HOW TO START PLAYING THE GUITAR?

[Mick Molloy]

oi bet these models we're talking about are funny to Philip

Haha probably but he started out on one of these I guess

I started out on a cheap one as well but then bougth a new one.
Why buy a Gibson or Gretsch when you can't play it?

[philipchevron]

oi bet these models we're talking about are funny to Philip

Of course not: some of them seem quite cool actually. As a general rule, always buy the best guitar you can afford. Using this rule of thumb, my first guitar cost 30 shillings (£1.50) from Roches Stores in 1968 or so,
but I had to mow a lot of lawns to save up that much. Anyway, it gave me great service for a few years and it was only much later I realised it was a pile of crap.

[Mick Molloy]

oi bet these models we're talking about are funny to Philip

Of course not: some of them seem quite cool actually. As a general rule, always buy the best guitar you can afford. Using this rule of thumb, my first guitar cost 30 shillings (£1.50) from Roches Stores in 1968 or so,
but I had to mow a lot of lawns to save up that much. Anyway, it gave me great service for a few years and it was only much later I realised it was a pile of crap.

Do you still have it?

[philipchevron]

oi bet these models we're talking about are funny to Philip

Of course not: some of them seem quite cool actually. As a general rule, always buy the best guitar you can afford. Using this rule of thumb, my first guitar cost 30 shillings (£1.50) from Roches Stores in 1968 or so,
but I had to mow a lot of lawns to save up that much. Anyway, it gave me great service for a few years and it was only much later I realised it was a pile of crap.

Do you still have it?

It was firewood a long time ago.

[Bud Byrne]

I started to learn Guitar after 30 years of saying I would last year. I think on of the things seems to be the cheaper the guitar, the higher the action. And the higher the action the harder it is to play. I am still enjoying the struggle at the moment but that F'ing F chord is still a bitch.

[IrishRover]

Why buy a Gibson or Gretsch when you can't play it?

As a general rule, always buy the best guitar you can afford.

I think on of the things seems to be the cheaper the guitar, the higher the action. And the higher the action the harder it is to play.

oi see all points, well, comparing the proices of 2 goiven examples... foirst one is loike 40$, second loike 100$ (although till' they reach Serbia with all aditional costs="rip off" it would go at least 100$ for the foirst or towards 200$ for the second one), on the other hand both are beginner's level.. similar models oi think, in Serbia cost 200$.. but oi can't buy these two. There are some Aria guitars etc. etc.
yes, oi could afford more expensoive stuff BUT me budget is loike extremely loimited, even for these cheap models oi have to save for some toime;
oi have to learn from the point ZERO, so maybe tis' better to stick with cheap stuff until oi actually learn to play sth and gather more knowledge of what guitar is and what oi should have for me work? with experience comes knowledge?

PS. sorry to hear Philip's initial guitar is no more, it would be worth millions as collectors' oitem

[philipchevron]

I think on of the things seems to be the cheaper the guitar, the higher the action. And the higher the action the harder it is to play.

Indisputably, this is the one thing that makes people STOP learning to play guitar. Bring a friend who knows what "action" on a guitar is. Even a cheap guitar should be playable by someone who is not the Incredible Hulk.

[tyler]

I've never really had a problem with high action on any cheap acoustic I've owned for the case of simply a bang-around guitar to take places I probably shouldn't take a guitar.

However, I have this '51 Kay archtop that has the inevitible Kay neck-body seperation. The action is unplayable and the intonation is non-existent. But it seems to be fairly steady in open tunings so I just use it for slide. It has the sardine-can style early pickups in it and sounds pretty good like that.

[Plastic Paddy]

Where should I go to buy an acoustic guitar? Is Toys R us good enough or should I go to B Dylans emporium?

Just to get the basics...I want to spend a minimum amount to see if I like it before shelling out on a McFantastic Jobbie.

[IrishRover]

thats a million Oirish pounds question

[TheIrishRover]

I teach guitar some, so here're my suggestions.

Don't buy a guitar from anywhere except a guitar store, a reputable company or website(http://www.musiciansfriend.com is where I go), or an individual who you can trust. Generally the guitars you get from department stores are shite.

Now, Dean is a good brand. Most of my guitars are Dean and I think they do make good ones, but the Playmate isn't that great in my opinion. Playmates are best-suited to thirteen year old kids who can't afford a decent one. They'll do in a pinch, but I'd stay away from them in general. Alvarez make some good ones as well, but they can be quite expensive for a beginner. Fenders are good for beginners and usually aren't too overpriced. Ovation are great as well, but they're bowl-backs and usually $1,000USD+. Gibsons are overpriced pieces of shit.

Once you get the guitar itself, I'd suggest learning to read tabs and/or sheet music first and then learning to play simple chords (C, G, D, D7, Em, Am and A are the ones I'd deffo say learn. The rest can usually be held off for later).

Now, once you know how to play the chord itself, you should learn some rhythms. A simple rhythm that I've noticed Shane used for almost every song on Red Roses for Me is 1 2and 3and 4and (down, downup, downup, downup). I'm always available if this isn't clear enough for you, but it should be.

Another thing you need is a tuner. I'd suggest getting an electrical tuner (Sabine make good ones, but any will do). You can't play if your guitar isn't tuned, and until you get good enough to be able to play by ear, you probably can't tune it too well.

You're looking at probably $25 for a tuner, $25 for a gigbag, $2 for some picks and stuff, $20 for a strap. Now, a lot of these accessories aren't required (the tuner is really the only one I'd say you HAVE to have for an absolute beginner), but they can make it a lot easier. As for the price of the guitar, you're not likely to find a good one under $150. You might be able to find a guitar that will make-do for $100, but anything under $100 is generally going to be garbage.

Now, once you've learnt around three to five basic rhythms, how to read sheet music and tabs, and how to do the common chords I listed above, you can call yourself a decent guitarist. There are some other techniques like tremolos, other chordes like barres, power and movable chord, different tunings, etc. But really, if you can master what I've said above, you should be able to handle a guitar pretty well.

If any of you need help with anything else or want some free lessons, add me on MSN (I've only given MSN lessons a few times, so I can't say that you'll learn too much, but it can't hurt).

Edit:
A good starting song is Navigator. It has three beats per measure and I play it strumming down downup downup each time the chord is mentioned. Here's a tab for it

Edit again:P :

I think on of the things seems to be the cheaper the guitar, the higher the action. And the higher the action the harder it is to play.

Indisputably, this is the one thing that makes people STOP learning to play guitar. Bring a friend who knows what "action" on a guitar is. Even a cheap guitar should be playable by someone who is not the Incredible Hulk.

I started out on a Dean banjitar, and my God the strings are as thick as an electric bass on the higher ones and I've yet to see a guitar, even the cheap ones with high action, compare to this one. One thing I do think though is that if a learner can cope with the action it can turn out to be a good thing.

Being that I learnt on a high action guitar, I can play lower action guitars a lot easier and play high action ones just as good than some of my mates who learnt on a low action. Now, I don't reccomend that everyone go out and buy a high action guitar for this purpose, but if you're 100% commited, learning off of a high action can have its uses

[philipchevron]

I teach guitar some, so here're my suggestions.

Don't buy a guitar from anywhere except a guitar store, a reputable company or website(http://www.musiciansfriend.com is where I go), or an individual who you can trust. Generally the guitars you get from department stores are shite.

Now, Dean is a good brand. Most of my guitars are Dean and I think they do make good ones, but the Playmate isn't that great in my opinion. Playmates are best-suited to thirteen year old kids who can't afford a decent one. They'll do in a pinch, but I'd stay away from them in general. Alvarez make some good ones as well, but they can be quite expensive for a beginner. Fenders are good for beginners and usually aren't too overpriced. Ovation are great as well, but they're bowl-backs and usually $1,000USD+. Gibsons are overpriced pieces of shit.

Once you get the guitar itself, I'd suggest learning to read tabs and/or sheet music first and then learning to play simple chords (C, G, D, D7, Em, Am and A are the ones I'd deffo say learn. The rest can usually be held off for later).

Now, once you know how to play the chord itself, you should learn some rhythms. A simple rhythm that I've noticed Shane used for almost every song on Red Roses for Me is 1 2and 3and 4and (down, downup, downup, downup). I'm always available if this isn't clear enough for you, but it should be.

Another thing you need is a tuner. I'd suggest getting an electrical tuner (Sabine make good ones, but any will do). You can't play if your guitar isn't tuned, and until you get good enough to be able to play by ear, you probably can't tune it too well.

You're looking at probably $25 for a tuner, $25 for a gigbag, $2 for some picks and stuff, $20 for a strap. Now, a lot of these accessories aren't required (the tuner is really the only one I'd say you HAVE to have for an absolute beginner), but they can make it a lot easier. As for the price of the guitar, you're not likely to find a good one under $150. You might be able to find a guitar that will make-do for $100, but anything under $100 is generally going to be garbage.

Now, once you've learnt around three to five basic rhythms, how to read sheet music and tabs, and how to do the common chords I listed above, you can call yourself a decent guitarist. There are some other techniques like tremolos, other chordes like barres, power and movable chord, different tunings, etc. But really, if you can master what I've said above, you should be able to handle a guitar pretty well.

If any of you need help with anything else or want some free lessons, add me on MSN (I've only given MSN lessons a few times, so I can't say that you'll learn too much, but it can't hurt).

Helpful stuff, though I must beg to differ on the matter of Ovations. I never played an Ovation that didn't sound like an Ovation [as opposed to an acoustic guitar] when amplified. Like the distinctive Fender Rhodes Piano sound, it's fine if it's what you're actually looking for, but sound like a piano it does not. I had a blue Ovation Custom Anniversary around 1985/86 which Elvis Costello gave me as a gift and, after a while, I just found it to be more-or-less incompatible with the Pogues sound.

And before anyone asks, I don't know whether or not this is the "cursed" guitar Shane appears to lay claim to in Carol Clerk's book, but I would swear on a stack of Thomas Jefferson's Korans that mine was the only blue Ovation which passed through the band in that period. We all signed it later and donated it to charity.

[IrishRover]

now oim cursed to make a choice what to do, get sth now or wait to save up more, or buy cheaper guitar, whoich one, where, how.. loife is an everlasting struggle of questioning..

heres example of what oi can foind in Serbia, the proice in store for this one is 170 euros - that is more than 200$(with all costs Dean would cost me less)...
on-loine cost for it is $249.95
Aria FET SPT Acoustic Electric Guitar

FET SPT Small Body Acoustic Electric Guitar
The Aria Elecord series of electro acoustic guitars first appeared in the 1970's and they are highly regarded acoustic guitars. Paul Weller was one of the many professional musicians to use an Aria Elecord FET. The FET SPT comes with the following specs; spruce top, mahogany back, sides & Neck, rosewood Fingerboard & Bridge, chrome hardware, Aria PZP-Piezo pickup with Q-TN 3 band eq.
Standard Features
Back and Sides Mahogany
Bridge/Tremolo Rosewood
Controls Q-TN 3 Band EQ
Fingerboard Rosewood
Hardware Chrome
Pickups PZP-Piezo
Top Wood Spruce

Oi've heard Aria ain't much of a brand...

[tyler]

I'm not the type to think it's necessary to shell out mad cash for a guitar that's high end. But I think if you buy a real cheap guitar, you'll be very frustrated after a short time. I think it's best to buy an average priced ($200ish) guitar because once you advance passed the general beginner level, you won't be annoyed by the guitar's quality, or lack thereof.

I'm sorry to say I'm extremely unfamiliar with what is available outside of the US. But if you're able to order from the likes of Musician's Friend or Sweetwater (my person preference is Sweetwater) then there are some good options. If you're certain and set on an acoustic-electric, I think this is a fine option.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=519468

[Jackthelad]

David Gilmour...Amazing