What's the best way to start learning the guitar?

Question

I know it's going to start off being really frustrating. But what and how is the best way to begin teaching yourself and practicing? Is there any good books or videos?

Answer 1

there is plenty of books and videos that help you learn. i started out by watching others play and then later i got some

books and now i can play well enough people will stand around and listen.

Answer 2

Save your money on lessons rather than books and videos and websites promising that you'll get good in 2 days, trust me it takes more like a lifetime to get "Good" only through dedication and hard practice. Get lessons though because the best way to learn is from a professional.

Answer 3

I bought a couple of books at the used store, one of them came with a CD to pop in your computer, the other one has a DVD.

Whenever I think of a song I'd like to play and sing, I search for the song name and the words "guitar tabs" and sometimes "easy". Then I look and see if it has chords that I know, if not, I try another version. Then I print them, I keep them in a little folder and try to play them periodically.

I've also just found you can download an older version of Guitar Pro software for free, which seems to be a great tool.  It has chord finders and a tuner. Later on when you get better, it allows you to write songs.

http://www.softlookup.com/display.asp?id...

Answer 4

experiment with notes and name the notes yourself to remember them.

Answer 5

I totally understand!!! I just started playing guitar too!!! The best way to start is to find basic guitar books which show you the frets, fingering, and scales and other basic knowledge. Then practice playing scales again and again... It gets boring, but the practice pays off, or if you get tired of playing scales, move on to simple songs. Some music books have DVDs or CDs which go with them, look for those. It makes it easier to learn if you can see and/or hear what you're supposed to be playing. Your best bet for finding good practice books is to go to your local music store and find what method they recommend. Lots of times your smaller stores can't offer the variety of a place like The Guitar Center, but they can often offer good advice and personal insight.

Answer 6

Go to the library and rent a book that comes along with a CD.  That's what I did.  Practice practice practice!

You can also look at TABS on the internet which is really easy to learn to play.

Answer 7

The greatest way is to get 1 on 1 lessons with a guitar teacher.  He/she will teach you so much more then the books from experience.