Boxx Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Does anyone have experience with any of the "Learn to Play Guitar" programs that are on the market for the beginner? Any recommendations? Any to steer clear of? Thanks, Boxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxx Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 Bump.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigStewMan Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 No i don't; but, there's this guy named Marty Schwartz, you can find him on you tube (which will also tell his website) and he's a really good teacher. He has tons of beginner stuff and he's VERY easy to understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 I'm not a guitar player but after a bit of messing around with it I found that your left hand (if your right handed) has to perform monstrous elastic muscular stretchations with a kind of "outch" with each cord. You will notice that the great players have long fingers (usually) and they move at the speed of light. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 What style do you want to start with? Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotog Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I've played for nearly 50 years. Initially took lessons from a local musician who taught out of his garage (2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade). Learned to play by ear and then read music. Never learned music theory while taking those initial introduction lessons. Just learned songs. 45 years later I took a few more lessons from a local professional who had toured with some nationally known bands of the 70/80's and currently I just pull Guitar tabs off the internet for any song I want to learn. For my 55th Birthday, I bought myself a long awaited semi-hollow body. Guitar playing can have substantial health benefits as it can be a form of meditation and an effective stress reliever. My nephew recently took up Guitar and he also began with lessons with a local musician. Often, you can find music majors locally (either High School or College) that teach as part of getting a few funds for their education. I think there are many specific benefits to signing up for lessons once a week or so. Whether your interest is chords, picking, or theory, a teacher can tailor a schedule so you get the most for what you are looking for. 3 months (12 weeks) should get you the basics down. Equipment also matters, meaning a "playable" neck (for your hand size) will make learning easier and faster. Best of luck. Once you get a few basic lessons down, then you can self learn all you want. The foundation is the key in my view and a good teacher helps establish that base quickly. If you already have a guitar and have already decided that you want to learn via the internet, then watch a few youtube tutorials and see who makes the most sense to you. I suspect you will get a little from several and combine them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panacea Engineering Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Excellent advice....! I don't play Guitar but I do do woodwinds and my formal learning started in High School...well actually that darn Flute thingy they give you in the 4th or 5th grade..... Got a Saxaphone when I was ten and have been doing reeds ever since. One on one teaching is by far the best method and it will get you into a regular schedule. Get the basics down and go from there. The Internet thing is nice but leaving it up to yourself to schedule time and practicing will make it harder, IMO. It is NEVER too late to learn a new trick....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 This video may help. Times, they are a chang'in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peshewah Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 My 10 year old has been taking lessons for 6 months. I'm really proud of him. He started with a Squier Strat I bought off of Craigslist and it started sounding really bad really quick. So bought him a G&L ASAT Tribute carvedtop deluxe (telecaster style), bought it new. It was $400, it sounds great, it has a warranty and he tends to pick it up more often and thats the key. He has to practice. I have heard the better sounding the guitar is, the more often a person will pick it up. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 It was $400, it sounds great, it has a warranty and he tends to pick it up more often and thats the key. He has to practice. I have heard the better sounding the guitar is, the more often a person will pick it up. Good luck That's true, but another factor is how easy and comfortable it is to play the guitar. Some beginner guitars, especially acoustics, have such high actions that it's actually painful to hold a chord. With an instrument like that, the student gives up pretty quickly, while with a comfortable guitar, the student's fingers will still develop calluses, but they won't hurt. Daily or almost daily practice is essential. Playing an instrument is as much about muscle memory as skill and knowledge. It's not at all like riding a bicycle, where you learn it once and know how to do it. If you put down the instrument for a while, before you've built up a certain level of skill, you can lose it all and be back to Square One. Best of luck to your son in his musical efforts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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