Learning to play the guitar?
Discussion
Is it ‘easy’ to learn the guitar (relatively speaking)?
Thinking about buying a beginners acoustic kit from somewhere (Amazon?) and looking at some YouTube tuition, to pass the lockdown time.
I have no previous musical experience, unless you count a year or so of recorder lessons more than 40 years ago.
Am I mad?
Thinking about buying a beginners acoustic kit from somewhere (Amazon?) and looking at some YouTube tuition, to pass the lockdown time.
I have no previous musical experience, unless you count a year or so of recorder lessons more than 40 years ago.
Am I mad?
pincher said:
Is it ‘easy’ to learn the guitar (relatively speaking)?
Thinking about buying a beginners acoustic kit from somewhere (Amazon?) and looking at some YouTube tuition, to pass the lockdown time.
I have no previous musical experience, unless you count a year or so of recorder lessons more than 40 years ago.
Am I mad?
If it was easy we'd all be rock stars!Thinking about buying a beginners acoustic kit from somewhere (Amazon?) and looking at some YouTube tuition, to pass the lockdown time.
I have no previous musical experience, unless you count a year or so of recorder lessons more than 40 years ago.
Am I mad?
Joking aside, it depends what you want to achieve, if you can learn to string 3 or 4 chords together, you can strum and sing along to literally thousands of songs. Learn some scales and you can noodle along to most tunes.
Is it easy? Learning the chord shapes is not difficult, moving seamlessly from one chord to another is the difficult part when you're a beginner.
IMO, there is nothing at all natural about playing a guitar, your fingers will hurt and your wrist will ache.
As long as you're not tone deaf and you can tell when you're playing the wrong notes, it's not that difficult, and no you're not mad!
If on the other you are tone deaf, or simply not musical, forget it. I've seen people like this, they had lessons for years and still couldn't hold a tune, to save their lives!
No harm in trying! If you buy sensibly as well, look at second hand from music stores etc you shouldn't lose any money if you decide it's not for you though. Though, who ever sells guitars? Get a pretty one and it can be a piece of art on the wall!
Fender are doing 3 months free on their lessons online and from what I've watched, it is good, nicely paced and you can pick and choose what you want to do to an extent as well.
In another thread the other day, a poster linked to a bunch of self employed musicians that are offering oen to one tutoring, this could also be an idea and could be worth a look
It's rewarding when you start nailing it. I'm self taught, never did any guitar lessons when I was younger and I've picked up lots of poor habits. Even just from scanning through the fender Play program, I've rectified a couple things I wasn't happy with and whilst I still think I'm crap, I'm noticing an improvement. You've got a fresh start, enjoy it
Fender are doing 3 months free on their lessons online and from what I've watched, it is good, nicely paced and you can pick and choose what you want to do to an extent as well.
In another thread the other day, a poster linked to a bunch of self employed musicians that are offering oen to one tutoring, this could also be an idea and could be worth a look
It's rewarding when you start nailing it. I'm self taught, never did any guitar lessons when I was younger and I've picked up lots of poor habits. Even just from scanning through the fender Play program, I've rectified a couple things I wasn't happy with and whilst I still think I'm crap, I'm noticing an improvement. You've got a fresh start, enjoy it
I found https://www.justinguitar.com/ pretty good. Unforutunately I think I am one of those people CypSIdders talks about.... 
CypSIdders said:
If it was easy we'd all be rock stars!
Joking aside, it depends what you want to achieve, if you can learn to string 3 or 4 chords together, you can strum and sing along to literally thousands of songs. Learn some scales and you can noodle along to most tunes.
Is it easy? Learning the chord shapes is not difficult, moving seamlessly from one chord to another is the difficult part when you're a beginner.
IMO, there is nothing at all natural about playing a guitar, your fingers will hurt and your wrist will ache.
As long as you're not tone deaf and you can tell when you're playing the wrong notes, it's not that difficult, and no you're not mad!
If on the other you are tone deaf, or simply not musical, forget it. I've seen people like this, they had lessons for years and still couldn't hold a tune, to save their lives!
I’d just like to be able to play a few songs and for people to be able to recognise them.Joking aside, it depends what you want to achieve, if you can learn to string 3 or 4 chords together, you can strum and sing along to literally thousands of songs. Learn some scales and you can noodle along to most tunes.
Is it easy? Learning the chord shapes is not difficult, moving seamlessly from one chord to another is the difficult part when you're a beginner.
IMO, there is nothing at all natural about playing a guitar, your fingers will hurt and your wrist will ache.
As long as you're not tone deaf and you can tell when you're playing the wrong notes, it's not that difficult, and no you're not mad!
If on the other you are tone deaf, or simply not musical, forget it. I've seen people like this, they had lessons for years and still couldn't hold a tune, to save their lives!
I’m not sure I would say I was musical but I can generally tell when someone plays a duff note.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I’ll take a look at that, thanks. What is a reasonable amount to spend on a basic acoustic? Saw this little lot on Amazon for £100 - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stretton-Payne-Dreadnough...
pincher said:
I’d just like to be able to play a few songs and for people to be able to recognise them.
I’m not sure I would say I was musical but I can generally tell when someone plays a duff note.
As difficult as it may be I'd encourage you to sing and play from the start. If you can bring yourself to do it - record yourself and play backI’m not sure I would say I was musical but I can generally tell when someone plays a duff note.
With a basic number of chords A Am C D E F G you can play an amazing number of songs.
Justinguitar on YT is good
If I was buying a beginner acoustic I'd go
Yamaha
Cort
Tanglewood
takes a lot of practice and your fingers will really hurt when you start but so worth it when you start to built your coordination enough to play a song from memory
This was my first guitar and it's 15 years old but still sounds fine. Really easy to restring and stays in tune which are things you wont want to be faffing with when you're trying to learn to actually play it
https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/steel-string-guitar/fen...
Thin strings are a bit easier to play (You don't have to press down as hard to stop the notes buzzing) so some extra light strings might not be a bad idea if you're finding it tough
Lots of tabs online and starter guides on youtube - probably better than any books you could buy
I'd recommend learning without a pick/plectrum as well as this will help you later when you get onto songs that need some finger picking or similar
This was my first guitar and it's 15 years old but still sounds fine. Really easy to restring and stays in tune which are things you wont want to be faffing with when you're trying to learn to actually play it
https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/steel-string-guitar/fen...
Thin strings are a bit easier to play (You don't have to press down as hard to stop the notes buzzing) so some extra light strings might not be a bad idea if you're finding it tough
Lots of tabs online and starter guides on youtube - probably better than any books you could buy
I'd recommend learning without a pick/plectrum as well as this will help you later when you get onto songs that need some finger picking or similar
pincher said:
I’d just like to be able to play a few songs and for people to be able to recognise them.
I’m not sure I would say I was musical but I can generally tell when someone plays a duff note.
May I ask what sort of tunes you want to play?I’m not sure I would say I was musical but I can generally tell when someone plays a duff note.
The reason is that some (for example) Pink Floyd tunes sound complex but are easy enough to play. The verse to Comfortably Numb is just B minor / A / G / E minor. The Beatles "Something" or "Norwegian Wood" are quite more involved altogether.
As for a guitar? At the budget end, try a Yamaha.
As for an online tutor? www.justinguitar.com is your go-to as a beginner.
I am a perpetual beginner so take what I say with a pinch of salt..but...
Many advocate jumping straight in and playing chords to keep it fun
But I would suggest watching a few hours of videos on music theory to cover some basics such as
-what are the notes
-where they are on a guitar and why they are where they are
- how chords are made
These few simple points just made the instrument seem a lot more complex than i thought it was.
Many advocate jumping straight in and playing chords to keep it fun
But I would suggest watching a few hours of videos on music theory to cover some basics such as
-what are the notes
-where they are on a guitar and why they are where they are
- how chords are made
These few simple points just made the instrument seem a lot more complex than i thought it was.
Don’t buy a really cheap guitar. Cheap “Beginner” guitars are often awful to play. They’ll make your hands hurt even more than normal and the action is sometimes so high it’s difficult to fret the notes. Maybe not as bad as they used to be, but you’re better off buying used.
Take the advice others have offered here. Buy a well cared for 2nd hand Yamaha. £100 will get you a decent entry level model or slightly better.
As long as the songs you want to play are relatively popular you’ll find a lesson for most tunes on YouTube.
Justin guitar, as mentioned, is good. So are Marty Music, Andy guitar and Ryan Lendt. There’s plenty of others doing good lessons too.
That’s how I learnt to play and have now progressed to playing from tabs and learning by ear to an extent, in just over 2.5 years.
Take the advice others have offered here. Buy a well cared for 2nd hand Yamaha. £100 will get you a decent entry level model or slightly better.
As long as the songs you want to play are relatively popular you’ll find a lesson for most tunes on YouTube.
Justin guitar, as mentioned, is good. So are Marty Music, Andy guitar and Ryan Lendt. There’s plenty of others doing good lessons too.
That’s how I learnt to play and have now progressed to playing from tabs and learning by ear to an extent, in just over 2.5 years.
Edited by HaplessBoyLard on Wednesday 1st April 02:31
HaplessBoyLard said:
Don’t buy a really cheap guitar. Cheap “Beginner” guitars are often awful to play. They’ll make your hands hurt even more than normal and the action is sometimes so high it’s difficult to fret the notes. Maybe not as bad as they used to be, but you’re better off buying used.
Take the advice others have offered here. Buy a well cared for 2nd hand Yamaha. £100 will get you a decent entry level model or slightly better.
Agree with all of that (beginner of around the same time - 2.5 years). Whatever guitar you buy make sure that it is set up properly with new strings, I found that this makes a massive difference to playability. So many second hand instruments (all of which mine are) are a completely unknown quantity and many seem to have sat about unused for extended periods of time. Take the advice others have offered here. Buy a well cared for 2nd hand Yamaha. £100 will get you a decent entry level model or slightly better.
Edited by HaplessBoyLard on Wednesday 1st April 02:31
Flying machine said:
HaplessBoyLard said:
Don’t buy a really cheap guitar. Cheap “Beginner” guitars are often awful to play. They’ll make your hands hurt even more than normal and the action is sometimes so high it’s difficult to fret the notes. Maybe not as bad as they used to be, but you’re better off buying used.
Take the advice others have offered here. Buy a well cared for 2nd hand Yamaha. £100 will get you a decent entry level model or slightly better.
Agree with all of that (beginner of around the same time - 2.5 years). Whatever guitar you buy make sure that it is set up properly with new strings, I found that this makes a massive difference to playability. So many second hand instruments (all of which mine are) are a completely unknown quantity and many seem to have sat about unused for extended periods of time. Take the advice others have offered here. Buy a well cared for 2nd hand Yamaha. £100 will get you a decent entry level model or slightly better.
Edited by HaplessBoyLard on Wednesday 1st April 02:31
My s/h Fender acoustic was about £100, almost new, but when my teacher watched me play (or try to) he told me to go to a guy local to have it set up properly, (£30) the difference was light night and day. I was no longer fighting it.
My s/h Yamaha was about £130 to include a totally over the top Fender amp which sits in the cupboard while I use the basic amp that came with my sons s/h Yamaha all in at £70. Both guitars look new. The Yamaha is a lovely guitar for a beginner.
cherryowen said:
May I ask what sort of tunes you want to play?
The reason is that some (for example) Pink Floyd tunes sound complex but are easy enough to play. The verse to Comfortably Numb is just B minor / A / G / E minor. The Beatles "Something" or "Norwegian Wood" are quite more involved altogether.
As for a guitar? At the budget end, try a Yamaha.
As for an online tutor? www.justinguitar.com is your go-to as a beginner.
Apologies - thought I had replied to this. I’m not looking to play anything particularly complicated - just some popular tunes from the last few years that (most) people would say “Oh yes, that’s such & such by whoever”The reason is that some (for example) Pink Floyd tunes sound complex but are easy enough to play. The verse to Comfortably Numb is just B minor / A / G / E minor. The Beatles "Something" or "Norwegian Wood" are quite more involved altogether.
As for a guitar? At the budget end, try a Yamaha.
As for an online tutor? www.justinguitar.com is your go-to as a beginner.
Kind of leaning towards a Yamaha if I do end up getting one - possibly an F310 or F370
bonerp said:
I tried on my daughters largely unused guitar and decided after an hour that my fingers are too thick, uncontrollable and inflexible!
This is what worries me - I could shell out and buy one, then decide after a day that I’m a hopeless case and guitar playing isn’t for me! Can you rent them by the week?!?
bonerp said:
I tried on my daughters largely unused guitar and decided after an hour that my fingers are too thick, uncontrollable and inflexible!
The first couple of weeks you could liken my fingers to the legs of a baby deer. They were all over the place. It took me an age to form a chord shape and place it on the correct strings. I learnt the basic chord shapes first then practiced moving between them. Eventually it stuck. It just took patience.
It’s really rewarding when you get somewhere but frustrating at first. Do it!
pincher said:
cherryowen said:
May I ask what sort of tunes you want to play?
The reason is that some (for example) Pink Floyd tunes sound complex but are easy enough to play. The verse to Comfortably Numb is just B minor / A / G / E minor. The Beatles "Something" or "Norwegian Wood" are quite more involved altogether.
As for a guitar? At the budget end, try a Yamaha.
As for an online tutor? www.justinguitar.com is your go-to as a beginner.
Apologies - thought I had replied to this. I’m not looking to play anything particularly complicated - just some popular tunes from the last few years that (most) people would say “Oh yes, that’s such & such by whoever”The reason is that some (for example) Pink Floyd tunes sound complex but are easy enough to play. The verse to Comfortably Numb is just B minor / A / G / E minor. The Beatles "Something" or "Norwegian Wood" are quite more involved altogether.
As for a guitar? At the budget end, try a Yamaha.
As for an online tutor? www.justinguitar.com is your go-to as a beginner.
Kind of leaning towards a Yamaha if I do end up getting one - possibly an F310 or F370
Do try a Yamaha; at the price point I've never read a bad review of one of their entry level guitars. This, however, is from someone who recently bought a 2nd hand Hohner Countryman from an antiques emporium for 30 quid (it plays well, the intonation is bang on, and suits me for the occasional folk stuff).
From a learning perspective, recent popular tunes are easy enough to play. Many of them use what is called a I / vi / IV / V chord progression, which - in the key of C major - would be C / A minor / F / G. In fact, you can mix up any of those four chords and come up with a tune. As a beginner, you can play the F without using a barre chord. Just play a normal E major using your little, ring, and middle finger; move that all up 1 fret and add your index finger to the first fret on the B string.
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