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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Chordie's Chat Corner → I guess I am not sure where to start? Would anyone have suggestions?
I have never played guitar before but my father did and I would love to be able to play a few simple songs. Could someone help me? Where do I find the information on where the chords are and where I put my fingers. I saw the beginner songs listed on here and they look fun, I just don't know where to start. If anyone had any suggestions I would appreciate it 
Thank you
The chord charts, listed with each song, show your finger placement for each chord.
A good place to begin, if you're just interested in strumming, is to learn the G, C and D chords. Just position your fingers according to the chord picture, and strum the chord until there is no buzzing sound, just nice, clean notes. It's gonna hurt like hell for a few days as your fingers learn to be bent into shapes they are unnacustomed to. Your fingertips will get sore, too.
Once you can make these three chords, practice changing from G to D and back, until you can do it without thinking. Then add in the C chord, and do the same. With these three chords, you can play a host of "simple" songs.
This is a good starting point, at least.
Good luck, and don't get discouraged, just keep at it. It will get easier in a few weeks time.
Ummm - Welcome to Chordie! As a total and utter newbie, I suggest you start out at justinguitar.com -- everything on the site is free (unless you WANT to donate money) and it will walk you through the basics. You'll learn what the string names are, how to tune a guitar, the differences in steel strings and nylon strings, where the headstock is, the nut, the frets, how to read a chord chart and tabs ... etc... and then will teach you three basic chords to start with (A,D,E) and there are a million songs you can play with three basic chords (I started with "Leaving on a Jet Plane" John Denver). Justin will also give you pointers like whitewater55 said about practicing. And YES your fingers will hurt like HECK for maybe a few weeks. You'll WANT to practice more, your mind will be ready but your fingers won't. If you can make yourself stick with it for three months (force yourself when the going gets tough, go slower when you want to go faster, and do the practice) you'll be playing more tunes and learning more chords in no time!
GOOD LUCK! And feel free to come back here and chat it up with us. We were ALL brand new newbies at some point. I found Chordie just a couple days into learning how to play and asked all kinds of "stupid" questions. Everyone was willing to help and answer every one of them! I love this site soo much and all the members!
Amy
Good advice above. Also www.justinguitar.com has lessons for absolute beginners and a good program to get you started off well.
- Zurf
Good luck. I think you'll find this effort worthwhile and VERY rewarding. I look forward to hearing of your progress. BTW, Chordie is a great place to check-in as you progress.
Hi ummmm if you go to the chordie homepage you'll see a tab for a large prinable chord chart anf if you go to the songbooks you'll see a liating for Absolute Beginners, lots of luck!
Can't rate www.justinguitar.com highly enough. Welcome to the journey.
All good advice above,guitar playing is said to be the easiest and the hardest insterment to play. all of us have been where you are and most of us are still learning,I am even after all these years.
Sounds like you have direction and your work cut out for you, Ummm. Good luck. Keep the questions coming. You will have plenty of them, I am sure.
I am teaching a young player now, I will say to you the same thing I said to him. Nobody can teach you how to play, they can only teach you what to practice. The time you put into it is on you.
WOW! Thank you all so much for your suggestions, I feel inspired Now to pick up the guitar, lol. I am going to check out that justinguitar.com site.
Thanks again
+3 for Justinguitar.com
Justin is THE MAN! Won't steer you wrong. Welcome aboard and good luck!
I was a drummer all my life but always wanted to play guitar. With my big, clumsy drummer's fingers, I could squeeze out a few chords, but I always ended up disappointed in what I could do with a guitar in my hands. In my forties, I bought a ukulele. It's much faster to learn and much easier to play. Best of all, it has completely satisfied my dream of one day being a string picker.
I hope this doesn't annoy all the guitar players here, but my advice to the OP is to try a uke first!
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Chordie's Chat Corner → I guess I am not sure where to start? Would anyone have suggestions?
