How To Play Guitar For Beginners

Check Out My New Blog

2009-09-13T22:13:00.003-04:00

I know I haven't posted here in a while, but if you happen to get to this page it's because I started a new blog that's self hosted and not on blogger. You can check it out here at Online Guitar Center.

There you will be able to get free lessons, tips, tricks, and reviews of the latest guitar equipment. I hope you like it.

Later,

CJ

Used Guitar Equipment Vs. New Guitar Equipment

2009-04-10T16:40:00.012-04:00

Welcome back all for another lesson in, 'how to play guitar for beginners.' This week we are going to dive into the equipment you will need in order to get started. Should you get used guitar equipment or new guitar equipment?

Used Guitar Equipment Or New

If you haven't got a guitar yet don't fret you will benefit from this advice and once you are done reading this article you will know what you will need. So what kind of guitar equipment will you need?

Guitar.

Amp.

Guitar Cord.

Picks for your guitar.

Tuner

Extra Set Of Strings

OK, now that we got that out of the way let's dive into each one and get a little bit more specific. If you are wondering why I am going through this is because more than likely most you are beginners and wondering if you should have used guitar equipment or new. If you are a bit more experienced just bare with me. In order to get to the more advanced stuff I need to cover the basics like if it would be better to buy used guitar equipment or new.

So on we go.

Guitar

First the guitar, it doesn't matter what guitar it is but except to say this. If your learning how to play guitar for beginners then you may want to stick to a used guitar equipment or at least something not so expensive at first.

Why?

You may not like it or it may not be what you thought is was going to be. When I got my first guitar it was $200 along with a little $80 Crate Amp. I didn't need that much to get started. I wasn't going to be playing in a band any time soon and I wasn't sure I was even going to stick with it.

So don't invest a ton of money into it at first you never know, you may change your mind. The $200 guitar equipment will suffice for now. Down the road you can get that $5000 Gibson Les Paul you been gawking at for the last six months.

The Amp

For the amp I suggest the same. Used guitar equipment would be the best choice. I got a little 10 inch Crate Amp for $80 and that lasted me a long time till I blew it up. ( Don't ask, it's a long story.)

You don't need to buy the $1000 Marshall stack. For now just focus on decent not the best. Right now you need to focus on how to play the guitar from a beginners stand point. Don't buy a bigger amp until you need it.

Guitar Cords

Of all the items to get used this isn't one of them. Your guitar chord is your link between your guitar and your amp. In playing guitar over the last 12 years I've thrown plenty of cords away that just suddenly stopped working.

In fact, I recommend you get two cords just in case you get one stops working. The good news here is that guitar cords are cheap and inexpensive.

Guitar Picks

This is another are you don't want to skimp on. A pick is a guitar players friend. I say this because you have to be comfortable with the pick you choose. I personal like thicker picks but you may have a different preference.

Once I ran out of picks at a show and I borrowed some from a friend who said his were the best. I disagreed. After that show I made sure I would never run out of picks at a show again.

My suggestion to you is to buy several different picks and try them out. Over time you will find some you will like and others that just don't work for you.

Guitar Tuner

Next on the list of new and used guitar equipment is the tuner. At this point any thing will do. I recommend a Korg Tuner, these are relatively inexpensive tuners depending on what type you like. Having a properly tuned guitar will make all the difference. When I was playing in a band I would tune between every set just to make sure,

Extra Set Of Guitar Strings

Having an extra set of strings is good for a few reasons. One, if you break a string you'll have an extra one on hand until you're able to get a new set and second, it's good just in case your old set gets to worn out. Over time your strings will were down and fill with oil and dirt on your hands and will eventually the strings will loose their clean ringing sound with a more worn out duller sound.

I hope the tips help if you got more questions leave a comment.

How To Learn The Guitar The Right Way

2009-03-18T20:10:00.022-04:00

What You Will Learn

So you want to learn the guitar, the right way. Well, you've come to the right place. In fact, the best part about it all is it's entirely free. That's right free! I could make this some members site but to tell you the truth you won't learn the guitar as effectively if you have to pay some membership fee and then find out the material isn't that great.

Here at how to play guitar for beginners you will learn the guitar the right way. This isn't one of those sites that will teach you all the theory and meaningless babble that won't help you when it really counts. Instead, you will learn the street smarts of playing guitar. If fact I will break things down to their simplest form so it will make it even easier for you to learn.

I will also break down how you should practice and what is all involved as far as equipment is concerned. I will give the dos and don't of playing. I will even show you how to get into a band or start your own.

You will also learn the guitar though a few different formats. The first is by written format, which I will use to show you how chords and leads are played. The second is audio so you can hear how the guitar should sound, and the third will be pictures and video so you can see the guitar in action.

The reason I decided to do it this way is because it will help you to start using your senses more. This is very important. One of the biggest mistakes people make is being to visual and not really listening to what they are playing. I've seen a lot of people do this. In fact I was recently talking to a guy I work with and he was showing me the chords he knew how to play on the guitar.

Well he knew all the chords but he couldn't tell me the name of any of the chords. On top of that he couldn't tell me what a chord sounds like. The only way he knew is if he was actually looking in some tab book or magazine like, Guitar World.

Why is this so important you might ask?

Great guitar players are great listeners. In order to learn the guitar you have to be able to sit and listen. However the problem with most people are is they just want to play and not listen.

Next Weeks Lesson

Well, that's enough learning for one day. This weeks I want you to take some time and listen. You don't have to play your guitar to do this, just use your ears and listen.

Listen to the people around you. Take time really understand what people are really telling you. I know people who don't listen very well. I can pick'em out easy. They're usually the type of people who start talking before you get done telling them something or they cut into every other word you are trying to tell them. Then they have to ask me what I just said. These kind of people annoy me.

In the next lesson I will be talking about the right equipment for the job. If you want to learn how to play the guitar you have to have the proper equipment.

Till Then,

CJ

Welcome To How To Play Guitar For Beginners

2009-03-15T10:41:00.003-04:00

Welcome to How to Play Guitar for Beginners. This site provides tips and techniques for basic guitar lessons for free. If you have questions not covered in How to Play Guitar for Beginners please feel free to email your questions to choldheide@gmail.com

Thanks,

CJ