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"Guitarists...again"

Got myself a guitar for Christmas, Epiphone Les Paul.
Very nice.
Anyway my dad is going to try teach me the basics then build it up from there.
At the moment with uni, uni work etc I can't afford the time or money to get lessons from someone who does it and is good at it.


SO could anyone give me some good begginers books, webpages. Pointers in where to start etc - just incase my dad begins to annoy me. :-)

Thanks if you can offer any helpful pointers.

BAH tuning forks are for grandads

Tuning fork as in tuned to E, you hit it and it goes TWAAAAAAAAANG and you tune the rest from the low E.

And there's the difference between a beginner and someone who has played a bit...

Nowt wrong with electronic tuners, may as well take your time to learn other things and eventually you'll get an ear to do it without one.

(and I've never seen anyone tune a guitar with tuning forks - hardly necessary when there's only six strings, just do it by ear)

Err...tuning forks.

Electric guitar tuners are for girls.

Real men use pitch forks.

Thank Dr Gonzo.

gamezfreak wrote:
> Auto Tuner? Whats one of them? Where can I get one?

If I'm guessing right, its just a wee box with a mic and a row of LEDs. You plick the string and it'll tell you what note it is and whether you need to go higher or lower to get the true one.

Go into any music shop and ask for an electronic guitar tuner - haven't bought one for ages but they'll be about a tenner IIRC (and a tenner well spent).

Right then, I'd played a number of instruments before the guitar, but I really don't believe that this was of much advantage as guitar tab is a bespoke notation. I literally got myself a guitar and a couple of chord books and worked away. You really don't need lessons for a guitar - don't let anyone tell you otherwise unless you get so frustrated you feel you really need someone else there. There are that many usefull, free resources out there you may as well keep your money.

I started with a much earlier version of this book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/ 0711983038/ref=sr_aps_books_1_1/026-4607480-5476439
(ignore the space)

It's an Oasis chord book, my version only had the first two albums whereas this one has been undated to include the more modern stuff. Now, you may not be the biggest Oasis fan (I'm not/wasn't), but their stuff is pretty basic and good for a sing-song after a few drinks with the mates. I've gotten far more joy out of playing something simple like Wonderwall with a bunch of pals yelling slurred lyrics than sitting on my own picking out something like Street Spirit... though that new Queens of the Stone age one falls nicely between satisfyingly difficult and mob sing-a-long.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0881887579/ qid=1041264216/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/ 104-0843951-3311912?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
(ignore the spaces)

The other book I had is simply invaluable. I picked it up in Canada (hence the above link being to the American site) and it's the C version of the Beatles Fake Book. It is basically ever single Beatles song in one handy book. The chords are slightly different to the original ones used, but it has basically been dumbed down and when you play it you'll struggle to hear the difference anyway.

Thing about both these are they are pretty basic to play, but rather satisfying so keep you going. The hardest part is to pick up the rhythem and figure out your strumming, but for me that just clicked after a bit and I was off and flying. One of those riding a bike type things - once you get it that's you'll be able to do it instantly for any song.

I'd take a good look around the web before you bother shelling out on either of those though. There are numerous places to get free tab and chords. There usually a bit hit and miss and you'll wonder how some people came up with what they've written down - but at least it didn't cost you anything to find out!

For example:

Free chord dictionary (bloody brilliant)
http://hatbox.lib.virginia.edu/text/gtrchord/

Comprehensive chord and tab archive
http://www.olga.net

A search through those two (though the person who works the song out for places like OLGA will often include the chord layout anyway) should see you up and running for zero expense.

Also a nice collection of all the major libraries at
http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/tab.html

(never tried them, but also notice they have lessons)
http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Lessons/

Seriously, spend time on your own before you even think about lessons. For me they were totally unnecessary, I learnt far more by just sitting with the chords in front of me and trying to play along with the CD. In terms of satisfaction to effort you'll not find a simpler instrument. I seriously believe I could have someone who has never touched a musical instrument in their life playing Polly by Nirvana within ten minutes as the genius in most songs is in the idea rather than the performance.

Oh, and some song recommendations (recommended not for their artistic or musical brilliance, but because most people know them and they are straightforward)

Oasis – Cast No Shadow
http://music.kulichki.net/txt/oasis/cast_no_shadow.shtml

Nirvana – Polly
http://www.guitaretab.com/n/nirvana/13438.htm

The Beatles – Hard Day’s Night
http://www.beatlesbeats.com/chords/ chords/guitar/beatles/g_aharddaysnight.htm
(ignore the space)

You'll have to try and read that, God damn messed up SR forums.

Auto Tuner? Whats one of them? Where can I get one?

e|--------0-----------0-----|
B|------0---0-------0---0---|
G|---0--------0---0-------0-|
D|--------------------------|
A|--------------------------|
E|-0------------0-----------|