How to start playing guitar

The first guitar you buy will establish your early playing style and technique. The type of guitar you should start with depends on the type of playing you would like to learn first. Can you sing? If you can, or plan on learning to sing and play early on I'd recommend an acoustic. You'll likely be strumming a lot more than picking, and without a drummer/drum machine, an electric guitar won't completely support your vocals.

If you can't sing, or would like to learn lots of different guitar techniques, go electric. Electric playing is typically more intricate for the left hand because the strings are smaller. Lighter strings allow you to play a little faster and incorporate fancier moves. It's a little more difficult, but it's the way I started and the way I recommend if you're not a singer. If you like playing, it won't be long before you own an acoustic, and adjusting your technique to heavier strings will be the perfect challenge to keep and renew your interest.

I've bought guitars from local and online music stores, traded gear for gear with friends, and happened upon a few hand-me-down effects, but most of my acquisitions have been on eBay.

WHERE TO SHOP

Shopping for guitars is one of my favorite hobbies. There are plenty of places to buy guitars on and offline. The good news is that a lifetime catalog subscription comes with any retail purchase, and you can usually get catalogs without buying anything at all.
Online retailers

1. Musician's Friend does lots of business by offering huge sale prices.
2. Samash almost always has what is out of stock at Musician's Friend.
3. American Musical Supply has a huge catalog, too.

Auctions & classifieds

1. eBay has what you need.
2. Music Go Round is the self-proclaimed "world's largest used musical instrument dealer."
3. craigslist has a musical instruments category under for sale.

WHAT TO SPEND

When you buy a guitar you will absolutely get what you pay for. Guitars made of poor quality woods and cheap die cast metal will hurt your sound and your ambition to play. My first guitar was a $130 Washburn Maverick, but I was a waiter when I was 16. Within a year I had bought a Jasmine (by Takamine) acoustic and an Ibanez RG470 electric. It is hard to draw a line when it comes to price because I've played some $200 guitars that won't even stay in tune. After you read a few months worth of guitar catalogs, you'll notice a few guitar price structures.

Any $1200+ guitar will typically be available in a $600-800 version with lower quality pickups and less styling (like this). If you plan on buying a guitar in the low price range like I did, find a guitar that has more expensive version. The catalogs will point out which parts are different and whether the extra money is just for looks. A lot of great guitars can be bought in the $300-$600 range. If you are on the cheap like I was make sure you search Harmony Central for reviews on the guitars you're considering. I don't recommend a $200 guitar unless you are willing to upgrade quickly.

WHAT TO GET

A lot of people say you can't get rid of a guitar; once it's yours it's yours for life. Your choice isn't a matter of life and death, but your first guitar should definitely be a keeper. I've played a lot of guitars and a few good ones. Here are my brand name recommendations for a decent first instrument.

Electric

What you're looking for is a six string, solid body wooden guitar. I love a semi-hollow, but I wouldn't recommend it as a first instrument because the best ones have arched or carved tops. You'll want a small two-channel amplifier to play your electric through, but I'll save amps for another day.

Quality electric guitar brand names

* Dean
* Epiphone (owned by Gibson)
* ESP
* Fender
* Fernandez
* Ibanez
* Gibson
* Gretsch (owned by Fender)
* Jackson (owned by Fender)
* Paul Reed Smith (PRS)
* Peavey
* Rickenbacker
* Schecter
* Washburn

Acoustic

A steel-stringed acoustic guitar with or without a pickup makes a great first instrument. Acoustics are plenty loud on their own; unless you plan on taking the stage soon, those dollars tied up in electronics could go towards some other features. However, some acoustics with pickups, or acoustic-electrics, have built in tuners that are great to have on-board for the still tone deaf.

Quality acoustic guitar brand names

* Alvarez
* Breedlove
* Epiphone (owned by Gibson)
* Dean
* Gibson
* Guild (owned by Fender)
* Ibanez
* Larrivee
* Martin
* Ovation
* Washburn
* Seagull
* Tacoma
* Takamine
* Taylor

In addition to a guitar you'll need strings and a method of tuning the strings, whether that is a digital tuner, a tuning fork or a whole piano. If you get an electric guitar you'll need an amplifier and a cable to connect the two.

When it's time to start playing you'll quickly realize how a guitar works. Pressing on a string between two of the neck's metal frets will shorten the length of the string and produce a higher note. Your pick hand plucks or strums the strings above the pickups or sound hole with or without a pick to stimulate the strings and produce the notes.

Holding down strings will be painful at first. The first few weeks of practicing might consist of 5 minutes of playing before the fingers hurt too badly to continue. Building tough calluses on all of your finger tips is crucial to developing basic skills like slides and bends. I feel this is the turning point. Once you have the hands of a guitar player you're no longer a beginner.

After you've figured out how to hold your guitar, you should learn to read tablature. Guitar tablature, or guitar tab, is a musical notation that is based on fret numbers rather than scales of notes, making it easy for aspiring musicians to read and write. Unfortunately, the best sources of guitar tablature are under vicious copyright infringement attack, and most of their resources are inaccessible. Regardless, here are my favorites.
Guitar tablature archives

1. OLGA (offline at time of writing)
2. Guitar Tabs Universe
3. Ultimate-Guitar

Although a lot can be learned from guitar tablature, don't stop there. Countless books, videos, and websites are available to teach you more than you could ever want to know about guitars and guitar playing. I have found the most fun in learning to play with friends.

There's only one way to find out what kind of guitar player you are. I hope you have fun hunting down your first axe. Suddenly, I want to buy a new guitar myself.