The Quick Way To Start Playing Today – Learn Guitar Tabs

7th August

Learning to play guitar by first learning to read guitar tabs, is by for the quickest way to begin playing guitar without being slowed down by huge amounts of theory.

Don’t get me wrong..  Music Theory and Guitar Theory can be extremely rewarding, but we find so many potential guitarists are put off because they are forced to learn large amounts of theory, rather than starting with the fun of actually playing guitar.

So, what’s the quickest way to start playing guitar in a musical and enjoyable way: Learn Guitar Tabs.

And it’s not that hard.  It was designed to be easy to understand and follow, and shows you exactly where to place your hands on the fretboard. 

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How long does it take to learn the acoustic guitar and what are some good tips?

1st September

I’m learning guitar next weeek and i just want to know a couple things:
1) how long does it take to learn
2) when will i be able to play actual songs like (one more girl- i can love anyone)
3) any extra tips would be helpful too
thanks :)

There is no definite answer because it all depends on your practice habits. For the average person it takes a week of practicing 1 to 2 hours day to play "Mary had a little lamb".

Be prepared for your fingers to hurt like hell for the first month or so too.

Invest in a good metronome too.

Can you learn the bass guitar without first learning the guitatar?

23rd August

I have no experience in playing guitar or other instruments and would really like to learn bass. Could i learn bass without first learning guitar, or is it necessary to learn guitar first. I dont want crits just telling me to go play guitar please.

Except for the manner in which they are played (changing pitches by moving your fingers and strumming strings) and how they are tuned (with tuning pegs) they are not very similar instruments. The Bass Guitar is in bass clef and usually plays a more melodic line. The Guitar is played in treble clef and usually plays chords. Bass has usually only four or five strings and the Guitar has six (or sometimes twelve).

You can definitely learn Bass Guitar without learning the Guitar first, you should have no problem with it.

How difficult is it to learn guitar on a classical guitar?

19th August

I want to teach myself the guitar. A friend of mine let me borrow an acoustic guitar of his and I used it to get familiar with the instrument, but he asked for it back. I have a family member who has an old classical guitar I could borrow, but I’ve heard that it’s difficult to learn on this type of guitar.

The difficulty depends on a number of things such as your hand size for instance. If you are a teenager who is learning, then your hands may be a bit small for a classical guitar since the neck is much wider than most standard steel string guitars.

The reason that a classical guitar has such a wide neck is because it is designed for finger picking. This allows for more space between each string. That’s not to say you can’t strum a classical guitar, it’s just not really meant for that.

Also, you do not use a pick with a classical guitar, unless you want to break a lot of strings. This means that while you will be able to learn how to make chords and such, you will not be learning how to use a pick, or at least use one properly. This is another drawback to learning on a classical guitar.

Typically, I would recommend a beginner not trying to learn on a classical because statistically speaking, the most common reason that people stop playing guitar early into their learning experience is because they have a hard time playing. The easier the instrument is for you to play, the more likely you will stick with it. However, if you have true determination, then you may be OK with it. You’ll have to decide for yourself.

Don’t listen to people’s discouraging comment about how hard it is to teach yourself an instrument. This just means that they have not succeeded at it. Many people are self taught on many instrument, including me. I would, however, like to suggest having someone guide you a bit. Just to make sure that what you are teaching yourself is really correct and to also give you pointers on what aspects of the instrument you should concentrate on and which aspects aren’t as important.

Learning guitar isn’t just about learning how to make a few chords and strumming. You need to learn everything from proper tuning and string replacement to scales and different variations of each chord. Once you have learned this you can concentrate on more advanced aspects such as chord theory.

What is the easiest way to learn guitar without spending money for lessons?

16th August

I really, really, really, want to learn how to play guitar and read notes too!
What is the best way to do that?

get a good guitar and try to play by ear

How long will it take to learn guitar?

11th August

I am 15 years old and I play flute and piano. I have a good ear for music. I’ve been playing flute for as long as I can remember and piano for not even a month and I’m already playing Yiruma music. I understand that guitar will be more challenging but I’m looking for an estimate on how long it’ll take for me to learn to play a little guitar, any info would be much appreciated.

Takes time, and depends upon how dedicated you are. To build a decent amount of fingerstrength, you should practise exercises 15-20 mins a day. I did that and i had a decent finger strength after a year and a half.
In my opinion, I wouldn’t consider there a point where you "learn guitar". obviously there is a point where you have learned so much, and you play so well that you can be considered a "master" but i believe that you will continuously get better over time.
A little bit of guitar, as a hobby, if you practise alot, you could be there in about 1 year, seeing as you already have a bit of strength from playing piano. and the fact that you already have a good ear for music is an advantage and it should take about a year if you keep practising, til you’re decent at guitar.
But practise always makes perfect, and the longer you practise and the harder you try, the quicker you’ll become very good.

To learn guitar, should i start on an Acoustic or go straight to electric?

8th August

I want to learn electric guitar but someone told me i should start on acoustic. I shoulda included this in the question i asked a little while ago but i forgot lol. So, acoustic or electric?

If your intention is to play electric guitar, then learn on an electric guitar. For an amp, you can get a Marshall pocket amp, which is only $40. I keep one on my livingroom table when I’m just playing by myself and don’t feel like cranking up the studio.

People who say learn on an accoustic guitar are usually people who play accoustic guitar. They have no clue about electric guitar and shouldn’t even be answering this question. For example, one guy wrote that it’s good to learn on an accoustic because it blisters your fingers – as if that’s a good thing. Let me tell you something : most beginning students on electric guitar make their fingers BLEED. But there is one benefit to all this suffering. Because the strings on an electric guitar are closer together, your fingers will become more nimble and your fretting technique more accurate, but it will take you longer to master than fretting on an accoustic guitar. If you want body-builder hands, then go squeeze a tennis ball. We are PLAYING guitar, not weight-lifting it!!! As for philosophy and music theory, there is no difference. The chords are the same on both types of guitars and playing fast like Yngwie Malmsteen or Michael Angelo Biato is no worse than Paganini busting his chops on violin. Did I forget to mention that wood on an electric guitar colors the tone and is just as important as the wood on an accoustic guitar?

When I started playing guitar, I had a classical guitar and often I went to a friend’s house because his older brothers had a band set-up in their basement. I found electric guitar much more interesting because it is a more expressive instrument. You can’t get amp feedback on an accoustic, you can’t flick off cool-sounding harmonics on an accoustic (well, you can, but no one will hear them ring), you can’t do monstrous fretboard slides or awesome string scrapes (unless you outfit your accoustic with electronic pickups – so you might as well just play an electric guitar), and you sure as heck can’t dive like a madman using a whammy bar (because an accoustic guitar doesn’t have one!) Why would you want to deprive yourself of all these useful and cool features???

But aside from the bling, the REAL reason you want to learn on an electric guitar is because the playing technique is significantly different than an accoustic guitar. The MOST IMPORTANT thing to master on an electric guitar is string muting. This means dampening the strings you are not playing so they don’t vibrate and send harmonics through the amp. You can NEVER master this technique on an accoustic guitar because an accoustic guitar has no electronic pickups. This is why accoustic guitars are mic’d directly on stage. (Yes, there are reasons to put electronic pickups in an accoustic guitar, but it’s not usual and it’s not cheap!)

If you learn on an accoustic guitar, you will find that when you switch to an electric guitar, you will be extremely frustrated because you are not used to string-muting. It is the one thing beginning electric guitar students must master before they can even play a single song. How are you going to feel when you can play really nice licks on an accoustic guitar, but when you pick up an electric, you’re back to square one? Not only that, you will have to untrain your fingers and teach them all over again. I’m telling you from personal experience that is WORSE than having to learn from scratch.

If I had to do my musical training all over again, I would have played electric guitar exclusively and if I wanted my guitar to sound like an accoustic, all I would have to do is put my amp on a clean tone. If I wanted to sing around the campfire or play in an unplugged band, then I would borrow an accoustic guitar. But to learn on one when my desire was to be an awesome rock/metal musician? No thanks,

Let me put it this way: I have never met someone who played electric guitar that couldn’t pick up an accoustic guitar and play well. But I have met many accoustic players who could not play an electric guitar because they couldn’t properly string mute and all this horrible unwanted string feedback came through the amp, which ruined the songs they were trying to play.

The top accoustic guitars are Martin and Ovation and sometimes you can find a good used one for a reasonable price. For electric guitars, Yamaha makes fairly inexpensive guitars which are excellent quality. A friend of mine in Japan plays Yamaha guitars and Cliff Burton played a Yamaha bass guitar. The BC Rich Platinum series is well-made and so is the Fender Mexican-made Stratocaster. Avoid the Fender Squire and the BC Rich Bronze series. Samick is junk, but the Gibson Epiphone series is okay.

But don’t take my word for it. Go to a guitar store that sells both accoustic and electric guitars. Ask the salesman to let you play an accoustic guitar and then have him plug an electric guitar into an amp so you can check it out. Go to another store and do the same thing. Finally, ask your question again at the Guitar Forum on www.harmonycentral.com It’s where the serious guitarists and the pros hang out. There is also a search feature you can use to see if anyone else has asked a similar question.

How long does it take to learn guitar?

16th July

How long does it take to learn guitar to the point that you can play basic songs? I’ve been learning for about a week now, and I’ve learned half the strings. About how long will it take me to be able to play songs? I could also use some tips on how to transition between different chords.

How fast you learn is really dependent on.

1. Your natural ability, or god-given talent
2. Your level of dedication – if you practice 4 hours a day, every day then you’ll improve a lot faster than if you practice once a week for half an hour.

It took me about 3 months of practicing about an hour a day to get good enough at a few basic songs to feel confident enough to play along with friends.

Chord transitions can be tricky at first. I would try to get lessons if I were you, that way you’ll ensure you start practicing with good technique. Either try to get lessons face to face with a qualified teacher or even better try one of the many online lessons that are available. You might even find some free lessons online with a bit of digging.

I know that Jamorama (http://bit.ly/d5qoWx) offer a free mini course. The beauty of online lessons is that you can go as fast or as slow as you want, and the online resources never get tired of you repeating the same exercises over and over!

Is it better to first completely learn guitar before starting any other instruments?

7th July

I was thinking of trying to learn the keyboard or the drums, but am currently learning to play the guitar.

Should I focus on the guitar for now and wait to learn anything else?

some say that if you know how to play piano then learning how to play several other instruments comes easier. thats what my friend told me and he can play lots of instruments. I only how to play the guitar but when I started to learn to play the keyboard then plucking on the guitar came much more easier, so I think you should also try the keyboard

What are good songs to learn if you are a beginner in learning guitar?

29th June

I am a beginner and i’m looking for popular songs (or Beatles because i LOVE them!! :) ) to learn on the guitar.

Look up Collective Soul the World I Know. Its a fun song to play because it involves some complex sounding, but easy to play riffs. if you look up the tabs for it and watch an instructional video, it will be much easy to learn. that was the first song I learned to play on the guitar, and its good because its not one that everyone knows, you will likely be one of the few who will know it. unlike other songs like smoke on the water. there isnt a guitarist alive that cant play that…