So after years had years of wanting to learn how to play, i bit the bullet and got a guitar.

I had tried to learn how to play a few time in the past, but it was always with a right handed guitar and I never really felt comfortable with it. Even when air guitarist as a kid, it was left handed. I really had trouble with the strumming and picking with my right hand. There is a reason why right handers play the way they do.

This time I bought a left handed guitar. I know the negatives but as a lefty baseball player and golfer, I'm used to it.

Since Christmas I've learned a few chords and feel more comfortable than ever before.

What advice would you give to someone learning?

Well it's left handed. So there's that.

You tube is great as everyone is a mirror image.

I have committed to a minimum of 5 minutes every day for 2 months.

Look guys... said:

---

I have committed to a minimum of 5 minutes every day for 2 months.

---

It's a good start and more power to you but if you really end up loving it and wanting to learn it's going to end up being waaaaaaay more than that. If it's meant to be You won't want to put it down.

Bands that songs are easy to play - same 3-4-5 chords

Eagles
Tom Petty
REM
Garth Brooks

Justin Guitar, it's free, I learned more from him than I did an in person teacher. Tons of lessons, including beginner.

All great advice on this thread. One more: find friends who know how to play and play with them. You'll learn quickly from trying to follow your friends.

I didn't pick up learning the guitar in earnest until I was almost 40. I knew a few open chord shapes from when I was a kid, but I couldn't really play. I've been playing with the same two guys for over ten years now. I'm not a great guitar player by any stretch of the imagination, but my friends have been patient and have taught me everything I know. We've written dozens of songs and even went into the studio and recorded a few.

TresPuertas said:

---

Look guys... said:

---

I have committed to a minimum of 5 minutes every day for 2 months.

---

It's a good start and more power to you but if you really end up loving it and wanting to learn it's going to end up being waaaaaaay more than that. If it's meant to be You won't want to put it down.

---

Yeah. It's a minimum.

AgLaw said:

---

All great advice on this thread. One more: find friends who know how to play and play with them. You'll learn quickly from trying to follow your friends.

---

This.

Playing with people who are better than you helps you learn. Also, there are few things in this world more fun than playing with at least a three piece band. I remember the first time my cousin and I played with a drummer... it was life changing. Immediately, all those songs we were playing with just a guitar and bass came alive.

Take it a step further and combine a few of these (as well as your commitment).

When you have the guitar in an easily accessible location - stand by your desk, next to the couch, wherever you spend the most time - play until you want to chunk it.

You'll be frustrated, your fingers will be sore, etc. Put it down. Walk away.

30 minutes later - repeat.

Do this enough and one day you'll suddenly be able to switch chords cleanly.

Also - and this is very important if you bought a solid wood acoustic - check the relative humidity of the room. I ruined a cheaper acoustic guitar in Denver by not realizing the super dry air during the winter was warping the top.

Too dry (or humid) air can render a guitar unplayable.

gggmann said:

---

2. Add ear training to your daily routine. You'll make much faster progress if you can learn songs by ear.

---

just started back up again myself. any recommendations for how to best practice this?

Look up Nate Savage on YouTube. He is a fantastic teacher. Knows how to 'dumb it down' for beginner's, but also gives enough good stuff in each lesson to make you feel like you're really progressing.

ruddyduck said:

---

gggmann said:

---

2. Add ear training to your daily routine. You'll make much faster progress if you can learn songs by ear.

---

just started back up again myself. any recommendations for how to best practice this?

---

I've been doing this a lot lately. I just usually find a song I hear in a commercial while watching Hulu and try to play it to annoy the girlfriend. Works great for both!

Everybody is different, but this is what I did:

1) Learn the notes on the fretboard. Just get one of those simple song books, and learn to play songs one note at a time (Mary had a little lamb, happy birthday song, etc.). And change up the fingering. This will teach you the notes, and get your finger tips hard.
2) Learn the basic chords.
3) Learn music theory. Someone above mentioned it. Know the chord progressions....I ii iii IV V vi vii, etc. This will help when you start learning by ear. It will also help with chords. There's a reason certain notes are played together.
4) Use what ever medium you want (youtube, song books, tabs, etc.), and start learning songs. Hopefully you will eventually make the connection to 3 above.
5) Start trying to learn by ear.

I think my hand placement is wrong. The lines on my fingers are angled. Should I be placing my fingers straight down and the line directly across?

ruddyduck said:

---

gggmann said:

---

2. Add ear training to your daily routine. You'll make much faster progress if you can learn songs by ear.

---

just started back up again myself. any recommendations for how to best practice this?

---

Start w/ learning 2 note intervals (together and sequential). Learn what each sounds like - seconds, thirds, fourths, etc. After that learn triads. You can really take it far if you want.

I should get a commission as much as I mention his name on this forum, but Rick Beato has a decent ear training course if you don't mind shelling out a few bucks.

Yousician App.

I use it for more advanced stuff, but wish I had it as a beginner.

Any advice for beginner guitars? This thread speaks to me. My older brother "gifted me" / passed down an Ibanez 6 string guitar about 20 years ago and I didnt have the inclination to pick it up...I think I actually got rid of it after moving all the crap from my Bryan apartment/storage unit to my first home.

Now that I am permanently working at home, though, with time between meetings, I think having a setup in my office would be kind of cool.

I started on an Epiphone that was probably $125ish at the time. In fact this may be the same one, $149. It was good enough to learn on, eventually upgraded. You may be able to just find a good beginner guitar on Craigslist. Don't spend an insane amount though until you know for sure it's in your interest.

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Epiphone/DR-100-Acoustic-Guitar-Black-1275761455240.gc

Southlake said:

---

Yousician App.

I use it for more advanced stuff, but wish I had it as a beginner.

---

Bought this while in Mexico on vacation. Not only was it on sale, but something with the exchange caused it to be another 50% off.

This was for my son who is learning and has learned a lot from it. Mainly how to move the fingers quickly. If you like Guitar Hero, it is similar.

A cheap but well built and nice sounding acoustic is the Yamaha FG800. It's about $200.

I would be very careful buying a cheap acoustic guitar. The issue with cheap acoustic guitars, that you can remedy much easier on a cheap electric, are the action and intonation.

I have seen a lot of gutiarTube people I trust and like rep the Orangewood product, as a very good cheap acoustic guitar. I have no handson experience, but Paul Davids had a great video about them and I trust him.

https://orangewoodguitars.com/

Edit: The reason why those are important, for beginners, is because an acoustic guitar with high action is very hard to play. It's hard for me to play, and I have been playing guitar for nearly 20 years. If it is hard to play, you have a greater chance of not following through.

If you have not experienced a properly setup guitar, you may not understand how difficult you are making it on yourself. I have a Taylor 324ce, and I couldn't believe how easy an acoustic guitar could be to play, because I had always played guitars that had horrible action.

With electric guitars, the cheaper ones are just easier to setup yourself.

I've heard good things about Orangewood, but I haven't ever played one. Rhett Schull recently reviewed some budget acoustics on his youtube channel, one of them being an Orangewood:

Yeah, I subscribe to Rhett, as well. He puts out some great content. My favorite guitarTube people are Paul Davids, Rhett Schull, and That Pedal Show.

That Pedal Show is fantastic for gear/guitar nerds, but their videos are extremely long. However, no one goes into the depth on various topics than those guys.

I got an Orangewood Oliver. One of my coworkers was a professional musician and he recommended it. I don't know enough for an opinion but it sounds just like the videos.

I started playing on the 28th as I broke a string tuning the wrong one on 12/25.

I can play E, G , D A, Em, Asus2 and pretty much any simple chord.

I'm struggling with C and F. But I'll get it soon.

Any songs you recommend I try to tackle? I'm tired of hearing me writing music going from chord to chord.

Look guys... said:

---

I started playing on the 28th as I broke a string tuning the wrong one on 12/25.

I can play E, G , D A, Em, Asus2 and pretty much any simple chord.

I'm struggling with C and F. But I'll get it soon.

Any songs you recommend I try to tackle? I'm tired of hearing me writing music going from chord to chord.

---

What kind of music do you like? Find things you like to play.

It seems like every song has a C or F which I can't do yet. I'm working on them, but would like to play a song with what I know.