Wanting to learn

Canadian*Pearl

Hey everyone
I was just wondering about learning to play Guitar. I'm 15.. i have $1100 spending money, and christmas comming up=) i've been really interested in playing... just never got around to do so, and now i found a job, and have a little money to spend and a fair amount of time on my hands.

The thing is.. i dont know how to read music and i know diddly squat about guitar cords ect.. i can read a basic Tab.. i've been looking at them and trying to teach myself.. but then again i have no guitar or instrustion!

Where do i start! ? ? and what would be a good buy for a true begginer

exhausted

i'd get a norman or simon and patrick acoustic (you see them all over stores in canada) and use some of the rest of the cash to take some lessons and get a good foundation to build on.

MissYouAllDay

I recommend a nice samick or low end fender acoustic. Both under 300$ Canadian.

This may mean nothing to you but when you buy one you probably want a fairly low action to learn on. Guitar stores are cool and the guys there can explain to you about an "action" and probably anything else you want to know about guitars.

it WILL kill your fingers when you start to play. For the first little while guitar is a painful instrument.
But it is still very fun!! Nothing is cooler than the first time you successfully play a riff you recognize and run through the house playing it for everyone there (mine was seven nation army a great starter)

I say wait and mess around with tabs and just screw around alot before you get lessons.

Play the thing constantly, when you're watching some crap TV or something....just sitting around, whatever. Just play it all the time.

Make up your own little tunes do anything you want (but don't smash it)

Then after who have played for a while and can play some easy songs and some chords well, now is when I would consider getting some lessons, buying a book, getting some friends to play with (the coolest thing ever) , and start thinking about an electric.

I just learned some months a go and went through this process and I am loving it still and improving. So if you have any questions about the learning process just go ahead and ask

Canadian*Pearl

thanks good advice

the more the marrier!

Pacomc79

I have a fender and it's fine for me. I'd go with a Taylor Big Baby if I had to buy a cheap one to learn on. Good action and good tone and I think they are around $300. Taylor has an excellent reputation.


Fender's Korea guitars are built by Sammick so essentially you'd be getting nearly the same thing. Look for something with a solid top.

who's_pearljam?

Originally posted by exhausted
i'd get a norman or simon and patrick acoustic (you see them all over stores in canada) and use some of the rest of the cash to take some lessons and get a good foundation to build on.

Wow,
3 brands of guitar I've never heard of.

Exhausted is right

Take some lessons. You'll get a jump start that way and will learn faster. Make sure your teacher makes it fun for you,, like mixing the boring learning music part with learning songs you like. Not just some fuddy duddy that wants you to learn twinkle twinkle little star because that's what they had to learn.

Learning to read music is a great advantage

Using tab is ok to learn songs, but try to learn some songs by ear,too. Even if you sit with your guitar and play the commercials on TV, it improves your ear and ability to play what comes out of your head.

Learn some great licks, like Missyouallday says, it's fun to learn some cool songs.

After you learn a bit, try to play with other people. It's fun, and will also "force " you to learn faster.

Buy a metronome, even a little 15 dollar one to start. Even better,, a tap timing metronome. You tap a button at the speed you want , then play along with the beat. It seems stupid to start, but it puts the beat inside of you.

Good luck and have fun