Hey from Luxembourg, before I begin learning what should I look out for?

Hey everyone,

I'm Patrice from Luxembourg. I used to play the bass back when I was around 16, never really got far with it though.

I just ordered a Yamaha Pacifica 212V yesterday off of Ebay and I am excited to get it! :) 

As someone who has played and stopped playing a couple instruments in his life (sax, bass, harmonica) I wanted to ask all of you before I even get my guitar. What are your tips for a complete new comer to the guitar? What are things to look out for in your experience and things to avoid? What keeps you personally motivated to keep going? 

I just want to learn playing to have fun, so there isn't any kind of external goal in it and no pressure in that regard. Just doing it for myself. :) 

So yeah happy to be here and excited to get going with the first lessons on here! 

Have a great day,

P

Welcome

So in a nutshell, I didn’t learn to play guitar until I was 57, even though I had been trying since I was a teenager. 

The difference this time was I followed the learning path, practiced each day (still do) and realized this is a very difficult instrument to learn. This realization made me slow down and accept that some skills will take more time than others. 

Once I had some fundamental knowledge down, I started setting my own goals and working towards those. 

Best of luck

I'd suggest starting with the basics: get comfortable with your posture, hand positioning, and some simple chords. Do not rush into complex songs or techniques too soon, leading to frustration.

Block Blast

Thank you both for your replies! :) 

This for me would be the first time to follow a learning path as well, which is what I told myself from the inception of the "I want to play the guitar" idea. As with all other instruments I was all over the place and never really got anywhere just like you said William.

Taking it slow is really good advice, I tend to rush through things and I think most people somewhat do. But in the end you move on to the next thing before having the basis for it.

Again thank you both, very good tips I really appreciate it! My guitar will arrive today :D

Hi.  I just signed up to the site and am excited to learn to play.  To date, I've just been watching random YouTube videos and not getting anywhere.  The structure should definitely help me.

I visit Luxembourg a few times a year for work.   It's a nice country!

Welcome, sadler.patrice!

I agree with the commenters above - start with the Fundamentals, so that your foundational skills are good and solid. Then you'll be able to move towards playing the kinds of music you love - with greater ease.

Have fun!!

-Lisa