ANSWERS: 34
  • In general? Sure. That's how I learned.
  • Yup. Lots of people do.
  • Yes you can. I have a friend that bought some software for his computer to teach himself.
  • Me? No I have tried. I think in general the answer is yes. My son taught his self.
  • Without natural talent I believe there's a limit to how much the average person would be able to learn. I taught myself several guitar chords, but I can't really say I play the guitar. My playing the guitar is equivalent to someone who learns to play chop sticks on the piano. Maybe a bit better, but not much. But I also have prior knowledge of music. I took piano for years.
  • No, I tried.....my fingers are not nimble enough.
  • you suree can!!!!! Go for it! I didn't learn on my own, but I "explored" a lot on my own. :) You can get yourself some books, or look at the internet... or you can do it ALL on your own, whatever you feel more comfortable with. Good luck.
  • I have Butterfingers. Oh that was for "What's your favorite Halloween candy"?
  • Yes of course. Most guitarists I know learned most of what they know on their own.
  • as long as your not tone death
  • Yes, but it's much easier to have a teacher. You don't just learn guitar, you have to learn ear training and theory.
  • I've been teaching myself for the last 2 months and its been alot of fun and my dad has been helping me too as he's been playing the guitar the last 3yrs. Right now im working on playing stairway to heaven and i like to play our national anthem star bangle banner and i started practicing Heartbreak Hotel by elvis
  • I think it depends on what you want to play. Some bands, like The Ramones, made a lifetime career out of power chords. Perhaps the most useful link I can provide to any aspiring novice is this one: http://www.stewdio.org/howtorock/ Providing wonderfully simple instructions on how to rock in 90 seconds. Keep that simple lesson in mind and just keep playing until it sounds right to you, no matter how long it takes. And expect it to take at least 10 times longer than you think it will. I think that until you're able to make a proper evaluation of what skills you want, lessons aren't needed. Of course, guitar teachers everywhere just cringed at this post because it's people like that, who have developed long standing "unique" habits, that are the most difficult to teach.
  • It helps to have at least a few lessons, but yes, you can. Buy music with the chords written above the music staves. When you've learned to place your fingers, try writing the song's words out, and write the chord names above the words where they change, and see if you can play it. Reference back to the actual music if you have problems, or draw the chord structure on the paper. (This is how I learned rhythm guitar.) To learn lead, you have to practice, practice, practice, and make sure your guitar is tuned correctly - to a song you want to play. Figure out the notes and go from there. (This is how a friend of mine learned, originally.) - Here's the band he's currently in - Listen for the lead guitar - http://www.myspace.com/pinknoiseband
  • I think some people can, I am not one of those people, guitar instructors could not even teach me to play one..lol :)
  • sounds dumb, but Guitar for Dummies swear to god, its grat
  • Yes you can, I've have Grade 8 electric guitar and never been for a guitar lesson, just buy some good books, learn songs (but learn to understand what you're playing).
  • Eddie Van Halen did. I suppose you can too.
  • Yes, there are free online video lessons www.extremeintellect.com they have piano too.
  • For me the first year was very hard but then you get used to it.
  • If you take lessons from a licensed instructor, it can be pretty easy. It depends on what level you want to achieve. Learning the chords is not difficult, but as with any art, it takes practice.
  • I taught myself to play the guitar, and within 6 months I knew everything there is to know about playing it, and could play pretty much any song put in front of me (within reason), so I found it easy. It's not the same for everyone though, some find it extremely difficult. I guess I got lucky. & I have hypermobility, so making the chord shapes weren't a struggle as I'm super bendy :)
  • A little rhythm, dexterity, some patience, and you'll be a picker!
  • If you just want to read tabs and play by ear, then it's pretty easy to teach yourself, but I would venture to say if you want to learn chord structure and lead-sheet symbols, it is probably considerably harder.
  • Just get started and practice your butt off. I just put a free guitar course online if you are interested. Go to www.squidoo.com/eguitar If you have questions email me at russmediagroup@gmail.com The key is to get into a routine of going over your lessons and practicing on a regular basis. Have faith that if you put in the work, it will come.
  • Yes, that's how Slash from Guns N' Roses first learned. He was self taught.
  • Yes! You can learn on your own, especially these days. There have never been as many great resources available to learn guitar as there are now. The best way to learn is to have a teacher, but they can be expensive over time. There are lots of free lessons on the internet, including my website, that I've written for absolute beginners. http://www.introductiontoguitar.com It takes a strong desire to learn guitar because it takes time to learn. The length of time it takes to learn depends on many factors including; your desire, persistence, how much time you practice, the quality of your guitar, and setting small step by step goals. Nobody ever picked up a guitar for the first time and started playing right away. And don't believe the hype that some people try to feed you that you can learn to play guitar in a weekend, a week, or even a month, it just isn't true. I wish you success! Pete
  • I didn't necessarily teach myself how to play, but rather I used DVD guitar lessons, which is a mixture of being taught and teaching yourself. I feel like to teach yourself to play guitar you need at least a few resourcesto guide you along the way or else you don't know what you should learn. I used a DVD series called the complete basic course (http://www.metalmethod.com/101.html) and it gave me the foundation i needed in guitar. now i have that foundation and i can teach myself new things. i can't imagine what i would have done without it.
  • I am,I think.
  • Yes, but it might take some time. I have been listening to Blues for my whole life. With all those sounds in my head I was kinda ploaying in a few months. I picked up the guitar 4 years ago, trying to gain control of my hand after an injury in the Marines.
  • Yes, you can. If you are gifted, have lots of time, and are patient with yourself, and having a good guitar helps. I learned by looking up a few chord charts, practicing the fingering, and started to play along with others. That was the fastest, and easiest way for me.
  • If you are intelligent and dedicated and self-motivated, you can probably teach yourself, but it would never be as good as having a professional teacher showing you what bad habits to avoid, all the right ways of doing things, shortcuts and suggestions, and sharing all those years of experience with you!
  • sure, I taught myself how to play bass!
  • Yes but not completely alone. Your going to need some help, like a book or video or something.

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