Guitar for Beginners!

AlterEgo

hey, im just after "taking up the guitar" and i was looking for a few easyish songs to get me going. Anything will do do really. I can play the piano so the whole theory idea is ok, i just want some simple plucking songs or solo's to start me off before i lose intrest, like i have many times before!
thanks

KlodaX

under the bridge by the RHCP has some nice simple plucking in it

or ... the man who sold the world

feylya

Under The Bridge can be a bit fiddly for a beginner.

The intro to Nothing Else Matters has nice simple finger picking to it with pull offs, hammer ons and slides that are handy to know along with some simple harmonics and chord shapes.

Also, try finger picking simple acoustic songs like House of The Rising Sun or some Coldplay songs.

KlodaX

Under The Bridge can be a bit fiddly for a beginner.

suppose .. but its easy to remember ... and if he just did the intro ...

feylya

Easy to remember? The intro easy? I can't even play that. Never really tried it but the fact that the intro has to bee barred in order to play it in the right key isn't easy for a beginner.

Oeneus

I've actually just recently listened to a nice little song that is quite simple to play and will teach you a lot of basic chords. When I played this I immediately thought in my head "This is a really good song for beginners!"

The song is Unintended by Muse. Try it!

AlterEgo

thanks. I'll give them a look. More than enough to keep me going.

Gaz

Tears in Heaven aint to hard once you get the timing right, really nice song .... pity i cant sing along with it without fcuking the thing up. (only playing 4 months myself)

Blackbird by the Beatles also aint to hard and sounds great.

Also finding Hotel California and Here comes the sun tricky but a nice challange to learn .... needs capo on seventh fret though.

Easiest of the lot .... Redemption song by Bob Marley, easy intro that sounds perfect with the hammer-ons , then fairly basic chords for the chorus , just having trouble figuring out the solo.

fitz

Man, if you can play Tears in Heaven perfectly after 4 months without sucking large amounts of donkey-balls, you deserve a medal.

Forget solos.

Unintended is perfect for what you're looking for, as are the suggestions that feylya made.

However, as people are probably sick of hearing me say, there's no point in learning songs unless you're working on your strumming patterns too.

Get your basics right first.

Walk, then stroll, then stroll faster, then jog, then run.

Going directly to run will lead to you having flaws and bad habits that'll limit you.
If you're going to learn, you might as well learn right.

Zoton

Easy finger picking song:
Everybody Hurts, and Come as you are (though its a bit of a bitch to sing along with)

Easyish solos to learn
Teen Spirit, Come as you are; by nirvana, and then maybe 'wonderful tonight' by clapton.

Oeneus

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! Do not make any suggestions to start learning guitar with NIRVANA.

It really doesn't teach you how to play. Really.

Crash

I'd go with blackbird personally, once you get the finger rhythm going its simple and sounds great

Giblet

I Will by radiohead.

It has barre chords in it, but has picking also, a nice challenge for a beginner.

AlterEgo

thanks.i don't have a problem with the musical/theoryish part, its just techniques i need to learn. and chords lol. So i should get moving on the chords and struming bit before going on to plucking?

fitz

Absolutely.

Zoton

Originally posted by Oeneus
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! Do not make any suggestions to start learning guitar with NIRVANA.

It really doesn't teach you how to play. Really.

Why do you say that? They've got simple strumming patterns, some picking and an introduction to barre chords.

Oeneus

I just know from experience. I've seen it happen over and over again. And I think many will agree that Nirvana influence rarely makes a good guitar player!

feylya

I'm not too sure too many people would agree. I know several guitarists who started playing Nirvana songs, including me, who are now playing Joe Satriani and Steve Vai stuff. As Zoton said, they do have simple strumming patterns and various techniques. The only problem comes when the player focuses soley on playing Nirvana songs.

Giblet

I think Nirvana is a great starting point. Most of the songs are easy, but in barre chords, so it forces you to learn barre chords properly, and how to move around in the different shapes.

People who learn Oasis starting off I'm more worried about. I've seen alot of people who still don't know what chords they are playing when they play B at the 7th fret of E due to them always playing open chords. " Yeah I play 7, 5, 3 on the E string"

Zoton

Oh definitely. But thats the same for any artist. if you just stick with playing songs by one band/guitarist, then you're not really gonna develop much, or more importantly develop a style of your own. As a starting off point they're excellent, but as you progress you've got to diversify.

pyure

speaking of strumming patterns, go here:

http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~desmith/guitar/acoustic/info/strumming.htm

and practice the examples they have. quite alot of songs will revolve around the 10 patterns here, so if you know how to time the correctly in advance, it'll make playing new songs that bit easier.

there's also tons of other great things to learn on that site, have a look around.

also, try here: www.guitarnoise.com and go to their Easy Songs for Beginners section. great way of learning, each lessons teaches not just a song, but some theroy and concepts.

good luck and stick at it

idontcare

that site guitarnoise.com is really good, full of interesting stuff as i have only been playing for about 4 months myself. One of the first songs i learned which wasnt too tough was sunday bloody sunday by u2.

egan007

sorry - don't mean to steal your thread - but it's related
I'm also "taking up the guitar"
can anyone give me advice on where to buy my first one-
locations in dublin - how much i should be paying

Ta