Has anyone here taught themselves how to play the guitar? Is it really hard to learn? I've written lyrics for years and wanna learn to make a complete song, possible record them. Any tips?

No idea about playing Guitar, but love to listen others playing.. I wish i could play guitar & i love guitar

I think its time I stop staring at it and just learn it already. I've learned a few scales and rifts from my brother but nothing to create some real chords from.

I am self taught. It can be done but lessons are more efficient.
If you have a friend who plays they can show you how to get started
but there are many good free instructional videos also now.

To a certain extent it depends on what style of playing you like.
There are quite a few different techniques.

Having a good starter instrument is also very nice. They are not
at all expensive with many good used guitars available for $100-$200.

There have been threads in music about this before...just a sec...

http://mingle2.com/topic/show/273914

http://mingle2.com/topic/show/272358

It is a fun time. Very relaxing.

Personally I like Travis-picking but I also flat pick and
enjoy a wide variety of styles. I like everything from Delta Blues
to classical and jazz. Acoustic and electric.

Ask around and find a HS or college student who plays well who
gives some private instruction if you like. There is no question
that personal instruction of some sort is the fastest way to learn.

If you want to write song melodies then you want to learn first
to play chord progressions in a key which is easy for you to sing.
You certainly can watch some videos and go to the music store and
try to tune and play some of their guitars which are for sale and
talk to the sales staff. This is all free and these people often
play guitar and will often be happy to talk to you as they show you
their instruments. Plus its free and you can always get the books
from the library too.

Awesome! Thanks for all the links and links within the links. I think some of the greatest musicians are self-taught. I believe Clapton was among others I have respect for.

My eldest son was self taught and developed a unique style of his own which saw him applying that style with a band that wrote and played their own music. I believe they were destined to go onto greater things before he had a terrible accident. His style was specific to that band, and they couldn't find anybody else to replace that which made them essentially unique, so they disbanded. I recall him spending hours just picking and strumming away...it seemed like his guitar was his essence. He was also the inspiration for his younger brother to pick up a guitar and dilligently learn how to read and play music, which has since seen that son go onto winning a prestigious academic excellence award in music...and yes, i'm a very proud mama. Both sons have had a very different learning process to their art, but from what i have observed of them...they each had one common thing which was essential i think to their success. And that was they both had/have a passion for it.

I had a teacher, but I've taught myself so many instruments I could teach myself that if I wanted. Advice-learn to read music. Not only will it improve your playing/writing, you will be able to articulate your ideas well to other musicians you want to play with. Also learn a lot of standards in as many genres as possible. And LISTEN. Too many players have a tin ear and sound out of tune. Singers are notorious for going out of tune, but it happens to guitarists too.

Also learn the standard chord progressions (like I-ii-IV-V-I, and so on). You'll use them all the time because audiences are so used to them that they'll be used to them and you can use this common knowledge to please and surprise listeners. (it's often nice to throw in color chords like V7/V)

I'm self taught, but I do suggest that you start with an instrument of at least intermediate quality & make sure you get an electronic tuner (free smartphone tuner apps are available). There are plenty of free resources on the internet, but lessons would be invaluable, especially at the beginner stage.

It doesn't take much to learn a few chords and develop various strumming patterns in order to begin to write your own songs. But don't expect to play classical or bluegrass styles overnight.

http://www.guitarlessons.com/

yes,many years ago!
Learned by myself and watching others!
Didn't play for over thirty years,and now my Fingers have a mind of their own!
It isn't that I don't remember the Chords,but somehow my Fingers think it ought to be different!
Anyway,not giving up!
Looked at Open Tuning and Slide-Guitar lately!

Slide is fun! :) One of these days I'm going to get around to picking up a slide bar from Amazon so's I can play my acoustic guitar lap steel style.

The intro lesson..
http://youtu.be/iF5TDcNcxMk

Rory Block

and...Travelin Blues...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk0J1ZOBobE&feature=share&list=AL94UKMTqg-9Am-TzQbf1AtLsxxKlTvBM-

Travis pickin
http://youtu.be/Go8x_1fD5vM
Muhlenberg County

Al Dimeola flat picking
Mediterranean Sundance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhccIfevjCU&feature=share&list=AL94UKMTqg-9BiURyjEikiZo6UiezQm_PG

I'm self taught, though i did get a lot of advice and jammed with a lot of older players. I started around 13 or 14 years old, which was only a few years ago, haha.

My advice is to start with a good playing guitar. You can get a decent guitar for around 275.00 I would say, to purchase it from a musical instruments dealer, who has the skills to set the intonation for you. This will make fingering the fret board as comfortable as possible. Believe me, when i tell you, this is very important. Many people start with a cheap instrument, and quickly lose interest simply because it hurts their fingers.

It's tough enough on the fingers even with a good instrument, at least starting out.

I would also suggest purchasing a good Chord book. The best books i have found is Karl Aranjo's "guitar chord guru" and "guitar scale guru.

The books work well together, and give you great insight into music theory, which is important in building confidence.

I would also advise hours of practice. Training your fingers takes time. I would suggest two hours per day minimum. Your fingers will finally get trained and you will develop speed and confidence.

Find another player to jam with. Learn from them. I have taught a lot of people to play, and the above advice is solid.

Above all, have fun with it. There is nothing like having that old six string around. I do believe, it is quite possibly the best friend i've ever had.

Best of luck!

I've been self teaching since sometime last spring. There's three ways to learn:

l) Tab Method. My son learned the guitar this method. Mostly a numbering type.

2) C Clef music notes. This is how I've learned. It's a little harder. Kind of like learning a different language. But if you learn this method and decide later to go to another instrument, like the piano. It is easier then.

3) By ear. There's lots of other people out there who basically learn the Chords and strumming patterns and practice and play so much they just seem to develop an ear for it.

Basically it's a 1&2 or a 2&3 combination over time. You just need to choose what's best for you.

I found that You Tube is a great resource and if one or two people on there doesn't click with you or seems too hard, well just go to another. I also took out several learning books from the library to see which one seemed easier for me to understand before going to the music store and buying books. I found Mel Bay was just easier for me to comprehend and the graphics were better for me.

For Chords I made my own flash cards and taped them to a board. I have a couple memorized but for atleast a few months more for me, my goal is the music notes and being able to finger them without looking as much, so Chords are a later thing.

I'm playing for me not anyone else and I planned on it taking me probably a year and a half to get good enough to be happy for myself.

I also found after a friend loaned me their nylon string guitar that it is ALOT EASIER on my fingers. The classical (nylon strings) are also spaced farther apart by a fraction which will make the finger picking style easier for me as I progress to that method. But for Chords since my fingers are short it makes it little harder.

Go to the music store. Salesmen are almost eager to have you try out several instruments. Take your time and maybe take several trips to see if you can feel a difference as to what might be your better feel. Play on different friends' instruments if you can.

Have fun and don't expect to do it all at once. It takes alot of practice.

if youve got a playstation 3 they do a game that teaches you guitar i play a bit wrote a few songs learned of a friend that was good or there are books

I have taught myself to play better by watching youtube videos and learning from visual tutoring
It has improved my playing tremendoudly
But YES it is hard to learn by "Teaching yourself"
In my own opinion...
Try starting here if you like ?


http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=learn+to+plat+guitar+videos&oq=learn+to+plat+guitar+videos&gs_l=youtube-reduced.3...752452.773306.0.775036.75.40.0.5.5.15.122.2181.37j1.38.0...0.0...1ac.1.a6ZWZ3k5qw0

Good luck and keep it fun !


KiK

Just a quick question for all you gat fans.

Is it worthwhile getting the headstock of an Ibanez acoustic fixed?? And will the quality of the sound be affected by doing so?

Honestly i would ask the experts myself...

http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/u_ag_top13.php?year=2013&cat_id=3



KiK

If it were mine i would fix it for sure

Youcan do it

I have a part time job doing repairs and whether it's worth it or not depends on the value of the guitar. If it's an entry level model, I wouldn't bother paying a repairer as that might run into $100-$200 for the job. If it's a clean break, use PVA glue (Titebond) and a G-clamp to set the break. Place cloth between the clamp and the headstock so no marking occurs, and wait 24+ hours. Remove and clean up any glue leaks and smudges with a wet sponge. If it's a complicated break, you will need a repairer.

The sound won't be affected by the repair, but depending on the quality of the job, the action and tuning stability may be compromised.