Guitar 101

"Guitar 101"
OK so you want to be a guitar player. Let me guide you here and maybe save you a little money in the meantime. The guitar is the only instrument in the grand scheme of things that can act as both a solo instrument or can accompany singers or other parts of a combo. It shares these qualities with the piano,the harp and the mandolin. With the exception of the mandolin the guitar is the most portable. The great thing about the guitar is you don't have to be a virtuoso to make real music and start having fun.
First order of business; Lessons or no lessons? With the music store well stocked with graduated beginner books and the internet there is a lot a person can do on their own long before they have need of a teacher. When I used to teach I always felt my"Stone Beginners" were really not getting their money's worth because it could take a student a half an hour just to form a simple "C" chord.
As a beginner there are seve!ral things you will be dealing with. Mechanical ability (the skill just making a chord) learning the language of music(it has terms all it's own) and the pain of developing your first set of callous. As well as learning how to use a pick.
Let me explain the difference in what type of guitars and their price range you'll find at your music store.
1) Electric 2) Acoustic 3) Classical. The price range of each of these can run from 200.00 to the price of a new car!
Lets start with the electric. For one it requires a totally different touch and approach and you have to have a lot of other stuff to go along with it just to make sounds.( an amp,chords,tuner etc) I would not suggest starting out on an electric
The Acoustic. Most people start out on one of these. Beginner models usually begin around 150.00 to 250.00 to get one that has a decent sound and a straight neck. With countries like China, Taiwan and South Korea and the cheap labour they have there the availability of well made inexpensive guitars has increased considerably in the last few years. The problem with the acoustic guitar is the strings are made of past very course brass and depending on how much you play this can cause a certain amount of pain while your fingers toughen up. I have met some who could not get past this and gave up.
The Classical, These guitars are made with a much wider neck, a slotted head stock and a wider body. The are made for classical music that is mostly solo. One of the differences between the classical and these others mentioned is that traditionally classical guitar is played without a pick. Another difference is the strings are softer .I have never seen a classical guitar suggested as a good beginner guitar but I will make that suggestion here and this is the reason.
With the softer strings it will be easier to form "clean" sounding chords and there won't be near the discomfort as with an acoustic.
That all being said. Try to buy as much of a guitar as you can afford. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to learn on a guitar that is just over the hill. All guitars can be adjusted and "set up" to play comfortably. The term "action" is something you'll get to know well. Action is the space between the strings and the fret board. the lower the action the more ease in playing.
Let take an inventory of what we are going to need to get started. Guitar,books,a good comfortable strap,picks(try several gauges and stick with the gauge that is the most comfortable) something called a capo(this is something that staps over the neck to change the key) a decent music stand. Ready to rock. Here is a crucial rule. BE PATIENT. Rome wasn't built in a day. Practice forming chords cleanly and moving from one chord to the next..example from "C" to "F" back to "C" then to "G".(F by the way is one of the most difficult chords to learn to play cleanly when you first start out)
When you can do this and do this thru the keys of D,G,A E and begin to use the relative minors to each of these keys.
then you are ready for a teacher. You have nimble enough fingers and a basic understanding of music and you also have something the teacher can work with. Rather than a over wet pile of clay now you are a ball of clay ready to be formed.
Next chapter: electric guitars amps and learning to jam