I've decided to learn how to play the guitar....
By vega83
@vega83 (6342)
Bahrain
July 1, 2007 2:11pm CST
And I've already started looking into lessons online, I actually found a really good site, that takes you step by step on how to do everything right from the basics. I'd had an acoustic guitar that my sister had once bought a long time ago, but never used.
And it was actually here that I found the inspiration for this, first was of course from my good friend here, Lewah69, a great musician himself, who encouraged me to get my guitar fixed and start learning, and another was braveneworld, who is probably in the same boat as me, wanting to learn how to play, but I'm guessing he's way further ahead than me.
Unfortunately one of the strings, the D string to be exact is missing but one of my friends agreed to fix it for me, she has friends in the music club at her university and now I'm just waiting for the summer semester to commence so that it gets fixed. I've already got some printouts on the basic stuff and gotten to know some chords and stuff as well. I mean I can still practice a bit and work on improving my finger muscles till then.
Of course, anyone who does play the guitar here, is more than welcome to give me any tips or advice that they might have.
Of course, I'm pretty much on my own on this one. I mean, sure, I got the internet to help me, which is a really good teacher, and I've heard about lots of musicians who were never really taught this stuff and they were self-taught. I guess all I need is lots of patience, and I'm willing to go all the way with this one, so wish me luck!
Coincidentally I have a really nice guitar pick so I didn't need to get one, I was lucky with this, it is actually the guitar pick of the lead guitarist of a really cool Pakistani rock band, called "junoon", they're not together anymore, but they were way cool! And I went to their concert once, I was in front of course, and the lead guitarist, Salman, tossed the pick to me, that was awesome! So, I got my lucky pick, nothing can stop me now, muahauahuahaahuaha B]
But, seriously, what do you guys and gals think, can I do this on my own?
5 people like this
28 responses
@Jaytech (2251)
•
1 Jul 07
Yes you can do it on yuor own, it just takes patience, dedication & commitment. I've been playing over 20 years now & I never had the learning tools that you have access too.
Lewah is a great musician & good friend & he can help you plenty, but my advice is, listen to ALL types of music, you get ideas from everything you hear. Even things you wouldn't normally like.
Make use of the internet & try a program called Tab edit, it's great for studying new songs & if I can help you in any way at all, please feel free to ask :)
@Jaytech (2251)
•
2 Jul 07
I like Rockabilly & Psychobilly mainly, people like Brian Setzer are my guitar idols. You can see plenty of him on Youtube he is a genius.
I also like a country guitarist called Jimmy Bryant, he simply isn't human, it seems impossible to play that fast to me lol
1 person likes this
@vega83 (6342)
• Bahrain
2 Jul 07
Well, thanks so much, you've already helped a lot, I'll make sure to check out tab edit. Your advice is really good, and easy to follow, as I already like all kinds of music anyway.
I'll make sure to message you if there's anything I need to know, thanks for your support.
Yes, Lewah has already helped too, as he's already been the inspiration for this.
So what kind of music do you play?
1 person likes this
@kokopelli (4842)
• United States
1 Jul 07
learning how to play the guitar on your own? oh yeah. i started learning the same by myself, looking at chordbooks. your interest in music is a big plus, and a good ear on notes, hehe. however, the pleasure of playing music with others (which includes learning) is best. it's more enjoyable and fun! :)
@vega83 (6342)
• Bahrain
1 Jul 07
Oh yeah, of course, that does sound much better, but unfortunately not much of an option for me, so I'll just have to settle for learning on my own, I love music, and having another skill especially a musical one would be great, even if it means tedious hours of learning all by myself. But I guess encouragement from people like yourself, would help too, and it already is..So how much have you learned yet? Do you play now?
1 person likes this
@kokopelli (4842)
• United States
3 Jul 07
haven't played for awhile since i left my guitar back home. i miss it :(
1 person likes this
@marciascott (25529)
• United States
3 Jul 07
I just read your discussion, It is interesting, I have a Gutair and want to learn how to play mind two, what online course did you take? I would like to know. here is one www.yellowgutairbooks.com they use to email me with lessons.
2 people like this
@marciascott (25529)
• United States
4 Jul 07
Ok, I didn't have to pay anything just keep reading untill you see free!
1 person likes this
@sudiptacallingu (10879)
• India
2 Jul 07
I sure hope you can do it on your own coz then you will be an inspiration to many like me. My son got a guitar as a gift on his 7th birthday and since then he has been after us to send him for tuitions. Well we did send him to a guy nearby, but after more than 6 months of going & coming, he has learned practically nothing. Another problem is that since none of us at home know how to play the guitar, we cant give our son enough practice at home. Can you tell me the link from where you plan to learn online? Meanwhile wishing you all success (for my sake too!)
2 people like this
@vega83 (6342)
• Bahrain
2 Jul 07
I hope I can be an inspiration too, that would be awesome!
Thanks for your support. Yeah, I can't afford pricey guitar lessons too, so the internet is the best for me.
The best site I've found so far, is this.
http://guitar.about.com/library/blguitarlessonarchive.htm
The best thing is that it tells you everything from the beginning, from which guitar to get and things like that and then takes you through all of these different lessons, even teaching how to properly hold the guitar and the pick.
All the information there is free, and you don't have to register or anything, because I did find other sites which were charging for the same information, don't spend anything, this site has been useful to me so far. Right now, I already learned three chords, I wanted to learn more but I'm just waiting till I fix the string, until then I'll just practice with the chords I already learned.
It's a lot of reading material, so I'm guessing you'll probably have to learn first and then systematically teach your son. It's good and useful reading material, though. You can start by guitar lesson one, the reading notes can be left for later I guess. Lesson one has all the basic stuff, like how to hold a guitar and stuff, for good guitar habits.
I hope this helps, let me know how it goes.
Of course, if you come across a better site, that is also useful and doesn't require any signing up then do let me know too.
Thanks for your support.
@roniroxas (10559)
• Philippines
1 Jul 07
do you actually think that youcan do this on your own? OF COURSE. i am a singer and my father and sister are good guitar players. and mostly of the members of my band didnt get a guitar lesson they just did it on their own. trying to learn something on your own is a great achivement all you have to do is stay focus. make sure you give your self a hour or more each day practising. always take a rest after every practise dont wash your hands coz it may hurt your hands that would cost shaking in the future.
i know you can do this girl... girl power will make us do something we like and get anything we like. wink wink
@vega83 (6342)
• Bahrain
2 Jul 07
Hey thanks so much, those are some really good tips, I do put in the one to two hour practice, at least so my fingers can get used to it, because right now without the D string, I haven't even been able to tune my guitar properly yet. But I guess it's like typing, at least my fingers will remember their positions for each chord. The internet has been great, for the information that I needed, and of course people like yourself, are always the best to ask such advice of. I would never have known about the washing hand bit, I'll make sure not to wash my hands right after.
Thanks for believing in me, I really appreciate it.
@add_im (2712)
• Philippines
2 Jul 07
Learning to play guitar is one of my desires even keyboarding itself...I don't know I just don't have such a talent when it comes to playing musical instruments, but only talent I am proud of is that I could sing well lols
Goodluck in your learnings to play the guitar and wish you all the best in it :-)
2 people like this
@shelagh77 (3643)
•
3 Jul 07
Oh well done, you will get hours of enjoyment from this hobby and you will never be lonely whilst you have your guitar. I would not go at it for too long at a time for the first couple of weeks, as you need to build the callus on your finger tips, or you will make them quite sore.
If you have all the basics such as how to read the music and what the cord diagrams mean etc there is no reason why you should not go it alone, but you should progress slowly, really learning each new thing that you do until you can do it automatically, before going on to the next piece of information. That way you will learn solidly and be able to play many pieces just be reading the music.
For fun you could just pick out tunes and get to finding where each sound is in relation to the other sounds.
I learned the guitar to a basic standard but I teach piano, and I know if you go slowly you will be fine. you may also find a forum on line where other people who play can answer any questions you may have on any little difficulties which occur.
@shelagh77 (3643)
•
4 Jul 07
Oh, it is a shame that you may have to stop to have repairs on the guitar, but you can keep studying the written music so that when you get the guitar back you are raring to go again :-)
A lot of people don't realise about the need to build up the fingers and they get put off by the discomfort, so it is good that you know that and are going to persevere.
Maybe in a few months we will see you playing a little tune on myspace, which would be really interesting and inspirational.
1 person likes this
@vega83 (6342)
• Bahrain
4 Jul 07
Yeah, I do try to take my time to learn each new thing before I move on. I think that's the best way to do it. I know it will take patience, persistence and practice and I'm willing to put it all in that. Yeah, I know what you mean, about the callus, I'm taking it slow, plus my guitar has some problems which means I will have to stop for a while until I get those fixed.
Thanks for your advice.
1 person likes this
@vega83 (6342)
• Bahrain
4 Jul 07
Well, yeah, it does suck that I have to stop especially now since I'm so into it, but I've not given up in any way, in fact I'm even thinking of investing in a new guitar, that would be more motivation too. I'm still going through the lessons and today I downloaded a bunch of learner videos from you tube as well, just as visual aids. I'm hoping to keep going at this and yeah, a few months from now, you will definitely see me playing something, and I'll make sure to post a link here, for everyone who supported me in this with their words and their advices.
1 person likes this
@lilaclady (28207)
• Australia
2 Jul 07
I can see that little avatarman playing guitar in a popular band with lots of girls screaming for him and making lots of money and becoming world famous, I will be first in line to buy a ticket.
I would love to learn the guitar but I have no music ability at all.
@lilaclady (28207)
• Australia
2 Jul 07
yes I guess your right and I spend a lot of time with musicians as I am photographer for a couple of bands but I would never ask them for lessons because they are so good one being one of the most talented guitar players in the country, maybe one day I will take secret lessons and surprise them..
1 person likes this
@vega83 (6342)
• Bahrain
2 Jul 07
Well, do you love music? If your answer is "yes" then that's your music ability right there. I think that we should all try everything at least once before deciding if we can really do it or not. I mean you might be underestimating yourself here. So never believe that you can't do anything until you've actually tried it.
Thanks for your support.
1 person likes this
@vega83 (6342)
• Bahrain
2 Jul 07
Yeah, that would be awesome.. I guess you could learn the beginners' stuff and then surprise them and then tweak your skills with the best. That would be great for you.
So, you're a photographer, huh? that's awesome! It's also one of the things I would like to try in life. Especially black and white photography.
1 person likes this
@SuRviVe3 (74)
• China
3 Jul 07
well...just come back from my second class.My teacher taught me how to use left hand.Now,I can play 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 fluently...I have so many interesting things to share with you all...if you'd like..plz add my MSN:leevingstong@hotmail.com.Let's talk!
1 person likes this
@charms88 (7538)
• Philippines
2 Jul 07
Hello vega. I can sense your strong passion to play guitar. Go ahead and give your energy to master playing guitar. Loads of determination and perseverance are important and not to be overlooked too. You wouldn't know how far you can go if you would not give it a try,
2 people like this
@vega83 (6342)
• Bahrain
2 Jul 07
yeah, that's exactly what I've believed in all my life, about everything, you wouldn't know until you try. And I think I can be patient enough to learn this. Plus now that I see I've got all this support from all of you, I wouldn't wanna let you down, by giving up. And so I'll keep trying and practicing until I've got it.
@japboy (572)
• Malaysia
2 Jul 07
you are very lucky because you don't have to buy a guitar,you have your sister guitar.I just started to learn how to play guitar when i watched my favorite singer from japan called YUI plays very good in guitar.After that i watched her plays guitar,i was impressed and save money to buy a guitar.i'm still learning slowly and practice a lot.
1 person likes this
@vega83 (6342)
• Bahrain
2 Jul 07
Cool, well, I guess we could always share how much each of us has learned and keep motivating each other. So are you taking lessons or doing it all on your own. Yeah, I'm lucky I had a guitar, otherwise I don't think I would have decided to do this. I'm thinking now of replacing all the strings, as the guitar is quite old.
@vega83 (6342)
• Bahrain
3 Jul 07
http://guitar.about.com/library/blguitarlessonarchive.htm
Check out this site, it's where I'm getting my lessons, they explain the chords very well. Right now I'm just practicing three of them, G major, C major and D major. I'm still just on lesson one, I wanna get really good at those three at least, and then move on, by that time I'll have the string fixed too, and I'll be fluent at these. They have all the chords you can learn. It's a cool site, no signing up, no registering, just learning.
@japboy (572)
• Malaysia
3 Jul 07
i would like to take a lesson but too busy,so i just try to learn by myself when i have a free time like 2 hours to learn it.If i don't know about something,i'll try to ask my friends who knows about guitar.I'm looking for a easy chord to practice my guitar skill to get improve and be better on it.
So,good luck to both of us.
1 person likes this
@simple_butterfly (478)
• Philippines
6 Jul 07
Well..I don't know to play a guitar but I want to learn to. I only play piano or organ. You can to that..just believe in yourself just like me. I do self study for keyboard lessons. I did not go to school for this. If you're determine to learn you will learn. I motivate myself not to stop learning so now I can play in our church every mass and I'm proud of myself. :)
P.S
What is that site that you can learn guitar? I want to learn too..hehehe..thanks! :)
@vega83 (6342)
• Bahrain
7 Jul 07
Sure, here is the site I use..
http://guitar.about.com/library/blguitarlessonarchive.htm
It's a pretty good site, I'm still working on lesson one and two on there.
I do believe that I can do this on my own, just like you did with the piano and organ, thanks for the encouragement, and good luck to you too!
@bravenewworld (746)
• United States
2 Jul 07
Hi Vega, yes I think you can do this on your own. You've already put a lot of thought into it and know it'll take patience, practice, perseverance,etc. My advice is to mix up the practice of chords, finger work etc with some fun stuff. Like learning to play along with a favorite song, or just picking out a melody. Sometimes it can be frustrating, so having some fun with it is important. Keep on rocking and don't stop believin'. (The Pakistani group sounds very cool, btw).
1 person likes this
@vega83 (6342)
• Bahrain
2 Jul 07
Yeah, it was a really cool band, too bad they split up, but they rocked really hard, while they were together, and their concert was totally awesome! Well thanks for the advice, I do put on channel V and sometimes try to practice with that. Sounds really bad, ha ha, but I won't let that deter me. How are your lessons going?
@vega83 (6342)
• Bahrain
3 Jul 07
oh, wow, those are very good reasons for a lapse. Actually I read online that you can see more results in an electric guitar than if you start on an acoustic. I wish I had an electric, because rock is definitely my thing, but I'm pretty much happy with the acoustic too. I guess your goal is pretty modest, and achievable too. I think the huge breaks in between aren't helping though, I mean it must be, like you start from square one each time you take it up again. Well I'm glad I was of some inspiration to you.
@bravenewworld (746)
• United States
2 Jul 07
I was taking lessons with a very cool musician, who was once bass player in a progressive rock band until a motorcycle accident. It was going ok, I think, though costing a small fortune. I stopped taking lessons for various reasons, the main one being the birth of my daughter. I've kind of lapsed with the practice since that time. I was learning the electric guitar, and I'm wondering whether I might not be better off with acoustic. Probably doesn't matter much. But it would help me to have a goal I think. At one point my goal was to play in a covers band performing at parties, fairs and the like. A modest enough goal I though. However, for all my practice and lessons, it still seemed a remote dream. But you've reminded by of the pleasure of just learning a skill, and the idea of just learning and seeing where it takes you. So I may take it up again.
1 person likes this
@marciascott (25529)
• United States
3 Jul 07
I will check out that site sometime today, thank you for this information, I woud like to stay in touch, to know how you are doing with your lessons, let's be friends.
1 person likes this
@SuRviVe3 (74)
• China
4 Jul 07
Hi,Saba!
Just come back from my 3rd class.
Today,my teacher taught me to play chords!But only several easy ones.I feel I still don't master them,though.It's not easy for newbie,I think.But my teacher said I'm smart and have made great progress.So he will teacher me a little faster in order to let me have more time to master the most difficult parts.Wow...now I feel pretty good!
Oh,I almost forget.
Hey,Saba,would you feel your fingers hurt after playing guitar a few time?I do feel badly hurt after these days' practice.Today,my teacher told me how to avoid this.He said,everyday before you go to bed,USE HOT WATER to SOAK YOUR FINGERS FOR A FEW TIME.It does good for your fingers!Just give it a try!
WOW...I can't wait to play my guitar now!!
1 person likes this
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
5 Jul 07
I have always been fascinated by the guitar, I have tried it out, but no natural talent happening there. When I was little my sisters and I learned a song in elementary about the guitar, but my mother hated it, she felt it was disrespectful to her and she was right, but we didn't mean anything, it was just cute it went,
Momma don't allow that guitar playin' on me
Momma don't allow that guitar playin' on me
But I don't care what momma don't allow
I play my guitar anyhow
Momma don't allow that guitar playin' on me
You could use other instruments, but guitar and banjo are the ones I remember the most. I think it's a cute little ditty.
@gasmas100 (585)
• India
4 Jul 07
thats awesome, i had heard that its rather diff to learn the guitar as it takes loads and loads of practise and constant monitoring by a pro, but todays technology-makes everything so convenient.
Chers mate
1 person likes this
@sarangsadh (167)
• India
4 Jul 07
Dude guitar is one of the coolest instruments i am sorry i didnt read the whole thing you have written so might be of topic.Anyways guitar is 1 instrument u can do anything with it.It has numerous amounts notes.i Dunno how to play it but my friend plays it pretty well.
1 person likes this
