Slowtwitch Forums: Lavender Room: Any Guitar Players...I wanna learn

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Slowtwitch Forums: Lavender Room:
Any Guitar Players...I wanna learn

slammer

Aug 18, 08 6:56

Post #1 of 11 (350 views)

Any Guitar Players...I wanna learn	Can't Post

So I've been thinking about learning for a while, I have a friend who will give me a few lessons, anything I should look for in a starter guitar?

I'm thinking acoustic over electric...I would like to learn how to crush some Metallica riffs though.

Is there a CDRom/online program that is good?
Thanks,
Andrew

I'm racing in '09...
Miami 1/2 marathon, Triple T, ?????????

Marco in BC

Aug 18, 08 7:51

Post #2 of 11 (339 views)

Re: Any Guitar Players...I wanna learn [slammer] [In reply to]	Can't Post

there is a ton of stuff on youtube, this guy has fairly good lessons (free, and a lot for beginners)

http://www.justinguitar.com/...-BeginnersCourse.php

--
A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.

JasoninHalifax

Aug 18, 08 8:38

Post #3 of 11 (331 views)

Re: Any Guitar Players...I wanna learn [slammer] [In reply to]	Can't Post

take your friend to help you pick a guitar, there are a lot of subtleties. what kind of music do you want to play? If you just want to strum some basic tunes you'll want something a little different than if you wanted to play flamenco or classical.

At a minimum, you'll want an instrument with a solid wood top. the cheapest ones are often laminated. laminated back and sides have much less impact on the tone of the instrument than the top, you WILL hear the difference.

pick up an electronic tuner, a humidifier (possibly) dep on where you live.

There are some good video lessons on the Gibson and Fender websites as well, going over different styles of music.

____________________________________
Fishtwitch clique (ex-butterflyer)
"Cats like Ham" - Tom D.

insr5runner

Aug 18, 08 8:47

Post #4 of 11 (329 views)

Re: Any Guitar Players...I wanna learn [slammer] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Fender Squire's are pretty decent first-time-guitar-owner axes. Relatively inexpensive too.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/...WWRWXGB&ZYXSEM=0

Epiphone makes good "beginner" stuff too. A little higher price than the squire though.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/...ion?q=Epiphone+Packs

My buddy is an artist, check out his work!
http://www.justinvining.com

Marco in BC

Aug 18, 08 10:48

Post #5 of 11 (299 views)

Re: Any Guitar Players...I wanna learn [slammer] [In reply to]	Can't Post

oh yeah, and just use craigslist and buy a 2nd hand guitar, no need to get fleeced on a new one, you can do much better used (have your friend try the guitar out to make sure the fretboard is ok etc.)

--
A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.

slammer

Aug 18, 08 11:01

Post #6 of 11 (294 views)

Re: Any Guitar Players...I wanna learn [Marco in BC] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks for the feedback

I have been looking at craigslist but its like looking for a bike when you are a newbie...a lot of info and many different models.
Andrew

I'm racing in '09...
Miami 1/2 marathon, Triple T, ?????????

Marco in BC

Aug 18, 08 12:06

Post #7 of 11 (280 views)

Re: Any Guitar Players...I wanna learn [slammer] [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Thanks for the feedback

I have been looking at craigslist but its like looking for a bike when you are a newbie...a lot of info and many different models.
Andrew

for your first guitar I'd go more for 'does it have a straight neck with all the frets working, yes/no' first, and price second, as you get more proficient you will learn what kind of sound works for you and you will make future purchasing decisions accordingly. You didn't go buy a P3C as your first bike ever, treat a guitar the same way, get a low priced 2nd hand guitar on CL that is ok for your budget and that is in good working order (this is where your friend trying it out comes in, doesn't take long) play on it for 6-12 months, and then you can start looking for something specific without risking a 'bad' purchase.

--
A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.

Train

Aug 18, 08 18:41

Post #8 of 11 (241 views)

Re: Any Guitar Players...I wanna learn [slammer] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Andrew- Check out edromanguitars.com. There are some good articles and info in there about beginner guitars. Plus, if you dig guitars, you'll get an eyefull of the best around.

Francois

Sep 24, 08 6:42

Post #9 of 11 (151 views)

Re: Any Guitar Players...I wanna learn [Train] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Cool info! I played classical guitar for 8yrs when I was a kid...and recently started thinking about starting again, but acoustic and electric...and just made the jump...got a package for beginners: quiers strato (LH since I'm a lefty) and a basic marshall ampli.
Rock and roll baby!
Now, I will check these methods online...

Larry Himmel

Sep 24, 08 8:57

Post #10 of 11 (124 views)

Re: Any Guitar Players...I wanna learn [Francois] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I played classical guitar for 8yrs when I was a kid

I think that's probably the best starting point. Not only do you learn music from the ground up but you learn correct technique. Quite a few guitar players wreck their hands and eventually can no longer play. Leo Kottke was almost forced into retirement but he was able to recover by adopting classical technique.

ed-force-one

Oct 19, 08 8:51

Post #11 of 11 (79 views)

Re: Any Guitar Players...I wanna learn [slammer] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Sorry I'm late.

Francois has it right. Learning basic classical guitar is the way to go. This will enable you to play almost anything.

If you're in a hurry to really rock out with pumping out power chords and stuff, you can go the route I took: Buy the tabulature book for Guns N Roses "Appetite for Destruction." Learn as many songs as you can on an acoustic guitar, and within three months you'll learn enough chords (and how to get from one to the other) to learn 90% of what's out there right now. You can then write punk songs in 5 minutes. Tabulature can ruin your music reading skills, though.

I played rock and roll for a while until I took lessons from a rock guitar teacher for three months. In college I started taking classical guitar from Christopher Laughlin, a well known classical guitarist who teaches in the Chicagoland area. I learned more from Chris in two weeks than I learned from the rock guitar teacher in those three months!

I found that during the time I included rock and classical in my repertoir, my playing abilities vastly improved. Classical provided the technique and theory, and rock, especially hardcore heavy metal built up the calluses and speed for lead playing.

As for starter guitars, the Japanese Fenders aren't bad for the money. Steve Vai actually ditched his $2000 Ibanez Jem guitar to record "The Boy from Seattle" with a cheap Japanese Fender because it sounded better than the real American Fender Strats in the store. But those Jems sure are candy!

OLP guitars are good. I have an OLP double-neck that sounds glorious, but didn't cost anywhere near the car down payment I would of had to dish out for a Jimmy Page Gibson.

For acoustics, or even classicals, look for a solid top at the very least (cedar for fingerstyle, spruce for rhythmic strumming) with preferrably an Ebony fingerboard.