OK, I started learning to play guitar four days ago.
Progress so far: I can play a couple chords and my fingers really hurt :rolleyes:.
Does anyone have any tips or advice?
Josh
Are you using a book, or taking lessons, or neither? My advice would be to do one or the other, preferably the latter so you don’t start bad habits right from the beginning. Other than that, have fun with it! Don’t get discouraged… and don’t be surprised when your fingers start to bleed (they will). You’re off to a good start by learning chords… start easy like C, G, D, Em, Am, etc… then try to fingerpick some arpeggios (the notes that make up the chords).
Don’t bend your left thumb behind the neck… keep it straight. And don’t touch the neck with the palm of your left hand. Good luck!
Learn all them chords, and build on them. You’ll just naturally learn your favorite songs. Do everything everybody tells you, but for long term, work on your strumming hand as well, cause that’s where you create the rhythm, the feel, the presence, of the piece you are playing. And practice hitting those strings going both up and down; it’ll be awkward at first, but wil pay off in the end. (I’m assuming you’re using a flatpick most of the time)
And don’t listen to people telling you absolutes. Do what feels good and sounds good. Jimi Hendrix played with his hand wrapped around the neck, and often used his thumb to fret the low E string. Unless you’re playing classical (and not necessarily even then) technique is a matter of comfort rather than rules. I’ve been playing for more than 20 years, have performed umteen-thousand times live in bars and at festivals, recorded 2 CDs with two different songwriters (giving my bona-fides as a decent player if not a good one), and I wrap my left hand around the neck. I’ve got big hands, I use heavy strings, and it gives me leverage.
In other words, play for the joy of it and don’t sweat the tiny technical details.
A tip I read in a book once and used for a while when I was playing a steel string is carry around a little file and use it on your fingertips – toughens them up faster than just playing and cuts down on the finger-bleeding.
…learn what finger positions will give you what notes on the neck. This is the best way to learn , and if I may suggest a website to help you get started: www.wholenote.com
Good luck and start workin’ on them callouses! 
Quasi (former drummer, now playing a cute li’l Takamine Jasmine)
Hey, another beginner checking in here.
What works for me…don’t stop, even if it cramps.
Just mess around, maybe have some friends show you a few things. It helps.
I just ran across This Book, and I was thinking about ordering it.
:eek:
For now I am just trying to learn some chords from online and getting tips from the two guys in my suite who play guitar. Lessons would probably be the best, but I dont know if I have time (also I am a cheap bastard)…
My current plan is to one day play Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here until bludgeoned to death by my roomate… 
Cool webpage, thanks.
Hey thanks for the tips, the STDMB rocks!
Josh
HA! I remember when I first started playing…I DID play until my fingers bled…and stupid me, I accidentally peeled my skin the first time…there’s goes a whole week of trying to build up tough skin…haha.
Anywho, yea like the others said, try to memorize all the major chords…well, there are 7 chords you should memorize first and you’ll be able to play like most of the songs around…I think they were…Em, C, G, D, Am, E, and A…
What guitar are you playing…acoustic or electric? The best way to build up tough skin (for me) was to stick with acoustic and develop my skills then move to electric (actually, I’ve never played an electric…dammit)…besides, you can play acoutic just about anywhere I guess tha’s about it for now…JUST KEEP playing… all day if you can…might hurt but it’s worth it 
Reoch
When you learn barre chords, that little muscle between the base of your thumb and the base of your index finger will hurt like hell.
For the fingertips:
Dissolve a teaspoon of alum in a small container of warm water. Dip your fretting hand in the water, and hold you hand fingers down until it dries. The water runs to your fingertips where the alum collects and dries, giving you the very good “placebo effect” and allowing you to continue your string-strangling.
Don’t trim your nails too short on your fretting hand. Your fingertips actually need some support.
Good luck.
What everybody else said. Also…
In addition to alum, I’ve heard you can get similiar results by dabbing rubbing alcohol on your fingertips.
If you want a quick and easy song to learn so you feel like you’re playing something, I like the main riff from Nirvana’s “Come as you are.” Real simple to play. Find a tab for it at any of the guitar tab websites. I like olga.net (You probably know this, but guitar tabs are a sort of shorthand notation for music. They’re not as expressive as real sheet music, but a lot easier for a beginner to read.)
You can play electric guitar anywhere you want, too, it just sounds like crap. Or you can get a practice amp that will feed to headphones.
Practice, practice, practice. My roommate who plays classical guitar says this is at least 90% practice. Don’t expect to get good fast. It will take a long time.
-Ben
I learned (some 10 years ago) with the help of the Complete Beatles song book. I’m not a beatles nut or anything, but i think that book is really helpful in that, if you learn the songs in chronological order, they get progressively more challenging as Lennon/McCartney became better musiciansanmd songwrights. there were little more than beginners in the early days too, and most of the songs are pretty simple I-IV-V blues riffs and what not. Later, by the time they got to Black Bird, etc… things get a little trickier, which makes you challenge yourself.
And since most of the songs are so popular as to be intuitive, you have a good idea of what they SHOULD sound like and whether you are doing it right.
Ther are of course a lot of others artists you could learn from, but i’ve always been impressed by the technical progression and the stylistic variety of the Beatles stuff. YMMV
in any case I would find an artist or a few artists whos work you know pretty well, and try to learn thier songs, it will give you a feel for how songs work, and the tricks musicians use to add texture and variety to thier compositions.
Alo in re; practicing, just do it! Keep the thumb straight, don’t cradle the neck in your palm and practice chords and scales untill it hurts a bit, and then keep going for another five minutes or so. Don’t hurt yourself, overplaying is a good way to get carpal tunnel syndrome. And buy a metronome or get some midi software that will click out the time for you. Learning to play in time is just as important as learning to hit the right frets.
Good luck, it’ll be worth the effort.
CJ
Hat and Josh: www.wholenote.com has a metronome as well as other stuff to help you with your practicing. You can tune there as well, and you can choose the sound of their strings, and also the speed with which a practice is played for you.
I love the site and the contributions from other guitarists.
HTH 
Quasi
PS: Hat, I also have The Complete Beatles, and I agree. Some of those chords still have me stumped