For quite some time now, I've considered learning to play guitar. I took a few lessons when I was in grade school, but wasn't really intrigued by playing "Three Blind Mice" when I really wanted to learn George Strait songs. At any rate, I'm ready to try again.

Surely some of you around here can strum a few chords. Anybody have a recommendation of a good affordable guitar to start out with and any learning tools that are worthwhile?

To make this outdoors board related, I've been to several hunting camps where a few of the guys brought along their guitars and played good drinkin' songs at night around the campfire.

i dont play but these are cheap

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Acoustic-Classical-and-Nylon-Guitars-Nylon-String---Classical-Guitar,Page-1.gc?ipp=15

check out ebay that's where I got my first acoustic

you don't need anything fancy just something to get the ol fingers hurtin

Ditto! I'm grown up now, have some patience and need to have a better weeknight hobby than stereo, TV and beer! I've always loved music, and buying CDs just doesn't cut it anymore...

A friend in a local folk group recommended the progression of guitar, mandolin, then banjo. Any thoughts?

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I'm grown up now, have some patience and need to have a better weeknight hobby than stereo, TV and beer!

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You need to find a bottle of scotch. Sometimes a big change is not what you need.

i can only play guitar so no experience with that...

but you can do fingerpicking on guitar too if that's what you're after

learn chords to where you can place your fingers without looking, then learn to change between chords fast and without looking, learn the keys and you're on your way to playing 90% of the country songs around

i've played since I was about 6.

What I suggest is getting a book with pictures and learn all the major cords first. Learn to strum them,and use youtube to learn a few 3 chord songs. Practice transitions between the chords and learn them ALL.

Once you get that down, move on to bar chords.. you will think that is impossible, but trust me it is not.

I usually suggest starting on a classical guitar since they are simple to play compared to some acoustics. You could also start with an electrical guitar.

After all that you can start learning scales so you can solo.

If you have to say this:

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To make this outdoors board related

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You are probably in the wrong place.

While I am here though....Jasmine by Takamine is a good entry level guitar. You could also go into many pawn shops and get a decent guitar. Once you learn, it is a life long hobby so I wouldnt skimp on quality. I learned on Mel Bay books and other "learn to play" books. Once you know a few common chords you can play most stuff by George Strait and REK and other similar country artists. Most are 3-4 chord songs.

[This message has been edited by Neches21 (edited 8/4/2009 5:33p).]

Is that Esteban deal worth a crap?

Don't laugh.

I have an Applause which is the cheap model of Ovation but is pretty tough with a composite back.

It's best to try one out first because of the round back, you have to get used to it.

You already have some good advice on this thread on learning to play. I would add to buy an Eagles song book. About 1/2 of their songs are really good ones to learn chords and progressions.

I've been playing since '82 and I think the quality of the lower end guitars is better now than what it was then. Yamaha is a good brand, even their cheaper models. Takamine is very hit and miss; you can play one and have it sound great and the next one (same model) sounds like cardboard. Myself, I am currently using an Epiphone Masterbuilt. A real bargain at $599 and uses all solid wood construction.
You would do good to have a player play some different ones that you're interested in and listen to them.

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You could also start with an electrical guitar.

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I think this is a bad idea. Start with an acoustic which is tougher to play and then switching ot an electric is easy. Going the other way would be a much harder way to learn and likely set you back to where you might become demoralized

If you want some great quality for the price, find a nice Breedlove.

It's a great hobby and I don't play near as much as I should (I go in spurts) but I have been playing for years.

I agree that you should start learning the basic chords and switching between them. You can play thousands of songs by just learning G, C, and D. Practice strumming and getting a rhythm while switching chords.

Bar chords are a long way and a lot of finger strength down the road, but it will happen sooner than you think.

What the hell! You're an engineer!
Go buy yourself a Martin!

I was planning on learning a little guitar this summer before my wife sprung the kitchen remodel on me. There are some free lessons on YouTube.

Reconsider buying the cheapest guitar you can find.

When I first wanted to learn, I got a cheap package electric w/ amp from guitar center. It wasn't absolutely terrible, but it was far from enjoyable playing it. The sound wasn't good so I didn't practice much. I did learn alot of chords on it though.

But when I finally spent a little more and got a decent acoustic , I enjoyed playing exponentially more. The sound was much better, and therefore I practiced more.



If you are sure you want to play, spend a little more. I spent $450 for a Norman Accoustic w/ electric pickups built in and it sounds nice, even if I am not the best player.

I don't recommend you try and teach yourself unless you have a very strong musical background -- i.e. a music degree or at least college level theory classes and one or more instruments you have mastered. Even then, I still think you need guidance. I play several instruments, including piano and guitar, to one degree of skill or another and am currently learning drums. By far, the most difficult to learn and master is the guitar. Some think its easy but it isn't. Piano is actually easier because everything is right there -- you just press the keys. Probably an oversimplification, but I think its true.

Now, that doesn't mean you can't get up on the guitar playing something within a fairly short period of time. You can, especially if you have some basic music theory knowledge. But a good guitar teacher can get you there in a much shorter period of time. I took a guitar class at a jr. college and it was great. I highly recommend that.

As far as guitars, I agree you don't need to spend a lot. I recommend you go to a music store with an assortment of guitars and play a few. Learn the D and A chord fingerings and you can strum out quite a few songs just with those two chords (the 1 and 5 chords in the key of D; also the 1 and 4 chords in the key of A, but thats going further than this message intends). Anyway, just listen to the guitar and spend some time, even going back. You'll settle on some you like. Most top brands have their import lines which are sister brands (i.e. Gibson/Epiphone) that often can be very close in sound and quality. As far as lower priced guitars, I like Seagulls. Many think they have a very Martin feel and sound.

http://www.justinguitar.com/index.php

this site pretty much got me started.

learning to play requires effort and practice. the only way to advance is to practice.

oh, and watch the movie by tenacious d... something about the "pick of destiny". that was hilarious.

i started playing my fresh yr at ATM. bought a Yamaha A400 for about $350. it tore my hands up learning the chords.

buy a mel bay book with pictures for this. you have to stay at it even when your fingers hurt. you will eventually get callouses on your finger tips and then everything will be ok. once you learn all the open chords and can change them as fast as lightening without looking, then start with your bar chords.

imho, you should not buy a "cheap" guitar to learn on. thats a waste of money either way. if you give it up, its a waste cause no one will buy that cheap guitar. if you stay at it and become a "guitarist", then you will go buy an expensive guitar and have that cheap p.o.s. that you cant sell. buy something decent that has trade in value or re-sell value. then get after it. also, go watch live music at small venues. you can pick up techniques and tricks by watching those guys jam

I learned on a CHEAP guitar and a mel bay book. I mean cheap as in it came from a garage sale way back in the day and had a visible warp across teh top AND back, and held a tune for about 38 minutes. Thats what i learned on. Then, after fighting with that for several years as a younger kid, i finally bought a less cheap one and boy what that nice. Now I have a few, my Martin is my favorite. I dont play much now, but it has some 3 year old guitar strings on it and doesnt really get out of tune to speak of.

What im saying is, get a cheap guitar that sounds good and is a reasonable quality. Then, if you dont stick with it, youre not out that much money. If you do, then you can upgrade.

I've played the guitar for over 10 years. the last one i bought (for me) was a solid top martin d15 mahogany. up until last thursday i ahd no complaints. it's ben great. it looks like it might have a defect, but the good thing about martin is the warranty.

last year for christmas i bought my girlfriend a guitar. she's been wanting to play for a while and it gave me an excuse to go hang out in guitar shops. i had 3 criteria:

it had to have a solid top
it had to be made on this continent
and it had to be under $500

i ended up with a folk sized art & lutherie (the same folks that make seagull out of quebec. it's a great little guitar and i would stongly suggest taking a look at seagull and/or art & lutherie.

http://www.artandlutherieguitars.com/

I agree 100%. If you are really serious about learning and want to stay under $400, buy a Seagull S6. It is a whole lot of guitar for the money.

I also agree that lessons are huge. Get them.

Yamaha FG700S...its about 200 bucks solid sitka spruce top rosewood fingerboard http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/acoustic_guitars/yamaha/fg700s/index.html

countrytabs.com and chordfinder.com are all you need.

thank me later

youtube is great for lessons.

You can get a cheap electric at Target, etc. Maybe $115. Guitars retain some value so if you buy a $400 one you will probably get $250 back when you want to sell it. If you buy a $115 one, you will probably get $25 back. May as well spend the $400.....the $115 are not bad though.

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I don't recommend you try and teach yourself unless you have a very strong musical background -- i.e. a music degree or at least college level theory classes and one or more instruments you have mastered.

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Disagree strongly.
I took 3 lessons and it was a joke. I don't read music and can't tune my guitar without a tuner (at least not quickly).
I play well enough to entertain family and friends and it is all "self taught".

Ask around and go play with friends. Most people don't mind showing you what they can do and how they do it.


After second thought: what are your goals...to play some Johnny Cash or to compose your own stuff. If you just want to play some popular music and have fun, wait on the lessons and see if youtube and friends can get you moving. Obviously if you want to compose, you need to learn the technical part of it.



[This message has been edited by BBDP (edited 8/5/2009 5:03p).]

Take this shiite to the guitar board!!!

Gun safety is no accident.

I agree with BBDP. Lessons are worthless. Just teach yourself and go at your own pace.

To make this outdoors related, I started on an old Stella Basic guitar that I strung with fishing line...

I started with new years day by U2.. All notes plucked on one string of 10lb test.

i have an american made washburn(like new) f/s if you are interested. email me.

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Disagree strongly.
I took 3 lessons and it was a joke. I don't read music and can't tune my guitar without a tuner (at least not quickly).
I play well enough to entertain family and friends and it is all "self taught".

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I didnt want to be the first one to say it. I agree. You dont NEED lessons. If you WANT to learn and you are going to end up being even halfway decent, then you can and will do it without the use of professional instruction. I have been playing for ....damn...i dont know...13 years or something. I took about a months worth of lessons. They tried to teach all teh technical stuff, reading music, etc. Guess what...i dont care...i dont want to know how to read music. I already read bass clef music for 9 years. The guitar for me was different and fun. I ended up doing it with a cheap chord book....started off with major chords, G, C, D, E, etc. Then i branched off from there and hit up the internet. Can i play all of Chet Atkins stuff? No. But I can play any of it i sit down and listen to and work out. Thats what i wanted to accomplish. I wanted to be able to do it by ear, by feel, by knowing the guitar, not by reading notes on a page. The irony of all of it is, now that i have what i feel is a very solid feel for the way the guitar works and sounds, the technical stuff is not only interesting now, it makes a lot more sense.

Thats just what worked for me. If you really want to play, then youll figure out what works for you as you go.

The other thing that worked for me was copying. Plagiarism. COPY COPY COPY COPY COPY. Copy Stevie Ray Vaughan, Copy any bluegrass artist you find, get tabs, get whatever and copy like a mofo. Once you learn or memorize some music exactly as its played by a pro, you will start to 'get it'.

[This message has been edited by jed1154 (edited 8/6/2009 9:41a).]

I learned to play when I was a freshman in college playing baseball. A couple guys played st the first party I went to and was hooked. I thought learning the chords was the hardest part and I couldn't have been more wrong. Nobody believed I'd stick with it, but I did, and I couldn't be happier about it.

Learn to play guitar and you'll never be bored again. Good luck with it all.

I've been playing for 20+ years. I had a couple of buddies that played and all I did was get a book of chords and try to play along. Recently one of the guys on my staff borrowed one of my guitars for about six months and is playing at his church now. Stick with it - it will come quick, and is like riding a bicycle; once you get proficient it will be there.

The best man at my wedding is a very accomplished Travis style picker. We haven't played together in nearly three years. He was down for a meeting and we stayed up half the night playing - just like it had been no more than a week. It's a great hobby and a great way to exercise the creativity muscles. It's made me a better engineer, for sure.

I have played most of my life, including steel guitar in a C&W band for a while.

I only play six string and piano right now and have several instruments sitting in the closet (sax, accordian, banjo, steel).

My favorite book that elevated my six string level is the Eagles Greatest Hits book that shows the chords, including the finger positions. This made it easy especially on a couple of the Eagles songs that are a bit complicated.

This book impressed me mostly because I knew all those Eagles songs from listening to the radio and was pleasantly surprised that I could sound very much like their original songs. I am betting that there is a similar George Strait guitar book.

AgEng98 said:

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Recently one of the guys on my staff borrowed one of my guitars for about six months and is playing at his church now.

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Was it the same Yamaha I borrowed for a semester back in 2000?

Edit: Or was it a Fender? My memory ain't what it used to be...