Best way to learn how to play guitar??

[TexasN1880]

I am looking for advice. I have always wanted to learn how to play guitar. Any advice would be appreciated.

How should I get started?
What guitar is the best to learn on?
Should I take lessons or is there a better way to learn?

Thanks in advance guys.

[TexasN1880]

Bump

[CWendling]

Im no expert but been playing around the campfire for a few years. Mostly self/friend taught but have taken some lessons too. I would recommend finding a teacher you like and do that, but really its a lot of repetition practice at first to learn chord shapes and if you want to go beyond that...learning scales and such. The biggest advice Id give, is dont buy $100 guitar to 'start' if your really are going to stick with it. Spend a little more like 3-400 on a good beginner guitar and have it setup. It will stay in tune better and be easier on your fingers.

[Shane]

Lessons would be best, I'm sure. I had to teach myself when I was a kid though. I used books and just learned by ear, playing along with records and such. YouTube nowadays is a treasure trove of how-to material.

You don't have to spend big money on a guitar, but just make sure you have someone knowledgeable set it up for you so that it will be easy to play. The frets and neck need to be level, and the action needs to be set so that the strings are as close to the frets as they can be without buzzing. That makes the guitar easier to play.

Play with other people as much as you can, even if you're not officially taking lessons from someone. You'll learn from other players, and playing along with other people helps you learn how to get into the groove of a song much better than playing by yourself. If you can't find other people to play with, play along with your favorite song recordings.

It will take some time to get your fingers coordinated and begin to figure things out, so don't get discouraged at first. Once it starts coming together your progress will start picking up speed.

[Ruark]

but just make sure you have someone knowledgeable set it up for you so that it will be easy to play. The frets and neck need to be level, and the action needs to be set so that the strings are as close to the frets as they can be without buzzing. That makes the guitar easier to play.

^^^^^THIS. I've seen brand new $3000 guitars so poorly set up (from the factory) they were almost unplayable, and I've seen $150 junk guitars with good setup jobs that played smooth as butter.

This is like somebody who's never held a gun before asking "what's the best caliber for hunting?" And remember that everybody you ask will be an "expert."

What kind of music? You want to play solo, or strum chords while you sing? Acoustic or electric? Flatpick or fingerpick? Read music, copy popular songs, or improvise? Heck, do you even KNOW what you want to play? In any case, there's a 99% chance you'll fool with it for a few weeks, then it will gradually move into the closet.

Whichever way you go, remember to give yourself time. The #1 mistake of beginners is going too fast. They try to play too fast, and they try to learn too fast. It takes at least a couple of years of steady practice to really play smooth and competently. That's why most guitars sit in the closet and collect dust. People buy one, pick on it a few weeks, don't get anywhere, get bored, and lose interest.

[Shane]

^Yep. Practice playing CLEAN. Play as slow as it takes in order to play cleanly. Don't start picking up the tempo until you can play it clean.

[lovemylegacy]

Watching closely.

[EarleyBird]

My son just turned 17. He started playing guitar three years ago when my FIL gave him a cheap acoustic guitar. He learned to play it by searching online. YouTube is his best instructor by far. He's pretty good at it. Completely self-taught.

[BTGuard]

I've been playing around a little and have spent a lot of time on Justin guitar. All free, and good videos to learn from from beginner through advanced.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[Shough]

All good advice. Key is practice and it doesn't have to be long durations, but frequent! A guitar in a stand next to your living room chair will get picked up 10 times as much as one in a case under the bed.

Start learning chords and just practice on making them sound clean and transitioning from one to another It only takes 3 chords to play thousands of songs. Good luck and stick with it

[Cjconner]

Practice practice practice learn a few cords from the internet get good at them and then focus on your transition between cords once you master that then you can start worrying about picking learning your base cords will give you a great foundation to build on once you get an ear towards it and your fingers limber up you'll find that learning by ear can be easy but it all goes back to practice practice practice learn G C A D Am D7 E and Em with those chords you can master a majority of the songs in the world good luck and build those calluses

[Zen Archery]

Youtube! Find song you really like and wanna play. Go to YouTube. Search "how to play guitar (song you like)" or "guitar lessons to (sing you like). You'd be suprised how quickly you can learn after lots of practice.

[Eagle19]

I learned from tabs, YouTube, and ear. I had played piano and was in choir before I learned so I understood the theory.

[sailor]

I been playing since 1967...........
And, Iam marginally better.......
So, whatever advice I give ya..
Somebody will correct me..
So good luck.

[Hawkpuppy 1]

Lessons are the best route. I wish I had done them 25 years ago when I started playing. Guitar Center usually has good instructors in there stores in what is called "Studios" that are a great resource. Start on a cheap but GOOD guitar. Have it gone over by a tech or someone who knows how to setup a guitar. Nothing worse that trying to learn how to play, on an action(distance of strings from fret board) for slide guitar. More comfortable the guitar is, the more you'll want to play it. YouTube is great also....