Tips for a guitar newb?

[stewgriff]

So school just ended, but the beach can't take up all of your time...

To ward off the boredom, I've decided to try and learn guitar. No rock stardom, just the ability to play along to my favorites, and maybe jam with my friends. I want to start with electric, but I have no idea of what to get. Can anybody recommend a good, affordable beginner set? I was looking at this Squier.

 

[rlanger]

Hey Stew,

Guitar-fi can be almost as bad (or good depending on your point of view) as Head-fi.

That Squire package should be good enough to get you started, and that price is very reasonable for a guitar, amp and the other goodies too. Just don't expect it to sound like Gilmour's strat!

Have fun. Learning guitar can be very frustrating, but it's great when you can finally play along with the music you really love.

 

[stewgriff]

Actually, I went a local music store today. They have a similar package, but it's a Squier Affinity instead of a Fat Strat (I don't really know the difference). It's $300 vs. $229, but the store will toss in free lessons for a year. Should I get that instead?

 

[goldenratiophi]

Dunno about the actual guitars, but lessons = a must if you want to get good at an instrument. You'd be amazed at all the little technical things you never noticed that will vastly improve your playing while making it easier.

Just my $0.02

 

[Spareribs]

I play guitar and here's a few tips:

1) You don't have to break the bank and spend a lot of money like the way how audiophiles do. The most important thing is your skill, not your rig. A crappy guitar player with a killer rig will still sound crappy, whereas a great guitar player with a modest rig will sound impressive and blow away the crappy guitar player with the expensive rig. Skill is much much more important than the quality of your guitar or amp. A lot of the great older guitarists had modest rigs in the old days.

2) A common problem for beginners is that they can't play a complete song with competence because their sense of rhythm is off. Basic rhythm and timing is very important with guitar playing and I notice that a lot of beginners fall into this problem. Here's a basic way to improve your rhythm skills:

Play chords to a song on a CD. Learn a simple song with 2 chords or 3 maybe. Play along with the song in synchronization to the CD. If you can completely play the chords throughout the song, that's a big accomplishment for a beginner. That means you can play a song!

I know this may sound a little dumb but a lot of beginners learn the chords and when they play a song, the rhythm and timing is off and it sounds terrible. Learning the finger patterns for the chords is easy (though F chord can be tough for some beginners) but being able to play the chords to a CD is something that many beginners fail to do because their timing is not developed. It's a common thing that I notice. So try to play along to a simple song on a CD, once you learn the chords.

Good luck and have fun

 

[rlanger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spareribs /img/forum/go_quote.gif I play guitar and here's a few tips: 1) You don't have to break the bank and spend a lot of money like the way how audiophiles do. The most important thing is your skill, not your rig. A crappy guitar player with a killer rig will still sound crappy, whereas a great guitar player with a modest rig will sound impressive and blow away the crappy guitar player with the expensive rig. Skill is much much more important than the quality of your guitar or amp. A lot of the great older guitarists had modest rigs in the old days. 2) A common problem for beginners is that they can't play a complete song with competence because their sense of rhythm is off. Basic rhythm and timing is very important with guitar playing and I notice that a lot of beginners fall into this problem. Here's a basic way to improve your rhythm skills: Play chords to a song on a CD. Learn a simple song with 2 chords or 3 maybe. Play along with the song in synchronization to the CD. If you can completely play the chords throughout the song, that's a big accomplishment for a beginner. That means you can play a song! I know this may sound a little dumb but a lot of beginners learn the chords and when they play a song, the rhythm and timing is off and it sounds terrible. Learning the finger patterns for the chords is easy (though F chord can be tough for some beginners) but being able to play the chords to a CD is something that many beginners fail to do because their timing is not developed. It's a common thing that I notice. So try to play along to a simple song on a CD, once you learn the chords. Good luck and have fun

Great advice. I too believe that the single most important thing, on any instrument not just guitar, is time.

 

[stewgriff]

Well, I've played trumpet for several years in band, so I assume the rhythm skills I've learned on trumpet will transfer to guitar. I can't play along with 13/8 proggy signatures, but I've got a good sense on the basic 4/4, 3/4, and 2/2 beat, at pretty much any tempo.

 

[pne]

find a friend who has been playing for awhile and take them to the shop with you. Cheap guitars are a hit and a miss sometimes, a lot of variablity from guitar to guitar even in the same model. You don't have to spend much for a good playing and good sounding electric, definately doable with as little as $150 if you shop around. Look for obvious defects like knots in the wood on the fretboard, bad finishing, buzzing and weird noises, creaks and groans when you hold it, etc.

Spend less on the guitar, more on the amp. Don't get a crappy 5 watt or 10 watt practice amp that looks like a cereal box. Spring for something half decent, with reverb. A crappy guitar will sound good out of a good amp, whereas an amazing guitar will still sound terrible out of a budget amp.

My first guitar was a generic stratocaster knockoff. I paid around 200 bucks or so for it, and I've still kept it after all these years. I have since bought a real fender stratocaster that costs 4x as much, but both of them get equal playing time. The important part is not the brand or the model but the actual guitar itself. Each one is unique and has it's own characteristics.

my 7 yr old strat knockoff with a DIY paintjob, alongside my 05 special edition strat and my alvarez acoustic.

 

[Spareribs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stewgriff /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, I've played trumpet for several years in band, so I assume the rhythm skills I've learned on trumpet will transfer to guitar. I can't play along with 13/8 proggy signatures, but I've got a good sense on the basic 4/4, 3/4, and 2/2 beat, at pretty much any tempo.

That's great. I played piano before guitar and the sense of musical flow transfered easily when i picked up the guitar. I think you can pick up the guitar skill more easily since you have previous experience with another intrument.

 

[jules650]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pne /img/forum/go_quote.gif Spend less on the guitar, more on the amp. Don't get a crappy 5 watt or 10 watt practice amp that looks like a cereal box. Spring for something half decent, with reverb. A crappy guitar will sound good out of a good amp, whereas an amazing guitar will still sound terrible out of a budget amp.

Ditto. Amps are quite important, but make sure you get a guitar with a decent feel and setup.

A Fat Strat has a humbucker in the bridge position, it's got a darker, heavier sound and is better for modern rock. Single coils are sweeter and more bell-like.

Guitar-fi has robbed me of so much money, and that was before head-fi came along. Sorry about your wallet!

 

[stewgriff]

Well, I got the Squier today. An Affinity pack, with a little Frontman 15, but I don't see myself gigging anytime soon. I played around with the strings, amp, etc., and looked at the first few pages of the book. So far, I'm able to hammer out Ode to Joy (

) and the riff to 21st Century Schizoid Man, and I also learned the D, G, and C chords. Although the C chord is giving me some pain...

Since I'm completely newb at this, could someone tell me how to use the pickup selector and tremolo?

 

[pne]

assuming its a standard strat, the pickup selector has 5 positions. Starting from farthest throw in one direction to the other the modes are as follows. Neck, neck+middle, middle, middle+bridge, bridge. Press down on the tremelo bar to slacken the strings for effect. The tremelo bar must be close to parallel with the strings and with the bar in the picking area, pressing it closer to the strings. Keep in mind everytime you do this it will set your guitar slightly of tune after you release it.

 

[mrarroyo]

When you have the time/money get the store to properly set up your guitar. I mean the height of the strings above the frets and the intonation. Personally they should do this for free since you bought the package from them, however if they charge a low fee ($20 or less) pay it. Enjoy, btw a metronome is priceless IMO.