[Ed*Wheaton]

Hi all;
I just joined yesterday,I am 42 yo and yes just getting my first guitar.I got the Peavey starter pac. at the advice of a friend.But only started trying to learn it by the DVD that came with it and I gotta say I don't know how the heck people play these things?Believe it or not I just can not get the hand/finger position on the neck right.I'm constantly touching too many strings with 1 finger or the palm of my hand barely touches the smallest string when I bring it around.T try and make my hand the position the instructor shows but to no avail.I gotta tell ya it's getting very discouraging.Is there a thing as someone having the wrong size hands or fingers to play a guitar?It must take me about 15 min to try and play a chord,the got to another one? Wow talk about attempting the impossible....lol
Has anyone else experienced trouble with this? I hope so because I would really like to be able to play someday.

Thanks for any advice
Ed

 

[Xanadu]

hey ed, welcome to the forums. :wave:
We'll try to help you out here. Firstly, there really is no such thing as having too big/too small hands, it's just more difficult with really small or really large hands. And I'm farly sure that everybody here has had the same problem with playing chords and touching the wrong strings. It's just alot of practise. You might want to find an instructor near you, take some lessons, just so that you don't get discouraged from the DVD and give up. Good luck.:food-smiley-004:

 

[GuitarsCanada]

Don't get too discouraged at this point. I remember when I first started playing and my teacher was trying to get me to try different things. I would be saying "you must be kidding". The old saying "pratice makes perfect" holds very true with guitar. Your hands have to do some things they are not used to doing, keep at it and before you know it, you will be doing it without thinking.

Welcome to the forum and keep at it. :wave:

 

[Ed*Wheaton]

Thanks guys,I would really like to be able to play this one day.I think I will wait till I get some one on one help,before I get too discouraged that I don't want too look at the thing.What can I expect to pay for lessons?Did you guys have private lessons or did you take a class.I think I'd probably learn more on a one to one basis.
Just one more question right now...The amp makes quite a ''hum'' when it's on,I can hear the guitar loud and clear,but when I'm not strumming it it hums...Should it do that?

Ed :wave:

 

[Xanadu]

Thanks guys,I would really like to be able to play this one day.I think I will wait till I get some one on one help,before I get too discouraged that I don't want too look at the thing.What can I expect to pay for lessons?Did you guys have private lessons or did you take a class.I think I'd probably learn more on a one to one basis.
Just one more question right now...The amp makes quite a ''hum'' when it's on,I can hear the guitar loud and clear,but when I'm not strumming it it hums...Should it do that?

Ed :wave:

I took private lessons, and I was paying $40/hour. You could probably find them cheaper. And the amp humming is fine. It's just because you have a starter set.:food-smiley-004:

 

[james on bass]

Welcome.

You could be getting some coil hum from your guitar's pickups if you are not touching the strings. Not a big deal as long as it isn't making noise when you play.

+1 on taking a few lessons. I would think $15 a half-hour is a decent price to pay. At least get some help on the basic chords and such. Once you can recognize a few things you are playing, you will become so much more inspired. If you're getting discouraged, set it down and go do something else. Don't fight it. Come back to it later in the day or the next day even.

 

[Lowtones]

Welcome Ed. Don't get discouraged, your problem is unique (to everyone here) Everyone except the very young have difficulty when they start playing. If you live near the city they used to have guitar classes as part of the Continuing Education Program in Dartmouth. Very inexpensive and a lot of others struggling with the same problems you are having. Very likely in the same age group too. Check it out & good luck.

 

[PaulS]

Welcome to the forum. You'll find lots of encouragement here. Everybody goes through some levels of difficulties when they are learning something new be it riding a bike, learning to walk or the playing the guitar. Take it slow do some finger exercises to build up the playing muscles and co ordinate your fingers. Get your fingers producing clean tones from the guitar when you fret it. Take a chord at a time and make it something you want to do. Like James said if you get discouraged set it down come back later when your in the mood. Good luck and again Welcome to the Forum ....:wave:

 

[SCREEM]

Hi Ed, like everyone else...practice, also find some inspiration in a song you want to learn or style you want to play, this was the major incentive for me to get over the initial hump of beginer guitar playing.

Try to find some guitar playing buddy's to teach you a couple things as well. :wave:

 

[Stephen W.]

Ed, your friend may have unknowingly done you a disservice. Electric guitars usually have narrower necks with closer string spacing. Very problematic for beginners with fat fingers. Although electrics are easier to play as they require less pressure to depress the strings.You'll find most teachers will advise students to start out on an acoustic. More over, on a classical nylon stringed guitar. This has a two fold advantage. One, nylon strings are very east to depress, as are the lower tuned steel strings used on classical guitars. Two, the wide flat fret board and wider string spacing make it easier for finger and string to connect with less likelihood of interference from adjacent strings. The disadvantages are that wider neck can be a be-itch to get use to. As well as that whole finger, hand, guitar position thing.
As a beginner you should start by learning to play scales. Simple, single note progressions. It may sound funny but, you'll be amazed at how your finger dexterity will improve. And learning the correct fingering of scales will help in forming chords.
Of course I should have listened to my own wisdom. I first played an electric bass and then moved to a resonator before getting a steel stringed acoustic. Never took a lesson and 35 years later when I decided to come out of the closet (I mean get my guitars out of the closet) I realized just how little I know and how much work I need to do to get to where a man of my age should (and where I need to) be.
So now I'm going back to do what I should have done four decades ago. Learn the fret board, scales and proper chord fingering. :redface: