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You need to learn the basics, so at least some form of book is handy. As Gambit said, try the web sites, theres loads of these.
Loads of people will tell you to practice scales, many books want you to play campfire songs with open chords.
Best advice I can give is to get a decent electronic guitar tuner and a tube of 'fast fret' and a selection of picks. Use the tuner before every session and clean the strings with FF after every session. Try the various picks until you find one you like.
Warm you fingers up before you start playing and wear gloves if you have to go out into the cold after playing (just like a Gym for your fingers). Keep the nails of your fretting hand as short as possible. Remember that you will experience some pain in the fingertips, particularly at the start and extended sessions will result in hand cramps the next day.
Next, you will need to understand TAB, this is the way guitar music is written down. Its a simple format which shows the fingerboard of the guitar and shows the position of your fingers on the frets. Dont try and learn every chord, just try for the basics and get a clean sound. Learn A,C,D,E,G,Em,Am (the m stands for minor).
Once you have the basic idea of what a chord consists of you can move on to power chords. These are simplified barre chords, which are commonly used in Rock music and are common to virtually every HM band. Build up your repertoire using music that you like, forget lead guitar for the moment, just concentrate on playing something you know to a recognisable level, not perfect, just enough to give you a feel of success.
On a final note. Dont put the guitar in a room you never use, put it close at hand so you can pick it up easily, when your having a coffee, watching TV, listening to music etc. Practise intensly for short periods and then rest for a while (like weight training), when you have done practising a piece of music, just strum something you enjoy. Above all, MAKE IT FUN.
The guitar is NOT an easy taskmaster, dont think its a simple instrument to play. Guys like Hendrix, start playing at around 6 or 7 years old and are giving concerts by the time they are in their teens. Most practise for several hours a day, every day and I dont mean a couple of hours, its more like 5 or 6.
Dont be discouraged if you dont make giant leaps in the first few months or even years of learning. Look at it as a long term relationship, just enjoy the learning process. If you find that you are a budding Jimmy Page, then thats fantastic, you might learn at a faster rate, but even he practises.
Dont give up, just take a few small steps each day.
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28-12-2003, 2:04 PM
E. & O.E.
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