# Tips for new guitar player?



## hero182 (Aug 10, 2008)

i finally brought my first guitar today. I was wondering if you have any tips for beginners. I brought a Yamaha 720s
here is a pic of it. the quality is pretty bad because i took the picture with my phone. Tried playing 2 cords and my fingers hurts really bad and are numb right now. Also do you have any tips to play the G cord? I am having a really hard time pressing down the E string with my pinky and keeps playing a buzzing sound.


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## Luke98 (Mar 4, 2007)

Finger strength. It'll get easier. Try simpler chords first, Em, Am etc, then move up to power chords then chords like G and C


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Congratulations hero182...great looking guitar:bow:
......yammerhammers are bulletproof


Your fingers will be sore until your hands get stronger and the fingertips get tougher (to the point of being calloused).

Do you have a teacher? 

Lessons would be very helpful .....you will need the encouragement, guidance, tips, etc as you are just starting...

Give it a rest and try it for shorter durations.

Consider lessons

Dave


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## Luke98 (Mar 4, 2007)

+1 on lessons, if possible.


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## lyric girl (Sep 4, 2008)

Congratulations on your first guitar. I've only been playing for a year, but just keep at it, that's my advice. It gets easier as your hands get used to pressing down the strings and making the chord shapes.


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## hero182 (Aug 10, 2008)

yea i'm going for lesson at a community center then prolly after that i'm thinking of getting private lesson. Also, i think i have clumsy fingers lol. sometimes when i play a cord some fingers touch other strings by accidents and makes it sound dull... Also, in terms of humidity for the guitar..should i leave my case open or close or does it matter? I don't have a stand for it....
thanks for the tips
I have some motivation. My friend thinks that playing a guitar is hard for me and think that i will quit....so i want to prove them wrong!!


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## circjam (Mar 14, 2009)

Ey Man since your Canadian.....before you go to utmost measures and tunings, truss rod adjustments, etc, just invest 99 cents in a nail clipper and trim your nails till they hurt...Most times in new players this works...give it a shot....good luck and keep stummin....circjam


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## Bernie (Oct 3, 2008)

Congrats on the guitar - you'll have lots of fun but be patient (with you and the guitar), learning takes time and lots of practice. I am a newbie as well and have found this forum a huge help. Plus I found lots of exercises at this site: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/ that will help with the fretboard and your fingering (that is what I really needed to get me started in the right direction). Hopefully it will help you too. Have fun and enjoy - keep us posted with your progress.


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

congrats on the new guitar - it will bring you years of joy and personal fulfilment....and its fair share of frustration....

4 pieces of advice....

1) get a decent teacher - at this critical time - forming good habits are crucial
2) resist the temptation to cheat on form to get a reasonable tone quick
3) practice and do self research - and practice some more
4) try to get out and play with others once you've formed the basics....your skills will skyrocket from there


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## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

Get your guitar set up, most likely the buzz is finger placement (don't have your fingers in the middle of the fret) but you likely should have your new axe setup to be sure all is well. Have fun and most of all practice. I also recommend ultimate guitar, really good stuff there..

Cheers!
Lisa


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## Voxboy (Feb 14, 2006)

lbrown1 said:


> congrats on the new guitar - it will bring you years of joy and personal fulfilment....and its fair share of frustration....
> 
> 4 pieces of advice....
> 
> ...


GOod advice here. I cannot emphasize enough that once you feel comfortable with the basics, seek out players that are better than you and jam with them. Play with other musicians when you can !!


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## Big_Daddy (Apr 2, 2009)

Congrats on your first gitbox!

After over 40 years of playing, my best advice is.....

Practice, practice, practice. 

When you get discouraged (and you will), remember that _every_ great guitarist started out just like you did. What made them great was...

Practice, practice, practice.

And they never gave up. 

:smile:


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

lbrown1 said:


> congrats on the new guitar - it will bring you years of joy and personal fulfilment....and its fair share of frustration....
> 
> 4 pieces of advice....
> 
> ...


pretty much it, in a nutshell. and one more thing... practise.


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## Steve_D (Mar 18, 2009)

I am just starting out as well, so take this with that in mind, but I found this guy a great way to start;

http://www.saskstrum.com/absolutebeginner.html

His lessons are linked in on youtube, but he also has matching tabs that you can print out. He has augmented the lessons I am taking at my local music shop, and has helped me start out.


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## hero182 (Aug 10, 2008)

thanks for the website, they really help a lot


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## INFINITY BALL (Mar 12, 2009)

I'm a beginner too. :wave:
I got my guitar about 3 weeks ago. I have just been learning a bunch of chords and getting my fingers toughened up so when I start lessons I will be able to get the most out of them without my fingers giving out.

They hurt for the first couple of weeks, but, are now getting tougher. 
I had problems getting my fingers into some of the chord positions at the start, but, it gets easier the more you do it.
I still have to get the changes faster and eliminate some buzzing and muting of some strings. But, that will just take time.

I played an acoustic for a couple of years about 35 years ago. 
Now that I am starting again I have decided to try an electric.


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## jeremiahlafollette (Apr 20, 2009)

*New Guitar and fingers hurting*

Congrats on starting out playing guitar.

In time you will build up callosus so that your fingers stop from hurting.

As you learn the guitar two things you will want to look into are...

1. Ensuring the action (height from string to frets) on your guitar strings are not to high as this will make it difficult for your fingers such as your pinky to press down on properly...If you bought your guitar from a music store make sure that you ask your guitar tech to lower the action...not to low or you'll get what's called fret buzz. You can also lower the action on your acoustic yourself, just make sure you research how to do this untill you are comfortable doing your own guitar maintanence.

2. Depending on your finger strenth you might want to consider making sure your acoustic guitar has light guage strings. This will make it easier to paly those pinky chords such as Gmajor. If you do decide to switch guages (assuming you do not have light guage strings) you will want to again learn some guitar maintanence as changing guitar string guages can alter many different things on your acoustic such as your intonation.

In time, as you consistantly practice and learn how to play guitar, you'll look back at this current challenge and realize just how far you've grown in your guitar playing

Keep Practicing,


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

Sounds like you are on the right track. One easy(er) way to build up the speed in switching between chords is to learn a few simple songs. Folk tunes and country songs, which work well on acoustic or electric, tend to be three chords. A lot a G-C-D. Once you can change along with a song or two you'll feel great!

Good luck,
Matt


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