# How Did You Learn To Play?



## Steadfastly

I am interested in learning how people learned to play guitar. The poll provides more than one answer (multiple choice) if you used a couple of different methods. It would be nice to hear your stories about your learning process as well.


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## puckhead

kind of a mix of all of that.

I too a few lessons as a kid (8 yrs old maybe?) basically learned the open chord shapes and notes on the first five frets. Didn't stick with it, though.

Fast forward to my teen years, when someone gave me a copy of the tablature for Randy Rhoads' "Dee". It took me about 6 months to learn a passable version of that from scratch. I figured if I could do that, I could learn anything.

I never too lessons after that, if I wanted to learn a song, i'd look for tabs or youtube lessons.
My theory is still a heck of a lot weaker than I wish it was.

for the purpose of the poll I picked self-taught


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## IzeTheGuitarGuy

The best way to learn guitar in my opinion is go to a teacher for maybe a year or until you know enough theory and some technique then learn on your own. I went to lessons for longer than i really needed to because my techers were only teaching me songs and technique and not the things i really wanted to know. i'm 15 and have been playing for 3yrs and learneed a lot more when i knew enough theory and then quit lessons a few months back and im a much better player and i play more


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## GuitarsCanada

My own experience was.... took lessons for about a year. But I knew from the start that I was only ever going to play for my own enjoyment and at most get together with a few others to fool around. I had and have no time to ever play in a working band. So knowing that I quickly concluded that the easiest and fastest way for me to get playing was to switch to tab and get myself some backing tracks. The ones that I found to be the best were from lick library. They are an outfit out of the UK. You can get the downloads online. As well, they are tied in with Guitar Techniques and Total Guitar magazines. You can purchase these mags and cd's at most big book stores here in Canada.

They come with at least 3-4 tunes fully tabbed each month. On the CD you will get a full track including the guitar parts and then a track with the guitar part deleted so that you can play along with the song. The songs are done by professional musicians and are not synth. 

That is essentailly the way I learned to play. The thing I also found along this journey was that guitar is largely feel. You can read a note but playing it to match a piece of music you are trying to play can be difficult. That is why these backing tracks are so great. You can play along with the guitar included recording until you can duplicate the bends and tone. I am pretty much at the stage now that if someone throws some tab down in front of me it won't take me long to pick it up. Provided it's not Steve Vai or something.

Thats my story, and I'm sticking to it.


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## zjq426

I wanted to be a rockstar, so I grabbed a guitar and fool around with it, mostly I tried to play the tabs in a book or two, then I switched to GuitarPro. 1 years later I was going slowly...then I met an experienced friend, from whom I learned the basics and theres a leap. Now after almost 5 years of playing I found that I got loads of bad habits, and sometimes Im so frustrated and thought about giving up...then I think "damn, I should have learned from a pro".

In short, get a friend to start with, do your homework so you know a thing or two, then get a tutor to refine your skill (also your mind), work hard on your own. Most importantly, be active and have fun.


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## Budda

I took 4 years of lessons, and only wish that i hadn't been stubborn as I would have learned more stuff i can apply now to playing.


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## jimmy peters

i guess i really learned to play on the road, jamming with other guitarists.
before that 1 yr of lessons ,learned the first scale-low E to high A-then starting teaching myself.


jimmy


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## Mooh

At 14, after years of Conservatory piano, and formal voice and choral lessons, I literally sat down on the piano bench and compared notes on the guitar to those on the piano. My sister had given me her guitar so I tuned it to Dad's piano (which was a semi-tone flat), found some major and minor scales, triads, etc. I wrote everything out in bass and treble clefs, piano style, not knowing it wasn't the convention, with tips written in the margins for what strings things were on, including the alternate fingerings. Using these, I then figured out some melodies, my first being Greensleeves in G minor, and then House Of The Rising Sun in D minor. A friend's older brother showed me the Animals version of House Of The Rising Sun with arpeggiated chords in A minor. Armed with those chords, my scales, and some idea of improvisation (I grew up singing and whistling improvised melodies all day long, so it wasn't a stretch), I found my own way on the instrument.

Along the way I picked everyone's mind, my Dad's for theory (he was a musician), visiting and touring musicians, church organists, music store hangers-on, weaseled my way backstage to ask endless questions of performers, and read every page of every issue of Guitar Player magazine for years. There wasn't much on TV then, but whatever there was, I watched. GP magazine was fantastic for technique stuff back then. Once I started to play guitar with others, it all started to flow a lot better, and it accelerated as the bands and years went by. 

Normally I describe myself as self-taught, but nobody is truly self-taught because nobody lives in a vacuum without influences, nobody ignores all other music, nobody ignores what others are doing, playing, or how they do it. I never saw Leo Kottke play until YouTube, but he was a huge influence on my early playing. I did see Roy Buchanan in 1974, and he was a bigger influence. Segovia books, folk songs, Oscar Peterson, sight reading choral works...

Basically it all goes back to early years music training and builds on that.

Peace, Mooh.


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## jaymeister

I started in grade 10 after playing trumpet in concert band for about 5 years. I took classical guitar 2 times per week for 2 semesters in high school. That was over 25 years ago, but it was my foundation in guitar theory. The only other formal lessons I had was with a jazz instructor once per week for 6 months about 10 years ago. On the formal training, I'm likely due again.

The rest of my training are from tapes then cd's and videos...plus playing with others as often as I can. I have had the opportunity to keep my reading up by playing stuff other than rock for performance pieces.

I'd have to say that I should check all the boxes. I wish I had more time to practice. My dream is still to shred.


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## Deef

I picked up the guitar and spent like 1000 hours learning Metallica riffs, then about 5 years later went into theory. It really helped my playing after I had a lot of the techniques down pat. A lot of people seem to improve a lot if they just play the music they want to play. Now that I play Country, I'm glad that I learned theory...


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## Lester B. Flat

I'm self taught and started playing when I was 12. There were no teachers that I knew of teaching guitar and certainly none that were teaching rock & roll, which is what I and every other kid wanted to play, because it was still being invented back then. I found all the major and minor triads by hunting for them by ear. Some guy showed me a bar chord and how to bend a string but I think I learned more from listening than watching other players. If I heard something I would go and "find" it on the guitar. I bought a chord book and learned some other chords and learned some theory in high school but I had already been gigging for three years by that time. Over the years I have learned a lot from playing with other players of all instruments because what you really are learning is music and not guitar. Actually, I'm still learning to play the guitar!


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## zontar

IzeTheGuitarGuy said:


> my techers were only teaching me songs and technique and not the things i really wanted to know.


How dare they teach you technique!!!!

Okay--seriously--technique is good to learn--important even.
Then after you've learned it you can use as much or as little as you like--because you've learned it and can play it that way if you have to.

When I taught I had students at times who were more talented than I am, but they lacked in the technique area--and that's where I usually focused with students that had a lot of natural ability.

Two in particular I remember being very talented, but lacking in technique--we zeroed in on certain techniques--and their playing improved incredibly.

A good teacher will not just teach you what you want to know--but also what you need to know. I always tried to balance those two things out--and I always saw students improving in the stuff they wanted to learn when their technique improved. 

I saw a lot of frustrated students who only worked on the stuff they wanted to do, and not on technique. They struggled. And I was one of those students as well at one point.

First learn the rules--then break them if you wish.


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## Big_Daddy

When The Beatles first album came out in '64, I was hooked. My dad's old May Bell guitar was hanging on the wall in the basement and when I got home from school, I'd strap it on, "plug" into my "amp" (the de-humidifier) and "play" along to their songs. I didn't know a note and just plucked along. My brother bought me a cheap, (I think $15) no-name electric guitar at the Wallaceburg Fair. We had one of those big old wooden radios laying around and I wired a phone jack across the 2 outside terminals of the volume control, and, voila, had a real amp. My dad had some old music books laying around with chord charts in them and I taught myself how to play them and picked out the melody lines by ear. (To this day, I can't read a note of music.) I drove everyone in the house nuts because I wouldn't take the guitar off, even for dinner. I did my homework with it strapped on and literally played it til my fingers bled (it was the "Summer of '65"!). I was soon ready to move up to better gear and got a summer job so I could pay for a '65 Fender Mustang and a Silvertone amp from the Sears catalogue. I had a friend who got some drums and we got together in his bedroom to make some noise. Then we added another guitar player, a keyboardist and finally a bass player who didn't know a note. We learned some tunes, called ourselves Dow Jones & the Industrials and threw a dance at the local community hall. I had virtually no influences on my playing until about 1967 when my cousin Lynne from Sarnia started dating this guy named Kim Mitchell. He had a band called the Grass Company and when I went out to see them play, I was blown away. I picked Kim's brain, watched every note and chord he played and even went to a few of his rehearsals. I wound up buying my first Fender amp from him, an old Super Reverb. That was when things really started to happen for me. I got turned on to the Yardbirds (with Eric Clapton), the Stones, then Led Zep, Cream and all the other British bands. I also found a couple of other good players and we jammed and jammed and jammed...and then we jammed some more. So, I chose "self-taught" as how I learned to play.......... but I had a lot of help.:smile:


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## Mooh

When starting, and any other time, it helps not to have any style bias, for what it's worth.

Peace, Mooh.


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## lbrown1

I answered "other" as I used and still use all the methods listed in the poll.

I picked the guitar up at age 35 when my oldest daughter decided to buy a set of drums.....it's been an absolute blast since


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## elizard

Just started learning (after somewhat of a failed attempt 10+ years ago), and so far I'm learning through the wonders of the internet through reading articles and watching videos. I do plan on taking a few lessons when I have some more free time/money, to make sure I'm on the right track, and of course learn new things. I do wish I had more time for it though, especially now, as I don't get a chance to play it nearly as often as I do. That should change as the weather cools off, and I lock myself inside for the very long winter.


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## EGBDF

Self-taught.
I took a handful of lessons with a couple of different teachers and they completely turned me off of guitar. I had no interest in copying or wanking like Wingvee or EVH...
which is all they were offering (shame).

A year later, I picked up my guitar and went from there.
I'm not a technical, soloing, blooz-likz monster, but I'm definitely a "creative" player. 
kkjuw


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## John Bartley

When I was a kid in the early '60's (yup, I'm an old guy), I watched as my Dad repaired the parlour guitar that he'd had as a kid. He had to replace the top and back. I still have that guitar, and he probably bought it out of the Eatons catalogue in the 1940's.

He also had an early '60's Silvertone western style acoustic (F-holes and a floating pick guard) that I used to "pluck" at when he'd let me. I also kept that one, and only recently gifted it to a niece who was taking lessons.

I started working when I was about 13, and the next year or two I went down to Gervais music on Cumberland (?) Street in market area of Ottawa and bought a brand new 1973 model Roderich Paesold P130 acoustic. I couldn't afford to buy a case, so my Mother sewed up a cloth case from some left over tent canvas that was lying around. I still have the P130, but not the case (which I regret).

Long story eh?....

My Dad was self taught from some "Nick Manloff" method books, and he passed them along to me and I taught myself some simple notes and chords and was doing ok, then life intervened...

Sooooo ..... self taught I guess.

cheers all

John Bartley

PS: after buying the RP130, and before leaving home a couple of years later, I had bought what I'm pretty sure was an Egmond guitar also from Gervais Music. It was a cherry sunburst semi-acoustic. similar in style to an Epiphone Casino. I sold it before I left home, and I wish I could find another one.... It was a cheap guitar, but I really enjoyed it.

Edit : I'm pretty sure my Egmond was an "Egmond Princess"


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## ezcomes

should've read some of these before i voted...i went with other...

when i was 15 i was told i had to learn an instrument...drums were out...and since my dad had an acoustic i just said guitar...

i took lessons for about a yr and half...had to learn to read music...all the basic's...but then once i had chords learned, and started asking questions about theory i had my teacher confused so i quit...started learning by doing...

i know scales, i don't have blazin speed (but i don't want that) and i still work to understand how some of them work together...but i can play...

for the most part, i'd get home put on the song i wanted to learn and figure it out...the longer i did that the better i got at it...in college i had friends that played that would get p***ed off when i'd put muchmusic or mtv on and jam along, figuring the songs out as they went along...

besides...i think all of us can attest that the guitar is something that you will always learn something new on every day...the day you stop learning something new is the day they bury you


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## Skndstry

Didn't learn until I was 33. I had always played harp and sang. My best friend Reg played guitar. We jammed together once a week for seven years and gigged now and again on weekends.

He died in a motorcycle wreck. His brother, only a couple of years older, gave me one of his guitars. It took awhile for me to get up the nerve and get over the hurt to pick it up, but I did. I went out to Doug's, and he taught me the chords to Sweet Virginia. 

Turns out that because I sang and knew so many songs, figuring out the chords and what ought to come next was pretty intuitive. 

But I'm not really a guitar player. Over six years later we still jam. I LOVE playing guitar, I'm quite a bit smoother, and I've got a pretty mean right rhythm hand that can keep up with those nasty, fast bluegrass and celtic tunes. 

But I'm still an open chord acoustic player and play mostly to accompany myself singing and writing songs. 

I wish I was better at it, and I'm pretty sure I have a whole slew of bad habits. But whatever - three chords and the truth man!


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## cheezyridr




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## Jim DaddyO

If you ask my better half, she will tell you that I didn't!


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## zontar

Jim DaddyO said:


> If you ask my better half, she will tell you that I didn't!


You could probably get some people to say the same about me.
At least when I was younger.

:smile:


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## praga37

*How I learned the guitar...*

A neighbour taught me how to use a fork tuner to tune the A String since I kept on breaking my strings as a result of overtuning. Using a fork tuner is great since it taught me early on to train my ear on tuning technique. I also remember that my dad game me an old Fifties booklet with a Cowboy on the cover and depicting the standard minor and major chords ( I should have kept this booklet). One of the 1st songs I practiced (with satisfying results - LOL) was House of the Rising Sun. After that, everything came up through jamming with friends who knew more stuff than I did and, thirty some years later, the guitar is still the best therapy for me. Ace Frehley from Kiss made me "wanna play hard rock"; he is still one of my main influences. Speaking of influences, I can say I have a broad view of guitar playing and techniques. As I said, I still enjoy simple riff from guys like Ace though I got much of my finest technical stuff from guys like Steve Howe and Randy Rhoads, just to name a few... Guitar playing is a never-ending quest for knowledge, now isn't it? Since a few years, I dig a lot of blues stuff also, Clapton, King, Vaughn, etc. as well as finger style stuff on acoustic :smilie_flagge17:


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## Steadfastly

I am quite surprised at how many are self-taught. I thought more would have been taught by an instructor.


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## warse22

Wow, a lot of self-taughts! 

I had my RCM Grade 8 on piano when I started learning guitar, so while I am "technically" self taught I really just transferred the theory from a keyboard to a fretboard. As far as technique though...all me! :smile:


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## cheezyridr

actually, jimi hendrix appeared to me repeatedly in dreams, giving me lessons. 
unfortunately in the dream we both had 9 fingers on each hand so alot of what he showed me doesn't really apply


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## mhammer

I had a $25 Stella flat-top guitar, from mid-1963 to early 1964, and would listen to the radio, trying to find one or two notes that were "good" for a whole Beatles song. That would expand to learning riffs like the one used in "Kicks" by Paul Revere and the Raiders, and the chords to what was just about everyone's first tune, "House of the Rising Sun". I went for two lessons from a guy across the street, but his landlord downstairs worked the night-shift, and slept - or tried to - during the day. Following the 2nd lesson, the landlord confronted me and threatened to break my guitar in the driveway. So much for lessons. Shortly thereafter, I got a Mel Bay book at Miracle Mart for 59 cents and learned chords.


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## PaulS

Started with a Mel Bay chord book and then continued by ear. I also have gathered a good background in musical theory over the years.


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## david henman

...i learned to play using three basic methods:

1. chord manual and songbook

2. watching guitarists at local shows and memorizing their fingering

3. trying to play along with the ventures LPs - instrumental surf music

-dh


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## cheezyridr

the ventures were totally awesome.


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## Steadfastly

mhammer said:


> I had a $25 Stella flat-top guitar, from mid-1963 to early 1964, and would listen to the radio, trying to find one or two notes that were "good" for a whole Beatles song. That would expand to learning riffs like the one used in "Kicks" by Paul Revere and the Raiders, and the chords to what was just about everyone's first tune, "House of the Rising Sun". I went for two lessons from a guy across the street, but his landlord downstairs worked the night-shift, and slept - or tried to - during the day. Following the 2nd lesson, the landlord confronted me and threatened to break my guitar in the driveway. So much for lessons. Shortly thereafter, I got a Mel Bay book at Miracle Mart for *59 cents *and learned chords.


It looks like you got more than your $0.59 cents worth!


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## ThePass

I'm far from old (36) but when I started there was no internet, youtube or any other way to learn a song but to sit in your room and play the records ~ yes, lol records ~ over and over again.....then the odd "Guitar for the Practicing Musician" mag would transcribe a song I wanted and opened the world of tab to me....

I'm pretty much self taught, although I have been on the fence for some time to find a teacher would could open the door for me to modes.....break me outta my pentatonic box, so to say.


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## marcos

*How did i learn to play*

I was fortunate that i had a friend and he was playing his brothers Jazzmaster in 1964. Learn a lot of golden oldies on that great guitar.Later on in the 70's,i bought one and regret selling it to this day.We played at our elementary school 
dances and recitals. I get emotional when i think about those days.:smilie_flagge17:


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## Steadfastly

marcos said:


> I was fortunate that i had a friend and he was playing his brothers Jazzmaster in 1964. Learn a lot of golden oldies on that great guitar.Later on in the 70's,i bought one and regret selling it to this day.We played at our elementary school
> dances and recitals. I get emotional when i think about those days.:smilie_flagge17:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBjPzkYYVNU


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## bw66

I took lessons for about four years, but also spent a lot of time jamming and learning from friends. Later I realized that the theory that my teacher tried to implant into my head was more important than I had realized, so I went back and studied theory again.


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## eric_b

I wanted to take guitar lessons at the age of 6, but my Mom, a professional pianist, insisted I learn piano first. So I let her try to teach my keyboards for 2 years, and the she finally relented and let me take guitar lessons. 

After 1.5 years of private guitar lessons I found I was pointing out my instructor's mistakes in music theory, so I quit private lessons. So then I just played my guitars, a lot, solo and with friends. That was about 30 years ago.

Since then I've used instructional books, videos, CD's/DVD's, anything that I think might be interesting and useful. I try out new styles, instruments, anything that catches my interest. Still practice scales, do finger stretching exercises, and play until my fingers hurt, or I can't hold the steel anymore. I just like to play the damn things.


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## metallica86

Guitar pro is my best friend and teacher, never take lesson before but really want to get one


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## Tybone

*How Did I Learn?*

14 Years of Lessons starting at the age of 7. Classical, Ontario Conseratory, jazz and rock all with the same guy (Dave Battler). I was also taking piano, violin and conservatory theory at the same time.

After that I could pretty much pick up riffs and songs and things just by listening to them once or twice. (came in very handy in the studio). I have been playing for about 42 years now and it's still a fun ride! (especially with those who don't know I play).

Larry


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## keithb7

When I was about 5 or 6 I placed my dad's big acoustic across the 2 arms of the big chair in the living room. I still remember my parents smiling. I knew nothing but enjoyed the sounds I could make. When I was probably 11, a few years later my folks got me a small cheap,student sized acoustic. The kind in the Sears catalog. My dad started me on 12 bar blues rhythms in the key of A. That went on for a long time, where he had me playing rhythm while he'd solo'd. I got bored of it within a year needed more of a challenge. They signed me up for lessons. I took one and learned nothing as I was so stubborn I could not open my mind enough to learn to read music. I never took another lesson, just 1. Now I was hitting 13. There was no internet but there was guitar magazines with tab! Holy cow. I was hooked. I taught myself tab and then all of a sudden I was learning the songs that my generation loved. Dad and I still played the blues but I was now quickly getting better than him. He got me into the Ventures, Duane Eddy, Chuck Berry and the like. Tab carried me through my teen years and well into my 20's. I still have a mountain of tab mags in the basement today.
I eventually dropped the tab and played more by ear, worked on some theory and in the last 7 years studied the CAGE theory. That opened up the entire guitar neck for me literally. I could finally solo now in almost any key, however I was always in minor pentatonic. I am sorta still stuck there in the minor pentatonic rut. I am happy with my technique and theory to date (I'm now 38) but am now looking for the next challenge. I still do enjoy playing with my dad today and I am very grateful for the appreciation he taught me about 50's and 60's music. I still love to play it today. Along with some early Van Halen of course! 
Now it seems I am hooked on Blues and Blues/Rock type of music. One day when I finally have more time, when the kids are grown up and I'm retired I plan to live somewhere close to a blues bar. I want to be up there every Sunday afternoon jamming and still learning a few licks from other players. It's a lifetime of learning and improving with the guitar. I'll be at it for as long as I can!


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## Steadfastly

keithb7 said:


> When I was about 5 or 6 I placed my dad's big acoustic across the 2 arms of the big chair in the living room. I still remember my parents smiling. I knew nothing but enjoyed the sounds I could make. When I was probably 11, a few years later my folks got me a small cheap,student sized acoustic. The kind in the Sears catalog. My dad started me on 12 bar blues rhythms in the key of A. That went on for a long time, where he had me playing rhythm while he'd solo'd. I got bored of it within a year needed more of a challenge. They signed me up for lessons. I took one and learned nothing as I was so stubborn I could not open my mind enough to learn to read music. I never took another lesson, just 1. Now I was hitting 13. There was no internet but there was guitar magazines with tab! Holy cow. I was hooked. I taught myself tab and then all of a sudden I was learning the songs that my generation loved. Dad and I still played the blues but I was now quickly getting better than him. He got me into the Ventures, Duane Eddy, Chuck Berry and the like. Tab carried me through my teen years and well into my 20's. I still have a mountain of tab mags in the basement today.
> I eventually dropped the tab and played more by ear, worked on some theory and in the last 7 years studied the CAGE theory. That opened up the entire guitar neck for me literally. I could finally solo now in almost any key, however I was always in minor pentatonic. I am sorta still stuck there in the minor pentatonic rut. I am happy with my technique and theory to date (I'm now 38) but am now looking for the next challenge. I still do enjoy playing with my dad today and I am very grateful for the appreciation he taught me about 50's and 60's music. I still love to play it today. Along with some early Van Halen of course!
> Now it seems I am hooked on Blues and Blues/Rock type of music. One day when I finally have more time, when the kids are grown up and I'm retired I plan to live somewhere close to a blues bar. I want to be up there every Sunday afternoon jamming and still learning a few licks from other players. It's a lifetime of learning and improving with the guitar. I'll be at it for as long as I can!


Nice story Keith. Thanks for sharing it with us!


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## ed2000

Got a Mel Bay instructional book with the Silvertone archtop guitar at Sykes Music Store. Also tried playing along to the radio...1050 CHUM in the mid 60's


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## Stratin2traynor

I haven't learned to play yet, I'm in the gear acquisition phase. Once I have everything I need, THEN I will learn to play. LOL!


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## Tybone

Saw this guy outside of my school one November day (in 1967). He was flogging lessons at the Ontario Conservatory of Music. I read the flyer while I walked home for lunch. Accordion....no.....Piano.......no......Guitar....now that sounds promissing! I had already gotten a Monkeys album and The Best of the Mama's and the Papa's from my parents for my 7th birth day and the opening riffs from "Last Train to Clarksville" and the "California Dreaming" clearly had an effect.

To cut a 40+ year story short. Took lessons for 12 or so years from a guy named Battler (a superb teacher). Jazz training got derailed by The Cream and ended up playing in bands since 1972 on and off. Love the fact that I can read an write cuz my Sifu was big on theory. I'm scared of tabs though but I received fantastic ear training so, much to the detriment of my reading, I can play by ear fairly well.


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## Steadfastly

Stratin2traynor said:


> I haven't learned to play yet, I'm in the gear acquisition phase. Once I have everything I need, THEN I will learn to play. LOL!


I am very sorry to bring you this sad news Strat, but you will NEVER be out of the gear acquisition phase. Even when there's no extra money for it, you'll still be planning in the back of your mind.


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## Steadfastly

Tybone said:


> I'm scared of tabs though but I received fantastic ear training so, much to the detriment of my reading, I can play by ear fairly well.


I don't know how you guys do it! I've tried playing with my ears and they get so sore after just 5 minutes or so that I can hardly stand it. I find they end up bleeding all over my guitar before they get callouses like my fingers.:rockon:


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## flashPUNK

I took 5-6 yrs of private lessons. Got my Gr 5 royal conservatory diploma for classical guitar - I've retained nothing from that, actually, I really believe that I never learned anything from playing classical guitar, except proper fingering and general knowledge of the neck. I think I learned the most from the 1 year of preliminary rudiments theory class I had to take for my gr5 diploma. (this was when I was about 13) I remember my teacher being the biggest [email protected], she actually made me cry once haha.

I wish I could go back and take more theory. I'd do it now, but money isn't always available!


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## blam

I'm self taught, using books and Internet. I took a couple months of lessons which has really helped wo my lead work. I plan to keep taking them.


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## Lemmy Hangslong

Grew up in a musical family in Newfoundland... I know who's is'nt on the Rock right 

Self taught by ear. One of the best things to come along was The Linear Drive Turntable... mine had an A-B feature so for the first time I could "dial in" on a part I was learning and "dial in" on it repeatedly... that was a huge thing... it saved time and improoved my ear.

Back in the 80's I wanted to learn all those popular Metal Licks so I got the entire Doug Marks Metal Method for Christmas when I was 15 ( I think ). It was helpful to a degree but in the end I went back to learning what I wanted to play by ear... I did'nt really stop anyways. The the CD player came out and the A-B feature was lightning fast!!! Then I got into developing my own licks and stuff... my goal started to be and has continued to be to develop my own style... was I successful... to a degree I guess... my other goal has allways been to have a great/recognizable tone, and to learn how to play with dynamics and to serve the song.

Cheers!


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## Jeff B.

I'm self taught. I got some books from the local library teach myself with and also bought some guitar magazines and tab books of some CD's that I liked.


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## ThePass

Ace Frehley taught me. Then as I grew older Eric Clapton showed me a few licks.


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## jeremy_green

As an almost entirely self taught player ( I was playing in bars before I ever took one formal lesson) I would like to offer up the following insight. I have been at it just shy of 30 years now. I do regret that I never found a mentor to learn with. Sure I did fine on my own, but through age I have come to realize certain observations.... If those were shared with me at a younger age it could have been huge for my development. I feel like I got sidetracked during the process and could have used a reset from time to time.

Teaching yourself is great... but learning from someone else's mistakes is killer! A balanced diet of the two would be ideal.


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## Razbo

I was 20 when I got my first guitar. My dad showed me D A and G and from there I learned using song books that still used the little grid with the dots to show the chord formation. Once I had lots of chords down, it was the endless playing/rewinding of cassette tapes to learn from recorded tunes. Tab was not yet popular back then, and to this day, I still do my learnin' from recordings mostly. CD's & MP3's have made that a lot more fun than wearing out cassette tapes


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## marcos

A few of us more mature players here are fortunate enough to have had so many influences when starting out back in the 60's. Think about it, on the radio all the time,Beatles,Stones,
Deep Purple, Led Zep, Clapton, Santana etc.. What a time it was.


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## bw66

marcos said:


> A few of us more mature players here are fortunate enough to have had so many influences when starting out back in the 60's. Think about it, on the radio all the time,Beatles,Stones,
> Deep Purple, Led Zep, Clapton, Santana etc.. What a time it was.


It seems that this is STILL what's on the radio all the time - damn baby boomers...


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## Petey D

I'm mostly self taught. One of my Buddies showed me how to play power chords, and another one showed me how to read tab. I took care of the rest on my own. I found some really helpful Youtube videos along the way too. I'm particularly fond of Damian Bacci's lessons as well as Jason Lee's offerings from 'Next Level Guitar.' I'm no virtuoso, that's for sure. I can only play three full chords, and I'm sure I'm frought with bad habits, but I'm happily bashing away, and steadily improving.


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## Jimmypaz

I checked "self-taught" but honesty requires that I admit that I started with a few formal lessons, and was taught a LOT of stuff by my buddy Rick Wadds (Rick Alexander) long before he started doing instructional DVDs.


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## Chubba

i put self-taught as well, but mostly in the sense that it was never really formally guitar instruction - had a borrowed classical guitar that i learned a few chords on at a local high school night class...i remember spending weeks trying to get a smooth transition from Em to C, or vice versa...lol

then learned every song from a couple of Beatles songbooks - these were borrowed too, and written for piano, with the chord names written above the staffs...lots of stuff in F and Bb - years later these songs became so much easier to play when I'd play along with a recording and go - that's in E? that's way easier! lol

then figured out some scales from high school music classes...the rest was from guitar magazines, players i played with...i find i learn best with a goal - like learning so many songs to play with such a band by a certain date..a couple of hiatuses slowed me down, but have learned a lot in the last 3 or 4 yrs by being more involved locally...the pressure of having to put myself in front of people to play something is a great motivator!


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## shoretyus

Petey D said:


> I'm mostly self taught. One of my Buddies showed me how to play power chords, and another one showed me how to read tab. I took care of the rest on my own. I found some really helpful Youtube videos along the way too. I'm particularly fond of Damian Bacci's lessons as well as Jason Lee's offerings from 'Next Level Guitar.' I'm no virtuoso, that's for sure. I can only play three full chords, and I'm sure I'm frought with bad habits, but I'm happily bashing away, and steadily improving.


Things surely changed huh... I was teaching a beginner today... Click click click between Youtube and a few other guitar sites.. made it way easier. Sure beats the hitting the correct groove on the LP or winding 8 track back ....


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## Latiator

I learned how to play guitar from my step-father who taught me G, C, D and F over a few bottles of beer on a new years eve. The rest, as they say, is history.


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## JimiGuy7

I told my Uncle I wanted to play, and he showed me everything I needed to know. 18 years later and I still can't put it down.


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## deadear

All of the above. Anyhow if I had to say the best learning tool out there is to go to Indigo and pick up the guitar handbook it is about 40 bucks but it is a fantastic refference book. I don't put a lot of faith in someone elses way of doing things because a lot of times it is wrong and it will only sidetrack you. If I fall on my face I did it to myself.
Top players are top players because they just got it. They were born with it, and they worked on it.


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## Robert1950

While performing the fish slapping dance, reading Kurt Vonnegut and skate boarding at the same time.


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## Spellcaster

Back in the 60's when I was a very young teenager I had an opportunity to fiddle with an acoustic guitar that someone had left at a friend's house. The next day I told my parents I wanted a guitar and started grimly saving. It took almost a year to get the 29.95 for the cheapest electric that Simpson Sears sold. I couldn't afford an amp but didn't care - I knew I wanted to play rock and roll, so I needed a solid body electric. When it finally arrived, it came with a Mel Bay book that showed me how to tune it and a few simple chords. The music that was in instruction books didn't interest me at all....No "Red River Valley" or "She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain When She Comes" for me....I wanted to learn Beatle music. I knew how to sight read music from singing in school, so I was able to transpose some of that knowledge to the fretboard. Only problem was, at that point, there weren't any popular music books....Even fake books with occasional chords diagramed over the lyrics didn't seem to exist for a couple of years. I ended up teaching myself, painfully playing along with records and occasionally finding something that worked. It took me three years to become a barely credible player ready for my first band. I've only ever learned by ear since then, and feel sympathy for musicians who are hopeless without sheet music in front of them.


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## Guest

ThePass said:


> I'm far from old (36) but when I started there was no internet, youtube or any other way to learn a song but to sit in your room and play the records ~ yes, lol records ~ over and over again.....then the odd "Guitar for the Practicing Musician" mag would transcribe a song I wanted and opened the world of tab to me....
> 
> I'm pretty much self taught, although I have been on the fence for some time to find a teacher would could open the door for me to modes.....break me outta my pentatonic box, so to say.


I just bought 5 lessons from the Blues With Brains series. You should check it out. I couldn't ask for better lessons to take my knowledge to the next level...


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## Roryfan

Stratin2traynor said:


> I haven't learned to play yet, I'm in the gear acquisition phase. Once I have everything I need, THEN I will learn to play. LOL!


Despite recent attempts at thinning the herd I still own more guitars than I know chords.

Took lessons for about 6 months then decided that the changes to Brown Sugar scrawled on a piece of cardboard wasn't worth $15, so guitar magazine tabs became my new teacher. Didn't retain enough theory from the clarinet & trumpet in Gr 7/8 to properly connect the dots on the guitar but dayum I've got good tone. Or at least expensive gear that sounds fantastic in the hands of a real player.


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## Robert1950

Also while hanging from a bungy cord attached to the bridge that we built between the two peaks of Kilimanjaro.


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## Simonstoneblues

Some lessons, an eight track and jamming. Then started to get into tunes as my dad wasn't so impressed with all that "aimless widdling"! I've never stopped! Lol


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## Steadfastly

Roryfan said:


> Despite recent attempts at thinning the herd I still own more guitars than I know chords.
> 
> Took lessons for about 6 months then decided that the changes to Brown Sugar scrawled on a piece of cardboard wasn't worth $15, so guitar magazine tabs became my new teacher. Didn't retain enough theory from the clarinet & trumpet in Gr 7/8 to properly connect the dots on the guitar but dayum I've got good tone. Or at least expensive gear that sounds fantastic in the hands of a real player.


Perhaps some of the free lessons here may be of help to you.

www.guitarscanada.com/theory-technique/39968-guitar-lessons-video-only


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## FrankyNoTone

Whoever invented the guitar was a sadistic SOB, but it appears that I've got masochistic tendencies  My left forearm and hard have been sore ever since I started to play ~ 3 weeks ago. I've had to add links to my watch either because my left wrist has gotten bigger and stronger or maybe I'm retaining water.

Anyways, I'm building up my muscle memory/skill by playing a handful of riffs over and over. Some mechanics like picking and scales are sometimes attempted but its mostly Day Tripper and La Bamba over and over again. When I get up to tempo, I'll arrange a death metal cover of them to play on my Ibanez RG.


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## blam

Roryfan said:


> Despite recent attempts at thinning the herd I still own more guitars than I know chords.
> 
> Took lessons for about 6 months then decided that the changes to Brown Sugar scrawled on a piece of cardboard wasn't worth $15, so guitar magazine tabs became my new teacher. Didn't retain enough theory from the clarinet & trumpet in Gr 7/8 to properly connect the dots on the guitar but dayum I've got good tone. Or at least expensive gear that sounds fantastic in the hands of a real player.


Haha. I feel the same way.


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## Morkolo

I'm self taught and learned to play by ear and then I used tabs to help out the process once I was made aware of them but I always found I learned more from breaking pieces down by ear.


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## aftermidnight

Well ...... for me, like most here ........ musical influences came from a multitude of sources ...... bits and pieces would come from family members, friends, high school band, songbooks, the odd formal guitar lesson, learning/stealing guitar riffs, etc., etc. ..... spread out over way too many years.

In hindsight, I wish I had got out playing with other people a lot sooner ...... for me, that’s when learning all about music seemed to really accelerate ..... and was certainly a lot more fun than struggling along on my own.


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## doriangrey

aftermidnight said:


> In hindsight, I wish I had got out playing with other people a lot sooner ...... for me, that’s when learning all about music seemed to really accelerate ..... and was certainly a lot more fun than struggling along on my own.


I agree - I think playing with other musician's is hugely important - I know guys who can sit there and play all kinds of impressive licks on the guitar but when you put them in a band situation with live drums and bass they lose it - they can't get into the groove and don't have any improv skills...it if you are a classical player and you are learning solo pieces then it's not so important to play with others but if you want to play in a band then you have to get out there and play with other people..without a net, so to speak ;o)

RE: learning to play - I picked self taught - anyone remember the magazine 'Guitar for the Practicing Musician'? I loved that mag - still the best guitar mag ever - I learned how to play readin that mag - I still have all the issues (probably at least 100) and refer back to them constantly...


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## loudtubeamps

I had the best teachers,bar none!
They even made house calls.
Drove my parents nuts..........over......... and over............. and over..............


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## bchaffin72

I'm entirely self-taught. Never took lessons. I was given a small acoustic by my great aunt and uncle who were big bluegrass/country players. I picked up introductory books and took it from there. Also played in two different bands for a while, so that gave me experience actually playing with others and developing good timing. I continue to study a wide range of styles to see what I can learn from them, but there's only a couple I play in regularly, blues and heavy metal.


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## SaviArt

Mostly you learn the guitar on your own but periodically it requires to share some knowledge with other people and also learn from them. If you play in front of someone else then you can get few tips to improve your playing. I learn it with the help of instructor then on my own


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## Waterloo

Self taught originally, took a couple of years with Adrian Jones in Waterloo which really improved my technique and awareness of the guitar neck. Do lot's of jamming now which is great for learning how to improvise on-the-fly.


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## mario

I started playing a looonnnggg time ago. I was lucky that I had a friend in high school who was REALLY good and would show me cool licks and chords. That being said these 2 albums were textbooks as far as guitar playing to me. There was a time where I knew every chord and lick from these albums. Literally wore them out. I always put a smile on my face when I'm out for a run with my ipod on shuffle and a track comes on from one these albums.

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## Short Circuit

4 years of lessons at The Royal Conservatory Of Music and the rest on my own.

Mark


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## leftysg

Took my sister's cheap Sears acoustic...turned it the other way and upside down...so now I play left handed with the strings set for a righty. Never bothered to change!


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## grooveyard

I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, my friend got an old acoustic guitar, and I was hooked. I got my own department store acoustic guitar and a book called "The Empire Guitar Method" which I mostly worked though. My Mom was musical and taking violin lessons at the time. She figured out the intro to "Purple Haze" and told me what notes to play. Later on I went to a really cool teacher in Victoria named Art Hall and he opened me up to bar chords and the concept of playing melodies within the chords. Other than that pretty much self taught. I've learned theory all along as well.


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## Percy

My mother showed me IV-V-I, Elvis and Led Zeppelin did the rest....tc Percy


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## OldGuitarPlayer

I went down to the crossroad at midnight and the devil tuned my guitar, gave it back to me and...voila!! Now I just gotta wait for the devil to collect on his part of the deal...kkjuw


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## nevernamed

I voted instructor, but I should elaborate.. I had lessons once a week for about 4 months, quit, and self taught everything after I had the basics to basically play a few songs and start learning by ear.


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## LanceT

Late to the party. 

Learned classical in grade 11 & 12 plus goofed off into my early 20's. Picked up a Mel Bay chord progressions book which ended up being the backbone of my learning. Played with a number of others particularly a girl into folk - she got me singing - a blues player & and a fellow with a strat in Edmonton, early eighties.

Things petered out around when I was maybe 23-24, moving to the West Coast, children, marriage, divorce, selling most of my gear, blah, blah. Through all this time I always had an acute love of music and constantly thought about playing. It took 25 years to finally pick the guitar up again and I find I am leaning on that Mel Bay book still.


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## loudspkr

Ah, this brings me back...

I grew up very close with my brother. He is 6 years older than I and we shared a room growing up so I was exposed to everything he was into, including his music collection and his interest in 90s alternative, grunge, classic records, etc.

When he entered highschool, he started playing the drums and formed a band and I thought it was just the coolest thing. What was even cooler was when I got to attend a jam session and play the instruments when they went out for a drink or a smoke.

I think my brother realized my interest in music early on and he encouraged me and my parents to get me a guitar. I think the first one I had was one of his band mates acoustic guitars. I think it was a fender acoustic for $20. Iearned a bunch of Nirvana riffs on it and that was a great start.

After my parents had been sufficiently persuaded, they gifted me my first electric guitar and I began lessons shortly there after at my local guitar store. A teacher there came highly regarded to us. He was a total 80s guy but was known around town as one of the most knowledgeable. I spent 5 years learning every song I had ever liked. I think teach was growing his musical tastes at the same time, because we both ended up learning a bunch of fingerstyle acoustic stuff.

This was all pre high school so when I got to grade ten guitar I completed aced it. I think my final grade was 100 percent lol. 

I've only got back to studying music lately with the pandemic but it's been awesome. So now I'm self taught but looking at the online teachers that are available.


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## 64phil

I started learning when I was 12 years old through the Ontario Conservatory of Music in St. Catharines, ON. Started out with hawaiian guitar but soon switched to spanish electric. I took lessons for about 5 years and got really good at reading music but never learned how to pick things up by ear. I played in a few bands in high school (60's rock) and then stopped playing for many years. Here I am at 72 years old and I don't think I have really learned much new since the early years. I keep trying but am really stuck in a decades old rut. Any suggestions?


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## bzrkrage

Mrs Russell has a Thursday afternoon group guitar lesson in the church Sunday-school room. 
6 maximum strumming chords toMelBays "Guitars in the Classroom"
I was 9.


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## Doug Gifford

I took conservatory piano for through grade & high-school. I was frustrated by the repertoire, which I wasn't familiar with, and the complete lack of improvisation. So when I took up guitar I was determined to do it on my own. I'll never know if that was a good choice.


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## Grab n Go

I still feel like I'm starting out.

Did beginner lessons at a local community centre at 13 and then started learning songs by ear. Started on acoustic and eventually electric. I was mostly self-taught for a few years. Started with alternative rock, then Zeppelin, Van Halen, Extreme. Learned it all badly.

Eventually I hit a wall and started taking lessons again at 16. I learned some SRV, finally understood scales, modes and some better chord voicings.

I continued learning on my own for over a decade. Really got into Robben Ford. Started playing in a funk/rock band. 

Hit another wall with my playing. Eventually found a teacher who filled in the gaps in terms of improvisation and jazz. That "taught me to fish" and that's what I'm doing today. Still fishing.


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## Robert1950

Robert1950 said:


> While performing the fish slapping dance, reading Kurt Vonnegut and skate boarding at the same time.


WTF was I on when I wrote this almost 10 years ago ?!?


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## Lincoln

Robert1950 said:


> WTF was I on when I wrote this almost 10 years ago ?!?


we were all wondering the same thing at the time.


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## zontar

Who said I've learned to play guitar?


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## zontar

(Yes I know I posted on this originally--but years change things)


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## brucew

I voted, "self taught", although I did have a couple lessons from a teacher who came to a nearby town and taught everything from guitar to trumpet. My sears guitar came with a basic chord book and while the young man tried his best he literally had nothing to teach me I already didn't know.
Later our local country school had a janitor who played in bands at the time and he graciously gave me a few lessons.
(btw, the school had a coal furnace; yes, it wasn't that long ago, he's the one that let me play, "shanty in an old shanty town" on his unforgetable gretsch hollow body)

What I wouldn't have given to have an instructor that could play some John Hurt and James Gang, or better yet, Bruce Cockburn and Buckingham Nicks.

Set the needle down, quickly try to find some notes, pick the needle up, try to transpose that note into the correct chord.....and with not knowing anything about alternate tunings beat your head against the wall, repeat.


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## evenon

starting playing when I was 17, played drums since 10, got tired of playing 4/4 rock ( 80s Metal era, I am of that vintage) and wanted to play bop era jazz, couldn't find anyone to play with, so I started playing guitar.

Completely self taught for most of the first 30 years I played except in the early 2000s took a music theory course for guitar players, pretty in depth one, before everyone was on the Internet. Had to print the lessons do them by hand and send tapes and completed lessons in the mail. Help my playing an awful lot.

In the last year, since the COVID lockdown, and one of the positives of this lockdown, I have been doing lots of and some times "any and all" lessons I can find. Currently doing a couple of TrueFire David Grissom courses and just last night stumbled across our very own member *dolphinstreet's *lessons/courses, very cool stuff.

After 30+ years of playing, I have improved a lot in the last year, truly never too late to learn. 

I watched our gig that was lived streamed in October, I usually have a hard time watching myself, but I really noticed how much I had improved. Sometimes you don't realize it while you are putting the work in.

And lastly.... I have been playing in a 3 piece with a drummer and bass player who have pushed me to get better. Nothing better than playing with people who are better than you.


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## Alan Small

as a person who rebelled and felt uncomfortable in every "classroom" and "teacher student" situation I chose to begin learning at the late age of 30, which is 30 years ago, by looking at videos of performers fingers on the fretboard...

singing complete songs guided my need for skill as an accompanyist...

now I have time and interest in bringing more melody into my playing and Whit Smith has been useful recently...here is a link to his youtube channel..

on a total aside I watch kevin breit videos for an eye and ear opener


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## zztomato

Making noise in the basement with friends. 
Also wore the grooves down on many records learning Jeff Beck and Santana and other guitar heroes. No tab back then. I think that was a good thing because I had to develope my own ears. Later on, when I became a bit more serious about learning, that ear development proved invaluable.


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## Guncho

Around the campfire with friends who were better than me. I would play the chords I knew and mute the strings on the chords I didn't know. After the song I would ask them to show me the chords I didn't know. If I played really badly, they would take the guitar away from me. At home I would practice the songs I had learned, over and over. Fast forward a few years to living in Vancouver and someone lent me an electric guitar and a Rockman. I formed a band as the rhythm guitarist, that band fell apart and when forming the next band, I met another singer songwriter who was awesome but was strictly a rhythm guitarist. Someone had to be the lead guitarist so I gave it a shot. With enough overdrive and a wah wah pedal, anything is possible! I didn't and still don't know any scales but through trial and error I seemed to have memorized enough patterns to play what I hear in my head. Playing sax for five years in high school helped with some theory.

What really helped me learn guitar was Neil Young. I remember listening to Zeppelin and Hendrix and thinking, "I could never do that. That's like magic or something." Then I heard Neil Young's electric solo's and thought, "Maybe I could do that?". More emotion than technique. Early on, I got a hold of the Neil Young Decade songbook and played every song over and over.


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## fretzel

Lots of good stories. 

I'm mostly self taught. 3 of my buddies played when I was 17 so I almost couldn't help but to pick one up. I learnt a leather jacket to one of them and in return he lent me a beat up old SS amp and a LP copy covered in stickers. 

A family friend gave me a Vantage acoustic around the same time and in the late summer of 84 I bought my first electric. Shortly after I started hanging out with a new kid from school that was very good with a great ear. I would be amazed watching him pick up a song so quickly. He taught me a few tunes that would really help me in my playing. Crazy Train, Fight the Good Fight and a some Maiden and Priest type stuff. 

The summer of '85 we moved to some little town where I didn't know a soul. I would woodshed 6-8 hours a day. Just playing along to classic rock. Door, Zep, Deep Purple, Triumph, CCR, etc. 

Good times. You put the work in and you will see results.


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## Permanent Waves

Well, I guess I'm still learning, but mostly self-taught, which was a mistake, especially in the early 80's when all I had was an old guitar book with chords no one would ever dream of using in pop or rock. I had an experience with a bad high-school music teacher that made me hate the instrument I was assigned (the clarinet) so I swore I would go at it alone and never risk having another teacher make me hate the instrument I chose to play and love so much. It took 10 years before I finally broke down and got a good instructor to teach me what I wanted and needed to learn, and that opened so many doors and revealed so many bad habits I had to break (some successfully, some not). My advice to beginners now is to find the right teacher to set them on the right path at the start, then use the plentiful resources out there to help them on their journey. Still, nothing beats having a skilled player teaching you proper technique at the start.


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## Midnight Rider

The Christmas of 1968 my sister got a record player and 'The Byrds' Mr. Tambourine Man record. My brother and I were given a cheap K-Mart guitar. I remember sneaking into my sisters room when she wasn't around and grabbing both record player and that album then sneaking off to the basement. I would sit there and try to figure out the songs for hours. My cousin who was 10 years older at 18 and into the Hippie scene would introduce me to albums such as The Beatles, Deep Purple, CSN&Y, Donovan, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, The Doobie Brothers, YES, Robin Trower, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, Santana, The Allman Brothers Band, etc.,etc., every time she visited from the west. I took lessons for a couple years at age 11-12 but didn't have the patience as I just wanted to rock in a couple bands my buddies and I would noodle around with. Later in my late twenties I started teaching myself some theory by way of books while still predominately learning by ear. I must say though, If I had grown up in todays world with all this online technology at my disposal in terms of the countless amount of instructors giving free lessons I would have been miles ahead back in my early years. Same goes for recording technology as today it is affordable to put your own home studio together and produce decent demos to pitch. Today I take full advantage of the aforementioned and continue to learn at an accelerated rate because it exists.


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## Wardo

How I learned to play; in or about 1968 I woke up one morning and thought "oh! that's how they do that."


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