ADN

So its been like my dream to learn and be able to play an accoustic guitar but I never got around to learning it. So I have my holidays coming up and I decided that I would actually like to learn how to play a guitar. 1st thing I want to do is to actually buy a guitar.

So I was just wondering what to look for when buying one. Since I m not that musical, I was hoping for some tips and stuff as well.

Anyone can help?

One of the most important things about buying an acoustic guitar for the first time is to find one in which the strings are not too high off the frets. On most good guitars this can be adjusted by the people in the store. If the strings are too high, it is more difficult to press them down onto the frets causing much pain and usually resulting in the person giving up quickly. However, if the strings are set too low, you'll get a 'buzz' from the strings vibrating against the frets below.

I'd suggest playing (or at least strumming) several before you make your choice. Best option would be to take a friend who already plays so they can check out the string/fret height for you. The first time I bought a guitar, I did this and it was a tremendous help since I really didn't know what to look for, I just had a price range to stay within.

At this point, comfort in learning how to play should take precedence over brand name, tone quality, etc. Get a starter that you can learn on, learn the chords and scales, build up the callouses on your fingertips, then when you're ready to hit the stage, find one that actually sounds good. LOL

I've played Epiphones, Martins, Ovations, Washburns, Takamines, Fenders, even a couple of custom jobs. The point is to enjoy it which is hard to do if your fingers are bleeding and numb.

its always best to bring a trusted friend who knows 'bout guitars to look out for ur interests. u don't want get anything too expensive if ur a first timer.

try to strum some chords to get the "feel" of the guitar.

good luck on ur journey!
it may take u to new n exciting destinations! /:D" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt=":D" />

so what sort of guitar should I be looking at, the strings, the make of the guitar ( wood etc)...

I wanted to learn guitar at one point, but I was going to start with an electric one...It is still not a dream I have given up on, but I will one day...I have friends that play good, and have vowed that with patience, I'll be playing a song in about 2 weeks...When I was heavy into my research, it boiled down to Danoelectric....I've heard that acoustic may be even a little harder to play than electric...It was a while back, but the Dano I wanted costed a couple hundred bucks, and to me. that's not bad at all..!

To start with, I would be looking at acoustic/electric guitars. Those are the ones that look like acoustic yet have the amp plug-in. That way you could use it in more ways if needed. They play just like an acoustic so there really isn't a reason not to get it. They don't really cost that much more either. Wood on most guitars are the same. The color and the sealant they put on it may be a little different but that's really not that big of a deal. I like what DD said about fret height. That is a huge thing that most people don't realize.

I have also been wanting too learn guitar. Maybe we should all have a big group lesson or something.

Ok I already got my guitar. My brother bought it for me as a birthday present. Which is awesome lol. I dont have to pay for it.

Anyway now I need to learn so maybe we could have a thread with guitar lessons starting from the basics to a guy to doesnt know a thing about music.

Who wants to do that lol.

The first thing you want to do is go buy a book of guitar chords. Learn the easy ones first: G, D, A, C, E, F, G7, D7, E7. Once you learn the primary chords in a particular key, you can play almost any song in that key (granted, songs are becoming more complex now). For example in the key of C, you would need to know C, G (and G7) and F. You can also get books of songs with "Easy chords" for the guitar. Don't expect to be Eric Clapton or David Gilmour right off the bat; that takes years and years of practice and dedication (and talent too).

So what kind of guitar did you end up with? Brand/model/features/etc.

Well its a fender acoustic guitar. Metal strings, mahogany. Its the same as in that pic below




Man DD... You sure do know a lot about it. You reckon you could find me actually how to play those chords ?