HOW TO START PLAYING THE GUITAR?

[IrishRover]

the question sounds silly oi bet... oid loike to learn to play the guitar, not really for the band considering the fact that singing is what oim focused on, but more in a way that oi could understand the music we do better, maybe even to write some music with the lyrics oi wroite and oim sure that knowledge of playing the guitar would help me with me singing in the band as well... What is the advice of the guitar master Philip Chevron? How to start learning? Oi was told to buy some simple acoustic guitar... whats the best way of learning, maybe some resource website? Is there a wrong way of learning, how about instructional movies or sth? Of course oid loike to start with songs of Shane and Pogues(the songs we do in the band)...
Oim pretty sure its not an easy task and as everything good in loife it takes lots of efforts and practise to make it good.

[Eric V]

It isn't a bad question and I'm very interested to hear the answers, myself. I bought my daughter a cheap electric guitar for Xmas and I've "played with it" more than she has. And if I knew what I was doing, I'd buy a guitar for myself to play just for stress relief, believe it or not. But I'm an impatient man -- must have immediate results -- American you know.

[Heather]

I learned the guitar when I was younger, my mum taught me to play. She used to run her own folk club at one time.

I got bored with it and gave up because it didn't inspire me anymore.

[Eric V]

I learned the guitar when I was younger, my mum taught me to play. She used to run her own folk club at one time.

....so can I borrow your mum? I'll swap mine for yours -- but I'll have to warn you: she will try to give you and your friends beauty tips. Not that you need any

[philipchevron]

I'm kind of the wrong person to ask about this - I took a quick look at Bert Weedon's Play In A Day in the mid 1960s but I gave up on that when, well....when I failed to Play In A Day. Also, I have very small hands, so there are certain things I couldn't do comfortably then and still can't - barre chords, for example.

So, essentially, I just tuned a guitar to an open chord and started working out the rest by ear. I did not know any conventional chords (with the EADGBE tuning) until 1972 when I realised my method had its limitations.

Get a guitarist friend to show you a few chords. The only real advice I can give is don't give up too early. You will be delighted with your ability to play a 12-bar blues on Day One, but by Day Four, it will all suddenly seem too difficult, not to mention painful, as the strings seem to constantly burn into your fingertips. In my estimation, about 95% of would-be guitarists give up on Day Four, which is why only the other 5% become guitarists. This is true of all musical instruments, really.

Listen to the really interesting players - Keith Richards, Marc Ribot, John Lee Hooker, and realise that the best ones see a rule book as a foe, not an ally.

[metsaen]

Oh, i myself have been trying to learn how to play the guitar for a while now, but i dont really want to go to a guitar teacher or anything like that so i just google for tabs to songs i know well, and if i found them easy to play, or do-able or what you would like to call it, i learn how to play them and then i record it and listen to it and if i can atleast recognize the original melody from it then i am satisfied.

The first song i started of with was Dirty Old Town, it is quite easy.
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/p/p ... wn_tab.htm
I dont know if this is how its played in the pogues, but it works for me

Then of course The swedish national anthem! ehum...no im not like that..
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/r/r ... ia_tab.htm

Also Mursheen Durkin is quite nice to begin with:
http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/songs ... Durkin.htm
This is actually a great page with lots and lots of tabs to traditional songs.

other song you could start with is:
Fake tales of san francisco by Arctic Monkeys
Whorehouse blues by Motörhead
and just songs that are well known to you!

Good luck!

Edit:
Forgott about this link
http://guitar.about.com/library/blguita ... rchive.htm

[Mick Molloy]

I started playing guitar because I wanted to play some tunes. I first started to learn some chords (G, C, D) and well after that you can play LOADS of songs.

Perseverance is the keyword!

[metsaen]

I started playing guitar because I wanted to play some tunes. I first started to learn some chords (G, C, D) and well after that you can play LOADS of songs.

Perseverance is the keyword!

Maybe im just very stupid/bad/got no rythm/ or whatever but even if you know the chords it's still difficult to make a song out of it with strummingpatterns and shit

[trashcity]

I'm kind of the wrong person to ask about this - I took a quick look at Bert Weedon's Play In A Day in the mid 1960s but I gave up on that when, well....when I failed to Play In A Day..

Me too. I was given a guitar for my 18th birthday, and for about 6 months the only action it saw was as a substitute for the tennis racket i'd previously used for miming to "Brand New Cadillac " in my bedroom mirror. The rest of the time it just sat there taunting me, the little bastard. So i bought "play in a day", spent a week trying to get my head round it and failed miserably. Then a year or so later i came across a copy of this. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1844 ... y&v=glance

It seemed to explain things in a way my stupid head could understand(and had some songs i actually knew in it as well). First thing i learned was Amazing Grace, which didnt take me long at all to pick up. obviously theres a lot of practising involved to get the chord changes sounding sweet, but the fact that i could bash out a version ( albeit the most unholy version ever), was very motivating,

All the best with it oirish, its worth persevering with.

[IrishRover]

Thanks very much... ya people gave some very interesting views and experiences, oim sure they will show useful when oi start to practise. Thanks once more!

[CraigBatty]

You'll be fine Oirish. If I can hack away on one, so can you. Play on.

[Heather]

I learned the guitar when I was younger, my mum taught me to play. She used to run her own folk club at one time.

....so can I borrow your mum? I'll swap mine for yours -- but I'll have to warn you: she will try to give you and your friends beauty tips. Not that you need any

Course you can, mind you I think she's given up now, she's 73, not that that makes any difference. She moans aswell, much like myself, like mother like daughter hey.

[Eric V]

She moans as well, much like myself, like mother like daughter hey.

[Mick Molloy]

I started playing guitar because I wanted to play some tunes. I first started to learn some chords (G, C, D) and well after that you can play LOADS of songs.

Perseverance is the keyword!

Maybe im just very stupid/bad/got no rythm/ or whatever but even if you know the chords it's still difficult to make a song out of it with strummingpatterns and shit

That wasn't too difficult for me but maybe that was because I had been a percussionist for years

[Pyro]

I can give one very good advice - find a teacher - he knows how to play and how to teach. The progress will be much faster.

And I would consider learning fingerpicking too - good guitar with good nylon strings sounds just wonderful.