Is it tough to learn to play guitar?

CanadaKicksAss · Post by **CanadaKicksAss** » Sun May 25, 2003 12:03 pm

Hmmm...there's so many different routes to take, i guess i'm gonna have to figure out which route would be best for me.

jared1619 · Post by **jared1619** » Sun May 25, 2003 2:14 pm

The thing that really threw me when I first started playing was getting wrong or incomplete tabs. MX is really good because of the rating system on the tabs, but by far the best are powertabs. Download the powertab editor here, http://www.power-tab.net/downloads.php , and then get the actual power tabs here, http://www.powertabs.net . It plays the song as a midi and shows what notes to play when.

Mugworm_Griblick · Post by **Mugworm_Griblick** » Sun May 25, 2003 4:00 pm

i never learned to read sheet music for guitar....there's really no point since tabs work just as well and they are easier.

impetus · Post by **impetus** » Sun May 25, 2003 4:20 pm

jared is right. Internet Tabs are basically scripted out by players and are often wrong.

But for example, I got some official Smashing Pumpkins tab books and some fan tabs, and often the fan tabs are much easier / simplified though they sound the same.

I did take lessons for awhile and they are probably the best way to get started, though it would depend on how good your teacher is.

Garmo · Post by **Garmo** » Sun May 25, 2003 4:34 pm

If you like Blink 182's old stuff, Dude Ranch is a good CD to learn by. Its simple music, but sounds entertaining. Give "Dammit" a try.
For the most part tho, DO NOT START PLAYING IF YOU THINK PLAYING WILL GET YOU CHICKS.
dont play for the game. Play for your soul.

CanadaKicksAss · Post by **CanadaKicksAss** » Sun May 25, 2003 5:14 pm

Garmo wrote: DO NOT START PLAYING IF YOU THINK PLAYING WILL GET YOU CHICKS.
dont play for the game. Play for your soul.

LOL....How about if i play for both?

Garmo · Post by **Garmo** » Sun May 25, 2003 5:16 pm

No good. Play it because you love the Music, not the attention it gets you.
We dont need anymore MTV Generation generic bands out there.

CanadaKicksAss · Post by **CanadaKicksAss** » Sun May 25, 2003 7:06 pm

One more question I gotta ask about types of guitars. Im not really sure which guitar to start playing on, acoustic or electric. What is the difference between how the two of them sound? I like the idea of getting an acoustic guitar because I can bring it around anywhere without the need of an amp. Is an acoustic guitar more for a slower type genre of music? or are they pretty much interchangeable?

atf487 · Post by **atf487** » Sun May 25, 2003 7:21 pm

It's more of a tone issue. Both can play the same songs, but with an electric you get distortion, and can use pedals.

jared1619 · Post by **jared1619** » Sun May 25, 2003 7:33 pm

I would go with the acoustic. You may not have distortion, but it can be a good thing. On an acoustic you can tell if your playing sloppily, while distortion can hide it. If you start out with an acoustic it will basically force you to play cleanly or it will sound like crap, which will help you out a lot.

impetus · Post by **impetus** » Sun May 25, 2003 9:28 pm

Also, you left out classical, which is a hollow-bodied guitar (like acoustic) but with a wide neck and nylon strings. No better guitar to learn on, IMO. Acoustics are kind of twangy, but classical guitars sound so sweet. (think flamenco, Spanish music, etc) That's my advice. I have a cheap (under $200) Fender CG-7 and it is honestly my favorite guitar I've played

Mugworm_Griblick · Post by **Mugworm_Griblick** » Mon May 26, 2003 1:17 am

it depends on what type of music yer into....if you are a metal-head go with electric, or if you prefer soft emo stuff get an acoustic....or just do what i did and get both

Lately i've been playing a lot more acoustic cause my friend got me into emo stuff.

Post by **Specially Cork** » Mon May 26, 2003 5:00 am

This is my honest opinion.

When you first start out, due to the small amount of money you'll be wanting to put into guitars, you're not going to get a good electric guitar sound.
Plus, acoustic guitars have strings that are higher off the neck, making them more difficult to play (a bigger workout for your fingers). This may seem like a put off, but it makes everything guitar much easier. I first started on a classical, and the transistion to electric was amazingly smooth because of this. Finally...

Mugworm_Griblick wrote:i never learned to read sheet music for guitar....there's really no point since tabs work just as well and they are easier.

Try playing a song you've never heard using tab. It offers no information on timings. In true guitar books you will find they use both sheet and tabluture. Sheet is designed to tell you what notes to play, when to play them and how long to play them. Tabluture is designed to tell you whereabouts to put your fingers to play these notes.

toastman · Post by **toastman** » Mon May 26, 2003 8:24 am

Yeah, start on either an acoustic guitar or a bass, either one will build your finger strength.

CoasterKing · Post by **CoasterKing** » Mon May 26, 2003 10:49 am

CanadaKicksAss wrote:One more question I gotta ask about types of guitars. Im not really sure which guitar to start playing on, acoustic or electric. What is the difference between how the two of them sound? I like the idea of getting an acoustic guitar because I can bring it around anywhere without the need of an amp. Is an acoustic guitar more for a slower type genre of music? or are they pretty much interchangeable?

Start with acoustic. I say this because all acoustic techniques can be applied to the electric guitar in some form but not vice versa.

The styles and genres of both are definately interchangable though. You can use an acoustic for crazy, ultrafast hybrid picking and an electric for slow fingerpicking. There are no rules so it's up to you. People like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Leo Kottke, Al di Meola, Michael Hedges (check some of thier music out) are masters on both and regularly mix styles and techniques.

One thing I would say though is to get a book that teaches basic music theory. You will never get great until you know the theory and can read proper sheet music. Tablature is still a great way to learn though as long as it's properly transcribed.

Anyway, whichever you decide to go for, acoustic or electric, doesn't really matter though. If you enjoy playing & learning then you will eventually have at least one of each type

fatheadpi · Post by **fatheadpi** » Mon May 26, 2003 11:26 am

I started out playing straight electric, on an old Squire Strat with a Crate GX-15 (the original, not the new revamped models with psuedo-effects on them). I still use the amp, even though I'm now using a Line6 POD 2.0 and an American Fender Stratocaster. It costs a few more bucks, but I really never got into acoustics, and playing acoustic stuff on an electric with some minor flange and chorus effects can be interesting. WHen you start out, don't blow too much on your first gear. Find a solid, reliable guitar at a good pawn shop, most players will tell you this is THE way to go when you're starting out or on a budget. Kind of a reference table:

Squire Strats - Not a whole lot worse than an actual Fender Strat; playable, and in the 150 - 200$ range will get you in the door. Good if you like blues and punk.

Ibanez - If all you want to do is play heavy metal (SOAD, Disturbed, Deftones), you can get a good Ibanez for the job for under 180$. My buddy has been playing his GX-10 for years, loves it, and all he does is the hard stuff.

Epiphone - That overpriced Gibson sound for less.

Samick - The feeling of someone nailing you right in the ass for only $120!!! Don't buy one of these.

Wal-Mart/K-Mart/Costco guitar packs - Why in the hell would you buy a guitar from the same place you buy toilet paper? Their guitar packs are 80 bucks for a reason - THEY SUCK.

Amp-Wise, all my friends copied me and bought Crate GX-15's, we've all been pretty happy with ours. Enough drive to get you started, and they gladly except effect boards, just remember to turn off the drive. Easy to use, the newer ones come with some special effects already on them, they get pretty loud, and can usually be had for around 60 - 90$.

When it comes to the extras, like tuners, etc, this is going to come down to personal preference. I usually play with Fender Hard or X-Hard picks, and I buy the designer cellutlite ones that match my paint job. Korg tuners usually work really good and can be had for around 20 bucks, although if you buy a strat, check and see how it works, never had luck with mine. Cables are cables, but don't cheap out on them, and don't keep dead cables laying around your stuff. Get a GOOD 20 foot cable, a GOOD 6 foot ccable, and a GOOD BACKUP 20 foot cable. DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON YOUR CABLES. Cheap cables go bad after about 3 months, the better ones are about twice as expensive, sound a LOT better, work a lot better, and last for up to a year. Get a decent case, soft gig bags can be had fairly cheap, but i you get a chance to score a hard case when you buy the guitar, go for it.

Guitars need strings, and you'll just have to play through a few different sets before you find ones that fit you. I've played Fender 100, 250, and 500's, play 250 Bullets the most. Some of my friends prefer Ernie Ball strings, which are very popular. If you aren't satisfied with your first set of strings you put on your guitar, buy a different kind next time. Oh, and when you first get your guitar, be sure to restring it with a fresh pack.

If you're looking for stuff to play, tableture, or "tabs" will get you started. People post tabs all over the web, and they're usually enough to at least get you started on the song. Plus, net tabs will often show shortcuts or different, easier ways of playing songs. They're not always accurate, but they're usually free, and you can almost always find enough versions of a song's tabs to get a complete set.

When you first start playing, learn a few good blues scales, as well as all the power chords, and you'll be surprised what you end up being able to play.

Moe the Bartender · Post by **Moe the Bartender** » Mon May 26, 2003 11:59 am

if i were you i would get a classical guitar to start. you can't hide your mistakes as easy that way, but you can fix them better. you can get a classical really cheap too.it is what i started out on then move up when you get better.if you want to get good start learning and rembering all the cords you can. That way you can stop using tabs and figure out the songs by your self, it is what i did and they sound just like the song just don't expect to be able to do that quick it took me a while.

Safety in Nimbus · Post by **Safety in Nimbus** » Mon May 26, 2003 1:00 pm

Tapew0rm wrote:I recomend learning on acoustic since it builds up your calluses faster and makes your fingers stronger but eh...you won't have distortion. (plus i like the longer neck)

I've seen some friends get distracted when they had distortion...eventuallyu they just f*cked around and started hitting the strings pretending they were rock stars -_-;

you may want to learn how to do very simple songs like mary had a little lamb, yankee doodle and so forth (shush) it's simple and quite spiffy actually. My first song \was the super mario brothers theme song ^_^

dude322mg · Post by **dude322mg** » Mon May 26, 2003 1:09 pm

Nyarlathotep wrote:
dude322mg wrote:if i were u i'd go for some Nirvana songs. Some easy ass songs are...
<snip>
The Man Who Sold The World

Thats actually a David Bowie song.

yea but the david bowie version sucks

_X_ · Post by **_X_** » Mon May 26, 2003 5:17 pm

i'd say start w/ a guitar theory book to get started then when you know what to do, go from there. go to pawn shops, usually a good model for a cheap price, especially if you find an ESP

MII, Deluxe, and or Custom.........