Has any of you taught yourself how to play an instrument?

[-The Glove-]

I've always been interested in playing. Never had the funds growing up or the parental support for it. I know how to read basic notes but not fluent in music reading at all.

Any tips? Tutorials? Books? I should check out to make it a little easier. For piano or guitar (acoustic) BTW.

[Bretty Poy32]

learn guitar by watching youtube. a lots of free lessons there...

i myself want to learn piano

[-The Glove-]

learn guitar by watching youtube. a lots of free lessons there...

i myself want to learn piano

I want to learn the music reading part of it too...I know some people that have no training at all but can play by ear. Pisses me off!

[ElBossHogg™]

I know how to play the piano and guitar but learned from my father since i was a kid. Pretty easy. Youtube it and their tons of tuts.

[paulf]

If you really want to be really good, don't learn how to read music if you're leaning to play guitar. Find tabs how to play the basic chords and the basic pentatonic scale, and then take it by ear.

However, if you just want to learn the basics to jam out in your bedroom, get Guitar Pro. Its a program that you can download song files and it shows you how to play them with no reading required. You can slow em down to play along and all that ****.

However, people who learn how to play this way are those guys who sit at guitar center all weekend playing Master of Puppets front to back, but have never written a piece of music in their lives. It's like paint by numbers.

[Furn]

I pretty much taught myself to play guitar, except for some lessons from an old lady when I was a kid.

It's so much easier now,with the Internet and apps and such.

I used to go into news agents and read lessons and music in magazines and try to remember them then go home and play them as I couldn't afford to buy them. Sometimes I'd have to back heaps of times to learn a Megadeth or pantera solo I couldn't work out.

If your gonna learn guitar get an ipad or similar and get an app call guitar pro, you can get it in your computer too but it's more expensive.

[-The Glove-]

If you really want to be really good, don't learn how to read music if you're leaning to play guitar. Find tabs how to play the basic chords and the basic pentatonic scale, and then take it by ear.

However, if you just want to learn the basics to jam out in your bedroom, get Guitar Pro. Its a program that you can download song files and it shows you how to play them with no reading required. You can slow em down to play along and all that ****.

However, people who learn how to play this way are those guys who sit at guitar center all weekend playing Master of Puppets front to back, but have never written a piece of music in their lives. It's like paint by numbers.

Thanks for the info...I eventually want to be able to write my own songs. I've been writing lyrics since middle school, but no music so far.

[-The Glove-]

I pretty much taught myself to play guitar, except for some lessons from an old lady when I was a kid.

It's so much easier now,with the Internet and apps and such.

I used to go into news agents and read lessons and music in magazines and try to remember them then go home and play them as I couldn't afford to buy them. Sometimes I'd have to back heaps of times to learn a Megadeth or pantera solo I couldn't work out.

If your gonna learn guitar get an ipad or similar and get an app call guitar pro, you can get it in your computer too but it's more expensive.

Sounds like Guitar Pro is a really good program...you and Paulf both mentioned it. I'm going to have to take a look at it.

[Bababoey970]

Youtube is your friend. I'm trying to learn the Alto sax, can be frustrating at times. I feel like I might be to old to learn an instrument but I'll keep on trying.

[horge]

Started teaching myself guitar back in 78. Drums in 79.
I'm no virtuoso with either, but I can keep up in most jams.
Formal lessons probably would have yielded better results,
but I always was quite horrible to teachers.

Guitar is easy enough to "learn enough" on, by yourself, to
the point where you can tell if you want to pursue it more
formally. With piano/keys, I think formal lessons are the
way to go.