Has anyone succeeded in teaching yourself to play guitar?

Hollywood42 · 05-07-2015, 08:17 PM

I bought an electric guitar a few years ago and told myself I was going to learn how to play it. I took lessons for awhile, but then some other things in my life took higher priority, and I stopped, both with lessons and playing in general for awhile. I haven't picked up lessons again since, but I have had a few times where I would pick it up and try to progress some more. I've decided that I don't want to take lessons again, but I would really like to be able to play it.

I don't need to be Jimi Hendrix or anything, but I'd love to be able to play along with some of the songs I like (most all rock songs- Creed, Breaking Benjamin, Theory of a Deadman, etc). Does anyone have any tips on what tends to work well with one teaching themselves to play guitar? I'm aware I'll need to spend time every day playing, but beyond that, any and all insights would be much appreciated! Thanks!

SportCardBuffet · 05-07-2015, 08:19 PM

No, I've been dabbling with it for years and think I sound worse then before, not sure how that's even possible.

JosieD · 05-07-2015, 08:30 PM

My husband and I are learning to play together. I only know one cord so far. He knows 3. Good luck!

Edit: we are using the app guitar tuna.

Gibberish · 05-07-2015, 08:34 PM

Buy Fret Daddy

funkgut · 05-07-2015, 08:48 PM

I had a lot of fun using Rocksmith for PS3 or xBox. It's a fun way to play and learn. Give it a look and see if it is for you.

Nicnac · 05-07-2015, 08:49 PM

Why not go through YouTube for lessons? Skip the ones that don't do it for you, follow the channels of those that do work for you...

bkovach06 · 05-07-2015, 11:30 PM

My brother uses/used Steve Krenz " Learn and Master Guitar" He practiced for about a year and is actually very good now. I believe he paid around $100 for everything he needed

cking · 05-08-2015, 12:21 AM

It takes time and decication to play the guitar. Just keep practing.

You want to check a good guitar player out, check this guy out. He is freaking amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS1I8gP88Ig

chargersfan · 05-08-2015, 02:49 AM

Nope, got a fender stratocaster and a decent yamaha amp that ive had since age 17, took like 2 lessons. Hated both teachers and quit. Never touched it since and am 33 now. The worst part is i'm obsessed with extreme forms of metal for 20 years now and everyone expects me to be able to shred. I actually have people who know me practically begging me to play and record a metal album because they know i'd be able to kill it just based on my preferences and listening experience.

The problem with me is I have no tolerance whatsoever for anything that is not death thrash or black metal. When you go to a teacher and say you listen to metal they try to make you play stuff like the intro to Enter Sandman by Metallica. I cant stand that melodic crap and i hate metallica with passion. I know that now with youtube theres some guitar teachers who teach stuff like black metal but i didnt really look into it that much and it seemed more of an intermediate level. I think when it comes down to it I just dont have the tolerance and patience to get through the basics. I need to be playing something at least relating in some way to what I want to do right now or I just get completely put off by it.

Oddly though I was thinking about this very subject out of the blue this morning for seemingly no reason and then saw this thread come up which is why I posted when I dont really post very much. Maybe I should try giving it another shot.

lindeman79 · 05-08-2015, 03:14 AM

I"m in almost the same boat as this guy except for taste of music. Brand new American Fender Strat, sweet amp, lessons hated the two teachers ect.
My advice is to keep the guitar strapped to you at all times period.....

get him a body bag yeah

Quote:

Originally Posted by chargersfan

Nope, got a fender stratocaster and a decent yamaha amp that ive had since age 17, took like 2 lessons. Hated both teachers and quit. Never touched it since and am 33 now. The worst part is i'm obsessed with extreme forms of metal for 20 years now and everyone expects me to be able to shred. I actually have people who know me practically begging me to play and record a metal album because they know i'd be able to kill it just based on my preferences and listening experience.

The problem with me is I have no tolerance whatsoever for anything that is not death thrash or black metal. When you go to a teacher and say you listen to metal they try to make you play stuff like the intro to Enter Sandman by Metallica. I cant stand that melodic crap and i hate metallica with passion. I know that now with youtube theres some guitar teachers who teach stuff like black metal but i didnt really look into it that much and it seemed more of an intermediate level. I think when it comes down to it I just dont have the tolerance and patience to get through the basics. I need to be playing something at least relating in some way to what I want to do right now or I just get completely put off by it.

Oddly though I was thinking about this very subject out of the blue this morning for seemingly no reason and then saw this thread come up which is why I posted when I dont really post very much. Maybe I should try giving it another shot.

RandyMarsh · 05-08-2015, 07:03 AM

Get a metronome. Shredding in no time.

Footballcardguy · 05-08-2015, 07:19 AM

My New Years Resolution for 2014 was to learn to play. I bought Rocksmith 2014 instead of taking lessons. It runs through the songs in a way very similar to Guitar Hero. It also has all kinds of tutorials and lessons. I also found a website where people upload tons of songs you can download, so there is no shortage of new material. I have started taking lessons this year and my teacher was amazed not only by my progress but also by the Rocksmith program itself. Like everybody has said, the most important part is dedicating yourself to practice. In a year and a half I've gone from learning how to hold a guitar correctly to jamming with a band. Keep at it, you'll be shredding in no time!

StraWMyerS · 05-08-2015, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SportCardBuffet

No, I've been dabbling with it for years and think I sound worse then before, not sure how that's even possible.

Same here.

When I first started 10 years ago I played a decent amount and my chops were almost respectable for a beginner that was trying to self teach, but I had some issues with arthritis that derailed me big time.

I haven't played in a few months though because I got tired of hearing my uninspired noodling. I tried switching to only acoustic to try to get better but my flaws were magnified and it just made me more discouraged lol

zachtruitt · 05-08-2015, 09:13 AM

Rocksmith is definitely a good learning tool if you have the means to use it.

My advice is learn power chords (2 fingers chords) and drop D tuning. This will allow you to play chords with one finger. A monkey could do it. Stick with it and have fun!

arott23 · 05-08-2015, 09:46 AM

I've done alright teaching myself. I started out with an electric guitar and amp and a beginner book. The book had a lot of chords on the back page so I would spend time just playing those one by one. Once I got better, I would try to play them one after another and eventually tried to do it with some type of rythm. Once I was fairly familiar with the chords, I worked on playing some of the songs in the book, but found that they were really lame. I found some great videos on youtube and continued to teach myself that way.

It can sometimes be a long slow process. In order to keep myself interested, I found a couple of songs that I really liked and thought would be easy to play and really worked on those until I liked the way they sounded. It was a fun way to improve and learn. Ultimate-guitar.com is a good place to find tabs. There are some great songs out there that are actually pretty easy to play!

Since then, I've traded in my electric guitar for a nicer acoustic so I can play almost anytime, anywhere. I don't get to play as much as I would like, but it's a blast!

Clarka3 · 05-08-2015, 01:36 PM

i had two intro lessons when I first got a bass guitar. these were super basic, that taught me how to either play with a pick or fingers, and he tried to teach me how to read music (didn't work).

I got better for a while because i practiced every night. then i just got tired of it.

Cactuspies · 05-08-2015, 01:54 PM

I have not because well I'm kinda lame, but my buddy did back in HS and ended up in a band for a while. I have another buddy who did and he could easily have done one of those stupid reality star shows if they had them way back when. one of my co-workers has a 14 year old son who taught himself from youtube videos.

lobo_hacker · 05-08-2015, 02:10 PM

-Rocksmith works well for me playing bass, when i remember to practice that is. It won't make you a metal god, but it's a nice intro if you want to be competent in picking up a guitar and lay down a few songs when the occasion calls for it. You earn Playstation trophies using it on the PS3/4, which is a nice motivation for some to keep plugging away.

lobo_hacker, needing a better strap

Bo27 · 05-08-2015, 05:11 PM

I've never had any lessons because 1. Im cheap & 2. I didnt want some old rocker forcing acdc down my throat or anything like that so when i started i just bought a blues playing guide and a tab book of blood sugar sex magik by RHCP and a Jimi Hendrix one as well (wishful thinking) and just studied those and learnt from that in my own time whenever i was in the mood.

after a few months bought another book with chords and scales and just ended up noodling around with them while watching tv, sitting on the toilet, laying in bed. over time built up strength in my hands and muscle memory for the chords and it keeps getting easier and easier from there on.

Ive played the rocksmith games and didnt really like them, the tutorials have a lot of good information but the actual gameplay itself i didnt like at all. I'll take a guitar book over a video game or youtube video any day

pensfan87893 · 05-08-2015, 05:23 PM

Started playing guitar about 3 years ago. Learned a ton from watching youtube lessons online. I can now play over 25 different songs

Keep at it, takes a bunch of time to get used to it. Once you have the flow of the chord changes down, the songs get easier and easier to play.

VinnyH · 05-08-2015, 07:08 PM

Someone just told me how hard it was to learn barre chords. My standard answer to that is that you have to keep at it. The more you practice and try to form chords or play leads the better you will get. You may feel like a total spastic but you have to give it time. Ultimately your muscles and joints will adapt.

Keep a guitar handy and try to do something everyday on it. It's kind of like muscle-memory in boxing and other sports.

Vinny ��
PS: an older video of me playing
http://youtu.be/0q4oXCdPJpI

lindeman79 · 05-09-2015, 10:19 PM

I just made and appointment for a lesson on Monday. Maybe I'll learn a fourth chord HA

I want my sig and pms back

Harps · 05-10-2015, 05:08 AM

Loads of options out there these days, Rocksmith is really good fun for learning songs. Plus it has lessons on different techniques.

I wish I'd had Youtube in my teens, guys like Marty Schwartz are a goldmine. Look up some of his lessons.

As with all things, it takes time and practice. I'm ok, I can bang out some decent songs, but my practice time fluctuates wildly. If I concentrate on a couple of hours a day I improve at a rate of knots. But then I'll go weeks without playing and lose it.

05-07-2015, 08:17 PM	#1
Hollywood42 Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Minnesota Posts: 39,481 Hollywood42	Has anyone succeeded in teaching yourself to play guitar? I bought an electric guitar a few years ago and told myself I was going to learn how to play it. I took lessons for awhile, but then some other things in my life took higher priority, and I stopped, both with lessons and playing in general for awhile. I haven't picked up lessons again since, but I have had a few times where I would pick it up and try to progress some more. I've decided that I don't want to take lessons again, but I would really like to be able to play it. I don't need to be Jimi Hendrix or anything, but I'd love to be able to play along with some of the songs I like (most all rock songs- Creed, Breaking Benjamin, Theory of a Deadman, etc). Does anyone have any tips on what tends to work well with one teaching themselves to play guitar? I'm aware I'll need to spend time every day playing, but beyond that, any and all insights would be much appreciated! Thanks! __________________ Collecting the Twins All my PC wants/haves available at hollywood42cards.com

05-07-2015, 08:19 PM	#2
SportCardBuffet Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 11,651 sportscardsbuffet	No, I've been dabbling with it for years and think I sound worse then before, not sure how that's even possible. __________________ SCB Consignments on eBay - We're actively accepting new consignments, rates as low as 9%, PM for details. Solo a Dios la Gloria

05-07-2015, 08:30 PM	#3
JosieD Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 33,814	My husband and I are learning to play together. I only know one cord so far. He knows 3. Good luck! Edit: we are using the app guitar tuna. __________________ #TEAMConnor #TeamLeoneez Day of Breakfast successful! Thank you! instagram: @oldschoolboxbreaks Last edited by JosieD; 05-07-2015 at 08:37 PM.

05-07-2015, 08:34 PM	#4
Gibberish Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North Georgia Posts: 8,046	Buy Fret Daddy __________________ *Square one, here I come*

05-07-2015, 08:48 PM	#5
funkgut Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: virginia Posts: 1,010 nofx1022	I had a lot of fun using Rocksmith for PS3 or xBox. It's a fun way to play and learn. Give it a look and see if it is for you. __________________ Football Bucket: https://funkgut.smugmug.com/Football Baseball Bucket:https://funkgut.smugmug.com/Baseball Hockey Bucket:https://funkgut.smugmug.com/Hockey Basketball Bucket: https://funkgut.smugmug.com/Basketball

05-07-2015, 08:49 PM	#6
Nicnac Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: nutty Florida Posts: 12,281	Why not go through YouTube for lessons? Skip the ones that don't do it for you, follow the channels of those that do work for you...

05-07-2015, 11:30 PM	#7
bkovach06 Banned Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: NE Ohio Posts: 5,028	My brother uses/used Steve Krenz " Learn and Master Guitar" He practiced for about a year and is actually very good now. I believe he paid around $100 for everything he needed

05-08-2015, 12:21 AM	#8
cking Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 16,263	It takes time and decication to play the guitar. Just keep practing. You want to check a good guitar player out, check this guy out. He is freaking amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS1I8gP88Ig

05-08-2015, 02:49 AM	#9
chargersfan Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 27	Nope, got a fender stratocaster and a decent yamaha amp that ive had since age 17, took like 2 lessons. Hated both teachers and quit. Never touched it since and am 33 now. The worst part is i'm obsessed with extreme forms of metal for 20 years now and everyone expects me to be able to shred. I actually have people who know me practically begging me to play and record a metal album because they know i'd be able to kill it just based on my preferences and listening experience. The problem with me is I have no tolerance whatsoever for anything that is not death thrash or black metal. When you go to a teacher and say you listen to metal they try to make you play stuff like the intro to Enter Sandman by Metallica. I cant stand that melodic crap and i hate metallica with passion. I know that now with youtube theres some guitar teachers who teach stuff like black metal but i didnt really look into it that much and it seemed more of an intermediate level. I think when it comes down to it I just dont have the tolerance and patience to get through the basics. I need to be playing something at least relating in some way to what I want to do right now or I just get completely put off by it. Oddly though I was thinking about this very subject out of the blue this morning for seemingly no reason and then saw this thread come up which is why I posted when I dont really post very much. Maybe I should try giving it another shot.

05-08-2015, 07:03 AM	#11
RandyMarsh Banned Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Northeast Posts: 935	Get a metronome. Shredding in no time.

05-08-2015, 07:19 AM	#12
Footballcardguy Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 2,394 footballcardguy footballcardsandmore	My New Years Resolution for 2014 was to learn to play. I bought Rocksmith 2014 instead of taking lessons. It runs through the songs in a way very similar to Guitar Hero. It also has all kinds of tutorials and lessons. I also found a website where people upload tons of songs you can download, so there is no shortage of new material. I have started taking lessons this year and my teacher was amazed not only by my progress but also by the Rocksmith program itself. Like everybody has said, the most important part is dedicating yourself to practice. In a year and a half I've gone from learning how to hold a guitar correctly to jamming with a band. Keep at it, you'll be shredding in no time! __________________ http://sportscardalbum.com/u/Footballcardguy

05-08-2015, 09:13 AM	#14
zachtruitt Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Delaware Posts: 1,410 zachtruitt	Rocksmith is definitely a good learning tool if you have the means to use it. My advice is learn power chords (2 fingers chords) and drop D tuning. This will allow you to play chords with one finger. A monkey could do it. Stick with it and have fun! __________________ Interested in Orioles HOFers and current O's. Oakland Raiders HOFers along with Rich Gannon. I am always looking for any Eastern Shore League (1920's to 1947) baseball memorabilia, please PM if you know of any for sale

05-08-2015, 09:46 AM	#15
arott23 Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: North Dakota Posts: 2,198 arott_23 arott23	I've done alright teaching myself. I started out with an electric guitar and amp and a beginner book. The book had a lot of chords on the back page so I would spend time just playing those one by one. Once I got better, I would try to play them one after another and eventually tried to do it with some type of rythm. Once I was fairly familiar with the chords, I worked on playing some of the songs in the book, but found that they were really lame. I found some great videos on youtube and continued to teach myself that way. It can sometimes be a long slow process. In order to keep myself interested, I found a couple of songs that I really liked and thought would be easy to play and really worked on those until I liked the way they sounded. It was a fun way to improve and learn. Ultimate-guitar.com is a good place to find tabs. There are some great songs out there that are actually pretty easy to play! Since then, I've traded in my electric guitar for a nicer acoustic so I can play almost anytime, anywhere. I don't get to play as much as I would like, but it's a blast! __________________ PC: Randy Moss, Travis Hafner, Carson Wentz, and Easton Stick Looking for another 1998 Contenders Randy Moss auto Always buying Travis Hafner game used items

05-08-2015, 01:36 PM	#16
Clarka3 Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 17,877 Clarka3 Clarka3	i had two intro lessons when I first got a bass guitar. these were super basic, that taught me how to either play with a pick or fingers, and he tried to teach me how to read music (didn't work). I got better for a while because i practiced every night. then i just got tired of it. __________________ Luke Kuechly Collector pending: w8lifter28 (custom), Don't ask me how much I want to offer. Come with a price in mind. If I don't want it or think it's worth that, I will let you know.

05-08-2015, 01:54 PM	#17
Cactuspies Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: meepos Posts: 9,817 azcentral_sports	I have not because well I'm kinda lame, but my buddy did back in HS and ended up in a band for a while. I have another buddy who did and he could easily have done one of those stupid reality star shows if they had them way back when. one of my co-workers has a 14 year old son who taught himself from youtube videos. __________________ SUPPORT #BostonStrong The One Fund & Parkinson's Research http://sportlots.com/dealers/?dealer=AzPats10 RIP Mom-2009, Dad-2021, Grandma-2018, PAPAJIM 11/22/10 Patriots 6 time Champs catching up to johnmabry47: are you on my ignore list too? 76 and counting

05-08-2015, 02:10 PM	#18
lobo_hacker Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 3,581	-Rocksmith works well for me playing bass, when i remember to practice that is. It won't make you a metal god, but it's a nice intro if you want to be competent in picking up a guitar and lay down a few songs when the occasion calls for it. You earn Playstation trophies using it on the PS3/4, which is a nice motivation for some to keep plugging away. lobo_hacker, needing a better strap Last edited by lobo_hacker; 05-08-2015 at 02:14 PM.

05-08-2015, 05:11 PM	#19
Bo27 Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Australia Posts: 132	I've never had any lessons because 1. Im cheap & 2. I didnt want some old rocker forcing acdc down my throat or anything like that so when i started i just bought a blues playing guide and a tab book of blood sugar sex magik by RHCP and a Jimi Hendrix one as well (wishful thinking) and just studied those and learnt from that in my own time whenever i was in the mood. after a few months bought another book with chords and scales and just ended up noodling around with them while watching tv, sitting on the toilet, laying in bed. over time built up strength in my hands and muscle memory for the chords and it keeps getting easier and easier from there on. Ive played the rocksmith games and didnt really like them, the tutorials have a lot of good information but the actual gameplay itself i didnt like at all. I'll take a guitar book over a video game or youtube video any day

05-08-2015, 05:23 PM	#20
pensfan87893 Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Pulaski, PA Posts: 14,164 pensfan87893	Started playing guitar about 3 years ago. Learned a ton from watching youtube lessons online. I can now play over 25 different songs Keep at it, takes a bunch of time to get used to it. Once you have the flow of the chord changes down, the songs get easier and easier to play. __________________ Collector of Rookie Cards from all Sports!

05-08-2015, 07:08 PM	#21
VinnyH Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Westchester, NY Posts: 10,191 vjweb VinnyH	Quick tip Someone just told me how hard it was to learn barre chords. My standard answer to that is that you have to keep at it. The more you practice and try to form chords or play leads the better you will get. You may feel like a total spastic but you have to give it time. Ultimately your muscles and joints will adapt. Keep a guitar handy and try to do something everyday on it. It's kind of like muscle-memory in boxing and other sports. Vinny �� PS: an older video of me playing http://youtu.be/0q4oXCdPJpI __________________ I admit, I like collectibles for the action. Buying, selling, prospecting, gambling, etc., are parts of the fun. I will say that being older than many here I just can’t justify sticker autos. Give me a nice on-card auto and I feel that little connection to the signer. Last edited by VinnyH; 05-08-2015 at 07:24 PM.

05-09-2015, 10:19 PM	#22
lindeman79 Banned Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: I wish I was back in Michigan Posts: 4,886 wretch24	I just made and appointment for a lesson on Monday. Maybe I'll learn a fourth chord HA I want my sig and pms back

05-10-2015, 05:08 AM	#23
Harps Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: UK - But use COMC Posts: 306	Loads of options out there these days, Rocksmith is really good fun for learning songs. Plus it has lessons on different techniques. I wish I'd had Youtube in my teens, guys like Marty Schwartz are a goldmine. Look up some of his lessons. As with all things, it takes time and practice. I'm ok, I can bang out some decent songs, but my practice time fluctuates wildly. If I concentrate on a couple of hours a day I improve at a rate of knots. But then I'll go weeks without playing and lose it.