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TIPS FOR BEGINNER GUITAR PLAYERS
"TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY GUITAR JUST FOR FUN, DO I HAVE TO KNOW GUITAR MUSIC THEORY?"
"To learn how to play guitar without understanding what you're doing is pretty pointless. Our guitar lessons will show you that music is a LANGUAGE. Your guitar is just the tool that you "type" this language on. If you don't UNDERSTAND music, you won't learn how to play guitar the fun and creative way that keeps you satisfied. Your friends may tell you that they learned how to play guitar without understanding guitar music theory, but you'll find you learn how to play guitar in a fraction of the time and have more fun if you actually understand what you're doing. You'll be able to PLAY BY EAR better ... maybe WRITE SONGS and JAM AND SOLO like the pros. Guitar music theory is quick and easy to grasp with our course because the material is presented in LOGICAL order.
"TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY GUITAR OR TAKE GUITAR LESSONS, YOU FIRST HAVE TO GET THE GUITAR THAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU!"
"Learning how to play guitar with the wrong instrument can doom you from the start. First, decide whether you want to learn how to play electric or acoustic guitar. This depends on what kind of music you enjoy. Don't get your child an acoustic guitar if all they listen to is hard rock! They'll just lose interest. You might want to learn how to play both guitars. Electric guitar might be a bit more versatile as you can more successfully play acoustic guitar music on an electric guitar (without distortion) than play Hard Rock on an acoustic.
Make sure the guitar is in good condition. Check to see if the NECK IS STRAIGHT. Check out the ACTION HEIGHT. Make sure the guitar has good INTONATION. If you don't know anything about how to play the guitar and don't understand these terms, ask a friend or sales person to check the guitar out for you. Do you like the way it sounds and FEELS? Buying guitars sight-unseen (like online) can be risky. Learning how to play guitar is so much easier with the right instrument."
When learning how to play electric guitar, it's all about features. Do you like the sound of SINGLE COIL pickups or HUMBUCKERS? Single coils sound brighter but some folks think they sound "thin" and they are more likely to buzz and "feed back". Humbuckers are generally quieter but many people think they sound "muffled". Humbuckers are more popular with folks learning how to play guitar with distortion. Fender guitars (like the "Strat") are more often equipped with single coils. Gibson guitars (like the "Les Paul") more often feature humbuckers.
Do you want to learn how to play a guitar that has a TREMELO SYSTEM (whammy bar) or not? This is that thin handle that sticks out of the bridge on some guitars. It is a lever that tightens or loosens the strings to create a pitch "wobble" effect. Many interesting players (including Jimi Hendrix) swear by them but they might throw your guitar out of tune. If you don't see yourself using it, you're better off learning how to play a guitar that doesn't have one. You'll stay in tune easier. More expensive guitars have better tremolo systems (such as the Floyd Rose Locking System) that do stay in tune. You'll want to learn to adjust your electric or acoustic guitar so you can keep it's various features up to spec."
"TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY GUITAR, WHAT OTHER EQUIPMENT WILL I NEED TO BUY?"
"To learn how to play electric guitar, you'll need an AMPLIFIER. There are so many different types that it's hard to tell you what to get. Check out your friends and guitar heros to find out what they play. Make sure your amp has good "REVERB" (electronic reverberation). Amps that don't have it can sound "sterile". Make sure it has good TONE CONTROL (treble, mid, bass). If you want to learn how to play Hard Rock guitar, make sure the amp has good DISTORTION and learn how to adjust it.
You'll want to learn about EFFECTS like Amp Modeling, Chorus, Flange. Phase, Delay, Pitch Shift, Wah-Wah, Compression, Noise Gate and EQ. Many modern amplifiers have effects built right in. Otherwise you might want to invest in some "STOMP BOXES" that you plug into your signal chain to add individual effects.
You'll want to get some kind of BEAT MACHINE to help develop your rhythm while you learn how to play guitar. Don't get a METRONOME. They're boring! Get one of those cheap, plastic, department store keyboard instruments (Casio or Yamaha) with a built-in drum machine. Learning how to play guitar is more fun because it's like you're jamming with a drummer! You can slow the beat down to start with and then speed it up as you improve. Make sure your beat machine has good sound quality and lots of beat patterns (styles). A good price would be around $100."
Get an ELECTRONIC TUNER. It is virtually impossible for beginners to tune a guitar by ear and all pros use tuners now. They do a better job in less time and work best in performance situations. Get a CHROMATIC TUNER instead of a regular guitar tuner. There are many ALTERED TUNINGS you'll want to know how to play on guitar and a plain old guitar tuner won't do them. Chromatic tuners can cost as little as $20.
You'll eventually need a CAPO. That's one of those "clamps" that you attach to the neck at different frets to change the KEY that the guitar is played in. There are all sorts of designs to choose from and different folks like different styles. A decent capo will cost at least $20. Some folks think that useing a capo is "cheating" ... that you should be able to play everything with BAR CHORDS ... but this just isn't true. There will be many songs that you might want to play that simply can't be played without a capo.
You'll need to make some decisions about GUITAR STRINGS. You need to change them every month or so as they begin to corrode and lose their tone. Pros might change their strings for every gig! Electric guitar strings are made from different metals than acoustic strings. Make sure you get the right kind. There are a million different brands to choose from. You'll decide which you like by trial and error. They also come in different GAUGES or thicknesses. Thicker strings might sound better and last longer but they're tougher on your fingers and harder to BEND. Most acoustic players play "12 GAUGE" strings while electric players are pretty evenly split between "9 GAUGE" and "10 GAUGE" strings.
