How'd you learn to play the guitar?

[ZooropaTV]

Self taught and thats primarily why i'm crap. Learnt Piano and Trumpet when i was Younger, and Had an acoustic in our attic and just picked it up taught myself how to read tab and it just went from there, started so i could play U2 songs.

[LeftyTom]

I learn from various instruction books. I also keep an eye open for videos of music styles I like. If you like the way someone local plays, see if you can strike up a conversation. People like talking about themselves, and music isn't like magic (where everyone guards their secrets and techniques).

 

A guy I work with plays guitar. He will rattle off a long description of a piece, such as "capo on the thrid fret"...it sounds like he's repeating a description from a tab book. If you happen across this type of player, filter out their ego, and see if there is useful information. If you cannot get past their ego, politely excuse yourself from the discussion.

 

Remember, a small solid-state (SS) practice amp (15 watts) is not going to sound like Marshall stack. Also, you don't need a 100W tube amp to sound killer.

[book_of_lies777]

Originally posted by almightycrunch Judas Priest British Steel and Point of Entry, that got me going full steam ahead.

 

 

 

:thu:

[bgmacaw]

I learned music theory from taking piano lessons for about 6 years. I took some fairly lame half folk half classical style guitar lessons about the same time. I learned a good bit of chord theory on my own through books but I didn't play any lead at all. I only played acoustic until I was in my 20's and bought an electric. At that time, I took lessons from a guy who had been a touring pro in the 60's and 70's and that was like turning the switch on so far as playing leads. After that, I've learned on my own.

 

I'd say the key to learning to play is practicing every day and practicing stuff that helps you advance your playing. For example, I try to make an effort to step away from the comfortable blues/rock stuff to try some jazz, metal, and country.

[1esotericguy]

Get a Metronome, find the accents (in the beat), and also force yourself to sing along to songs with the songs turned down low. All of that will help with intervals and phrasing. Then the info from books becomes useable.

[Sauntman]

 

Originally posted by book_of_lies777 I started playing in the late 80s - played for a few years - quit for 15 years - and started back up about 3 years ago...

 

 

My guitary playing history is very similar. I took up playing the guitar in the mid-80s. I was 18 years old at the time and I remember thinking I was too old to start playing then. I figured I should have started when I was 13 or 14 years old and at 18, I was years behind. I was taught power chords and some relatively easy rythms when I was a freshmen in college. A guy in the dorm room next to mine taught me enough to get me started. He would write out some tabs for me for songs I wanted to learn. Started with the staples such as Iron Man and Smoke On The Water and a few others. I used his beat up old acoustic guitar and would sit in my dorm room plunking away for hours. Eventually, you could actually recognize what song I was attempting to play. Now and then, the guy next room over would let me jam on his Gibson SG and Music Man amp. I had to get myself an electric!

 

While on X-mas break, I purchased a cheap flying V guitar out of a JCPenney (could have been Wards or Sears) Christmas Catalog. I didn't have an amp so I played through my boom box. After about a year, I upgraded to a Kramer Stryker series guitar and a Peavey Backstage Plus amp. What a difference half decent gear made! I was getting to the point where I could play some riffs and rythms (not songs all the way through) and I would tape myself to see my progress. Some pieces I could play pretty well.

 

My downfall was I never really stuck to a disciplined practice routine. Just played by ear and did mass amounts of noodling around. I didn't learn any theory, didn't practice scales or chords. I did this for about 4 or 5 years or until I was about 22 years old. Then, I got married, had a child and had to start thinking responsibly about the future. My unrealistic dream of being a rock star came to an end.

 

Then, about a year and a half ago (now divorced) at the age of 40, I decided I needed a hobby. I went out and bought a $300 Fender acoustic and started up playing again. This time realizing I needed to learn more chords (major, minor, 7th and 9th etc.) and scales starting with the five boxes of the minor pentatonic scale in all keys (still working on this). I've bought lesson books, DVD's and books on music theory. Learned how chords are constructed out of the major scale and about intervals. I have also purchased a few decent electric guitars and a 15 watt Marshall practice amp.

 

As a hobbyist, I am learning at my own pace and I don't force myself to play when I really don't feel like it. I am busy with my career so I try to play 6-8 hours per week. I mix in disciplined study and practice along with my jamming (noodling). I use a Line 6 Guitar Port and Audacity recording software to jam to backing tracks through my computer. I am currently working with a book called "Blues You Can Use" by John Ganapes to work on the I-IV-V and of course the 12-bar blues progression. I still like my classic rock and some heavy metal and so practice these genres as well. I don't get as fustrated as I did the first time around because now I play for my own personal enjoyment and don't worry about becoming a guitar god. I am making decent progress and that is all I care about. Though I do wish I had somebody with a higher skill level to jam with.

[Spar]

I learned by using Metal Method instructional DVD's, best out there.

[Minitruth]

 

How did you learn to play the guitar?   I

[bad mutha-humpa]

I'm self taught....with a couple months of lessons in the middle. It's served me pretty well. I'm not real sure how good I am, but other people seem to like what I do.

[cratz2]

Hrmm... We had an organ in our house. I learned to play it by ear and then a family friend taught me how to read music. This was when I was 5 or so. Then at 6, I was given two guitars by another friend of my mother that had a son that was a few years older than me and went through phases of toys which he never kept an interest in (guitars, BB guns, 22s, police radios, go karts, BMX bikes).

 

I already new how to read music, so I learned how to tune the guitar and what strings were supposed to be tuned to what from an encyclopedia. The acoustic had all 6 strings, the electric only had 2 strings. I think the A and B or the A and G strings. I just remember that I kept them tuned 1 octave apart and messed around with Hawaiian sounding music and slow surf stuff.

 

I took some classical lessons, then got a classical guitar. We didn't have much rock or blues music in the house, but my mom had some Ventures records and Chet Atkins. I LOVED Walk Don't Run and learned to play it by ear.

 

My sister's husband (sister is 15 years older than me) listened to rock so I got turned on to that about 8 or 9 years old. He listened mostly to Kiss, David Bowie, Black Foot, Accept, Van Halen etc. The two guys that I really loved were Ace Frehley and Mick Ronson. THAT's what made me want to play electric but my mom wasn't convinced.

 

I was given a cheap electric of some sort (don't really remember) that had all 6 strings. I was no longer taking lessons because I didn't think I was getting any real benefit. This was when I was 9 or 10.

 

When I first was exposed to Randy Rhoads, I was completely blown away. His stuff was so classical in nature (very scale-based and it made sense from a classical perspective) and when the Diary of a Madman album came out, I convinced my mom to get me a good electric based on the fact that intro to the song Diary of a Madman was based Orff's Carmina Burana. I was 12 or possibly 11.

 

Then I realized I wanted to go into music education and I started learning all the string and wind instruments. Never really got into brass, but I played each wind instrument except the piccolo for at least 6 weeks.

 

I took lessons twice again for about 5 lessons at a time and again, the teacher just wasn't good enough to provide me with exactly what I wanted. They were too structured. My 'music knowledge' was WAY more advanced than the teacher's knowledge so they couldn't help me there and I felt they wanted to force me to learn their stages of playing. For the record, I'm not trying to say that my playing abilities were outstanding, but I think I was wanting for music teaching than playing teaching.

 

Then I just kind of grew away from playing music for a number of years. I pretty much only played classical for a while then got a good deal on a 70s Twin and that got me back into electric.

 

Basically, I started with a brief introduction to music, then learned by ear. Nothing wrong with learning entirely on your own by ear, but I really think more folks should have the basic knowledge, then be turned loose to do things their own way. Today I think is different because access to the internet is basically an unlimited resource for kids. I kind of fear that in the next 10 years or so, there will be less and less truly unique guitarist in the mainstream because of all the knowledge on the internet.

[Spar]

I initially learned by taking the Spinal Tap guitar course, but I needed more.

[BlackHatHunter]

 

How did you learn to play the guitar?

 

 

1. Bought a guitar in Swansea, Wales, out of boredom.

2. Played the Eric Clapton Crossroads set and played along until I figured out what was going on.

[walkinblues]

lessons on and off from age 9 to about 13 (folk, rock, classical), then mostly picking up things off of records. i took lessons briefly as an adult, from an old jazz player (used to play in big bands in the 40's) and also from a blues player. but still, mostly from records. still learning of course.

[valentsgrif]

 

"I recently took up the guitar, now just acoustic, which I love (James Taylor kinda stuff), but I want to get an electric, as blues is what really stirs my soul."   Check out Fender Stratocasters and Fender Amps   "I've always been good at playing things by "ear", but I'm thinking that might come to be a disadvantage down the road, bypassing some valuable music-reading skills... I'm not sure."   you could not have said that better. reading skills are very important and will make you a MUCH better musician. However, it's good practice to ALSO learn stuff by ear.   "My guess is that the best bet for me is to just take formal lessons from a reputable place, one of which I do have access to. Even if that would be your recommendations, I think your experiences would make fascinating reading."   You could not have said that better either. Take formal lessons from a place with a good reputation and take lessons from someone with a degree (if you can) and also a good reputation. whatever you do, practice everything your instructor gives you obsessively. I don't care how much you hate it! (you'll love it after about a week if you SERIOUSLY practice). It don't take that long not to suck at something. You can practice it obsessively (about 4 hours a day) and you'll get better at it and it will be fun. Everything, i repeat, everything new you learn will suck to practice at first but this is what separates a good guitarist from a not so good guitarist. DEDICATION.   "So far I

[Marko]

 

^ Best advice- sums up all the other excellent posts.!!

 

 

 

Yes I agree, as the originator of this thread sometime last year.

 

I was surprised to pop in here and see this thread I started it last year, which thanks to you guys is fascinating. I regularly view here.

 

Actually I ended up not taking formal lessons, though (at least yet), as my work schedule has me working two evenings a week and other scheduled thinngs, so I got a few instructional DVD

[myway]

Hi,

I did it the same way alot of guys did it back in the day before CD's, video lessons and all that. You just picked the needle of the record and put it down again. Over and over until you got it right. Back in those days we had eight track, which was totally guitarist unfriendly, and old 33 R.P.M. records. But that is how I learned. Also, all my friends and I would get together alot. James would say, "Man I saw this Dude in Parker Music yesterday, and he knew the beginning to "Hey Baby", and it started like this", then he would show us all. It was kind of a little coop. But it made for great learning and experimentation too. Then the following week we would meet up and I would have seen some guy at Marty's Music play something cool and I in turn would show the guys. I miss those guys, I miss playing like that. We were sincere, no headtrips, nothing but pure pursuit of the song. We were white trash kids who would walk for miles in the Hot Houston sun, without a penny in our pocket to a music store that sometimes did not want us there, just to learn a lick from some guy playing a popular song. Jaime Bryant, James Day, where are you now? Goodness gracious this thread brings back some memories.

[LARRY L]

Mark, if by chance you still reading this, or to ever it could help...

 

I've been playing for 30 years and only in the last 6 I have been involved with a lot of different people and playing at different places. The biggest breakthrough is when I decided to take the advice of an excellent clasical guitarist. He said you must disipline yourself to play new harder stuff. I fell in the trap of playing the same old runs and chords that sounded great for 15 mins then I would out of tricks.

 

Since then I studied the blues scales, minor pentatonic, minor harmonic, major & minors scales and learned to play in any key in any position.

Also chords in any key and position.

 

For me, I think "patterns" on the fret board then slowly after weeks of practicing, I know where the notes are and I find that groove.

 

Since the doe, ray, me, scales can be boring. I bought a boss loop machine, RC20. Now I can loop a chord progression, then add a bass line using my boss ME50 octave low pedal, then do my leads on a new track.You can save the main rhythm track and re-do over and over the last track. My Boss RC20 never complains to me about playing the same chords too long so I can practice new stuff as long as my wife can take it. (about 2hrs 15min)

 

The loop machine was the best thing I ever bought to help my guitar playing.

[Marko]

Mark, if by chance you still reading this, or to ever it could help... I've been playing for 30 years and only in the last 6 I have been involved with a lot of different people and playing at different places. The biggest breakthrough is when I decided to take the advice of an excellent clasical guitarist. He said you must disipline yourself to play new harder stuff. I fell in the trap of playing the same old runs and chords that sounded great for 15 mins then I would out of tricks. Since then I studied the blues scales, minor pentatonic, minor harmonic, major & minors scales and learned to play in any key in any position. Also chords in any key and position. For me, I think "patterns" on the fret board then slowly after weeks of practicing, I know where the notes are and I find that groove. Since the doe, ray, me, scales can be boring. I bought a boss loop machine, RC20. Now I can loop a chord progression, then add a bass line using my boss ME50 octave low pedal, then do my leads on a new track.You can save the main rhythm track and re-do over and over the last track. My Boss RC20 never complains to me about playing the same chords too long so I can practice new stuff as long as my wife can take it. (about 2hrs 15min) The loop machine was the best thing I ever bought to help my guitar playing.

 

Larry... that's what I want/plan to do. I know live sound, but nothing about recording. I'm gonna pic you brain down the road a bit about that stuff when I put a little personal recording studio together, mayby this summer, Lord willing.

 

I would imagine having the rythm tracks looping would be awesome. I really want to write some stuff, whether or not I'm good at it, I'll have fun learning.

 

Thanks Brother.

[mrnestor]

just watching people and being influenced by metallica, steve vai, joe satriani, in flames, led zeppelin, jimi hendrix, rolling stones, black sabbath, and the list goes on and on. i devoted at least 4 hours a day practicing back in the day.

 

I just devoted time and effort to play the guitar. it was well worth it!!

[sylvesterlowery]

Mostly by ear, little bit of tab, lots of magazines. Never had the patience to sit down and learn to read sheet music well, though I should. Mostly, I just sit down, plug in, and just play until I stumble onto something new(to me at least). I'm not worried about becoming the next Satch or Vai, I just play because I love to.

[Introspectre]

I'm completely self taught, in the truest sense.

 

I got a little chord chart with my first piece of {censored} acoustic, and that's where it all started. LOL I memorized those simple, open position chords, and worked on putting them together in strumming patterns.

 

From there, a year later, I got my first electric, and a friend showed me how to play power chords. Internet tabs were the next place I turned, to learn some Green Day songs, etc. A couple more years down the road, I got some professional tab books, and a video of how to play some {censored} by Nirvana. I didn't even touch on soloing until about my third year.

 

I didn't find this site until I'd been playing for about five or six years. Seven years in, I'm one of the best in my area on metal rhythm, and my soloing isn't half bad, for not knowing any theory.

 

I'd actually love to get theory lessons now, though, because, while I have down all the mechanics of guitar playing, I know very, very little theory. I had a theory class in high school in my senior year five years ago, but since I was in the process of dropping out, I didn't get much out of it.

 

So that's where I'm at, and how I got here! LOL

[crust]

I took lessons from Mrs. Klickstein when I was 9 (1962)

Can you play "Tom Dooley" and "The Carnival In Venice" ?

[Athiest_Peace]

My dad played semi professionally. He was in a band that travelled acros Kansas, sometimes to Oklahoma, Missourri, nebraska.. Usually just gone for a day or so, but sometimes gone for 3 or 4 at a time. I was always there in the middle of band practice messing with stuff. I was always getting his guitars out and acting like a rockstar...which was fun until I tried to fake a guitar smash and actually chipped up one of his strats. Finally after he got tired of me always playing with his guitars he decided to teach me to play a guitar. No theory, no music reading, just play this like this...It was cool to learn on his guitars, since he had really nice equiptment. WhenI got my own guitar, a cheap piece of junk with the mandatory mile high action and sharp fret edges, I wanted to quit. He forced me to keep playing telling me that if I played my crappy guitar for 6 months, and kept getting better I'd get a better guitar out of the deal. I got a better guitar, and soon started saving up and buying more guitars, more amps, more pedals... I wish I would have had some sort of formal lessons, learning scales, chords, reading music... but I did learn to watch whoever it is I want to play like and after a few times of watching I can pretty much have it nailed. I also play by ear alot.

[MattSkibaIsGOD]

I started out with a Mel Bay chord book that my mom had from the 70's. I took lessons for a while and Guitar for Dummies helped too. But as of late, its been all listening to music and trying to pick things out and learning from magazines.

[reflexbc]

I feel kinda weird posting here, since guitar is not my main instrument (I have been playing drums for 30 yrs), but I always wanted to play guitar and always thought "nah, that's too hard." Then, my cousin sold me a pretty cool guitar (Gibson L6-S), and I started playing. I was already into keyboards and have a good music education (theory, etc). It's interesting to me because I'm teaching myself at this point and doing pretty well. At some point I'll take some lessons but I'm way too busy now.

 

I agree with pretty much everything Ibanezman said, but that's if you want to become a professional. Even if you don't, he's still right, just don't get frustrated if you can't do everything he said all the time. One thing I really agree with that he said is MUSIC SHOULD BE FUN. Even if you're playing really insane stuff like fusion or shred metal. My favorite drumming style is old-school fusion ala Billy Cobham, Steve Gadd, Dave Weckl, etc. and my fave rock bands are Yes, Rush, Zappa, etc. Those drummers are all sick. I used to stress out SO MUCH on stuff like, "when am I gonna get into Zappa's band," and stuff like that. Zappa's dead now, so that chance is past... Anyway, now I'm not even a professional musician anymore, and I just do it for fun, and I LOVE that.

 

The point is, you should play what you want to play, and what you want to hear. If you want to play simple three-chord blues, do that. Just put as much feeling into it as possible, and enjoy it as much as possible. If it truly sounds good to you, chances are it will sound good to someone else (unless you've got no musical taste... ) The point is, improvisatory music is based on knowing what you want to hear, and playing it. The problem is, you've got to have the chops to realize that vision, and there's the rub. So practice technique, but don't get so focused on that that you forget to listen.

 

Peace.