Guitar and lessons...

[**AngerMagnetic**]

So I really enjoy music. I am thinking of buying a guitar and taking lessons. So, questions is:
1)What kind of guitar should i get?
Does not need to be fancy in my opinion when I'm first learning.
2)Take lessons by a DVD/Online for a bit or heck no!! Go straight to lessons?
3)Anything else?

P.S. I have never played any musical instruments at all. Except for when I was like 7 and rocked out with my recorder out!!

Something like this maybe?
http://kansascity.craigslist.org/msg/1282599319.html

 

[mountie]

What kind of music do you want to play? Some guitars are alot better for certain types of music. For example, I have a B.C. Rich Kerry King V which i've found is great for playing metal, preferably rythym but it can do lead with the right distortion. If you're wanting to go a softer route, Epiphone SGs have a nice vintage sound to them and only cost about 150 bucks.

EDIT: First Act guitars are also great for starting out. My first guitar was actually an Ion which is pretty much just like a First Act guitar and now I can play pretty good. Can't pull any Randy Rhodes stuff tho lmao. 65 Dollars for that Acoustic would be a good investment for starting out. And I taught myself. My dad showed me a couple chords and I picked the rest up along the way.

 

[Mjolnir]

I have a bass but oh well. I'm not really "learning" anything, I usually go online and look for tabs and play. I have a Fender Standard Jazz btw :]

 

[Ninja Melon]

I've been playing bass/electric guitar for like 8 years now, and to be honst i have never taken lessons. They are a good idea if you want to learn music theory and what not but i found the best way to learn is to take a song that you know you cant play and work at it. I can remeber spending countless hours trying to play a billy sheehan bass solo and it made me a hell of alot better at bass.

but if you want lessons get a real teacher, alwasy good to have some one phyiscally there with you(from what ive heard lol)

guitar wise, you dont need any thing fancy a squire strat could do, becasue if you stick with it you will buy more and better guitars, i have 4 bass guitars, all about a grand each 2 electrics and an acoustic, im a bit obsessed.

Thats my advice to you, and if ya need any help you can always hit me on steam frinds or in vent and I can help you find whats right for you.

steam is woopyerarse, nickname is Ninja Melon

 

[A Nurse from Texas]

I've learned a lot from this guy. He's kind of chatty but very thorough. His site is loaded with info, and his vids are good. Even if you get an instructor, this would be good for reinforcement.

http://justinguitar.com/

 

[2 F 4 B P]

If you want to learn some of everything, turn to this guy. He is the man at guitar!

http://www.estebanmusic.com/

Sick heavy metal guitar by B.C. Rich
Silky sounding Acoustic guitar by Washburn

 

[Nightmare -]

For a guitar, try some out... The only guitar that is good for you is the one that feels good...

That is also the reason why I have NEVER played anything else than a B.C. Rich Mockingbird and ESP Custom.. xP

 

[Passerby]

personally i would start out with an acoustic. but for buying instruments it just comes down to trying guitars out and finding the one you like in your price range. so just try out as many as possible and find the one that sounds and feels how you like.

and for lessons you can go either way get some lessons or go self-directed and self thought.
in my case it's a bit of both im am all self-taught on guitar and bass but i did take music theory when i was in school.

if you just want to get a few songs under your belt relativity quick you can just look through some tabs but that will only take you so far and you will need to eventually learn all of your main chord and scales and everything if you want to do any improv or just learn things faster and be able to change it up on the go and if got a good ear you will prolly prefer to learn from ear than sheet music or tab.

if you got any questions or want help you can prolly find me hanging around vent somewhere or you can add me to steam and pm me.

p.s.
like Ninja Melon i got a little collection going

Guitars:
seagull 25th anniversary edition mahogany/spruce(the best acoustic i ever played that didn't cost 2000$ or more)
Epiphone Sheraton 2(limited edition with Gibson pickups and hardware)
Ibanez AEG8E
Ibanez RG7321

Bass:
Ibanez GSR

 

[An_Idiot_Blooming]

I would definitely take lessons to start with guitar.

The reason for this is to not develop bad habits that are much harder to break down the road.

You can most definitely teach yourself how to play through tabs or online instruction, but I'd highly recommend a teacher at first to develop good practice and habits which will create the foundation you need to excel as fast as you can.

Guitar selection comes down to preference. Don't buy anything because someone tells you. Go to the store, try some acoustics and electrics and decide between those two. Then try different brands and decide what is best for you.

To be honest, it might not matter too much what your first guitar is because you don't know anything about what your preference for things like neck depth and width are yet, so just go with what feels most natural or easy to play for you.

And when it comes down to it really... if you've got the drive and desire to get good, you will, no matter what teacher or guitar you have. They're just tools to get you there.

I would recommend going to ultimate-guitar.com and looking up some tabs for easier songs you want to learn how to play and I'd also recommend GuitarPro software. People write tabs using GP (GuitarPro) and then the software plays the tab for you so you can hear what it sounds like while seeing what notes are played. You can also slow the song down while you're learning and playing along. It really is quite invaluable in my opinion.

 

[Passerby]

i agree mostly with that except for one thing tabs only teach you how to play songs not guitar if you stick with tabs youll be stuck learning everything one song at a time but if you learn some theory and all of your chords, scales, and modes youll be able to make things up better and be able to learn anything you want lot faster.

 

[Vain]

Personally for the last 10 years.. I've ran through many guitars... Played with Martins and Gibsons... I've come across a guitar that I fell in-love with and had wished It was around when I first started to play to be honest.. Breedlove.. It has the characteristics of electric but fantastic tone of a martin.. I bought an acoustic-electric and you won't have to buy another one for quite some time... They record well.. they feel awesome the neck isnt to big nor to small...its just positive reviews

 

[SotilasSissi]

I have cheap Ibanez guitar about 280$ or 200?, and I mainly play some metal songs. It's good starter guitar.

 

[Passerby]

ya my first electric and and acoustic were both Ibanez good starters but both of them feel like toys to me now compared to my Seagull and my Sheraton 2.

but i still use them once and a while when me and my friends get board and start wondering around donwtown with a bunch of guitars and trash cans playing random stuff.

 

[DVS_Mind]

Hey Anger, nice to see another music fan looking to make that next step.

That link you're looking at on craigslist is a nice little deal (since it includes a gig bag and chord book to get you started) but keep in mind it might not feel right to you personally and you won't truly know until after the fact. I certainly agree with some of these guys when they say the feel of a guitar makes a huge difference in how your playing will turn out. I have some guitars that sound or look cool, but might be somewhat cumbersome. Then I have guitars that are amazingly comfortable to hold and those are the ones that I feel most at ease with. One thing to consider is that if you're not feeling good about what you're playing or how you're playing it, then your performance and overall sound will certainly be a reflection of that uneasiness.

Another thing to do right off is ask yourself: What do I hope to get out of this? Is it purely for fun and done as a hobby or do I wish to make more of it? Setting realistic expectations for yourself works leaps and bounds in your favor in the long run and helps prevent that "stuck in a rut" feeling so many musicians encounter at one point or another.

I hope this little bit of insight helps from my 13 years of experience and I also hope to hear how you progress in the future.