Tips for learning how to play guitar?

[eytonxav]

Get yourself a clip on tuner if you haven't done so yet, they are inexpensive (less than $20). Guitars go out of tune quickly and that's perfectly normal. Also, as the strings age they tend to go out of tune faster

When I ordered the Chord Buddy, it was supposed to come with a tuner, but did not show up. Contacted them and it was delivered today, and is a clip on like you suggested.

 

[FreeBear]

Thanks! Dropped off the guitar this morning at the luthier. He said the guitar is generally in pretty good shape, pots and finish were fine and surprisingly it was not badly out of tune. Strings were rusted and need replacing, action needs to be lowered, and I think he said something about pinning something (maybe the saddle, but not sure my terminology is correct) and a few other things. While he has it, I need to read up on my amp, it's a VOX AD50VT. I have no idea what all these dials and buttons do.

Excellent!


That VOX amp looks great! What kinds of songs/artists will you be playing??

 

[sengsational]

I'd never heard of ChordBuddy before. Looked it up. I'd only recommend that for someone who didn't want to learn how to play guitar, hehehe!

For those who didn't take the 30 seconds I spent learning about it, ChordBuddy is a bit of plastic you put over the first few frets of your guitar and it's designed to press the right strings when you press on one or more of the brightly colored plastic things. So it essentially is learning how to play some other instrument.

 

[Koolau]

I'd never heard of ChordBuddy before. Looked it up. I'd only recommend that for someone who didn't want to learn how to play guitar, hehehe!

For those who didn't take the 30 seconds I spent learning about it, ChordBuddy is a bit of plastic you put over the first few frets of your guitar and it's designed to press the right strings when you press on one or more of the brightly colored plastic things. So it essentially is learning how to play some other instrument.

Sounds like my old autoharp! I was a Lovin Spoonful fan and John Sebastian played one. Had to have it. Very tough to keep in tune with all those strings but YMMV.

 

[ERD50]

I'd never heard of ChordBuddy before. Looked it up. I'd only recommend that for someone who didn't want to learn how to play guitar, hehehe!

For those who didn't take the 30 seconds I spent learning about it, ChordBuddy is a bit of plastic you put over the first few frets of your guitar and it's designed to press the right strings when you press on one or more of the brightly colored plastic things. So it essentially is learning how to play some other instrument.

Agreed, but there is one possible saving grace to it. It looks like if you follow the guide, they have you remove one section at a time, and you actually fret that section yourself, so you build up, removing a section as you learn, until you don't use it at all. Like training wheels.

Not sure that really gets you there any faster, but it might work as encouragement for some?

Sounds like my old autoharp! I was a Lovin Spoonful fan and John Sebastian played one. Had to have it. Very tough to keep in tune with all those strings but YMMV.

Kind of the opposite of an autoharp/zither in practice, but a similar concept. An autoharp/zither has many notes, with a string for each note, and no frets. So rather than pressing a button to fret certain notes, the autoharp/zither mutes all the "wrong" notes, with a segmented piece of felt for each button/bar. Then you can strum all those strings, and only the right notes sound.

Here's an autoharp master, Bryan Bowers. I saw him perform in the 70's. In this video (skip to ~ 5:30 to hear the end result), he shows how he developed his technique. He does a lot of picking of the individual strings (with metal finger picks on each finger/thumb), and I assume he completely un-mutes it at times, and/or maybe chooses harmonically related chords and selectively picks strings within that harmonic structure. AT any rate, it really elevates the instrument to another level, and sounds beautiful.

-ERD50

 

[Music Lover]

I'd never heard of ChordBuddy before. Looked it up. I'd only recommend that for someone who didn't want to learn how to play guitar, hehehe!

For those who didn't take the 30 seconds I spent learning about it, ChordBuddy is a bit of plastic you put over the first few frets of your guitar and it's designed to press the right strings when you press on one or more of the brightly colored plastic things. So it essentially is learning how to play some other instrument.

I don't see the benefit. The basic chords are not that complicated...start with 3 easy chords like G, C, and D (all in the key of G) and practice switching between them. Once you're comfortable add say A and E and along with D you've learned the key of A. And so on...

 

[target2019]

Learn about the circle of fifths...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_fifths

Don't work on just 3 chords, rather learn the chord shapes and progressions used in the music you want to play.

 

[Music Lover]

Learn about the circle of fifths...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_fifths

Don't work on just 3 chords, rather learn the chord shapes and progressions used in the music you want to play.

There's nothing wrong with learning 3 chords so you can play a few easy songs right away. Knowing how to play some easy songs can help beginners stay motivated while they work on other areas of learning. Plus practicing chord changes develops muscle memory and builds callouses...all important parts of learning to play.

 

[target2019]

There's nothing wrong with learning 3 chords so you can play a few easy songs right away. Knowing how to play some easy songs can help beginners stay motivated while they work on other areas of learning. Plus practicing chord changes develops muscle memory and builds callouses...all important parts of learning to play.

Did I say it was wrong? No.

I was suggesting a better method. Why learn just 3 chords in one position when you're on the verge of tasting the secret sauce?

 

[Music Lover]

Did I say it was wrong? No.

I was suggesting a better method. Why learn just 3 chords in one position when you're on the verge of tasting the secret sauce?

We do agree...I wasn't suggesting to only learn 3 chords, but I think it's a good way to start while you continue learning.

 

[Freedom56]

A good site for beginners is Fret Jam.

fretjam Guitar Lessons Online - Be Yourself On Guitar

You can learn all about chords, scales, and theory on this site and it's all free.

 

[target2019]

Yes, chords G-C-D are easy enough to learn. If you internalize also that a common progression heard is I-IV-V-I (G-C-D-G) then it brings more future pieces together through elementary theory.

 

[Koolau]

Agreed, but there is one possible saving grace to it. It looks like if you follow the guide, they have you remove one section at a time, and you actually fret that section yourself, so you build up, removing a section as you learn, until you don't use it at all. Like training wheels.

Not sure that really gets you there any faster, but it might work as encouragement for some?



Kind of the opposite of an autoharp/zither in practice, but a similar concept. An autoharp/zither has many notes, with a string for each note, and no frets. So rather than pressing a button to fret certain notes, the autoharp/zither mutes all the "wrong" notes, with a segmented piece of felt for each button/bar. Then you can strum all those strings, and only the right notes sound.

Here's an autoharp master, Bryan Bowers. I saw him perform in the 70's. In this video (skip to ~ 5:30 to hear the end result), he shows how he developed his technique. He does a lot of picking of the individual strings (with metal finger picks on each finger/thumb), and I assume he completely un-mutes it at times, and/or maybe chooses harmonically related chords and selectively picks strings within that harmonic structure. AT any rate, it really elevates the instrument to another level, and sounds beautiful.

-ERD50

Even John Sebastian couldn't play it like that. Thanks.

 

[like2]

It is truly a fun hobby! At the end of my working life I rewarded myself with a nice acoustic guitar and I play most days for at least 30 minutes. It is something I have always wanted to do and with You Tube and a few books I have made some good progress.
It does take time to build the callous' on you fingertips and sometimes I feel like I'm not making any progress then all of the sudden I find myself doing something I didn't think I could do!
There has been a lot of great advice on this thread and what I would say to you is-
Practice
Play slowly
Practice
Be patient
Practice
Don't get overwhelmed by all the information out there
Practice
Find someone you can play with(safely of course!)
Practice
Most of all-
HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!

 

[eytonxav]

Excellent!


That VOX amp looks great! What kinds of songs/artists will you be playing??

I like different types of music, so have not really put much thought to this yet. Just need to get my fingers to work and handle some chords. Unfortunately, my hands are on the small side and I have a fairly short pinky finger.

I'd never heard of ChordBuddy before. Looked it up. I'd only recommend that for someone who didn't want to learn how to play guitar, hehehe!

For those who didn't take the 30 seconds I spent learning about it, ChordBuddy is a bit of plastic you put over the first few frets of your guitar and it's designed to press the right strings when you press on one or more of the brightly colored plastic things. So it essentially is learning how to play some other instrument.

This appeared on Shark Tank, its just a learners crutch. I'll play around with it for a while, but do not want to be dependent. I thought it might be helpful to get my fingers going.

It is truly a fun hobby! At the end of my working life I rewarded myself with a nice acoustic guitar and I play most days for at least 30 minutes. It is something I have always wanted to do and with You Tube and a few books I have made some good progress.
It does take time to build the callous' on you fingertips and sometimes I feel like I'm not making any progress then all of the sudden I find myself doing something I didn't think I could do!
There has been a lot of great advice on this thread and what I would say to you is-
Practice
Play slowly
Practice
Be patient
Practice
Don't get overwhelmed by all the information out there
Practice
Find someone you can play with(safely of course!)
Practice
Most of all-
HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!

I agree, thank you for those suggestions.

 

[MasterBlaster]

It can take days or even weeks to learn your first song. I think most folks have a difficult time forming even basic common chord shapes like G, C, D.

Learn the G,C, D chords and how to transition between them and the world is yours. It is amazing how many songs use these 3 chords

Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash
Release – Pearl Jam
Leaving on a Jet Plane – John Denver
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – Bob Dylan
Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) – Green Day
Wanted Dead Or Alive – Bon Jovi
I’m a Believer – The Monkees
Sweet Child O’Mine – Guns and Roses
Lively Up Yourself – Bob Marley
Hound Dog – Elvis Presley
Jambalaya (On the Bayou) – Hank Williams
All Summer Long – Kid Rock
Royals – Lorde
Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd (there is one F chord in here

Tonight’s the Night – Neil Young
Paperback Writer – The Beatles
Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
Lost Together – Blue Rodeo
Undone (The Sweater Song) – Weezer (original is in Eb standard tuning)

 

[papaof2]

My first question would be: How are your hands?

You'll be gripping the neck for fingering on the fretboard and you'll likely be gripping a pick. If you have arthritic hands, you'll have to work out the trade-off between the pleasure of making music and the pain of the process - or maybe afterwards.

I taught myself to play piano many years ago but I gave that up as a different type of keyboard (computer) was paying the bills and I put my hand and finger efforts there. That different keyboard is now my friend and enemy as I've become an author in my old age ;-)

 

[mcdave]

guitar buddy

i ordered a guitar buddy thinking it might help my brother in law strum enough chords to play a few songs. honestly, i think you would be happier to follow the advice of others here and get a basic book or video to learn a few simple chords on your own. i found the device almost as difficult to strum as playing the actual chords. i have played for a long time, well enough to have fun and that is the key. keep it handy, learn a few chords and songs and mostly have fun. oh and the advice to keep your nails trimmed was spot on too.

 

[cranberryjoe]

I am 62 and thinking of learning to play guitar. Since I have some flexibility issues with one of the fingers on my left hand (remnants of an injury a few years ago), I thought daily guitar practice would be good exercise for the fingers while having some fun. I mentioned this to my doctor a few weeks ago, specifically to ask if it would be good for my fingers or would it make my condition worse. Her response: "The mental benefit of learning to play guitar exceeds any finger issues. We can always fix your finger if necessary." [imagining a bionic hand ]

I've been researching and will probably buy a Mexican Fender Player Stratocaster on Black Friday and then hit up youtube. I'll keep it on a stand in the room I spend the most time in, hooked up to a small amp. Pick it up, turn on the amp, and play for a bit several times a day.

 

[scottpush]

OP, I am no great guitarist. I think the first thing you should do is honestly assess how you intend to harvest enjoyment from the guitar. Playing like Clapton on your Strat? Probably not going to happen.
I have finally, after 50 years of harboring fantasies of playing like Doc Watson, Eric Clapton, or even my college roommate, taken the approach that I advise poor golfers to take. I'm actually a pretty good golfer, and I tell them to enjoy the day, expect a lot of bad shots, enjoy the good ones, and don't be too "performance" driven.

So when I got back up north from Florida last April in the midst of the COVID hysteria, I unpacked the old Taylor acoustic and started to Travis pick some John Prine stuff. Some is relatively easy, some just seems that way when he does it. The point is I have found many lessons on YouTube, and I pick away, never intending to play in front of people. After all of these decades I have finally found the avenue to enjoying the process. I don't know that I'll ever play in front of people. Doesn't matter. I play for myself.

Try to find a process you enjoy.

Good luck.

+1. I am playing a lot right now thanks to abundance of time. Also doing a lot of Travis picking and wondering if I'll ever get my RH ring finger to cooperate like the others on my RH. But I love acoustic and especially finger picking. These youtube instructional videos are a Godsend. Better than any teacher I had when I was in my youth. Just visit the sites and try to emulate. Then try another site. Keep going...

 

[hotwired]

Tips from 45 year player

First, Don't have any big expectations and don't ignore it or give up on it because of lack of progress. I started when I was 10 years old and really didn't get too serious until I was 17, but I always knew in my heart I wanted to play and I was never willing to give it up despite having it sit for months at a time.

My advice at first is to spend 25% of your time playing disciplined learning stuff. That might be learning chords, scales, learning a particular song that you like etc then spend the other 75% of your time playing around doing what brings you joy and just kind of free play. Tweak that as you go along to 50/50 so that you can make some progress. Try to play everyday and have two or three different types of playing that you do so or never held forced. For example I play a solo act now just me and my acoustic guitar. I don't always want to pick up the guitar and go through two or three songs like a rehearsal. my mind might be tired, I'm not particularly motivated at that time, so I'll just grab the guitar, sit on my futon and just practice my pentatonic major or minor scales for a few minutes, which usually leads into me doing some solo creating or something like that.

 

[eytonxav]

My first question would be: How are your hands?

You'll be gripping the neck for fingering on the fretboard and you'll likely be gripping a pick. If you have arthritic hands, you'll have to work out the trade-off between the pleasure of making music and the pain of the process - or maybe afterwards.

I taught myself to play piano many years ago but I gave that up as a different type of keyboard (computer) was paying the bills and I put my hand and finger efforts there. That different keyboard is now my friend and enemy as I've become an author in my old age ;-)

While my hands are not arthritic, I do not have big hands/long fingers and suspect my dexterity, coordination and ability to stretch my fingers is very limited. Plus my pinkie finger is fairly short in relation to the other fingers. I know that I need to spend time on some finger exercises on the guitar and will probably initially focus on learning a few chords as many of our members have mentioned.

 

[eytonxav]

Learn the G,C, D chords and how to transition between them and the world is yours. It is amazing how many songs use these 3 chords

Thanks for the advice and song compilation.

 

[Birdie Num Nums]

While my hands are not arthritic, I do not have big hands/long fingers and suspect my dexterity, coordination and ability to stretch my fingers is very limited. Plus my pinkie finger is fairly short in relation to the other fingers. I know that I need to spend time on some finger exercises on the guitar and will probably initially focus on learning a few chords as many of our members have mentioned.

As an aside, the great Joni Mitchell had polio as a child, which affected her finger strength and dexterity. So she taught herself how to play guitar in her unique style that uses strange tunings (not "standard tuning") and lots of barre chords (where one finger--usually the forefinger, sometimes the thumb--covers all or most of the strings at once, sliding up and down the neck).

Watch Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees play guitar in a similar style. I read that he often uses an Open D tuning. Here's someone having a bit of fun with that:

 

[jdhines]

Never too old to learn guitar!

Hello,

I'm 64 and have been playing for about two years. I only play electric guitar (telecaster and Les Paul type), although I have an Acoustic for when I visit my DS/DDL and grandkids. I practice every day and, as you mentioned, you should too! You can't do this guitar thing "once in a while... forget about it!" Learning guitar is difficult at any age, but it can be done and IS satisfying. A few things that might help.

1. get the guitar re-strung and professionally set up (the action that is). Change the strings at least once every six months if you play every day.
2. play every day, seven days a week for at least 30 minutes. If you don't feel like playing one day, at least do 10 minutes and you'll probably find that, before you know it, you've done 30 minutes.
3. if you can, take lessons from a professional, but via Skype. It's a lot less hassle.
4. you could also start out with a basic online school like "TrueFire," "JamPlay" or "Guitar Tricks." This will cost $20 to $30 per month and will give you things to work on.
5. Don't jump around from platform to teacher or all-around YouTube. I have been guilty of this and it is confusing. Finish one complete course or lesson before you move on.
6. I would recommend you learn guitar tablature (tab) not music notation. I learned some notation (notes on the staff, etc.) when I first started and dropped it. I am sure it is helpful, but I don't think either of us will end-up being pit orchestra musicians. For me, it's too late in the game for that.
7. play around with the Chord Buddy a little, but your fingers will have to toughen-up so you can play the chords yourself. I doubt it does Barre chords anyway, which are important for playing electric guitar.
8. Start out with Rock, Blues, or Country, but avoid Jazz & Classical for now, as they are very challenging.
9. Consider getting stickers for the frets that let you know what the notes are. This can be very helpful for beginners. On the guitar, it is not easy to visualize the notes like it is on a piano.
10. Question: "Is it best to work on finger exercises first, learn to read music, just learn chords, etc?" Read music, no. Read Tab, yes. Finger exercises, yes. Learn only chords, no. Chords are for Rythym Guitar (harmony) and Notes are for Lead Guitar (melody). You need both.

Final thoughts: I think learning guitar is a great hobby. It's good for the mind and well being. I love it, despite not progressing as quickly as I want and being frustrated with it from time to time. Give it at least a year, play every day, don't switch lessons or teachers all the time, and enjoy yourself with it! Try to get into "Improvisation" as soon as you can where you play along with a backing track; this is quite amusing.

Best of luck to you!