Ok so i got a wild hair up my *** and decided to learn how to play the guitar. anyone have any tips on how to sound better?

Practice....lol

Might check to see if Eddie Van Halen, or Angus Young has some free time for lessons...

Acoustic or electric?

Practice, practice, practice...and find friends in your area that play and might show you some stuff... start out learning chords and then I would highly recommend a book I use called "Monster scales and modes" .....Rock on

Rough up your fingers..........

look up lessons on youtube, some might actually be helpful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UruFs1y7fEI

Yep.

Acoustic

lol i wish i could do that

O.K. That's the best way to start. Get a chord chart and study it. Practice the finger positions. Each finger is given a number. MAKE sure you use the proper finger for each string or no matter how weird it feels at first or if an easier position seems...well easier... Start with yr basic chords...E,A,D,G,C...etc. til they feel natural...then work on changing chords with the proper fingering, see? Say...A to C...D to E etc....

I like "A Modern Method For Guitar" by William Leavitt. I'm eventually going to publish my own method book one day, but I recommend that for now. Also, do a LOT of sight reading and join a local band when you become proficient. Learn as many standards as possible. Learn all major/minor scales and arpeggios in at least 3 octaves. Use a metronome to practice and make sure you're in tune. You're in my area-if you're looking for a teacher, drop me a line and I'll teach ya when I get my life together.

Get a chord book. Learn all the major and minor chords by heart. You should be able to play any song with those.

Once you've mastered the basic chords, learn the variations. Seventh, minor seventh, suspended 4, etc.

Once you've mastered strumming chords, get a book on scales and go from there.

Eddie has throat cancer last I heard , so I doubt he'd be up for teaching.

Yeah the last time he did give a lesson it cost the lucky guy $28,000.00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoyrxbnOOMc&feature=related

Oh...learn to tune it. If ya' don't learn that then nothing else you learn will matter...

Yeah I know...thats messed up, he needs to give up the smokes...

My best advice, to anyone serious about playing guitar, are two books..Guitar chord guru, and guitar scale guru, both by Karl Aranjo. Both books work in conjunction with each other, and the books run about 20 bucks each.. I have played since age 14, and i still use those for reference, and i can promise, it is a life long fulfilling experience. It is a lot of work, and takes a lot of dedication, but the rewards are well worth the effort.

Solid advice, there are a few great tutorials on you tube. Some may not be exact, but they will put you in the ball park. At any rate, good luck, and above all, have fun with it!

I would recommend that you try to get some lessons in person. You will advance much quicker and the online lessons will be easier to follow and more productive. Ask around at the local guitar store and at your local college school of music. You could post a flyer asking for a teacher at the school - and telling them what kinds of music you like.

Have Fun! Music is fundamentally satisfying. Deeply intertwined with
how our brains work and what we experience emotionally.



I started a new thread in the Music forum on Recommendations for online Guitar teachers! Should be interesting....



http://mingle2.com/topic/show/272372