So, i'm learning guitar.

[diego_2112]

Give up six-string, play bass. worked for me.

High-fucking-five! I started Bass in February!

I've been playing bass since december! right now i can play feel good inc, seven nation army and the main riff from feel good hit of the summer. i don't get a lot of time to practice, though...

Bass is what I started out on over a decade ago, and after about two years of bass, I switched over to guitar (but never stopped playing bass, bass=my soul)!

OT:
The tips I can give you are NEVER EVER EVER take shortcuts (for those saying play in Drop D to make it easier, DO NOT DO THIS! It will handicap your playing in later years-speaking from experience here)!

Learn all you can from ANYONE you can, not just paid teachers. EVERY guitarist has something to teach, contrariwise, every guitarist also has something to LEARN. Gain knowledge, and share it.

Proper fingering should be your NUMBER ONE concern at this stage in the game. If you've been fingering a chord wrong for X amount of time, it's going to handicap your playing (again, from experience... bad habits are hard to break).

Learn all major and minor chords. Yes, learn Major 7th chords too... I know they USUALLY sound crappy, but hey, play 'em arpeggiated!

Scales and modes. LEARN THEM. Play them acending and decending, and then start mixing it up!

PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!!! Music is 5% talent, 95% PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE! Short sessions are good, long sessions are good, whatever man, just practice. In highschool, I'd practice between 6-10 hours a day. This is not for everyone though, music is my life, inside and out.

LEARN TO READ MUSIC. I did not. I still cant. It is a MAJOR handicap for me.

As strange as it sounds, air guitar. Yes, that's right, AIR GUITAR. It helps with strum timing etc. That's a good thing.

If you can LEARN to play with the 'nome, do it. I cant, it annoys the piss out of me. I can count just fine on my own, and as I grew up playing in jazz... yeah...

LEARN TO PLAY JAZZ! There is NO better music for guitar than jazz! EVEN IF you just want to play metal/shread/thrash/whatever, JAZZ will help you on your way! In FACT, jazz and metal are ALOT closer to each other than most people are willing to admit! Same techniques, just VASTLY different equipment!

There ya go.

Also, remember, it takes time, hard work, and dedecation! And remember, PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!!!

 

[-Samurai-]

Edit. Got my tunings mixed up.

OT: Don't force yourself to play when your fingers start to hurt(and trust me, they will start to hurt). Take a break and come back when they're properly healed.

 

[snow]

-snip-

Yeah sorry if the post was too long! Playing the guitar is something that I love to do, so when some one is showing interest I try to do the best I can to share my passion and hobby with others.

To answer your question for the other guy, in case he hadn't already.

what are the basic things a guitar teacher expects you to have when you go? I know a guitar and that are likely obvious but i may be missing something.

Most likely just your guitar and amp (if you're using one,) and a pick. It never hurts to ask the teacher when you call as well just to make sure there isn't anything specific he wants you to bring.

Never be afraid to ask questions, for there is no such thing as a stupid question, evar!

Lately i've been just trying to learn parts from songs, but that might possibly be because i'm trying to improve my switching of chords.

That is totally fine and a good way to learn. What I would do is learn part of a song at a time. Get yourself comfortable with that and then when you get that down, move on to the next. Once you're able to learn the entirety of the song, figure out where you might have had some trouble and go back and practice that part until you're fluent with it.

What got me started in playing the guitar was, I used to hang out with a friend of mine all the time, and as we were hanging out, he would constantly play a piece of a song over and over again. One day I was sitting at home by myself and bored out of my mind, so I picked up my dads acoustic guitar and was able to recall the song he played by ear.

I then started looking some of my favorite songs that sounded really easy to play, and did the same thing you did. I would learn small parts of each song and then try to work my way through the rest of it once I became more comfortable.

Switching between chords fluently is going to take some time, because you're going to have to get used to placing your fingers in what will feel like extremely awkward positions at first, but as you keep playing, your hand muscles will strengthen and it will become more and more easier as time goes by.

Which is why the majority of people who responded to this thread said that the most important thing you can do is practice, practice, practice. If you don't practice, you won't build that hand strength up and it will be continuously hard to switch between chords.

I could be part of some shitty garage band but of course, it doesn't matter. It'd be a good time XD

Playing in a shitty garage band, or any band for that matter is a very rewarding experience. For the longest time back when I was first starting off, I would hop over to my friends house and I would jam on the guitar while she played the drums.

It's really damn cool to hear some one else play along with what you're playing, no matter what instrument. It really motivates you into playing a lot more and learning new things so you can go back and try it out with others!

If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask, and have fun!

 

[Dogstile]

-snip-

Yeah sorry if the post was too long! Playing the guitar is something that I love to do, so when some one is showing interest I try to do the best I can to share my passion and hobby with others.

To answer your question for the other guy, in case he hadn't already.

what are the basic things a guitar teacher expects you to have when you go? I know a guitar and that are likely obvious but i may be missing something.

Most likely just your guitar and amp (if you're using one,) and a pick. It never hurts to ask the teacher when you call as well just to make sure there isn't anything specific he wants you to bring.

Never be afraid to ask questions, for there is no such thing as a stupid question, evar!

Lately i've been just trying to learn parts from songs, but that might possibly be because i'm trying to improve my switching of chords.

That is totally fine and a good way to learn. What I would do is learn part of a song at a time. Get yourself comfortable with that and then when you get that down, move on to the next. Once you're able to learn the entirety of the song, figure out where you might have had some trouble and go back and practice that part until you're fluent with it.

What got me started in playing the guitar was, I used to hang out with a friend of mine all the time, and as we were hanging out, he would constantly play a piece of a song over and over again. One day I was sitting at home by myself and bored out of my mind, so I picked up my dads acoustic guitar and was able to recall the song he played by ear.

I then started looking some of my favorite songs that sounded really easy to play, and did the same thing you did. I would learn small parts of each song and then try to work my way through the rest of it once I became more comfortable.

Switching between chords fluently is going to take some time, because you're going to have to get used to placing your fingers in what will feel like extremely awkward positions at first, but as you keep playing, your hand muscles will strengthen and it will become more and more easier as time goes by.

Which is why the majority of people who responded to this thread said that the most important thing you can do is practice, practice, practice. If you don't practice, you won't build that hand strength up and it will be continuously hard to switch between chords.

I could be part of some shitty garage band but of course, it doesn't matter. It'd be a good time XD

Playing in a shitty garage band, or any band for that matter is a very rewarding experience. For the longest time back when I was first starting off, I would hop over to my friends house and I would jam on the guitar while she played the drums.

It's really damn cool to hear some one else play along with what you're playing, no matter what instrument. It really motivates you into playing a lot more and learning new things so you can go back and try it out with others!

If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask, and have fun!

I honestly think you've answered every single question that i can currently think of right now. I'm putting aside a fund for guitar lessons and i'm making a list of things i should do each day. Should help me a bit.

You have my deepest thanks man, you've been a massive help.

 

[PuffyMuffin92]

I'd recommend taking private lessons to start out. They'll help you get the basics so you don't develop bad habits. After a while, you should be ready to jam on your own.

 

[2012 Wont Happen]

Give up six-string, play bass. worked for me.

Or you can play both!

Although, if you do this its important to remember though that when you're playing bass it isn't just a simpler guitar, there are some different techniques you'd use for the same music, even with a complex bass riff.

As for a hint or tip for starting out, get someone decent to teach you. Barring that, just play a shitload.

 

[snow]

-snip-

I honestly think you've answered every single question that i can currently think of right now. I'm putting aside a fund for guitar lessons and i'm making a list of things i should do each day. Should help me a bit.

You have my deepest thanks man, you've been a massive help.

That's not a bad idea at all, I should start doing that as well so that way I can finally get help in the areas I'm having trouble in.

Really glad I could help! There are so many people near where I live that want to learn how to play but have zero motivation for it, so it's really nice to see some one diving into something that I consider as one of the most rewarding hobbies out there.

 

[Eggsnham]

Practice makes perfect.

 

[MONSTERheart]

ALRIGHT HERE WE GO LISTEN UP.

- Play closer to the frets. It will be easier to play.
- Minor/Major Pentatonic scale. Learn it, use it, love it.
- Power Chords and slash chords. Always good in any situation.
- Distortion makes everyone sound like a champ.
- Do not be tricked into thinking you need to know complex musical theory.
- When picking angle your thumb DOWN rather than UP. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpJNUGHxC3M if you don't know what I mean.
- Always experiment. Nothing is more frustrating than quitting because you still sound the exact same after months of practice.
- And lastly: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/for_beginners/learning_music_theory_the_beginning.html

 

[JohnnySex]

Try to learn a new song every day. It takes time but it pays off. Make sure you learn songs from multiple styles to diversify what you know. That's pretty much all i can say. Worked for me.

 

[octafish]

Learn how to play C D and G, then form a band. If you want to make it big, there is no money above the fith fret.