Puberty was very vague. I literally locked myself in a room and played guitar.”
Okay – The Guitar is one Damsel most men would love to Seduce! And why not! And who cares if you can’t play a single song! Just holding it in your hands and strumming it in your solitary moments is so much fun! Waise bhi kaunsa Rockstar banha hai bhai? :)
So just don’t bother about your age, friends and give a damn to what society tells you! You ain’t ever old enough for the Guitar! And yeah the usual clichéd saying – Better late than ‘whatever’! And trust me – Even if you don’t intend to play it, still buy one! – It’s doubles up as a wonderful piece you could show off in your home
SO moi thought just post some experiences on my Honeymoon which didn’t go that well :(
To play the guitar, first you need is the Guitar! Hey na Bright Idea? :P Okay to begin with one needs to go in for an acoustic guitar! It’s basically the bigger guitar which is made of wood. Have a look at the Pic! And also please have a look at the parts of the guitar and it’s nomenclature.
Which Guitar is Good? – Okay it’s like saying which cricket Bat is good. Get the drift? You basically have to walk into a music shop, hold the guitar and see for yourself! And trust me entering a Musical Instrument shop is the beginning of the experience. You could get Decent 6 string Acoustic Guitar between Rs 3000-5000. Many Indian brands come cheaper @ rs 1800 which is not much at all! Obviously the prices of real good ones could go up to Rs 15,000 and some signature collections could cost you a Lakh! So you could start off with a Rs 3-4k Guitar! Brands – gb&a is a decent one!
Semi Acoustic – This is a guitar that is otherwise “Acoustic” but can be connected to an “Amplifier” – Which basically equipment that amplifies the sound of the Guitar! Don’t bother buying the Amplifier now..
Ideally I would suggest a Semi-Acoustic Guitar with an inbuilt Tuner for beginners! Inbuilt tuners are nothing but small electronic aids with which you could tune your guitar. Just play a string and the Tuner would let you know whether it’s at the right frequency!
Other essential stuff –
Get a 2-3 Picks/Plectrums – It’s basically the thing with which you strum the guitar
Get an extra pack of Strings! - This is very essential. I just broke my sixth string! :(
Get a electronic tuner (if the Guitar doesn’t have an inbuilt one)
Now once you bought it what do you do? Jump in the pool! Yeah I’m serious! It makes sense when u struggle & swallow some chlorine! Get used to the water! Basically just start strumming! Start hitting each string and get used to the sound etc. In a nutshell just have some alone time and have fun!
Then move to some serious work – About.com is a great place to start and so is cyberfret! There are certain very basic chords that one needs to learn and trust me anyone can play these chords! Here’s the link. Keep practicing these chords and their changes for a half an hour a day....So just start "getting used to your Guitar"
Cus trust me when we play it the first time your fingers would hurt bad! Till the point the form calluses which takes about a week. And if your fingers hurt too much don't play as you run the risk of a bruise. Also try and stick to the basic chords and don't try the Bar chords or power chords! You might end up real frustrated! Give her time and be slow and nice to her!
Again most would be looking for a tutor. I wouldn’t suggest a paid service right upfront. – I’ll tell you why! There are certain aspects like your Fingers hurting, about strumming, about just getting a feel/rhythm of your guitar which your tutor can’t do much about!
Once you’ve practiced some guitar chords and comfortable with chord changes, then u could try some songs. And it’s very important to learn how to Read Guitar Tabs. Please check this link.
