Finally jumped in and bought my first guitar!

[glider14]

just purchased my first guitar yesterday. a Gibson Maestro(SG model). the most guitar experience i have ever had is rock band and guitar hero(all expert! haha!) so i thought i should buy a real instrument already. haha. already i can play the full intro of "One" by Metallica and half of the insane quick solo(well...half of half. half of the very beginning)from the same song which i'm stoked about. learned how to tune without a tuner and ive been messing with the sounds and got some good results with the sound of "One". my finger tips are killing me though haha. anyone else out there play guitar and could give a few pointers for a newbie? =]

Alex

 

[Halt]

uh. im pretty sure i play different kind of guitar since i use my fingers to strum but, my left hand's fingers are really hard, so im sure they wont hurt that much XD

 

[DrWurm]

Train your fretting pinky early and often to develop a callous on it. Most beginner chords only use 3 fingers and the pinky gets neglected.

Jason

 

[Halt]

i have problems wit my pinky..

 

[glider14]

yea i can tell they are more callous already. ill just keep practicing =]

 

[scottychaos]

The only thing I would recommend is try to take some real guitar lessons!
beginner lessons..
so that you start out doing things correctly, and dont get used to "your way"..

I used to play Bass..started in college, and I was in a rock band for 5 years in my Mid-20's..
it was great fun!
but I never took a single lesson..and so I played the bass my own way..which wasnt nearly as good as the "real" way, and as a result, there were a lot of things I should have been able to play, but couldnt, because I was doing it wrong from the start..
it made me a much worse bass player than I could have been..
I should have taken lessons when I was starting out!
even just ONE lesson probably would have made a big difference..

My first bass was a tank..a heavy Peavy..
but then I WON a Yamama Attitude Limited!

very sweet..
Got to meet Billy Sheehan and go backstage at the 1992 Rush tour because of it!

I dont know much about these guitar games..like guitar hero..but I have a feeling they are going to seriously screw up a generation of would-be guitar players..because they have no relation to playing a real guitar..
so..take a least one or two basic lessons before you get too far into it!
then once you have the basics down, correctly, you can keep learning and practicing on your own..

Scot

 

[theyellowdart]

I dont know much about these guitar games..like guitar hero..but I have a feeling they are going to seriously screw up a generation of would-be guitar players..because they have no relation to playing a real guitar..


Scot

Totally agree here. I can't tell you the number of people I know who think they can play the guitar just because they've played that game.

I've been playing bass on and off since the 6th grade. Aside from all the advice everyone already gave you, I suggest you invest in a good amp right from the start.

 

[glider14]

well for me rock band contributes to "strum while at the same time constantly move your hand for frets" i have tried playing in the past(like picked up my exs guitar one night and attempted to make noise) before the games and i could never move my fingers enough to sound like anything. i agree its VERY different from anything real. but it does have some positive effect with the separate hand movements.

Alex

 

[larry]

It's so nice to hear someone going from guitar hero/rock band to the real thing. Get yourself a copy of Guitar Pro, it doesn't cost too much. Then download the tens of thousands of free Guitar Pro tabs out there on the internet. Youtube is also a great place to learn riffs from your favorite songs.

 

[obregon562]

play 30 minutes everyday at least. Trust me, wqaivering makes you less and less likely to pick it up again. Set goals as well. Its great once you accomplish some really big goals. And dont worry about messing up, just shred your axe!

 

[seedjar]

Is it an electric? Investing in another guitar when you're just starting is kind of unreasonable, but if you're in the market for an acoustic and want something to really challenge you, get a classical guitar. Classical guitars are built with a wider, flatter fretboard than most guitars, which makes it quite a challenge to barre on. But, if you learn to play on a classical guitar, contemporary styles will seem like a breeze, because your hands will already be much more limber than you'll ever need to work their tiny necks.
Way to go on self-learning. I'm self-taught as well. The things that really helped me were to do lots of research, and to spend lots of time observing other players and discussing their technique. Another key part is to learn proper form early on - do a little reading on how to play classical-style guitar and you'll learn a lot of tips regarding the ergonomics of playing. Learning to hold the guitar right and keep your hands extended will save you a lot of discomfort in both the short and long run, which in turn will allow you to practice harder, play longer, and actually make use of the skills you're developing now throughout the rest of your life. (One of the saddest things I've ever come across was my buddy's dad, who played guitar his whole life up until the cartilage in his wrists and fingers wore away. He still builds guitars because he loves it so much, but the closest thing he's had to playing for the past ten or fifteen years has been teaching his son. He can still play beautifully, but not for much more than a minute or two at a time.)
A big part of teaching yourself is making it through the first stage, where you can't really play anything all the way through and you only know parts of a few songs. Keep focused and practice a lot like everyone's been saying. Make sure to find music that you can reasonably expect to learn, but that you also enjoy playing and will come back to even after you've mastered it. I'd recommend finding things in the genres of blues, classical, punk, classic rock, metal, or folk. Blues, punk and classic rock will teach you all about rhythm, chords, and progressions, and will help you develop the ability to play by ear. Classical, metal and folk music will help you learn about fingerpicking, composition, and musical theory, and most selections therein will be good practice for speed and agility.
If you want to be a real ladykiller, and impress all of the wannabe rocker kids, learn some Bob Dylan. And not just the chords - you've got to learn to play the melody with fingerpicking. There'll be plenty of folks who don't know his material, but if you can remember all the words to "Boots of Spanish Leather," you'll be a guitar god to just about anyone who isn't ready to start their own band.
Best luck!
~Joe

 

[DrWurm]

"Boots of Spanish Leather," you'll be a guitar god to just about anyone who isn't ready to start their own band.

That's my favorite Dylan song. Nice choice.

The first song I ever learned to play through was "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd. It's got an easy chord progression, and a little acoustic solo at the beginning that sounds cool but isn't too hard.

I think the exact video on youtube I learned from got taken down, oh well. If you ever get the chance, take a beginning guitar class and you'll learn some proper finger picking.

Jason

 

[tommyr]

I have a Telecaster and a Silvertone Apocolypse. I LOVE MY TELE!

I agree with at least a half hour a day practice. Check out Justin Sandercoe's site, he's AWESOME and has free lessons. I love his style of teaching too.

http://www.justinguitar.com/

 

[swords]

"Mom, I want a guitar, I need a guitar. I'm a boy from the suburbs, it's my destiny!"
-Brendon Small, Home Movies

I don't remember my first guitar but I remember my favorite guitar, the BC Rich Warlock! Before they started making them as $129 specials at Guitar Center. The action on those old ones was so fast and easy. I loved playing it not just for the cool look but I could play a long time without getting the stiff little fingers. My favorite distortion was a big multi-effect stomp box thing made by BOSS. They always put out great distortions but I thought it was silly to have a hundred little boxes when you could get 200 presets in one big multi-effect box and rename your own presets made out of theirs which I thought was best of all.

My hippie uncle Harold was a instrument nut (as well as plant nut) and he taught me to play on one of his acoustics then I'd go home and play on my electric. I haven't played in ages since I discovered the synthesizer/keyboard. I'm just a traitor to the cause of rock!