To the Guitar People

[dude_56013]

I've been playing for 9 years and I prefer acoustic over electric. Just used to it I guess.

Everyone says that acoustic is harder, but it's not like you can master acoustic and then just flip flop to electric and play like a rockstar. There's completely different playing styles for both.

Physically, electric guitar necks are skinnier and less bulky than acoustic, and usually the action (the amount you need to press down the strings to change the note/pitch) is less...so that adds to the "ease" of play with electrics.

Note: I can't read sheet music. I know what chords are what, but I couldn't read note for note (like playing the star spangled banner or anything like that). I only play by ear. Play what I hear. Figure it out myself. I do read TABS though.

 

[Tommy Boy]

How hard do you figure it would be for a person like me to learn how to play guitar? Never done anything with music before. 6 months?

 

[dude_56013]

If you are talking simply chording like I mostly use, within 6 months you'd easily have a great chord base to down to play mostly any simple song (i.e. no key changes and odd chords, etc.). I can list some of the songs I started off with if you want.

 

[cboucher]

How hard do you figure it would be for a person like me to learn how to play guitar? Never done anything with music before. 6 months?

It's not terribly hard if you were born with any kind of musical talent. Extremely hard if you're coming at it from a purely technical perspective. Unfortunately, musical talent (or any other kind of talent) can't really be learned. You either have it or you don't. However if you enjoy singing or dancing and you're decent at either, then you may have enough musical talent to eventually get good at the guitar.

 

[Tommy Boy]

It's not terribly hard if you were born with any kind of musical talent. Extremely hard if you're coming at it from a purely technical perspective. Unfortunately, musical talent (or any other kind of talent) can't really be learned. You either have it or you don't. However if you enjoy singing or dancing and you're decent at either, then you may have enough musical talent to eventually get good at the guitar.

Well I don't really have any musical talent but I figured that anybody who put their mind to it and stuck with it could learn to play a guitar, even just simple stuff like dude_56013 said. I don't expect to be Hendrix or Santana or anything....LOL

 

[cboucher]

Well I don't really have any musical talent but I figured that anybody who put their mind to it and stuck with it could learn to play a guitar, even just simple stuff like dude_56013 said. I don't expect to be Hendrix or Santana or anything....LOL

You may have talent, just never tried using it. Try it out though. You'll at least be able to play Iron Man.

 

[dude_56013]

The first song I learned the chords to was The Gambler by Kenny Rogers. From there I learned Take Me Home Country Roads by John Denver.

 

[cboucher]

The first song I learned the chords to was The Gambler by Kenny Rogers. From there I learned Take Me Home Country Roads by John Denver.

I think the first song I learned was Knockin' on Heaven's Door by Bob Dylan (but I liked the Gun's and Roses version better and played it that way). And then Iron Man. Everyone has to learn Iron Man, I think it's required by law.

 

[Tommy Boy]

You may have talent, just never tried using it. Try it out though. You'll at least be able to play Iron Man.

Yeah, I should at least try it. My father has an acoustic guitar that I could borrow (doesn't know how to play, just has it) so I wouldn't necessarily have to spend money on a guitar.

I think the first song I learned was Knockin' on Heaven's Door by Bob Dylan (but I liked the Gun's and Roses version better and played it that way). And then Iron Man. Everyone has to learn Iron Man, I think it's required by law.

That, or smoke on the water.

 

[cboucher]

Yeah, I should at least try it. My father has an acoustic guitar that I could borrow (doesn't know how to play, just has it) so I wouldn't necessarily have to spend money on a guitar.


That, or smoke on the water.

Yeah, I forgot about Smoke on the Water. lol