Anyone learning to play the guitar?

[Deborah 55]

.........MY ADVICE??.........start learning when your 10 or 11 like my grandson........he's absolutely amazing.......on piano and guitar and sax.........(not bragging or anything)

[Praise Warrior]

I only do Christian music (I only sing/play for Jesus) and most of it's praise choruses/worship. Other than that I do some hymns, a tiny bit of Christian rock although probably less than other areas), some Hebrew Christian/Messianic music, some Southern Gospel, a bunch of 1970s Jesus Music, etc. There is a lot of music I really like (especially the Jesus Music and Messianic music) which is really hard to find so I've been wanting to work on finding/writing out chords just by listening. The Messianic music is definitely the hardest.

I haven't played guitar in a long time, it's the end of the semester and I'm absolutely and totally swamped with schoolwork and working 24/7 (literally) on it to get it all done. Even still, I don't know how it's going to happen. But I'm looking forward to the summer when I'll be doing some worship training and a lot of playing.

[Kliska]

.........MY ADVICE??.........start learning when your 10 or 11 like my grandson........he's absolutely amazing.......on piano and guitar and sax.........(not bragging or anything)

Yeah...it's a little late for some of us to start learning at 10 or 11. ;) :heh

At 10 or 11 I was "rocking out" my clarinet. :lol2

[fracturedInfinity]

Yeah...it's a little late for some of us to start learning at 10 or 11. ;) :heh

At 10 or 11 I was "rocking out" my clarinet. :lol2

Piano here. :wave :lol2

Wish I had kept up with it since then. :mope

[Kliska]

Piano here. :wave :lol2

Wish I had kept up with it since then. :mope

I had my choices for current mid-life instrument learning narrowed down to three; violin, guitar, or piano. Guitar won...but anything is better than clarinet. ;) hehehe, I'm not disparaging any fellow clarinet players, but c'mon...it's a clarinet. Piano is the instrument I wish my parents had made me learn when I was young.

[Wally]

Kliska!

As a Benny Goodman fan.... well..... harumph! And there is no other way to start off Rapsody in Blue!

DS actually started on clarinet and did super, but the following year brought a new teacher who was somewhat hostile to homeschoolers and a hyper band participater - all or nothing. You miss a class you're out.


Well he is doing fine practicing drumming on anything now.

I started on violin and piano in elementary school. Stopped when they did not offer fiddle. Piano - well mom suffered enough. Took up the guitar and kept at it as a hobby. Banjo is about 6 years old....and I'm often tempted to get a base. I need to take the time for lessons, but like most adults, life gets in the way. Still the few years on a worship team really helped. Having a good leader who invites and encourages make a big difference. Especially when you hear how bad pros are after they miss a couple practices.

DD1 shied from the cello but watching her Josh Groban DVD gets her going again. And YoYo Ma helps too.

DD2 is pretty good on flute, but the guitar is taking over slowly. I think I start her with Brad Paisley tunes....... or maybe just the Allman Bros.

[turtle]

I bought an Ibanez today.

i would recommend learning to play with your pinky from the very start.
do finger exorcises to strengthen them.

[Kliska]

Ha! We only had regular ol' band, so no jazz numbers for me, or anything halfway exciting on the clari. I was good at it, and could read music really well. I need to get back to some of that...reading the music, not playing the clari. ;) :heh

Went to my teach's guitar recital tonight, the kids did wonderful! Many of them did Christian songs, and the atmosphere is always fun and uplifting. It does get discouraging seeing all the younglings playing things beyond me right now!

[Rebecki]

I had my choices for current mid-life instrument learning narrowed down to three; violin, guitar, or piano. Guitar won...but anything is better than clarinet. ;) hehehe, I'm not disparaging any fellow clarinet players, but c'mon...it's a clarinet. Piano is the instrument I wish my parents had made me learn when I was young.

I was a clarinet player from 5th grade through 10th grade. I enjoyed being a musician and have wished many times that I had continued with it. But life got in the way, got married, had a child, got divorced, got married, had another child, and work, work, work. Now I'm having my "mid-life" instrument moment too and the guitar won for me as well (I don't think there was any other competition though, except to pick up the clarinet again).

I'm amazed at how much music theory I had forgotten (pretty much all of it) and how difficult it is to re-learn it. I mean, it's like a foreign language, none of it seems to make sense. Also, there's really only one way to play the clarinet, blow and cover the holes off and on, here and there. But guitar... WOW... there are so many ways to play the thing. I get overwhelmed.

[Deborah 55]

............CLARINET PLAYER HERE ,TOO......from fifth grade to graduation......also several years of piano........I kept up with clarinet a little since my dd and dgd both played and I "helped"......lol