Learning guitar for absolute beginners
I suddenly have the urge to start learning guitar as a hobby and ended up buying a classical guitar, but I'm not where to start!
My goal is to adopt a fingerstyle similar to Sungha Jung and Andrew Foy, but what should my priority be when learning the guitar? I have no prior music theory knowledge except on how to identify the strings on a guitar (EADGBe). Some guidance would be very much appreciated :)
(I did take guitar lessons 5-6 years ago but quit after the first month or two because my guitar broke)
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its good to have ambitions, and "heroes" but take care of the walking before you run. I would seek out a recommended teacher and start there. Its a pretty lousy teacher who cannot guide a student through fixing a break in their instrument either through repair advice or a loan of an instrument.
Your priorities should be (1) finding a decent teacher and taking lessons every other week or so, and (2) locating a music store or repair shop in your neighborhood so you can get you guitar fixed if it breaks again.
You don't want to wait 6 years again to start over. Also, learn to take care of your guitar. If you are lucky you might find that your local music store has a repair shop and a few local music teachers working there. I wouldn't look for a Guitar Center or other big store. No offense to them but they typically do not have their own repair staff. They have a guy come in every so often and do all the jobs that have piled up. Sometimes the work is good, sometimes not. When you find a good luthier you want to keep them (like a good doctor or mechanic).
Classical guitar is a different beast than electric and I would not trust the average Joe to teach proper right hand technique. If you really want to self teach I'd recommend one of two books:
Classical Guitar Method by Carcassi
The Christopher Parkening Guitar Method Vol 1
A professional classical guitarist may charge a lot for lessons. If you live in a city with universities you will likely find music students who will be good teachers and charge a lower rate. You may have to shop around until you find the right fit.
The priority when first starting to play guitar is to play a little guitar every day. What gets practiced gets better, when practicing focus on making clear and distinct sounds. go slowly then start ramping up the speed and complexity. Scales are a good exercise to learn as are the basic chords (E, G, and D)
I wouldn't stress yourself out about playing a certain style, with sheet music or to a metronome. Finger style guitar is very pretty and revolves around giving each string it's own voice and plucking the strings independently mainly instead of in a chord. Start training your ear to hear what sounds better or worse based on how your fretting and plucking the string.
Remember, part of the fun of playing guitar, like anything else, is playing with other people. Join a local acoustic guitar group and start experimenting.
A Steel String Acoustic Guitar is easier to learn on than a classical nylon string guitar. Look into the theory of chords to start learning the basic patterns.
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