OK the first string is the bottom E...what? and the 6th string is the top E Really? isnt that backwards?
You need how to play chords...
Your 1st finger goes on the 1st string second fret?

Really? Is this how you all learned how to play guitar...

Then I went to a instructor and he had me buy a book called Hal Leonard Book 1
and a slab of tab...Jesus I already wear glasses how can you see what your writing there?

I need to know the best way to learn how to play a guitar...Do I go to lessons, do I watch online videos and try to duplicate them? Do I just pluck strings trying to learn songs? What is the best way?

I am 51 years old and commited but are you kidding me> Is it really all about clefts and chords...I watched the boys from the Allman brosthers last night and I dont seem them playing songs with their fingers on chords? They lay their fingers right across the whole fret and it sounds like heaven???

Help man!

Hi Jcookschillin,it's never too late to learn guitar.I have been playing over 45 years,many of them professionally and never took one lesson.In fact the closest I ever came to a lesson was asking my uncle what the dots meant on the chord charts-when he told me that's where my fingers go that's all I needed to know and I picked up all the rest on my own.It may be a good idea to get a few lessons just to learn the basics and all the rest comes with practice.There are no short cuts or miracle ways of learning practice and more practice are the secret.

It's best to learn songs that you like and are familiar with as they provide incentive to learn and you know how they're supposed to sound
.A site I find that's pretty good for learning songs from is: http://www.chordie.com they have thousands of songs with the chord charts and some songs even show easier alternate ways of playing.
BTW i imagine why it looked like the Allman Brothers weren't using chords was because they were using open tuning(tuning all the strings to a chord)to facilitate slide playing.Anyway best of luck with it and have fun,it's not supposed to get you mad or frustrated-if it does just sit back and listen to a recording of the song you were working on to see if you can find what you're doing wrong.If that doesn't work just put it down and come back to it after a a good break.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I had very good luck with a DVD system called "Learn and Master Guitar". This takes you from how to hold a pick to soloing techniques. It comes with DVD's, a lesson book, a good forum for questions and encouragement (which BTW you can join without purchase). Being able to watch and hear what your supposed to learn from the lesson helps, but it is similar to Hal Leonard.

I have just started with the Next Level Guitar online system and this seems pretty good as well. So far this seems to be more of a watch the video, copy it and then "here are some ideas to add your own touch".

Over the past 2 years (and counting) of learning to play I have acquired a large library of learn to play guitar books, DVD's, online memberships etc. and for me the two above have been the most helpful. I have not had the chance to take lessons in person from a teacher, (live in a pretty rural area) but I would say it depends on the specific teacher and your goals.?

I have no inate musical talent so I just have to keep laboring away to gain the skills, but it is so WORTH it ! I tried to avoid learning music theory but have come to accept that I for one need to undertake that arduous task in order to move beyond copying other songs to being able to improvise things that sound good .

Good luck. It might take some time of trying different methods until you find the one (or two or three) that works for you, just keep at it.

It seems to me that those who make a living of doing any job seem to be able make it look easy.

stick with your lesson and the Hal Leonard books.
these are good books to learn from. stay with the teacher until you get the basic
grasp of things. its easier for somebody to show you something than it is to teach yourself the same thing at first. no matter what you do you will always be learning from others and teaching yourself along the way.
some folks are better at a structured program and others do just fine pushing themselves. me, i look everywhere for more knowledge, books, videos, youtube, teachers, cd's. mags, you name it. it really depends on how bad you want it and how far your willing to go to get it.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

Being old enough to feel your pain all I can say is use tabs on line and you can blow then up to see them.

As to low "E" Vs. High "E" it is not the strings on the guitar, it refers placement of the notes in the music scale, if you were reading sheet music (Not tab) you would see what I mean.
The Low "E" is the thick one.

Hang in there, you will be hacking up songs in no time just like the rest of us.

BTW, bookmark this site...
http://www.songsterr.com/

It is a gold mine of tabs for thousands of song, it's not just tabs, it plays along with you and lets you choose the part you want to learn, and if another part is bothering you, you can mute it out of the song as it plays.
Truly a cool site.

Oh, and as always, welcome to the asylum.

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Marriage is like playing cards...

At first all you want are Hearts and Diamonds.

But in the end, all you really want is a Club and a Spade.

Great site here

http://www.justinguitar.com/

I was someone that needed lessons, and quite enjoyed them as well. I was lucky to have a blues guitarist as my teacher as well and I adored her so that was a definite plus. Stick with it, try to have fun & accomplish whatever your goal is for the time period. If you try to jump too far it's going to get incredibly frustrating! I just joined here too, but welcome to the forum!

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A Fender Lounge Forum member, jcookschillin, believe I've responded to a post of yours before. Today I'm mildly amused and if you can do that then you will certainly learn to play guitar. Just remember to keep your nose to the grindstone your shoulder to the wheel your ear to the ground and don't put your guitar down unless it's to go to the bathroom or to go to sleep, oh yes and lessons are good because it will give you something to practice while you're holding your guitar.

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

I got my first guitar in 1962 and spent most of the first year locked in a small, unfinished, barely heated room with it, an old Heathkit hi-fi amplifier and a stack of Mel-Bay guitar instruction books. My fingers hurt, my brain hurt and I was hungry a lot of the time (see pics below). But I stuck with it, learned the chords, learned to play Pipeline and Penetration and went on to a long performance career... and I'm still doing it!





These pics are from 1966... it just takes a lot of time and effort!

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Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

I'm 50 and started playing guitar again a couple of years ago and haven't had a lesson except for online. There is scads of free lessons online. ( YouTube, Gibson.com, fender.com, justguitar.com) etc.
I had an injury to my left ring finer at age 21 and quit playing.
Some might not agree with me but my godsend is tablature. It has really helped me alot and I'm no virtuso but I can actually play a little bit and am having a blast, One thing to watch out for though is this thing called GAS.

"Have fun and practice", is the best advice I have recieved since picking up the guitar again after nearly 30 years.

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08 Fender Highway One Tele-Sunburst
09 Squier Custom Tele II-Blonde
04 Squier Standard Strat Antiqueburst
07 Washburn D10SCE natural with Rosewood backing
Fender Mustang II amp


Experience is the best teacher

damn jak, 30 yrs? you got me beat. i quit guitar, drugs, and all the fixins
about 16 yrs ago. they went hand in hand for me. picked the guitars back up
about a yr ago, and dusted off all the old gear. havent touched anything in all that time
im proud to say (drugs/booze etc etc)
welcome back after such a long break bro. i missed out on a lot, but at least im still here to tell ya myself.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

Lessons

Congrats on your clean time, I enjoy reading your posts

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08 Fender Highway One Tele-Sunburst
09 Squier Custom Tele II-Blonde
04 Squier Standard Strat Antiqueburst
07 Washburn D10SCE natural with Rosewood backing
Fender Mustang II amp


Experience is the best teacher

likewise my friend. oh and thank you for the congrats too.
man i was bad, real bad too. funny thing is, once i realized the
problem, it was easy to quit and to say no.
i went to a strip club with my ex g.friend. she had several friends who worked there.
well i was known to be the designated driver always ok. well the waitress brought me a coke and slipped me a little splash of something in there just being cool ya know.
no harm ment. i took a swig of that crap and shot the whole glass across the bar.
i freaked out lol. here comes the boys, security for the spot. i was pissed and they werent to excited to get a hand full ya know. well here come my ex's friends, my ex is climbing all over the security guards. it was a mess. things got settled down rather quickly as management came over. i wouldnt tell them what really happened, i told them i grabbed the wrong drink. we got things back under control and finished the night off.
i just didnt have a taste for it any more. thank God too.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

Interested to read this one. I just hoped that things would work out really well in order to be able to learn to play the guitar. Good luck!
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