Guitar Newbie

[Lorrayne]

Hi!

 

I've always wanted to learn guitar and managed to get my hands on a brand new Epiphone Acoustic. Any advice is appreciated!

[Dodger11]

Hi Lorrayne

 

You've made a great choice - Epiphone acoustics are great instruments! I've had 3 and love(d) them all. I had an AJ200 (now 220) - dropped it and broke the neck, an AJ100 (on loan to a mate's son) and curremtly play an EJ160e.

What model have you got? Stick at it and try to learn songs you really like - youtube is a great resource for starting out these days - unlike when I first picked up a guitar about 25 years ago - I had to learn by ear (not playing with my ear obviously!).

 

Dodger

[Lorrayne]

It's an DR 100, the most basic of basic. I started learning Tuesday night. I'm excited! \:D/

 

[GuitarLight]

Hi!

 

I've always wanted to learn guitar and managed to get my hands on a brand new Epiphone Acoustic. Any advice is appreciated!

 

Welcome! Congratulations on your new Epiphone! What model have you got? Practice and love of your guitar will go far in helping you learn to play it. If it has not been "Set up" ..take it someplace to have that done. It will help make the guitar play easier while you learn. Guitar Centers do this for $30 to $50 and it is usually well worth it! I have an Epi Hummingbird..and a AJ220sce and also three Epi Masterbilts..among others.

[Dodger11]

It's an DR 100, the most basic of basic. I started learning Tuesday night. I'm excited! \:D/

 

 

You'll still get a good sound out of the DR100 when you learn a bit more. Patience is the key - I found that I was banging my head against the wall early on and then it all falls into place. You never stop learning either. Playing with someone else is always a good was to learn as well. Good luck

[zombywoof]

Congrats!

 

You young 'uns will never know how lucky you are. Back when I was starting out our first guitar usually had an action so high you could pass your hands between the strings and board and tuners that kept slipping.

[Lorrayne]

Congrats!

 

You young 'uns will never know how lucky you are. Back when I was starting out our first guitar usually had an action so high you could pass your hands between the strings and board and tuners that kept slipping.

 

Young 'un! Ha!

[mooseguy]

Hi!

 

I've always wanted to learn guitar and managed to get my hands on a brand new Epiphone Acoustic. Any advice is appreciated!

Hi Lorrayne

 

Congratulations on your new guitar and your desire to learn how to play it.

My best advice is to start learning by getting yourself a good teacher.If they

start off by trying to teach you a lot of theory get another.Look for some one who you find is a good "explainer" ,has patience, and who you feel you can learn from. Do not waste your time and money continuing with any teacher who keeps showing you how well he plays and who you find difficult to lean the basics from. I have been there and I know.

 

Regards,

 

Moose

[milod]

Hi...

 

Actually you'll find all sorts of disagreements as to "how to learn" as well as "yup, for the money you got a great starter guitar that some folks can keep pickin' for life."

 

In fact, I just recommended the same guitar to an old friend who gave up on enough repair to the '60s Harmony Sovereign.

 

The "get a setup" is good advice if the strings are 'way high.'

 

As for teachers, etc... some of the best and more creative guitar pickers learned pretty much on their own, one way or another, and long before Youtube or web videos. Others seem to have done quite well with various sorts of lessons.

 

My problem with lessons is that it assumes you find a teacher who teaches what you wanna learn - and whether your "wanna learn" is practical. E.g., I know one beginner who just hadda play just like Jewel - but wouldn't wanna pick up "basic root chords" first.

 

So... all I'll say is "best of luck," and may the guitar be as much fun for you as it has been for me for more than 50 years.

 

m

[el capitan]

What Milod said.Have a clear idea of what you want to play-songs,tunes,classical whatever and follow it.

[Lorrayne]

Thanks for the advice! As far as learning I'm doing really, REALLY basic stuff: learning beginner chords, practicing scales, and practicing chord changes. Oh, and stretching! I think that's the most useful lesson thus far.

[milod]

"Young 'un! Ha!"

 

<grin>

 

Bet you are. That normally to me means children age 65 and under.

 

<chortle> And some of us past that age might even grow up some day. Maybe.

 

m

[Lorrayne]

So...guess what I learned to do today? Restring my guitar (well the high e string anyway)! I managed the break a string this morning and I happen to work a few blocks away from a guitar store. So I've got it strung, wound, tuned, and all.

 

But...how do I end off where the string is connected to the tuner up top? The string is secure and playing correctly but it looks like some kind of deranged girl scout knot on there...

[milod]

Lorrayne...

 

dunno quite what you mean by "knot."

 

There are various ways different "experts" will tell you to string guitars.

 

Here's one. I don't quite agree with doing all at once, myself, but part of that is because if you play an archtop with a "floating" bridge, it can be a problem. Just a minor problem.

 

But... I think it's easier one string at a time regardless.

 

Still, from Elixir strings... And it's about as good as any... the "electric crank" isn't necessary, and he'll tell you that.

 

http://www.elixirstrings.com/products/howtostring_acoustic.html

 

m

[wiggy]

I would echo the advice re getting a guitar teacher.

 

You need to decide what you want to get from the teacher otherwise you will both become dissatisfied with the relationship. My teacher (I first took lessons at the age of 45ish) sat down with me and discussed what I actually wanted. Did I want to learn the guitar (grades, technical, theory) or did I want to play the guitar (basic chords, riffs, play out at jams, make music). His view was that both goals were valid and not incompatible but required an obvious different teacher/pupil approach.

 

My preference was for the latter (I took the view that whilst I would love to go through the more academic route I simply don't have the time left) so we focussed on initially, basic chords and riffs, and after 6 weeks I was standing in a suitably friendly jam playing rhythm. Next jam I was soloing (half a dozen notes roughly in key). We never touched theory directly but concentrated on phrasing, timing, musical feel, and probably spent 50% of each lesson simply talking about music. I might have 'discovered' a particular phrase or note combination and we might spend the lesson exploring what we could do with it. The fact that it might have been the most clichéd riff in history was irrelevant because I'd discovered it for myself therefore I'd followed in the same path as the first person to do so. I always said that my teacher should write a book called 'Zen and the Art of Guitar Playing' and that he actually taught me very little BUT I learned a vast amount with him which was in my mind the mark of a great teacher.

[Lorrayne]

By knot I mean the string is wound around the post the correct number of times, but I had some extra string left after winding and didn't know how much excess to cut off.

 

 

Lorrayne...

 

dunno quite what you mean by "knot."

 

There are various ways different "experts" will tell you to string guitars.

 

Here's one. I don't quite agree with doing all at once, myself, but part of that is because if you play an archtop with a "floating" bridge, it can be a problem. Just a minor problem.

 

But... I think it's easier one string at a time regardless.

 

Still, from Elixir strings... And it's about as good as any... the "electric crank" isn't necessary, and he'll tell you that.

 

http://www.elixirstrings.com/products/howtostring_acoustic.html

 

m

[milod]

There are lots of different ways, but I usually use sidecutters to get rid of all but about 3/4 of an inch, then I bend it 90 degrees or so - mostly so it won't gouge me when I'm messing with a guitar.

 

When I was a kid - and I see lotza folks doing the same now - folks would just let the wire reach on forever and not cut it at all so you had a hairy look to the peghead. Others would coil the "leftovers." Note in the Elixir piece the guy talks about cutting strings to length before winding them. That's more or less what I do.

 

Bottom line is that it ain't a big deal to me one way or another. I cut 'em now as I do mostly because I don't care to poke myself in the eye by accident. When I was a young folkie, then rocker, I didn't think about it.

 

m

[cliffmac]

Don't know if you've checked out this but the game rocksmith seems to be the way to learn these days. I learned from watching, your choice.

 

BTW congrats on the new guitar be open and don't give up.

 

 

 

[revolver66]

Congrats on your new guitar. I've been playing over thirty years and learnt pretty much from scratch. All my guitar habits are bad ones, my technique is totally cack handed but IMHO I've always made a half decent noise. Enjoy yourself that's the main thing, put in the hard yards and you'll get your rewards.