So I searched the forum archives for info., and nothing exactly matched what I had to ask…
So…
I have always wanted to learn guitar. I have NEVER touched an instument. There is a place nearby that offers lessons (and guitars).
My question is, being that I have NO apparent musical talent, should I take lessons initially (almost embarassed to walk in with no knowledge), or go for some DVD/Book/Youtube intro. materials?
I am not sure what lessons cost, maybe somebody could ballpark that for me too…
No, but I’m 44, and seriously considering buying myself a guitar and my 9 year old son a guitar, so that we can learn together. I think it would be neat. My plan…get some cheapo guitars and a book, and just give it a shot. If we both enjoy it, maybe that will lead to lessons. I’m pretty sure you can find a “guitar for complete idiots” book, like there is for everything else.
Go with the lessons. It will be less frustrating starting out if you have someone help you figure out how to read music, etc.
My husband has been playing for many years and even lived off the money he earned by playing on the street for a while in his younger years. He is self taught and finds it a bit frustrating to not know how to read music. I asked him your question and he said go for the lessons.
He also suggested getting a ukulele to start. It is easier to learn, easier to handle and you can transfer all those skills to the guitar. There is a huge uke community online and if you go on YouTube you will find a ton of people playing great music. You can get a nice uke for less $$ than an entry level guitar.
I think that it depends what you want to do. If you just want to learn to play the guitar at campfires or for your own personal enjoyment, I say try the self-taught way. It is wayyyyy cheaper and many people learn quite quickly how to play some songs passably.
It is a different story in my mind if your goal is to play with a group. If this is what you want to do, than take the lessons and learn how to read the music.
I am a piano and sax player. Lately, I’ve been playing some with a group of really INCREDIBLE self-taught musicians. THey don’t read music at all and play by ear and by watching each other. They are probably some of the best musicians I have ever played with but it is really frustrating to me who plays best when I am following music. A lot of times I feel as though I am holding on for dear life!
There are a gazillion books on how to teach yourself to play guitar. If you are willing to actually practice then there’s no reason you couldn’t learn this way. If you’re the type of person who needs someone to hold them to a schedule, then you might try lessons, but if you can read, and do what the books tell you, you can learn on your own. I would try one with a video to go along so you can listen to what you’re supposed to sound like and see what you’re supposed to look like. That helps reinforce the lessons.
All that said, if you have the time and a little money, why not have someone teach you to play correctly? You can probably find anything from a high school kid teaching lessons to make a little cash to a professional musician who really knows how to teach.
Here’s a couple of websites you might try or reference later.
Quick warning for you, beware that some teachers will want to force you to learn a lot of stuff that may not be what you are looking for. Yes, there is a lot of stuff that will make you a great guitar player some day, but it may also turn you off and be a lot of work for very little return.
There’s a lot of scale work that you can do and the tedium of learning to read treble clef. However, if you’d just like to play rock music or back up your singing with some basic chords, a lot of this foundation can be skipped. I’ve got two friends in particular that put down their guitars for 10 years because when they attempted lessons, they went through a lot of frustrating and tedius drills. So instead of turning them into great classical guitarists, they become non-players. Fortunately I encouraged them to get back into it two years ago and we are having a lot of fun with our garage band.
Point being, if the lessons turn you off, don’t give up. Sometimes this happens if the teacher and the student are not on the same page. Welcome to the club!
Go for it. I will be 38 this April and my wife got me an acoustic guitar and a learn to play book, between that and the internet I can play decently, have purchased a bunch of books learning songs, used the net to learn other and have an amp, a fuzzbox, an electric guitar and a distortion box (can’t think of the real term!). I noodle around and have a great time.
A few months ago I started taking lessons. I was in much the same situation as you - never played, wanted to learn. Got an inexpensive guitar (the lowest-end Epiphone) and started taking lessons - so far, they are going pretty well. I still play really badly, but I understand how to read music, re-string, a some of the fundamentals - scales, and how to play, both with a pick and without. The instructor is pretty good, and doesn’t throw a lot of stuff at me hat has no bearing on what I am trying to do. at the start he asked what I was after - I’m sure if I told him I wanted to play classically he would follow a different path entirely.
My feeling is go for it. I’m glad to have the lesons, even though I am not looking to become a great guitarist.
I’m almost 34, just started really in early Dec learning to play electric guitar…i am a non music guy but i found a guy near me to teach me once a week.
There is a ton of free stuff on youtube but I needed the coach to help me.
I can play TNT by ACDC now and I am pumped to learn more…it is really fun, tough, a real challenge like this triathlon stuff I hear about
Andrew
I’m 37; I just got an acoustic guitar two weeks ago
i did piano as a kid so reading music is not a problem
i’m teaching myself for the moment but i expect to take lessons at some point
i really enjoy the potential of getting better and learning to play more by ear…
no way but up right now!
Slammer has it right: it’s a lot like triathlon. Do it for the sheer ecstasy, and just go for it! There’s a LOT to learn about equipment, but don’t let that bother you, it’ll all come in good time. What kind of music do you like? Who’s your favorite guitarist? Get a guitar similar to that, but cheaper. Nowadays, even very cheap guitars are remarkably good (but try to avoid ones made in China). It’ll consume many hours of practice, and be frustrating at first, but stay with it and the rewards will come…
I’m a self-taught guitarist but my first instrument was piano, so I read fluently. That gave me an advantage at the start, but I’d still have been better off with lessons. It would have saved me some trips down dead-end roads technique-wise. I’ve had to relearn from scratch, but that was fun, too.
A friend of mine was in your situation a few years ago, but late 40’s. He took lessons, and was old and wise enough to get good use out of them. He’s progressed with great speed, because he had someone to direct his efforts. Don’t be embarrassed about walking in with no knowledge. The instructor has seen it all, and will certainly appreciate having a student with maturity and a good practice ethic. Find an instructor who likes the same music you do if you can, though most good instructors should have enough versatility that it won’t matter much for the first few years.
Go for it! My dad, after a lifetime of never touching a music instrument, started playing guitar when he retired a few years back (at about 56 years old). I think he just downloaded some “teach yourself to play guitar” things off the internet. He had one or two lessons as well. Have fun!
Living most of my life not knowing how to play guitar, I finally decided to learn at age 30. I had recently come into money so I said I’d give myself $1000 to buy a guitar, amp and get started. So I walked into the local guitar store and the guy was helpful, but kind of surprised that I couldn’t play even a single cord but here I was buying a guitar. I actually got him to play a few guitars and chose the one that I liked. It was a Epiphone Les Paul - which is still what I have. I know the guy at the store was thinking I had more money than brains - but whatever. This was something I wanted for my entire life.
I started with lessons right away. Don’t assume they start teaching you how to read music - my instructor certainly did not. He started with guitar tab right away and that is still what I mostly use. I know how to read sheet music from my days in highschool. Learning tab is the quickest way to get playing full songs.
After a couple semestars of lessons I’ve just been going on my own. The justinguitar.com website is great. He has simple 3-chord songs on there, plus an entire beginner course that includes video.
The biggest thing is to pick it up everyday - even for 10 or so minutes.
Anybody interested in tubes? I’ve got a stash and would be willing to let some go.
Been playing on and off my entire life. Yeah, it can be frustrating, but anybody obsessive enough to practice our sport should be able to practice 15 mins a day on guitar.
Learn your first five chords, the circle of fifths and the minor pentatonic scale; get a Tele and a Vibrolux, earplugs and a couple stomp boxes and leterrip…more fun than a human should have.
