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few questions about learning to play guitar?
as the title implies im looking to learn how to play guitar and have a few questions.
1. What is a good book or DVD or computer program etc , for learning how to play guitar for beginers ive never picked up a guitar in my life so will need to build from the basics up.
2. should I start with an electric or acoustic guitar while learning?
2 b. if I start with an electric guitar, what is a decent basic guitar / amp set up I can get for cheap, say 150 ish range ( less would be good ) I would upgrade this later if learning how to play actualy took.
3. Kinda unrelated but,,, is there any truth to what I keep hearing about it being much easier to lean to play bass then it is to play a regular 6 string guitar?
thanks in advance for any help !
1: A good DVD set is the Metal Method(1) set. It’s not just another guitar instructional thing…it’s been around since the early 80s and has been updated reguarly (in fact, it was updated earlier this year). It covers everything from very basic stuff like names of the notes and picking a string to chords to more advanced stuff like tapping and sweep picking. It has some theory stuff, too…different scales and modes and all that. He also gives advice on making the most of your practice time, setting goals and such. They have a message board where the people will help you out if you have problems or don’t understand something or whatever. It goes so far beyond every other book/DVD it’s ridiculous. Don’t be mislead by the name of it – it’ll work for any genre, not just metal. The website: http://www.metalmethod.com
2: They both offer their unique set of challenges. So I would say use whatever you’re actually going to use and play however you’re going to play. For example, if you plan on playing high gain (a lot of distortion), then do that, because otherwise you’re probably going to have to relearn things so you can mute the strings properly and so on. It’s a lot easier to learn stuff right the first time than it is to relearn it.
2b: Can’t really help you much here. All I can really say is I’ve heard a lot of good things about the guitars at Rondo Music(2) and there’s a large database of product reviews here: http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/#pro . Check out your local music store and see what they have. Musician’s Friend(3) is a good place, too.
Well, I wasn’t originally planning on it, but I took a look for you and found this guitar for $90 (+ shipping):
http://www.rondomusic.com/sst5734.html
or same model, different finish: http://www.rondomusic.com/product1316.html
It has an overall rating of 9.2/10 with 57 responses on http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/SX/SST+57+Vintage/10/1
And this amp for $40 http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Drive-CD100-Guitar-Practice-Amp?sku=480390
(reviews: http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar+Amp/product/Drive/CD100/10/1 )
Or this for $50
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Peavey-Audition-Electric-Guitar-Amplifier?sku=481335
With shipping, that’ll come out to right around $150. Of course, you’ll want a tuner, cable, strap, and some picks, too. That should add about $20 if you go with the cheapest of each (which will work just fine).
Or you could go with a package, which includes everything you’ll need and start at $150:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navigation/electric-guitar-value-packages?N=100001%2b306243&Ns=P_Price%7c0&page=1
Personally, I would get, in this order:
The SX guitar, picks, tuner*, strap, & an extra set of strings or two
Stage 1 + 2 of the Metal Method lessons ( http://www.metalmethod.com/guitar-lesson-stage1.htm ) (as someone else said, you don’t *need* the amp to practice)
Then later, as finances allow and if you still want to play, the Peavey amp and Metal Method stages 3, 4, 5 & 6.
*I suppose a tuner could be put off for later, because the Metal Method DVD will have you tune your guitar to his, so it’s not really necessary…but it does make things easier.
3: I’ve never played bass so I couldn’t tell you.
Good luck with your guitar playing.
learn guitar basics strings