So..I want to finally learn how to play guitar! 39 years old
Discussion
Age need not be a barrier right?
Well, I've been heavily into metal, rock, folk music since I can remember, and I like to think I can appreciate a great riff when I hear it!
Tried picking it up during my teens, got nowhere due to issues etc, life got in the way since then.
Need a new hobby, any particular recommendations on a electric guitar to learn on and a decent self starter course?
Thanks
I am excited. Hopefuly I can shred by the time I am 45!
Well, I've been heavily into metal, rock, folk music since I can remember, and I like to think I can appreciate a great riff when I hear it!
Tried picking it up during my teens, got nowhere due to issues etc, life got in the way since then.
Need a new hobby, any particular recommendations on a electric guitar to learn on and a decent self starter course?
Thanks
I am excited. Hopefuly I can shred by the time I am 45!
This Slash tribute Les Paul style gets good reviews
Obviously, it all depends on budget, and new guitars start at about £80 or so, but a cheapy won't be anywhere near as nice to play than some thing a little more expensive, and when you're starting out that makes a big difference - it needs to be something you want to pick up and play.
Amp-wise, there are lots of really versatile digital amps out there, like the Marshall Code and the Boss Katana 50. Both have loads of effects on board which is always useful, especially when you're starting out, and will go as loud as you want.
Obviously, it all depends on budget, and new guitars start at about £80 or so, but a cheapy won't be anywhere near as nice to play than some thing a little more expensive, and when you're starting out that makes a big difference - it needs to be something you want to pick up and play.
Amp-wise, there are lots of really versatile digital amps out there, like the Marshall Code and the Boss Katana 50. Both have loads of effects on board which is always useful, especially when you're starting out, and will go as loud as you want.
I 'learned' about fifteen years ago. Being a lefty makes everything harder/more expensive.
There are a stack of guitar lessons on YouTube which are mostly very good.
The first guitar won't be the last. The 'import' guitars are very good these days, brands like Harley Benton from Thomann, Squier entry level guitars, etc etc. Stagg guitars can be surprisingly good at the price, as can the no-name imports.
The amp plays a large part in the final overall tone in the early days until the fingers take over. It used to be said that an amp with 'reverb' was better for beginners as it masked poor technique and encouraged the player: critics countered that it let poor technique become embedded.
Pickups: Humbucker pickups for grunge overdrive, and dirt, single coils for clean tone. Telecaster types for treble-y 'twang', Les Paul types for jazz, Gibson SG types for rock, and Strats for 'everything.'
These are all stereotypes, and all the main brands produce look-a-likes. A single coil and a humbucker gives plenty of choice. With a Strat (and others) you'll also get a middle pickup.
Generally, it's better to loiter in a music shop, rather than buy mail order, and check out models for weight, balance and feel. Some prefer thinner necks, and lighter bodies, like the Yamaha Pacificas, others jump straight in with a mahogany top Les Paul type, and to hell with the weight and fatique. The 'headless' guitars like Steinbergers etc look quirky, but remove the 'neck heavy' feel and stay in tune forever.
Lighter strings (9's/10s) are easier on the fingers for learners. A 'low action' (strings closer to the fretboard) can be easier for beginners, but can add fret-buzz. The action is adjustable on everything. 'Whammy bars' (bridge tremolos) mostly just get in the way.
Add a guitar tuner and a strap, two packs of spare strings, and an assortment of picks.
Amps: 10-15 watts is enough to annoy everyone in the house. An Aux-in lets you add MP3 or a drum machine (smartphone app) to play along to. The very small battery mini-amps like the Orange Micro Crush/Mini Marshall can sound great, especially on headphones, look for a headphone socket. 'Rocky' amps usually have an overdrive or distortion feature for more grunge, which can be fun.
As technique improves, the need for effects like reverb and overdrive diminish. As you get better, there's a temptation to add them to develop your own tone or add variance.
There's a final school of thought which says it's better to learn on acoustic as it shows up fretboard errors. That's countered by others saying if you want to play electric you'll never love learning on an acoustic.
I like my neighbours, so now mostly play a 3/4 nylon string acoustic. There's a Steinberger electric and a Chinese no-name Strat hung up on my 'wall of shame.'
There are a stack of guitar lessons on YouTube which are mostly very good.
The first guitar won't be the last. The 'import' guitars are very good these days, brands like Harley Benton from Thomann, Squier entry level guitars, etc etc. Stagg guitars can be surprisingly good at the price, as can the no-name imports.
The amp plays a large part in the final overall tone in the early days until the fingers take over. It used to be said that an amp with 'reverb' was better for beginners as it masked poor technique and encouraged the player: critics countered that it let poor technique become embedded.
Pickups: Humbucker pickups for grunge overdrive, and dirt, single coils for clean tone. Telecaster types for treble-y 'twang', Les Paul types for jazz, Gibson SG types for rock, and Strats for 'everything.'
These are all stereotypes, and all the main brands produce look-a-likes. A single coil and a humbucker gives plenty of choice. With a Strat (and others) you'll also get a middle pickup.
Generally, it's better to loiter in a music shop, rather than buy mail order, and check out models for weight, balance and feel. Some prefer thinner necks, and lighter bodies, like the Yamaha Pacificas, others jump straight in with a mahogany top Les Paul type, and to hell with the weight and fatique. The 'headless' guitars like Steinbergers etc look quirky, but remove the 'neck heavy' feel and stay in tune forever.
Lighter strings (9's/10s) are easier on the fingers for learners. A 'low action' (strings closer to the fretboard) can be easier for beginners, but can add fret-buzz. The action is adjustable on everything. 'Whammy bars' (bridge tremolos) mostly just get in the way.
Add a guitar tuner and a strap, two packs of spare strings, and an assortment of picks.
Amps: 10-15 watts is enough to annoy everyone in the house. An Aux-in lets you add MP3 or a drum machine (smartphone app) to play along to. The very small battery mini-amps like the Orange Micro Crush/Mini Marshall can sound great, especially on headphones, look for a headphone socket. 'Rocky' amps usually have an overdrive or distortion feature for more grunge, which can be fun.
As technique improves, the need for effects like reverb and overdrive diminish. As you get better, there's a temptation to add them to develop your own tone or add variance.
There's a final school of thought which says it's better to learn on acoustic as it shows up fretboard errors. That's countered by others saying if you want to play electric you'll never love learning on an acoustic.
I like my neighbours, so now mostly play a 3/4 nylon string acoustic. There's a Steinberger electric and a Chinese no-name Strat hung up on my 'wall of shame.'
As you get older finding time is definitely the difficult one. I was fortunate that I spent nearly all my teen days playing and jamming with mates and am lucky enough now at 35 that i can just pick up one of my axes and learn new material/improvise for the odd hour here or there.
Equipment wise it's going to depend on your taste in music and what you plan to begin learning? Obviously I wouldn't fork a fortune, an Epiphone Les paul might be a good starting place though, you'll get some good clean tones out of it but the humbuckers will give a good crunch if you want them too.
Rather than an amp, have a think about buying a multi fx unit like a Pod, you can use headphones or a powered speaker but it'll let you begin to dabble with FX pedals as well. I personally think its ok to learn on an electric and then pick up an acoustic in due course. Electrics are far more forgiving on the finger strength required and will help you build up callouses, it'll then be easier to play an acoustic.
Youtube will probably be your first port of call for tutorials. Aside from that you can get these rhythm books with chord boxes at the start of a song showing how to play the chords and then the chords are just printed over the lyrics, they're really useful for beginners.
For lead stuff have a look at the minor pentatonic scale. Most solos use a variation of this pattern.
Learning a little theory will help out as well, learning about time signatures and major/minor keys will help.
Equipment wise it's going to depend on your taste in music and what you plan to begin learning? Obviously I wouldn't fork a fortune, an Epiphone Les paul might be a good starting place though, you'll get some good clean tones out of it but the humbuckers will give a good crunch if you want them too.
Rather than an amp, have a think about buying a multi fx unit like a Pod, you can use headphones or a powered speaker but it'll let you begin to dabble with FX pedals as well. I personally think its ok to learn on an electric and then pick up an acoustic in due course. Electrics are far more forgiving on the finger strength required and will help you build up callouses, it'll then be easier to play an acoustic.
Youtube will probably be your first port of call for tutorials. Aside from that you can get these rhythm books with chord boxes at the start of a song showing how to play the chords and then the chords are just printed over the lyrics, they're really useful for beginners.
For lead stuff have a look at the minor pentatonic scale. Most solos use a variation of this pattern.
Learning a little theory will help out as well, learning about time signatures and major/minor keys will help.
I am 55 and picked up a guitar for the first time about three months ago. I have no idea why I left it so late in life!
One piece of advice that I was given at the start was to not rely on You Tube / on line tutorials but find a decent guitar teacher who would correct faults before they become so ingrained that they are difficult to correct later. I now have a thirty minute lesson once a week and have signed up to an online thing too. Several of the online tutorials have two week trail periods and I tried three before signing up to GuitarTricks.com.
Its very hard, I am really enjoying it but it will be quite some time before anyone other than my guitar teacher and my (long suffering) dog hear me play......
Good luck
Mark
One piece of advice that I was given at the start was to not rely on You Tube / on line tutorials but find a decent guitar teacher who would correct faults before they become so ingrained that they are difficult to correct later. I now have a thirty minute lesson once a week and have signed up to an online thing too. Several of the online tutorials have two week trail periods and I tried three before signing up to GuitarTricks.com.
Its very hard, I am really enjoying it but it will be quite some time before anyone other than my guitar teacher and my (long suffering) dog hear me play......
Good luck
Mark
35 and started last September. Got myself a Epiphone les paul 1960 tribute and a Marshall Code amp. To be fair that adds up to a reasonable sum but both have party pieces of being able to do more than one thing. The guitar has the ability to have humbucker and single coil tone and the amp has loads of built in effects. The Les paul has only been a bit difficult when getting down to the 18th fret or so when the neck joint gets in the way. I don't think that's a big problem though as Slash seems to live with it.
I'd echo getting a teacher though. Mine has picked up loads of errors in technique that I'd probably have just carried on with if I didn't have one and probably limited me a lot. There's a lot you don't see and hear because you don't know any better. Also he's given an appreciation of how music work rather than just copying.
I'd echo getting a teacher though. Mine has picked up loads of errors in technique that I'd probably have just carried on with if I didn't have one and probably limited me a lot. There's a lot you don't see and hear because you don't know any better. Also he's given an appreciation of how music work rather than just copying.
I'm 55 and have had a guitar in my life since my teens but rarely played it as often as I should have. Consequently, I am nowhere near as good as I might have been. But...
I thoroughly enjoy playing and learning new songs. And at the end of the day, I play guitar because I enjoy it, not because I am good at it!
I thoroughly enjoy playing and learning new songs. And at the end of the day, I play guitar because I enjoy it, not because I am good at it!
tweenster said:
I'm 55 and have had a guitar in my life since my teens but rarely played it as often as I should have. Consequently, I am nowhere near as good as I might have been. But...
I thoroughly enjoy playing and learning new songs. And at the end of the day, I play guitar because I enjoy it, not because I am good at it!
Absolutely. It's a great regret I never stuck at when I was fifteen. Found it hard to make any real progress learning on my own. Had a guitar teacher but we never 'bonded'. He was an old school rocker who had me practise 'Singing the blues' for weeks on end and endless Bert Weedon and Shads licks. Drove me nuts. Like being lectured by your dad.I thoroughly enjoy playing and learning new songs. And at the end of the day, I play guitar because I enjoy it, not because I am good at it!
Had a lot of guitars over the years. Favourites were a black Hofner Les Paul I got from the tip for a fiver, and the terrific Steinberger Spirit, (Ebay £99)
The best 'pick it up and play' guitar was a Hofner Shorty. £125. Always handy as a practice guitar and could be flipped for lefty abuse.
https://youtu.be/W87fCPKPJpc
droopsnoot said:
Slushbox said:
I 'learned' about fifteen years ago. Being a lefty makes everything harder/more expensive.
Yep - dearer to buy the guitar as they're more "specialised", get less for it when you sell it because there's less demand. As for being harder to learn I find it instinctive and easier than friends do to learn stuff off YT etc.
For me it’s instinctive to ‘mirror’ what I’m looking at, though I guess that won’t be the same for everyone. TBH when I look at something RH on the screen, it never occurs to me now that it is the opposite of what I’m doing.
Cantaloupe said:
Not many examples of late starters to the guitar who became a Guitar Hero, all the greats started young.
Well, yes, but the best thing about music is that you can enjoy it simply for what it gives you. Everyone knows that feeling when you make a coffee, sit down to play a bit and when you stop and take a swig of coffee, you find it's stone cold. Because the music took you somewhere else. Who needs to be a guitar hero?OP - no matter what your ambitions are, my #1 suggestion is to find someone else to play along, as and when you can. The discipline of playing along with someone else is great for getting the feel of the music. If they are better than you, their experience will rub off on you and you will get better and better without even noticing. And when you're having fun, you won't even notice your fingers hurt until later.
Lessons? Only you can tell if working to someone else's agenda works for what you want. If/when you can also develop the ability to pick out notes by ear, you will advance really quickly.
Youtube/etc? Yes, yes, yes! As well as playing tuition, and specific song tutorials, there are theory explanations now that are succinct and useful. Just dip in and out as you like.
Unsure if I can add anything else to what others have posted, but I'll try.
For a beginner guitar (for both electric and acoustic), for at least 20 years the stock answer has been anything with a Yamaha logo on the headstock. I've never owned nor played one, but I've not read a bad review of any of their products. One caveat I would table is try before you buy. The reason I say that is I always fancied a Strat and / or a Gibson SG, but having played both I just couldn't get comfortable with the bodies on them which is why I've (for the last 25 years) played "arch top" bodied guitars.
By all means, try and find a good local guitar teacher but - honestly - do not discount the internet.
I recently posted this:-
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Which has some great resources. However, other online tutors are very good indeed (all on YouTube).
Marty Schwartz for blues-based technique and guidance.
Justin Sandercoe for "blanket" guitar lessons for all genres.
Signals Music Studio for easy to follow guitar music theory.
Steve Stine for more in-depth shredding techniques.
GuitarLessons365 for more advanced individual song tutorials (such as "Peace Sells" by Megadeth)
With regard to amplifiers, as with a guitar - perhaps even more so - it's a very personal thing and dependent on (largely) what style you mostly want to play. For a clean sound with no distortion, I;d go Fender (I've got a Princeton Chorus and use pedals for overdrive and delay). For "crunch", Blackstar amps have a good reputation.
In any case, good luck with your journey!
For a beginner guitar (for both electric and acoustic), for at least 20 years the stock answer has been anything with a Yamaha logo on the headstock. I've never owned nor played one, but I've not read a bad review of any of their products. One caveat I would table is try before you buy. The reason I say that is I always fancied a Strat and / or a Gibson SG, but having played both I just couldn't get comfortable with the bodies on them which is why I've (for the last 25 years) played "arch top" bodied guitars.
By all means, try and find a good local guitar teacher but - honestly - do not discount the internet.
I recently posted this:-
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Which has some great resources. However, other online tutors are very good indeed (all on YouTube).
Marty Schwartz for blues-based technique and guidance.
Justin Sandercoe for "blanket" guitar lessons for all genres.
Signals Music Studio for easy to follow guitar music theory.
Steve Stine for more in-depth shredding techniques.
GuitarLessons365 for more advanced individual song tutorials (such as "Peace Sells" by Megadeth)
With regard to amplifiers, as with a guitar - perhaps even more so - it's a very personal thing and dependent on (largely) what style you mostly want to play. For a clean sound with no distortion, I;d go Fender (I've got a Princeton Chorus and use pedals for overdrive and delay). For "crunch", Blackstar amps have a good reputation.
In any case, good luck with your journey!
cherryowen said:
Unsure if I can add anything else to what others have posted, but I'll try.
For a beginner guitar (for both electric and acoustic), for at least 20 years the stock answer has been anything with a Yamaha logo on the headstock. I've never owned nor played one, but I've not read a bad review of any of their products. One caveat I would table is try before you buy. The reason I say that is I always fancied a Strat and / or a Gibson SG, but having played both I just couldn't get comfortable with the bodies on them which is why I've (for the last 25 years) played "arch top" bodied guitars.
By all means, try and find a good local guitar teacher but - honestly - do not discount the internet.
I recently posted this:-
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Which has some great resources. However, other online tutors are very good indeed (all on YouTube).
Marty Schwartz for blues-based technique and guidance.
Justin Sandercoe for "blanket" guitar lessons for all genres.
Signals Music Studio for easy to follow guitar music theory.
Steve Stine for more in-depth shredding techniques.
GuitarLessons365 for more advanced individual song tutorials (such as "Peace Sells" by Megadeth)
With regard to amplifiers, as with a guitar - perhaps even more so - it's a very personal thing and dependent on (largely) what style you mostly want to play. For a clean sound with no distortion, I;d go Fender (I've got a Princeton Chorus and use pedals for overdrive and delay). For "crunch", Blackstar amps have a good reputation.
In any case, good luck with your journey!
The Yamaha Pacifica’s are tremendous for beginners always have been ,easy to play and outstanding build quality for the money .For a beginner guitar (for both electric and acoustic), for at least 20 years the stock answer has been anything with a Yamaha logo on the headstock. I've never owned nor played one, but I've not read a bad review of any of their products. One caveat I would table is try before you buy. The reason I say that is I always fancied a Strat and / or a Gibson SG, but having played both I just couldn't get comfortable with the bodies on them which is why I've (for the last 25 years) played "arch top" bodied guitars.
By all means, try and find a good local guitar teacher but - honestly - do not discount the internet.
I recently posted this:-
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Which has some great resources. However, other online tutors are very good indeed (all on YouTube).
Marty Schwartz for blues-based technique and guidance.
Justin Sandercoe for "blanket" guitar lessons for all genres.
Signals Music Studio for easy to follow guitar music theory.
Steve Stine for more in-depth shredding techniques.
GuitarLessons365 for more advanced individual song tutorials (such as "Peace Sells" by Megadeth)
With regard to amplifiers, as with a guitar - perhaps even more so - it's a very personal thing and dependent on (largely) what style you mostly want to play. For a clean sound with no distortion, I;d go Fender (I've got a Princeton Chorus and use pedals for overdrive and delay). For "crunch", Blackstar amps have a good reputation.
In any case, good luck with your journey!
franki68 said:
The Yamaha Pacifica’s are tremendous for beginners always have been ,easy to play and outstanding build quality for the money .
They are good. Had a blonde lefty I never should have sold. The thing about body shape, weight and neck width is also a big factor: Strats are mostly 'fit anyone' but I had a heavy Burns Marquee which was really fatiguing to manhandle all the time. I didn't learn my lesson and bought an Epiphone Plus Top Les Paul, which had a lot of mahogany and was like carrying a paving slab. Beautiful guitar, but sold within a month. Lust is expensive. There's a Studio Version, for that reason. :-)
We've got Anderton's Music store in Guildford nearby. They are really relaxed about spending the morning in there and trying everything in budget then just buying a pack of strings.
They have a 'beginners' section on the web site:
https://www.andertons.co.uk/cool-stuff/best-electr...
My advice would be to buy a guitar you like the look of and what feels comfortable. Don't buy the cheapest but buy something which is good value. Squier affinity is a decent start, Epiphone if you like a Les Paul or Yamaha if you fancy one of their Pacifica's.
Also, don't go out and buy a cheap amp. They sound s
t! There's a few decent practice shelf amps. I really rate a Vox Adio air or a Yamaha THR10c. If you don't want to spend that kind of cash, have a look at a multi FX pedal (the cheap Zoom G series pedals are excellent value) as you can play them through headphones. You'll get a lot of inspiration just playing around with the sounds as you begin. You're never to old to learn, just find time to do it.
Also, don't go out and buy a cheap amp. They sound s
t! There's a few decent practice shelf amps. I really rate a Vox Adio air or a Yamaha THR10c. If you don't want to spend that kind of cash, have a look at a multi FX pedal (the cheap Zoom G series pedals are excellent value) as you can play them through headphones. You'll get a lot of inspiration just playing around with the sounds as you begin. You're never to old to learn, just find time to do it. Lots of excellent stuff written already. I'm 43 and began learning about 2 years ago.
The older you are the harder it is in my experience is true, as I have lessons with my 10 year old and on average I must practice 3 or 4 times as much as he does and he's still much better than me. However that has no effect on the enjoyment of playing, it is such a rewarding hobby.
Regarding amps I would say look for something with at least a 10" speaker. When we started out I got 2 amps that both had 8" speakers, and while initially they were ok you soon realised they sounded a bit farty and thin. Over time they have been replaced by a Katana 50 and Bassbreaker 007 which (to my ears at least) sound like proper amps.
I would suggest looking on Facebook selling pages for amps, as that's where I got the original 2 and if their replacements hadn't been so new I would have gone looking there too. The other advantage is if you don't really like it or want to move it on you should be able to pretty much get your money back. I think I may have even made £5 on ours 😁.
The Katana really is an excellent amp, but any digital or transistor amp from major brands with a 10" or 12" (preferably 12?) Speaker will sound great at practice levels.
Also I guess the learning is very personal but I tried the online courses (especially Justin Guitar) which I found very good, but having a tutor made a big difference. We do an hour a week but if there was just one of us 30mins would be plenty.
Good luck.
The older you are the harder it is in my experience is true, as I have lessons with my 10 year old and on average I must practice 3 or 4 times as much as he does and he's still much better than me. However that has no effect on the enjoyment of playing, it is such a rewarding hobby.
Regarding amps I would say look for something with at least a 10" speaker. When we started out I got 2 amps that both had 8" speakers, and while initially they were ok you soon realised they sounded a bit farty and thin. Over time they have been replaced by a Katana 50 and Bassbreaker 007 which (to my ears at least) sound like proper amps.
I would suggest looking on Facebook selling pages for amps, as that's where I got the original 2 and if their replacements hadn't been so new I would have gone looking there too. The other advantage is if you don't really like it or want to move it on you should be able to pretty much get your money back. I think I may have even made £5 on ours 😁.
The Katana really is an excellent amp, but any digital or transistor amp from major brands with a 10" or 12" (preferably 12?) Speaker will sound great at practice levels.
Also I guess the learning is very personal but I tried the online courses (especially Justin Guitar) which I found very good, but having a tutor made a big difference. We do an hour a week but if there was just one of us 30mins would be plenty.
Good luck.
Mr_Yogi said:
......I have lessons with my 10 year old and on average I must practice 3 or 4 times as much as he does and he's still much better than me.
Only three or four times? You are doing better than me. I am taking weekly lessons with my nineteen year son who in a few short months is streets ahead! With regard to first guitars/equipment I appreciate we all have different budgets but I was encouraged to stretch a bit and buy something good quality secondhand. Better quality is more likely to hold its value and the pleasure of playing something decent is encouraging me to keep up with the practice.
Mark
Agree with pretty much all of the above but why should that mean I can't add a few thoughts 
When anyone asks me now what guitar they should buy my answer is always the same - one that makes you feel good. It doesn't matter what make or cost just get something that adds to the buzz of playing.
No matter what guitar you buy get a luthier to do a proper set up to make sure the frets are even and level, that the neck is adjusted properly and that the pick up height is set properly. It might add £50 to the guitar but it will make it play so much better than straight out of the box. This is a vid from Phil McKnight that covers what goes into a set up and explains the benefits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxLBg8uXXKM
I should have taken lessons when I was younger but my recommendation now would be to take lessons to establish good basic technique and then track down your favourite songs on YouTube and learn how to play them perhaps with the help of your teacher. There seem to be versions of almost every song out there with some at a simple strumming level up to full on "as it was recorded" versions. Trying to learn from the internet is possible but there is no one to point out what you are doing wrong and that is about 90% of the battle of learning.
And join a band at the earliest opportunity. I should have done it years ago. It is terrifying at first and I still have imposter syndrome issues even in the band that I started but it adds so much to the process of learning and playing. Having a collective process of deciding which songs to play has thrown stuff at me like Number of the Beast, Hysteria and Enter Sandman and being effectively forced to learn the guitar parts has really stretched my ability and technique.
You may also want to record something so that you can go back later and think "I am SOOO much better than that now!" - just for those times when progress seems to flat line.
And have fun. That is the most important thing.
When anyone asks me now what guitar they should buy my answer is always the same - one that makes you feel good. It doesn't matter what make or cost just get something that adds to the buzz of playing.
No matter what guitar you buy get a luthier to do a proper set up to make sure the frets are even and level, that the neck is adjusted properly and that the pick up height is set properly. It might add £50 to the guitar but it will make it play so much better than straight out of the box. This is a vid from Phil McKnight that covers what goes into a set up and explains the benefits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxLBg8uXXKM
I should have taken lessons when I was younger but my recommendation now would be to take lessons to establish good basic technique and then track down your favourite songs on YouTube and learn how to play them perhaps with the help of your teacher. There seem to be versions of almost every song out there with some at a simple strumming level up to full on "as it was recorded" versions. Trying to learn from the internet is possible but there is no one to point out what you are doing wrong and that is about 90% of the battle of learning.
And join a band at the earliest opportunity. I should have done it years ago. It is terrifying at first and I still have imposter syndrome issues even in the band that I started but it adds so much to the process of learning and playing. Having a collective process of deciding which songs to play has thrown stuff at me like Number of the Beast, Hysteria and Enter Sandman and being effectively forced to learn the guitar parts has really stretched my ability and technique.
You may also want to record something so that you can go back later and think "I am SOOO much better than that now!" - just for those times when progress seems to flat line.
And have fun. That is the most important thing.
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