Anyone here play the Guitar? If so, did you take lessons, or did you teach yourself? If you taught yourself, did you buy a book for instructions? If so, which one would you recommend? I really want to learn.

 

I only know chords, and I learned by looking in a book to tell me where to put my fingers. The tough part is building up calluses in the fingers, cuz at first it hurts like a bitch.

 

Unless you really want to take it seriously, the best way to learn is just by playing along with songs you like.
There is also something called Tablature that spells it out for you so you don't even have to know sheet music. Use this link http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/tab.html
it has Tab for hundreds of songs. Remember the internet is a huge resource for learning guitar.

Start with this though. Learn the G D C chords and you can play like 50 songs.

Guitar is like anything , it take a lot of practice to be good, and few can master it. But it is hugely rewarding. I've been playing since I was a kid, and it's the only thing that truely takes my mind off of things. I can't even say that about sex

 

Word

Thanks for the info there guys

 

yea, I have harmony-central bookmarked and frequent that site for the tabs and such quite often as well. played guitar since '88 ish, bass about the same. me and the wife, my lovely six string tobias, just passed our 9 year anniversary this past april 13th. (yes, I know the date and to the penny what I paid !)

lessons only for bass, not really guitar. sounds backwards doesn't it? but I got a bit into jazz, and anything else, just coming from influences such as Jaco, John Paul Jones, and quite a few others.

the finger strength comes with time, but get one of those 5-10 dollar finger strengtheners, it REALLY helps, even if you dont even play the guitar! you can find em at any guitar shop - they look like this:


and can be found here for $9.99:
gripmaster tool

other than that, just do some exercises and use the full neck. I remember knowing a guitarplayer that thought it was a curse to go past the fourth fret, ugh! but do finger exercises, going back and forth with the pick and with all sorts of strings, it might sound redundant and boring at first, but it helps in the long run. another thing to add, get a credit card metronome, they are cheap usually 10-20 bucks, and work with that - and do alternatiting picking, and go very slow. its just like driving or anything else, its easier if you do everything slow at first so you know the flow, the movement, and how things are supposed to be done correctly - you dont have to be a flying paul gilbert or steve vai, although its tempting, not necessary to want to turn your fretboard into fire overnight.

 

Thanks Schatten

 

Wow Schatten, learned something new about a fellow S2K owner. Cool. I'm trying to get another guitar. Played for a long time then just drifted away from it. I have lots of friends in bands. Go figure right. Austin. What are the chances of knowing a band member?

 

Just send any bassist's this way!
I've only got two hands dammit!

 

well, just like any muscial instrument you want to learn, I think there are two ways to approach it.

You can learn a few chords and be able to play a variety of songs and just leave it at that. You can have fun at camp fires and impress your friends who don't play any instruments

OR, you can start by learning music theory, understanding things like scales, chords, scale modes, learning to actually read music, meter, key signatures, tempo, timing, etc., etc., etc., etc., And then learning the technical/physical aspects of actually playing the instruments. First by doing exercises and drills, scales and other finger development stuff. Then moving into playing actual melodies and so forth and reading music.

I believe the latter is your best bet. It requires much more time, patience, effort and committment, but this way you'll actual be able to say you know how to play. You can pick up a sheet of music and be able to read it, make sense of it, and play it. You'll understand what you are playing and reading. You'll know what key it is written in, be able to transpose it if necessary, what mode of what scale the composer is using for a particular phrase, be able to read an play chords by reading music and not simply by seein the letter name of the chord, you get the idea. And in time you will not only be able to play written music, you'll be able to imrovise, play by ear, and who knows, maybe even write your own music.

Be a musician, not just someone who "knows a few chords on the guitar (or any other instrument)".

 

You are absolutly right, but you can't deny a little familarity wont help to encourage some one starting out. I learned my thoery slowly over time, and had fun doing my own thing in between. I wouldn't have done it different. Ok maybe I would have but hell when I was 9 I didn't want to take piano lessons I wanted to ride my bike. As time went by, I realized I short changed myself. And appiled myself. But the real question is what do you really want?