Originally Posted by: GramboWhat has helped me a lot has been the recording software ( Guitar TRACKS).
It wasn't untill I recorded my playing, I could properly hear what I was doing obviously you''l need a computer etc
I certainly haven't found the electric guitar to be a cheap hobby - but well worth it

I second that, you improve most when you start recording yourself in the quiet of your own home. No pressure to get things right in front of other people when you are just beginning plus you can loop something and spend hours working out solos at 3am;-) Not cheap though... a few years later and I have about 5K worth of gear in my home studio!