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Original message:8 days 16 hours 26 minutes ago

+ 3

Member: mego bro

6
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i recently came into possession of a shecter synyster custom electric guitar, and i am uber stoked cus i always have wanted a guitar.... but now im a little lost (go figure haha). i know i should learn by taking lessons.... but at the time that is not really an option as i am in college and dont have the time to start right now (although i do plan on doing some later). i was wondering if there was a good place to start learning to play some things... i already taught myself how to read tabs for songs.... but i cant really play anything but maybe a riff here and there. are there some good songs i could just start off with learning. or if that is too ambitious to start off with, could i get some suggestions on how to learn more.
thanks.

Reply:8 days 16 hours 9 minutes ago
Member: shanejohnson2002

825
WebCred

Chords. Learn G,C,D first, and A,E,B later. Once you learn those 6, you'll be able to play quite a few songs.

Also, look up a video called Rock Discipline by John Petrucci. it helped me BIGTIME, and no matter what style you want to play, it'll get your hands in shape.

As far as good songs to play, starting out you'll probably stick with the strumming and easy solos. Here's a short list:

Tuesday's Gone - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Curtis Loew - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Back In Black - AC/DC
You Shook Me - AC/DC

Life By the Drop - Stevie Ray Vaughan

Take It Easy - Eagles
Tequila Sunrise - Eagles

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Angels of mercy, guardians of time, shackled and chained to the eternal flame, the hammer will slowly arise.

Reply:8 days 10 hours 22 minutes ago
Member: Savva_Rhythm

217
WebCred

to be honest, i dont think you need a teacher to become a great guitarist. Herman Li from Dragonforce is self taught, Stevie Ray Vaughan couldnt even read music, and there are many others who have similar experiances.
i'v been playing for nearly 1 year self taught, and i can play most of the Master Of Puppets album :P

So, anyway, i agree with Shane. learn the basic chords. then you will be able to really get the feel of the guitar.

WELL DONE for teaching yourself to read tabs, thats such a brilliant thing to be able to learn from. its simple, and easy to find. without tabs, we would all be killing ourselves to learn by ear :P

Hope all goes well :D

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need some help over here: http://www.guitar.com/forums/recording/topic/recording_equipment

Reply:7 days 18 hours 49 minutes ago
Member: mego bro

+ 3

6
WebCred

thanks guys, ill start learning that stuff, i really appreciate the direction you gave. now at least i have something to work toward instead of just goofing around trying to figure out some songs way WAY beyond my learning level haha.

Reply:7 days 18 hours 47 minutes ago
Member: Blink182fan

+ 1

6
WebCred

Yeah i'm a beginner 2 and learned to read tabs they are really helpfull
also you might be able to pick up how to learn to play songs on youtube.com just type in how to play and then whatever song.

i learned some cool stuff off you tube.
like

Whats my age again? --- Blink 182
Anthem pt.2 --- Blink 182
Come as you are -- Nirvana
Iron Man -- Black Sabbath
Can't Stop -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Last Resort -- Papa Roach

but i can't do but like 2 chords so i need to do that to.

good luck on becoming good at gutar

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Reply:6 days 21 hours 17 minutes ago
Member: ibzRG

1440
WebCred

About tunes to begin with, I started with all the silly melodies that classical guitar beginners start with. Recognizable melodies like jingles etc that are simple (or can be made simple) and are appropriate for getting the hang of working your fingers. They often include a thumb bass line too, so you already get a small preview of chords. When I turned to rock guitar I had already some fundamentals down and went as bold as starting out with trying to tackle Blackmore tunes and solos.

As for chords, I'd start with E,A,D,Am,Dm before moving to G and C and F because I find their shapes more easy to get with yet un-disciplined fingers.

After this stage I would suggest the painfully over-done Stairway to Heaven. It should help you get your fingers stronger and disciplined. Give it time. In the meanwhile you can work parallelly on punk rock songs riffs or other beginner classics like Smoke on the Water and Paranoid.

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