How should I start learning to play the guitar?

Well, I WANT to buy a guitar, but I'm not sure of how hard it is...

How hard is it to learn to play the guitar?

How long does it take to learn how to play the guitar? (For a dude in his lower teens with AP classes and extremely sharp memory)

Is their a difference in how to play an acoustic and electric guitar?

Should I learn how to read the notes of the music before I learn how to play the guitar or will it be introduced through learning how to play?

Can I access these forums (permanently) without paying a fee?

Thanks for answers :)

Well that's a looooot of explanations lol, but I can answer the last one for you since I only have a little bit of time. You can have access to the forums that you see now forever (permanently), and not have to pay a dime. The lessons are what cost you the membership fee.

Hey Dara,

And I'll pick up where Hunter left off. A Full Access membership to Guitar Tricks costs far less for a whole month that even ONE guitar lesson with a guitar teacher.

What I suggest you consider to answer some of your questions is this: see if you can borrow or rent a guitar for one month. Acoustic, or electric. Either way is fine. Join Guitar Tricks for one month. Try the Beginner's Course, and see how it feels to you.

Also, once you've gained full access, search all lessons for anything classified as "Absolute Beginner" level. You'll come up with a wide variety of things that may help you narrow down your specific interests, and which kind of guitar (acoustic or electric) is most appropriate.

This may help you better answer your own questions.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Very best wishes, Lisa McCormick

For me, I'd prefer playing an acoustic guitar, I love the sound of it, more simple yet suites through your heart.. Electric guitar is quite goo though I like the harmony of the acoustic guitar.

I learned playing guitar when my friend introduces me a site (UltimateGuitarSchool.com) that could really help me in learning to play guitar.. But you really have courage and love for it so that you'll successfully learn the chords..

I first started with a really cheap acoustic, but quickly went to an electric. I think its easier to learn on an electric as the action (the distance between the string and fretboard) is generally lower making it easier to get the stings down in the beginning, especially for bar chords. Although, it also depends on what kind of music you're going to want to play, you can always branch out later as they both have their strong points

I wouldn't bother trying to learn how to read music first. Most guitar stuff is written in tab which is really easy to read, learning to read standard music may be a waste of time

Originally Posted by: dara2daraWell, I WANT to buy a guitar, but I'm not sure of how hard it is...

How hard is it to learn to play the guitar?

How long does it take to learn how to play the guitar? (For a dude in his lower teens with AP classes and extremely sharp memory)

Learning the basic mechanics of guitar is not that hard. It's just a matter of getting your fingers stronger and used to the different fingerings and movements. Depending on the style you want to play, it can be challenging. But if you put your time into it and practice, you'll get it. For a smart guy taking AP classes, you could probably pick up things very quickly.

If you are thinking of playing folk or country music it's probably easiest to start by learning chords and strumming. Also take this approach if you're not sure what you want to do on guitar. You can play a really easy song reasonably well in a week and can be playing effectively in less than a year.

Some good chords to start with are G, C, D, Am, Em, Am7, D7.

After you can play 5-10 chords, you can start practicing scales.

About 6 months in, it's time to really focus on getting a steady beat and then playing more interesting rhythms. Playing a steady beat is much harder than it seems so don't start with that (unless you're a drummer or something).

If you are inspired to learn guitar because of guitar players you've seen, it's a good idea to watch what they do (hopefully you can get some video of them) and try to do the same things yourself. This is more fun than learning from a book, although you can do that too.

Oh, and I almost forgot: If you want to play guitar well you have to have a strong grip in both hands. Get a foam grip exerciser (made especially for guitarists, under $5) and squeeze it for about 5 minutes a day. This makes more of a difference than the 1 hour of practicing you do.

Resources :
http://guitar.about.com/library/blguitarlessonarchive.htm
http://www.expertvillage.com/video/69738_acoustic-guitar-a-minor-math.htm
http://www.guitarlessonsreviews.net/LearnvariousguitarsandRythems/

Also you can find teaching Guitar for beginners on YouTube, and if you have iTunes, there are plenty of Podcasts which you can learn from.


Hoping this might Help you..............