Resolved to learning to play guitar: advice wanted

Justin Guitar on YouTube.

Youtube I’m sure.

Your fingertips are going to hurt for a while.

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I’m basically musically illiterate, outside of being a huge fan.

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This was me few years ago.

Like you, i just wanted to figure out how to play some of the songs i loved so much, starting from zero.. i was in my mid-30s, and hadn’t picked up a guitar since i’d Taken lessons in school at 10 yrs old for about a month, and was a miserable failure... There are lots of YouTube tutorials and videos to watch, if i were you, i’d start off Googling how to play the three basic chords, G, C and D.. once you have those down, which doesnt take very long, you have a foundation to play a shitload of songs.

There are lots of chord apps, but the one i use is Ultimate Guitar, and i really like it.. Just dive in, take your time and enjoy it.. for me, the hardest thing at first was figuring out the strumming.. then adding that in with chord progressions.. and then trying to sing along with what i’m playing.. if you’ve ever learned how to juggle, for me it was a lot like that, first one ball, then two, then all three.

Now it’s a few year later, I can play some of my favorite songs (mostly classic rock) competently, and i just play a couple times a week for my own enjoyment.. Hoepfully, one day when i’m old it’ll come in handy when i can play guitar in the nursing home and pick up some old biddies, lol




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Get a beginner book, learn it all perfectly. Learn scales. Don't be in a hurry it won't come over night.

1. Get lessons
2. Practice (10 min a day is better than nothing)
3. Practice
4. Practice
5. Practice
6. Begin learning music theory (chord progressions, scales, etc)

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Not to discourage you. Just expect a layer of difficulty with his stuff. From what I’ve seen he doesn’t have a “Three Little Birds” type song. Lol

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Not at all! I have tried before a long time ago, so I’m aware it takes a ton of work and time.

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Any and all tips would be appreciated.

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Goddam Millennial

Can’t play and already wants tips.

Get off my O-T!

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Get a beginner book,

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I’m not gonna poopoo that, or the poster who said to take lessons, or people who say to learn theory, scales, etc.... BUT, if the OP is 30ish/40ish, presumably has a job, and isnt looking to eventually tour with Van Halen- in my opinion, the easiest, most effective route to playing guitar is to avail yourself of the many (in most cases free) tools online and take your time, go at your pace and eventually you’ll do fine... To me, being in the same boat a few yrs back, things like learning musical theory would have been intimidating.. and scheduled lessons, well, they’d probably make you start wreally slow, so you can keep going back for years and giving them money... There’s so much available now on Google and YouTube that you can learn fairly quickly how to play music you really like, though not at an ‘expert’ level .