How to teach yourself the guitar

I'm totally self-taught on guitar -- so, that approach works.  If you know someone that plays guitar, that'll serve as a good "mentor" for how to hold the guitar, tricks of the trade, etc.  (Although:  I didn't have that [pre-internet].)  ;)


Basically, download a PDF of guitar chords, and then Google for "tabulature" (indvidual notes) and/or chords of some song you like (and know how it's supposed to sound).  And then just keep practising until you can play it smoothly. 

If you're at all of a creative bent -- if you know two or three chords, just strum them in a sequence, with a certain rhythm, and then sing over the top:  that's a song.  :)

If you want to record yourself:  for about $50 you can pick up a used USB recording interface online -- get one that has XLR (Google it) and instrument inputs -- and for another $100 you can pick up an inexpensive but decent mic with a microphone cable.  And now you can record yourself.  Oh:  with freeware software:  Audacity works just fine, and is available for Windows, Macs, and Linux.

It's also more interesting to get together with other people.  But playing along to backing tracks works well, also.

Also:  guitar pedals are fun.  I recommend the guy on the "JHS pedals" YouTube channel -- esp. the "What's the deal with Behringer" episode.  Some people scoff at Behringer -- but they have some good products at very reasonable prices (around AU$50?).  (The JHS Pedals guy's notion is "Price doesn't matter:  if it makes your guitar more fun to play, then it's a good pedal.")   Distortion, and either reverb or delay, are good types of pedal to start with -- but chorus, flangers, phasers, tremelo -- all are fun.  :)   Also "loop" pedals (again, see YouTube) -- esp. if you're solo, and want to play against yourself.


Oh!  Download a guitar tuner app for your phone, then check that your "open" string (for each string) and the octave (12th fret -- the double dots on the side) is the same note (e.g. an "E" and an "E").  If the octave note is a little sharp or flat, you'll have to intonate it (see YouTube).  Similarly, if the distance between the string and the fingerboard (the "action") is too high, then when you press down on the string you'll actually be pulling the note sharp:  you'll need to adjust the bridge height.

For both of these, you can find instructions on YouTube ("How to intonate your guitar", "How to adjust the action on your guitar"), if you're comfortable with tools.  Otherwise, you can pay someone $30-$50 to do it for you. 

There's also the "neck relief" -- the curve of the neck:  ideally as you go down the fretboard, none of the intervening frets (between your finger and the bridge) get in the way and cause "fret buzz".  This is also something that you can adjust yourself -- but this is getting towards the zone where it may be better to have someone do it for you (at the same time as setting the action and intonating your guitar).


Anyhow:  most of the most famous guitarists are there because they play all the time -- not necessarily "practice" -- but they're just always playing, experimenting, having fun:  "face time".

If you practice, you'll get better.  If you don't, you won't.


--GG