What should I know before I try to teach myself guitar?

Question

What should I know before I try to teach myself guitar?

Answer 1

You have to really want to learn. It takes time, and you can't

just start playing, so have patience.  Piano was a piece of

cake for me. The guitar was not. I think we all are different so

what comes easy or hard for another may be just the opposite

for someone else. I hope you will find learning the guitar a piece of cake.

Answer 2

guitar playing does not come naturally you have to earn and wok up to being a great player.

Answer 3

Guitar For Dummies, 2nd Edition

By Mark Phillips, Jon Chappell

Description

Have you always wanted to play guitar? Who wouldn't? Think of Jimi Hendrix wailing away on his Stratocaster. . . Chuck Berry duck-walking across the stage to "Johnny B. Goode". . .B.B. King making his "Lucille" cry the blues. No doubt about it—guitars are cool.

Guitar For Dummies 2nd Edition tells you everything a beginning or intermediate guitarist needs to know: from buying a guitar to tuning it, playing it, and caring for it, this book has it all—and you don't even need to know how to read music. Full of photo-illustrated exercises and songs you can play to practice the techniques discussed in each section, this step-by-step guide will take you through the basics and beyond before you can say "Eric Clapton." You'll learn how to:

Match yourself with the guitar and equipment that fits your needs and budget

Select the right accessories: amps, picks, pedals, capos, cases, and other goodies

Pick and strum to produce a clean, clear, buzz-free tone

Know whether you're really in tune

Play melodies without reading music

Perform basic guitar maintenance and repairs

Build strength and dexterity while playing

Play in different styles, including rock, blues, folk, jazz, and classical

Make your guitar talk with bends and slides!

Fully revised and updated, with an all new interactive CD that allows readers to listen, learn, tune, and play along, Guitar For Dummies 2nd Edition is the perfect introductory guide for any novice acoustic or electric guitar player.

Answer 4

Each fret raises the note a half step.

the notes go c, c#, d, d#, e, f, f#, g, g#, a, a#, b, c.

the strings go E A D G B E, (thickest to thinnest)

definately learn how to tune a guitar. (u can get a tuner, or do it by ear, or with a piano if you have one).

have a good idea of what type of songs you want to play, "classick rock/oldies/punk/emo/classical/blues/jaz... etc.

learn how to read tabs (its pretty straight forward)

know this site: Ultimate-guitar.com -- it has tabs for almost every song. tabs are just a type of notation of music, used in guitar sometimes as opposed to sheet music.

thats pretty much all you need to know to get started. you will pick up most of everything else just from playing, watching others play, and possibly online lessons (go to youtube and they have video lessons that you can watch and you will learn a thing or two).

Good Luck!

Answer 5

-Lessons are costly, but are MUCH better than teaching yourself (you'll learn faster and progress farther)

-You can use books and the internet as references in addition to lessons, don't rely on these things on their own

I tried teaching myself just a little, when I didn't have a teacher. It was an ok experience. No one was there to correct my mistakes though...which is a big thing in learning any instrument.

Answer 6

You should know:

1.  The names of the strings.

2.  How to tune the instrument.

3.  How to care for the instrument.

4.  Be motivated enough to endure hours of practice and move beyond the painful fingertips until the calluses arrive.

5.  Be open for tips, criticisms, and suggestions from other guitarists.

6.  That you will not be an instant guitar player; it takes years to accomplish the expertise of a Stevie Ray Vaughn and an Eric Clapton. Even the great Chet Atkins admonished us to practice slow.