Tips for learning how to play guitar?

[eytonxav]

I've been staring at a Stratocaster electric guitar and amp sitting in the corner of my man cave for many years. It was a christmas present for DD when she was a teen, and while she learned to play an acoustic guitar she had no interest in the electric. My DS took it for several years and he didn't do much to learn and gave it back to me to store. Well at age 71, the curiosity of whether an old dog could learn to play bit me. I am wondering if any of you learned to play later in life and have any good tips for the best way to go about this, besides practicing every day which I know is a must. It seems there are a million online learning programs and many youtube videos, but I have no idea of good ones vs ones that will be a waste of time. Is it best to work on finger exercises first, learn to read music, just learn cords, etc. This may well be an exercise in frustration and futility, but I am determined to give it a good effort. All advice would be welcomed.

By the way, I did order a device called Chord Buddy which appeared on Shark Tank. It was inexpensive and looked like an interesting approach, but I also want to take a more traditional approach to learning.

 

[Music Lover]

I've been playing guitar and bass for decades. My recommendation is to take lessons for a little while at least so that good technique can be learned and bad technique can be corrected before it is ingrained.

You're 71 and if you just want to be able to strum some songs I don't think it's necessary to learn to read music (unless you want to). Find a good teacher who can show you the basic open chords, barre chords, and a little bit of theory so that you can figure some stuff out on your own.

 

[eytonxav]

I've been playing guitar and bass for decades. My recommendation is to take lessons for a little while at least so that good technique can be learned and bad technique can be corrected before it is ingrained.

You're 71 and if you just want to be able to strum some songs I don't think it's necessary to learn to read music (unless you want to). Find a good teacher who can show you the basic open chords, barre chords, and a little bit of theory so that you can figure some stuff out on your own.

If these were no-Covid times, I would probably seek out a local teacher, but do not want to take a chance on being with a teacher in close proximity in a small music room. For goals, I just want to be able to play some songs mostly for self entertainment and see where that takes me. I probably do not have enough motivation to learn how to read classical sheet music, but a tab or chord chart should be doable.

 

[HadEnuff]

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.

 

[cbo111]

I've been "learning" to play acoustic guitar for nearly 50 years. I've owned three different guitars during this period. I went as far as signing up for Guitar 101 way back in college. But the woman who taught the course made us all sing along to the basic songs we were attempting to learn. This bugged the crap out of me, so I dropped the class after a few weeks. My only advise (that I was too weak to follow) is once you start learning, do not stop. My mistake was picking it up for just long enough for the finger pain to ease as I developed those finger calluses. Then I would abandon ship for years at a time, and have to start over again.

 

[harley]

Just for fun you could get a copy of Rocksmith or Guitar for Dummies software. They are the best two I've seen. You won't be learning music theory, but you'll learn to play some songs (lead, rhythm, or bass). Amd most importantly, if you do it for an hour a day or whatever you'll develop dexterity that will allow you to move on to other techniques. It's appropriately socially distant, and a fun way to learn your away around the fretboard.

 

[steelyman]

Have your guitar nearby, some place you pass by often, and think of it as fun, not a challenge.

 

[Birdie Num Nums]

And make sure you keep the fingernails of your fretting hand clipped...often. It's no fun trying to learn new chords with fingernails that get in the way and frustrate you.


Two of my favorite guitar learning/song learning sites are: JustinGuitar and JamesJames.

 

[ElizabethT]

I taught myself how to play during COVID, and I am not half bad at this point - just ask my grandkids!

I tried out all kinds of YouTube videos, but landed on Justin Sandercoe of JustinGuitar.com as being the best. I felt like I had an in-person guitar teacher, and his Aussie accent is a big bonus as well.

He teaches acoustic and electric guitar, plus ukelele. I have purchased five of his guitar books and find them terrific in that they are filled with tips on how to improve your playing.

My strumming game is pretty darn good too at this point, I gotta say.

 

[compounder]

And make sure you keep the fingernails of your fretting hand clipped...often. It's no fun trying to learn new chords with fingernails that get in the way and frustrate you.


Two of my favorite guitar learning/song learning sites are: JustinGuitar and JamesJames.

I taught myself how to play during COVID, and I am not half bad at this point - just ask my grandkids!

I tried out all kinds of YouTube videos, but landed on Justin Sandercoe of JustinGuitar.com as being the best. I felt like I had an in-person guitar teacher, and his Aussie accent is a big bonus as well.

He teaches acoustic and electric guitar, plus ukelele. I have purchased five of his guitar books and find them terrific in that they are filled with tips on how to improve your playing.

My strumming game is pretty darn good too at this point, I gotta say.

Clicked on this post to recommend JustinGuitar.

Amazing free content on his site.
More than enough to really get you going.

Brace yourself, you'll never "win" at guitar/music. There is always something else to learn/create/do. This of course what makes it a great hobby and equally frustrating.

 

[WestUniversity]

I learned by ear and by playing. Learn the major chords and then the minor chords and start playing. Use only open chords at first. Learn the bar chords later on. You can get chord charts of virtually any song simply by googling it. The song will at the least have the chord indicated by letter at each point of change in the song. Some charts will actually show a picture of the chord and the necessary finger positions.

It will take time and practice to remember the structure of each chord, and to get callouses built up on your finger tips. If the steel strings are too hard on your finger tips consider a nylon string guitar. It’s easier on your finger tips, but a warning, it’s harder to keep tuned because the strings stretch so easily.

Get practiced at making the chords and strumming. Once you can play a song and change chords with out looking to see if you’ve done the chord correctly start working on finger picking. There are several basic picking patterns you can look up on the web.

Truly IMHO, I think it’s one of the easiest instruments to learn...

 

[Birdie Num Nums]

And a guitar capo is your friend. Always have a good one in your kit.

 

[Koolau]

Someone mentioned Youtube videos. There are several that teach specific songs. I played around on guitar years and years ago, but don't even own one now. BUT I enjoy watching the videos. I seem to learn a lot about the song and the player - not so much how to actually play (since I don't have a guitar - duh!)

Here's a favorite: YMMV

 

[Koolau]

Oh, and for a bit (quite a bit) more advanced lesson, how about CROSSROADS as played by Cream (Eric Clapton). This shows the string bending and some other tricks. Enjoy, even if you don't actually try it since YMMV.

 

[Freedom56]

I have been playing guitar, bass, keyboards since age 12 (on and off). I started at a time when there were no online tools. It takes some music theory and learning scales, chords and practicing about an hour per day to develop calluses on you fingers so you can play easily. Get a guitar tuner if you don't already have one (about $10). Once you learn chord patterns and scales you should be able to play just about any song. Pick an artist you like and search online for tablatures of songs from the artist and start practicing the songs you like. It just takes some discipline and a lot of practice to become proficient.

 

[Ducati52]

Have your guitar nearby, some place you pass by often, and think of it as fun, not a challenge.

This. I keep a guitar in my office upstairs and the TV room downstairs. When I'm watching TV (like CNBC in the morning) or mindlessly surfing the 'net (like reading this forum! ), I pick up my guitar and run through cord progressions, scales, or play an easy song. Stuff that's easy to do while half of my attention is elsewhere. However, when it comes time to learn new chords, songs, techniques, etc., you really need to be fully focused on the task at hand . . . which is something I don't do enough of, unfortunately.

 

[target2019]

Buy the Beatles Complete book.

Repetition with purpose is your friend.

Write your own songs so you make no mistakes.

 

[sengsational]

It's a personal choice, but I like to get inspired by a particular song and play the heck out of it, but with very low expectations. So for instance I'd just pick one thing...the intro or something small, and try to get that. Youtube becomes manageable then; you'll find a few videos and one teacher of that lick will be your favorite. Then learn more and more of that song. Or not. I like to learn a complete song, start to finish, playing with the beat (drum machine, along with the record, along with a backing track, or a metronome... whatever... just so you learn how to smoothly slide over the f-ups). No theory for me, but I have tabs when I start learning a song. I usually do my own because, although I scrape youtube, I tend to pick and choose from multiple sources, and simplify or expand what I find. The tabs are then not needed as I smooth out the song, as I've got muscle memory, but if I don't play for a week or a month (back in the days when I could go on long vacations), I'd forget how I'd do something, and the tabs can help. Also, when I get a song "down", I'll record a video.

You can expect, if I'm a good example, to lose ground if you don't practice. A few years back, I got my bass out after 30 years and learned about a dozen songs, playing and vocals against a backing track. I set down the bass and picked up the ukulele and have a dozen songs on the uke now. But when I tried the bass recently, after months of no practice, I couldn't play a lot of what I formerly could. I figure it would take me weeks to even get somewhat close to my earlier proficiency.

Oh, and if you think anyone will want to actually listen while you play, put that idea completely out of your mind

If the idea of backing tracks appeals to you, I've found that you can buy a song for $5 or something on "karaoke version" site. You need to buy the more expensive version in order to be able to build your own mix. You'll probably want a mix with the electric guitar high and everything else low, for learning, and another mix with the electric guitar muted. Then you will just need to add-in the audience cheering at the end

 

[audreyh1]

I play classical guitar - you really need a teacher to get started! I occasionally use online lesson videos now. But my technique is well established and I don’t need much help. Still, online teachers via Skype were common before Covid-19.

I also learned chords self taught as a teenager for basic strumming - good for many songs. Easy way to learn as a beginner. And then you start to pick out things like Stairway to Heaven, LOL. I kind of miss my old twelve string guitar. Loved the sound!

Oh, yeah, the calluses!

I had a friend learn electric guitar pretty well long ago from books and tapes. I expect video lessons for beginners are abundant and should be some very good ones.

About an old dog learning new tricks - I resumed piano after almost 40 years of not playing at all. Came back super quickly and am now well passed the level I was at 20. So I would say you definitely can!

 

[Markola]

If you want to play like Eddie Van Halen, never take a lesson, invent your own techniques and build your own guitar. Otherwise, yeah, YouTube.

 

[ERD50]

I guess I'm the last guy to give advice on this, as I've owned a guitar or two most of my adult life, and I never got beyond a few chords and a few 'licks'. But I still enjoy it. I'm a bit more serious with my keyboard playing.

But I agree with the others, keep the guitar out where it is visible. I used to keep a basic Yamaha keyboard next to my computer in the family room, and several times a day I'd just flip the switch and play something for a few minutes or maybe 20 minutes or so. DW didn't like it there, I have a much better set up in a spare room now, but I don't play nearly as often.

Try a few different on-line teachers, different people respond different ways, different videos will have different approaches. I love watching the ones that break down a song and the techniques used (like the one on Crossroads posted earlier). Maybe not so relevant for a beginner, but maybe inspirational, and insightful to see how these little things make a difference and elevate a song from good/great to something special. These little things are sort of subliminal to us, but they make all the difference in the world.

One I recall, Joe Walsh was doing a tutorial on setting up a guitar, adjusting string height, intonation, etc. He said it would be boring for anyone other than a guitar player/technician, but at the end, he says," well OK, how about a little demo/lesson?" He goes on to show the correct way to play the lick to Whole Lotta Love (dah-DAH, dah-DAAAAH,....), and point out that there are two 'E' notes, an octave apart, and you must bend one of them a little out of tune from the other, to create a "chorus" effect. It goes by so fast, you don't really lock onto it, but when you hear it with and without, it is clear - without that bend, it just isn't the same. It brings it to life.

I've been enjoying this guy's videos lately. Not lessons per se, but some insights into these special techniques. Even if you can't play it, I think it provides some inspiration and understanding.

-ERD50

 

[Music Lover]

Have your guitar nearby, some place you pass by often, and think of it as fun, not a challenge.

Good tip. When I first started on guitar I had it on a stand in the living room. I'd pick it up several times a day for a few minutes at a time, sometimes only 5 minutes or less. I'd run through the basic open chords and barre chords working on developing muscle memory and building callouses.

If your guitar is stored in a case in another room you're far less likely to put in those 5 minute sessions.

 

[audreyh1]

If you want to play like Eddie Van Halen, never take a lesson, invent your own techniques and build your own guitar. Otherwise, yeah, YouTube.

The friend of mine did learn how to play Eddie Van Halen riffs! Someone had figured out how to package them into lessons.

 

[eytonxav]

It's impressive how many musicians we have as members, even if only dabblers like I expect to be. Lots of good tips, thank you everyone. I was thinking I needed to move the guitar/amp from the corner of the room to be next to my chair/mac where I spend much of my time, so that suggestion made a lot of sense to me. Yesterday, I started to look at what is available online and came up with the following options: Fender Play, Coursera, Guitar Tricks, Jam Play, Justin Guitar and Great Courses. Some of those cost $s, but many have free trials and some have free content. I already have subscription to Great Courses so may start with that. I never thought about it, but now realize my finger nails need a trim (good tip). I also have a guitar strap so maybe it would be helpful to get that adjusted to keep the guitar in a good playing position. I am going to proceed slowly, but will try to maintain a high level of perseverance and not give up. I've heard mixed things about whether electric is easier for learning vs acoustics. The only down side I see right now with the electric is the need to adjust the AMP and moving it around can be a pain, as it is rather large/heavy (VOX AD50VT).

 

[BoodaGazelle]

There are lots of online resources. The one I like the best (it is a pay site, about $54 per year, less than one lesson), is Active Melody. Other ones I used were Justin Guitar and Ultimate Guitar (for chords and tabs).