community.pirate.com

New guitar player in need of advice and help!

Off-topic
#1

Hey guys!! I’m new to community…been lingering for a while but thought I’d be brave and make my first post! I’ve seen a lot of DJ and production stuff but not so much band related posts…so I’m hoping there will be a few people to answer my question!! I’ve recently got a guitar (electric). It’s always been my dream to learn and I’ve put it off for too many years, and I thought no better time then lockdown! I’ve got the basic chords down, but I feel very overwhelmed with how to teach myself!

So my question is, for those who play guitar, what is the best way to go about learning!?!? Is it worth me getting a teacher? (I’m guessing in lockdown it will have to be over zoom lol ??) but is that worth the money? there are loads of tutorials online, and there’s apps, but I’m such a rookie I don’t even know where to begin!!! should I master all the chords? Start learning finger picking? Learn to read music? Barre chords? HELP!!!

Thank you xxxxx

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#2

Hey,

First things first, massive props for taking that first step and grabbing an electric. Really excited for you and your journey!

There are so many of different styles, techniques out there, it depends on what genres/styles of music you want to use the guitar for? If you can establish that first then it can help you to know where to start. I personally started with basic chords (as you have done) and learnt to play with a pick and developed my strumming techniques (again, there’s so many dependent on style of music lol…e.g Folk compared to metal). Then I eventually developed onto more lead guitar stuff and it was only recently in the last 2 years I started delving into finger picking techniques. I kind of wished I’d learnt finger picking a bit earlier but at the same time, it didn’t feel like it would be too difficult without practice as I could pick really well with a plectrum.

I personally started off with lessons in the beginning then taught myself the rest. I think it can be really helpful to have an outsider guiding you as they can see where you might need to adjust a hand position or technique and advise accordingly.
So yeah, I personally think lessons are well worth it. Tbh, was thinking about getting some more lessons myself recently ha even though I’ve been playing for over 12 years. So I can improve my lead techniques for more metal style guitar.

That said, there is a lot of resources out there to help you teach yourself nowadays. If you’ve got the self discipline and drive to practice and do online teachings yourself.

Always follow your gut and go with what feels right for you. Try not to overthink it and enjoy the journey!

Best of luck with it all!

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#3

thank you so much for this response!! its so so helpful.
i think i want to play more punk-y/darker/modern post punk music. c vibes. i got myself a squire mustang and it’s literally my baby. its my bday today and my bf just got me a bedroom amp and it’s already sounding amazing!! i know a lot of the tone is to do with pedals and stuff - so when i get to that level expect another cry of help asking for advice with pedals haha.

i think you’re right. the reason i feel so overwhelmed is because i literally have no idea where to start, so getting a teacher to help at the beginning is probably smart. im a quick learner (and have embarrassingly a lot of experience playing the ukulele from when i was a teen LOL) so hopefully i won’t have to do too many.

thank you soo much xx

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#4

Don’t get too caught up about tone - it’s very easy to spend an awful lot of money on pedals and all, but off the top of my head, the Fender Mustang is a pretty versatile amp to get the sounds you want, at least until you start to figure out exactly what you want out of your guitar tone!

As far as playing, there’s loads of great resources on youtube, learning apps, and so on - but even just taking an “intro” lesson with a teacher will likely set you on the right path, since youtube content doesn’t know what you know or don’t know, where a teacher can tailor their advice to suit you and what you’re aiming for!

You should try to figure out what specific songs you’d love to be able to play - you might not get there for a year or so, but it feels AMAZING when you finally get there!

Last and most important, if you can’t make a stretch, it’s 100% because your fretting hand thumb is in the wrong position! Experiment with thumb position before deciding your hands are too small, since thumb position makes stretches either super easy or totally impossible!

I’m a guitar teacher when I’m not working at Pirate - I feel like it’s not right for me to ply my trade here, but you’re welcome to message me if you’d like some more free advice in the right direction!

3 Likes
#5

Haha, Love it! I’ve actually just gotten and played for the first time ever, a ukulele last month!! It’s a well cute little instrument, I’ve been loving it haha. Someone told me to check out a band called The Pukes if you’ve heard of them? Well good fun from a uke point of view ha.

That’s awesome on the amp front! Happy birthday! My first electric was a sunburst squire strat and I absolutely loved it. Your genre/style tastes sounds right up my street. Definitely keep me posted on your journey :slightly_smiling_face:

#6

Hey!

I’m new to the community as well -welcome!
As a fellow student ( used to play drums at collage but always tinkered with guitars)
I can’t recommend ‘Fender Play’( online self teaching course ) highly enough!!! 5 stars :star:

I’m on their beginners “funk Bass” course ( excellent) but they have guitar playing courses for all styles and levels.

Bite sized lessons ( no more than 5 mins long …) a brilliant concept …! Even teaches you how to read music :notes:!

My personal improvement in just a few weeks/ months has been massive!

I will definitely go back to the guitar course as soon as I have the time.

I’m sure a teacher is the best way forward … but to get the basics in place …this is perfect - imho

All the best on your journey…!!

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#7

Some of the points made in this thread is so useful for beginner guitarists!! I personally started with lessons, but when I was about 7 years old! My little sister is starting to play, and she’s asking me for lessons, but it’s actually really hard teaching someone guitar when you’re not a teacher yourself. I keep getting frustrated that she can’t get it immediately!! Props to teachers you must have so much patience <3

1 Like
#8

This is great!! Is it expensive?

#9

omg thank you thank you thank you!!! so is it like an actual course? i always thoguh fender play was just tutorials on different songs? i’ve heard their tutorials are really good though.

tbh i don’t even know how guitar lessons work!!!.. it might just be teaching you different songs until u can play every song haha!

@Diane_Pirate where abouts are you based?

#10

omg no but my hands really are too small!! i have bloody TINY HANDS. that’s why i never started when i was younger and just went straight to uke haha!!

what is fretting? is that when you put your hand in whatever chord position??? i am STRUGGLING with that with my tiny baby hands. every time i encounter anything where you have to go across a whole fret (a barre chord?? help) it’s like my hands cramp up!! any advice on any stretches or tips that i can do (as much advice you can give over the internet w/o actually seeing my hand position)

#11

Cool! good for you … I’m a quick learner too ( drums and Bass at least!)
Question :
What do you mean by “bedroom amp” …???
Sounds ideal as I’m having issues with a particularly difficult neighbor in my flat (all other Tennants in the building are cool except this particular one!!! )
Even when I turn my practice amp down to virtually zero she moans to property management ( hence want to use Pirate just as a quiet space) .

But the idea of a “bedroom amp” sounds ideal!!!

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#12

Well I thought it was a phenomenal deal !

First 3 months were a free trial … then you get to choose a monthly subscription or to book for a year ( discounted).

I managed to get a discount offer as well and it ended up as £49.99 for a years membership which they started after the trial period ended …bargin IMO

#13

No no…

It’s like a ‘one to one’ personal tutorial with structured very short lessons of technical disciplines as well as songs at various points .

Starts with “this a guitar… this I is is the neck this is the bridge” etc…right the way through to experienced player …

Different (various) teachers throughout the app and a Q&A chat with fender teachers / staff … if you have questions.

Perfect if you are just starting… to give you a basic grounding in the instrument of your choice .
It also has different genre and playing styles so everything is thought of - especially for someone at the beginning of their journey …

Can’t recommend it highly enough …!!!

#14

I’m in Nottingham, but I teach remotely in 3 continents (so far!). Like I said though, I’d rather offer you free advice rather than jump you in on lessons or anything since you’re a Pirate customer!

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#15

So bedroom amps can be something like a small 3-5w combo amp, really doesn’t put much sound out at all and will usually come with a headphone jack, loads of companies make them if you give them a google, they are great for turning down and playing just through headphones!

There’s also a kind of headphone amp made by a couple different companies (notably Vox and Fender) that completely cut out the whole “combo amp” style design, these are super small and can be thrown into the front pocket of a gig bag, so are great for portability!

If you’re thinking about going for a Vox one, there’s loads of different options there (including bass) so check out a couple videos on youtube to find which one will suit your needs!

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#16

:white_check_mark: thanks for the reply
I’ve got a Vox AC 30 Bass Amplug which is awesome!

Thought I might have missed something with low level Amp technology … will gave a look …

Btw got some AV Link headphones really stylish and a bargin at around £25.00 for the sound quality if (like me ) you’re on a budget … !!!
Thanks for the reply … :+1:t5::guitar::sunglasses:

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#17

Wow
I see the Fender Mustang £££ is way more expensive then the fender … have you any person al experience with it … ?

What do you get for more than twice the money of tha Vox amplug …which I know from experience I’d very good ?
Just thinking of getting another one today as it goes …?

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#18

I’m not sure where I got the Fender Mustang amp from in my first response, now I read everything back I see you said Squier Mustang which is a totally unrelated guitar - I think I had too much coffee and started seeing amps that aren’t there!

Either way, Pear’s advice is rock-solid! I’ve not played those specific units, but it looks like the Mustang has a slightly larger set of effects you can try out - you might not need or want all of them, but in my guitar quest, my first “big” amp after I outgrew my first practice amp was an amp with lots of effects, that let me figure out what kind of sound I wanted, rather than being “locked into” the sound of the amp on it’s own and needing to spend more money on a multi-FX unit to try effects out. The Vox unit has all the main effects you’d want to try out, but less of the weirder ones that might not be for everyone.

Best read reviews though - like I said, I’ve not tried either of those models, so I can’t speak from experience!