Any guitar experts in ? I want to learn how to play.
 

Firstly, how difficult is it to learn how to play a guitar and how long will take to become The Edge ? :D

Seriously tho, i want to learn how to play in the hope that one day i may be able to play some U2 (The Edge) type solos to backing tracks, also what type of electric guitar would i need if i wanted to try and learn this type of guitar style of The Edge. I appreciate he has a lot of 50`s and 60`s guitars, i`m just after a bit of a jack of all trades guitar that could pull it off and would be easy to learn with. Thanks

acoustic or electric? action on electric tends to be easier. how much do you want to spend on a guitar. £250 will get you a nice starter acoustic or spend a lot more for a les paul or a fender.

you will never be able to play like the edge, slash et al. some of those riffs have chords they don't even have names for ;)

Now their`s a question, i don`t have a clue to be honest :D

Something along the lines of this is what i hope to achieve one day, just maybe lol

YouTube - The Edge - With Or Without You

Before you spend any money bear in mind that to get the basics down will take 4- 10 years and only after that will you start to understand the subtle nuances that distinguish
the very good from the truely great.
That you tube clip you could probably learn pretty quick though its hardly the most technical bit of music ever.
I would recomend getting a nylon strung acoustic to start with and an electric afterwards, electric guitars can hide some shocking technique at times.
I would spend 300-400 on a decent second hand nylon strung acoustic then at least it will have a good residual value if you give it up. An electric involves buying a decent amp, leads, pedal's straps and can get too gadgety when to start with you just need to concentrate on basics.
Also some people get used to the easy action on an electric and then can't play when they catch sight of a real guitar. I could go on some more about the simplicity of being able to leave an acoustic around the house and play whenever the fancy takes you with out plugging things in and making a huge racket but I think you get my point.
Also get a good professional teacher.

Buy a decent electric guitar as it is easier to play and is the correct type to play the music you want. Get a good teacher and after 6 months you will be pleased with, and enjoy what you are playing.

agreed. electric guitar makes you very lazy

but they aren't half as much fun :D

the edge would be nice but that ain't gonna happen chap

yeah, house of the rising sun, with Am, C, D, F AND E7 ;)

I'm learning at the minute - have just levelled up on Rock Band :)

I appreciate the advice.

Can you recommend me an electric guitar and an amp, some links would be great. Ive not thought about a budget as yet, maybe around £400 - £500 for a guitar and an amp.

Do i need some sunglasses, ripped jeans and a hat to look the part or can i buy them when i have more experience ? ;)

Sorry, don't rate the edge as a guitar player, the days of the guitar greats are long gone.

awwww now................say it ain't so :(

epiphone do some nice les paul knockoffs

see here

the real mccoy is Gibson Les Paul

don't forget your cheque book though

You're either going to take to it or you're not! The younger the better but your tastes will change. The bad news is that it discipline and practice. Most big guitar shops are pretty friendly (some do 2nd had stuff) so go and look around and see what grabs you. Please don't spend a lot of money to start with as a £150 electric with reasonable small amp will sound pretty good to a beginner.

You can get a £50 beaten up acoustic (nylon strings) which is fine for learning some basic chords and your fingers won't bleed so much :D

Give it a whirl for say 3 - 6 months and reassess the situation. As said find a local teacher, around £20 per hour, and just chat through things.

I adore the guitar but can't play for toffee. But I bought my 13-year-old a second hand electric for £100 just to see. It took over his life and he is 21 now and a really good player and plays in USA and Ireland. He is broke though and you never stop learning.

If you are into computers there are some great programmes to provide backing tracks and a whole lot of fun things.

My boy mostly plays 6 string electric but here are some bits which he did a couple of years back, mostly acoustic.

www/jameslockmusic.com

I wish you the very best of luck.

dl

On some of U2's early stuff The Edge did some truly great work, but these days (actually, from Joshua Tree onwards) his sound is all about the effects, OK if that's your bag, but it ain't mine :nono:

As for the days of the Guitar Greats being over, they are still out there, you just have to looked further past the manufactured sh!te these days. Check out Rodrigo y Gabriela, plus Jack White and Matthew Bellamy aren't to shabby :thumb:

To the OP

Epiphone do some decent guitars (a lot of people get all strung out about them copying Les Paul but even a lot of pro-guitarists - Edge included - use them regularly)

The Les Paul range are pretty good....
Epiphone Musical Instruments - Les Paul Collection

And, for me personally, I would go for an archtop
Epiphone Musical Instruments - Archtop Collection

Remember, second hand, does NOT mean reduced quality.......

As for amps... well, each to their own on that, but Marshall, Vox, Peavey etc all do some cheap and cheerful amps.....

The guy playing in Post 3 seems to be playing a 12-string. But the guitar only has 6 string tensioners?????

Can someone explain please. David

=============


To get you in the mood!

YouTube - California Dreaming - Michael Chapdelaine

DL, what are you on about? Post 3 just has Edge describing some of the licks ini WOWY......

May be I was having a senior moment but I was referring to this link?

YouTube - The Edge - With Or Without You


David

David.... are you high lol???

You just posted highlighted the same link....

but anyway, assuming you are referring to the part which can be seen around 25-30 second mark, you can see the 6 strings and the shadow of the 6 strings from the light

I learned to play on an acoustic. I started back when I was 8 when I realised the recorder was a pile of crud!
Anyhow I continued with that until I was about 15, and only then did I start playing an electric guitar.

I agree that if you really want to learn to play properly, start with an acoustic and stick with it for a few years.
It's not just about learning the cords, it's about feeling the music.

It's not something that you can pick up very easily, but if you have a bit of gift, then it is a lot easier

I have played a few instruments, but the guitar is the only one that I could really master. And it took me the best part of 4 years before I was on a level where I could 'perform'.

:) :)

I wish........

OK I see what you mean about the shadow now :thumb:

My sight for detail is not fantastic and, to me, it looked very much like a 12-string.

Glad we cleared that up :D

David

Also, have a look at the Tascam GT MP1 for practising.

You plug the guitar in one end and headphones in the other. You then play along with MP3s downloaded to it, but you can also slow songs down while keeping them in the same key (sound quality drops when you do that - the more you slow it down the more the quality drops - but it's fine for practice). You can also select a section of a song and put it on loop so that you can get the hang of tricky passages.

There are loads of effects built in and you don't disturb anyone else while playing.

I've got the bass equivalent and like it.

you won't go far wrong getting one of ebay .the top one is a crafter d8 i bought this brand new about 8 years ago £210
second one down is a takamine eg540 sc electro acoustic bought of ebay £200 it was as new very happy with it
third one down is a epiphone les paul standard bought off ebay £200 it was as new very happy with it

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...7042007125.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...7042007124.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...7042007122.jpg

Farmer, i like the 3rd one down, nice guitar :thumb:

How is this rated in the guitar world, i did some research on google and they seem to say that the Yamaha Pacifica 112V is one of the leading guitars for beginners.

Yamaha Pacifica 112V Electric Guitar (Black) | Dolphin Music

Or is the epiphone les paul standard rated a better guitar as i do like the look of that one.

this is from a cheap online site look at the difference in price i think that speaks volumes

Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plaintop FREE BUNDLE AVAILABLE!! (GAK)

i picked one of these up (just the guitar) from a second hand store on christmas eve it plays really well for a cheap guitar you won't go wrong with one of these for the money to see how you get on, has all the bits and pieces you need
Yamaha ERG121 Electric Guitar Basic Pack: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

Laugh if you like but I bought an acoustic guitar from LIDL for £30, came with case, tuner, book, and some plectrums :D Thought it would be good to start learning on and then if I decide to persevere get something better, if I don't I've wasted £30 :D

It plays all the right noises when I twang the strings ;)

I need some advice on this one i`m considering buying.

Is this the right Ephihone Les Paul to go for, it says new and it seems a good price considering what they cost brand new from a dealer. Is their anything i should be wary of or anything i should ask the seller ?

NEW LES PAUL PLUS STANDARD GUITAR - VINTAGE SUNBURST on eBay (end time 22-Jan-10 20:07:40 GMT)

You can't learn musical talent. You either have it or you don't. If you want to learn, go buy one and some lessons. Go for nylon strings as steel will, well, get one and find out.

I used to play bass, still have hard skin on my fingers, built my own amp. My talent turned out to be maths, mechanics and electronics. Music was just fer listening to.

U2: guitar greats? I think not!
more like music for bedw*tters
IMO :)