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Need advice for beginner guitar player

post #1 of 17
2/6/10 at 12:52pm
Thread Starter 
This year I decided to try to play electric guitar. I'm 50, not sure if I'm musically inclined but I want to try it. never played an instrument in my life. So where do I start? I don't want to invest a lot of money until I really found out if I'm going to persever with it. I would like a starter kit (guitar, small amp) and then I'm not sure where to look for on the internet for guitar lessons. There are tons of free and paid sites. would like to start with some free sites. I don't want to be bug down by too much theorie and be able to play a few tunes quickly.
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post #2 of 17
2/6/10 at 1:49pm
Free guitar lessons for the absolute beginner

You're welcome.

Buy an Epiphone starter kit... comes with a decent guitar and amp, cables, picks, all you need. Print webpage and read
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post #3 of 17
2/6/10 at 1:55pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks, I'm pretty excited right now and willing to learn.
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post #4 of 17
2/6/10 at 2:25pm
If you really want to be good, start with an acoustic guitar....but if you have no patience and just want to blast power chords and rock, then just go electric.
Theres some tips on youtube also. Guys there giving free lessons.
A few lessons to start is always good so you dont develop bad habits from the beginning.
Find a local teacher and get a few months of lessons, and also learn how to read tableture(tabs), then you can buy tabs at most music stores and learn songs yourself.

You really only need a few months of lessons, depending on how good you want to get and how good your teacher is, and how well you learn.
After that, you can learn scales from books, chords, styles, songs etc, from books and dvds and internet.
If you have kids that play, pick up tips from them .

Acoustics-

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/n...acoustic&Nty=1


Electrics -

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/n...00001+304275+8




Also, this was an advertisement on the sidebar of this page. I dont know how good it is, but incase you dont see it there, heres the link. Its for lessons or something....



http://www.guitarcontrol.com/?ga_cam...FQshnAodCkCzSg
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post #5 of 17
2/6/10 at 2:36pm
Hi! I started learning acoustic a couple of months ago ONLINE. The internet is a great resource.

My first site was jamplay.com they have tons of lessons with different instructors and it is great!

ALso, youtube has a lot of videos to start out, and there are always private instructors, but I would definitely give online a try because overall it will be cheaper :P
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post #6 of 17
2/6/10 at 7:01pm
I started playing electric guitar 2 weeks ago. I bought a very cheap starter kit @ thomann.de and learning via internet I already know how to play some little tunes. I had to bear with the pain in my finger tips.

The guitar I have is dirtcheap, it doesn't sound too good and has some flaws. However I am still learning, and I don't need something very special. Even so if I keep playing this in some years I might end up buying another guitar (Ibanez, PRS, BC Rich, or something similar).

Even so I have some years of playing piano as background.

Good luck!
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post #7 of 17
2/6/10 at 11:10pm
the good news is that guitar has really exploded in the last 5 years or so in general, especially with teens these days playing guitar hero/rock band and progressing onto the real thing. For $200-400 you can get a pretty decent electric to start, and there are a lot of options. For an amp, I wouldn't go less than 15W and a 10" driver.

If you're buying new, try to find a good music shop where someone can help you pick one out. Sometimes there is a lot of variance in build quality with the lower models, so ask the guitarist who works there if the guitar has good action/tone. I've bought $200 guitars that rivalled $800+ models because I tried them till I found one that was a home run. (worker having a good day at the factory?)

another option is to buy a used electric and amp, the advantage is that you get a lot more for your money, and you don't lose much in resale if you decide it's not for you, and relist it in the classifieds.
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post #8 of 17
2/7/10 at 4:02am
I actually hung it up last year after about ten years of fooling around with it. Took lessons a couple times to get me out of slumps. I'm actually a decent rhythm player, but never could get the modes into my head well enough to hit an intermediate level at playing lead.


Anyway, if electric is what you want to pursue, then my suggestion would be to get a Std. Telecaster. (Not the "American Std.", just the Standard) Not the cheapest starter, but you IMHO you can't beat Fender's entry models for bang-for-the-buck, and you can't beat the Telecaster for a beginner electric. It's simple, easy to upgrade, and can work in just about any genre. Unlike most cheap starter electrics, you'll be happy to keep that Tele in your collection forever, even after you buy something nicer later on.

DON'T buy something with a 'whammy bar' (i.e. tremelo) for your first guitar.

Get a small 'modeling' practice amp such as a Vox DA5, Roland Micro-Cube, or Fender G-Dec Junior. These have decent effects and amp sounds built-in so you can practice with a clean sound or mess around with effects and different amp sounds. I believe they all have headphone-out too, which is a must-have if there are others under your roof.

Get a good electic tuner, too. A Korg CA-40 will do.

justinguitar.com is a good online site for beginner lessons.
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post #9 of 17
2/7/10 at 7:48am
Dont buy starter kits, they are absolute junk. Get a $300 guitar and a cheap amp. Try it out for a few days and then get a multi effects processor. Do not get a guitar with a tremolo, fixing/tweaking that is pain for a beginner. I dont know about online sites, as i took lessons personally, but Rock Discipline by John Petrucci helped me to a great extent, you might want to try it.

Also, try to learn how to read tabs on GuitarPro(software) as soon as possible, that way you can pick up some of your favorite songs that are easy; that is important, because otherwise you will get bored of playing those stupid finger exercises. And, after you make your hands somewhat free, learn how scales are formed, and try them out.

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post #10 of 17
2/7/10 at 8:33am
Hehe, it is funny to read all the above recommendations, seems I did everything <the other way around>.

But as I said, regarding music I can read notation and tabs quite easily (notation is more difficult and I can read it fluently for 2 hands)

Then the guitar I bought came with a crappy tremolo. If I use it I will need to tune it later. But well, I can tune it by ear or use an electric guitar tuner. I can do it by ear without any problems (have my ear trained from piano), but it is always handy to have an electric tuner.

I don't have a guitar pedal, but I might buy one in some time. Even so yesterday I fiddled a bit with my 15W amp and found a sound I liked.

When the time comes, if I get a guitar with a tremolo bar, I will go for an original Floyd Rose tremolo. Heard good things about those. About amps I have no idea what to search for.
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post #11 of 17
2/7/10 at 10:06am
Well, my first guitar also came with a tremolo, but i kinda regret it, i thought having one would be better than none. Firstly, the tremolo sucks, then replacing strings is pain, and the worst part is mine is not a floyd, and i can push it one way only, which stops me from doing dimebag divebombs. Only if i knew better.
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post #12 of 17
2/7/10 at 1:32pm
Don't buy a cheap guitar. You will quickly get frustrated and give it up. Unlike a previous post I think it's better to learn on an electric. String tensions are quite a bit a different and the electric can be more forgiving when just starting out. Once you have the groundwork done on electric it would be good to get on the acoustic for awhile.

For me I can't stress the importance of finding a good teacher to lay down the essentials. They can prevent you from establishing a whole bunch of really bad habits that take years to break. Even if its only for 6 months it would be well worth it.
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post #13 of 17
2/7/10 at 3:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by darcyb62 View Post
Don't buy a cheap guitar. You will quickly get frustrated and give it up. Unlike a previous post I think it's better to learn on an electric. String tensions are quite a bit a different and the electric can be more forgiving when just starting out. Once you have the groundwork done on electric it would be good to get on the acoustic for awhile.
Ditto.

And, I'll add, if you have a little money in your (or mom's and dad's) pocket, guitars are one the best investments around. Get a good guitar, and if you give up you're almost sure to get most of your money back. Buy a nice guitar like an American made Stratocaster or Taylor acoustic and if you give up, just let it sit in your closet for 20 years -- you'll be very surprised a what its worth then! I wish I was 20 again. I'd buy a Strat every year for five years and throw them into the attic to be revisited when I was 50. Oh, just the thought of creating my own strat time capsule.
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post #14 of 17
2/7/10 at 4:39pm
Thread Starter 
Can you guys tell me how good this package deal is? I read good thing about the Yamaha Pacifica for a beginner. Again, I'm looking for something to get me started without too much money upfront. Amazon.com: Yamaha Gigmaker EG - Black Electric Guitar Package: Musical Instruments
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post #15 of 17
2/7/10 at 4:56pm
Eh. Probably lousy. You're MUCH better off looking on craigslist for a Mexican made Stratocaster and a used Roland MicroCube or Cube 30 amp. They also come with some quite good built in effects. Mexican strats, which are quite good, can be had readily for under $200. A MicroCube, about $60. Cube thirty, maybe $90-100.

Woah, just look at some prices. Seems like EVERY strat has gone up $100-$200 since I was shopping two years ago. See what I mean about a good investment.

Oh, I just saw in your post that you're 50. Well, so am I. Get yourself a little Roland Microcube, that's all the power you'll need and they sound great, work on batteries, and stow away easily. But work on getting a mexican strat. Craigslist is where you'll find the deals, not ebay.
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