Topic: Getting started with Guitar

[DG]

I only listened to a little of those Hurt songs, but if you want to learn something like that you are going to have to learn picking rather than just strumming a few chords. A little more difficult but it need not be too bad.

I learned picking by learning the 12 bar blues - a fairly easy thing to manage. You can increase the speed as you increase confidence without 'ruining' the song.

One of the easiest to learn 'picking would have to be "everybody hurts" (REM). It's fairly slow and pretty much just D, G and Em. (there is one extra note, but I am sure you'll manage that).

Either way, you need to learn a few chords. D has to be the easiest, followed by G. From there, think about the songs that you want to learn. I taught myself by looking up chords online and then looking up songs that I liked that I thought would be easy.

[Choyles]

In addition to all the good suggestions made so far I would add, learn yourself a couple power chords and get started with some tabs on the net. Some veteran players may cringe at this, but it is probably one of the fastest ways to get started and be playing songs you know in a relatively short amount of time. The thing to realize is that it will take time to build the muscle memory and dexterity required to play faster and more intricate things. Focus on the aspects of it that you enjoy the most, that way it becomes fun and you do it more! Good luck, don't give up!

[superdave]

powertab is a great program for learning songs. 

[Jim S]

You're a Hurt fan?   Well, you can't be all bad then.   

It helps a lot to get some lessons some place, you pick it up a lot faster when you have someone to emulate and help you through tough spots.  Doesn't have to be a lot of lessons, but even just occasionally...

Anyway...start with simple pieces of that song, or of other songs.   For instance, start with the intro to Summers Lost.

There are also videos on youtube on how to do pretty much everything.   

[Caffiene]

It helps a lot to get some lessons some place, you pick it up a lot faster when you have someone to emulate and help you through tough spots.  Doesn't have to be a lot of lessons, but even just occasionally...

Its a lot like learning to drive, IMO. You can do it yourself (or at least, just with unofficial help from people), but it is useful to have lessons to start and occasionally over the course of learning to make sure you are doing things that right way and not developing bad habits.

[T.A.P.O.R.]

powertab is a great program for learning songs.

Tab makes you lazy.
Learn to read music!

[Choyles]

powertab is a great program for learning songs.

Tab makes you lazy.
Learn to read music!

Ahh the "tab makes you lazy" fallacy!

Tab gets you started much quicker, providing a well of confidence one can draw from. Reading is one of those far down the road skills that takes a long time to perfect, but once perfected will provide that high hanging fruit that people who only read tab can't reach.

Do both! Tab will help you immensely in the beginning, but reading will help you even more down the road.

[superdave]

sheet music notation is far superior to tabs for rhythm.

[eliensign]

I'm a wind musician, who also plays some piano and a leetle bit of classical guitar. 
I'm my own personal argument to anecdata. 

When teaching beginners, I've had the greatest success when I get their fingers moving first.  I teach music notation 2nd.  That way, my students don't freak out when they see the 'fast' notes, or the 'high' notes.  Because they start out pleased that they know all the fingerings within one lesson, their excitement lasts longer.

When I started out as an elementary school kid, we were only taught a new fingering when we were taught a new printed note.  Most of my cohort then confused their ability to sight read with their ability to move their fingers.  "OMG! Eighth notes are so hard!"
Granted, that may be a required teaching method when dealing with 30 kids on 5 different instruments that are supposed to play together.

Anyhoo...
Advice:

1) If you start to lose drive, (happens to most people), just plan to pluck a few notes on the guitar every day.  Five minutes is fine.  This was incredibly helpful to me when I wanted to be a better musician.  I'd not be in the mood to play, and wind up playing for an hour.  Other times, just 15 minutes.  Either way, I didn't beat myself up, and became a much better musician.

2) Get a lesson or two from a decent teacher~they can teach you better ways to hold your guitar so that you play better AND prevent long term damage to your tendons.

3) Notation:  Ultimately, knowing how to read all notation--chord charts notation, etc is integral to being a well rounded musician;  After all, the difference between a drummer and a percussionist is the latter's ability to read music.  HOWEVER, the most important thing of all is that you Play.

4) As my teacher used to say, "Practice makes Permanent."  Anything you do repeatedly will get locked into your muscle memory, good and bad.


Good Luck and Good Skill!

[DG]

Anything you do repeatedly will get locked into your muscle memory, good and bad.

AMEN!

For this reason I will never be able to play Bm7 properly (that, together with having broken my little finger a few times and having no inclination to teach myself to fix it).

[Jeremy's Sea]

Learn to read music if you want to, Stevie Wonder doesn't read music and is arguably one of the best musicians of our time.

I did basically the opposite of what everyone here is telling yo to do, but I had the advantage of having a grounding in drums and piano when I started. I bought a cheap electric and a small amp and was playing in a band in two weeks. I was a little metal head, what can I say?

I see you bought a nylon, if it's uninspiring ditch it and get an electric. The most important part is that you're passionate enough that you don't care how terrible you are when you start off. If I had any inclination of the torture I put my parents through I probably would have burned the damn thing. Instead I spent almost every Friday and Saturday night of high school in my bedroom playing guitar.
Don't do that, get a girlfriend/boyfriend too. 

[T.A.P.O.R.]

powertab is a great program for learning songs.

Tab makes you lazy.
Learn to read music!

Ahh the "tab makes you lazy" fallacy!

Tab gets you started much quicker, providing a well of confidence one can draw from. Reading is one of those far down the road skills that takes a long time to perfect, but once perfected will provide that high hanging fruit that people who only read tab can't reach.

Do both! Tab will help you immensely in the beginning, but reading will help you even more down the road.

Sure it does.
Every last kid I know that learned via tab, has no idea what chords are.
Only string and fret number.

Tab is a last resort, when I can't figure out something with my ears.

[Jeremy's Sea]

powertab is a great program for learning songs.

Tab makes you lazy.
Learn to read music!

Ahh the "tab makes you lazy" fallacy!

Tab gets you started much quicker, providing a well of confidence one can draw from. Reading is one of those far down the road skills that takes a long time to perfect, but once perfected will provide that high hanging fruit that people who only read tab can't reach.

Do both! Tab will help you immensely in the beginning, but reading will help you even more down the road.

Sure it does.
Every last kid I know that learned via tab, has no idea what chords are.
Only string and fret number.

Tab is a last resort, when I can't figure out something with my ears.

Well I know you don't really know me, in the biblical sense at least, but I don't read music for guitar and I know all the notes and chord shapes and stuff. I think reading music is great and a good thing to have, but honestly it sucks all the joy out of guitar playing for me and I would encourage anyone who wants to play for fun and finds it more like math homework to not worry too much about it. 

[T.A.P.O.R.]

powertab is a great program for learning songs.

Tab makes you lazy.
Learn to read music!

Ahh the "tab makes you lazy" fallacy!

Tab gets you started much quicker, providing a well of confidence one can draw from. Reading is one of those far down the road skills that takes a long time to perfect, but once perfected will provide that high hanging fruit that people who only read tab can't reach.

Do both! Tab will help you immensely in the beginning, but reading will help you even more down the road.

Sure it does.
Every last kid I know that learned via tab, has no idea what chords are.
Only string and fret number.

Tab is a last resort, when I can't figure out something with my ears.

Well I know you don't really know me, in the biblical sense at least, but I don't read music for guitar and I know all the notes and chord shapes and stuff. I think reading music is great and a good thing to have, but honestly it sucks all the joy out of guitar playing for me and I would encourage anyone who wants to play for fun and finds it more like math homework to not worry too much about it. 

Ha I don't "know" anyone on the internet. I'm talking about the musicians that I know in the face to face sense.
To be honest, I've forgotten how to read music.
Chord charts have worked for me. And I'm so lazy that when I want to learn a song, I never do it note for note, as that just feels stale.

[Choyles]

powertab is a great program for learning songs.

Tab makes you lazy.
Learn to read music!

Ahh the "tab makes you lazy" fallacy!

Tab gets you started much quicker, providing a well of confidence one can draw from. Reading is one of those far down the road skills that takes a long time to perfect, but once perfected will provide that high hanging fruit that people who only read tab can't reach.

Do both! Tab will help you immensely in the beginning, but reading will help you even more down the road.

Sure it does.
Every last kid I know that learned via tab, has no idea what chords are.
Only string and fret number.

Tab is a last resort, when I can't figure out something with my ears.

Well I know you don't really know me, in the biblical sense at least, but I don't read music for guitar and I know all the notes and chord shapes and stuff. I think reading music is great and a good thing to have, but honestly it sucks all the joy out of guitar playing for me and I would encourage anyone who wants to play for fun and finds it more like math homework to not worry too much about it. 

Ha I don't "know" anyone on the internet. I'm talking about the musicians that I know in the face to face sense.
To be honest, I've forgotten how to read music.
Chord charts have worked for me. And I'm so lazy that when I want to learn a song, I never do it note for note, as that just feels stale.

Well shit MissB, I've played for 22yrs and still can't get past Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge but I know I can shred a diminished arpeggio with any old augmented 6th any day. And I started out reading Metallica tabs when I was a "kid"!
Point being, reading isn't necessary to learn how to play a guitar and make music with it, but it sure can help if you want to make a career out of it (teaching lessons.. lmao!)! Gee, maybe if I had learned how to read I wouldn't be posting a self-affirming reply to your post right now and instead be on tour across some foreign country having all sorts of nefarious relations with the local ... fans... lol ... just sayin'