Shingo

Hey,
I can't afford lessons at the moment on top of my piano ones so I am wondering what is the best method to teach yourself. Is there any useful books or software which can gradually teach you with lesson style chunks. I ask for the lessons chunking because with just a teach it yourself book it would be too easy to rush through it and not pace my self week by week. I am currently learning on a borrowed acoustic but looking to invest in an electric if i take to this well. For this reason I would also like to request books for after mastering chord changes you know like Red Hot Chili Peppers solos and stuff a bit more andvanced. Not lead guitar exactly but I suppose in that direction. I am pretty good at the piano now so the theory should slot into place easier as well. If there is no specific things like this for beginners is there any for intermediate levels? I would prefer to stay away from these online courses and just buy a book or software, because from what I have read these are mainly a waste of money and time, and all seem to be obsessed with the speed at which you learn not the depth.
Anyway thanks for reading this, any suggestions are warmly welcomed.

Painted

I can't speak for any books or CD-ROMs, since my brother taught me a lot of my guitar. But I suggest learning a lot of finger excersizes and scales, it will make changing chords and playing riffs etc. a lot easier. One excersize I still do everytime I play starts by playing the first four frets on the E string with all four fingers (if that makes any sense heh..) and then move onto the A string, same four frets and four fingers, then so on. Then once I reach the high E string, I go reverse down. Then I move up a fret, up then down, and so on until I run out of frets. After I mastered that I used hammer-ons and pull-offs (eh, I forget the exact terms), played each note twice with the pick, once downstroke and once up, etc..
Well I hoped I could help! Good luck, guitar is loads of fun.

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Chamaeleontidae

I taught myself how to play guitar. Luckily I had others around to ask questions. I would suggest picking up a book that shows you the fingerings for the various chords. I have one at home but I can't think of the title, I'll try to post it later.

As for music to start playing, I would suggest that you look at your piano music. You might have guitar chords specified above the staff. Also if there is a particular song that you are looking for, do a search and see if you can find a TAB for that song online... websites that I have used for TABs are Fretplay and Tablist . Fretplay also has a "how to read TABs" section...

Hope that helps...

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"Reality is just a crutch for people who can't cope with drugs."
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Shingo

Thank you very much both of you for your replies. I will definitely look up soem of those finger exercises, because although I have some dexterity from piano I am sure that a different type will be required for guitar (which certainly seem to be the case having practised various chords and had fingers straying away).
I will also try out the TAB sites, I have been on them before and understand TAB fairly well, and coupled with the chords I am learning then it should be fun.
Thanks again.

shakran

Check out www.wholenote.com. Tabbed Lessons from beginner to advanced, complete with midis of how they're supposed to sound, and they're all free.