I just signed up today to learn how to play guitar. It's something that I have always wanted to do but have never been successful. I purchased a guitar in 1985 and have never been able to learn how to play it, I have tried taking lessons when I was young but I could not absorb any of the information or remembering chords or notes etc. I'm hoping I will be able to learn this because it is something that I have always wanted to do.
Hi, yet another old guy
Hello everyone,
I just signed up today to learn how to play guitar. It's something that I have always wanted to do but have never been successful. I purchased a guitar in 1985 and have never been able to learn how to play it, I have tried taking lessons when I was young but I could not absorb any of the information or remembering chords or notes etc. I'm hoping I will be able to learn this because it is something that I have always wanted to do.
I just signed up today to learn how to play guitar. It's something that I have always wanted to do but have never been successful. I purchased a guitar in 1985 and have never been able to learn how to play it, I have tried taking lessons when I was young but I could not absorb any of the information or remembering chords or notes etc. I'm hoping I will be able to learn this because it is something that I have always wanted to do.
# 1
Welcome to Guitar Tricks! We are excited to have you learning guitar with us!
You certainly picked the right place :) a lot of people join us after having a tough time elsewhere. We try to make learning guitar as easy as possible! Of course, practice and dedication are key factors as well! It sounds like you have the motivation down.
Enjoy! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
You certainly picked the right place :) a lot of people join us after having a tough time elsewhere. We try to make learning guitar as easy as possible! Of course, practice and dedication are key factors as well! It sounds like you have the motivation down.
Enjoy! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact us.
# 2
Hey Old Guy -- Seems like we have similar story. Anyway, GT good place to start or refresh your guitar-playing "chops". I can't imagine letting my subscription to this site lapse. Instructors, lessons, toolbox, & forums all excellent. Allows you to continue at your own pace.
Two pointers if I may:
1. Leave the guitar out in view. On a stand by the T.V. works. Grab it during commercials. Locked away in its case; it just won't get played.
2. Tune your guitar at the start of any playing session. Out of tune guitars just don't sound good and anyone in earshot (including you) will become annoyed. Nothing like a nicely resonating G-chord to perk you up.
Two pointers if I may:
1. Leave the guitar out in view. On a stand by the T.V. works. Grab it during commercials. Locked away in its case; it just won't get played.
2. Tune your guitar at the start of any playing session. Out of tune guitars just don't sound good and anyone in earshot (including you) will become annoyed. Nothing like a nicely resonating G-chord to perk you up.
# 3
Yes, I will never be a Steve Vai but I CAN play and have a lot of people fooled into believing that I'm a "hot" guitar player......
After all these years....If I knew what I knew now I'd learn the following things right off the bat...And ironically, you can learn these pretty quickly if you apply yourself and practice consistently. IMO
1. Learn the basic open position chords ("cowboy" chords).
2. Learn the basic E and A string barre chords-major, minor, etc) Learn the "hendrix chord too"....always comes in handy and is a must know)
3. Try to learn, at least, the note names on the E and A string. You have to know them to utilize the barre chords. And if you know the low E then you also know the notes on the high E. So, in affect, you know half the note names on the fret board just by doing this. Neil Walter, on this site, has a good tip video about finding notes names on the fingerboard.
4. Learn the 5 Major and Minor pentatonic scale shapes. The are both the same shapes. Only difference is the "root" notes.
5. From there...learn the "chord shapes" contained within these scales. It really isn't that hard and will help you "see" the root notes and give you a basic understanding of how leads are formed from chord shapes.
6. Learn songs from START to FINISH...don't fall prey, like I did, to learning a part of one song and then moving on to the next and then the next....what happens is: you learn a bunch of PARTS and then forget a lot of them and then you are right back to where you were. You know no songs and have nothing but riffs and licks that no one but your guitar friends are going to want to listen to.
7. Jam with other people as quick as you can. Go to blues jams. I'd try to jam with a drummer ahead of another guitar player. Don't know if that is the best way but that seemed to do a lot more for me than jamming with other guitar players.
that is the great thing about this site....All of this info (and more) is here and is explained in video format. And there are great songs that you can learn that go with the basics. As I've/and others have said before, if I would have had a resource like this when I was just starting out, it would have taken YEARS off my own personal learning curve. Back in the day, just having a decent tab book was awesome. Now, the guitar resources available are off the charts. Good luck and rock on!!
After all these years....If I knew what I knew now I'd learn the following things right off the bat...And ironically, you can learn these pretty quickly if you apply yourself and practice consistently. IMO
1. Learn the basic open position chords ("cowboy" chords).
2. Learn the basic E and A string barre chords-major, minor, etc) Learn the "hendrix chord too"....always comes in handy and is a must know)
3. Try to learn, at least, the note names on the E and A string. You have to know them to utilize the barre chords. And if you know the low E then you also know the notes on the high E. So, in affect, you know half the note names on the fret board just by doing this. Neil Walter, on this site, has a good tip video about finding notes names on the fingerboard.
4. Learn the 5 Major and Minor pentatonic scale shapes. The are both the same shapes. Only difference is the "root" notes.
5. From there...learn the "chord shapes" contained within these scales. It really isn't that hard and will help you "see" the root notes and give you a basic understanding of how leads are formed from chord shapes.
6. Learn songs from START to FINISH...don't fall prey, like I did, to learning a part of one song and then moving on to the next and then the next....what happens is: you learn a bunch of PARTS and then forget a lot of them and then you are right back to where you were. You know no songs and have nothing but riffs and licks that no one but your guitar friends are going to want to listen to.
7. Jam with other people as quick as you can. Go to blues jams. I'd try to jam with a drummer ahead of another guitar player. Don't know if that is the best way but that seemed to do a lot more for me than jamming with other guitar players.
that is the great thing about this site....All of this info (and more) is here and is explained in video format. And there are great songs that you can learn that go with the basics. As I've/and others have said before, if I would have had a resource like this when I was just starting out, it would have taken YEARS off my own personal learning curve. Back in the day, just having a decent tab book was awesome. Now, the guitar resources available are off the charts. Good luck and rock on!!
# 4
# 5
thanks...I know it is a very "meat and Potatoes" approach but it worked for me. If I would have had anyone just lay that out for me ahead of time, learning would have been much less "painful." I remember, looking back on it, I had a couple of teachers who would withhold info and act like everything was a secret code. lol Maybe they looked upon me as future competition or whatever but it is a whole new world now. The info is out there. it wasn't always like that!! I remember asking one teacher a simple question because I loved the blues..."how do I know what to play during a blues jam when others are soloing?" his answer was something like....."well it depends on what key you're in a how you wanna groove but we'll get to that later"...Could have just taught me the concept of 12 bar blues and the basic 1st position pentatonic scale..lol.....everything was a struggle for me, so I have a lot of compassion for beginners. But, again, it is all there to find today. I had to scratch and claw to learn the basics...now, I'm too set in my ways and lazy to become a real theory master. lol
# 6
Originally Posted by: pattyb5Yes, I will never be a Steve Vai but I CAN play and have a lot of people fooled into believing that I'm a "hot" guitar player......
After all these years....If I knew what I knew now I'd learn the following things right off the bat...And ironically, you can learn these pretty quickly if you apply yourself and practice consistently. IMO
1. Learn the basic open position chords ("cowboy" chords).
2. Learn the basic E and A string barre chords-major, minor, etc) Learn the "hendrix chord too"....always comes in handy and is a must know)
3. Try to learn, at least, the note names on the E and A string. You have to know them to utilize the barre chords. And if you know the low E then you also know the notes on the high E. So, in affect, you know half the note names on the fret board just by doing this. Neil Walter, on this site, has a good tip video about finding notes names on the fingerboard.
4. Learn the 5 Major and Minor pentatonic scale shapes. The are both the same shapes. Only difference is the "root" notes.
5. From there...learn the "chord shapes" contained within these scales. It really isn't that hard and will help you "see" the root notes and give you a basic understanding of how leads are formed from chord shapes.
6. Learn songs from START to FINISH...don't fall prey, like I did, to learning a part of one song and then moving on to the next and then the next....what happens is: you learn a bunch of PARTS and then forget a lot of them and then you are right back to where you were. You know no songs and have nothing but riffs and licks that no one but your guitar friends are going to want to listen to.
7. Jam with other people as quick as you can. Go to blues jams. I'd try to jam with a drummer ahead of another guitar player. Don't know if that is the best way but that seemed to do a lot more for me than jamming with other guitar players.
that is the great thing about this site....All of this info (and more) is here and is explained in video format. And there are great songs that you can learn that go with the basics. As I've/and others have said before, if I would have had a resource like this when I was just starting out, it would have taken YEARS off my own personal learning curve. Back in the day, just having a decent tab book was awesome. Now, the guitar resources available are off the charts. Good luck and rock on!!
GREAT tips Patty! Thanks for being such an awesome Guitar Tricks member :)
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact us.
# 7
Originally Posted by: Guitar Tricks AdminGREAT tips Patty! Thanks for being such an awesome Guitar Tricks member :)
No problem...I'm glad someone thought it may be helpful. :)
# 8