(Part 2) Best products from r/Guitar

A few things that have helped me with my songwriting that might also help you:

• If you come up with something that even sounds vaguely mediocre, record it! You might come up with something that at the time doesn't sound special, only later to listen to your recording and really dig it. don't let good ideas get away.
  
  
• come up with 3-4 chords to write the rest of the song around. You can use more chords, but 4 chords is a good start. I'd highly suggest looking a a key chart (included in link below) to see what chords fit in the key of your song. With some creativity you can chords outside the key, but a key/chord chart is an excellent starting point for coming up with chord progressions.
  
  https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/5f/d3/ff/5fd3ffb8940285beca8a39c744fad7d4.jpg
  
  
  
• Learn to play some of your favorite songs so you can see the behind the scenes music structure. You can learn a lot about chord progressions, song structures, successful key changes, and use of riffs by learning from famous songs.
  
  
• I find it easier to write lyrics after you've already come up with a vocal melody. Just hum some gibberish until you have a melody that sounds good. Once you have a strong melody, just let it bounce around in your head and see if any words start to stick to it. Write down whatever comes to you, whether you think its good or not. I'd also say don't set out to write to write a song about a specific subject matter, let the song decide what its about.
  
  
• There is one songwriting book that I absolutely recommend, Rikky Rooksby's How to Write Songs on Guitar. I bought that book 9 years ago and to this day still refer to it from time to time. It is backed with incredibly helpful information. Rooksby's other books Songwriting Sourcebook, Chord Master (the absolute best chord book IMO) are also incredibly helpful for songwriting.
  
  https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Songs-Guitar-Expanded/dp/0879309423/ref=la_B001K87RIO_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1502982573&sr=1-1
  
  
• If you want to improve your lyrics, listen to Bob Dylan. IMO he is the best lyricist in music and you will get better at writing lyrics just through osmosis.
  

So to highlight some of the things from my reply to your original post.

Pentatonics are safer as there's nothing greatly offensive about them when applied over many chords, but 7 notes really raise the bar alot in terms of adding more tense or nothing sounding notes.

This gets tricky when combining notes together as now predictable tension, release, sounding nice with the chord and the context of the progression becomes that more difficult and its so much easier to get lost.

So two things greatly helped me.

1. Play to the chords - notes you play harmonise with the underlying chord at the time, they work together and its the resultant sound you hear.
   
   Therefore, to use modes / scales effectivly your note choices must repect the chord, things like how tense/clashy or homely a note sounds is extremely important to how a phrase sounds and is all to do with the chord + lead / melody notes working together.
   
   So a bit of advice given to me is you should be able to hear the chords / chord changes in the solo / melody.
   
   It's why I dont like the term E mixolydian jam or in the Key of C lydian. For example, a I IV V in the Key of C has the chords C major F major and G major respectivly and you can improvise using C major.
   
   I would personally say if we are talking "modes" that over that progression you do not solo in C major. You use 3 scales / modes, C ionian, F lydian and G mixolydian. Now the context is all nice an correct. Yeah these are all modes of C major, but it makes sense to me when you play over an F chord you are using an F something scale.
   
   So you would never use a scale / mode over several different chords. "E mixolydian" jam to me says chuggin out over an E7 chord constantly. If there are other chords, say a B7, then you certainly dont play E mixolydian over that, its B something and in the context, B mixolydian.
   
   But thats when you talk "modes" / theory. Another / easier way to look at it is, you are playing C major but making sure in your note selection over each chord you select notes that work with the chord. I.e. over the C the E note sounds warm/happy and good + works well with the chord but over the F it changes and the A note sounds warm / happy / good.
   
   
2. Vocalisation. Phrasing is an extremely interesting topic. If I had to summarise when I think phrasing is all about in a sentence I would say its is all about communication.
   
   I started writing about humans / physiology / communication and what I believe are effects on how we perceive music, but it got long / off topic...
   
   Long story short, vocalisation forces you phrase more naturally. You are constricted by breath etc. You are also much more connected with your voice then you are with the guitar (thats something then develop) so you can use your imagination more and help get natural inflection and dynamics etc.
   
   Its like knowing what you want to do and then developing a connection with the guitar to achieve it, rather than essentially finding something randomly on the guitar and trying to connect it back to something / an understanding of what you may want to do. I started with the latter, but it (for me) now just seems the completely the wrong way round, so I do the first way now and Its helped me greatly.
   
   With vocalisation, you dont have to be pitch perfect / beautiful singing, you just vocalise out (la's, hmms, anything but it has to be somethin) somewhat near enough, inside you're head you wioll know what you mean.
   
   Victor Wootens book The Music Lesson I think is well worth a read.
   

You can get a "bundle" that has everything you're describing (except pedals/effects-- but I'll get to that in a minute) for around your budget price. You just have to figure out which type of guitar to get. If you're into country, then you need a Telecaster type guitar. If you're into rock then you need a Les Paul type or Stratocaster type. If you're a metal guy... I can't help you because I don't know what's appropriate for that, other than it won't be a Telecaster.

Okay, so here's a Telecaster bundle on Amazon. It includes the guitar and a Fender Lunchbox containing a clip-on tuner, string winder, picks, strap, and strings:

https://www.amazon.com/Fender-Affinity-Telecaster-Beginner-Electric/dp/B07B53YQ3Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1537075140&sr=8-2&keywords=squier+affinity+telecaster+bundle

The cost is only $233.60. That doesn't include an amp, however. Here's a Frontman 10 watt amp for $60.00:

https://www.amazon.com/Fender-Frontman-Electric-Guitar-Amplifier/dp/B001L8PIFW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537075410&sr=8-1&keywords=fender+frontman+15g

Total cost is around $300.

Here's a Stratocaster style guitar bundle that includes Squier Guitar, 15 Watt Guitar amplifier, picks, Cable, and strap. All it's missing compared to the above is a clip on tuner. (They're cheap.)

This might be appropriate because this Strat has a "humbucking" pickup in the bridge. That means it has an aggressive rock sound like a Les Paul, but also has all the other sounds a Strat is famous for. It's appropriate for rock, blues, and some country. The amp is more powerful than the one listed above, and has better controls. Both amps have headphone jacks, though, so you can use it in your bedroom without disturbing the rest of the house or apartment.

This bundle is $300.00.

If your guitar hero play Les Pauls (e.g., Slash, etc.) here's an Epiphone bundle which includes a genuine Les Paul Special-II LTD guitar featuring two classic humbucker pickups and a 10-watt Electra guitar amp with a 10ft guitar cable, a clip-on headstock chromatic tuner, a guitar strap, medium picks, and an easy-to-carry gig bag. And best of all for new players, the Les Paul Player Pack comes with free downloadable guitar lessons from media.

Here it is in vintage sunburst:

https://www.amazon.com/Epiphone-PPEG-EGL1VSCH1-Electric-Package-Sunburst/dp/B00A6D50L0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537076037&sr=8-1&keywords=epiphone+les+paul+bundle

And here it is in bad-ass black:

https://www.amazon.com/Epiphone-Electric-Guitar-Player-Package/dp/B00AGJKKH8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1537076037&sr=8-3&keywords=epiphone+les+paul+bundle

Not only is this guitar bundle cheaper than the ones above (it's only $250) it also includes a padded "gig bag" case for the guitar, so it's a really good deal.

You asked about guitar pedals and effects. Buying a full complement of those would add up to a lot of money. Here's an alternative: the Zoom G1Xon and G1on. This is a single stomp box pedal that has basically every effect there is built-in. It can make whatever amp you get sound similar to famous expensive amps (within reason), plus it has all the effects like reverb, delay, compression, chorusing, flanging, etc, etc. Basically multiple models of every effect you could think of. The Zoom G1on is $60. The Zoom G1Xon is the same pedal, but attached to it is a foot pedal so it can sound like a "wah-wah", or be a volume pedal, as well as other effects. It costs $80.

Here's the G1on

https://www.amazon.com/Zoom-G1Xon-Guitar-Effects-Expression/dp/B00IOSJ68C/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1537076414&sr=8-2-fkmr2&keywords=g1%2Bon%2Bzoom%2Bpedal&th=1

And here's the G1Xon:

https://www.amazon.com/Zoom-G1Xon-Guitar-Effects-Expression/dp/B00IOSJ72M/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1537076414&sr=8-2-fkmr2&keywords=g1+on+zoom+pedal

I have a recording studio and a million stomp boxes and other effects pedals, but I bought a G1Xon just because it looked like fun-- and it was! I love it!

​

Good luck with your purchase, my friend. I hope I have been of help to you with all this info!

​

Ableton is a great DAW and is my preferred software choice for recording/editing.

You can use the TASCAM to capture your performances and transferring those .wav files into Ableton for editing but you'll have a much better experience recording directly into your computer.

You can go a few different routes here. You can pick up an audio interface that accepts an XLR connection for a proper microphone like a Presonus Audiobox and an SM57 which will allow you to capture as good a single channel signal as you can really get outside of a big recording studio.

OR you can go with something cheaper like a Blue Snowball USB microphone. These things actually sound surprisingly good and have multiple settings for directional and omni modes for different situations.

Once you have a way of capturing audio directly into Ableton you can start building up your songs layer by layer. Experiment with things like EQ and compression/delay/etc to make your guitar tracks sound nicer. There are built in patched in Ableton for EQ like "Acoustic Guitar" or "Electric Guitar" and just dragging one of those onto your channel will be a great place to start.

That's a skill in and of itself but you have to start somewhere so start experimenting.

When starting out applying EQ to tracks I'd start this way :

• Solo the track so you're only listening to the single layer
  
  
• Create a single EQ filter with a high Q value so it creates a really sharp and thin "peak" and drag it upwards so it's amplifying a very narrow band of frequencies quite a bit.
  
  
• Drag that "peak" left and right while the audio is playing and listen for something that jumps out at you as unpleasant. Now drag the peak DOWN to bring those frequencies down in the mix to remove whatever harshness you discovered. Bring down the Q value to make that trough a bit wider and smoother.
  
  Do that 3 or 4 times on a channel and you'll have something that sounds a bit nicer. If you do too much it'll sound hollow and empty so make subtle adjustments as much as possible. Don't dump that "bad frequency" all the way to the bottom, just bring it down a little bit so it doesn't jump out at you.
  
  You won't be creating drastically new tones this way, just polishing them so they sound nicer.
  
  Having a good pair of headphones or even some inexpensive studio monitors will also be extremely helpful so you can accurately hear what you're producing.
  
  Use the built-in metronome and record with headphones (so the click doesn't get picked up by the microphone) to keep things tight.
  
  Once you've finished your audio and it's how you like it THEN film your video and just play along with the click. Don't use any audio from the video recording and just pair the two back up in editing.

First off, no need to apologize for inexperience. Asking good questions means you are gaining experience.

1. Now-a-days Squier makes a fine guitar, but just get it set up by someone who knows how if you haven't already! A good setup is so important to how any guitar plays. I would rather play your Squier with a good set up than an American fender with a shitty set up. As far as upgrades go I would think about some locking tuners. I think those are just drop in tuners with no drilling needed even for Squier, but I would make sure.
   
   
2. There are a ton of pickup makers out there but you can not go wrong with Seymour Duncan. Just browse around and take a look at their output and EQ charts that show how hot the pickup is and then listen listen listen to sound demos. Pickups are very subjective so youtube is a great tool.
   
   
3. Personally I love Elixir strings! They last a long time, especially if you have sweat like mine that kills strings very fast. That being said a lot of people don't like the feel of Elixir. They don't like the "slippery" feeling of the coating on the wound strings. If you want to stay with coated strings that feel more like traditional string you can check out D'addario EXP strings. Again it's subjective like anything else, so test drive and see what you like.
   
   
4. Oh boy pedals. Pedals can be a slippery slope financially haha. I also think /r/guitarpedals would be able to help you (better than I can at least) there but if you like distortion then I have heard a lot of good things about the Mesa Flux-Drive and the JHS Angry Charlie.
   
   As for your amp I do not have any personal experience with the Vypyr but if you like the sound and it is loud enough for your applications then go with it. Those are really the only things determining if you need a new amp. If you ever want to upgrade to a tube/valve amp I would suggest looking at the Marshall DSL line if you are into heavier tones and want to spend money.
   
   The pedals and amp are really based off what you like to play. If you are not satisfied with your current amp there are A LOT of good combos out there that are more affordable than tube amps. Andertons Music youtube channel just put out a great combo amp round up video you should check out if you want. I hope that all helps!

If you enjoy acoustic style playing, I feel it can be beneficial to developing a better playing style as you branch out to electric. Acoustic guitars require a little more attention to finger placement and fretting technique. Mistakes are more noticeable and you can fix those problems early before they become bad habits. Electric guitars tend to "cover" those mistakes more easily with all the effects and distortion (once playing at a high level they become more noticeable again). Things like hitting extra strings, fretting a note that is dead, etc.

I definitely regret not learning more on an acoustic first. I jumped straight into electric and never really looked back.

As for gear and making the transition to electric, it depends on what you want to do with your guitar playing.

If you are going to just play and practice by yourself at home, I recommend at least researching amp simulator software for use on a PC and getting an affordable audio interface.

I recently bought a brand new Jackson 7-string guitar for $180 (it's actually not bad either was on sale), an audio interface for ~$75 (included free DAW software, was on sale as well), and purchased a large amp/cab/effects bundle on Revalver 4 for $100. I already had headphones and a PC. I also bought studio monitors but that's neither here nor there.

I know that's over your budget but you can try most amp sim software packages for free and you can buy the amps, cabs, and effects a la carte for pretty cheap prices (a few $ each). It unlocks a huge range of sounds and possibilities and you can learn the types of amps and sounds you like. If you ever want to buy a real amp/cab, then you have a direction you would like to go.

Just for comparison, by the time you buy a guitar, some floor pedals (can range from $50-100 each), and a practice amp (which may or may not sound good at this price level), you are probably over your $300 anyway. With the software/interface option, you can have like 15 amps, probably like 25 cabs, lots of microphone sims, and tons of effect pedals inside the software for like $350.

I'm into metal as well and I've found the high gain amps and sounds in Revalver to be pretty good. Different amp sims do certain things better than others.

Good luck on your journey

You'll get a lot of recommendations for the free stuff for JustinGuitar, Andyguitar or https://syngates.com.

Supplement these theory lessons with Rocksmith 2014 (PC or gaming machine) which'll help you with mechanics in a FUN(!) way as you learn from famous licensed songs. They add songs every Tuesday (Shania Twain pack was released today for example). There's currently over 1000 songs. The software also has ways to slow down songs, play impromptu with a "band" and do mini-games to improve your muscle memory/technique/chord knowledge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NWZR3rh06c&list=PLkTijIFpb637_jSnwBpwghkRIQrNanu3t

You can also get a cheap but great sounding "bedroom amp" like the Blackstar Fly 3 Bluetooth for practice (you WON'T do better for the money). Btw, Bluetooth is great for passing thru backing tracks from your phone/computer.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fly+3+bluetooth

Once you evolve to the point where you want to use different effects, you can get the much adored Zoom G1xon (again best in class) for less than $80 and mate it to the Fly 3 (it includes a Looper, Drum Machine, Metronome and Tuner to help with your practicing):

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=zoom+g1xon

Get a Dunlop sampler pick pack off Amazon to find the pick you like most for your fingers. Also stick with around 10-46 area for string gauges or something more unique like the GHS Gilmours which have purposely THINNER gauges in the middle for easier bending (the 10.5-50 set is specifically designed by Gilmour himself for Gibby guitars).

STRINGS:

https://www.amazon.com/GHS-Strings-GB-DGG-Signature-Nickel-Plated/dp/B001I51JNS/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520372995&sr=sr-1&keywords=ghs+gilmour

PICKS:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0055VBYWC/ref=twister_B00IPH8MD2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

TUNER (this is best in class, VERY responsive chip):

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UniTuneClip--tc-electronic-unitune-clip-clip-on-chromatic-tuner

https://www.amazon.com/IK-Multimedia-digital-guitar-interface/dp/B01KPYGBR6 - this is what i bought (at 100$, its 84 now), because i wasn't sure if i wanted to play on the go or at my desktop. it also comes with amplitube (though a watered down version) but i got really sick of all the nickle and diming they do. It turns out i play almost entirely at my desktop so i would have gone with something like this instead: https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B01E6T56CM/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1500654678&sr=8-7&keywords=focusrite+usb+audio+interface .

you could technically accomplish the same thing by getting a converter for 1/4"->1/8" jack and plugging it into your soundcard, but it has a lot of issues and sounds shitty. The audio interface essentially takes the signal from your pickups and makes it clean and readable for your computer. With this (often called DI or direct input) signal, you can use software that emulated the circitry of tube amps to produce very very accurate replications of tones.

https://www.positivegrid.com/bias-fx/ here is the sim i would recommend. I played around with a few others but this is the best sounding, and most straight forward one (others try to nickle and dime you all over the place). it's nice because you can get a week trial of it before u have to buy too! Basically you only need a guitar, instrument cable, audio interface and a computer. you can get free trials of everything else before you buy to see what suits your needs.

there's a million demos of it, but here's a good one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D00Xn1vfyU

The beauty of all of this is that these all interface seemlessly with digital audio workspaces (DAW's), which are used for recording. You can setup each track to have different amp/effects/ect and can also play around live with the effects for practicing. I often use these for writing too, because i can record a rhythm section, then loop it and noodle around with leads or harmonies (essentially making a looper pedal that sounds way better than any pedal on the market). there's a ton of videos that can help with all of this, I would suggest checking out Ryan Bruce (aka fluff) on youtube, he has a couple entry level recording tips videos! I'm happy to keep talking about this if you have any questions! break through that bleek streek!

work through the original Aaron Shearer books (I linked book 1, there are 3, you should at least go through the first two and maybe some of the supplemental ones) . If your classical technique is decent then you will breeze through them pretty quickly but you might pick up a few subtle things like playing rest-stroke with your thumb at the same time as free-stroke with your fingers and vice-versa. Once you are good there there are two books you should buy: Pumping Nylon for the various exercises it has. They are very good if you play them regularly. Then buy The Library of Guitar Classics. It is a big spiral bound book of repertoire that looks like a lot of those piano-rep books. It has music ranging from easy to very hard and from the renaissance period all the way through the romantic era with pieces by Tarrega and Albeniz. There is a lot of really good rep in there. There is also a second volume of the book that is almost as good. When it comes to more modern music buy the Villa-Lobos book and work through some of that stuff. It is a great book that was edited by - if I remember correctly - Frederick Noad. There are also some really good books with the complete Bach cello/lute suites (although some of that can be found in the books I already mentioned).

If you REALLY want to kick your ass, see if you can dig up a copy of the Abel Carlevaro right hand book. It is like the Giuliani 120 studies on steroids. I have never struggled that hard to play an arpeggio in my life! I think it is this book but I am not sure. I had a really old photo-copy of it and I don't know where it came from.

a lot of those bands use guitars like Les Pauls and SGs with a HH pick up configuration. i personally would point you toward the epiphone Les Paul or SG. They are made from mahogany which will give you a darker sound for heaver stuff. http://amzn.com/B007AGR6KE this is an epiphone SG that would kick ass for your first guitar or a cheaper one here http://amzn.com/B0002D01IG that would work alright, on the les paul side here is a great one http://amzn.com/B0002CZURO
but for a cheaper one i would recommend this one http://amzn.com/B0002CZUV0 . however, the same guitar comes with a bundle with an amp and everything to get you started for 200$ here http://amzn.com/B00A6D50L0 . also because your going to be getting into guitars im going to point you to some places for you to learn how to to play and reliable places to buy stuff from

for lessons http://www.justinguitar.com/

for guitar tabs http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/

to learn how to read a tab http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/for_beginners/how_to_read_tabs.html?no_takeover

places to buy stuff

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/

http://www.zzounds.com/

http://amazon.com/ <it works but i would not use it as my primary for guitar stuff

also try to stay away from guitar center until you have a good knowledge base or they might just rip you off. Sam ash is a good store and any localy owned shop will probably do you good. if you live in the Atlanta GA area i highly recommend Ken Stanton Music but they only have 5 stores :(

oh yeah also your going to need to replace guitar strings when you do buy one (well you don't need to but i would do it) so here is a video on how to do that http://youtu.be/DrLKlJS1wEo . now your going to have to buy new strings at some point. The 2 brands i highly recommend is daddario and erine ball (i personally like daddario) a pack of string from them is like 5-6$. now strings come in different sizes for beginners i would recommend a set of 9s like these http://amzn.com/B0002H0A7E or these http://amzn.com/B0002M6CW6 . just follow the video on how to replace strings and you will be good.

you will need a tuner also. for a beginner i would get on that clips on the head stock like this one http://amzn.com/B005MR6IHK also with that you need to learn what notes to tune a guitar to E standard tuning is EADGBE (Eddie Ate Dynamite Good Bye Eddie) but with your music taste you are going to need to learn E flat and Drop D aswell. E flat is (Eb,Ab,Db,Gb,Bb,Eb) and drop D is just E standard with the 6th string tuned down to D (DADGBE). any way that should be enough to push you in the right direction for learning guitar. hope it works out for you. if you have questions you can just PM me or something.

• [Wilkinson] (http://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_Parts/All_Hardware_and_Parts_by_Instrument/Electric_Guitar_Parts/Electric_Guitar_Bridges_and_Tailpieces/Electric_Guitar_Tremolos/Wilkinson_Gotoh_VS-100N_Tremolo.html) trem. Drill press would be ideal for the post holes, but you could also just clamp a guide to the body.
  
• LSR nut. Unless you have access to a router jig, I would suggest a rectangular file matching the LSR's dimensions to clean up and deepen the slot you're going to start with a super fine cut saw.
  
• Locking Tuners. Staggered, so no more string trees. Super stable tuning when paired with the Wilkinson and LSR, even after divebombs. Those "F" tuners have a super accurate 18:1 gear ratio. I also like that particular design because they're stabilized with a pair of incorporated pegs that slip into pre-drilled holes, instead of relying on a tiny little screw.
  
  I can't comment on the Gen 4 Noiseless, as I've never used them. My wiring is more like a Les Paul, with dual HB, three way switch and push-pulls for coil splits. This is a pretty good resource for wiring ideas, if you're looking for inspiration. Generally speaking, you'll also want to replace the switches and pots with Switchcraft, CTS, etc. My guess is that the MIM's come with Alpha, but I could be wrong.
  
  EDIT: Keep in mind, when researching wiring diagrams, that "Noiseless" usually means humbucker. It might look like a single coil, but it will be two coils stacked one on top of the other. Check manufacturer specs to confirm whether you're dealing with four or two wires, then plan accordingly.

One thing I tried doing was learning every chord in every position and every inversion. I'm not done writing them up, but I have charts for dominant, major, minor, and half-diminished chords I could scan for you. I also have the arpeggios to be played over the chords.

Another thing is to learn are your scale modes. I'll pick either 4 modes in 1 position or 1 mode in 4 positions and practice each scale for 5 minutes.

You could improve your sight reading with this. It's not meant to be studied, but to be opened up to a random page and played.

I'm also a fan of speed and dexterity exercises. You don't have to shred, but sometimes you need to get from point A to point B in a hurry. After playing these for a while, you'll also feel less fatigue. My favorite books for this are John Petrucci's Wild Stringdom and Frank Gambale's Technique Books

Also, if you really get into jazz, I highly recommend The Jazz Theory Book. It will help with your improvisation and teach you how songs are structured, which will help you with other genres. A more classic theory book that's good is The Complete Musician.

After you get technique stuff down, it all comes down to where you want to be as a player. What do you want to play? Do you want to write? Do you want to do covers? Maybe you want to teach.

Sorry this was so long. I love teaching music myself, so if you want to learn anything specific, PM me and I should be able to help you out and send you some materials.

You can't buy a factory made classical guitar that is truly high quality. Yamaha makes great beginning classical guitars. I wouldn't pay over $500 for anything with a "brand name," if you're looking for a nice classical then start looking for luthiers or a dealer in your area that sells luthier guitars(either should let you try their guitars before you buy).


D'addario Pro-Arte strings are generally regarded as the all-around best classical guitar strings, and fortunately they're also the cheapest. Go with normal or hard tension if you like more resistance.


The book Pumping Nylon is a great technical resource for classical guitarists at any level.
http://www.amazon.com/Pumping-Nylon-Scott-Tennant/dp/088284721X

http://www.amazon.com/Library-Guitar-Classics-willard-Series/dp/0825614759/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

^ Volume 1 and 2 of that guitar classics book are great for finding rep out of, they have great music from different eras, composers, and difficulties.


More specifically, studies by Sor, Carcassi, or Brouwer are great for beginning pieces. You can move from there to pieces by Tarrega, Villalobos, possibly some easier Bach like BWV999 or Cello Suite#1. Really anything you want. For best results, seek our recordings and videos of well-renowned(not just some shmuck on youtube) guitarists. Use these to make sure you're not playing wrong notes, inspire your own interpretation, and possibly steal their fingerings if it's a video.

I'd recommend Jazz Guitar: Complete Edition by Jody Fisher. It covers all the important topics in a fairly straightforward way and comes with a CD of examples and backing tracks. It's aimed at intermediate guitarists, but your experience should be sufficient.

The old standard was Mickey Baker's Jazz Guitar, but I'm not a huge fan. The learning curve is extremely steep and there's not a great deal of theory or explanation. It'd be a really useful companion to lessons with a teacher, but I think that most beginners would really struggle with it.

A good alternative to the Jody Fisher book is A Modern Method For Guitar by William Leavitt. The learning curve is fairly gradual, but it's tough going - everything is written in standard notation and there's no real instruction as such. It seems to be inspired by the Suzuki method. Everything is taught through progressively more demanding examples. You probably won't get stuck on anything, but you will need to do a bit of thinking to figure stuff out for yourself.

If you want to learn jazz theory in depth, I'd strongly recommend Jazzology by Rawlins and Bahha. It's the clearest, most elegant explanation of how everything fits together in jazz. It's not specifically written for guitar, but the theory is universal. The Jody Fisher book covers all the theory that you really need to know, but Jazzology would be a really good supplement if you like to understand things in detail.

In your jazz guitar journey, you'll probably come across The Real Book. It's an essential reference text, containing lead sheets for hundreds of the most popular jazz tunes. It's how most of us learned our repertoire and most of us still have a copy in our gig bag pocket. Today, you have a huge advantage in learning tunes because of the fabulous iReal Pro. It's an app version of The Real Book, but it can also play backing tracks for any tune in any key and at any tempo. It's an absolute boon when you're learning to play solos.

Finally, I'd suggest just listening to a whole bunch of jazz, not just jazz guitar. You should know Joe Pass, Ted Greene and Wes Montgomery, but you should also know Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie.

Are you looking for just a good chord chart for the tune? That one was mediocre. I can give you a more accurate chart, no problem.

Or, are you looking for an EXACT transcription of what Les played on the Bing recording? I could make that as well, but honestly, I usually charge people (guitar students) to do it.

Aside from very popular recordings, most chord charts and TABs online are highly inaccurate. Often the "official" transcriptions you see in books aren't right either. I'm a huge Les Paul fan, particularly the pre-multitracking era (Les Paul Trio, this Bing session, etc). I've seen him play live a few times as well. Congratulations, you have good taste!

If you'd like to advance your skills in trad/swing/jazz rhythm guitar to get the skills to play through the chart, check out these books:

http://www.amazon.com/Mickey-Bakers-Complete-Course-Guitar/dp/0825652804

http://www.amazon.com/Mel-Bay-Jazz-Guitar-Method/dp/0786600365/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411405636&sr=1-1&keywords=ronnie+lee+guitar

http://www.amazon.com/Mel-Rhythm-Guitar-Chord-System/dp/0871665158

Give me a few minutes and I'll post a chart.

Okay then what I would do is buy a guitar headphone amp they are cheap like less then $20 USD, and plug it into the out for the fx loop, and your headphones into that. This only utilizes the preamp portion of you amp but it is probably the most cost effective. If you do this and the guitar headphone amp has a gain option turn that all the way down. A similar option to this would be to plug your fx out into a DAW or some kind of audio mixer this would also give you the option to record yourself on a computer without being effected by room acoustics. If you want to you can use the other output but that will damage your headphones unless you buy a line level converter. Then the analog from the converter to a headphone amp, and from there to your headphones. This would require you to do some simple wireing, but hey if your up for it why not try.
I also want you to make sure you know the people on this thread including me are NOT professionals and you should do you own research and only do what you feel comfortable doing with your money and equipment.
If you would like to do more research here is a good place to start.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_level
Also here are links to example of the things I mentioned
Guitar headphone amp - Monoprice 611500 Mini Headphone Amplifier for Guitar, Clean https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AJHE5E6/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_95ZExbPNDRWFP
Electro-Harmonix Headphone Amp Portable Practice Amp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UIBQEI/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_E6ZExb9S9N2V7
DAW - Focusrite Scarlett Solo (2nd Gen) USB Audio Interface with Pro Tools | First https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E6T56CM/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_N7ZExbDTYTZC7
Mixer - Behringer Xenyx 302USB Mixer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EHILV4/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_58ZExb4RMVW9V
Line level converter - PAC SNI-35 Variable LOC Line Out Converter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EAWS3W/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_O9ZExbPEZPHXN
Hope I helped in some way and hope you find your solution!

If you're new to guitar, don't worry about a 'routine'. Buy a classical guitar songbook, or better yet, a classical guitar lesson book. A really good one is by Noad, and has good classical pieces to learn: http://www.amazon.com/Solo-Guitar-Playing-Frederick-Noad/dp/0825636795/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317996077&sr=8-1

Rather than focus on scales (which are very uninteresting), try working through a book, or pick a few classical guitar pieces to work on. I think this is the best way to hone your chops, but also keep your interest. You want to be motivated to practice, and scales just don't do that for me.

Classical guitar, if you work at it enough, will naturally build your finger dexterity. In contrast to scales/fingerboard exercises, you are able to see improvement in very definable ways--that is, from one piece to the next. That's where the excitement and drive to play comes from for me.

Good luck!

i actually think you should buy a cheap, but solid acoustic.

all electric music can be played on acoustic, the acoustic guitar is just clearer, you can hear each pitch sounding easier, which is amazing for your ear.

further, there are plenty of cheap acoustics, that sound great.

i have an entry level yamaha acoustic. i've had it for over a decade. great guitar.

here's one on amazon for $200:

https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-FG700S-Acoustic-Guitar-Natural/dp/B000FIZISQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

not saying this is the model for you, do your research. i haven't bought a guitar in over a decade, and don't know the best deals today.

edit:

you should go on youtube, and watch some accoustic covers of some electric songs you like. see if an acoustic's sound is acceptable for you. i don't know you. maybe you want to turn of the gain on an electric and wail. (nothing wrong with that)

plug something like this into this and then run it via USB to your computer. any mic and interface will do, but those 2 happen to be pretty basic and easy to handle. as for software, i recommend Reaper as you can use it for free for awhile and pay once you've decided it's worth it (which it will be, so make sure at some point you throw 'em the cost).

point mic at amp speaker, select track on Reaper and press record. rock out like the glorious rock god you are, and then press stop. File menu>render (i think, can't remember right now)>pick format and save.

very, very rough walkthrough!

I have a slightly newer version of that same guitar (same color and everything) that I bought brand new as my first electric almost 20 years ago. I still have it and really like it. I wouldn't be in a rush to change anything. Just set it up the way you want, play it, and then figure out what needs to be changed. MIM Strats are nice guitars just the way they came and I kind of wish I left mine mostly stock. I even wish I kept the stock pickups as I now think they sound good; I swapped them out for Lace Sensors about 15 years ago and I was never a big fan of them. I wish I kept the originals. I'll probably eventually pick up a set on ebay.

I did, however, just put Fender locking tuners on mine yesterday. I'm really glad I did it because it makes string changes so much quicker and easier. I didn't have to drill any holes and they fit just fine. However, that's not always the case with those. Take one of your tuners off and look on the back of the headstock. If you have 2 little guide holes, in addition to the hole the actual tuner goes through, you should be fine.

The other little thing I did to mine a few months ago is put on a set of Dunlop strap locks. I used the original screws instead of the ones that came with them. I really like these things and put them on my other guitars as well.

See this video regarding pole piece heights on strat pickups. Darrell Braun's channel has a lot of really good stuff on it including a lot of videos comparing pickups and busting some common myths.

It's always a good idea to try them out in person to see how they sit with you as if it's uncomfortable you won't want to practice with it. Since you said you can't, the MS model you're looking at looks like a good option. From what I can tell, the only difference is that it's matte finished which shouldn't be much of a difference at all compared to the S model. Yamaha makes some great instruments so I think you're safe with whichever you choose.

A tuner and picks are a must (in my opinion) but it's also nice to have a strap so you can practice standing up. A good beginners book that teaches you chords and some basic notation is also good to have around when starting out. This is a good one that will give you some structure when you practice.

Good luck!

If you already have a guitar you love, and you already have a versatile amp that can hook up to your computer as an interface, you're in pretty good shape.

Here are some of the best things you can own to improve your playing, if you don't already have them:

• Metronome
  
  
• Tuner pedal
  
  
• Looper pedal (TC Electronic Ditto or Ditto X2 are popular choices)
  
  
• Sight-reading books like this one or this one
  
  
• Music theory books like this one or this one
  
  If you only have 1 or 2 pedals you don't need a pedalboard.
  
  If you are interested in pedals but don't know what you want, a multi-effect unit is a great choice.
  
  If you're looking for an all-in-one effect unit & guitar trainer, this is a good choice. It has a built-in tuner, metronome (rare on pedals or multi-FX units), pre-programmed rhythm patterns for jamming, an aux-input for playing along to MP3s, a whole bunch of effects that you can use like a standard effects pedal, and a bunch of other stuff.

Learning to read music is probably most important. While there is more and more classical repertoire available in tab, the tendency is to get stuck in someone else's fingerings. People talk about classical as being very rigid and set in its ways but the freedom to play a note wherever it works best for you is one of the great strengths of the guitar. This is something that tab can take away from you. The "correct" position that is variously so lauded and derided is - at least today - a compromise of ergonomics and technical requirements. The guitar is not a very ergonomic instrument so apparatus usually needs to be brought in to play in order to get it in the right position but this position varies considerably from player to player. The main concern is that the music is playable; much of it would not be without full control of technique. "Proper" position is something that takes years, even decades, to figure out, I know players in their 60's who will tell me "I found this new support that works with my footstool, now my height is nearly perfect!"

Resist the temptation to attempt pieces that are too advanced too soon. You're going to do it, every player is, but the frustration of moving so slowly with little to no results is dangerous. I've heard so many students come in and play Asturias or Bouree (or any of the other "standards") without any concept of the pieces in a musical sense. They play the right notes mostly but there is no division of melody and harmony, no concept of counterpoint, dynamics or anything else that makes this music brilliant. These students often become completely dejected when they are told by a teacher, jury or audition panel that they are not nearly as good as think they are, in so many words. The problem usually comes from a poorly structured education, either from themselves or teacher(s), and jumping into material they don't yet understand.

I would strongly recommend finding a good teacher because any one book is not enough (there are a few good ones like Aaron Shearer's Learning the Classic Guitar and Pumping Nylon) but none of them cover everything you need and there will be some contradictions. In order to learn most effectively, you must do so without confusion and error. If you learn a mistake or bad habit, it will be more difficult to fix later on than if you never learned it wrong in the first place. If you don't understand what you're doing or why, you won't get very far with it. In the absence of a good teacher, I would get as many reputable instruction/method books as you can and read them all thoroughly.

I've got some experience with an acoustic, I'm looking to move up to electric now. No need to worry about amps, pedals, or anything like that. I have a plan. The main thing I need to worry about, obviously, is what guitar to get. I'm on a tight budget (up to $200, but you can try to convince me to $250). I'm only looking for a simple, entry-level guitar, nothing that requires the mother-of-all-amps or a studio to sound good (I'm a budget college kid :P)

The two I'm considering are the Yamaha Pacifica or the Les Paul Special-II (any other ideas for LPs?). I do want to be able to play a mix of both pop/funk and also classic rock/heavy rock, so I need something with a decent enough pickup set.

Looking at these two models in particular, I've found this:
[For the Yamaha.] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CC3Q74/sr=8-1/qid=1496817722/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1496817722&sr=8-1) No clue what those numbers and letters in the "Style" menu mean... help pls?

...and this, for the Special II Also a bundle option there. Like I said, don't need amps, but still, if my original plan doesn't work, tell me if that pack would be any good.

So yeah, that's more or less where I'm at. Ideas? Suggestions? Anything in particular I should look for? As I said, I have NO CLUE what many of these 112V or J or whatever tags are supposed to mean, so uh... given what I was looking for, maybe you all could help fill me in? As I said for anything on the instrument that depends on amps, pedals, etc., don't worry, that's covered.

EDIT: Formatting derps.

Focusrite Scarlett Solo and Scarlett 2i2 (Link 1). On amazon for around a benjamen. I would also get a DI box like link 2 to be in front of the Scarlett. This setup is pretty cheap but more than capable of recording, or playing through a laptop at Church. THe scarlet has output on back. hope that helps. I have both of these, great value.

Link 1: https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B01E6T56CM/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1472744892&sr=1-3&keywords=scarlett+2i2

Link 2 : https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-DI400P-BEHRINGER-ULTRA-DI/dp/B000KUA8G6/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1472744729&sr=1-1&keywords=di+box

The most challenging thing for me to learn I think was always sight reading. However, my guitar teacher showed me a good methodology for this, basically he split it up into the different skills you needed to sight read. One skill was reading the rhythms, which was covered by http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Reading-Text-All-Instruments/dp/0769233775 this book, Modern Reading text in 4/4 time. Which is basically a book full to the brim with rhythms. The idea is then that you tap your feet in 4/4 time on the floor and clap and vocalise what ever rhythms are written down. I used to do this for hours, and the rhythms contained in that book went from simple to just insane.

Actual note reading was covered by reading studies for guitar...

http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Studies-Guitar-William-Leavitt/dp/0634013351/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311235782&sr=1-3

and advanced reading studies for guitar

http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Studies-Guitar-William-Leavitt/dp/0634013351/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311235782&sr=1-3

The methodology for learning was to start ridiculously slowly, with a click at about 30bpm, and to do one note per click. This may seem insanely slow, but it helps you to become relaxed about sight reading, and also trains you to read ahead because you get bored.

This was part of the sight reading task, then after a while of doing this we moved onto sight reading notation from tunes from real books. I learned a few tips from doing this, I'll list the ones I can remember here.

1. When you first see a piece of music, scan it and find out the information listed here.
   2.Work out the structure for the piece, AABA ABAB etc, this will help you to minimize the amount of other analysis you need to do.
   
2. Check out the key signature, and time signature.
   
3. Look for the lowest and highest notes in the tune, this will help you to start off in a comfortable playing position, so you can do the whole tune without worrying about changing position, or knowing when you have to.
   
4. Look out for any accidental notes, if you know them before hand, they are less likely to throw you off.
   
5. Scan the rhythm and quickly hum the rhythm of the tune to yourself, this will also give you chance to scan through the notes once before you actually play the tune.
   
   If you follow these tips, then sight reading will eventually become easy for you, but it takes quite a lot of work to achieve this.

As I'm sure you know, the basic open chords are just the beginning. Once you get those down, most people would direct you to barre chords, which are fine, but the important thing to understand is how the chords actually work (e.g. what's the real difference between an Am and Amajor?), which simply learning the barre shapes won't teach you.

For a resource, I recommend Ronny Lee Jazz Guitar Method. Specifically, the 2nd half where they talk about chords.

The reason I love this book is because they break down chords into their basic components and in a very clear way show you why, and don't just tell you what the chords are.

In doing show it teaches you a bunch of different ways to play the same chord (inversions and positions), which helps you to further internalize the whole neck, rather than boxing you into basic positions.

I first used this book 15 years ago and it changed my life.

/r/classicalguitar has a useful sidebar with resources.


I would start learning to sight read with material such as this from Pebber Brown.

I would then move on to books such as 'Sight Reading For Classical Guitar' by Robert Benedict - book 1 and book 2.

I would also include Giuliani's 120 Right Hand exercises to test my accuracy, and Fernando Sor's Opus 60 for melodic diatonic studies, as well as Op 35 and Op 44 for sight reading, scale/arpeggio studies and position work, as well as being nice to play.

Kitharologus The Path to Virtuosity by Ricardo Iznaola is a collection of discipline exercises which run from the straightfoward to the almost impossible.

Sagreras Guitar Lessons Book 1-3 by Julio Sagreras are also well worth studying as left/right hand discipline studies, and are also nice to listen to.

LISTEN. Immerse yourself in all the masters, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass and Tal Farlow for example, and try to figure out their different licks/riffs by ear.

Also, while listening is probably the best way to do it, I really think that you (and everyone else, obviously) should take advantage of all the great books out there to help. This Mickey Baker book gives great, jazzy sound chords and lessons on soloing. So yeah, hoped it helped in some way.

In terms of strength and flexibility - you have several options:

- use certain hand exercisers like this ( https://www.amazon.com/DAddario-Varigrip-Adjustable-Hand-Exerciser/dp/B001OCGGEM ) or smth similar, it really helps to get a grip.

- play and play rhythm guitar songs over and over, and over time it will become easier

- try to learn chord based songs on acoustic guitar, with hard and nasty chords (after acoustic switching to electric guitar is live going to Bahamas for vacation)

For me a good inspiration is Django Reinhardt ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQhTpgicdx4 ), he only had two fingers working properly due to fire accident, and still he had became a well-known guitarist in blues / jazz scene. When i fail in guitar i take inspiration from his courage and continue trying.

I use a mic to an interface to my laptop, which is the standard route.

For the mic, I use an sm57 for higher volume stuff (if you ask any musician what mic they would use if they could only have one mic for general recording, 80% will say an sm57). For lower volume stuff, I use a large diaphram condenser mic (requires phantom power)

For my interface, I have an old Tascam 1800 (it has 16 inputs, I used to use it to record percussion and orchestral parts.

For software I use Cubase and Reaper. Cubase is expensive and difficult and I kind of hate it but it works really well once you figure it out. Reaper is free and fairly simple to use.

This is a fantastic less expensive interface for recording guitar

This is the Shure sm57 microphone

Link to Reaper's site

Link to Cubase's site

Best of luck!!!

This Yamaha gets amazing reviews and is $199. It's as good as it gets in the $200 range.

You'll want steel strings for most music, nylon for classical.

You're going to want to get picks and practice with them to get good. Picks are cheap so experiment with thickness to find one that is good for you. Justin Guitar from the sidebar has a great section on using a pick so I'd recommend watching that video.

You can go in a Guitar Center and play some of the guitars there but it might do you some good to find someone that already plays to go with you. Have that person play the various guitars in your price range so you can hear what each one sounds like. Ask for their feedback on what they like/don't like about each one.

If you're serious about fingerstyle playing, enough to spend some money, I recommend picking up Solo Guitar Playing Vol. 1 by Noad. I haven't come across a more comprehensive analysis of technique, down to hand placement and individual movement of the fingers. I picked the book up after 8 years of playing and was learning fundamental techniques described within the first few pages. It's also a great introduction into reading sheet music, not quite as fast paced as Modern Method for Guitar, the other commonly recommended book.

I second the JustinGuitar recommendations. His Practical Music Theory and Chord Construction Guide eBooks are great introductions to music theory.

Here's an album I did a while back of some basic jazz guitar chord shapes. I've outlined some nice-sounding but simple voicings of Maj7, min7, dominant, and m7b5 or half-diminished chords. Most of these voicings also include the 9th and/or 13th, so you can use these as jumping-off points to learn how to alter chord tones for different voicings and tonalities. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and all the chords are in root position on the 5th and 6th strings, but it'll get you started.

Once you get these down, the next thing to work on would be some drop 2 voicings on the higher strings. I like to take a chord, Fmaj7 for example, and learn a voicing that has each note of the F major scale in the highest voice. So the root, 9th, 3rd, 11th, etc. The goal is to be able to play the entire scale using different inversions of the same chord. Here's an album outlining the inversions for that example. Transpose to other keys and work out how to alter these voicings to achieve minor, dominant, and diminished tonalities.

The voicings with 1, 3, 5, and 7 in the highest voice are drop 2, which means you stack the chord in a closed voicing and drop the 2nd highest voice an octave. For example, a root position Fmaj7, normally spelled FACE, becomes CFAE when voiced as a drop 2. This is particularly useful for jazz guitar because it eliminates the need to do huge stretches to achieve dissonance with 2nds.

I'd also recommend picking up the Mickey Baker jazz guitar book (amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Mickey-Bakers-Complete-Course-Guitar/dp/0825652804/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464620721&sr=8-1&keywords=mickey+baker)

This post ended up being significantly longer than I planned, but I think it'll give you a good solid foundation to work off of. Hope you find this helpful!

Edit: This is not necessarily a "how to get ready for this particular gig" post, but more of a "this is a jumping off point for jazz rhythm guitar in general" post. Obviously talk to the band, get a set list, and practice practice practice.

I recommend Noad. There are two volumes. This is a classical guitar book, but covers almost everything.

You'll also need a dedicated fingerstyle blues/folk book. These tend to be more fast and loose, and hence they can be light on actual instruction. Best is probably the Tommy Emmanuel technique book.

I also really like Pumping Nylon by Scott Tenant.

The all-time best right-hand exercises are by Mauro Giuliani and Fernando Sor. Some of these are included in PN.

I just put these (amazon.com) in my American telecaster yesterday. It was a zero modification drop-in and took about 5 minutes. I've heard that mexi strats take the same tuners.

I can confirm that the nut is 10mm. This never happens, but I grabbed a 10mm wrench out of my toolbox randomly without knowing the nut size and it fit perfectly. It was like winning the lottery.

Late to the party, a lot of good responses already. One thing you may want to try is get a copy of The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten.
It's a good read and can probably help your (and possibly your teacher) build a course of study that is more than the "classical" training of reading music, scales, etudes, modes, etc. I just finished it, and after some 30+ years of playing, has changed my approach to practice and performing. Good luck!

I mean, you can always buy one of the many many instructional books that are out there. Hal Leonard is a pretty well-known company, and it's probably good to have some kind of reference or learning books around for looking things up.

The other thing I'd suggest is basing it around the types of music or songs you want to learn. There's some super basic stuff that you should learn like keeping in tune, knowing the strings, basic open chords, etc; but beyond that it might be worth making a list of decently easy songs you want to learn and what techniques or concepts you'd need to learn to be able to play them.

When I started out (back in 2003 or so) I found a website that had a bunch of beatles tabs, and I learned chords and various types of playing styles to go with the songs I wanted to learn.

You would try taking some online courses from Berklee.

I'd also recommend getting Guitar Pro and dloading plenty of tabs from Ultimate-Guitar.com, since it's much easier than looking for old copies of Guitar for the Practicing Musician and such.

Lessons are good, but beware that you'll be made to concentrate on the fundamentals of music, which many pupils think is not related to playing guitar.

Finally, if you're learning to sight-read, probably good to start at the beginning, such as with the Hal Leonard Guitar Method set of books. If you're interested, I wrote a small python app that writes randomized music based on which notes you choose, so that you can get around the problem of having memorized the notes on the exercises (so that you are actually forced to sight-read). It works quite well, since it creates notation for only the notes you want, and coupled with the method books, is very useful for getting a good sense of sight-reading.

Silk and steel strings may help you achieve your technical goals. You don't need a nylon string guitar to learn the method. The most significant gain of going that route is the generally larger string spacing.

If you do go for a classical guitar, a pro setup on the least expensive solid top guitar you can find, with some really good strings should hold you over for a long while. Just make sure it has an adjustable truss rod. Upgrading to a bone saddle/nut will improve the tone of the best or worst guitars for a very low price.

This book: Solo Guitar Playing - Book 1, 4th Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/0825636795/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6XrmDbNG3FF0H

Probably the most commonly(successfully) taught/learned classical method book ever to have existed and is geared towards a total beginner.

Rock on dude. \m/

Wow! That is exactly what I was thinking but people here told me it isn't possible. How about this thing. Will it work as a substitute for an amplifier and allow me to play clean as well as distortion(for example, a song like Fade to Black)?

You don't need to know theory to write music. It's certainly useful, but it is by no means a necessity. You probably know more theory than you realize. There are likely various patterns and things that you recognize as common, you just don't have a name for it. A lot of music theory is just giving names to those things.

If you're looking for a good resource to get you going, I recommend Tom Kolb's Music Theory for Guitarists book. It's basically a crash course on A LOT of theory subjects. It's far from the most in depth look at any of the topics involved, but it does a great job of immediately relating everything to the guitar.

I also recommend Rikky Rooksby's How to Write Songs On Guitar. This book is a flat out classic of guitar and songwriting instruction.

I would write down ur different modes and scales and then buy the D’addario hand exerciser to improve your hand strength and use ur fingers the same way you would with ur scales, so it will help u memorize all them.

Here’s an Amazon link to the product: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001OCGGEM/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1527557035&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=guitar+finger+strengthener&dpPl=1&dpID=31TKcbhXr5L&ref=plSrch

Sure thing. Musicians have a lot to learn from each other. You can get a guitar USB interface for pretty cheap these days eg: http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Solo-Compact-Interface/dp/B00MTXU2DG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1453972513&sr=8-2&keywords=guitar+interface
I have a more expensive one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005OZE9SA/ref=s9_hps_bw_g267_i1

Great to have because it opens the door to using your computer as effects pedals and amplifier too. A lot of the software for that is free! :)

Save some money and buy a Yamaha, I love mine. It easily stands with more expensive guitars, I wouldn't really be able to upgrade unless I went above $700 or so. Spend what you save on some good lesson books.

I use the following items:

1. Reaper DAW
   
2. M-Audio MobilePre 2 interface
   
3. Shure SM57
   
   Reaper is an affordable, robust solution for recording audio. It is more than enough for the average home recording enthusiast. Aside from that, you will want to get an audio interface of some kind. The MobilePre that I have is very basic, but good enough for my purposes. Finally, a solid mic like the SM57 will serve you well in a multitude of recording scenarios.

Thanks! The most robust book I can think of off the top of my head is Pumping Nylon. It's a great publication with loads of exercises.

Having said that, if you have the patience the most enjoyable way is to learn classical pieces. I understand that sheet music is hurdle (or deterrent) for lots of folks. I used to sit down with a legend for standard notation and mostly rely on the ear!

No good comes from waiting. I take classical guitar lessons at a university and wish I had started sooner. The only thing I'd be wary of is developing poor technique early on, which can be killer to fix later. Just watch out for your left and right hands. Make sure the thumb of your left hand is always on the back of the fingerboard (not curved around) and that your right hand is not perpendicular to the strings but in line with your wrist; like this. I know you said not to name books, but this book is the one that has been teaching me classical guitar and it's great. Now as for spanish/flamenco style guitar, I play a little and am learning, mostly from this video.

Sorry, I know you said not to post anything, but I got excited.

Get a Yamaha-FG700S for around $200, and have it professionally setup by a technician for around $50-75. Pretty much tried and true, has the best reviews, and is the perfect entry level guitar.

This one... or this one... are probably the cheapest I'd trust.


The interfaces have some options that you might need, or might not, depending on your preference. Things like mic pre-amps, or phantom power for condenser mics, are important for most. The number if inputs is only important if you're using more than one mic at a time, or want to record multiple instruments at once, and MIDI is important if you want to venture into that at some point.


They also come with 'lite' versions of some very good DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software, that will get the job done and might actually be preferable to Audacity or Reaper.

The Yamaha F310 is one of the better beginner acoustics; it's a really solid instrument for £100 but it is the kind of guitar you 'grow out of'. You will want to upgrade at some point, so it might make sense to skip this level entirely.

At the lower end, every little extra you can spend will make a huge difference to the quality of the instrument you get. If you can step up to £250, the Yamaha FG700s is pretty much the undisputed king of this price range. It's awesome for the money. Demo here. It's about the leasto amount of money you can spend and still get a 'proper' acoustic; the kind that won't hold you back.

£400 goes to the Seagull s6, which punches way above it's price range. Made in Canada too.

Above that is lower end Martin/Taylor/Gibson territory - the Taylor Big Baby is a favourite of mine if you ever get a chance to check one out.

A Yamaha FG700S will probably do the trick for you. At $200 it leaves you with an extra hundred dollars to buy strings/straps etc. It was my first acoustic guitar and sounds really good for the price. Another option would be a Takamine G Series G340. I personally do not own this guitar but have played many of them at guitar center and seem to be a decent guitar for beginners. They sit at $250 so they will be a little more expensive than the yamaha. I hope this helps and have fun getting into guitar!
Yamaha-http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-FG700S-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/B000FIZISQ
Takamine-http://www.amazon.com/Takamine-G340-Dreadnought-Acoustic-Natural/dp/B000EENFD6

Strat all the way for the Chili Peppers.

I'd recommend Squier Classic Vibe since they come with proper AlNiCo Pickups, so it'll sound great, and the main problems are the input jack and gloss neck. The neck is completely subjective, so you might actually dig that, and a new input jack is like $15 max, and it's about as easy as it can get when it comes to soldering. Even if you pay someone to do it for you, you'll still save money over what you would pay for a MIM Strat.

The one that looks the most like John's main Strat is the '60s Classic Vibe

If you have the $600, I'd say put locking tuners on to make string changes eaiser, a new nut for tuning stability and tone on open strings, and a good input jack since Squier's are notorious for their loose input jacks.

Is this guitar suitable for a beginner or would I be better off going for a used one? It looks like it's at a great price and I've been hoping to get into learning for a while now. I was planning on perhaps using this with Rocksmith. Thoughts?

My suggestion is to learn on your own, and if you choose to go to college, pursue a major that has more profitable career options. Minor in music theory and invest your free time in practicing your instrument. Here is a reading list I recommend to start getting into serious music study and guitar playing:

• William Leavitt's Modern Method for Guitar - all three. buy it on amazon, this is your guitar bible
  
• Chord Chemistry by Ted Greene
  
• The Advancing Guitarist by Mick Goodrick - Seriously one of the best practice guides around. It is light on content, but explains how to practice and challenge yourself.
  
• A Real Book, for reading practice
  
• Tonal Harmony by Kostka
  
• Materials and Techniques of 20th Century Music, by Kostka
  
• The above books by Kostka will cover most of the theory content in the general undergraduate requirements for U.S. music programs
  
• Elementary Training for Musicians, Paul Hindemith - Very good book, particularly work on the sight reading material
  
• Progressive Sight Singing One of the most important skills for a well rounded musician
  
• Paul Gilbert's Terrifying Guitar Trip - Out of place with the above, but easily the best technical guide to guitar playing I have ever found. Even applicable if you don't want to play rock guitar.
  
  That was a fucking wall of text. Hopefully I didn't come off like a negative asshole or bore you to death. If you have any questions or complaints, let me know!

save yourself some $$ and give this a try, I'm loving mine. The built-in looper and rhythm machine are great for jamming by yourself: https://www.amazon.com/Zoom-G1Xon-Guitar-Effects-Expression/dp/B00IOSJ72M

I'm lucky enough to keep my guitar in my office so I get about 45 minutes of practice each day on my lunch break.

There's a great app called Functional Ear Trainer that is really helpful for training your ear to better identify intervals. I highly recommend it.

You could try one of those finger exercisers (like this one). I'm not certain how well they actually work, but I've seen a decent amount of people who like them.

It's already been said, but you can never go wrong with listening to music. Try exploring bands and genres you don't normally listen to.

Lots of other ideas here.

I use this book to teach all of my students how to read. Then I supplement with some basic sheet music I create of a popular song that they like that they use to help them sightread the melody. :)

It's quite possible to teach yourself, of course. The question is really how quickly do you want to progress? A teacher is your single best resource as they can give you feedback that a book or video just can't. So, if you can find a teacher in your area that teaches the style you want to learn, I would definitely go that route.

With that being said, as far as books are concerned, anything by Fredrick Noad will be helpful - especially his 2 book series on solo guitar playing.

Here's the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Solo-Guitar-Playing-Book-4th/dp/0825636795

As for playing the classical guitar using an acoustic guitar approach, keep in mind you're conflating a couple of different things. A "classical" guitar is the instrument - nylon strings, wider neck, lighter body. Classical guitar is a style of music (and differs from Spanish guitar, but that's another conversation practically).

So, yes, you can learn to play folk, blues, jazz and any other sort of genre on a classical guitar. And you can learn classical guitar music on an accoustic (or even electric) guitar, though it won't sound the same and might be a bit more difficult.

http://www.amazon.com/Solo-Guitar-Playing-Volume-1/dp/0825636795/ref=pd_sim_b_1

I've been playing classical for about ten years, and I'm currently studying it at a conservatory. This is what I learned out of, and I think its a great method. There are plenty of methods out there if you don't like this one: Shearer, Duncan, Tennant, and others. If you want something older look at the methods by Sor, Giuliani, or Carcassi. There are tons more, just look around for what you like. All of these require being able to read music, if you want to really do classical guitar, you have to start reading it. Don't let that discourage you, though, classical guitar is well worth the effort.

Links!

Chord Chemistry - Ted Greene

The Advancing Guitarist - Mick Goodrick

Mickey Baker's Complete Course in Jazz Guitar: Book 1

Also, remember that 85% of odd jazz chords that come about, you should be able to work out. -Maj7? Min7 chord with a sharp 7. 7b5? 7 chord with a flat five. Chords with tensions can generally be played without the tensions, so G13 can easily be G7. However, you will loose some nuance. As for jazz solos? Totally not a jazz guitarist. My rock soloing didn't go well with my jazz teachers. However, I was given some fantastic advice: Even if you don't play a style, solo in it like you would normally because that is where you are comfortable. If you find the groove, you'll fit.

http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Solo-Compact-Interface/dp/B00MTXU2DG

$100 seems like a lot, but this thing is some of the best bang for your buck you'll get out of a recording interface, and it's got the added capability of doing a microphone as well, should you ever want to record an acoustic guitar or vocals.

Typically, they'll be sold in sets of 6, but some vendors, like stewmac or warmoth do sell them individually. I would just replace the whole set and take the opportunity to upgrade to locking tuners, if I were you. I'm a big fan of this Fender staggered set.

Your main concern will be the ferrule diameter. You want it to match the holes in your headstock, or at least not be bigger than the hole, or else you'll need to drill them bigger. Slightly smaller is not a major issue, particularly with the set I linked to, because of the dual stabilizing pins on the back that make the machine sit quite stable, but do require drilling holes for them on the back of the headstock. Most other tuners have a single stabilizing screw, which may or may not line up with the drilled holes on the back of your headstock. If the tuner(s) you end up with do not line up with the pre-drilled holes for the stabilizing screws, just pre-drill some new ones. Do not screw into your headstock without a pre-drilled hole.

A interface is a separate piece of hardware not just your PC. Here's an often recommended one.
I mentioned it before but you can get a cheap adapter to plug into your microphone port but your sound quality will suffer. Some of the plugins on that site have free trials so you can try that out with an adapter to decide if you want to commit and spend the money on an interface.


One of the main benefits of a plugin is that you can record and practice silently but it still sounds like a believable version of a cranked large high watt amp. You also have the option to go back and completely change the effects used after something has been recorded.

If you want a GREAT electric on the cheaper side by Epiphone, they make this guitar which was actually suggested to me as a beginner. It's an amazing guitar, and I've been using it some for Rocksmith until my lessons for Acoustic begin in August.

Alright, let me give you a rundown of my personal library.

Beginner:

• "Guitar World Presents: Steve Vai's Guitar Workout"
  
• "A Modern Method for Guitar: Volumes 1-4" By William Leavitt
  
• "Creative Guitar Volume 1" by Guthrie Govan
  
  Intermediate:
  
  
• "Reading Studies for Guitar" by William Leavitt
  
• "The Advancing Guitarist" by Mick Goodrick
  
• "Melody Chords for Guitar" by Allan Holdsworth
  
• "Joe Pass Chord Solos"
  
• "Charlie Parker for Guitar"
  
• "Hybrid Picking for Guitar" by Gustavo Assis-Brasil
  
• "The Jazz Theory Book" by Mark Levine
  
• "The Bill Evans Guitar Book" by Sid Jacobs
  
  Advanced:
  
  
• "The Brazilian Guitar Book" by Nelson Faria
  
• "Creative Chordal Harmony for Guitar: Using Generic Modal Compression" by Tim Miller, Mick Goodrick
  
• "The Art of Two-Line Improvisation" by Jimmy Wyble
  
• "Elementary Training for Musicians" by Paul Hindemith (not guitar specific)
  
  I'm sure others will disagree with my ranking, and obviously my library is rather genre specific. But it's a lot of quality material that will definitely improve your playing no matter the style.

If you're looking for help writing songs and coming up with riffs, I would highly recommend How to Write Songs on Guitar by Rikky Rooksby. It covers so much more than other songwriting books, and I haven't been able to find anything that even comes close to it.

http://www.amazon.com/How-To-Write-Songs-Guitar/dp/0879309423

Also, take a look at the musician's institute books. IMO, they have been consistently putting out the best books.

http://www.halleonard.com/promo/promo.do?promotion=230001&subsiteid=7

Yes, they've got both the lead line (melody) and the chords above them. They're really the industry standard for jazz — you'll see them on any music stand for a gigging combo. 6th Edition is probably the best place for you to start. (A given song might look like this.)

Lots of great books out there. I don't see anything for classical guitar on your list, but I highly recommend The Christpher Parkening Guitar Method Volume 1, and Volume 2, as well as [Pumping Nylon: The Classical Guitarist's Technique Handbook] (http://www.amazon.com/Pumping-Nylon-Classical-Guitarists-Technique/dp/088284721X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416410512&sr=1-1&keywords=pumping+nylon+by+scott+tennant) by Scott Tennant.

If I may suggest a book along these lines, I have gotten way more use from this book than I ever expected to. It's not really about how to write songs (or even on guitar), it's more about how all these notes and chords fit together, and work together. Goes over dozens of different chord progressions (and lists popular songs so you can easily identify it in your head), chord substitutions, that kind of thing. Highly, highly recommended.

Gotcha, so an interface like this one is the way to go, and then I can just focus on a guitar that makes me happy.

I wish the nearest store wasn't two hours away.

Much obliged. I actually ordered an Epiphone LP Special II Les Paul just a few hours ago. Assuming I actually stick with guitar this time around, I figure I'll have enough experience to walk into a guitar shop a year from now and pick exactly the guitar I want.

Any recommendations on strings/tools? Should I plan to turn my neck in X months? I noticed from a review on this particular guitar that the strings are lighter. Should I invest in a set of heavier strings and truss/rod adjustment now? I've held other guitars years ago and in a very amateur appraisal remember liking lighter strings because I didn't have to press so hard to get a note. I don't remember much more so hopefully this won't make Rocksmith impossible to play.

As everybody has said so far — practice will resolve this. It took me a couple months to get G & E chords down ever time.

Also, get a finger specific hand exerciser to build up you’re grip. I use this one:

D'Addario Varigrip Adjustable Hand Exerciser https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OCGGEM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_rEn0AbWZ69SVJ

Mickey Bakers Complete Course in Jazz Guitar

While the book is labelled as a jazz guitar resource, really what you're getting is a set of really good lessons which will instill a lot of habits that strong playing skills are based on. I must warn you though; the lessons can be tedious (he makes you transpose a lot) but they're very effective if you follow through with them.

Go play at open mics. This is great for networking with other musicians/bands.

You could also get a cheap recording setup, record band demos, and email those to venues. My old band recorded on a laptop from an SM57 going into a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and we edited/mixed/arranged/exported all the audio through Audacity (free). That's it. Excluding the laptop and mic cables, all this costs around $250 Hell, there's even cheaper alternatives available if you're super strapped for cash.

As for actually finding venues that exist near you, try going to Indie on the move and type in your area and it'll give you all the venues that exist within however big a radius you put.

Hopefully this helps!

Interesting. Personally, I don't have a problem with any regular bends on my 17w G string (except on frets 1, 2, and 3) and I play on a 28.6" neck, so the tension is higher. I just went to my guitar and tried just to double check that I wasn't talking out of my ass. If you really want to get into playing with a wound third string, perhaps pick up a finger strengthener like this. If not, then don't sweat it

I think the Hal Leonard Guitar Method book is really good. I was in the same boat... took several years off and wanted to pick it up again. I thought the book was great for helping me get back into sight-reading and remembering my notes/frets/scales. Definitely simple at the beginning if you've played before, but it's a solid review.

A classical guitar book would start from the ground up in notation rather than tab and have lots of sight reading exercises.

Personally, I think Frederick Noad's Solo Guitar Playing is awesome. It's how I got started.

If you already have a theory background and already have some of the mechanical techniques of the guitar down, you could probably move at a good clip through it.

Lines are: EGBDF

Spaces are: FACE

BOOM!

Something like Hal Leonard Guitar method may be useful because even though it is their beginning guitar book, everything is in standard notation. No tab to fall back on. So even if you've been playing a while, you'll start right off with this dot on the staff = this string/fret. I have the epub version that has the audio embedded in the file, so I can click on the staff on my ipad and it will play. The printed version I think all the audio tracks are online.

Get a Real Book. There isn't anything in the way of explanation or instruction, but you'll learn many tunes and you'll begin to see common progressions (e.g., ii-V-I) and modulations (e.g., between relative minor and major) quickly. Also, you'll expand your chord vocabulary substantially if you master the many alterations and interesting extended chords that show up in there. Substitutions are a little harder to see w/o direction, I think, and sometimes aren't included in the charts.

I've been wondering the exact same thing! I use a Rocksmith cable currently but been looking at this focusrite interface for a while. If anyone could weigh in on if it's worth it I'd appreciate it!

Focusrite Scarlett solo and Reaper has a free trial that is really good.

Fender Locking Tuners. I believe they are Schaller, but made in Taiwan. Fender has some sort of arrangement with Schaller so they can make Schaller locking tuners and strap locks in Asia. The locking tuners for instance are made in Taiwan and they are amazing quality.

It's a great book. Here's the amazon version, it's updated, but essentially it's the same thing. Once you learn keys/modes it's like a language that unfolds. You won't be "memorizing" anymore, as much as learning how the language is constructed.

Have you considered buying a book? When I was taking guitar lessons I used this to learn and it helped quite a bit. I've since stopped but I'm thinking of going through the books again to improve my playing.

I think that would do what you need it to do, but it looks like it's made of cheap plastic so I'd be concerned about the reliability. Also, there is no XLR input which you may need if you're ever going to use a mic. This one is better, and not that much more expensive:

http://www.amazon.in/Focusrite-Scarlett-Solo/dp/B00MTXU2DG/ref=pd_sim_sbs_267_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=417iR4TN3eL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1G9DV800T3VX33YWSS20

Are you buying the interface for recording??

http://www.amazon.com/How-To-Write-Songs-Guitar/dp/0879309423


I think this may be what you are looking for. Just started going through it myself but it already has all the different kind of chords and small examples of songs and artists that use each chord type and the type of mood for each chord chord type. Also has a progression chord chart as well.

Edit: I would check out the reviews for his other books about songwriting as well and determine from there which one is most suited for what you are looking for.

Shredneck, possibly may work for you.

Maybe one of these as well: www.amazon.com/DAddario-Varigrip-Adjustable-Hand-Exerciser/dp/B001OCGGEM - D'Addario Varigrip Adjustable Hand Exerciser

Maaaaybe grab a multieffect pedal and run it straight into the PA, but don't be surprised if it sounds bad ;)
This one, if amazon is an option: Zoom G1Xon

But still, this won't sound like a 100W Marshall stack and I only recommend it because of your special situation and limited options.
Let me know how the gig goes! ;)

http://www.amazon.com/The-Real-Book-Sixth-Edition/dp/0634060384

It's a collection of jazz standards. A must-have for anyone who plays even a little bit of jazz, but it's definitely not something you could learn jazz guitar from without another aid.

1. Can't help you there buddy
   
   
2. Shure SM57. This is pretty much the standard microphone for guitar recording, though bear in mind that you need an audio interface to be able to plug it into your computer.
   
   
3. Only solution I can think of would be if your amp had a 3/4" direct input and you hooked the clarinet up to a mic.

Hello,

I'd recommend a LP style guitar, and a Marshall or valve amp (up to 30W) depending on what kind of audience you're playing to.

Guitar similar to this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002CZUV0/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1418668301&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

And an amp similar to this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005ODB36S/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1418668401&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX200_QL40

For a beginner is this pedal any good? I just want to experiment with some sounds and see what effects have to offer. http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-G1Xon-Guitar-Effects-Expression/dp/B00IOSJ72M/ref=sr_1_28?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1425579267&sr=1-28

This technique might work for "this" guy, but don't play like him if you want proper right hand technique. I would try Pumping Nylon for classical songs and exercises.

Direct swap! Very easy and $50. Did them on my MIM HSS. I also did the American string tree and the fender bone nut.

Fender Locking Tuners Chrome https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000L6GD04/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8McADb32V80QN

Fender Vintage Style Stratocaster/Telecaster Electric Guitar Pre-Slotted Bone Nut https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FW84QMI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_qPcADbG4RM9BW

Fender American Series String Guides https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002E2GMY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_aQcADb44ETYFN

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MTXU2DG?psc=1&smid=A2UPVLUE7LUM25

Would that work? I use my computer for gaming and the likes, etc. so would I have to keep unplugging and plugging in my headphones to different ports just to be able to hear everything?

D'Addario Varigrip Adjustable Hand Exerciser https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OCGGEM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_npQszb34KPQ3R

Since you only need one input, save yourself a few bucks and get the Scarlett Solo

If you can find an hour a day for this which is available at larger guitar shops, it will keep you busy learning the basics for a year or two. A good investment.

You don't need theory for this book. It might teach you some.

Have you checked out this book? It has some good stuff in it.

https://www.amazon.ca/Pumping-Nylon-Classical-Guitarists-Technique/dp/088284721X

These all get mentioned as good entry level guitar on Reddit:

Sub $200:

https://smile.amazon.com/Epiphone-SPECIAL-II-Electric-Vintage-Sunburst/dp/B0002CZUV0


https://smile.amazon.com/Epiphone-SG-Special-Electric-Guitar-KillPot/dp/B0002D01IG


https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0064RVAUC

Sub $400:


https://smile.amazon.com/Ibanez-RG-Series-RG450DXB-White/dp/B00B7AJZL2


https://smile.amazon.com/Yamaha-Pacifica-PAC112V-Electric-Sunburst/dp/B001HV67L2


https://smile.amazon.com/Epiphone-Paul-100-Electric-Heritage-Sunburst/dp/B0002CZUTM


https://smile.amazon.com/Epiphone-Electric-Guitar-Coil-Splitting-Handed/dp/B007AGR5JQ ($419)

I always liked this Victor Wooten book.

Is this the right one? http://www.amazon.ca/Shure-SM57-LC-Cardioid-Dynamic-Microphone/dp/B0000AQRST/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456793609&sr=8-1&keywords=Shure+SM57

it says this one is LC Cardioid dynamic idk if that matters.

For a complete beginner I recommend Hal Leonard Guitar Method, Complete Edition: Books & CD's 1, 2 and 3 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0634047019/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_pmbkub0RHR583

Yeah there's not much around me in terms of music related shops, I'll just pay for the shipping and get it from Amazon, I have my eyes on the Oscar, the sg and the les paul

Have you thought about micing your amp? I much prefer this method over using "line outputs". You can pick up an SM57 and an audio interface for a decent price off Amazon. This way you can setup your computer to play audio through the interface (and into headphones) when recording.


As far as the delay in Audacity, you can set up "Latency correction" in "Edit -> Preferences -> Audio I/O".

You really need to go to a guitar store before you throw down $X for a guitar... ignore the color and the logo... I just sold my MIM Strat because it felt awfull (neck is to small for my hands) turns out I really like the wider Gibson/Epiphone style bodies.

Also, don't spend $300 for your first guitar.. maybe in a year (if you last a year) upgrade.

Here's an Epiphone for $149 (on sale, Its a $300 guitar)

http://www.amazon.com/Epiphone-Special-Electric-Vintage-Sunburst/dp/B0002CZUV0/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1451256946&sr=1-2&keywords=epiphone

I have one in Wine and its a solid guitar.. but you really have to put whatever you want to buy in your hands and feel it for yourself.

Pick yourself up one of these and start playing around with the tunes.

Frederick Noad [Solo Guitar Playing] (http://www.amazon.com/Solo-Guitar-Playing-Book-Edition/dp/0825636795) is all you need. Start with Book 1 and you'll be reading music and playing Bach before you get to Book 2.

You need a digital interface, which will turn your guitar sound into data that your computer will understand.
I use the scarlett solo and it works great.

https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B01E6T56CM/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1521813146&sr=8-13&keywords=scarlett+studio

I run my pedal board straight into the instrument input. If it sounds a bit odd to you, add some reverb, since a guitar going straight into a computer can sound kinda dead.

Here's one:
https://www.amazon.ca/Mickey-Bakers-Complete-Course-Guitar/dp/0825652804
I did get the name wrong to a degree.
But importantly, this link has a fair amount of material that explains the book:
http://www.jazzandhotguitar.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Real-Book-Hal-Leonard-Corporation/dp/0634060384/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495028237&sr=8-1&keywords=hal+leonard+real+book

If you're into jazz, get yourself a Real Book! It's reasonably basic sheet music, and full of classics.

http://www.amazon.com/Real-Book-Hal-Leonard-Corporation/dp/0634060384

For jazz get a Real Book.

I took a couple courses in classical guitar and we used this book. It's a very traditional, bottom-up way to learn, starting with open strings, then 1st position and so-on. You get out of it what you put into it. That means taking as much time as necessary with each section, even if it means spending 2 or 3 weeks on a single chapter.

Solo Guitar Playing

Mickey Baker, should be first on the list:

http://www.amazon.com/Mickey-Bakers-Complete-Course-Guitar/dp/0825652804

Found this on Amazon:


http://www.amazon.com/Epiphone-Special-Electric-Vintage-Sunburst/dp/B0002CZUV0/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1367886351&sr=1-2&keywords=guitar

Do you think that, this one would be good?:
https://www.amazon.com/Epiphone-SPECIAL-II-Electric-Vintage-Sunburst/dp/B0002CZUV0/ref=sr_1_12?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1481998052&sr=1-12&keywords=electric+guitar

Don't know what guitar(s) you've got but the first thing I bought for both of my Strats was Fender Locking Tuners.

and if I buy any other guitars, the first thing I'm going to get is locking tuners if it doesn't already have it.

So I think I'm going make a Thinline Tele. Going to build the body and buy a prebuilt neck. What all hardware do I need? Right now I've found:

• Body blank
  
• Tele Bridge
  
• Thinline pickguard
  
• Vintage Reissue pickups
  
• 2 potentiometers
  
• 3 way switch (and tip)
  
• binding
  
• Switchcraft input jack and cup
  
• knobs
  
• neck plate and screws
  
• string ferrules
  
• Telecaster neck
  
• tuners
  
  I guess I should probably get extra wiring? Anything else?

I used the same ones I used with my Strats.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000L6GD04/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have a Scarlett 6i6 but I started with a Scarlett Solo. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MTXU2DG/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687562&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B005OZE9SA&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=12Q6J7G6SP9P07ZC0HNZ . The Scarlett line seems to be the go-to interface for anyone not looking to spend $1k+.

It's a bit more but I'm finding my Scarlett Solo does the job.

So would I connect the mic to something like this and that to the PC?

Assuming you don't have vintage style tuners then Fender has Schallers or their Deluxe.

I have the Deluxe version installed on my Tele and Strat and they work great. Either one would be a breeze to install since they both drop right into the existing holes and simply tighten on with a wrench. No screws needed since they have 2 little studs that prevent them from twisting.

For those who may be reading this that play Fingerstyle or Classical, I can't recommend Scott Tennant's book Pumping Nylon enough.

Wondering if anyone has any experience with this: I'm looking into getting locking tuners for my MiM Telecaster and Strat. I found these: Fender Locking Tuners Chrome https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B000L6GD04/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Uwnpyb12ZVPH8

Fender Model#: 099-0818-100 it says "fits most MiM models" Most? How much variance is there? I don't want to shell out $100 per guitar and have them not fit. I mean a tuner is a tuner right? It's just where the holes are drilled. Such an odd wording, and yet it throws me.

I would heavily recommend the book Noad's book for classical guitar.

He does a really good job covering a lot of the basics, but you really want to pay attention to technique here. Classical can be a little more rigorous than modern and a bad habit now can really hurt you in the long run.

Otherwise, check out /r/classicalguitar for more resources and discussion. The subreddit is a little slow, but more activity would be greatly appreciated.