Beginner Guitar - geronimomusic.ca

Beginner Guitar Questions

Question Question Detail Possible Answers

how hard is it to play/learn on a 12 string guitar? I have been trying to play for a littler over a year and I was considering getting a better guitar. while I was looking at them in the music store I picked up a 12 string and strummed it a few times.. it sounded great and made me think if I should get a better 6 string ( MartinDCX1E) or jump into a 12 string(undecided). So I thought I would ask the group and see what everyone thought and maybe some of the pros and cons of a 12 string...
12 strings are harder on your fingers. You peobably won't want to use a 12 string on every song. Get a good 6 string. When you can afford it get a 12 string too.

I've no experience with 12 strings, but I've heard anecdotally that they can be a headache when it comes to tuning them and keeping them there.

I`ve got a 6 a 9 and a 12 and i would take the 6 over all of them.A 12 is quite a handfull.Good for strumming but not picking

finger/hand excercises?
I just got back into playing after a long hiatus. Like most of us, I sit at a desk all day. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for finger or hand excercises that would strengthen and/or increase dexterity or flexability in the left (i.e. 'fretting') hand. Preferablly excercises you would 'practice' while at work, etc. For example, I had some friends that rock-climb, and they used to squeze some forms of little balls of putty between their fingers to increase strength.

Any ideas?

Cheap Beginner Guitars on Ebay? I see a lot of "Cheaply priced" gutairs and packages on ebay and because I am a beginner I have thought about buying one, just to "play" with. (Play as in fool arround with). I see: "Rockland Guitar Co" "Titan" "Jay Turser" "Davison"
They all seem pretty cheap at around $125-150's.

Are any of them decent or all crappy and I start looking into other brands for $100 more ?!
I'd suggest that you spend a few dollars more and get a Yamaha F310 acoustic, or the entry level Fender (electric), depending on what you want to play. I don't know about those other brands, but if you go with Yamaha or Fender you know you will get a decent guitar. In fact, they are decent enough to keep as your "take along anywhere" guitar even if you do move up to a more expensive one later. One very proficient fingerstyle guitar player commented on how good the Yamaha is for a low-end guitar: good enough to enjoy playing when she didn't have her own guitar with her.
Some local stores will guarantee you trade-in value should you want to move up later, so this might be the time to see what you can find in your area. I really wouldn't recommend Ebay for a purchase like this, unless the seller is a known individual or retail store that can be trusted.

Guitar beginners books and dvd's? Could anyone recommend good books or dvd's that are suitable for the beginner playing primarily acoustic but also electric. 'The Complete Guitar Player' (Omnibus Edition) by Russ Shipton.
ISBN: 0-7119-8427-1

This includes Books 1, 2 & 3 with a playalong CD.

It's a comprehensive course going through the main playing styles, gradually building on what you have previously learned.

It's extremely well written, and quickly gets life and interest into your guitar playing.

I was recommended it by my guitar teacher

Effects Pedals for a beginner?
I got a question regarding pedals.

Recently I bought an SX Electric Guitar ( strat copy and not a bad one too), this is my first electric after two years of playing acoustic.The other day I was playing, bending this and sliding that and I suddenly remembered that I always see these pedals laying around on live gigs. LOL, now I'm kidding a bit, technically I know that there are pedals for volume, equalizing, distortion, modulation etc but amongst all these goodies surely there must be something worth buying standalone. Okay I'm sure I can do without the volume and equalizer, I only play on a 15W Peavey so I am happy with the knob settings on the amp and guitar no matter how raw they are. So if anyone can give me advice on a good beginner pedal effect, perhaps even a configuration using more than one but I guess what would also be great is a link with technical information and reviews ( price is important too, I have no idea what these devils cost ).

Your personal experience and recommendation would be great too as long as you don't tell me to buy all the pedals out there J , I just need something to play with and don't want to spend too much on effects.
I suppose the most common/basic 'first pedal' would be an overdrive pedal so you can switch from a clean to a distorted sound mid-song. Although a lot of amps (not practice amps though) have pedals that allow you to do the same thing without additional equipment. The most fun pedal to play about with has to be a wah pedal, decent ones are pretty pricey though. If you don't really know what you want from a pedal you might want to get a multi-effects pedal which isn't going to be really great at anything but some of the newer ones are very good at a lot of different effects. Zoom make some pretty decent ones that don't cost too much, and BOSS make some that seem great (although I'm no expert, but then BOSS is the king of effects-pedals) but are pretty pricey. People generally say there's no point beginners buying effects pedals as it doesn't make you a better player or anything, but as you're already been playing for a couple of years it might be worthwhile for you.

Question	Question Detail	Possible Answers
how hard is it to play/learn on a 12 string guitar?	I have been trying to play for a littler over a year and I was considering getting a better guitar. while I was looking at them in the music store I picked up a 12 string and strummed it a few times.. it sounded great and made me think if I should get a better 6 string ( MartinDCX1E) or jump into a 12 string(undecided). So I thought I would ask the group and see what everyone thought and maybe some of the pros and cons of a 12 string...	12 strings are harder on your fingers. You peobably won't want to use a 12 string on every song. Get a good 6 string. When you can afford it get a 12 string too. I've no experience with 12 strings, but I've heard anecdotally that they can be a headache when it comes to tuning them and keeping them there. I`ve got a 6 a 9 and a 12 and i would take the 6 over all of them.A 12 is quite a handfull.Good for strumming but not picking
finger/hand excercises?	I just got back into playing after a long hiatus. Like most of us, I sit at a desk all day. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for finger or hand excercises that would strengthen and/or increase dexterity or flexability in the left (i.e. 'fretting') hand. Preferablly excercises you would 'practice' while at work, etc. For example, I had some friends that rock-climb, and they used to squeze some forms of little balls of putty between their fingers to increase strength. Any ideas?
Cheap Beginner Guitars on Ebay?	I see a lot of "Cheaply priced" gutairs and packages on ebay and because I am a beginner I have thought about buying one, just to "play" with. (Play as in fool arround with). I see: "Rockland Guitar Co" "Titan" "Jay Turser" "Davison" They all seem pretty cheap at around $125-150's. Are any of them decent or all crappy and I start looking into other brands for $100 more ?!	I'd suggest that you spend a few dollars more and get a Yamaha F310 acoustic, or the entry level Fender (electric), depending on what you want to play. I don't know about those other brands, but if you go with Yamaha or Fender you know you will get a decent guitar. In fact, they are decent enough to keep as your "take along anywhere" guitar even if you do move up to a more expensive one later. One very proficient fingerstyle guitar player commented on how good the Yamaha is for a low-end guitar: good enough to enjoy playing when she didn't have her own guitar with her. Some local stores will guarantee you trade-in value should you want to move up later, so this might be the time to see what you can find in your area. I really wouldn't recommend Ebay for a purchase like this, unless the seller is a known individual or retail store that can be trusted.
Guitar beginners books and dvd's?	Could anyone recommend good books or dvd's that are suitable for the beginner playing primarily acoustic but also electric.	'The Complete Guitar Player' (Omnibus Edition) by Russ Shipton. ISBN: 0-7119-8427-1 This includes Books 1, 2 & 3 with a playalong CD. It's a comprehensive course going through the main playing styles, gradually building on what you have previously learned. It's extremely well written, and quickly gets life and interest into your guitar playing. I was recommended it by my guitar teacher
Effects Pedals for a beginner?	I got a question regarding pedals. Recently I bought an SX Electric Guitar ( strat copy and not a bad one too), this is my first electric after two years of playing acoustic.The other day I was playing, bending this and sliding that and I suddenly remembered that I always see these pedals laying around on live gigs. LOL, now I'm kidding a bit, technically I know that there are pedals for volume, equalizing, distortion, modulation etc but amongst all these goodies surely there must be something worth buying standalone. Okay I'm sure I can do without the volume and equalizer, I only play on a 15W Peavey so I am happy with the knob settings on the amp and guitar no matter how raw they are. So if anyone can give me advice on a good beginner pedal effect, perhaps even a configuration using more than one but I guess what would also be great is a link with technical information and reviews ( price is important too, I have no idea what these devils cost ). Your personal experience and recommendation would be great too as long as you don't tell me to buy all the pedals out there J , I just need something to play with and don't want to spend too much on effects.	I suppose the most common/basic 'first pedal' would be an overdrive pedal so you can switch from a clean to a distorted sound mid-song. Although a lot of amps (not practice amps though) have pedals that allow you to do the same thing without additional equipment. The most fun pedal to play about with has to be a wah pedal, decent ones are pretty pricey though. If you don't really know what you want from a pedal you might want to get a multi-effects pedal which isn't going to be really great at anything but some of the newer ones are very good at a lot of different effects. Zoom make some pretty decent ones that don't cost too much, and BOSS make some that seem great (although I'm no expert, but then BOSS is the king of effects-pedals) but are pretty pricey. People generally say there's no point beginners buying effects pedals as it doesn't make you a better player or anything, but as you're already been playing for a couple of years it might be worthwhile for you.