Help, new guy!!

[jlbksa]

Hi,

I just bought a guitard, acoustic, and want to know where to start. My interests is pretty varied but is Our Lady Peace to Beatles to Foo Fighters to Rolling Stones, U2 .... etc.

What's the best thing for me to practice to get better at chords or arpegios or scales or whatever and would you recommend any songs or routines ... like I said ... I really don't know where to start !!! :)

[James8831]

change smoothly between chords (open chords first,bar chords later), alternate this with practicing (blues) scales. Once you've learn't that learn to arpegiate (spl) and fiddle about with (different) scales.

The above is merely a suggestion, that's how i would do it if i were to start over again.



Try and get it to sound good to you and try not to give a fig what anyone says about your burgeoning skills,or not. :)

A good simple song is (anyone guess..) Knockin on Heavens Door [Dylan's own version without all the solos is easier to learn].

The chords are G D A minor, then G D C , then the whole chord pattern is repeated.

Once you've got the hang of the huge stretch required to get the G chord (initially) you'll be ok.

Stick at it but have a rest when your hand gets at all painful,especially in the wrist department.

Good Luck. :D

[winterhawk1969]

Get a reputable guitar teacher, preferably one who incorporates theory into his teaching. I'm not trying to be closed minded but I prefer an older teacher, not a teenager.(sorry dudes) My teacher is right out of the 60's and says "man" a lot, but he knows his stuff and has experience conveying it to others.
Just my opinion!

[friskynibbles]

a good, easy olp you might want to learn is 'in repair'. it's all power chords (easy).
i also advise finding a teacher. i do not have a teacher myself, but i wish i did.
-Daniel

[Jimmy Page XVI]

If you are starting to learn the basic chords and chord progressions then I would suggest you choose songs from the beatles. Although the songs are quite simply to play, basically either major, minor or seventh chords, they have some theory thats useful to learn, such as cicles of fifths and fourths (your guitar instructor will take you on from there), etc. Apart from that, most of the beatles songs are quite fun to play when starting up.

[mc9mm]

I totally agree on the teacher part.
I've had a teacher in acoustic guitar since I was
9 (Im 17 so its not like 30 years) and its helped
me enormously in both my acoustic and electric guitar-playing.
I notice on some of my friends, who have learned
without a teacher. Sure they are good, but there are
many things they have missed which makes the guitarplaying
alot more difficult.
Maybe some people think its kind of geeky to have
a teacher, some say its just for beginners.
But thats what you do in every profession, hobby, everything;
You learn from someone who knows more, has more
experience, can spot your mistakes and rectifies them and
so on.
In one way or another, every guitarplayer has had a teacher, so why not have a professional?
Good luck with the guitarplaying!

[jlbksa]

That's a great help folks, thanks a lot!! I will look into getting a teacher! This forum is awesome, lots of good info for people of all levels!!

I will keep strummin' :)

[Christoph]

Originally posted by winterhawk1969
My teacher is right out of the 60's and says "man" a lot, but he knows his stuff and has experience conveying it to others.

LOL . . . I know what you mean.

I had an old 60's rocker (long hair, tight pants, very Zen) for my first guitar teacher a long time ago. He definitely knew his stuff, and he said "dude" and "man" a lot.


[Edited by Christoph on 03-09-2002 at 01:40 PM]