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I want to learn to play the electric guitar.
My dad has one, and he hasn't played it in ages.. and I've been loving a lot of bands (mostly like indie) (for ex. arctic monkeys and the fratellis i LOVE to death!) and it just got into me that I want to learn how to play the guitar! :P one of my friends takes guitar lessons but its like normal guitar.. or bass guitar. uh idk i'll ask her. and i know a couple of other people who play like drums and stuff. i dont really want to make a band or maybe in the future if i wanna stick with it. i could practice with that friend who takes guitar lessons cause she lives closest to me i guess. i know its quite a big thing.. but like with the arctic monkeys they taught themselves to play so I guess anyone can right? i know it wont take like a week or months to get it right but w/e what are the first things i should know and learn and stuff? i have no clue where to start. i dont know much about the guitar.. except i play guitar hero 2 sometimes haha thats it. and i've been in orchestra for 3 years and played the cello. hm i should have joined band (the drums are hawt but in 5th grade mostly guys did it so i was shy to do it) but idk the cello just sounded nice.. and mellow. and i digress. btw im 13 and a girl........... and yeah thats it and thanks like a bunch if you can help me!
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Well, you've got a leg up on some people that want to take up guitar, in that you've already got some concept of fingering from playing the cello. Presumably you can also read music and tablatures. Guitar may actually be easier for you, since it's a fretted instrument and you don't need to be as precise in your finger placement.
YouTube is full of free guitar lessons, in all sorts of styles. The classic starting point is the Mel Bay guitar course, if you don't mind learning from a book. The basics of playing are the same for all guitars: finger placement, scales, chords, etc. The use of effects, feedback, distortion, etc are unique to electric instruments, but those can come later. Figure out the guitar first. Your friends can pass along what they know, and you can figure out a fair bit yourself from just noodling around and playing scales.
Of course, nothing says the cello can't rock. Check out a band called Rasputina and tell me the cello doesn't rock.
Hope this helps.
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It's great that you want to learn to play the guitar. I'm assuming you don't want to take lessons, you want to teach yourself. I taught myself guitar with the help of the internet, there are many good websites that can help you. First look up the "cage chords" and learn how to play them. (A, Am, C, D, Dm, E, Em, F, G). Then, after you master them, you can advance to barre chords. With barre chords, you can play any chord possible. Learning to pick, hammer, and slide will be harder, but they're important to solos. When learning how to do solos, start with pentatonic scales. Then you can do regular scales. Since you've been in orchestra for a few years, you probably know a little music theory. You can apply what you learned in orchestra to the guitar once you figure out the notes. Basically, don't try too much that you can't handle, or you'll be intimidated and quit. www.e-chords.com for popular songs.
RESPONSE:
You can tune the guitar just to itself just make sure the top string isn't too high, or you'll break the strings. Each string should be the same sound as the 5th fret on the string above it. (Except play the 4th fret on the 4th string from the top for the 5th string). That was probably confusing, there are diagrams at www.howtotuneaguitar.org. Any more questions, you can ask directly to my column.
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