Learning the guitar



Yep JustinGuitar is class.

I'd say use an app and pay a yearly sub. They're sometimes about 30 quid but if it teaches you guitar then it's the best 30 quid you'll ever spend.
Got to be very careful not to set your expectations to high or try to keep yourself to a timeline otherwise you’ll quickly lose interest. Don’t treat it like a school lesson rather an enhancement of whatever latent musical ability you don’t know you possess.
(Apparently Paul McCartney can’t read music)
 
Got to be very careful not to set your expectations to high or try to keep yourself to a timeline otherwise you’ll quickly lose interest. Don’t treat it like a school lesson rather an enhancement of whatever latent musical ability you don’t know you possess.
(Apparently Paul McCartney can’t read music)
Most amateur musicians can spend a life not being able to read music. If you want to earn a living in music being able to sightread can be an advantage but the world has changed and session men cannot make a living any more just playing sessions in studios. Those days are gone.
 
Try not to press or pick too hard, a light touch will make it much easier to change chords, and you won't hurt your fingers so much. It's a good habit to get into, and you'll develop a better tone.
 
Tried twice. Its moving between two chords I find almost impossible.
Most folk get hellbent on slamming all fingers down on the chord as fast as possible. Just rolling your fingers into a chord change will do you well and you'll speed up as time goes on. Open chords become like finger muscle memory.
 
Most amateur musicians can spend a life not being able to read music. If you want to earn a living in music being able to sightread can be an advantage but the world has changed and session men cannot make a living any more just playing sessions in studios. Those days are gone.
Which I think was what I was trying to say.
 
Also a quickie, just reading back... If you want to remember chord names just play them in order, helps you practice changes too.

A, B (you might not be playing barres yet so miss it), C, D, E, F (again a barre, simpler though), G.
 
Most folk get hellbent on slamming all fingers down on the chord as fast as possible. Just rolling your fingers into a chord change will do you well and you'll speed up as time goes on. Open chords become like finger muscle memory.
Exactly, for beginners, just sit watching TV and change chords without actually striking the strings with your right hand, it's all muscle memory, that way you don't piss anyone off, and it's still practice, obviously If you are left-handed It's the opposite hand.
 
What guitar are you using? Have you had it set up? I see hundreds of people trying to learn on guitars where for example the action (height between strings and fretboard) is way too high. If you haven’t already, take it in to a shop or repair shop and get it set up. Will make things a whole lot easier. Let me know where you’re based and I’ll recommend some people if you want. Oh yes, and practice, practice, practice. All of a sudden it will come together, but can take time. Also worth getting a few lessons off someone face to face, then looking at online courses..
Mainly, enjoy it! It should be fun!
 
Try simple chord changes to begin with like between Em and Am. Then Em and G. If you learn the chords in the key of C then there are no sharps or flats. So you have C, F and G. Strangely to a beginner Am is the relative minor for C rather than Cm. Em is the relative minor for G and Dm the relative minor for F. If you add in G7 then you can play the entire main chord sequences in at least one key...C + Am, G + Em, F + Dm, and finally G7 all in the key of C.

All keys can be transposed from their original key into the key of C so you could play any song in C but they might not be so easy to sing to and you will want to expand into other keys anyway.
 
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What guitar are you using? Have you had it set up? I see hundreds of people trying to learn on guitars where for example the action (height between strings and fretboard) is way too high. If you haven’t already, take it in to a shop or repair shop and get it set up. Will make things a whole lot easier. Let me know where you’re based and I’ll recommend some people if you want. Oh yes, and practice, practice, practice. All of a sudden it will come together, but can take time. Also worth getting a few lessons off someone face to face, then looking at online courses..
Mainly, enjoy it! It should be fun!
It’s just the very entry level Martin smith 101 that my son bought himself with his birthday money. Gonna get my own off Santa.
Any suggestions for a beginners guitar, something a bit better than his as I dont think it’s great but it’s ten times better than what he had before.
 
Try simple chord changes to begin with like between Em and Am. Then Em and G. If you learn the chords in the key of C then there are no sharps or flats. So you have C, F and G. Strangely to a beginner Am is the relative minor for C rather than Cm. Em is the relative minor for G and Dm the relative minor for F. If you add in G7 then you can play the entire main chord sequences in at least one key...C + Am, G + Em, F + Dm, and finally G7 all in the key of C.

All keys can be transposed from their original key into the key of C so you could play any song in C but they might not be so easy to sing to and you will want to expand into other keys anyway.
 
It’s just the very entry level Martin smith 101 that my son bought himself with his birthday money. Gonna get my own off Santa.
Any suggestions for a beginners guitar, something a bit better than his as I dont think it’s great but it’s ten times better than what he had before.
Well Martin's are not cheap but some think the action is too high (that's the height of the strings above the fretboard). A Taylor may be more playable but still expensive. Alvarez do a great series starting at around £300.
 
Not easy is it? Just startedlearning at 43 and struggling a bit with it, my decrepit old fingers aren’t helping but gonna keep plugging away each day till I can make some kind of tune out of the bastard, if the wife doesn’t kill me first.

Any tips for beginners?
Don't fret about it.
 
It’s just the very entry level Martin smith 101 that my son bought himself with his birthday money. Gonna get my own off Santa.
Any suggestions for a beginners guitar, something a bit better than his as I dont think it’s great but it’s ten times better than what he had before.
Sorry about this but I mistook Martin smith to mean Martin guitars but there is a big difference. Martins are very expensive for a beginner but Martin Smith is something else.
 
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