I suspect that the percentage of people in the general population that can read music is well over 1%. I imagine that a non-trivial number of rock musicians, like yourself, come from other musical disciplines that involve music reading. It would be very weird to me if the music-reading population of rock musicians was that low.
Whether they use it or not is another question entirely. (Also note that the quote was “rock musicians” not “rock guitarists”.)
Sorry. I should have stated this in the OP, and I haven’t had a chance to read until now.
I got an acoustic guitar. 6 strings. Brand spanking new. It was a gift, so I assume it was tuned properly, but I have no idea.
The brand is “Woods”, if that makes a difference. It is a nice guitar, but I know nothing about brands other than Fender, so as long as I can learn to play it, and I enjoy it, i can upgrade to a better guitar if I need to.
At this point, a very expensive guitar would be wasted on me.
If anyone needs any other background info, let me know.
I have no experience other than strumming. I really stink at playing it, and I can’t for the life of me figure out how I will ever be able to not only move my fingers on my left hand properly to find the proper place to put my fingers, but I also have to find the right string to pluck with my right hand fingers!
I hope I am not to old to learn this… Muscle memory is important, and I would guess that the earlier you start, the easier it would be. I watch people play the guitar and I’m so amazed. And now that I have one, I am even more impressed.
I am going to give this a go, though. I know it will take a long time, but that’s ok. I don’t need to be ready by next weekend!
Everyone,
Thank you for the great advice and encouragement!
I will start with Justin’s instructions, and go from there. I can’t remember a thread out here where just about everyone recommended the same person like that, so he must be great for most people.
I do not have a tuner, but I will get one. I think that is a great suggestion, and I never thought of it. But now that I have been strumming, I am very aware that I have no idea if it is tuned properly or not. And I would imagine a properly tuned guitar would make any successes I have sound much better if I am lucky enough to hit the right strings!
Holding a pick - i had no idea there was a better way to hold one, but luckily for me, I use one finger and my thumb, so I guess I lucked out with that.
For a beginner, is it better to sit and play, or should I buy a shoulder strap and stand?
I love the idea of finding someone to play with/help me, but I know no one that plays that lives close by. To be honest, I haven’t really looked for anyone, so maybe I have some friends that play and I don’t know it. I will start putting some feelers out to folks, and see if they or their kids play, and wouldn’t mind spending some quality time with an old guy.
I have one question for those that play. This is a basic question, but until I get time to get onto Justin’s site, I want to ask… I am right-handed, so my left hand will be doing the finger work on the neck/strings. When you push a string down to change the tension (to create the chosen note), do I push the string hard, all the way down to the neck, or is it better to push it a bit more lightly? I am trying to figure out how much pressure I need to put on each string… Does this “all depend”, or should I be trying to put the same amount of pressure on each string for each note, all the time?
Thanks!
Press just hard enough to get the note to sound cleanly. No buzzing or dead notes. You’ll quickly learn how hard to press. Fretting notes, holding the pick is in either the first or second lesson.
The setup/action mentioned earlier determines how easy it is to play a note. Cheaper guitars or ones that aren’t setup correctly require pressing harder.
Sore fingers will be a problem if you press too hard. Also heavy strings. I switched to light gauge strings. 11’s I preferElixir custom lights. But other brands are good too. the gauge is what matters.
I play sitting down with a strap. Justin does too. It holds the guitar securely and in the correct position.
I can’t express how much easier life became with lighter strings. I’d start to hurt after 15 to 20 mins. Took it by my guitar shop and they put on the acoustic lights. My practice time went to 30 mins without pain.
I have callouses now. But heavy strings still hurt. I played a friend’s guitar for a hour and felt it for the rest of the day. He uses mediums for the better tone. Too each is own.
acoustic strings come in 13’s, 12’s, 11’s (mediums, lights, custom light)
also a beginner does better with a light pick. .38 or .46 Dunlop nylon is what Justin recommended for beginners. It bends and doesn’t get hung up in the strings. You’ll want a heavier pick after you get confidant at strumming. I recently switched to a .60 dunlop nylon.
I’d suggest getting the Snark Chromatic tuner. $12.67
The advantage is it recognizes all the notes. Something I find useful. First tune the open strings EADGBE then make a C chord. use the tuner to make sure the two C notes (A string and B string) are in tune. Make a G chord and check the fretted G notes on the two E strings and the open G string. I know this makes no sense now. But you’ll quickly discover tuning the open strings won’t always be enough. Out of tune notes inside a chord are like fingernails on a blackboard after you learn what the chord is supposed to sound like. You need a chromatic tuner to fine tune the tuning.
Snark makes a guitar tuner that only recognizes the open string notes for $10. But I wouldn’t recommend it.
I have the Snark but I also use an iPhone app—Guitar Tuna—when my Snark isn’t handy.
If you don’t have a tuner handy, you can tune to this. That’s what I’ve been doing, as I never got a around to getting a tuner. A bit of practice in tuning by ear is good for you anyway. 
(And, yes, they really do have everything on the internet these days.)
Another method is to get a cat with perfect pitch and ask it to purr in E. But those are hard to come by.
There’s still a lot of variation.
Sit, and learn how to hold the guitar with your lap and body and right arm so that you can let go with your left hand and the guitar won’t move. Ideally, use a footstool to get your left foot about 6" off the floor, to help hold the guitar. I confess I’ve never had a footstool, but I sort of stand on tippy toes on my left foot the whole time. I’ll often rest my left heel on a chair leg or caster. Sitting correctly makes a big difference, and it’s not obvious like on a piano!
That’s called “hybrid picking.” It’s a compromise too, because normally one doesn’t use the pinky; using it causes your hand to scrunch up too much for the other fingers to work well. It’s eschewed for most classical styles like Segovia method for example.
But some cats sure can make it work. I have a hard time with it because the scrunching is exacerbated by my swing-style picking, with the pick lower on my index finger than you’d see say a jazz player normally use. When I hold the pick in a more common style, not only do I lose strength and the ability to dig in deep, it also makes palming strings more difficult because I can’t get the heel of my hand parallel to the bridge.
When it comes to technique, there are so many compromises it’s crazy. That’s why I think it’s best to get a good instructor to establish good picking habits to begin with.
Fingerstyle per-se is a bit easier; you can pretty much learn the most important stuff from a book, either classical style where the thumb is nearly perpendicular to the strings, or what I’d call “country style” where the thumb is nearly parallel (which works best with a thumbpick). I use a hybrid of these, but mostly because I’m a bit lazy and the country style is a lot easier (but offers far less tonal range and control). That despite that I don’t generally use a thumb pick, because I use a number of picking patterns where my thumb plays more than just the bass part; it “joins in” on the non-bass rhythmic parts, and if it sounds dramatically different than the other fingers (as it would with a thumb pick) it messes up the tune.
Definitely get a clip-on tuner, but while you’re waiting, get a tuner app for your smartphone. Then you’ll have it whenever you lose or forget your clip-on tuner.
I use DA-Tuner on Android. I only tried two and it was the one I preferred.
I’m still looking for a tuner that shows a beat light like the classic Sabine tuner (not a strobe like a strobe tuner). The “beat light” lights up with the amplitude of the combined reference signal and sound from the guitar, and most closely approximates, visually, what we listen for when we’re tuning by ear.
Also learn a bunch of methods to tune by ear, later. For now, stick to the tuner and be thankful. As a fussy tuner, I love guitar tuners; before them, most amateur guitarists were rarely in good tune. Now they all are (close enough, anyway).
Tuning an instrument before playing is very very very very important. If you don’t have prior musical experience, you need to get accustomed to hearing the right sounds.
Personally speaking, I think musicians should be comfortable both sitting and standing, so I would recommend doing both. As an aside, having a big belly, I have to use a strap no matter what, or the guitar gets away from me.
Just FYI, the majority of left-handers play instruments the “right-handed” way.
One final piece of needed equipment. You won’t need it for at least a couple months because Justin doesn’t teach the metronome until Stage two, the fifth lesson.
He teaches with a Korg-Ma 30. You can find them on Ebay used for $14. There’s a newer model on Amazon. Korg-MA1 But read the Amazon reviews. There’s mechanical issues with the power on/off button. I decided to get a used Korg MA 30. I bought two from Ebay. One for home and one that I keep in my guitar bag. Used them for 10 months and there’s no issues at all with any of the buttons.
One of my improvements. is adding a pocket sized amplifier. The Metronome doesn’t get very loud and can be very hard to hear if you are strumming. I’ve heard of guys hanging it around their necks. No joke. Just to hear it. I got a rechargeable JBL amplifierfor $22 (sale price). Tiny little thing, but gives lots of volume. No power cord to mess with. Goes right in my guitar bag with my metronome. I also use it with my mp3 player to listen to and learn songs. Recharge it with any standard USB charger.
Sorry for rambling on. I just went through this process in the last year and wanted to pass on what worked for me. But, every student will have their own process.
Justin also suggests as an option mobile app metronomes. I’d go with that until you decide you really need a standalone metronome.
I know the OP asked for free online resources, but I thought I’d share a bit of my experience in case it’s helpful.
One thing I did when I started was to take a group class for beginners; found one at the Boston Center for Adult Education. I don’t know where you live, but there might be something similar nearby. I just wanted to make sure I didn’t pick up any bad habits from the start, and to get some practice exercises. I played a different instrument before, so I knew the basics about pitch, rhythm, reading music, etc. It was interesting to be in a class with people who had no music background at all.
I tried a couple of beginner guitar books as well, and got something out of them.
I’ve been playing Rocksmith quite a lot, and really enjoy it. I hope I haven’t been relying on it too much. I’ve been trying to mix up my practices among lead, rhythm, and bass (it can emulate that with the lower four strings on a standard guitar) and with a variety of songs. It does seem to be helping my technique, and the lead part on Wipeout gave me a reason to learn the E-shape barre chords.
Ah, the detailed jargon of the Guitar Geek. I’m home.
You guys are discussing some pretty Inside Baseball stuff for our OP’s beginner thread. At this point, getting a good dry strum rhythm and one or two circular chord patterns to work on chord changes is the way to go
I played with a pick for 35 years, moved to Hybrid a couple of years ago, and put down my pick a few months ago. Haven’t looked back. I am 100% self-taught so couldn’t tell you what style. No finger or thumb picks - I do pseudo-flamenco strummy stuff using the backs of my nails, and use the fleshy bit to pick the strings. Having a great fingerstyle guitar, to me, really helps. Wider neck + bigger string spacing; smaller body with a balanced tone; super fast response. So immersive.
I’ve played for about 40 years now, started out just using my thumb to play simple melodies. I’m also self-taught, and now I play mostly with a Knopfler type finger style, with the thumb and fingers going wherever is necessary. I haven’t put down the pick, though. It’s useful for rhythm playing and Big Solos with lots of pinch harmonics and such. I still prefer the finger picking, and when I play in bands, that’s usually what I’ll do. It’s just such a versatile and precise way to pick - for me.
To the OP: Lessons are important, but you will learn a lot playing along with records, videos or just playing your guitar while watching tv. I will often pick up a guitar while watching tv and just noodle - trying to play along with incidental music or commercials or whatever.
I learned how to play with a pick, but through sheer laziness (I could never keep a decent supply of picks handy) I played finger-picking/claw/flamanco style for years. Recently I switched back to picks – I like the ones with the “cat’s tongue” texture on them (I’m trying to re-perfect my pick-squeal).
But, here’s what I believe is the best advice any beginner guitar player can receive (I’ve said it before, and I’m saying it a again): Find someone to jam with … some to show you a thing or two. A) its the best way to study and learn technique, and 2) guitar players always love to show you what they know … you’ll get so much information without even trying if you just sit next to some other guy playing a guitar and say, “how did you play that?”