Originally Posted by: killkinnybe playin by the camp fire with my friends in no time lol

Welcome!

One issue that it seems like a lot of beginners have is not having a clear, defined goal of where they want to go with learning guitar. This means that they are essentially learning at random, a problem that is commonly compounded by having limited practice time.

You've stated a really clear goal, one that you will be able to achieve and it may not be as hard as you think! Just focus on exactly what you'd like to learn how to play. Make sure the first songs you set your sites on are not too hard... when you listen to them you can see yourself being able to play them with some instruction and practice.

For "campfire" guitar, start with learning basic open chords, and focus on getting your chord changes down perfect, no matter how slow you have to go. Only take on learning one or two chords at a time. The other dimension is learning strumming patterns. Again, get the mechanics down pat no matter how much you have to slow it down. This is the quickest way to improve your playing speed.

Finally, for a little extra spice, check out Lisa McCormick's fingerpicking series. You can learn fingerpicking as soon as you can smoothly play the required chords for the piece. She'll have you sounding like a superstar in no time. Oh, and once you can play a song, pop down to the music store and buy a capo... not only useful but fun to be able to raise up the pitch of the guitar and give those open chords a fresh new sound!

Good luck!