I get asked this
question a
lot by email, so I thought I
would finally make a tip about it. Usually when I make a tip
like this, I
get a lot of emails so If you have any constructive additions to make,
let me
know.
This is a very difficult question to answer and there's
probably no set in stone answer for everyone. A lot of it
depends on your own personal talent, previous training,
expectations, and goals. I think one of the
attractions of the guitar in the first place is that it seems to be an
instrument
that is convenient and easy to learn on your own but that's not always
the
case.
My son for instance, I like to brag about him : ), took piano lessons
for years
and then decided to learn the guitar. I got him a new
electric guitar for
Christmas one year. He went out and got books on scales and
guitar lessons
and taught himself to play exceptionally well in a few years.
He now plays
professionally piano & guitar. He can read music as
well as learn by
ear. After years of only playing the electric guitar, he
finally decided
to get an acoustic. After playing the acoustic for a few
months, he told
me his electric playing improved dramatically. I think it's
best to start
out with an acoustic. It will develop your hands better.
I suffered through trumpet lessons for years and learned the treble
clef so when I tried to
learn the guitar by myself, it was relatively easy for me as
well. I
bought an E-Z Guitar Method book and started learning some pretty corny
songs. You do have to start out with the simple songs
first. My
expectation at the time was to just learn accompaniment guitar for
singing
(impress the girls) but it grew as time went on. Back
then, there was no internet or tablature and sheet music for guitar was
usually
incorrect so I pretty much had to learn songs by ear anyways.
Now the
internet is an invaluable resource for guitar lessons, tablature,
lyrics...Sheesh!
I wish I would have had it back then!
I've heard the stories about great guitarists and songwriters that
claim to know
no or very little music theory but are still great anyways.
If you have
that much talent, you are among the fortunate
few. For most
people that have never had any musical training at least on the treble
clef and
want to learn the guitar, you'll need a teacher. Try to find
one that
plays the same type of music you want to play. A teacher can
also show you
easier ways to do things and keep you from developing bad
habits. You'll
also need to develop some skills like tuning the guitar and replacing
strings. Some people play the guitar for years and are still
afraid to
replace their own strings or still have trouble tuning. As
soon as you get
over this, your life will be happier : )
There are other levels to consider. If you want to progress
to the best
like my brother in law, you're talking Bachelors Degree, Masters
Degree, then a Doctors Degree in
Jazz Performance? What are your goals and expectations?
Bob, Gman ( o )==#