Beginner at guitar

My grandma just gave me a guitar today out of the blue. I have never in my life played a guitar. Where should I start?

 

buy yourself a book and chord chart or sign up for some lessons!

 

dont take lessons its musical death.get a book and sit down with it make sure it has finger tabs.unless you can read notes and teach yourself 5 or 6 chords youll be playing good in no time.

 

Can you reccomend any books

 

I disagree.....I know more self taught that play like shit.
everyones different.

Musical death my ass.

Take a lesson from a freind and then read a book.
Find what works for you.

 

and by the way I recomend Mel Bay for books.

 

terrible advice. all those who are skilled have been taught. the very few prodigies and idiot savants who can just play, are so, so, so rare... trying to learn yourslef is like heading down a bunch of dead end roads......find a good guitar teacher and learn the music theory and the phisical actions it actually takes to play. once you learn music theory the world of music is at your fingertips. you will learn a new language, the music language. you will be able to communicate with other musicians in an educated way. instead of how most garage band players do..."uh, i'm like going from the 12th fret, to the 5th fret and then i, uhhh, don't really know...."

just after learning the major chord scale (Imaj, IImin, IIImin, IVmaj, Vmaj, VImin, VIIdim), and once you learn how to form a major, minor, augmented, diminished triad...you will be able to start forming little songs to impress your mum. then in time, if you are dedicated, and inspired (that is so key) you may write a good tune. try playing piano as well. it will make learning music even easier. a keyboard is laid out in the easiest way to learn and see how notes work together. what you learn on piano can translate so quickly to guitar. and what is cool about piano is you will be able to "fake" playing a little quicker. with a little training you can start noodling right away. because unlike a guitar, the odd finger stretches are much less painful. a musician will play a few different instruments semi well, besides the one he/she has mastered.

get lessons. learn theory. be apart of our musical world.

 

Well, I'd say don't waste money on lessons. They're really expensive (usually) and you can learn chords easily from a book. If you really want to get good though, I guess you should take some lessons for the basics. What's best is if you can find a friend to teach some stuff.

 

Learn how to tune it, come back when you get that right.

 

i get ya. but learning the tuning will take a while. training your ear takes time. i relied on tuners all the time, but then came a time when i just knew what each string should sound like. and now i just use a tuner because its quicker. and in the studio, time is money.

 

lessons will defintly help...but they become very boring and monotonous...this might cause u to lose interest in playing at all

 

learning music boring? then you just don't like it that much.

 

What it all really comes down to is what are your ambitions with the guitar? Because spending the money for lessons is pointless if you don't really care if you can play or not. And to be honest buying books are kind of silly these days when we have this gadget called "the internet". Just as much quality information for free. Albiet the online tabs are a bit sketchy.

 

tabs are not like Grand Staffs....learn how to read music. understand what a quarter note is, what rests are....etc....just become in tune with music. if you want to play. if you want to just have fun, then do what ever.

 

You're right, tabs aren't the top of the line; however, tabliture is just as good as sheet music. In case you're wondering what the difference is, tabliture, unlike "tabs", shows the duration of the given note and all that other fancy shit portrayed by sheet music.

 

well, i understand, you've grown up with tabs, your fellow friends and musicians have probably grown up with tabs.....so it all makes sense for you guys to communicate.....but if you go to play with like studio quality musicians (which i am no where near) tabs will no longer be usable. not to be a dick, its amature. i read sheet music, but if i just want to learn a new tune, i go on the internet and get tabs....but i am only saying this kid should get lessons, learn theory, learn to sight read....if he wants to actually pursue the guitar and play at a higher level than a garage/living room guitar hero....than thats what i recommend. but if he wants to just noodle around camp fires and have fun and not make it a career or possible career (by the way studio musicians get paid min wage of $345/hr musicians union rules).....if its just for fun, i would go get a chord book. and just think about what your playing...when you from A to E, think how many steps is that away from eachother? you'll answer 5......A to D, oh its the 4th.....and log that stuff in your memory and just be conscious of what your playing. then you'll have some basic ideas of what music is about.

I to the V (our first example) is the strongest chord change, its the tonic to the dominant. both are major chords and are what many songs are based off. simple blues stuff is I to the IV, back to I and to the V, just play around with those chord changes and you'll start here the blues, figure out the timing.....check out some spanish scales....its the only western music that starts a scale on a halfstep....fun stuff....just do your thing....

 

I recommend learning the at 1st all the chords, some simple songs on your own, get a feel for the guitar, get your style down. and sorta have some knowledge before you go take lessons, otherwise, you'll be wasting money for those 1st few lessons. But, yea...Get yourself a guitar tuner, Remember the strings like this....Heavy string to the lightest string goes like this E, A, D, G, B, E. I was taught to remember them like this way......Every, Acid, Dealer, Gets, By, Eventually , So yea , Learn whatever is comfortable for you, but yea after you learn the simple basics by yourself, or help from a friend. Go take lessons!!!!!!!!

 

either way, your learning the name of the strings but just to let you know, when someone is refering to teh 1st string they mean the high (meaning high pitched) E.....

 

I think there's been a misunderstanding. By no means am I disagreeing that he should learn theory. That was the first thing I did when I picked up a guitar. Theory, theory, theory. My pals were learning songs I was learning scales and things like cadences (V - I perfect cadence blah blah blah).

But what I'm trying to say is that learning to read sheet music is not a necessity anymore. Now adays a guitarist doesn't have to be a musician. Yes, sight reading and theory go hand and hand, but theory is not the dependent variable. The point I'm trying to get across here is that to be a good guitarist you don't have to spend shit anymore except for the occasional string change.

 

to be a good guitarist? no, to be good at some songs, yes. to be a good guitarist you must know theory.