Anyone here play guitar?

[snoopy7548]

I got the guitar bug in high school but only taught myself the beginning of a couple of Nirvana and White Stripes songs before selling the setup. Now I've got it again, and I'm practicing each day with a really crappy Peavey acoustic I picked up about eight years ago but never used. The action on the strings is pretty dang high, but I'm getting used to it.

After about three days, roughly 30 minutes per day, I've got some of the basics of basics down - proper pick holding, hand position on the neck, how to tune (and even manual tuning), etc. The past two nights I've spent a total of about 40 minutes and now I can even play the D chord perfectly like 95% of the time! Though I can't play it without first looking where I put my fingers, it only takes me about two seconds to get my fingers into position. I guess not looking comes much later when I'm practicing chord transitions.

Onto my questions... I'm following the beginner course on Justin Guitar, paying attention to everything I'm doing and correcting it. I'm also going to start watching the Ben Levin YouTube series on music theory whenever I'm not practicing the mechanics, as I know pretty much nothing about it. I was planning on taking a few private lessons, but do you think it's absolutely necessary given how I'm approaching this? Should I continue teaching myself for maybe another couple of weeks and then sign up for some lessons? I certainly don't want to develop any bad habits, but if a lesson would be redundant I would rather not waste the money.

Next question... I want to switch to an electric guitar, as that's what I want to play. A co-worker suggested either an Epiphone Les Paul or a MiM Fender Strat, but he recently suggested I go for a PRS SE 24. To be honest I'm not entirely sure what sound I want. I love the clean sound of the Strat, but the nice heavy sound of a Les Paul is irresistible. I've been listening to a lot of punk lately - Social Distortion (I love their sound), Husker Du, Black Flag, early Green Day - and I think the LP or SE24 would be great for that, but my two favorite bands are Nirvana and the Pixies. I love alternative rock and grunge. I could go to a local guitar store and try some out, which I should if only to see how the different guitars feel, but if I can only play one chord it's like, ehhhh...

Given my musical tastes, what would you suggest I go for? I'm thinking maybe the MiM Strat, then once I actually become somewhat competent I'll be in a better position to upgrade. I'd like to set a budget of $1k (guitar, amp, stand, electronic tuner/metronome). Thanks in advance for any suggestions you can give, and I'm sure I'll have more questions as I continue learning!

 

[clamum]

I took lessons when I was in 8th-9th grade, though only for a few months about. From the sound of it, I'd say lessons would be kind of redundant unless you'd be planning on sticking with them for quite some time. Even then, if you're following proper instruction via videos, I'm not sure you'd get much more out of lessons. I'm certainly no guitar expert but that's what I think.

Punk is awesome. Social D ftw! Nirvana was one of my first favorite bands in junior high/high school and I still love them 20+ years later.

 

[repoman0]

Ha! Funny to see Ben Levin's name here. I've met that guy and seen both of his bands play a handful of times. Bunch of my buddies went to Berklee with him here in Boston. I had no idea he was doing Youtube lessons.

I played for close to 10 years, almost went to Berklee for guitar performance myself. (got a boring electrical engineering degree instead ). I was a big metal player .. we all loved Dream Theater and Opeth, and tons of smaller groups of that nature. IMO lessons are an absolute requirement if you want to be truly competent, especially at the beginning. Don't bother trying to save your money by waiting a while. Start right away so you don't have to relearn any technique. A good teacher should focus on lack of tension in your playing from the very beginning, that's really the most important thing for any instrument.

With a $1k budget, I'd go more expensive on the amp and cheaper on the first guitar, but that's just my preference. You'll probably want to upgrade the guitar sooner rather than later but a nice tube amp could last you. Look into used Mesa Boogie gear. I've owned like three different Mark IVs and two Mark Vs ... loved the Mark V but IV are similar and should be a lot cheaper used. Those bad boys will keep ticking for 40 years and are top of the line classics. Mark IIs from the 80s are still highly coveted and reliable. Another bonus is you will be able to easily sell for what you paid if you decide this isn't for you, and you'll have an awesome sound from the beginning. Lots of bands have recorded with Mark series amps, Green Day included I believe (? look it up). Lamb of God is an example of a heavier sound coming from them, but they do punk damn well.

Typing all this out is making me want to get back into it. I switched over to classical piano completely since I no longer play with any bands or groups. Maybe I'll just listen to a bunch of music from my metalhead days instead

edit: not Green Day, I was thinking of The Offspring.

edit2: used Mesa gear is a lot more expensive than it used to be never mind on that. Not too familiar with other options, I played nothing but their stuff from age ~16 on.

 

[Platypus]

Yes, for many years and many bands. I'm in one currently and our first album is almost done

In terms of the gear questions, I would definitely go play them and see how they feel to you. It's super easy to obsess about getting the absolute right thing and agonize over gear details. I think everyone does that initially and eventually come to the conclusion that it's much more about how you play. Gear makes it easier to achieve certain sounds but you can make most guitars sound like the tones in your head with the right setup.

I own a ton of guitars that barely get used, go play the models you listed and whichever one feels the best to you and has the right build quality (this is crucial in guitars at that price point) and go from there. I think based on your musical tastes, the fender or the PRS are probably going to be more up your alley than the LP. Single coil tones are probably what you're aiming for, and the PRS can be coil split on most models for that tone, plus they're not as bassy and muddy as LPs can be, esp the models in that price range.

 

[Kaido]

Onto my questions... I'm following the beginner course on Justin Guitar, paying attention to everything I'm doing and correcting it. I'm also going to start watching the Ben Levin YouTube series on music theory whenever I'm not practicing the mechanics, as I know pretty much nothing about it. I was planning on taking a few private lessons, but do you think it's absolutely necessary given how I'm approaching this? Should I continue teaching myself for maybe another couple of weeks and then sign up for some lessons? I certainly don't want to develop any bad habits, but if a lesson would be redundant I would rather not waste the money.

In-person lessons are always good for a variety of reasons - you can ask question, you can see how it's done, you can get critiqued, and also just having a lesson to show up to in meatspace is a very motivating thing for actually keeping you making progress on a regular basis. However, if you are self-motivated, I really like Next Level Guitar:

http://nextlevelguitar.com/premium/

They have subscription plans available ($29/mo or $139/yr) & optionally a lifetime membership pass (~$300). Nice little bite-sized lessons. I think their current count is over 2,000 lessons.

 

[snoopy7548]

Thanks for all the replies! I'm pretty excited to continue learning and it's great to know there are some good resources here.

I took lessons when I was in 8th-9th grade, though only for a few months about. From the sound of it, I'd say lessons would be kind of redundant unless you'd be planning on sticking with them for quite some time. Even then, if you're following proper instruction via videos, I'm not sure you'd get much more out of lessons. I'm certainly no guitar expert but that's what I think.

Punk is awesome. Social D ftw! Nirvana was one of my first favorite bands in junior high/high school and I still love them 20+ years later.

Nice! I think I started listening to Nirvana when I was in the 4th grade, along with The Offspring and The Smashing Pumpkins. Green Day was probably around 3rd grade. I've never gotten tired of Nirvana; their Unplugged in New York album is my all-time favorite.

Ha! Funny to see Ben Levin's name here. I've met that guy and seen both of his bands play a handful of times. Bunch of my buddies went to Berklee with him here in Boston. I had no idea he was doing Youtube lessons.

I played for close to 10 years, almost went to Berklee for guitar performance myself. (got a boring electrical engineering degree instead ). I was a big metal player .. we all loved Dream Theater and Opeth, and tons of smaller groups of that nature. IMO lessons are an absolute requirement if you want to be truly competent, especially at the beginning. Don't bother trying to save your money by waiting a while. Start right away so you don't have to relearn any technique. A good teacher should focus on lack of tension in your playing from the very beginning, that's really the most important thing for any instrument.

With a $1k budget, I'd go more expensive on the amp and cheaper on the first guitar, but that's just my preference. You'll probably want to upgrade the guitar sooner rather than later but a nice tube amp could last you. Look into used Mesa Boogie gear. I've owned like three different Mark IVs and two Mark Vs ... loved the Mark V but IV are similar and should be a lot cheaper used. Those bad boys will keep ticking for 40 years and are top of the line classics. Mark IIs from the 80s are still highly coveted and reliable. Another bonus is you will be able to easily sell for what you paid if you decide this isn't for you, and you'll have an awesome sound from the beginning. Lots of bands have recorded with Mark series amps, Green Day included I believe (? look it up). Lamb of God is an example of a heavier sound coming from them, but they do punk damn well.

Typing all this out is making me want to get back into it. I switched over to classical piano completely since I no longer play with any bands or groups. Maybe I'll just listen to a bunch of music from my metalhead days instead

edit: not Green Day, I was thinking of The Offspring.

edit2: used Mesa gear is a lot more expensive than it used to be never mind on that. Not too familiar with other options, I played nothing but their stuff from age ~16 on.

You sound just like my co-worker! He sent me a service manual from Mesa Boogie (it has schematics for a bunch of their equipment) and showed me which power amp (the 20-20) I should build. I might just start with a regular amp for around $200, then when I have the time build the 20-20, but I'll see what sort of used gear is out there too.

I think I will take lessons. I certainly want to be competent enough that I can play whatever comes into my head and make it sound good, though I know that's probably a ways off. Learning music theory should go a long way towards achieving that goal.

I only watched most of Ben's intro video, but he seems to do a great job of explaining everything and isn't boring.

Yes, for many years and many bands. I'm in one currently and our first album is almost done

In terms of the gear questions, I would definitely go play them and see how they feel to you. It's super easy to obsess about getting the absolute right thing and agonize over gear details. I think everyone does that initially and eventually come to the conclusion that it's much more about how you play. Gear makes it easier to achieve certain sounds but you can make most guitars sound like the tones in your head with the right setup.

I own a ton of guitars that barely get used, go play the models you listed and whichever one feels the best to you and has the right build quality (this is crucial in guitars at that price point) and go from there. I think based on your musical tastes, the fender or the PRS are probably going to be more up your alley than the LP. Single coil tones are probably what you're aiming for, and the PRS can be coil split on most models for that tone, plus they're not as bassy and muddy as LPs can be, esp the models in that price range.

What's your band's name? Any songs I could check out?

I've been watching YouTube demos of the guitars and the LP sounds awesome, but it always has that low muddy tone which is great for some music, but I could see myself getting tired of it. The PRS seems extremely versatile, plus I think it looks awesome as hell. I may go to a store and just see how the different guitars feel, and ask a salesperson nicely if they'll play a couple for me.

In-person lessons are always good for a variety of reasons - you can ask question, you can see how it's done, you can get critiqued, and also just having a lesson to show up to in meatspace is a very motivating thing for actually keeping you making progress on a regular basis. However, if you are self-motivated, I really like Next Level Guitar:

http://nextlevelguitar.com/premium/

They have subscription plans available ($29/mo or $139/yr) & optionally a lifetime membership pass (~$300). Nice little bite-sized lessons. I think their current count is over 2,000 lessons.

Nice, I'll check it out. I'm usually able to motivate myself if I really want something, but I have bad habits of letting other things interfere with what I should be focusing on... so lessons do seem like the way to go for now.

 

[lxskllr]

Only thing I can say is you can make a single coil sound fat and dirty, but you'll never make a humbucker sound crystalline. I love teles and strats, and am heavily biased towards single coils, so take the above with a pound of salt. I used to play badly. I don't have the ear for playing music. With enough practice, I probably could have been a competent hack, but that would have been a lot of work to ultimately fall short :shrugs: Not being good at music is one of my bigger disappointments in life.

 

[repoman0]

I think I will take lessons. I certainly want to be competent enough that I can play whatever comes into my head and make it sound good, though I know that's probably a ways off. Learning music theory should go a long way towards achieving that goal.

Learning how to effectively practice is very important too. I used to play after school for like 5-6 hours every day, and thinking back, probably 2/3 of that was wasted time. I practice piano now for a couple hours a day max and am way better at it than I ever was at guitar in only 4-5 years because I've learned about practice and how the brain works in my older age (28 ...)

Couple of keys (no pun intended) ...

1. Alleviate tension in every technique you learn by carefully studying hand position, where and why you're using too much muscle, etc. This is where a good teacher will help you at first.

2. Play new music SLOWLY. Don't rush anything. Play it slowly enough that you don't make mistakes, and very gradually speed it up. Playing fast and sloppy right away is a waste of your time. The temptation to speed up will be great.

3. Don't spend too much time on any one passage. Get it down slowly, speed it up a bit, then give it another go the next day. It is amazing how the brain will smooth out your playing and your muscle memory while you sleep and how much faster you will learn the next day.

Having a normal nerdy job and responsibilities, effective practice is a must. I don't have 5-6 hours to waste every night anymore and I'm assuming you don't either

 

[snoopy7548]

Only thing I can say is you can make a single coil sound fat and dirty, but you'll never make a humbucker sound crystalline. I love teles and strats, and am heavily biased towards single coils, so take the above with a pound of salt. I used to play badly. I don't have the ear for playing music. With enough practice, I probably could have been a competent hack, but that would have been a lot of work to ultimately fall short :shrugs: Not being good at music is one of my bigger disappointments in life.

That's definitely the impression I've been getting. I think the LP is out.

Music is one of those things that's so enjoyable to be a spectator of but difficult and a lot of work to actually do. I'm envious of those people who can "simply" listen to a song for the first time and be playing it less than a minute later.

Learning how to effectively practice is very important too. I used to play after school for like 5-6 hours every day, and thinking back, probably 2/3 of that was wasted time. I practice piano now for a couple hours a day max and am way better at it than I ever was at guitar in only 4-5 years because I've learned about practice and how the brain works in my older age (28 ...)

Couple of keys (no pun intended) ...

1. Alleviate tension in every technique you learn by carefully studying hand position, where and why you're using too much muscle, etc. This is where a good teacher will help you at first.

2. Play new music SLOWLY. Don't rush anything. Play it slowly enough that you don't make mistakes, and very gradually speed it up. Playing fast and sloppy right away is a waste of your time. The temptation to speed up will be great.

3. Don't spend too much time on any one passage. Get it down slowly, speed it up a bit, then give it another go the next day. It is amazing how the brain will smooth out your playing and your muscle memory while you sleep and how much faster you will learn the next day.

Having a normal nerdy job and responsibilities, effective practice is a must. I don't have 5-6 hours to waste every night anymore and I'm assuming you don't either

Great points. I've been telling myself over and over to go as slow as I can so I can learn every finger position and feeling, and really look at what I'm doing. I have found that sleeping on it helps a ton too - the first night I practiced the D chord I was getting it maybe 3/10 times, then the next day after work I picked up my guitar and immediately strummed a perfect D chord. Now I can just do it, so I'm moving on to the A chord.

The most frustrating thing is not being able to spend a lot of time practicing, like you said. When I'm at work I wish I was practicing, and after I get home from work and all settled in and ready to start practicing, I only have maybe 30-45 minutes each night. I've thought about bringing my guitar to work so I can practice during lunch, but I doubt my co-workers would enjoy that. Maybe once the weather gets nicer I'll take my lunch and guitar outside.

 

[repoman0]

I remember what got me out of the "beginner's rut" when I started in like 8th grade. To a 13 year old who sucks at guitar, all seems hopeless. Practicing sucks, you're an emotional teenager, etc. Then I heard a recording of this jerkoff on the ultimate-guitar forums playing a pretty damn clean cover of some shitty Yngwie Malmsteen shreddy song with like six months of playing under his belt. I was pissed off that this guy was so good and that I sucked. So I made it my mission and goal to shred faster, cleaner, and better than him.

13 year olds are really dumb.

If there's a point, it's that starting a new instrument kind of sucks, but is always worthwhile and builds character. And it can be done, potentially in a relatively short period of time.

 

[repoman0]

I've thought about bringing my guitar to work so I can practice during lunch, but I doubt my co-workers would enjoy that. Maybe once the weather gets nicer I'll take my lunch and guitar outside.

That is really not a bad idea. One great thing about the guitar compared to piano is its portability ...

 

[PJFrylar]

I'm also just learning to play guitar, and I started with Justin Guitar lessons until my course work became prohibitive to practicing much (full time job + ot and full time student). Sounds like I'm a bit farther than you, but really an irrelevant amount. I think it's really a question of what your specific needs are and where you want to end up. Personally, I'm just doing it as a hobby. I might never do anything else than just play by myself, perhaps jam with some friends. Local bar gig is probably the furthest I'd realistically go.

I'm sure there are others who know far more than me, but I thought I'd give you the perspective of someone who was in your shoes and what I went with.

I have a Fender MiM HSH Stratocaster (with coil split) and a Boss Katana 100 1x12. I live in an apartment, so being conscientious about volume was a must. I usually play with headphones plugged in, but it is nice to be able to play through the amp without pissing off my neighbors that are an adjacent wall away. The Katana has multiple power stages; the 100W version has stand by, .5W, 50W, and 100W. The .5W mode is quiet enough that I haven't received any noise complaints. From what I understand, the Boss Katana 100 is just sufficient for playing small local bar type gigs, which is probably as far as I would ever get. It also has the Boss effects available inside the amp, which is nice for exploring what the various effect pedals do. There are multiple solid state amps within the price range of 1k - a MiM Stratocaster type of guitar. It might be an option worth exploring, from what I was reading the solid state amps have come quite a far way in the last couple years.

The "start with a cheap guitar and expensive amp" is a sentiment I've heard quite a bit, and it is a good way to go. For me though, I don't think I'll ever need the expensive amp.

 

[Thebobo]

Yep still have my trusty travel guitar. Yamaha FG 250 needs a replacement.

 

[ch33zw1z]

I started just over a year ago. I watch YouTube tutorials if I'm not sure about anything. I bought the ultimate guitar app for $8 and just dig through songs I wanna learn. If it's too tough, I keep practicing the easier ones and come back to it.

I started learning scales, and aim to pick up a music thoery and lead guitar book this year.

 

[Platypus]

What's your band's name? Any songs I could check out?

I've been watching YouTube demos of the guitars and the LP sounds awesome, but it always has that low muddy tone which is great for some music, but I could see myself getting tired of it. The PRS seems extremely versatile, plus I think it looks awesome as hell. I may go to a store and just see how the different guitars feel, and ask a salesperson nicely if they'll play a couple for me.

Sure, yeah we have some old demos on Bandcamp: https://flyingpotion.bandcamp.com/releases
The newer recordings sound so good already, can't wait for this to be finished up.

The demos have a 50s style Telecaster setup for sake of interest

If you have any friends who play and can go with you that's probably the best way to go if you're not sure what to look for yet in an instrument. There are tons of issues that could be present on guitars in shops. Some are very easy to fix with a proper setup and some are flaws in the instrument that cannot be fixed and those should be avoided.

 

[snoopy7548]

Cool. Rep0... yeah, about building character, that's absolutely right. It's very humbling thinking you'll pick it up quickly but realizing you can barely play the most basic chords at first, but the feeling of nailing it is just awesome. I don't know if I have SAD and it's because winter is over, but I feel so much more relaxed and my mind is more clear since I've started learning. Whatever it is, I'll take it.

I'm also just doing this as a hobby like PJ. The furthest I'd go is just jam with friends or co-workers; I think I'd be completely happy having the skills to play whatever I want when I'm just hanging around the house.

Platypus - your music sounds great. I'll look forward to hearing the newer stuff. I like that Telecaster sound; when I was first looking at guitars online, I was actually very interested in a Jag since it had a cool sound I wanted, but then that's when my co-worker suggest an LP or SE24.

So I know that practicing scales is important, but with the guitar is it more important to learn chords or scales first? Or should I learn them in tandem? A brief Google search seems to indicate chords and then scales, which seems to be the track I'm currently on.

 

[Platypus]

Thanks! I'll post the album on here once it's finished

I love my telecaster, it's so versatile and really forces you to be a better player in my experience. You cannot hide behind anything with those guitars.

Jaguars are great but they're very jangly and sharp in the treble. That sounds awesome for some things but it's not as versatile as a strat or tele would be in my opinion.

 

[ch33zw1z]

So I know that practicing scales is important, but with the guitar is it more important to learn chords or scales first? Or should I learn them in tandem? A brief Google search seems to indicate chords and then scales, which seems to be the track I'm currently on.

I'm an amateur, but here's my take. Start with chords to get finger coordination and dexterity going, then learn one scale at a time. I started with minor pentatonic, and just keep doing it until it's automatic, then do another. You might pick a scale that matches the style of music you want to play. Music is a marathon

 

[Fritzo]

Guitars are like shoes- you can't just recommend a brand. It has to fit, then the amp has to go with the guitar.

MiM Fenders are actually really decent guitars- not a starter brand at all. Epiphone has taken over Gibson's mid-range and it making some great $500 Les Pauls as well. As far as amps go, I would start with a solid-state modeling amp before going for a tube amp. That way you can figure out what sound you're looking for before you try to go all organic with it

 

[nakedfrog]

Makes me happy I mostly play acoustic these days
I mostly fuss with trying different strings and picks.

Of course I had to mess up that simplicity by taking up mandolin and bouzouki, and of course sometimes you just have to play the twelve string...

 

[Starbuck1975]

I recently got back into guitar as well. I took lessons back in high school, so I am a reasonably competent player, although I gravitate more towards rhythm guitar and riffs over playing leads and solos. Mostly listen to progressive rock, progressive metal, classic rock and punk. I have found YouTube to be a great resource although I am thinking about taking some lessons to fine tune my playing.

On my purchase I debated between the Epiphone Les Paul and the Schecter C-1 Platinum. I decided to go with the Schecter because it just has this really deep, intense clean sound for both regular and drop tuning, and the neck is really slick for power chord progressions.

If you like punk, you only need to learn like three power chords and you can play 90% of the songs

 

[slightlyhuman]

I got my first guitar around 13 or 14 years of age.. Was the typical closet player, campfire drinking songs type for years. Started playing in a cover band about 7 years ago with some friends and that opened the doors for me. I don't know theory or really how to connect all the dots but just play by ear/eyes. It's a great time to be new to something in this age with youtube, etc. I didn't get better overnight playing in a band but it put me in a position where I had to push myself. I still struggle and miss my notes but we have a blast doing it.

Another huge key aspect for me was playing my guitar everyday. The last 1-2 years I have literally been playing the shit out of it and feeling/seeing the progress just pushes me that much further.
Can't go wrong with a mexican strat or tele. Even their squire classic vibe series are LEGIT guitars. I'm a pretty big fender fan but recently picked up my first PRS and freaking love it. Paid under $500 for it used on reverb.com

I don't have many guitars, I use the ones I have regularly. '13 USA Tele, '04 Mexican Strat that was hand painted by a friend in memory of a close friend and my newest addition a Zach Myers SE PRS semi-hollowbody. Not into the artist but ohmylanta does it sing and play lovely. Satin neck factory sanded down, smoothhhhh. Beautiful too.

 

[Naer]

gonna upload me playing in a minute

 

[ch33zw1z]

I got my first guitar around 13 or 14 years of age.. Was the typical closet player, campfire drinking songs type for years. Started playing in a cover band about 7 years ago with some friends and that opened the doors for me. I don't know theory or really how to connect all the dots but just play by ear/eyes. It's a great time to be new to something in this age with youtube, etc. I didn't get better overnight playing in a band but it put me in a position where I had to push myself. I still struggle and miss my notes but we have a blast doing it.

Another huge key aspect for me was playing my guitar everyday. The last 1-2 years I have literally been playing the shit out of it and feeling/seeing the progress just pushes me that much further.
Can't go wrong with a mexican strat or tele. Even their squire classic vibe series are LEGIT guitars. I'm a pretty big fender fan but recently picked up my first PRS and freaking love it. Paid under $500 for it used on reverb.com

I don't have many guitars, I use the ones I have regularly. '13 USA Tele, '04 Mexican Strat that was hand painted by a friend in memory of a close friend and my newest addition a Zach Myers SE PRS semi-hollowbody. Not into the artist but ohmylanta does it sing and play lovely. Satin neck factory sanded down, smoothhhhh. Beautiful too.

Dat PRS doh, very nice

I have one electrice, two acoustics....maybe I'll upload a pic

 

[snoopy7548]

Nice looking guitars! That PRS looks sweet, and the custom paint job on the Fender is awesome. Definitely post pics of any gear you have!

I was looking around last night and the Fender MiM HSS Strat seems like a good deal at $600. $180 cheaper than the PRS Custom SE 24, so I could put that extra money towards a decent amp. I feel like going for a "neutral" sound (it's such a common guitar) with the Strat would probably be a good idea until I get a feel for what I really want to play. I'll have to find a guitar store around here and see what feels better in my hands, though.

After practicing last night for about an hour, my fingers are killing me! I guess that's a good thing, though...