Another question.

Well this intro to guitar book I bought with the guitar starts off very technical, and the CD that came with it shows how all the songs SHOULD sound. I can't make even the most basic things sound correct. The book focuses on teaching you how to read notes, I am having a hard time understanding how to read music.

Should I get into the music theory segment of guitar later, and just work on practicing on chords for now?

an actual guitar teacher may tell you to learn the notes, theories, modes and stuff like that first, but i dont think thats good.

I think learning stuff like that off the bat might frusterate you and discourage you, and you might quit, so go very basic, with chords, and chord progressions

I'll add another question so I don't have to make a new thread. I feel a little discouraged when everyone talks about how much they pay for their guitar and when they say how guitars that cost three times what mine did, suck. I bought an Alvanez sd20sc or something such as that. Will I be needing to upgrade my guitar? Should I expect mine to not sound as good as others? My friend has a Washburn D10S and told me I should get the same, but the guitar store had none. Will I be THAT much worse off just going for the Alvanez?

It's an Alvarez SD20S

I was mistaken, looking at the brochure.

Originally Posted by: Re2point0an actual guitar teacher may tell you to learn the notes, theories, modes and stuff like that first, but i dont think thats good.

I think learning stuff like that off the bat might frusterate you and discourage you, and you might quit, so go very basic, with chords, and chord progressions

I think I'll do that. It's hard enough to position my fingers for chords, and to simply tune the guitar. I want to get that kind of stuff down before learning a whole other language.

are you a bigginner?

if you are, i think it is a great Idea to stick with a crappy guitar, to learn the basics and more.

for me I had a guitar called a "hondo" for about 120 bucks, then I bought a new acoustic, on my 5th yr, now I have a jackson pro series firestrom. And Its sick

If your a begginner its not essential to have a top notch guitar. Have a crappy one will only make you better. Lets say you have a guitar thats strings are high off the fretboard. you play with that one for about 3 yrs then you upgrade to something with the strings very close, and better quality. it'll prolly increase your accuracy and speed, just because your trained to have to put alot of effort into pushing your strings down.

Fortunatly I am the one out of my friends that has the best equipment. But I dont think you should listen to your friends try and convince you to buy a new guitar, who cares..


have fun :)

Originally Posted by: CribloI'll add another question so I don't have to make a new thread. I feel a little discouraged when everyone talks about how much they pay for their guitar and when they say how guitars that cost three times what mine did, suck. I bought an Alvanez sd20sc or something such as that. Will I be needing to upgrade my guitar? Should I expect mine to not sound as good as others? My friend has a Washburn D10S and told me I should get the same, but the guitar store had none. Will I be THAT much worse off just going for the Alvanez?

Don't worry about it just yet. Your first guitar doesn't have to cost thousands of dollars. You'll be absolutely FINE with that Alvanez.

These guys are right. You'll be fine with that guitar while your learning the basics. My first guitar did'nt even have a name........, and a couple of the tuning key heads were broke off so that I had to tune it with a set of pliers!!! But I learned all my early basics on that guitar, and even though it probably was'nt worth three dollars........I wish now that I had never gotten rid of it. It would be cool to pull that old guitar out now to show someone just starting out and say, "See this sorry-looking, almost unplayable no-name guitar.............I learned to play on that baby!" Fancy equipment does'nt matter one bit dude, it's all heart & dedication.

Fancy equipment does'nt matter one bit dude, it's all heart & dedication.

Correctomundo! Just remember, a beginner playing on Eddie Van Halens gear is still going to sound like a beginner on EVH's gear, ie... not good. The gear you have doesn't matter, it's how you play it. I say, learn to play your heart out on the whatever gear you have now, and once you're comfortable with things, and want to upgrade, then you'll be able to take full advantage of the better gear. Believe it or not, I still play through an old Gibson 5 watt practice amp that is 43 years old. When this amp was made, it was nothing more than a really cheap practice amp for beginners. When I first played through the amp, I thought to myself, wow...this is major crap. Now, I really enjoy the amp, because I know how to play and can really make it sing. So, keep up the good work on the beginner stuff. It will pay off in the end.

Originally Posted by: CribloI'll add another question so I don't have to make a new thread. I feel a little discouraged when everyone talks about how much they pay for their guitar and when they say how guitars that cost three times what mine did, suck. I bought an Alvanez sd20sc or something such as that. Will I be needing to upgrade my guitar? Should I expect mine to not sound as good as others? My friend has a Washburn D10S and told me I should get the same, but the guitar store had none. Will I be THAT much worse off just going for the Alvanez?

I'll just pretty much say what the others have said. Stick with what you have right now. The person who said starting out on a crappy guitar can make you better is absolutely right. I got my first guitar about 35 yrs. ago, a no-namer acoustic, and the action (string height) was so high, I had to shave the callouses off my fingertips every coupla months. When I finally moved on to an electric or a better acoustic, it was sooo much easier.

I think you asked in your first thread positioning- I'd suggest putting the leg on the same side as your picking hand on about a 1-2 foot stool in a seated position; this will raise the guitar up. If you practice standing, tighten up the guitar strap so the guitar is about chest level. My point is, if the guitar is too low, you'll feel REALLY uncomfortable, and probably strain the ligaments and muscles in your wrist and forearm. As far as single notes- I think of my fingers like the hammers on a piano; I try to attack the strings the same way; straight down onto the string. Later on when you're more comfortable, you'll find your own comfort zone, and wear your guitar like a gunslinger if you want. Get into good habits now cuz bad habits will be hard to break later. Good luck and just have fun!

Ok this is what I would do:

You seem like a fresh beginner at guitar. Therefore, you should learn many of your favorite song that are not too hard, yet challenging. Then once you develope a decent technique, start getting serious and hit the books.

When your fingers cannot even hold a string on the fretboard properly and your are learning 7 different chord progressions, its VERY tough.

So just make yourself comfortable at guitar and practice alot of tabs for the next month or so. Then when your become more of a fluid and better player, start learning theory so you can make up your own tunes.

I guess there are a couple schools of thought on beginner guitar quality. Sure, the high action cheap ass acoustic will strengthen your fingers and finger tips, but does absolutely nothing to promote a fluid, light touch that is required to gain speed and accuracy. I started on crap guitars and had to re-learn technique as I moved into higher quality, Lite-action guitars. You can't go banging away on them. I now play a scalloped neck.

One thing I totally agree with Silimtao on is the height of your guitar when you play. Man this is important! Read his section again. Unless you have hands like Shaquile O'Neal, for most chords, make sure your thumb is placed on the back of the neck and not wrapped around it like holding a baseball bat. This will put your fret hand in the proper position to attack the strings straight down. Try that with the guitar hanging around your knees!