starting new

[Nafeko]

any tips on teaching myself how to play?

i can read music and tabs but dont know any chords. should i just pick a song and stick with it or practice chords or both?

[MexicoMike]

IMO, chords are the way to go.  If you know chord progressions you can play any song and come up with a guitar part for it.  I suggest you start out learning one key and the associated chords and go from there.  Key of C is a good one to start with though the IV chord - "F" - is a bit hard to play for most people initially.  But all the other chords in the key are pretty easy.  If you learn the I, VI, IV V progression, which in the key of C is C, A minor, F, and G, you can play a heck of a lot of well-known songs.  Add an E minor, D minor, E major, A/A7, and D7 and you could play just about any song there is though would  be playing it in the key of C which might not be the original key.  Of all those chords, the F is the only one that could be called "hard" and that will go away rapidly with a bit of practice.



Good Luck!

[R1balla]

look up chords on google images or something like that. learn the chords first. u can also start with major scales

[BigSkyTaylorPlayer]

I would get a method book, Hal Leonard is a good one - it will get you going and playing in no time.

[Nafeko]

thats what i thought you guys were going to say lol. learning chords sounds less fun than learning songs but i suppose the best place to start is in the beginning.

[MexicoMike]

All songs in western music (not country-western, Western as in the hemisphere), is made up of chord progressions and the melody harmony(s) lie within those chords/progressions.  Learning to play a melody or a riff on it's own doesn't really give you anything to work with for future development.  Learning chords/progressions makes it quite easy to play virtually any song - at least as far as accompanying a a vocal.  Obviously if you want to start shredding/ playing lead, more technical work will be needed but it will still all be within a chord structure for the particular tune.

[Nafeko]

ok ok you guys convinced me

[GSMC Bob]

I'd start with learning the notes on the guitar.  When you can read and play a melody line from musical notation, THEN I would start learning chords and theory.

[TaylorGirl]

I'd start with learning the notes on the guitar.  When you can read and play a melody line from musical notation, THEN I would start learning chords and theory.

+1
This is how I learned and how I teach. Then you can get into fingerstyle. I have no regrets in taking the time to learn this way.  I'm a much more versatile player as a result.

[FinallyATaylor]

if like blues, justinsandercoe on youtube has good beginners videos.  he seems to teach quite professionally and knows the theory behind the music

[crashcup]

You can teach yourself, but consider taking a few lessons from a professional just to be sure you're holding your guitar correctly. Left hand and finger positions are critical, especially if you want to avoid becoming frustrated.   Thereafter you might want to have a professional on hand to run things by on an "as needed" basis.

Beyond that, there are unlimited resources out there, enough so that you can easily become overwhelmed. If you find something, stick with it and commit to practicing regularly.  What works for me is to break your practice sessions into small chunks--scales for five or ten minutes, whatever other techniques you're working on for another five or ten, songs for another five or ten. But walk away from the guitar every 25 - 30 minutes.  Do something entirely unrelated--forget about it for at least 15 minutes.   When you return you should notice gains in your progress.  Practicing for hours is counter productive.

Final advice that took me a while to put into practice:  "Slow is fast."  Resist the urge to practice fast.  Learn it slowly first. Once you have all the kinks worked out, use a metronome to get you up to speed.  "Metronome" may seem like a four-letter word in drag, but if you want to improve you'll make it your constant companion.

Have fun!  That's what it's all about.

Cheers!

Bill

Oh, others have mentioned Justin for an online resource.    I like "Totally Guitars," with Neil Hogan.  He focuses primarily on acoustic tunes and gives very easy to follow lessons.  Highly recommended!!!

[stepchildusmc]

i'd recommend starting with your basic chords. i try to get people started with the F chord as it's the hardest one and all the others are pretty simple after that. plus you have the added benefit of it being the most versatile chord. you can play it anywhere on the neck. plus there's the fact that i can me sadistic sometimes



edited for langauge