TOO New to KNOW!

[jovian7]

Hi everyone,
I am a new member and painfully (sore fingertips)new to guitars, only on page 19 of my "Teach yourself Guitar" book. Can't get much newer than that, ha! :D I think I'm going to have to take some formal lessions because most of the stuff you all talk about here in the "beginners" forum is over my head. I think this is a great site though and hopefully will actually be able to make some sort of music from my shiny new guitar someday instead of just making my dog howl! My first question is about strings. How do I know when I need new ones and which kind to buy? I have an acoustic with steel strings.

[disturbed_pyro]

First of all, don't be so hard on yourself. We have all been there. done that.
As for the strings, it basically depends on personal preference. I like lighter strings, like 9's or 10's. I play electric though, and using heavier gague strings makes it easier to detune.
I don't really know about brands, If you have the money to burn, you could get the expensive, fancy ones. If you are broke, don't really play that much, or just plain don't care, you should get the plain, inexpensive ones.
Keep practicing, you won't be a beginner for long!

[Cool_Nestea]

ahh, dont do that. i am having fun teaching myself :D i would never get personal lessons, bleh.

[bobcat]

I agree that teaching yourself to play is great fun... but a few lessons are not a bad idea as well. If you take only for a month or two, you will learn the basics of correct hand position, how to tune your guitar, change the strings, basic strum patterns and chords. This is a great site to use to teach yourself, but I know I learned quite a bit in the few lessons that I took. :p

[mjamer]

I think lessons are great as well, if not for learning.. but just the psychological boost of someone better than you telling you how well you're coming along.. can't hear that teaching yourself.. and though you may say you don't need to hear that, it does motivate you when you do. However, have you seen some of the prices that are being charged for lessons? I drove around the last 2 days trying to find a classical guitar teacher, I only found one and he charged ~40$ an hour. I'm out of work due to the IT (dot-com) industry flatline.. and have mucho time, however I certainly don't have that kind of money.

[adam3291]

Hey,
I'm just learning too. I'm not even on page one. I'm looking for a good recommendation for books/cd's/videos to learn with. There are 1000's of them on the net, one must be better then the rest. How do you like the book you are using? Practice,Practice,Practice.

[cyberfret]

How often you change your strings really depends on the person. If you wash your hands before you play you will drastically improve the life of you strings. If you eat pizza and potato chips and then grab the guitar and play.....you will have to change them often :) ...and have a very messy guitar. (I have found pieces of pepperoni on my students guitar) You can also buy string cleaner which will prolong the life of your strings. At the very least, change them every 2-3 months. With old strings you will notice that they have a darker color and will have a dull tone. By that time you are past due in changing them. For an Acoustic guitar try Martin strings. ( What I use, but try others as well) I would use a light gauge. .012 for the first string. If you are having a lot of trouble pressing down the strings as a beginner, you might try extra light .010 gauge for the 1st string. The heavier the string, the better the sound, but it will be harder to play. The lighter the string, the easier to play...but the tone is not as good.

Private lessons with a good teacher is very helpful. With a bad teacher is both a waste of time and money. I am a private guitar teacher, that is what I do for a living. For a reference I charge $14 per half hour lesson (in Ohio USA) You will always teach yourself...so it is not a matter of teaching yourself or taking lessons. A good teacher will teach you how to teach yourself. But if you do sign up for private lessons.....give it a chance. Do what they say for 2 months, then decide from there.

mjamer..... One reason that you will pay more for a Classical guitar teacher, is that they are a dieing breed. There are just not many people who play or teach it. And probably the one that you found was a College professor. In which case $40 per hour was cheap :)

--Shawn

[GuitarGuillermo]

I think getting lessons is a pretty good idea. of the teachers good, of course. I took lessons for a year and a half.

[jovian7]

Thanks for all the replies! Very helpful. My strings are fine right now, but I think I may try lighter ones because my fingertips really are sore and sometimes I just can't press as hard as I need to. As for Adam's question, I don't think I really like my beginner's book too much, it just seems to skip alot of necessary information. Like you, finding a book, video or CD is difficult due to the sheer volumes that are available.

[adam3291]

Jovian7,

FYI:

I have heard the following books are good:

1. The Complete Guitarist - Chapman
2. Guitar Guru PocketBook
3. 100 Guitar tips you Should have been told

All available at Amazon.com

I also went to www.GuitarCollege.com

[SteelSlider]

Hey jovian7.

I been playing music for years and years. Lemme tell ya, there is a difference in music from a guitar player who has had formal training and one who hasn't. when ya learn yer self, ya miss out on a lot of the dreary stuff, the basics, that your instructor would give you. As in everything, a good foundation makes for a sound finished product. A good instructor will teach you to use every inch of that neck, all your scales, triads, everything, and like Shawn said, they will help you to teach yourself. Kinda like showin ya what to learn and how to learn it.
It's those basic things that, "nearly all", self taught players pass over in lew of chords and licks.
Sorry you self-taught guy/gals, but that's been my experince. I'm not knockin' ya, I'm just pro lessons.
Take lessons for a while. It'll do ya more good than harm.
It's an investment in your knowledge. Will help you to understand more than just the guitar. You'll learn what music is.