i am new to the guitar world and need to know if i should try to practice on my own or begin taking lessons to avoid learning bad habits . unfortunatly i am not a fast learner when i have to do two things at once so it may take me a while to learn chord chnges, how to read tabs, sheet music ect. i started out with the Ibanez jampak or the other ibanez pack but i am playing an Ibanez gio as my first guitar and dont want to have to spend hundreds on one on one lessons if more experianced players think it is worth the time to try and learn the basics on my own even if i end up with a few bad habits please help guys i lov emusic and want to learn to play rock/hardcore/metalcore thanks!
If you have the money to take a few lessons go ahead and take them. It is best to get the "basics" like fretting and strumming correct since they are the building blocks for everything else. Once you get a few fundamental chords down then picking up new chords becomes a lot easier. After the basics are down the most important things you get out of a teacher is theory and reading notation plus the feedback on what you may be teaching yourself, learning here, and songs you are trying to learn.
If not then try to get the basics the best you can and try to find someone to critique you. Try to do your best to get with someone else that can help you. Nothing in the world is better than having someone watch what you are doing and provide feedback. Even posting videos here would help.
Either way the MOST important part of learning is practicing. Get yourself disciplined to practice as much as you possibly can.
In the mean time get as much out of this forum as you can and don't forget the beginners lessons on the home page.
Welcome to GN.
Welcome to the musical madhouse. And listen to Nils. He knows what he's talking about.
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
I too have recently started playing...again, after not playing for about 25 years. I am starting lessons this week, and have been reading alot and working through some beginner lessons on the computer (check out the beginner lessons on this site...really good stuff). For me, I believe both methods will work. Do both....it's all good....and if you think you are showing some bad habits, just discuss them with your teacher. Good luck!
I may grow old, but I'll never grow up.
I too have recently started playing...again, after not playing for about 25 years. I am starting lessons this week, and have been reading alot and working through some beginner lessons on the computer (check out the beginner lessons on this site...really good stuff). For me, I believe both methods will work. Do both....it's all good....and if you think you are showing some bad habits, just discuss them with your teacher. Good luck!
Welcome to GN.
Your right. A teacher is not the only answer to learning. Just a significant part of the overall package.
thanks for your replies. I think i will take your advice Nils and start taking lessons as soon as i can afford them.
thanks for your replies. I think i will take your advice Nils and start taking lessons as soon as i can afford them.
You will be happy you did. I have not taken lessons in a long time but glad I did when I was getting started. I am now thinking of starting up again.
I beg to differ though.As i am totally self taught in whatever i know on guitar.(Not much i can do barres and fingerpick) I will say teaching yourself isn't a bad idea at all.
BUT and a big but ...you got to have confidence on you that you can learn it yourself.You must listen to the songs your trying to play and then compare with your playing and critisise yourself fairly well.I do it everyday and i guess that has made me somewhat of a guitar player who can atleast strum a bit well.
If you know you are going wrong somewhere don't overlook it...just repeat it in a correct manner for lots of times and surely at some point things will start coming together.
Remeber players like satriani , vai , hendrix , wylde and many others practice hours everyday of their life to play those awesome riffs...Its their profession and only they do it so well.
So all it boils down to...practice and patience (and i may add TRUE practice)
Best of Luck and Welcome to the best forums on the earth. :Wink:
Rahul
I beg to differ though.As i am totally self taught in whatever i know on guitar.(Not much i can do barres and fingerpick) I will say teaching yourself isn't a bad idea at all.
If all you want to do is play a few simple chords and do some simple finger-picking a teacher isn't necessary.
If you want to become the best player you can be, in a reasonable amount of time, a teacher is necessary. Why? Because they will keep you focused on what is important, they will make sure you don't let some important techniques go undeveloped, they will be there to provide ready answers to your questions, they will help guide your progress towards your goal.
A good teacher is invaluable if you want to be a serious musician. By the same token, a bad teacher can do irrepairable harm as well. And sadly, there are far more mediocre and poor teachers than good one's.
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST
To me it's simple. I'm mostly a self-taught guitarist and have had formal piano lessons from day1. From my experience it is simple: take lessons.
I beg to differ though.As i am totally self taught in whatever i know on guitar.(Not much i can do barres and fingerpick) I will say teaching yourself isn't a bad idea at all.
According to yourself you can't do much. Why would you then advice people to do what you did?
I am on the "take lessons" side.
Can you do it on your own? Maybe. But there are alot of good reasons to find a GOOD teacher.
Side note: Just because the first two teachers you find dont strike you as GOOD instructors doesnt mean that they are all bad or that you are correct in assuming they are bad. Stick it out. I thought my instructor was horrible at first, had a few terrific conversations with him and come to find out he is fantastic.
A GOOD instructor can:
Keep you motivated
Help you learn songs YOU like
Set a plan in place for learning
Help you learn styles of music you never considered before
Help you develop your own style
Avoid bad habits.
The list goes on and on. You can teach yourself (sort of) we all know this but you'll be a better more consistant, more motivated player if you find a GOOD teacher that you can work with.
Good luck :D
Geoo
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
I taught myself a lot, but I had lessons when I wanted to start playing classical. I'm thinking of going back to lessons to improve certain elements of my technique - tremelo included.
Best,
A :-)
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
Geoo is correct about finding a good teacher.....
My first attempt was not what i expected and has made me once bitten, twice shy.....
thank god I found this site..it has really jumpstarted my guitar playing and I have learned alot in the last 30 days from here...
I did both: I took lessons for a couple years and taught myself quite a bit on my own. I truly think that lessons are great, so long as you are motivated enough to keep up with the homework that your teacher will give you. There's nothing wrong with being self taught either though, many of my favorite musicians were self-taught and seem better then the ones that took lessons!
I guess what I'm trying to say is that some people like taking lessons, while others don't. I still would recommend taking lessons though if you have the money.
Steve-0
Sorry to steal the thread but I have a question. When a teacher tries to help a student become a 'real musician.' Do they help them become a musician in the eyes of the student or the eyes of the teacher? I was just wondering because I had one lesson but walked out after the teacher said that people that just play rock music aren't real musicians. So I was wondering if that's typical of a teacher, or if a better one would let the student decide what a 'real musician' is and help them get there.
