Any guitar players ? I need some advice.

[rhino47]

My daughter and I decided to start playing guitar together.I have NO idea what I am doing beyond practicing c g e f .
I purchased two cheap washburns off ebay .That is not the problem.What kind of strings would you recommend for starters.There are silk/steel bronze etc etc etc.Light action ,extra light.The washburns are as followed Oscar SchmidtOG2wh by washburn model and Washburn D10.

[unpossibles]

1. I use bronze, but you probably won't notice the difference between expensive and cheap strings

so buy the cheap ones to learn on. Take the guitars to a local music shop and have them string and set them up - that way they are likely to be able to get into tune, and a guitar that doesn't stay in tune is frustrating. Are they acoustic or electric? I'm not familiar with those models. The D10 is acoustic, right? A light to medium gauge is probably good - the thicker strings can be a bit tougher to learn on until you build up some calluses and finger strength, but honestly the thin ones hurt at first too.

Have fun and good luck!

[rhino47]

5. Acoustic .

Good advice.I am taking to the local shop .They recommended silk coated strings light that are a tad easier on the fingers of beginners.I also got a digital tuner off ebay.Do these work well?

[ChoralScholar]

2. I use Ernie Ball Earthwood strings

it's a good middle-of-the road string to use.

[Coyote_Bandit]

3. Spend the money

to have the instruments set up and the action and intonation set. Cheap light or extra light guage strings will suffice. Personally, I prefer a heavier guage but some techniques are more difficult on heavier guage strings. You need to build up finger strength. There are lots of hand and finger exercises that serious players use to avoid injuries and build strength and flexibility. Enjoy.

[leftofthedial]

4. cheap light gauge strings

spend fifty bucks or so and have a guitar tech at your local guitar store set them up for you.

Way to go! That's really cool.

[Orsino]

7. Extra-light gauge, even...

...so as to build those calluses gradually.

[leftofthedial]

8. check with the guitar tech and make sure that extra lights

will work on those Washburns

ah yes, the ancient art of callus-building. Even after decades of playing, I spent about a month doing almost exclusively keyboard session work until a couple of weekends ago, when I had three guitar-heavy gigs in two days. Yow! My digits were howling by the end of the first gig . . .

Not to be callous (heh heh), but I always favored the rapid callus-building method. Grab the old Gibson with the medium-gauge strings and play until they bleed. LOL

[eyepaddle]

6. All the advice so far is pretty good.

I'd also reccommend that you stick with lighter gauge strings for now--the heavier they are, the better the tone--and the harder they are to play.

One possible alternative are Elixir brand strings. They are not the cheapest, but they are coated with gore-tex, so they feel quite smooth and sound brilliant, and they last FOREVER. I once made it more than a year on one set; so that might be an economy move--depending on how much you play.

[Beaverhausen]

9. I agree with the poster who suggested having the guitars "set-up"

for the gauge you choose- I suggest light gauge at first. Most players stay with that gauge. (I use mediums but I'm a basher! Plus I've been playing for over 30 years.)

Also, start off slowly and allow your callouses to grow. You don't want to get too discouraged by the pain you will feel in your fingers when you first start out. Give yourselves time.

I also recommend, if you aren't going to go to a teacher, check out the tons of DVDs out there to learn. You can pretty much choose your favorite genre of music and find instructional DVDs for that kind of music. You do have to learn basics first, but each style of music has it's own "basics."

Good luck and have fun!

[rhino47]

11. We do have a teacher at the local bookstore/coffee shop.

However he is in jail for the next week from a dui.I found some charts online of the chords and video of guitar basics on youtube believe it or not.I am interested in punk/rock my daugther is into folk/blues/jazz.We are really really basic.I have been using an old harmony guitar with a weird top (it goes above the rest of the guitar) i got at a yard sale for 10 bux.My fingers are already bleeding.Thats why I was wondering if any strings would be a bit more gentle.

[Beaverhausen]

12. Did you change the strings on the guitar you bought?

If they are old strings, they will be harder to fret and it will take more work to get good sound out of them.

You could go with extra-lights first and build up to light. The lighter the string, the more you have to work to get more volume from the guitar. But just starting out, you need to be more concerned with getting comfortable playing.

[mitchum]

19. LOL!!! "However, he is in jail for the next week..."...

it sounds like he is indeed a guitarplayer :)

I also recommend lighter gauges and having the guitars set up
Have fun

[mulsh]

10. another bit of advice

when you take the guitars to the shop ask them to show you how to change strings. it's a small detail but will save you tons of aggravation down the road.
there's no need to make a knot at the tuner simply get a string crank and wind the string around the post. they'll show you at the shop.

I currently own 30 assorted instrument, mostly guitars, and use elixer strings on all but the resonator and lap steels. these strings last for at least a year. I use elixers because the ph in my sweat has been known to wear out bronze and steel strings in less than an hour. I started out using extra light d'angelicos and ernie balls, .10 - around 52 gauge, steel and bronze.

get an electric tuner but also try using an A440 or if you can find one an E449 tuning fork. I mostly use an electric tuner these days but for developing fine tuning instincts spending hours tuning 12 string guitars using only a tuning fork disciplined both relative and perfect pitch abilities.

oh and try to play at least 15 to 30 minute a day.

good luck

[conscious evolution]

20. oh and try to play at least 15 to 30 minute a day.

great advice.
Even if you aren't 'playing' anything it is good to play every day.It helps build muscle memory much quicker.When I first started playing I could tell the difference when I skipped a day or two.
It also helps build callouses faster.

[mulsh]

21. simple chord changes

work well for practice, things like G-C adda D and you're playing lots of songs, E-A, kick in a Bm7 and you're playing the basic I-IV-V progression.
I've been playing for over 30years now and play at least one of the above to warm up nearly every day.

[RetroLounge]

13. Ernie Ball, or GHS Boomers.

Go with something like an 11 or 12 e string.

and enjoy!

:hi:

RL

[ET Awful]

14. One string I used to love when I still had time to play (for lack of a better term)

was Elixirs. They're pricey, but they have a coating the makes them last longer, and they're VERY easy on the fingers as a novice/beginner.

The tone isn't quite as nice as some others, but they're very good strings.

Other than that, I used to use D'Addario.

[Bake]

16. Gawd I hate those coated strings!

Seems like everybody's making 'em now too. True, they do last longer, but they never have that "new string" sound. Not the jangly sound you get when you first put new strings on, but the perfect tone you get after a day or so, once they've settled in. Elixirs never have that sound. They always sound, to me at least, like two month old strings. But they'll sound like two month old strings after eight months, too (depending on how much one plays, of course).

I've been using the GHS Signature Bronze strings for a while and like 'em. The most recent set I put on was the Martin Eric Clapton signature string, and it's been good too. I got a lot of gigs out of that set. However, in the middle of our third set last weekend, those strings officially "died." Just started sounding thunky. Time to change.

Bake

[AllegroRondo]

15. learn to read music, not just tab

too many would-be guitar players use tab as a crutch, and never learn to read music. this really limits what they can play.

[Bake]

17. Au contraire, mon frere!

There's nothing wrong with tab IF one develops his/her EAR along with the tab. I'd say, don't just learn "licks," learn positions and scales. If you learn a melody from tab, try figuring out the positions in a different key.

Also, those software programs that slow down a song without changing the pitch are wonderful tools.

Bake

[AllegroRondo]

18. I agree, to a point

perhaps I should have said "dont learn ONLY tab".

Tab is a great learning tool, but Ive found too may beginners who stick to learning only Tab and never bother learning to read music, which really limits what they can do later.

Of course, I came to guitar from a background in classical music, which does bias my opinion in that direction. I've known many very good jazz players who dont read music, but who know chord progressions and substitutions inside and out and can play the doors off in that setting.

[truedelphi]

22. All I know about life I learned

from guitar practice

If you can learn to play an F chord - you can do anything!