La la la music.

[ze_arokat]

So, my mom got me a guitar. O__O For my eighteenth birthday, apparently. I mean, I've been talking about wanting to learn to play, but um. Never expected anything to come of it. Well, it's not like it's a really good expensive one -- it did come as part of a "Guitar Basics for Dummies" set, hahaha. I've looked at the booklet it comes with, but I

Comments

[semebay]

Haha, gotta love steel strings :D I recommend you learn how to hold and use a pick right off. I switch between using a pick and using my thumb, mostly because of location. I'm assuming you have an acoustic, and those can be really loud. If I'm trying to be quiet, I won't use a pick. If I don't have to worry about volume, picks sound so nice. If you don't have any, I recommend going out and getting a few different sizes. I tend to switch sizes depending on what I'm playing, but some people stay with one size and one size alone. Personal preference really

[ze_arokat]

Thanks for the fast response and tips and the link! :D

Yeah, it's an acoustic. :) It came with three picks, actually -- they all say 0.71 on them what does that mean is that good is that bad I don't know what I'm doing.

Working on those chords, sloooowly. I've got A, D, E, E minor, and G so far, but my fingers start tripping over each other when I actually try to switch between them, hahaha. It's like, I'm so excited to actually play, but it's taking forever to learn the basics. ;___;

Did you ever take lessons? Or were you self-taught? Both? Neither?

[semebay]

The .71 is the size. So they're .71 millimeters, which I think is about a medium depending on what brand you get. I tend to go between a .56 and a .97-1.00. Try them out, see how you like them. just a personal preference thing, my preferences change and I've been playing about 5-6 years

[ze_arokat]

Got it, okay. :) So far, so good with them, I think.

D gives me a lot of trouble. >:| I can't get to or from it easily (the way the booklet tells me to do it, A - D - E - A). Maybe I'll try the D - Em - G first. >__x

Your school offered guitar lessons? D: Bah, lucky. Although I think our middle school does that now. After I've left it, of course. :P I just kinda don't trust myself to learn the right things by myself. Like, the very very basics, like how and where to hold things and such. But lots of people seem to have learned on their own just fine, so I probably shouldn't be worrying that much. :)

Thanks for all your help! \o/

[tichki]

My brother plays guitar, but I don't really have any advice for you since he basically taught himself too >> I think there's a lot of stuff online that would help you though. Good luck with your learning! :D

[ze_arokat]

Is he good? :D Haha this is the first time I've tried learning an instrument by myself; I don't think I really know what I'm doing (Youtube videos and Google searching, woo).

Thanks!

[tichki]

Yeah, he's actually pretty good (he was in a band for a while too), so if he can do it, I know you can too 8D

[ze_arokat]

:O Wow -- that's impressive! Haha, I'm not quite aiming for band-level playing at the moment (more like, I wonder what this note is?). ;;;;; Do you play?