Conference napalm::guitar

    I would not have suggested this 30 years ago  :7)
    but go to the video store and rent you an "instructional" video.
    
    Take it home and watch it.  There are also plenty of beginner's books
    that you can read.
    
    That should give you some general direction.  The real answer should
    take about 300 lines, but start there with the video.
    \Gary

    
    As someone who never had lessons for the first 18 years he played I
    would strongly suggest LESSONS! The major benefit of regular lessons is
    the discipline it instills. You just HAVE to get that piece together by
    next lesson. Whats more if you don't its YOUR money your wasting!
    
    You may learn it all yourself in time but I think your learning can be
    accelerated by a good teacher.
    
    Richard

Get a decent student guitar..  (aprox $200.00, give or take $50)

I'd suggest an acoustic (the ones with the holes in em!)

 	but get your helmet on cuz a religious discussion about this
	may happen soon.  


Start lessons..

It'll probably take a few months before basic chord changing, and
basic tunes are done easily..  Take it slow, practice as much as much
as you can, and don't become discouraged...  This takes some time.

    I suppose I'm still a beginner as I only started seriously practicing
    about a year ago but two books helped and are still helping me. One was
    one titled "Country & Blues Guitar for the Musically Hopeless," by
    Carol McComb; I paid $12.95 for my copy, which comes with two
    cassettes, at LL Bean's store in Freeport, Maine.  The publisher's
    address is  Klutz, 2170 Staunton Ct., Palo Alto, California,
    94306. This is a good starter book.  But my best find, at my
    guitar-playing daughter's house, was what I think is the best book
    ever written about learning to play the guitar and I strongly recommend
    that you pick up a copy as soon as possible.  This is one called
    "The Guitar Handbook," by Ralph Denyer, subtitled "A Complete Book 
    of Instruction and Advice for Every Guitar Player and Every Style
    -- Rock, Blues, Jazz or Folk." The edition I have is the 13th
    printing, l990. I think it is priced somewhere around $30.  
    I see it in book stores and the publisher is Alfred A. Knopf. 
    This is a marvelous book, 256 8 1/2-by-11 pages, divided into the anatomy 
    of guitars, playing a guitar, guitar maintenance, and sound processing.  As
    an editor and writer, I find this book a marvel of clear writing, with
    easy-to-understand explanations (capo, etc.) of how things work and
    why. 
                                              

    
    It's worth noting there is another 'Guitar Handbook' on the market (at
    least here in the UK) which is more a reference book, NOT an
    instructional book. So, note the author and subtitle referred to in
    -.1.
    
    Richard

    re: .4
    It's funny you mention that book -I'm actually looking at it right now!
    I keep it at my office for when I get the urge to read about something
    new since I don't currently have a teacher. It's an *excellent* book.
    I've looked at a lot of "beginner's books", and was generally dissatis-
    fied. Most are either too simple and useless, or are too complicated
    or poorly documented. "The Guitar Handbook" is easy to follow, but also
    goes through a lot of stuff I'll probably never get around to learn.:^)
    It's pretty complete -it even has sections on recording,maintenance,
    and customizing.
    
    My only complaint is that while Andy Summers is in the "Most
    influential players" section they have, EDDIE VAN HALEN ISN'T!!
    
         
                          Andy Summers never! Eddie Van Halen forever!
                                      trickey (Van Halen junkie)
     
     

	IMHO, I would suggest the following:

	o  Get a nice sounding guitar.  You don't have to pay big bucks
	   for it, but don't just rely on the salesperson's chatter.  Take
	   along someone who plays to help you pick one.

	o  Get hold of a chord dictionary and a number of songbooks for
	   easy guitar.  (You don't need to know how to read music to use
	   these books.)  Select music you're familiar with and like.  That
	   will provide incentive and a reward for all that practising.  The
	   chord dicitionary will show you the various ways to play any chord.

	o  Have access to a guitarist who is familiar with the music you
	   like.  You don't need a full-time teacher - 3 or 4 "lessons"
	   and availability for questions is all you need.

	o  Don't get discouraged when you start playing.  Keep at it, but
	   don't overdo it - have *fun* as you learn.

	In 20+ years of playing, I've never regretted not having taken
	formal lessons.  I can't read or write music, but have had a blast
	playing for myself and in bands since 1972.  Over the past few months
	I've applied the same philosophy to the keyboards and am happy to
	report that the technique seems to work there, too!

	/ravi

    More on Ralph Denyers "The Guitar Handbook".
    Here in Ireland it is published by PAN books and the ISBN is
    	0_330_26788_4.
    It cost me something like IR�14.50 but will be cheaper in England
    because the wicked Irish Govt tax foreign books!!.
    	I use this in conjunction with some Irish folk-song books to improve
    my ballad accompaniments,its nice to be able to stick in an extra chord
    or two and liven up a song.
    	I used the information in it to pick out my new guitar a few months
    ago...at least I was able to explain to the storekeeper what I wanted
    in a guitar in correct technical terms.