New hobby.. playing Guitar.. where do i begin?

[Stevie]

I literally have not ONE clue how to play guitar. Ive decided ive got all this spare time on my hands and that i need to find something to do.. so learning to play guitar is what ive chosen!
Its something ive always wanted to do but never done. Why not now?
I have a second hand guitar that my MIL lent me, ive had a quick look on the net and i dont know what im doing
Where do i start? i was kind of hoping to teach myseld. Because a. we cant really afford for me to have lessons. b. i dont have time (work part time with a 20mo dd) i dont mind hpw long it would take to teach myself but i just dont know where to start??
Help!!
Can anyone point me in a diresction? Like i said i know NOTHING i dont even know how to read music or anything.
TIA guys x

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

For guitar, reading music isn't necessarily a problem - you can learn to play tab. Try some youtube clips for learning to play guitar, there are some good self-teach courses on there. I know DH has a book and CD about teaching yourself guitar, but his fad lasted about a month. I'm going to force him to start over again when we move: DS has been promised a drum kit and as I play piano we'll have a family band!

[Pandora]

What kind of guitar is it?
Classical, steel string, electric?

Depends on what sort of music you want to play, whether you'd need to read music. Then again reading tab takes some getting used to as well.

[Stevie]

from looking at it it looks like your basic 6 string guitar? is that what they call acoustic? i dont know! Like i said i dont know a great deal but ive ALWAYS wanted to play.

[surprised]

Hun acoustic guitars generally have a hollow body with a hole in them. They may or may not have a pickup (a bit where you plug a lead in to run through a sound system). They make a fairly strong sound when not hooked up to an amp (hence the name). (Think the guitars that you see country singers playing)

Electrics are usually a solid body and only make a quiet noise when you strum them, because they need to be plugged into an amp to get a decent noise. (Think "rockstar" type of guitar).

What are the strings made of? Are they nylon or metal?

I would really recommend getting 1 or 2 lessons just to give you a bit of direction. Most teachers will be happy to do this. I have a music degree and would struggle to learn guitar without a bit of help to get me started.

What kind of music are you wanting to be able to play? Pop/rock or classical?

xo

[Stevie]

Thanks Surprised
Its the first one you mentioned. some of the strings are metal i think and some look like fishing line LOL. Id just like to learn to play songs for m y kids. at a bbq or camping whip the guitar out and be able to bust a tune. but mostly be able to go and learn to play something i like and sing along with it.
a couple of my friends play so i might get them around one night to show me a few things. basically im in no hurry to learn and am quite happy to take my time and enjoy the process

[surprised]

Sounds like a nylon string acoustic. The lowest-pitched strings are wound with wire, but are still nylon on the inside.

Start off with some open chords - C, D, Dm and G, Em (all the chords in the keys of C, G and most in A are open chords, so you'll find these three keys the easiest to play in). Do ask your friends for some pointers, and check out videos on youtube (eg search "beginner guitar").

Google Ricci Adams' Music Theory and do some of the lessons. They get quite hard quite quickly, so don't stress if you don't understand it all (esp the Neopolitan stuff).
The lessons "The Basics" will be good for you, although if you're reading tab it won't be so relevant. Scales and Key Signatures are really important, as are Intervals, Chords, Diatonic Chords (a bit hard towards the end but worth a look) and Chord Progressions would all be really beneficial for you. But you don't have to learn it all at once!!

Also the fretboard identification exercise will help you.

HTH - have fun!! xoxo

[JolyV]

Google Ricci Adams' Music Theory and do some of the lessons. have fun!!

words of wisdom

[Starfish]

What Surprised said or go to your local library and borrow one of those "Learn guitar for dummies" books. They are a great place to start. Goodluck.