Learning guitar on your own

[Mucca]

I was wondering what would be a good way to learn guitar on your own. I've been playing for about half a year but I've only been learning tabs. I know it's not good in the long run since I'm probably not going to build up finger strength that way. I am playing some scales though.

Any suggestions on how to learn notes, chords, technique etc... effectively?

 

[discothequeLP]

keep learning songs. any songs. just don't sit on your ass with the songs you know. if theres a song that you want to play, learn it all the way through. you'll pick up techniques and cool riffs for every song you learn and memorize by heart, so you'll just keep getting better

 

[GG_The_Fly]

Any suggestions on how to learn notes, chords, technique etc... effectively?

For a cheap and good guitar book that I still refer to, consider 'The Complete Guitar' : (Newer Version Available)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...1/102-6813509-0032121?_encoding=UTF8&v=glance

I first got this book when I was just learning guitar and I remember that I took xerox copies of the pages of the chords and put them on notecards and 'quizzed' myself until I learned the basic chords and then moved on from there (OCD anyone?). I still constantly refer to this book ('stuck' on pages 132-133) and always found this book to be very well laid out and written and the theory, scales, chords, progression, styles, etc. are all very easy to follow and learn from.

When I started, it was just with very basic chords: E minor, E major, A minor, D major and then to move on to the rest of the major, minor and dominant seventh chords and then moved on from there. . . Eventually you'll learn to Barre and so forth. . .

But just picking through Sunday Bloody Sunday won't teach you anything. . . I mean, once you know a few chords you can just sit and improvise and play for people. . . you'll build up finger strength it will be much better in the long term.

Hope this helps!

 

[Mucca]

Thanks! I'll definately look into that!

 

[GG_The_Fly]

Thanks! I'll definately look into that!

Glad to help. . . and keep with it. . . don't get frustrated when you can't immediately hit that F chord!

 

[Mucca]

oh god I hate that chord....i'm getting a callous on the side of my index finger from practicing it.
Is there any other chord that can top the cruelty of the F chord?

 

[discothequeLP]

hmm. . . the song Holy Joe has a chord that's just hte 7th fret completely barred. . . it really hurts your index finger and your entire hand, plus you have to hammer on a B chord. . .




at least it sounds good

 

[Mucca]

LOL Well I probably won't be doing anything like that for a looooong time.....

 

[burns]

oh god I hate that chord....i'm getting a callous on the side of my index finger from practicing it.
Is there any other chord that can top the cruelty of the F chord?

If you want to cheat at that chord, use your thumb for the Estring and use your barring finger to bar the b and e strings
doesn't hurt as much. it also free's up your little finger for little "add ons"

 

[Pero]

Learn all chords, then use them in songs.
If don't use them in songs, then you'll get bored by playing.

And try to improvise a little bit

 

[Mucca]

If you want to cheat at that chord, use your thumb for the Estring and use your barring finger to bar the b and e strings
doesn't hurt as much. it also free's up your little finger for little "add ons"

Sadly my hands aren't big enough to have my thumb wrap around and press down the Esting.... Oh well...the callous has already developed I can endure the pain!

 

[GG_The_Fly]

Callous + Finger Strength = Successful F Chord. . .

Good luck Mucca!

 

[Mucca]

LOL thanks GG!

 

[explorer]

get yourself a chord book. what i do is randomly flip to a page and try to play all the chords on it. also, after you've learned the chords for a song, play along to it. that will help you develope the rhythm and the tempo of each song and teach you to quickly go from one chord to the next. dont be afraid to get creative. take the chords for a song and rearrange them and mess around wth them. its fun to take edge's electric riffs for songs like streets, acrobat, please or all i want is you and change them around (or if you're brave enough, combine them!). "acroplease"
have fun

 

[Mucca]

Thanks explorer!

 

[Joshua87]

Ive been playin guitar for about 14 months, and ive taught everything i know to myself. My friends say im pretty good for teaching myself, but i had background in playing trumpet for 9 years. but i think the keys are are to lock down your major and minor chords, and learn WHAT MAKES a chord major, minor, or suspended, or whatever. that maked building chords and scales higher up on the neck much easier. and play tons of scales, it will help your precision and speed. learning alternate picking helps too, it will seem totally foreign and weird at first, but once you master it it is invaluable. actually, many u2 songs are good ones to learn initally, my first was all i want is you...

 

[Mucca]

I just learned all I want is you recently lol

I've been playing scales as much as i hate them from all the piano scales i use to play

I haven't motivated myself to start making sense of chords yet....guess that'll be my next step

Thanks for the tips Joshua!

 

[learn2kneel]

Theres some free lessons here that are pretty good, i'm learning from them... it also gives you songs to practice on:

http://guitar.about.com/library/blguitarlessonarchive.htm

 

[Mucca]

Thanks learn2kneel!!

This is awesome!

 

[DeadMansParty]

i have found that jamming with someone else, maybe more experienced than you helps alot

 

[The_Edge89]

i have found that jamming with someone else, maybe more experienced than you helps alot

It acutally does!

 

[jendzi]

I'm also learning on my own right now... and that freakin F#m chord in SYCMIOYO is the only thing that makes me angry

 

[Mucca]

lol I'm actually getting really good with that chord now. It's used so much in U2 songs.

 

[labell]

Learnin' on your own...I'm not really on my own, my mom's boyfriend is "teaching" me. He just shows me a couple of chords a week and the rest is my own doing.

 

[boriel]

find a fellow U2 fan to jam with

really. i kinda sorta play guitar (okay, havent picked it up in about 4 years) and would love to get back into it, but find it hard to do it alone. (and i'm near vancouver, too, remember )

 

[IrishDawg]

find a fellow U2 fan to jam with

really. i kinda sorta play guitar (okay, havent picked it up in about 4 years) and would love to get back into it, but find it hard to do it alone. (and i'm near vancouver, too, remember )

There are quite a few online sites that can help. There are also quite a few videos you can get at Sam Ash, Guitar Center or any music place that are really good.

 

[Mucca]

find a fellow U2 fan to jam with

really. i kinda sorta play guitar (okay, havent picked it up in about 4 years) and would love to get back into it, but find it hard to do it alone. (and i'm near vancouver, too, remember )

lol

It does take alot of self motivation. I kind of have a jamming buddy but she's not really big on U2. Although I taught her Walk on.

 

[Mark Freedman]

I read that Joni Mitchell could never learn to bar the F chord, so she cheated. I cheat for F, also, for now. I play it like this:

0
1
2
3
0
X

But it's still worth practicing barring it the right way -- it sounds so much fuller that way:

1
1
2
3
3
0

Good luck.

 

[the tourist]

oh god I hate that chord....i'm getting a callous on the side of my index finger from practicing it.
Is there any other chord that can top the cruelty of the F chord?

Hahaha, there are MANY....

 

[SWlondnr]

In guitaring cruelty is spelt with an F chord
but you learn how to play it over time...i practise everyday without fail and i'm better than all the boys in my year-- girl power!!