playing guitar

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so, i've wanted to learn guitar for ages and I'm finally or at least hopefully will buy one this holiday. Any sites or tips for beginners from those who play? thanks in advance.
 
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awesome news!! i dabble on guitar and am no expert by any stretch... i would suggest getting a smaller scale, cheaper guitar to start... after you play it for a little while you’ll figure out what you prefer... i say smaller because you probably have girl-sized hands like me and it’s just easier and less frustrating to play something on a smaller/lighter scale... i just bought a brand new little fender starcaster to kick around because my mom’s storing my guitars at her house in another state... it was like 75 bucks new at guitar center lol... although it’s low end it’s comfy and fun to play...
 
I'd say definitely walk into a guitar place with reliable techs and see what they have.

You don't have to let them talk you into anything expensive, just do it so that you can hold the guitar you're interested in and try it out. The feel and action are important in learning to play, no matter the price of the guitar. I don't recommend buying a first guitar online. I also don't recommend buying used if you've never played one before, unless it's from a reliable dealer. This is mainly because a slightly bent neck will give you fret rattles and cause you to develop bad habits, or to wonder why you can't make it sound right, when it's actually the guitar's problem and not yours.
 
http://www.aaronsguitarlessons.com
Although it is a a christian based site, the basics and theory are neutral. The guy expains everything very clear and the theory is made simple, and it's 100% free!
 
I'd recommend justinguitar.com

The guy has a beginner course and starts from the very beginning. It also continues with an intermadiate method and more advanced techniques if you want to continue.
 
Sensiko said:
awesome news!! i dabble on guitar and am no expert by any stretch... i would suggest getting a smaller scale, cheaper guitar to start... after you play it for a little while you’ll figure out what you prefer... i say smaller because you probably have girl-sized hands like me and it’s just easier and less frustrating to play something on a smaller/lighter scale... i just bought a brand new little fender starcaster to kick around because my mom’s storing my guitars at her house in another state... it was like 75 bucks new at guitar center lol... although it’s low end it’s comfy and fun to play...
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yeah, that's exactly what I want to do, which is to buy a starter guitar. I don't want to buy anything too expensive since it's the first one and will be used mostly for learning and practice. This confirms that I was on the right track.


sprinkles said:
I'd say definitely walk into a guitar place with reliable techs and see what they have.

You don't have to let them talk you into anything expensive, just do it so that you can hold the guitar you're interested in and try it out. The feel and action are important in learning to play, no matter the price of the guitar. I don't recommend buying a first guitar online. I also don't recommend buying used if you've never played one before, unless it's from a reliable dealer. This is mainly because a slightly bent neck will give you fret rattles and cause you to develop bad habits, or to wonder why you can't make it sound right, when it's actually the guitar's problem and not yours.
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I never thought of that, but you maybe right. Maybe I should go to an instrument store and just check some out, get a feel for guitars. thanks for the tips.
 
Framed said:
yeah, that's exactly what I want to do, which is to buy a starter guitar. I don't want to buy anything too expensive since it's the first one and will be used mostly for learning and practice. This confirms that I was on the right track.
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there should be some really super deals coming up with the holidays... black friday might be a good day to pick up something on super sale :)

about comfort... i got my first guitar when i was in high school... i went to a music store and had a salesman play a few of them and picked the one i liked the sound of best... it was a full sized acoustic that it was just way too big for me, but not for him... it was too much of a stretch to reach most chords and uncomfortable to strum because it would dig into me... i put the guitar down for many years afterwards because it seemed too frustrating...
 
my dream is to one day play layla by eric clapton. :D Pipe dream but hey, I want to at least try.
 
The typical starter guitar should have fairly light strings. They will be very helpful as you get used to pressing each string down with your fingers. When I started playing no one ever told me that the tips of my fingers would feel a fair amount of pain as I built calluses. Needless to say, I was a little startled at what started happening to my finger tips. Just remember that your finger tips will be in less pain as your calluses build up. Also, once you get more familiar with the guitar, you'll want to check out the many different types of strings as each type can have an influence on the sound.
 
You can also have the action lowered.

Spend more time testing for comfort and don't be scared to ask them to let you try different types of strings or guitars. Good luck and enjoy. Sitting one down out of frustration and such for awhile is normal.
 
  1. Go to local Guitar Center or other big guitar shop
  2. Play every bodystyle you find interesting/comfortable
  3. Buy cheap but good korean sweatshop guitar with favorite bodystyle
  4. ???
  5. PROFIT!

Though I always tell people to start with the kind of instrument that they'll want to be playing once they've learned the ropes, I'll recommend you don't start with something that has a tremolo bridge unless you feel adventurous. For the added flexibility in the instrument, you get a whole extra layer of things to fuck with which just make it difficult for a beginner. Plus, you can totally play Layla with a fixed bridge.

And to everyone else, don't knock shitty starter guitars - yeah, they're shitty, but they're usually decent for the cost and they fulfill the purpose of teaching newbies the basics of the instrument, not to mention giving them a chance to back out (no sunk cost) if they're dissatisfied with the experience.
 
A lot of great advice from everyone. Thanks. I feel more confident about buying a guitar now that you guys have given me some good tips to work with.
 
Oh, amplifiers are important too. As important or more important than the guitar. Unless you want to record on a budget, in which case you should get an analog-digital converter and some amp modelling software for your PC.

If not, you're probably going to spend more money on the amp than the guitar (which is actually totally normal). If you get a chance to play on different amplifiers at a shop, definitely do that. Most of the sound is going to be determined by the amp, so it's rather important to get one which will fit the styles and put out the sounds that you want.
 
Another question, for starter guitars or beginners like myself, what acoustic guitar brands would you recommend?
 
Framed said:
Another question, for starter guitars or beginners like myself, what acoustic guitar brands would you recommend?
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Yamaha is pretty good about their beginner acoustics, as are Ibanez with their acoustic-electrics. Jasmine, Takamine, Ovation and Breedlove all make fantastic acoustic/AE models which sound great, play with facility and are good starters if you find them for a starter price (even the lower-end models are priced in the mid-range for other brands). Washburn also make a few good low-end dreadnoughts from what I hear.

Unlike with electrics, I'd steer clear of no-name starter acoustics. The entire experience is bundled up in that one purchase and build quality from companies that market them (bar Silvertone, who are a bit better about it) aren't consistent enough to make it a safe buy.
 
You're going to have a lot of fun!
All the advice that has been posted has been good, a budget acoustic guitar will generally be a great starting place for a beginner player.
A small piece of advice from experience, try to find an acoustic that has the regular sound hole under the strings. The ones with multiple holes around the body do look pretty great, but if the inside of the body needs a repair, no one can get in there to fix it.
I would also avoid Ovation acoustics, their curved back keeps them from being repairable.
 
SealHammer said:
Yamaha is pretty good about their beginner acoustics, as are Ibanez with their acoustic-electrics. Jasmine, Takamine, Ovation and Breedlove all make fantastic acoustic/AE models which sound great, play with facility and are good starters if you find them for a starter price (even the lower-end models are priced in the mid-range for other brands). Washburn also make a few good low-end dreadnoughts from what I hear.

Unlike with electrics, I'd steer clear of no-name starter acoustics. The entire experience is bundled up in that one purchase and build quality from companies that market them (bar Silvertone, who are a bit better about it) aren't consistent enough to make it a safe buy.
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Yeah. I got a Takamine G series for $300 which isn't bad at all.

One big issue I've found with cheap acoustics like my sister's kid's guitar is that the tuning machine heads can be prone to slipping. Damn thing literally will not stay in tune for longer than 10 minutes.

Edit:
And I mean actual slipping, as in the strings are actually turning the knobs backwards. This is normally impossible on even cheap but decent machine heads.
 
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Buying used is not a bad idea. I have bought several used guitars. You can string your acoustic with silk and steel strings and they are easy on the fingers. And sound good. For acoustics it depends on price. I got an American Ovation balladeer for under $500 with a hard shell case. It sounds great and was way cheaper than a new one. Plus they sound better the older they are. Have had it for over 10 years. Looking at it now actually. I would figure out how much you have to blow. Then go to a shop and look at what they got. Go to every pawn shop and music shop in your town that you can. Look at a lot of different guitars. You will notice that the nicer ones have better tuning machines and better sound and construction. If the guitar is easy to play and sounds good you will want to keep playing it. A cheap piece of garbage will sound like it and not be a joy to own. Especially on acoustics. The wood and construction really makes a difference and. The strings really change the sound of them a lot.

I started with a stratocaster. The low action of the electric guitar was easier to learn on. When I nailed it on the electric I would then go play my acoustic. Eventually I played my acoustic all the time. And the electric does not get played as much. Still like it though. If you want to learn layla learn it. I am sure sites like chordie have all the chords and tabs you need. When you get the chords right you will hear it. It will take some time to get your left hand and right hand really going but practice makes it all happen. Your fingers are gonna hurt at first. It's all part of the fun...
 
[MENTION=95]efromm[/MENTION]

Used is ok if it's from a good dealer.

I was mainly saying to avoid 'pawn shop' used because you might end up with something that was leaned in a corner for a year and you'd have to take it in to get it adjusted, but you'd have to know what to look for in order to do that.

Like with my dad's guitar it's hard to fret the high E string because the neck is twisted because he leaned it in a corner and the weight of it plus the weather caused it to bend.
 
Also get a guitar stand, they are plenty cheap.

Guitars often have an adjustable neck because the tension of the strings plus variance in weather and humidity will cause the neck to flex. Improperly leaning it, while not immediately damaging, can only add to these forces which already act on the neck. Especially if you live in a place with crazy weather where it gets hot, cold, dry and wet.
 
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