I've been playing piano most of my life (10 out of the 15 years). I also play the violin, drums, marimba, and concert percussion. I really want to play guitar, too. I have two guitars and I took a few lessons when I was younger. I can't afford a teacher right now (I'm taking piano lessons), and I know that is the best way to learn, but I kinda figured I could teach myself. I need to know where to start. I know the notes on the frets from playing classical guitar with I was 10 (I still play classical). I really just want to focus on Chords. I have several different Chord charts. I'm not sure where to start! I just kinda need some tips to get me started off.

Also, I know this is kind of a long shot, but I want to be a good enough player for this June. We have Church camp, and I would like to bring my guitar along but not look like a fool. I have a "go-to" guy for guitar questions, but I really don't want to make him feel like he has to teach me guitar (he's dealing with a new born with osteogenesis imperfecta).

I want to work mainly with acustic guitar, but I do have an electric too.

well i know how you feel, i dont know how old you are but i asume that your under 20 right, well first off people will always tell you that you need to start off on an acoustic guitar, but everyone that i know got an electric first, me included, i dont think that it makes a dif. but as you get beter your gana want to play an acoustic more offten, ok if you dont wana get lessons, which i dident, LEARN TO READ TABS!!!!! not that hard, you will also need to learn chords, so get a chord book, and the internet is your best frend, like google, if you need to tune your guitar go to youtube, type in guitar tuner and there is like 1,000,000,000 of them.


Drew

Yeah, it does make a difference which one you get first because of the tension of the strings, but I already have one of each.

but you can get strings that have diferent tention, its called the guage, i use a .10 on my acoustic and electric, a cupple good songs would be like folk music, like "big yellow taxi" you have prabebly herd that from counting crows, but its origenaly buy joni miller, its about like saving trees and stuff, look it up on youtube, and jim croce, you dont mess around with jim, he is a good folk singer, and if you dont know what folk is its like hippie music. it is eassy to lern, and fun to listen to, if your going to a cherch camp you can lern some prase songs those r the ezest ones to lern, most of them have like 3 chords in the whole song, i hop that you impres your frends wit hyour new talent!! (:

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so basicly lern some folk music
"Big yellow taxi" by joni miller
"you dont mess around with jim" by jim croce
"stuck in the middle with you" by stealers weel
"house of the rising sun" by the animals
and get some good prase songs, like
"hear i am to worship" by mercy me
and if you dont know the songs then look them up on
youtube
im like 16, my dad told me about all of these bands
and thats were i lerned them.....YOUTUBE .........
.............its tha shit

oops, i ment joni mitchell, not joni miller

i want to learn how to play the guitar..maybe ill pick up lessons this summer..

i want to play the guitar.but the problem is i dont know how
Our music teacher taught ud how to play it
but i still dont get it
do you have any suggestions where can i learn how to
play the guitar?


interestin.!hmm

start off with the C G and D chords. you can find them on the internet in a chord chart. Practice those chords and most importantly practice stumming!! Stum down and up and then just muck around, have fun!! Once you've got the feeling of the strum and a chord or two you'll find every thing else falls into place.

I must express though, that the stumming is your ABC. with out it you can't play. make up your own stile, or copy a stum you see a player doing! Good luck mate

the tips of your fingers hurt once you practice but afterwards you get used to it. especially the D major chord. I love the guitar so much that i am addicted to it

For chords you can't beat an acoustic electric. Start with majors, as you know they are happy sounding. Go to minors, then major7's and minor7's. After that learn bar chords. You already have a great head start on most people with your other instruments. Almost all the "sing along songs" Drew mentioned, will have these chords in them. You can play 100's with an hour a day practice. 8notes has a ton of tab.

I'm not sure I would recommend tab right off the bat. People who learn tab in the hopes of learning guitar often stray away from the notes and 1st position chords. Some people only learn tab. Most tab doesn't give rhythms, which you'll have to make up for by listening to a song a hundred times. I agree with the last guy. Start with 1st position chords, work you way through bar chords, learn some power chords, and use tab when notes aren't enough. I only use tab as a guide for fret locations.

its good to read the tabs but my opinion is that a musician should understand the major and minor scales thoroughly and how to derive the chords from the scales; before reading tabs.