Yeah Gons I was exactly the same with barre chords. They frustrated the hell out of me, but someone told to stick with them and I would be glad I did. I am, as it is vital to your playing to form and play them cleanly. I was learning them on an acoustic too, which is a little harder imo. But it set me up nicely for my transition to electric.

@ Jmitch - I was wondering if some video would be helpful to you? If you had a particular problem, say the transition between chords as you said (even if it's mary had a little lamb - and I'm assuming you don't mean the Buddy Guy or SRV version?) - I could do some short videos and see if that helps.

I'm primarily a visual learner and while I learnt a lot from TABS and knowing where and how to shape chords, notes etc, I learn a lot better when someone is there showing me what to do - or I sit and practice what to do over and over again.

Anyway let me know if that would be something that would be helpful.

troof
i watch quite a few you tube videos. i know i will get it, just like to vent sometimes.
thanks for all the words guys.

What do you people think about the internet courses such as justin guitar those type free things ?

I think there are tons of approaches to learning guitar that work. You just need to be willing to put the time and effort in, and it helps to have some idea of what you want to accomplish. There are so many good players out there and if you ask them how they learned you'll hear a different answer every time.

A few in-person lessons and some basic music theory classes will speed the learning curve up. I took I think 5-6 formal lessons which were helpful but once I understood tab I kind of took over from there, started learning songs out of magazines. Then I picked up little suggestions and ideas in the lesson articles along the way. Other than that it was just practicing, playing along with songs. Sometimes figuring them out by ear where a tab wasn't available.

But that's going back to the very late 80s/early 90s. Today I would definitely have been all over the Internet instead. The signal-to-noise isn't as good and you see some poorly transcribed stuff out there, but there are lots of helpful people and sites like Songsterr. People showing you up close in videos and all that can help with some of the nuances that are hard to capture or explain in print.

If I could caution against anything it would be to make sure not to overdo it and keep your focus on just a couple things at a time. When I was a kid and just starting out, I'd jump from learning this song to that song and never learn the complete thing. Then people would ask me to play something and I'd know half of this, the riff from that, just the solo here, etc., and it took me getting into a band to sort that out.

The internet has such an unlimited supply that it can work against the learning process of guitar players with ADD. So whatever you do just try to stick with it and concentrate on the song or lesson in front of you.

But to actually answer your question, glancing at his index and a couple videos the Justin guy seems okay. Early on he covers how to read tab and tune your guitar, how to play some basic chords. Covers tuning and the importance of timing/using a metronome which are pretty crucial.

What are some good songs to suggest for someone who is beyond the beginner songs/lessons, but not quite reached full intermediate status? I'm getting very bored with all the "easy" or "beginner" tutorials, but I haven't learned too many intermediate songs. I'm interested in most types of music, but not too fond of country. Specifically, any guitar songs that have youtube tutorials is a major plus as I find this to be a very good way to learn for me. What are some good "advanced" beginner - intermediate songs to learn, any suggestions? Can play all basic chords/barre chords fluently, songs with picking/strumming interwoven are somewhat challenging, but I can learn most of them (casimir pulaski day - sufjan stevens, i'll follow you into the dark - death cab, babe i'm gonna leave you - led zeppelin are some examples of songs i've learned in the last few months), rarely have trouble learning new chords (I just may not know them/the names of them as of now).

Oh and FWIW since this is the first time I've posted on this forum and I see it's been discussed: Marty Schwartz is the nuts when it comes to guitar tutorials. They are the sole reason I've been able to learn guitar myself without a personal teacher.

Name a dozen of your favorite records

this post made me realize something dammit. i think i figured out why i am not, or don't feel like i am learning very well. i don't know where i am going. to 'want to learn to play the guitar' is to general. how could i have not thought of that. still doesn't help as i still don't have a goal, but at least i can try to come up with one. thanks mang.

Heh. I did the same thing, spent too much time trying to learn stuff without caring about what or knowing why. For me it was like:



Nope



Cool for 5 minutes but not for me



Boring



Yeah... no



Yeah that! I wanna do that! I'm going to get a hat and start smoking and hang way back there

Actually I think the worm turned for me when I saw this on TV:



That (to me) just looked so much more fun than diddling around with some Yngwie song for weeks and weeks. And it was/is as it turns out. For someone else it will be different, you just have to sort out where you want to go with it.

Such a good point.

I knew from the absolute get-go that I wanted to be a vocalist, so the guitar was really only going to play a supporting role.

So I feel no great pressure to be the greatest guitarist.

I have steadily improved with it due to constant practice, but I am primarily a rhythm guitarist and that is ok with me.

Learning a song that you really like will get you excited about playing. It's probably the most important thing you can do when learning the guitar because it's very frustrating when first learning the guitar and keeps your interest. If you can get bar chords down it will help you tremendously. The reason is because it's hard to remember all the notes on the fretboard and if can learn all the notes on one or two strings you can use them as an anchor point to figure out all other notes on the fretboard without looking. Using bar chords often will force you to learn every note on the 6th and 5th strings and then every note on the fretboard.

while Michael Angelo is probably the most technically gifted player he is a terrible musician. His style approaches everything as a technical showcase instead of what it should be...an ART. He is a perfect example of someone too focused on guitar playing and not music in general. Nirvana didn't become huge because they were great at guitar, it was in fact it was the opposite. They sucked while everyone else was really good. Think about it at the time everyone was shredding since like 86. They were different and catchy and stood out. So most important lesson from Michael Angelo, be creative interesting and different. Technical abilities on the guitar are almost useless when it comes to music creation as an art.

Hey, i got some questions.
I wanted to learn the e-guitar for all my life, but never found the time to do it.
Is it too late with almost 30 and absolutely no musical background to learn it now, or will I struggle, even with the right motivation?
If it's not too late , what kind of guitar would you guys recommend with a 5-600$ budget?
My favourite guitarists are Mark Knopfler, Clapton,Brian May, Neal Schon.
Thx in advance.

Just the facts...

Of the mainstream popular instruments, guitar is among the most difficult to start on (i.e., it requires the most practice on the front-end). However, once you've mastered all your open chords and the 4 primary barre chords (a task for sure), you'll be able to play a ****ton of songs.

The part I bolded in your post is the wrong way to approach learning any instrument. It's as if you're saying, "If it's too difficult, I don't even want to bother and waste my time". Well, it is going to be difficult. It's going to be very difficult. You will have to have a great deal of patience.

It is like learning a foreign language (music is a language), and to play like the three guitarists you named is asking to become fluent enough to work as a translator. How long do you think it would take to speak Chinese fluently? That said, there are songs that are easy, too. Smoke on the Water, for example, would be like learning one sentence of Chinese.

How you feel about guitar now (at 30 years old), you will feel the same way at 40 years old. Would you rather start now and at 40 have 10 years guitar under your belt, or would you rather put it off another ten years and wished you started when you were 30? I've seen people start their first musical instrument at 70. I'm guessing they always wanted to play and never did for whatever reason.

Thanks for your feedback, that's actually what I wanted to hear.
I definitely have the determination and patience to learn it,so I wouldn't even mind if it would take me years to learn it properly.
Regarding the right guitar,I unfortunately don't have a big guitar store close by, so I kind of have to rely on online stores.
Someone earlier in this thread mentioned the Squier by Fender Strat Kit for 200$, would this also be the right choice for me ?
I have a budget up to 600$ and I wouldn't mind to pay for some more quality, if you guys have any recommendation i'd really appreciate it.

It's never too late to learn a new instrument! It's gonna be hard but will be very rewarding once you have the basic chords down. Take it one step at a time and don't stop learning and practicing. It's super hard at first but gets easier and easier so never give up.

no.

i learned guitar first and then switched to bass. learning guitar first can be good, but it can also give you bad habits on bass if you don't make a thoughtful transition. a lot of guitarists think they know bass automatically because they can fret the notes and pluck the strings.

a competent guitarist has most or all of the left-hand skills needed for bass guitar. but if you want to be really good on bass you need to learn fingerpicking, which is totally different from guitar technique. i'm not saying you can't play bass with a pick, but a complete bass player can play with his fingers, and a lot of great bass parts are nearly impossible to duplicate with a pick. (somebody mentioned entwistle... yeah he played a lot of "lead bass" and very trebly riffs, but he also had a monster right hand, no guitarist is going to pick up a bass and sound like that).

so between the right hand technique, and the difference in rhythmic approach / orientation, there are some extra steps you have to take to move from guitar to bass. but can a good guitarist cover the bass parts for a typical rock band in a bar gig? yes. whereas somebody who only knows bass is not going to jump onto lead guitar so easily.

I don't agree with this. I think guitar is quite a bit easier to learn than piano or the brass/woodwinds/string instruments.

What's easier to learn for someone that's never played an instrument before, an F chord on the guitar or the piano? My point is learning to play a I IV V on guitar is much more difficult than playing the same progression on a piano, or a 4-to-the-floor drum beat.

As for brass, strings and woodwinds, I wouldn't consider those mainstream instruments, but of course playing Chopin etudes on piano or Grigoriev etudes on bass trombone are going to be exponentially more difficult to learn than the guitar solo to Hotel California.

Since you've never played before, anything that plays reasonably decent will suit you fine. Of the cheapass package instruments, I'd have to say Yamaha and Ibanez are better than the Fender.

If you want to step up and blow most of that cash, you could go with a G&L. For around 5 bills you can get a Plek'd G&L http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG4BOLlKOb4 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlE7PmTMHUQ

They are the only manufacturer that Pleks all their USA models. A Plek at $500 puts that guitar far, far above any manufacturer at the same price point. These days they don't bring the big boys out until the price starts to hit $2000+.

Like I said, though, you're just getting started so get started - you can get something better a year or two down the road.

I don't think you can get a USA G&L for 500. I think the Tribute foreign models are around 500. USA's start around 1k.

If you do have a link for a USA for 500, please post it here. I wouldn't mind getting another one. I used to have an ASAT deluxe semi-hollow F that was incredible.

Ah, I was thinking they were the Tributes, but I am mistaken - the pickups are USA made in the Tribute, lol. Apologies, and thanks for the correction.

I got a used, but mint condition, USA G&L on Ebay for $500, so it's possible.

When I was much younger and taking bass lessons, I didn't use a pic. I never really started using a pic with bass until very recently. Most of my younger year learning was focused on high fret treble stuff or some chili peppers slap pop lines.

That said, I wasn't in lessons terribly long. But I'm more comfortable playing sans pic than with one.