Before my first show on 8/17/2010 I really never had the desire to learn an instrument. However, these last 2 1/2 years of seeing phish has really left me wanting to learn more about music and how to play. I recently picked up my brother's guitar and got some guitar lesson DvDs for Xmas from my dad. I was wondering if anyone had any advice or links to videos/material/books that they've found useful and think could help me. Thanks

practice practice practice

seriously, when youre starting you gotta do like an hour a day, or more.. EVERY day.

learn to read tabs, if you wanna learn specific songs, theres an endless amount of tutorial videos on youtube than can be a huge help..

Also, bar chords/power chords.. super easy, and they get the job done. (for now)

best of luck!! and seriously, keep up the practicing

When I was in sixth grade, we did a "following directions" exercise. Our teacher made us write down all of the directions for making a peanut butter sandwich. We found that whatever directions we made, no matter how specific, we could always make them more specific. Example: Open the jar. "How do you open the jar?" Wrap your hand around it, and turn it clockwise. "Wrap what part of your hand around it?" Um, the tips of all your fingers and your thumb. 'What part of your thumb? How much pressure to apply"?

Find somebody who can play guitar to show you how. Ask them how to make basic chord shapes as specifically as possible. Watch their hands. What exactly what they are doing. Imitate it to the fullest. Monkey see, monkey do.

Also, learn songs you like. There's no point in learning theory if you're not having fun with it. Learn how to read tabs and chug away at some easy songs you want to play.

Learn to play YEM it isnt that hard

Also - don't get stuck in blues boxes - if your gonna rely on the minor pentatonic - mixolydian stuff- which most great rock guitarist do (Santanas a Dorian freak and Zappa leans towards the Phrygian/lydian) spice it up - heres a nice free online resource...

http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Default.aspx

And remember - the modes and scales - blah, blah - learn 'em - but bear in mind - theyre all just different ways of making the same twelve notes sound melodic- yup - theres only 12 tones in Western music - it's not too complicated - BWAHAHAHAHHA..............

http://getinstinct.com

I have been playing for a long time so this website was easy as pie (actually ended up number one on their leader-boards without even trying, but I digress) but I kept thinking the whole time that this would be great for someone who has zero knowledge on how to play the guitar. the technology definitely works, although even with my expensive equipment I found it easier to just play an acoustic guitar through my macbook's built in mic, than to actually plug an electric into any sort of audio interface. Very cool website for anyone learning how to play the guitar early.

CAGED sequence. Look it up and learn that shit. I have used fretboard logic to learn that method. If you learn that as your base for playing, no matter how hard it is at first, not only will your technical ability become very good, but your knowledge of theory will be much more advanced than if you just learn a couple strumming songs. The CAGED sequence really is the best way to make sense of how music theory applies to the guitar's unique harmonic system. Both of these things: theory, and technique are what combine to make a great player over time.

But!!! learn strumming songs that you want to learn too. Thats easy enough with the internet, as people above have noted. Learning stuff you want to learn is what keeps you going the first 2 years when its hard and takes a lot of discipline.

GOOD luck mate! and make a joyful noise!

Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice.

Seriously, the only way to get good is to just keep doing it.

Also, don't skip over learning to read actual music instead of just tabs. It really helps make everything make more sense in the long run.

I'll third the practice thing. YOU HAVE TO PRACTICE!! I've seen so many people start to learn and then fade out. It is the most important thing you can do to learn to play an instrument. If you don't practice hours a day you will not learn.

Learn some songs all the way through. So many people starting out will only learn the intro riff or the chorus and then move on.

@They_Call_Me_The_Sloth said:

Before my first show on 8/17/2010 I really never had the desire to learn an instrument. However, these last 2 1/2 years of seeing phish has really left me wanting to learn more about music and how to play. I recently picked up my brother's guitar and got some guitar lesson DvDs for Xmas from my dad. I was wondering if anyone had any advice or links to videos/material/books that they've found useful and think could help me. Thanks

I wrote a lot of stuff in the wrong thread, and I lost it all, so I'm gonna keep this short and sweet.

- Learn basic Major and Minor Chords -- especially learn E, and A - Major / Minor (go ahead and learn D, C, G)
- Now for F and B... notice anything? They look just like E and A, but F has a 'bar' with the index finger on the first fret, and B has one on the second. Learn these bar chords, and now you can play multiple positions of all of the major and minor chords up and down the guitar.
- Next: Learn AC/DC Bag (A - C - D - C - F - A - G)
- Next: Play AC/DC bag using different chord shapes (ie. instead of playing the basic A with strings 2-4 pressed on the second fret
- Practice until your fingers blister
- Welcome the blisters-- it means you're getting better
- LEARN HOW TO READ TABS
- go to emilstabs.org to find some great phish tabs

Do NOT try to tackle YEM. but DO try to tackle some easier songs.
Start with easier songs... Farmhouse, Dirt, WITVS -- all chord based, pretty simple.

I agree with @FunkyourFace12 --
you will like the pentatonic scale



Positions 1 and 5 are the easiest, since half of it is on the same fret (and they connect on the other side! wooah bruh!) Try starting position 1 on the 9th fret -- Now look at the tabs for Mike's song. If you can play a pentatonic position 1 on the 9th fret, you can play Mikes song (at least the beginning)

If you know anything about the piano, you'll know that there are 12 notes between an octave. The 12th fret on the guitar (the fret with 2 dots usually) is exactly halfway between the strings. The reason why the 12th fret has the same note as the open string is that it's exactly an octave higher. Now trip on this: the 12th fret is located exactly halfway between the strings-- and that is why you get the same note when you chop it in half. All of the markings on your guitar (like the double dot on the 12th fret) are harmonic locations--

the 7th fret is a third of the string, and the 5th fret is 1/4th of the string. If instead of pressing down on these frets, touch them softly in these spots (over the front bar of the fret) and you will get a better sound, because both sides of the string will vibrate--- imagine a jumprope swinging around -- now imagine someone's holding it right in the middle, and it's still swinging. If that person wasn't holding it right in the middle, but a little bit off.. it'd be a LOT hard to keep it spinning on both sides in unison. This is just natural physics



Ok, maybe a little off topic for a beginners lesson, but hopefully this will spark your interest and knowledge.

If you're comfortable with everything I've said so far, we can move on to the next steps.
Again -- check out emilstabs.org -- if you run into a song that looks too complicated.... just remember that you need to repeat and repeat it.. and eventually you'll get to the point where your fingers remember more than you do. muscle memory. muscle memory. practice. blister until you dont blister anymore.

I'm no guitar expert. I'm self taught. for all of you guitar pro's out there who have some better advice and maybe some shit to say about this post, dont bother, just put some of your shit up here. Thank you goodnight

@mfhgreyboy said:

Shit, dude, ^that looks like a lot of work. Sorry about that other thread, and that you had to recreate that. I AM glad, however, that you found the appropriate place to post it.

It aint work when it's somethin you love!

However I am AT work right now.. putting off work I have to do.. so yeah, that sucks.

byebye

edit -

OH ONE MORE PIECE OF ADVICE

Learn this song: http://emilstabs.org/wiki/index.php/Waste
(i suggest live version)

Get good at it, and you will have no problem getting laid ever again -- just find the right girl to sing it to though, eventually