Starting guitar?

Question:

Starting guitar?

I am 34 years old and have no music back ground though I have been wishing if I could play guitar.
Here is my question.
1.34 years old is too late to start learning playing a instrument with no music back ground.

2.What kind of guitar is good to start with?I like country and musicians use both acrostic and electric guitar. Which should I choose? Any specific name or brand?

3.Is there any lesson DVD that you recommend.

4.Other advice for learning

Unfortunately, my friends do not play music and I have no idea about the issue. Please help!

Thank you

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: No, you're not too old. You're never too old. You just have to be patient and practice daily. I'd start with the acoustic guitar because there is less hassle. Yes, you will have to tune it, so you might consider buying a tuner. However, whatever guitar (electric or acoustic) is what you will be most comfortable playing. That means if you learn on an acoustic guitar, that will always be your "comfortable" instrument. Yes, you can play the electric, but it won't be as "comfortable" as the acoustic. Hope you understand what I mean.

I'd look on the internet for basic chords or you can go to music store and buy a basic chords book. I have never done a DVD so I can't recommend anything.

I'd start with a guitar that's probably $100-$150. You don't want to spend too much so you can get accustomed to playing (and you might find out that guitar is not for you). That way you don't feel like you wasted your money.

I hope this helps you! 1) Never too old!!!! but we older folk don't learn as quickly as the youngins' and lose patience faster ;) Be aware that it will not happen overnight.

2) Acoustic. You can get a decent alvarez for $200 - $300

3) Private lessons are the way to go.

4) Practice what you are learning. Better to practice 10 minutes every day than 2 hours one day a week.

Use your ears. play around with stuff you have NOT been givin in lessons too.

Enjoy the instrument. Hey--lots and lots to answer here!

1. Not too old for guitar. Depending on how much you practice, you could be a pro. Now, some instruments (especially violin and viola) you're too old to learn to play at the highest level--you could learn to play them well, just not virtuoso. But guitar has natural hand positions, doesn't require any special flexibility. So go for it!

2. What to start on depends on your taste. If you go with electric, you'll also need an amp and maybe some pedals--the sound of the electric depends mostly on the amp-speaker, the pedals, and the pick-ups. Electrics are fairly standard in manufacture so if you find one you like, you can safely buy from any reputable online store (check Yahoo! shopping). Electrics use thinner strings and so they require less hand strength but finer control to learn to play well. Brands: Gibson, Fender, Squire, Hamer, Epiphone, Washburn, Guild...

Acoustics--you don't need an amp, tho' an acoustic-electric enables you to plug in when you're ready. They have a little variability in manufacture so I'd want to play the specific guitar before I buy it. I recommend working closely with a sales clerk; get help with fingering a few simple chords and find several guitars that you think will feel good, then have the clerk play tunes on all of them while you sit with back turned--the one that sounds best to you then is the one you want. Brands: Epihone Martin Gibson Framus Ovation Guild... Acoustics have thicker strings so reverse the advice about electric.

3. To learn to play, GET LESSONS. As a raw beginner, you are apt to make mistakes and not recognize them--and then you'll repeat the mistakes until they become bad habits. It's really hard to break a bad habit, don't you know? And at best, a bad habit will prevent you from getting as good as you could (I haven't counted the famous guitarists who've said in interviews that they wish they'd learned to play better as beginners)--at worst the bad habit will lead to carpal tunnel or another repetitive motion injury.

About 3 months of lessons from a good teacher should do for the basics. Find the teacher at the best music store in your town--the one that sells and services symphonic, band, and keyboard as well as pop band instruments. Or advertise on a bulletin board at any college music school that offers a major in guitar.

After that, you can continue the lessons or go to books and recordings and videos. There are dozens of each to be had, and all are good; I'd just go onto ebay or to a half-price book shop and buy whatever's cheap, and get several. If you get one and it's too tough for you, just save it for a few months and try it again--eventually you'll grow into it.

4. For a new player, many short practices yield far more results than one long practice. If you take four 10-minute sessions per day, you'll get better faster than if you did one 1 hour session daily. Now, as you progress, you learn more and you'll have to extend practices because you won't have enough time to cover all the material otherwise--and then you'll slowly decrease the number and increase the time, which helps build stamina. Thirty four is not too late to start, I've know people older then you who wanted to learn guitar and did. There are so many sites out there today for people who want to learn. What I like best is a good teacher at a music store or one that comes to the house, once a week....but a lot of people can't afford that.... Today you can get online lessons, DVD's, Cd's, video, and books, it's great !!!!!! Not to many are free anymore and the ones that are aren't the greatest, then there are others who give introductions lessons, some give as many as ten free and then want you to buy their products. I'll give the best that I know....the free one's first and then check out these others...like I said some are very good !!!!!!!
Free Sites :
http://www.learnhowtoplayguitar.com/...
http://www.guitar.about.com/
http://www.freebasicguitar.com/...
http://www.abclearnguitar.com/
Other Sites, some free lessons, some have a lot of free things like tuners, chord charts, fretboard charts, etc.
http://www.guitarchordsmagic.com/...
http://www.billbrutal.com/
http://www.learn-to-play-guitar-online.i...
http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/...
http://www.8notes.com/ (click on guitar)
http://www.stringdancer.com/ (this one has a free electronic tuner on there homepage)
http://www.chordfind.com/
http://www.ultimateguitar.com/
http://www.justinguitar.com/
http://www.infiniteguitar.com/
http://www.absolutelyunderstandguitar.co...
http://www.guitartutoronline.com/...
Hope that you find something on one of these sites that is just what your looking for....good luck....and don't give up, it's a great hobby, you'll enjoy for the rest of your life...and you'll never be bored, once you get the hang out it you won't want to stop playing !!!!!!!! And don't forget check out youtube....I've seen some of their lessons.....I don't think much of them....but maybe you'll find something....I play classical guitar, and acooustic, and from what I've seen their lessons are not what I would recommend. The guitar that I would recommend is a Yamaha acoustic...there great for beginners....and the Guitar Center has one for $200.00 that has a great sound, and their good at giving you a deal....just ask....also check there flyers...their always having a sale !!!!!!!