How do I learned to play guitar? Created 17 years ago2007-09-15 14:53:45 UTC by MiN3R

Dear sirs/madams,

I have become quite interested in learning to play the "guitar" instrument.

Now, seriously, I know that there's sum musicians in the house.
How did you guys learn to play the guitar? I have a cheap maxtone classical guitar (its a child's guitar, I am 16 now, I find it quite hard to play , since the neck is kinda small), and am looking for a better guitar. No more classical guitars, I want either an acoustic or electric guitar. I'm on a very tight budget (ideal spending would be <?200).
Recommend me some:
Acoustic guitars;
Electric guitars + Amp.

Also, it'd be nice if you told me which one you prefer, and why.

The guitars I've been looking at:
Dean EVO XM (~?100) + some of those roland microcube amps (~?75)
Ibanez AW40NT (acoustic; and a bit off budget, but this is some good shit: ~?250)

It would be cool if you guys posted sum fukken tips (how did you learn, etc etc)

Thanks,

MiN3R

I lol'd

Just take some lessons dude

No moneys for now, I am going to attend a gym. I'll learn by myself until I can convince my parents to pay for sum lessons.

Well I know nothing of the musical instrument that is the guitar but I saw my friend using a nifty program that plays the sound of each string as they should be heard. So it makes tuning a lot easier. Google it and see if you find it.

Or you could just get a tuner for like $5-10.

And as a starter, why not get a Fender Strat Pack? Those go for about $200 and as I said... starter... =)

hehe
this is my forte
Ok what you probably want to do is get a list of some of the types of music you want to play.

If you're into metal, you're gonna want a Jackson, or an Ibanez. If you're into alternative rock, you're gonna want like a Gibson les paul, a Schecter, Kramer..

Just DON'T GET A FENDER SQUIRE

Everyone has one and they blow. Hard.
I can't stress that enough.

So like.. listen to your favorite artists, and do some research into what types of guitars they play.

For your price range, you're not going to match their tone exactly, but you can come close.

Your tone is 50% how you play, and 50% Guitar + Amp + effects.

Guitar Pro is that program that plays the note on the string as it goes in time.
There's a free demo but there are some ways of getting the whole program which im not going to discuss or mention.....

Tableture, or tabs are what you're going to be mainly using to learn. Basically, it gives you 6 lines, one representing each one of the strings. If you're in standard tuning it goes, from top(thinnest) to bottom(thickest);
e
b
g
d
a
E

Some musicians (such as myself and many others) play what's called drop-d tuning which takes the lowest "E" string and drops it one octave (eight notes) below the regular d string. and your string setup will look like this:
e
b
g
d
a
D

As for tuners, you're gonna want a Chromatic tuner. one that has a digital needle and has an accuracy of one cent. (they go for about $20 USD i don't know about your currency)

But.... just get guitar pro and its simple to learn.
The numbers represent frets on each string and there are usually dots on most guitars to tell which fret is which.

there will be a single dot at: 3, 5, 7 and 9. Double dot on 12, Single on 15, 17, 19, and so on.. some also have a double dot at the 21'st fret but many don't.

As for amps (i know I'm jumping around a lot) I'd recommend a small 20w amp to start with. Nothing to fancy, and don't get a Marshall. They're crap for what you pay. I'd say get a Peavey if you can. Nice and simple. Something with an overdrive (if that's what you're looking for)
You want good control over your tone as well. look for amps with these knobs: low(bass), middle, high(treble), overdrive, gain, master volume.

Hope that helps!

Thanks everyone for your help!

@Habboi;
I have a tuner here, no need :D!

@saw;
$200, you say? I'll look into those. The pack is Guitar + Amp? What do you think of this pack, Tetsu0? Because you said squiers suck and all.

@Tetsu0;
Aw, man, thanks a lot, srsly, but I already know how to read tab bro! But thanks for the effort in trying to teach a random internet person stuff, it shows you are probably helpful IRL. I also... acquired... Guitar Pro a while back. What guitars would you recommend as all-rounders? I want to be able to play dire straits and children of bodom, you know? :D. Is a 10~12 W amp not enough? I've been seeing some peaveys and they have acceptable prices.

@all of you: Any specific comments on the guitar models I mentioned in the OP?

Well I know Mark Knopfler from dire straits has a modded fender strat. I know because iIm a HUGE fan of sultans of swing, and i play that song every day.
I'm not a huge fan of strats. They're good for clean tones, but unless you really upgrade them, and get a better nut, they're crap for distortion.

Most guitars have a solid clean tone. So if you're looking to play heavy stuff, i'd say go for an ibanez.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/shop/product/buy_ibanez_grx20_electric_guitar?full_sku=519417%2e085

Ibanez Grx20 Beautiful beginner guitar.My friend has this model and i love playing it when i'm over his house.

Yeah. 10-12W amps are good. But if you wanna blow someone's eardrums out you're gonna want anything from 100W + (i have a 120W and its fuckin loud at 30% master volume)

Definitely for a beginner tho, 12w will be perfect, because if you stick with and and enjoy playing enough, there's always room for upgrades!

Of course. I have currently ?500 I can use for this, but I don't want to spend all my money on sth. I don't know if i will get tired with.

I live in an apartment block, so I definitely don't want it to be loud... Just loud enough so I can hear it.

EDIT: I've heard bad things about agathis bodies... wut i do?

Personally, i want my amp loud enough so that the sound from the amp drowns out the scraping of the pic against the strings. Which isnt too loud if you stand about 8 feet from it.

I read the reviews on the dean, and it comes with humbuckers, which i imagine are double coil so they're gonna give you a nice crunch, put not too much power.
Single coil 'humbuckers' have more power, but buzz a lot.

If you're going acoustic, i'd recommend getting an electric acoustic with a built-in tuner, mixer, and output jack so you can really get any sound you'd like from it. Just plug into a clean channel on and amp and you're set!

BUT don't make a decision based purely on internet research. Head down to your nearest pawnshop or guitar dealer, and just sit down and play some things.... Get a guitar that feels right to you.

Would you recommend using headphones to play guitar? I'm pretty sure most amps have a line out for headphones...

Electric acoustics are kind of expensive, a bit off my budget... Any bargains?

So, from what I've read, you believe the Ibanez is superior to the dean?
Which one would make a better beginner guitar?

http://www.musicstore.de/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/MusicStore-MusicStoreShop-Site/en_EN/-/EUR/ViewProductDetail-Start;pgid=?SKU=GIT0004613-001&ProductUUID=0&JumpTo=OfferList

Is this pack any good?

Headphones are great for playing! U use them all the time at night or early morning, usually when i have a dire urge to play but i don't want to disturb anybody.

And there's other times where i want to feel the bass throughout my entire body as i just jam out for an hour or 2.

That pack should treat you nicely. But again, it has the same setup as a fender strat. Notice the 3 pickups, and the slanted one in the middle. Ibanez pickups are better than fenders anyway so i'd check that out. But again, dont be afraid to give a few a playtest.

Gotta get a guitar playing buddy to go to a local shop with me. Lots of them downtown. Heh, maybe I'll go there to playtest the guitars and them order them through the internets, where its cheaper.

Yep!
Oh, and i just found this beast.
http://www.guitarcenter.com/shop/product/buy_ibanez_ijx121_metal_guitar_jumpstart_package?full_sku=518877%2e232

Off my budget, but christmas' donations will help.

Do you recommend this pack? Reviews are mixed...

Edit: The guitar is classified as a "metal" guitar... I'd prefer an all rounder...

Well like i said before, most guitars are going to give you a nice clean tone. Those are passive humbuckers (no battery) so you're going to get a clean tone if you don't put any distortion on.
And you said you wanted to play some children of bodom right? haha

True the reviews are mixed, i noticed that myself, but i was just throwing out another option.

Indeed, I want to play CoB but still be able to play dire straits, pink floyd, etc.

OK man, I'm going to get some more advice, and I'll see if I can find a bargain...

Just buy guitar hero 2, it's more fun than shitty old guitar.

And coincidently, is nothing like playing a guitar at all. Hooray.

I have frets on fire, an open source clone. Its kinda cool. As a matter of fact, I started learning guitar again after having played it. Whole thing got to me :D.

easy....just get yur dad to teach you

My pops doesn't play. My uncle does, though he's never in town.

yeah my best advice to you, is to learn tabs (check) find tabs for one of your favorite songs, and just play play play play play....

u usually put in about 2-3 hours a day just jamming and playing random shit.

Buy the Squier starter pac. It's not a true Fender, but it's something allright.

When you're buying a cheap guitar you should either get a Squier or an Epiphone. Screw Ibanez, Jackson and all of those.
You want a guitar that is suitable for everything, and that's either a Stratocaster or a Telecaster. They are great for rock, vintage rock, blues, soul, funk, folk, jazz, metal or anything you'd like!

Ibanez, Jackson and similar brands only work for metal, and hardly for that either.

So do like the real guitarplayers, get a real guitar. Get a Stratocaster or a Telecaster.

strats are crap. tele if anything
schecters are cool too

I'm sure there's a website that gives you free online guitar lessons -- the name, though, oh it's lost me

Oh there's dozens of them. But the main thing you want to do is just get comfortable holding it.

Yeah, if you're a noob it doesn't really matter what guitar you have. As long as it stays in tune and feels good to play on. So don't care about the looks or the image, go with your gut.

And some people perfer the plastic guitars, and some people perfer guitars that's hardly playable, some perfer heavy guitars, some perfer light guitar, you name it. So go to your local music shop and try all the value guitars you can find.

But my recomendation is still Squier, the wuality of Squiers can be all from suuuper sweet to ultra crappy, so make sure that you play that same guitar a lot in the shop before you make up your mind.

A friend of mine had a really crappy Squier, I have a Squier Telecaster (wich I have modified wuite a bit over the years) and it's just like a real Fender. So make sure that you choose carefully.

But still, I recomend a real Fender. I know that you can't afford one but seriously, it's the best guitars ever made. Most of their models are over 50 years and are still here, and that my friend is a good sign of quality.

I love my Fender Deluxe player Stratocaster!

Yeah tosse, you have a point about some of the squires being bad. I've played 4 of them and every single one has had a problem.

Im sure there are those that are good, but that's what i base my opinion off of.

But all in all, tosse's right. Just get one that feels good

Hey guys,

I need an answer to this question:

What affordable guitars do you recommend as all-rounders for beginners? Note, I said guitars because I am going to do what both of you said (try a few models at a local store).

I have seen some contradicting opinions

On the "Squire sucks/no it doesn't, some do" matter I've talked to my pops, who, although he never played guitar himself, he used to be some kind of a roadie for his friends' band, said you guys are thinking like this:

The Ferrari 380 GTS is one of the worse, if not THE worst Ferrari ever made. All the critics disliked it.
But, f**k yeah, it still rocks! After all, its a Ferrari!

The Fender "Squire" series is one of the worse, if not THE worst series Fender ever made. All the critics disliked it.
But, f**k yeah, it still rocks! After all, its a Fender!

Is he right?

He also told me not to go with cheaper guitars (like the Dean Evo XM), because even if they play well for a while, they get fucked up after a while.

Recommendations up to now:

The Squier starter pack;
Ibanez IJX121;
Peavey amp (no specific model given);

Feel free to do rebuttals!

See ya, and thank you for your help.

EDIT: Are "Jack & Danny" guitars any good?

When I first started playing guitar I traded my PSone for a Fenix SG copy and a 20W Kustom amp.

The amp was OK, some lower notes made it buzz a little and the guitar had a banana neck and all that horrible stuff. But it didn't really matter, I knew the gear was horrible but I focused on learning how to play insted of making it sound good right away.

Later on I got myself a Squier Telecaster, and it's one of the best guitars I've ever played. All the Squiers I've tried have been quite good, I've actualy never come across one of those who people clame to suck.

So a Squier Telecaster would be my ultimate recomendation, they seem to always keep a high standard in quality and they are true 'all arounders'. A mean and crunshy tone with the bridge pickup and a warm sweet tone with the neck pickup, and use them both and you've got yourself some rock!

Otherwise I'd say that an Epiphone would be great, not one of those cheap "special" models, stick with the standards, they are a little bit more expensive but the money goes straight into the guitar. They are made with awesome quality and awesome playability and tone for it's price.

When you buy a cheap guitar from a high priced brand, you tend to get crap. But if you buy an expensive guitar from a cheap brand it tend to have better standards.

So my guitar recomendations:
1. Squier Standard Telecaster
2. Epiphone Les Paul Standard/Epiphone SG Standard
3. Squier Standard Stratocaster

It's a little bit harder with amps, cheap amps suck. good amps have HUGE pricetags. So just ask your local shop what they recomend.
I wouldn't recomend a Peavey amp, all the ones that I've tried have a real thin tone. But I haven't really tried that many, I don't like the tone. Im a Marshall/Vox kinda guy.

But you should check out some Behringer amps, 30 or 40W would be my recomendation. The 15W apms just don't cut it.

EDIT: NO! J&D guitars are in fact the most horrible guitars money can buy. Stay away from them, don't even try one. Just don't.

Yeah. I got a behringer myself got it for a steal (120w for under $200). Which is why i recommend going to a pawn shop to see the selection.

Tosse and i obviously have differing opinions, so it's up to you to develop a conclusion between our recommendations