Best way to learn guitar?

[DawgMan]

So one of my plans when I retire at the end of next year is to learn how to play guitar... start a band, head out on the road, become a rock star, have a bunch of beautiful groupies with me... or did I just dream this last night??.

I bought a new acoustic guitar a few years ago that is just sitting in its case. My daughter has taken it out a number of times and started watching a few YouTube instruction videos and was learning a few things. In the old days, you would hire a music instructor and head over after school a couple days a week for instruction.

What's the best/fastest way to learn how to play today? Are these self taught videos all you need? Old school sign up for the local music school?

Anyone want to join my band? "More cow bell!"

 

[Christine]

Whichever method that will make you practice the most.

Youtube/teacher/DIY-books depends on what's avilable and your personality.

Back when I started the two first options were unavailable so I used DIY books and tried to play along cassette tapes.

 

[COcheesehead]

I went down the guitar road 3 times. 2 times with a teacher, once on my own. I have come to the conclusion that playing an instrument really is a talent and I do not possess it. It did spy a cool ukulele in a music store window though. So there may be a 4th attempt at learning a stringed instrument.

 

[Oz investor]

( deep breath ) start playing it

if you do like the sounds it makes , buy a tuner and learn the frequencies of the sounds you like ( i have a strong preference for A = 432 Hz which is not currently popular )

i don't aspire to play like anyone else ( or be better than anyone else )

please feel encouraged to explore

cheers ,

re the invite to a band , thanks but my travel options are heavily restricted

but good luck on what could become a wonderful adventure

 

[Midpack]

It may depend on your underlying musical aptitude some. Online videos might work, lessons are most likely to work. Try videos and if that doesn’t work try lessons. But as noted above, you have to practice and work at it, there’s no silver bullet.

I took up and quit quitar twice, once as a teenager and again in my late 50’s. Both times I reached the same plateau and couldn’t seem to progress from there, not sure what limits me from progressing further...

 

[target2019]

Between say 15 and 25 years of age I messed around with my dad's guitar. I had "beatles complete" anthology, which had chords and leads to all of their work. That is how I learned chords, and it was not too difficult to imprint the chord shapes in my mind.

About 30, I studied classical method on and off for a few years, with a very good teacher. I learned that I knew almost nothing about music theory, and fully experiencing an instrument. It took a lot of discipline, and I learned to read ok. The results were pretty impressive.

Kids and life intervened. I go back to the instrument to give it another try, but have found it gets more difficult to get results I am happy with.

With guitar playing, you have to be very careful to learn technique so that you don't contort your body into very uncomfortable and damaging positions.

 

[target2019]

And don't become this player!

 

[ERD50]

...
if you do like the sounds it makes , buy a tuner and learn the frequencies of the sounds you like ( i have a strong preference for A = 432 Hz which is not currently popular )
... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IHDrNWxSsk

432 from 440 is ~ 30 cents, or about 1/3rd of a semitone (the step between adjacent piano/fret notes). Some guitar players detune their guitars a semitone, a full step, occasionally even more, to get a deeper sound. Of course they need to transpose to play with others in standard tuning.

-ERD50

 

[MikeWillRetire]

When I graduated from college 33 years ago, I decided to play bass guitar. I bought a bass and amp from the Sears catalog, and a good book. I figured how hard could it be? It only has 4 strings, and you play one note at a time. Boy was that a humbling experience. I could play a song, as long as I had some sheet music or chords to help me memorize it. But I was never able to play by ear. Still can't. Good luck!

 

[Bir48die]

Have played for over 50 years. I would take a beginner class at a local community college. You'll have others to bounce ideas and frustrations off of and it won't kill your pocketbook. Get an inexpensive acoustic guitar to start. You can always jump to a nicer one.

Get to know your basic chords and strings. Understand the transition from one string to another. Then make a decision whether to take a next level course. One huge thing is learning to strum. That's why some try but give it up because strumming is half the battle and you need to have a sense of the beat.

Over time, listen to songs and figure out if you can recognize chords. See if you have an ear for music. I learned 90% of my songs by ear. Now YouTube has a ton of songs that they teach very slowly. Really cool.

Lastly, if you want to learn lead guitar I suggest you pay for private lessons to learn progressions, etc.

 

[Oz investor]

It may depend on your underlying musical aptitude some. Online videos might work, lessons are most likely to work. Try videos and if that doesn’t work try lessons. But as noted above, you have to practice and work at it, there’s no silver bullet.

I took up and quit quitar twice, once as a teenager and again in my late 50’s. Both times I reached the same plateau and couldn’t seem to progress from there, not sure what limits me from progressing further...

i remember a quote often used by a jazz playing associate ' there is no such thing as a wrong note , there is perhaps a better time to have played it '

but progress to where ?

do you want to emulate somebody else , ... create ... or just express a mood or idea

every one of my guitars has a different tuning that ( to me) suits that guitar and the string sets differ as well , i just experiment and experiment until i am happy with the outcome and then record the details as i am happy with them

to me it is all about making a large number of pleasing sounds ( in a row ) even if it seems to stick to no particular scale or tune .

how about this pattern and just experiment there

 

[fh2000]

I only know a few chords: G (2 ways), C, Em, Am, D7, F. These cover almost most of the songs I know from 2 languages. Good enough for me.

 

[Tailgate]

Sorry if this is TMI, but my hobbies in retirement include golf, guns and guitars..so here goes.

I learned guitar as a teen and put it down in my early 20's. Picked it back up 45 years later. Muscle memory came back very quickly but I was never/will never be musically inclined and very talented. I love to make noise in my man cave and play for the dog.

First of all you might make sure you're learning on an appropriate guitar. Doesn't need to be pricy at all, just needs to be playable (action low enough that your fingers won't bleed). You might even consider learning on a classical guitar with nylon strings..that's how I learned.

I have 4 specific suggestions:

1. Decide WHAT GENRE of music you want to learn. Youtube will drive you crazy with SO much content. You need to be focused.
I decided I wanted to learn Delta, Memphis, Chicago acoustic blues by Elmore James, Robert Johnson, RL Burnside, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters...etc... I love it because it's simple and does not have to sound perfect. Blues is Blues..and it all sounds good.

2. Find a good local teacher and pay them to teach you the basics. Practice practice and then practice some more.. develop muscle memory and you're home free. A really great teacher will change how you LISTEN to music..once you start really really listening to whats going on in the music the learning process is so much more enjoyable. My teacher taught me the basics of music...we just happened to use the guitar as our instrument.

3. In addition to the local teacher, identify ONE Youtube or online teacher or website who specializes or offers lessons in your selected genre. Pay if you have to so you can try to learn exactly what you want to learn.

4. Join a free online FORUM like acousticguitarforum.com so you can learn the language of music, gear (like best strings to try..they make a huge difference), ask stupid questions (like I do on this forum) etc...

fyi, some online learning sites include:

Justinguitar
Jamplay
Truefire
Licknriff
Totally Guitars
Marty Schwartz

A good example of a genre teacher is the guy I pay to follow who teaches acoustic blues, Tom Feldman

there are dozens more...watch out...it will drive you crazy... be selective
Don't give up! Enjoy!

 

[Cobra9777]

I taught myself guitar at age 12 with no instructor, no YouTube, no tabs on the internet, etc. Just an intense desire to learn. I figured stuff out by listening to records, watching other guitarists, trial and error. It helped that I had some music background. I could read music, played piano by ear, and had a basic understanding of chord structure and progressions.

By 16, I was teaching guitar lessons at a local music store. Some of my students advanced very quickly. Others did not. They all got the same guidance. The difference was... some had an intense desire to learn and others didn't. It's really that simple. If you really WANT to learn, you will happily put in the hours of practice necessary. If you have any sense of feeling in the fingertips of your left hand, you are not practicing enough.

 

[T-Minus]

Once you’ve got a few basics under your belt, the best way to get better at guitar (or any instrument really) is to get together with a few like-minded friends and jam. It’ll force you to extend yourself into areas where, when you’re just practicing solo, you’re not likely to go. You’ll also have to learn tempo in order to keep up.

And, be wary of GAS (Gear Aquisition Syndrome). It can become all-consuming. Just stick with the basics and don’t go down that road...

 

[Oz investor]

now i find a guitar i like playing FIRST , then i see if i can get some good sounds , THEN i consider buying it ( and yes some of my guitars are downright ugly pawnshop orphans )

and then there was the Charvel that was packaged up with a headless bass so the guitar shop owner would just get it off the premises ( it turned out NEEDING a true valve amp to sound special , no expensive transistors would do a thing )

i needed a compact bass for a project where i needed to use public transport to get there .. so didn't really need the free guitar .. just couldn't help experimenting with it one month after i discovered it felt OK to play ( never tried it in the guitar shop )

but to me it is all about the interaction between the human and the instrument and the mood at the time

 

[Oz investor]

 

[Freedom56]

So one of my plans when I retire at the end of next year is to learn how to play guitar... start a band, head out on the road, become a rock star, have a bunch of beautiful groupies with me... or did I just dream this last night??.

I bought a new acoustic guitar a few years ago that is just sitting in its case. My daughter has taken it out a number of times and started watching a few YouTube instruction videos and was learning a few things. In the old days, you would hire a music instructor and head over after school a couple days a week for instruction.

What's the best/fastest way to learn how to play today? Are these self taught videos all you need? Old school sign up for the local music school?

Anyone want to join my band? "More cow bell!"

Learn some music theory and scales first followed by chords. Try this site:

fretjam Guitar Lessons Online - Be Yourself On Guitar

Since you're the Fat FIRE guy, you could hire someone like Carlos Santana to teach you also.

 

[eytonxav]

Took a few lessons as a teen, didn't practice, gave up since I didn't feel I had a proclivity for it. I have a stratocaster and vox amp sitting here collecting dust that my DD gave up on many years ago, so maybe I should give it a crack.

 

[DawgMan]

Thanks all! I will dig into all the different recommendations.

If it doesn't work out, I will take on the cow bell!

 

[imoldernu]

It's not easy. Can you invest a few buck on a simpler way to start?

Buy a ukelele... like this:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ADM-21-Economic-Soprano-Ukulele-Start-Pack-with-Gig-bag-Tuner-Black/836009434?athcpid=836009434&athpgid=athenaItemPage&athcgid=null&athznid=PWVUB&athieid=v0&athstid=CS020&athguid=466001f5-8edcbbda-8c643bbc8cb2e712&athena=true

Instead of 6 strings, which are hard... (and don't let anybody tell you it's easy)
The Uke has just four strings which tune as and will play the same as the guitar chords. You learn, using the same music as what is shown for the guitar, and in a very short time be able to use those same fingers, when you transfer to learning the guitar... and without the frustration and the anxiety.

If you only have a guitar, removing the two bass strings will give the same effect, but it'll be a lot more fun using a $15 uke.

Willie Nelson and I both started out with a uke.

 

[StephieJean]

So one of my plans when I retire at the end of next year is to learn how to play guitar... start a band, head out on the road, become a rock star, have a bunch of beautiful groupies with me... or did I just dream this last night??.

I bought a new acoustic guitar a few years ago that is just sitting in its case. My daughter has taken it out a number of times and started watching a few YouTube instruction videos and was learning a few things. In the old days, you would hire a music instructor and head over after school a couple days a week for instruction.

What's the best/fastest way to learn how to play today? Are these self taught videos all you need? Old school sign up for the local music school?

Anyone want to join my band? "More cow bell!"

I too have had the dream to play guitar like a rock star;however, I am a drummer and singer, not a guitarist. I have two guitars, (one electric, one acoustic) and although I know how to do a few power chords and some notes to songs, I am NOT a guitarist. I did buy a bass once, thinking 4 strings would be easier..NOT. so good luck. One tip is this...PRACTICE PRACTICE and more PRACTICE.

 

[harley]

Pick something else to learn. According to the Loving Spoonful

there's thirteen hundred and fifty two
Guitar pickers in Nashville
And they can pick more notes than the number of ants
On a Tennessee ant hill
Yeah, there's thirteen hundred and fifty two
Guitar cases in Nashville
And any one that unpacks 'is guitar could play
Twice as better than I will

And that was back in the 60s. Inflation will have increased that number exponentially.

I play guitar some, but I also play bass (sorta), sax, and currently I'm teaching myself flute. If you're just looking for people to jam with it's a lot more fun to have a diverse selection of instruments. The reason I switched to bass was because at one point I was playing with 5 other guys. Six guitar players don't usually play music, they just make noise. After I switched it was still noise, but at least there was some bottom.

 

[Bamaman]

I grew up in Nashville, The Music City. I think the Login'Spoonful were conservative on how many pickers there are in that city. In think just about every road act of every genre in the world are staffed by musicians out of Nashville.

To be a really good guitar.player, it takes training, a good ear and the willingness to invest a large portion of every day to practicing. And it helps to have talent.

I now live in a smaller music city of Muscle Shoals. We also have superior guitar.players living here like Mac McAnally, Travis Wammack, John Paul White and dozens of other pickers. They run back and forth to Nashville doing sessions,.and they are a very intimidating bunch of players.

 

[timemoveson]

Justin Guitar

Justin Guitar - superb free resource or you can access more for a fee. Very impressive.

I'm a lifelong musician on other instruments, including theory, and know good from mediocre/bad.