Anybody here play the Guitar?

[Guest stevie cop]

I play fingerstyle acoustic. The best advice I could give you if you are just starting is to keep practicing. Lots of people fall in love with the idea of playing guitar but end up failing because they didn't practice enough. There's no secret to playing the guitar, anyone who puts the time in can do it. How much time you spend practicing will dictate how good you get. Have your guitar on a stand so you can pick it up and play it when you have a few spare minutes. A few minutes practice every day is better than 2 hours once a week.

 

All the guitar gods practice all the time. If they didn't, they wouldn't be guitar gods!

 

I would recommend having a few lessons, but choose your teacher carefully. Some of them will have you tied up for months learning theory and scales, when all most of us want to do is play tunes! Find one who will teach you to play tunes. It's a great way to learn without all the boring stuff.

 

Most important, don't give up. If you stick at it, you'll succeed.

[Emz]

Ye I'm a very determined person, if I want something to do something, I will just give it 110 %

 

I dunno what's inspired me, I've always be kinda musical when I was in school, but recently just thought that I would really love to play the guitar

 

As with lessons, I think I will learn a bit myself from the net then maybe get some lessons. My boyfriends dads in a band and he plays the guitar, so I might be able to get a few free lessons

 

As with budget, not sure to be honest. Cheapest obviously but there again, want something thats gonna play a nice tune

 

Any specific brand that I should go for?

 

poledark:

You know something Emz???? I think I would like you if I met you            

  Den

poledark:

you and me both den    

Why's that then?

[Leon Roskilly]

Get something with a wide neck, and I'd recommend a nylon strung guitar.

 

The wide neck means that, as a beginner, you won't have so much trouble fingering one string without touching the others, and nylon strings are easier on the fingertips, and not so likely to snap during inexpert tuning, but nylon strings need to be tuned often, especially for the first few days as they stretch - so you learn how to tune a guitar much more quickly!).

 

(They are also much more 'expressive' than steel strings).

 

Every reasonably priced massed produced guitar will have its own sound (due to variances in the wood used) so choose a guitar according to the sound it produces, rather than the price or style.

 

(Some 'cheap' guitars actually produce a much better sound than guitars that cost double, but remember that quality of build will affect how long a guitar plays well (cheap guitars often start to bow under the pressure of the tightened strings, or warp as the wood dries out).

 

Oh! and learn how to play chords properly.

 

Most guitarists want to play quickly and don't use fully barred chords etc because they are difficult, but if you've started off playing chords in a sloppy fashion, it becomes so much harder to relearn how to play them properly later.

 

 

Tight Lines - leon

 

[ 06. June 2005, 09:18 AM: Message edited by: Leon Roskilly ]

[bikenut]

I thought that "If God Was..." was by Joan Osborne. Didn't know Alanis did a cover of it although its her style of song! There is also a version that goes "What if God smoked cannabis" also by Joan Osborne I think.

Been trying to play the guitar for 40 years, but I find having no memory, no sense of rhythm and no co-ordination sadly a slight disadvantage.

Can listen and appreciate though!

If you like gloomy music, try The Handsome Family. Their "Weightless Again" has recently been covered by Ceris Matthews.

Music to slash your wrists to. Makes Loennard Cohen sound cheerful

Have fun, and I agree that a nylon strung acoustic is probably a good place to start.

Bikenut

[Guest stevie cop]

Good advice Leon. Obviously you are a man of hidden talents ;o)

[Emz]

Leon Roskilly:

Get something with a wide neck, and I'd recommend a nylon strung guitar.

Thanks for the advice Leon

 

So I'm after a accoustic, wide neck nylon strung guitar, hopefully that shouldn't be too difficult to find.

 

Chords, can they be learned from the net or is that something that requires tuition?

 

Leon Roskilly:

There is also a version that goes "What if God smoked cannabis" also by Joan Osborne I think.

Been trying to play the guitar for 40 years, but I find having no memory, no sense of rhythm and no co-ordination sadly a slight disadvantage.

My memory is rubbish too, but I've got a good rhythm I think and I can remember tunes better then memos

 

Leon Roskilly:

Good advice Leon.  Obviously you are a man of hidden talents ;o)

Indeed

 

[ 06. June 2005, 07:27 PM: Message edited by: Emz ]

[Leon Roskilly]

Emz:

Chords, can they be learned from the net or is that something that requires tuition?

I'm not saying that it's impossible, but you really need someone to show you how to position and hold the guitar properly, and how to finger several chords, and how to change from one to another and, most importantly, to help you understand what you are doing wrong and correct that.

 

But once you've got the hang of some chords (say, C, C7, F, G7 - that F, especially if you learn to do it properly, fully barred, will drive you nuts!) then you should be able to pick up many more by yourself.

 

Tight Lines - leon

 

[ 06. June 2005, 07:40 PM: Message edited by: Leon Roskilly ]

[Tog]

Well I'd like to say I always struggled with acoustics (due to the wide neck) and once I'd fiddled with a 'leccy I've never looked back.

I’ve got rather small ‘girly’ hands for a bloke and I just could not reach across the neck of an acoustic without being at an awkward wrist angle. (Plus I’ve smashed it up twice!)

Argos sell a Yamaha ‘Strat’ copy with good little amp and book for £159.99

(Or get one from your local free ad’s for about £50. when someone has traded up)

Get a good book like ‘Russ Shiptons’ and you’l be thashing with the best of ‘em in no time.

 

Argos: http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/s...&clickfrom=name

Amazon (Russ Shipton book)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0...7929043-6051644

[peterpikefisher]

emz the only one i know that plays guitar

is Ziggy played guitar but that was years ago

[Emz]

I think I'll try and get myself a second hand one from the paper or eBay then I'll probably get a few lessons to get me started off. Once I know the basics I probably can develop the skill a bit on my own, well I hope

 

pumphypete:

emz the only one i know that plays guitar

is Ziggy played guitar but that was years ago      

Wow, didn't know he used to play it.

 

 

How about something like this?

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...ssPageName=WDVW

 

But what does 1/2 and 3/4 size mean? :confused: