How to Teach Yourself Guitar

Take advantage of educational materials. This could be a beginner's book or a video course. Perhaps the most cost effective option is to watch free guitar lesson videos on the internet. You can find these on sites like YouTube and you can learn a lot without spending any money.  I will discuss some specifically well done sources in future posts.

Focus on the basics first. Before you can start jamming you'll need to understand the basics of guitar playing. Thinks like chords, scales, and picking patterns are important to learn before you move on to more advanced techniques. Mastering the basics will provide a solid foundation for you to develop more advanced skills.

Find some time each day to play and practice. Consistency is the key, and you'll need to have a regularly play if you want to see steady improvement. Keep your guitar handy, several 10 -15 minute sessions every day are better than several hours once a week.

Try to avoid other distractions while you are practicing. Make your practice time count. Practice in a quiet room without the TV or radio on in the background.

Learning to play a musical instrument well takes practice, and you can't allow yourself to get frustrated and quit. If you continue to put in the time you'll see your prowess develop steadily.

Restringing Your Guitar

One thing everyone who plays guitar should know is - how to change the strings on your guitar.  Fortunately, it's a simple process

Most popular guitar in the U.S.?

Yamaha FS-700S

Readily available for less than $200 new  and for around $150 used.

• Solid Sitka spruce top
• Nato back and sides
• Rosewood fingerboard
• Rosewood bridge
• Black/white body binding
• Tortoise pickguard
• Die-cast tuners

Jamstar

Ok, you got yourself a guitar, now what?   You want to start making music!

If you are a fan of video games, this might be right up your alley.  (if you aren't a fan of video games, don't worry, we have something for you as well.)

So for video gamers, here is a free application that runs on iPod/iPad as well as Android devices.  It uses the built in microphone of your device to do things like help you tune your guitar and learn to play songs.  It's called Jamstar -

https://jamstar.co/

Now what is really neat, a company called DR makes multicolored strings to help you better keep track of where you want to be when playing along with the lesson on Jamstar -

http://www.drstrings.com/#!multi-color/c1343

The multicolored strings sell for about $10 - $12.  The app has an option to display the strings in color to match those on your guitar.

Truth be told, I don't play video games, so I haven't used this app.  But from everything I've heard, if you are used to playing video games, you may definitely want to give this a try.

Have fun!

p.s. You may want the app for mothing else than the tuner function, it makes tuning your guitar very simple

Some good advice

"Alas for those that never sing, But die with all their music in them!" --- Oliver Wendell Holmes 

Washburn WD7S-Atb

THe Washburn WD7S-ATB is a full sized dreadnaught that looks, plays and sounds great.  It can be purchased new between $149 - $200 new.

The Washburn WD7S-ATB Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Features:

• Solid Spruce Top
• Catalpa sides back and neck ( A beautiful - SUSTAINABLE - wood with great looks and sound ) 
• Mahogany Neck with truss rod
• Rosewood fingerboard and bridge
• New Crown headstock design
• Multi Lam top binding
• Fully bound neck and headstock
• Chrome die cast tuners

Recording King Dirty Thirty Guitar

The Recording King Dirty Thirty line of guitars offer a vintage look and had a nice raspy tone for blues and ragtime stuff.  The are fun to play and can readily be found brand new in the $175 - $200 range.  The line consists of three sizes - a dreadnaught, a 000, and a parlor sized 0.

• Solid Spruce top
• Rosewood fretboard
• Bone nut and saddle
• Extra-large fretboard dots
• Aged ivoroid body binding
• Satin sunburst finish
• Vintage-inspired tuning keys
• Historic Recording King headstock