Musician Gear & Tech Discussion

Hi, all. I'm a 53 year old singer. I took music in high school and college, and I'm really good at singing. I've been in a rock band for a year or so now, but the band members are not very ambitious. It's hard to even get them together to rehearse. They were together for many years, members have come and gone, you know how it is. Anyway, I've tried to start other bands with little success. I'm thinking of learning guitar to see if I can play and sing at the same time by myself and that would get me some gigs or maybe I would be more likely to find another band.

I have very small fingers, though. I tried to learn piano in college, but I wasn't very good at it. I know they make guitars for girls, and for people with small hands. I don't know which ones would be good, though, for learning. I want to learn electric guitar unless there's some reason I shouldn't. What would be the best way to learn? Just find some local person at a guitar store? I can't learn from a college professor like I did with voice (the only college we live near doesn't have a music major and doesn't have anyone who plays guitar). I'm not rich, but not poor, so I could probably get a guitar for a fair price.

I learned some about chords and stuff in college, but that was a long time ago, so I'll have to learn all over again, I'm sure. I didn't learn it all that well to begin with, I'm afraid.

Any pointers would be helpful. I just wish I had done this years ago when I first wanted to sing with a band. I would be an expert by now!

Learning guitar is not easy. Plenty of people are self taught and don't know any notes or even the names of the chords they're playing. It just works for them. Then on the other hand, there are folks like me. If I hadn't learned guitar in high school (as its own class), I would have just been another statistic. The guitar can be a sort of torture device while learning how to play it. Holding down those strings on the fretboard is hard work. Making notes that way is even harder. The coordination required to make one hand fret the notes and the other hand pick or strum them is very tricky. Another obstacle for a beginner is tuning the guitar, but with the tuners available these days, that problem is negligible.

That said, I hope you can at least try some guitars. If you have a friend who can help you with the basics and help pick out the instrument that suits your needs would be an advantage. If you don't have someone like that, you can just have the music shop help you. They might want to steer you towards an acoustic guitar, but if you want to start with an electric, put your foot down. There are plenty of beginner guitars at Guitar Center, for example, that range around $100 - $200 for an acoustic or electric with an amp. This is strictly beginner type equipment, but you can definitely learn on it. My advice to beginners is to start with the cheap stuff, then upgrade once you know that you can play it. For me, the easiest guitar to play is the nylon stringed classical guitar. The fretboard, however is pretty huge. If I were you, I'd get a Squire (Fender) Stratocaster. that model is the most ergonomic, easiest to play, beginner guitar. Tell them you want the lightest strings possible, and get a tuner, so you don't tune the strings so high that they break.
Good luck, and remember, this entry level type equipment will not be impressing anyone when it comes time to put the band together.

Before spending any money - have a serious think about it - how committed are you to learning guitar? You should spend at least 3 hours a week practicing - and an hour with an instructor, too - there's plenty of guitar teachers around everywhere these days.

I'll disagree with Schmedd - don't go for a $1-200 guitar to start out with. It's likely to be tough to play, even with a good set up.
Since you mention small hands, I'd advise going with a small scale acoustic guitar - switching to electric after you have learned the basics on an acoustic will be much easier. Look for a Taylor Big Baby or GS Mini- try out new ones at a shop, then hunt craigslist and locally for a used one.

Let me just say the sky is blue, and see how Mike B disagrees with me!

Thanks, you guys!

I found a nearby teacher, and we're meeting up on Friday to see how it goes, how much he charges etc. He says that he has a small guitar I can try out, so we'll see.

I'm serious about learning and practicing!

Let me just say the sky is blue, and see how Mike B disagrees with me!

Today its more of an azure .....

My wife is just like you, a singer that started 6 months ago. She never took a lesson (other then me showing here a few basics) but she has a great ear and is now playing and singing all kinds of stuff. She goes on line to look up the chords of songs, starts off slow going through the chords and is playing and singing the tune well in less than a hour. She started on a Taylor Baby. They are easy to fret and are definitely easier for smaller hands. They also sound great. I have a pretty good variety of electric guitars; Gibson Les Paul Standard, American Ash Deluxe Strat a few Telecasters and a Ibanez RG520QSB pointy shredder. She finds the Telecasters easiest to play. I highly recommend the Squire Classic Vibe series for those. I've got a MIM and a CV. The last guitar I bought was a CV Tele. My expensive American made guitars and sitting in there cases because can't put the CV Tele down. I think it's become my new #1. They are $379 new, you can find them used in the $275 - $300 range. The Taylor Baby is also a Chinese made guitar that sells new for $399, about $100 or so less than that used. Both are excellent. You don't have to spend a lot these days to get a great instrument if you know what to buy. Get yourself something comfortable and stick with it. You will be playing and singing in no time. Good luck!

Taylor Babys are made in Ensenada, Mexico, not in China. Great travel or beginner guitar (but the GS Mini is one step up.)

Taylor Babys are made in Ensenada, Mexico, not in China. Great travel or beginner guitar (but the GS Mini is one step up.)

It's been a while since I played that one. I must be confusing it with a Gretsch resonator I have. Anyway, there are a lot of good, affordable options today.

Hi there! I am a self taught guitar player. I learned all of my chords through an app called Guitar Tuna. There are games to help with changing speed and accuracy. I have VERY small hands, the only electric guitar that is very comfortable for me to play is either a Fender jaguar or jazzmaster. For an acoustic ibanez is the most comfartable. I understand the small hand delema but what is hard today will become easier with practice!

You actually can get a pretty nice and easy to play electric guitar these days for a couple hundred bucks with an amp thrown in.

In all humility, Keith Richards disagrees with me and thinks we should focus on acoustic.

No thanks. Get a nice easy to play electric and focus on playing it and making music. I can't stand fighting with a guitar just to make a chord. You'll soon know if you like it and will stick with it. Then you can shift to acoustic if you wish.

Talbot

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