thinking about starting to learn an instrument...the guitar! any advice? electric one i think, not sure if i should try bass or normal??
How much am i looking at for a guitar?? wheres the best place to buy? how easy is it to learn such an instrument?
My guitar cost me £7 second hand, it's called "The Michigan" my night school teacher was very impressed with the quality of sound it produced (Not with me playing I might add).
That was probably 10 years ago or more and a mate of mine used to come round every Friday night with his guitar and we would knock open a bottle or two and play to our hearts content, doors would be slammed shut TV's would have the sound up higher, but we enjoyed it.
I would recommend it just in case you have a hidden talent, take lessons don't try going it alone cause you might end up smacking it over someones head :o
Oh and when your finger tips go hard and you don't make those string indentations in them then you have probably cracked it.
P.S BTW I'm rubbish at it. ;D
Hi Adam, I'd suggest trying to get hold of a 2nd hand acoustic guitar to start with, just until you are 100% sure of what you want to do - it will be much cheaper than an electric one & the basic technique will be the same (bass is a bit different). A friend sold me my first one for about £10, I think - if you don't have any friends who are trying to sell them, or who would be willing to lend you one just so you can have a go, maybe it would be worth trying small ads in newspapers or shop windows? The guitar I have now cost about £100, but that was ages ago (long before you were born!), & it's acoustic - I would expect an electric one to be a lot more. I bought mine from a specialist music shop in Cambridge - I'm sure there are equivalent shops in Manchester.
The guitar is a relatively easy instrument to learn (unlike the violin, which I tried first!!) - it's quite difficult to make a really horrible sound with it (also unlike the violin) & once you have mastered a few chords you can start playing some recognisable tunes. I didn't have lessons - I just bought a chord book & taught myself.
As Roy says, it gets a lot easier once your fingertips go hard!
PS I should have said - if you do get a 2nd hand acoustic guitar, get someone to teach you how to re-string it, get some new strings, & do that before you do anything else! - it will make a big difference.
Forget buying the axe dude.
Put on ya fav tracks, grab ya fave "Air Axe", and go for it.
Look at this amateur after four hours.....
This could be you.
               (http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/9123/028uz.gif) (http://imageshack.us)
Good luck Adam....
and keep repeating: "I've want blisters on me fingers"
;D ;D ;D ;D
There are millions of guitar players about, try the old gob box (harmonica), just keep it in your pocket and play it whenever you feel the need. I graduated to a melodeon which is the same thing with bellows and then on to a concertina which earns me a few bob and a lot of free pints.
I endorse everything that Juliet has said ok, and as a classical player, I like to feel I know what I am talking about. The acoustic will always be useful, even when you have an electric, and will enable you to play anywhere. I have 3 classical guitars, one fitted with electrics so I can play into an amplifier for stage work. That is the one you can see on my avatar.
The more you practice, the better you will get, pretty easy aint it!
Good luck!
Derekthefox :D
Coincidentally. this one fell off the wall yesterday.
Cost me £24, 30 years ago!
That was a lot then Tim.
Yeah, I agree, an acoustic will always be good to have around.
Also, when you start go for a light grade string
You could try one of the starter packs if you really want an electric, they're so much better than they used to be + much more variety now.
If you're buying new, price check online (you'll find it so much cheaper than in the shops). I can get you sone URLs if you like