometimes some solo's or chords etc are just so much easier the non-proper way! :hihi:

cool, i'll take on board all the posts here, cant wait till xmas when i get the guitar! :thumbsup:

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=76926

a good starting point

You can learn without lessons, but it's a lot harder, and you can pick up bad habits which you'll never get rid of.

Some incredible musicians were self taught e.g. Jimi Hendrix - but he hung around with a lot of very competent musicians and started out in jazz clubs to the best of my knowledge, so it's not quite the same as picking up a guitar and poking it till it works. Most good musicians have been formally trained at some point - some of the best guitarists I know started off as classical musicians.

I also know some good guitarists who haven't ever had lessons, but they tend to have musical families. There are basic music skills necessary to play any instrument that could be very difficult to learn on your own (sense of rhythm / timing, music theory).

Depends what sort of thing you're looking for of course, not everyone's aiming to be alexi laiho.

Jamming with other beginners or if possible more advanced players is a good way to pick things up. Also, if you can read tab then sites such as www.mysongbook.com can be helpful. The associated board books of music theory are very good, I'd recommend having volume 1 around as a reference (after a few months of playing anyway!).

Listening to music and trying to repeat things by ear can help develop listening skills and memory. Try to tap your foot to the beat when listening to music (presupposes knowledge of what a beat is, but ask someone if you don't). If you decide you do need tuition, I do a bit of teaching or if you pm me I can give you the number of my teacher.

Good luck with it!

Capt jon luke picard of the star-ship enterprise could play the flute after only sixty yrs I'm sure you could do better(he was an american after all)

Hi there
There seems to be a lot of people who want to learn to play guitar. I learnt by playing with some guys at the bike club I go to (accoustic) and I am willing to pass on my knowledge for free and hopefully start getting a group of players/singers together who just do it for fun.

I play allsorts like Eagles/Denver/Easy listening/clapton etc just using chords and picking.

Anyone interested?

If we get enough, we might even look for a room/pub to do it properly.

hi im 'trying' to learn how to play electric guitar now, is there any chance you could teach me? or is anyone else interested in starting a no hopers group!!! :)

Hi there

Electric or accoustic, if you want to start to play I will show you how.

Once you get the basics out of the way, you'll be suprised how quickly you learn your own thing. I live near crystal peaks and already have 3 students. Where are you and do you have transport?

i live in stannington and have a (hopefully) willing boyfriend who can trasnport me around! will you charge per session, do you teach everyone together and does it get any easier?!

thanks :thumbsup:

I don't charge but you do have to practice. I do one to one's for some friends and their children although I am thinking of trying to get a group of beginners together and do some singing as well.

Check out this other thread

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&postid=844074#post844074

Let me know when you want to start and we can arrange to get together and see if its want you want to do. You can PM me if you prefer.

PS
It does get easier but only with practice