learning guitar

[speed]

hi peeps

i see a few of you guys make guitars, how long did it take you to learn to play and how did you/ whats the best way to get started?

i want to learn acoustic, ive watched some cover vids on utube and it looks complex, even the beginners guides :shock:

would getting a £60-100 full size acoustic guitar a starting point

any help appreashiated
thanks jamie

 

[ByronBlack]

HI Jamie,

An acoustic is a good choice to learn on, the price you pay is almost irrelevant as long as it's nicely setup and you are comfortable playing it. The only way to really do this is to go to a guitar shop and let the guys know you are new to it, and they'll help you narrow your choices down to something that is suitable for you to learn on. Never buy a guitar blind, no matter how good a deal it is, guitars vary wildly in their playability and suitability.

In terms of learning. The best option is a guitar tutor - this is however the most expensive route.

The worst option is to buy a book - you have no feedback, no idea on the quality of the material you are reading (unless it comes recommended by a good tutor) and they don't often give the right advice for a beginner.

What I would suggest, is that you check out www.jamplay.com - they have hundreds of video tutorials ranging from the very basic (i.e. someone who doesn't know how a guitar works or someone who has never even picked one up before) all the way through to complex songs.

I've a been a member for a few months now. I've been playing for about 12 years or so, and mostly self-taught and it doesn't get you very far. Since I've gone back to something like Jamplay and learnt the fundamentals my playing is 300% better than it was before so I can highly recommend it. (It's very cheap to, about £15 a month for complete access to all the video's.)

Hope that helps.

 

[HeathRobinson]

Coming from a guitar playing family, I can tell Byron has provided you with some sterling advice there. I am behind every word of it 100%

I think Byron is saying this too, but I'd clarify that you should not get carried away with brands or showing off how much you spent on a guitar. I know you want an acoustic and the following advice applies mainly to electrics but so long as the guitar has all the usual points for adjustments and is made of good materials then any good luthier should be able to sort it out to a top notch standard. A lot of very famous band members started out playing on cheap jap strats and the like. On the other hand a personal friend of mine, inspired to buy a bass through watching me play ended up buying a very expensive setup with a massive amp and speaker cabinet. I don't think bass playing or guitar playing ever became his 'thing'.

 

[speed]

im sure i replied to this thread :-s

reply take 2

i got a fender squier acoustic and digital tuner, so far all ive done is tune the strings. today im going to learn some chords and see how i get on via internet help, i also need to learn to read music :shock: looks difficult,
if i cant get anywere using the net i will go for some tuition but at £20 hour it will start to get expensive

 

[ByronBlack]

speed - check out jamplay.com for internet lessons - cheaper than personal tuition and they have many lessons on how to read TAB (guitar notation - you don't need to read music).

I keep plugging jamplay, but that really is only because I'm a satisfied user of their service, and I've had tons of different lessons from books, to free video's to personal tuition, and I think jamplay is the best/cheapest way of learning properly.

 

[speed]

just donr my first jamplay lesson

 

[MIGNAL]

Personal tuition, especially in the early weeks or months is by far the best option. Providing the tutor is good you should be able to avoid a lot of the common faults of self taught guitarists. There's a real 'science' behind playing an instrument and these days people are much more aware of ergonomics and potential tension problems.
Even though I make high end Guitars I will say get a cheap but playable guitar. If you become disinterested in it you shouldn't loose too much money on it. The dop out rate can be pretty high, although if you persevere the rewards will come.

 

[ByronBlack]

just donr my first jamplay lesson

Cool, which lesson did you do? I can recommend Steve Eulburg (sp?) lessons, they are very good.

 

[speed]

i went with david anthony, it was just a random click of the mouse, i aim to watch them all tho

 

[chiba]

I just got one of these for my birthday[1]:

http://www.tanglewoodguitars.co.uk/prod ... D=66459095

Thanks a lot for mentioning JamPlay - I'll give them a try too!

Chiba
[1] Yes, yes, big four oh, mid-life crisis kind of thing.

 

[Setch]

When buying an acoustic guitar, above everything else, check that the action isn't sky high. I see countless cheapo acoustics which look nice, but have very low saddles, and high action. THe factories seem to turn out guitars with incorrect neck angle on a regualr basis, and this is one thing which simply cannot be fixed after the fact, unless you're willing to invest the hours of labour involved in doing a neck reset on a cheapo guitar.

 

[chiba]

When buying an acoustic guitar, above everything else, check that the action isn't sky high. I see countless cheapo acoustics which look nice, but have very low saddles, and high action. THe factories seem to turn out guitars with incorrect neck angle on a regualr basis, and this is one thing which simply cannot be fixed after the fact, unless you're willing to invest the hours of labour involved in doing a neck reset on a cheapo guitar.

Interesting. Just measured my guitar - the strings are a smidgeon under 4mm over the 12th fret, dropping to almost exactly 3mm over the 7th fret. Good enough?

Question (and it's woodworking related!). Do I attempt to fit a strap button(?) myself, or take it to a music shop?

 

[MIGNAL]

The measurement is taken at the 12th fret, from the top of the fret (not the fretboard) to the very lowest edge of the string.
4 mm on the Bass 'E' string would be fine for a Nylon Classical, a little high for a steel string acoustic. A lot does depend on the player though. Strong players usually have to go with a slightly higher action to avoid fret buzz. The measurement for the high string is usually around 0.5 mm less than the Bass 'E'.
Many new instruments are deliberately shipped with high action. It's just much easier to lower it than to make a new saddle. Of course if the neck angle is wrong you are in a bit of trouble.

 

[speed]

http://www.squierguitars.com/products/s ... 0930300021
thats the one i got, click on the spec tab.

is it any good? i dont know if it sounds ok cos i cant play it i have perfect notes with my tuner tho,

mine top of 12th fret to underside of low e string id 3mm

 

[speed]

just donr my first jamplay lesson

Cool, which lesson did you do? I can recommend Steve Eulburg (sp?) lessons, they are very good.

i am half way through my first lesson with steve, he is a lot better at teaching, the other guy i hadn't picked the guitar up in 2lessons with steve I'm working my fingers etc. just takes longer to load