Ag12thman said:

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Quick question -- Do guitar players generally read sheet music? A guy I was talking to about lessons was saying they can, but it's extremely difficult due to all the strings and frets involved with the guitar.

I was wanting to learn to read music as I progressed in learning. Maybe a bad idea???

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I would regard that kind of comment as a serious red flag from a "teacher".

Yes, there are people who are awesome at virtually any instrument under the sun without being able to read music (there are some exceptions, I expect: I can't imagine playing the pipe organ by ear). Nonetheless, those people are limited in what they can play until they have heard it again and again. The gift is in how many repetitions it "takes" before they can play.

Particularly when talking about a child, I would stay far away from any teacher who discourages learning about music theory. That suggests someone who has largely learned by ear: that person may be good at playing, but the likelihood that they are good about explaining it to someone else is really low.

The thing about most guitar work (whether you're talking about guitar in a rock band or an acoustic guitar playing along with a hymn) is that often the guitar is playing chords that accompany a melody. "Reading" chords is different from reading the single melody line that you would read in a score for violin or voice, for example. Often the chords are just marked as "C, E5, G7", etc. and it is assumed that you know what those notations mean.

On the other hand, if you're talking about classical guitar, rock solos, or some bluegrass music, the guitar takes the melody and it is always handy to know what the notes on the page mean.

Woobie said:

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Stevie Ray never learned by printing out chords on paper. Paper can't teach rhythm or touch.

Get your kid a teacher.

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This is good advice. I recently started learning to play the bass (so I could play along some songs with my son who is learning guitar simultaneously). And I sat down with a starter's book and was plucking the notes but had no feel at all for the rhythm. Each week when I took the song to my instructor, as soon as he played it, I had then a good feel for the beat and it all fell into place. He's also teaching me the basics with notes, scales, arpeggios, etc.

Then I go out to Youtube and find some bass tabbed song and pick it up pretty quick so at least you are having fun playing a song or two while learning. This helps (me at least) with practicing the fingering and so forth.

In other words, combination of paper, instructor, online, following along with a song, etc...

Learned this last week. Difficulty scale 7.7 out of 10
Damn you Jimmy Page, yet I tip my hat to you for a beautiful song....

What part of South Texas? I know a guy who's played fiddle with REK and teaches that and guitar. I think he was based out of Mathis, but travels all over to different places a few days a week for lessons.

Not too far from Mathis, actually. Who is REK, though? Thanks for the help!

If you just want to learn how to play some popular songs, then YouTube can teach you pretty easily. After you learn to play the basic chords/strum patterns and can change between them quickly, you can play rhythm guitar on almost any song.

If you want to become an actual musician, then you should probably learn the theory behind it. You can be Jesse from Breaking Bad and learn how to follow all the steps the make great meth like a cookbook, or you can become Walter White and formulate great meth because you understand the science behind what you're doing.

I went with the easy method and that's been fine for me.

FancyKetchup14 said:

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Robert Earl Keen....

Prepare your anus.

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I feel like an idiot. Should have figured that one out. My bad.

Can I start out as Jesse and transition to Walter???

Okay, secondary question: where is a good, trustworthy place to purchase a guitar and/or violin? I have talked to a couple of local shops and not sure if the guitars they are talking up to me are good ones or not, since I'm very much a beginner. Anyone have a place online they trust, maybe? I'm looking for decent instruments that I can play for years rather than cheaper and/or "starter" ones. Good used ones would be fine.

Guitar center is a good start for guitars. They don't have violins

Try musiciansfriend.com as well

I would start at buying a guitar for no more than $300-400. That way if you don't like it, you haven't wasted a bunch of money. But go to store and hold one and see how comfortable it feels and listen to sound. Compare tones and pick one you like

Look for a mini-Martin or baby Taylor. They're about 2/3 the size of normal guitar so they're easier to handle and are more comfortable if you're just starting out. They are made by quality guitar companies too.

Guitar Center has a deal on a Yamaha for 149, hundred bucks off.

I started off on a Takamine Jasmine, decent for about $100.

My favorite mid-range guitars are the Martin Road series. All wood, but made in Mexico to keep the cost down. Run about 700. Like em better than the others in the 1000 price range. I wouldn't spend that much as a beginner though.

partial DP

I would skip the baby Taylor and look at Taylor's GS mini - better build and great sound

agree that you may not want to get too spendy for a beginner but don't start cheap either, a cheap instrument will fight the student by its sound, feel, and ability to hold tune - better quality will improve the sound and minimize frustration while practicing

Keith Urban - HSN


My Lil sister fell for that infomercial.

Thanks for the info to all. I have had two different "schools" of advice on purchasing both a guitar and violin:

1. Don't spend much at all and/or buy a good used instrument since you are a beginner. Don't spend more than $150 or so on a good used instrument (guitar or violin) and don't spend more than $250 on a new one.

2. Spend at least enough to get a good, quality instrument that won't be hard to play and/or discourage you from pressing on in your learning. Some instruments (ones with poor quality and/or craftsmanship, which are always lower in price) are much more difficult to play than moderate to higher priced once.

I've had multiple people tell me one of these two things. I definitely do not want to buy an instrument that is hard to play. This seems to especially be the case with guitars as I have heard that some of the cheaper ones have "high action" (meaning the strings are further above the fret-board than other better-designed guitars and, therefore, harder to press down).

as above I'm in the #2 camp... my boys started guitar lessons 9 years ago (20 and 17 now) and both still play and are involved in music through orchestra, theory, etc

https://www.banjobenclark.com

He is an Aggie and all around good guy. Give him a try.

Ag12thman said:

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Thanks for the info to all. I have had two different "schools" of advice on purchasing both a guitar and violin:

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For violin, even more so than guitar, the sky is really the limit when it comes to purchase price and each escalation in value gradation is associated with a meaningful difference in quality and sound (at least until you get into the truly stupid price ranges associated with historical instruments favored by some professionals).

However, you could be playing a Stradivarius and it's still going to take months of practice before you sound like something other than a fork on chalkboard. The violin is a really pissy instrument to take up, frankly. I wouldn't advise buying at the absolute low end of the price range (getting something that won't stay in tune is also very frustrating--it's hard enough to play in tune as it is).

I would look into rentals if you want to get started on violin--most shops that cater to students offer something like this. You will get a beginner quality instrument and a lot of them offer rent to own type programs if you decide to stay with it.

I'll wade into the "what guitar to buy first" game.

I don't think there's anything wrong with buying a $150 Takamine or Yamaha at the music store. Sometimes they have very low action, but the sound is bad compared to a more expensive guitar. They still sound musical, and your playing is going to suck so much that the sound of a higher quality instrument isn't going to matter.

Re: action, when you are starting out you will like be learning the base open chords played will all fingers at or below the 3rd fret (E, A, D, C, G, and eventually, the dreaded by beginners F). At that location, high action isn't as noticeable. Where you notice high action is when you start playing bar chords from the 4th fret on up, and when playing lead type licks. No guitar is going to have action so high in the open chords that it is as tough to play as a 12 string. A 12 string will wear out the wrist of even a seasoned guitarist if they aren't playing it often.

One thing I didn't state earlier - I did eventually take lessons so that I could read the music for my HS jazz band. The music was chord names unlike any I'd ever seen. By that point my fingers could already do the work, and lessons were just a brain dump of knowledge because I could be taught and then almost immediately play what the teacher was instructing. In addition to learning to read chord names and play them in multiple places on the neck (since forgotten...), I learned some basic classical and jazz tunes, fingerpicking, etc. It was a worthwhile investment as I could already "play" the guitar.

I picked up a guitar 3 years ago and barely played it for the first year to year and a half. I'd get pissed off and sit it down for weeks at a time until one day things just clicked. I had taught myself the G E and D chords at first, then the A, then the C chord. The strumming is what I really had trouble with at first and I could only play songs with the Down Down Up Up Down rhythm.

Die A Happy Man was the first song I learned...all because of a girl...then I started learning other songs after that. Rolling with the Flow was next and that one was easy. I would just find easy songs to play and watch people cover them on youtube. I learned running buddy by Max Stalling by watching him play it on you tube and in concert.

I've learned 10-15 songs in the past 3 months and I've been picking them up pretty quickly. Just teach yourself some chords, set it down when you're mad, then get back at it. You'll be a backyard guitar hero before too long.

brs4688 said:

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https://www.banjobenclark.com

He is an Aggie and all around good guy. Give him a try.

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Cool - thanks for sharing. Him being an Aggie makes him worth a look, for sure. I'll check it out!

You are spot-on with the rental advice. I just stopped by a local music shack and the owner of the place suggested that very avenue - rent while taking lessons and then will have the option to buy a new instrument when rental fees equal the price of the new violin. Thanks for sharing this and I am probably definitely going to do this with regard to the violin.

So, in your opinion, I'd be fine with a Yamaha Guitar Center special such as the one mentioned earlier in this thread? I realize my fingertips are going to be screaming for a while and that's probably the case with any guitar. One guy told me to use nylon instead of steel strings. I thought nylon was for a different kind of guitar, but maybe I am wrong.

Thanks for all the advice.

Couple of more questions:

1. I saw a couple of books were referenced earlier in the thread, but does anyone else have any book recommendations concerning learning guitar, learning violin, and/or learning how to read/play music?

2. Does anyone at all know of a good fiddle/violin teacher maybe online that might teach via webcam or video (something to get started with at least)? I know others have said lessons are best for violin/fiddle, but it seems that no one near me teaches at a close-enough location to me.

Nylon strings are for classical guitars, not acoustic