after many years of saying i want to learn giiitar to be able to play like angus young from acdc amongst others. Im going to go for it and by next summer i could be on a stage near you.
One small problem i know nothing about where to start what to get or how to teach my self how to play, i have never played at all apart from some drunken strummings in my youth.
So any advice will be greatly received its got to be electric with a small practise amp to start with dont want anything chinese and crap.
Obviously aneone who helps with good constructive advice will be rewarded with free tickets to my first down load appearence and second dibs on any groupies that are left after im done.

When I started I got a yamaha pacifica guitar and a 40w amp. I was told at the time it was a good starting point cause theyre pretty good and dont cost a mint.
you getting lessons?

does this mean I get seconds?

check out cash converters etc they have always seem to have a few with amps

Get an acoustic for learning on.Get a good one though.Something that stays in tune.

some very informal and infreguent lessons from the brickie i occasionally work with have been offered.
in your experience do you think they are assential from the start, to stop any bad habits or get the basics sorted first then polish my performance later.
how hard is it to get going im very determined to get some where with this as i have never played anything apart from a really bad recorder at school.

if my plan for world rock domination to to fruition your the first at the front of the cue for second dibs.

score!

I learned by playing tabs and watching lots of music videos...very loud.

Im not that good though, woulda probably reached a higher level if id had lessons.

Expensive guitars are easier to play than cheap ones... so get the balance right. Yamahas are a great place to start, I have a Pacifica and RBX125 bass which are both great quality instruments, although I currently prefer playing the £30 acoustic I picked up off a mate :S

And whatever you do don't get into collecting them, it gets VERY expensive :p

And whatever you do don't get into collecting them, it gets VERY expensive :p

get a cheap one i say, in case you decide in a few months you can't be bothered. Then download tab for a nice simple song you like, see if you can work it out, if not get the bricky to show you!

If in a few months you're still loving it and at it daily, invest a suitable amount in a better guitar and amp.

Having said that, I spent about £40 on a guitar a few years back and still havent splashed out, despite playing lots every day.

I keep thinking i should rig up an amp in the van so i can play at lunchtime, but id never get any work done!

Never buy a guitar online.

It might be ok, but it might be junk.

Go to your local store and buy from them.
It might be a little dearer, but you won't end up with a useless piece of junk.
You want a decent straight neck as a good starting point, if you don't have that, you'll give up before you start. Buying from a decent local shop will ensure you get that. A decent playable instrument.

And you needn't spend a fortune either.
I've played £40 guitars. I paid that for one of my teles and I've had it for years. I've also had £800 (in the early 80s) hand made Jaydees and Status basses.

Regarding what you should buy. There's no right answer. Go into your local shop with your budget in mind and get the easiest playing one that floats your boat. You need a straight neck and low action as a starting point.

Ask questions as you go along and as they come to you.

Zil - been playing for 30 years now, 28 of those at semi pro level.

I've known some very good self-taught guitarists and some very good guitarists who had formal lessons. I was mostly 'self'-taught (on bass) with the occasional informal lesson, but never really took it very far. I think it is down to how you learn best. Remember no matter how good a player a person is, they may not be able to teach for toffee.

If you're looking for a guitar I have a ESP LTD Les Paul that I've barely used (which is why it needs to go) along with a Roland Cube 30w practice amp. Drop me a u2u if you're interested or just want to take a look.

[Edited on 16/7/10 by RIE]

To be honest you can learn on any pile of crap going. Most of the guitarists pick up an old 2nd hand guitar when they are 16 and take it from there. Sure an expensive guitar with a low action is easier to fret. but you won't know any difference because you can't play!

I've bought loads of guitars online (new and off eBay) and never had a problem. You have so much buyer protection on eBay now, I don't know why anyone worries.

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Originally posted by phelpsa

And whatever you do don't get into collecting them, it gets VERY expensive :p

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Get the biggest amp you can and turn the gain up, it won't matter if you can't play you'll deafen everybody anyway . We have a Yamaha Pacifica and a 12 watt practise amp and I have an acoustic which I play the obligatory 3 chords on.

i got a set of dvd's called learn and master guitar, consists of around 20 dvd's starts very very basic from how to hold the guitar on to tuning right up to advanced level. takes about 2-6months to become pretty competent if you really have the drive to learn it.

costs about £100 to buy new. pm me and i might be able to sort you out a cheep option

this is the website
http://www.learnandmaster.com/guitar/order-now/

[Edited on 16/7/10 by ashg]

I've been playing bass for over 20 years now and have never had a lesson. I think it's a case of each to their own - and you need to work out how to get the balance correct for you. I think that some informal lessons early on would be a good idea though. If you don't get on with lessons, try a different tutor - again, you need to find one that's right for you!

You may want to see if there are any jam nights near you? It's a good informal way of learning to play (normally simple 12 bar blues) with no pressure.

Put on some MP3s and play along to them. Get the tabs online or try to work it out yourself. Either way, experimentation is what it's all about!

Ed.

based on 30 years playing with bands at a modest level:
1. It is better to buy a really cheap amp and spend the money on the guitar - if you get good enough to play in a band you will need to get a bigger amp anyway.
2. Never buy a guitar without playing it first.
3. Do you know anyone who plays well - take them along to try out guitars.
4. Going out on a guitar shopping trip is ace - make sure you enjoy it
5. Buy an electronic tuner - prevents bad noise draining your willpower.
6. Do it because you like it rather than you want to be in a band.

I have had an enormous amount of pleasure out of playing music over the years - good luck!
Dave

wow didnt realise this was locost guitar players, thanks very much for everyones replies given me a lot of food for thought will have a dig about and im sure aska lot more questions when i understand a bit more.
Do i need to be able to read music because i cant read anything at the mo.
I thought it was qquite simple but all this talk of different stuff is a bit baffeling, me thinks some research is in order.

was it the promise of seconds on the groupies or everyones love of playing that has prompted all the replies.

Tabs are easiest. Check out http://www.ultimate-guitar.com

One I was told concerned muscle memory, I was given a bunch of "excercises" to do to practice technique. Basically it consists of holding your fingers just above the string and pressing 1,2,3,4, 1,3,2,4, 1,4,2,3 and so on.

Unplug the amp and give that 10-15 mins a day (you can even do it in front of the telly)

A great deal of people can't read music and quite rightly, they get on absolutely fine - there's no reason why you shouldn't.


I can read music though and have to say it helps immeasurably to have good standard theory behind you.

I know lots of great players who can do things with a guitar which I couldn't begin to. But not learning theory can limit your ability to grow as a musician. It's not difficult to learn the basics.

Where I do feel the advantage of having learnt theory and reading is in the ability to listen and properly analyse what I hear and to be able to name it, or to read the music and be able to play it.

After all, where would we all be without.


Bass Line

[Edited on 17/7/10 by zilspeed]

whats your budget because im selling my BC Rich Warlock platinum pro custom, with seymour duncan pickups and floyd rose trem. I painted it in crysatl fx paint black and Kandy gold then paid someone to wire it at the local guitar shop. £250

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Originally posted by zilspeed

I can read music though and have to say it helps immeasurably to have good standard theory behind you.

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quote:

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Originally posted by RIE
I've known some very good self-taught guitarists and some very good guitarists who had formal lessons. I was mostly 'self'-taught (on bass) with the occasional informal lesson, but never really took it very far. I think it is down to how you learn best. Remember no matter how good a player a person is, they may not be able to teach for toffee.

If you're looking for a guitar I have a ESP LTD Les Paul that I've barely used (which is why it needs to go) along with a Roland Cube 30w practice amp. Drop me a u2u if you're interested or just want to take a look.

[Edited on 16/7/10 by RIE]

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quote:

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Originally posted by stuleah
whats your budget because im selling my BC Rich Warlock platinum pro custom, with seymour duncan pickups and floyd rose trem. I painted it in crysatl fx paint black and Kandy gold then paid someone to wire it at the local guitar shop. £250

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quote:

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Originally posted by zilspeed

Bass Line

[Edited on 17/7/10 by zilspeed]

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Aye, the chain....classic