I want to learn the guitar!

[Phycadelicsilhouette]

So far I have a DS who has done guitar lessons in junior school and then gave up as it wasn’t his thing anymore who is trying to teach me the basics..... and his old guitar.

I really want to learn to play and can usually once I know an instrument play a song by ear which I feel very lucky for but I’m struggling to get my head around the notes and chords and how to move my fingers properly and focus on the top of the guitar and where you strum at the same time!

Any tips?

Find someone who teaches adult beginners and have a few lessons to get you started. They will explain things in a way that your ds can't. Otherwise nothing will click and you will forever have ingrained bad habits.

Join classicalguitarcorner.com

I started nearly two years ago aged 49 with a local teacher but had to give up due to life hassles. Found the above site which works out a lot cheaper than face to face and allows me to go at my pace.
Although the focus is on classical guitar (which is utterly beautiful btw) the teaching is what you need for all styles..Simon Powis teaches you everything.. how to read music, fingers, chords, positioning, tone... I am enjoying it so much and my playing is coming on nicely without pressure..I can take as long as I like or need to master each step.
(and no one has paid me to say that Ijust decided as we had 15 guitars in this house (son is a musician as is DD2's partner) I might as well have a crack at it!)

Playing has become my head space, challenge and pleasure!

www.justinguitar.com/

Thank you all for the advice

I’ve signed up to Justin guitar and am currently learning and practising the A,E and D chords I think they are?
It’s so hard to get your fingers to move into the right places and focus on strumming only the needed strings!
I think I will struggle with changing chords but I will persist.
I have always dreamed of playing the guitar but thought it was too hard for me and I could never do it.
Hopefully over time I can prove myself wrong!

@StillMedusa it sounds like it’s really something special to you now. I will YouTube a bit of classical guitar. It sounds lovely!

Start just with simple chords you can do with three fingers.

Google "Beginner chord sngs on guitar" - pick a song you know and like. Practice slowly (try just strumming once per bar rather than every note, you can even play every other bar) until you can roughly play at least the chorus.

Get a capo. That allows you to adjust so you can use easier chords.

Go on Ultimate Guitar, and look up a song you'd like to learn to play, see what chords it uses and whether they are chords you know or think you could learn. Use the up/down shift button to adjust the chords to see if any configuration makes easier ones. The use the capo to adjust to your singing range. Again use the one strum per bar method.

This is what I do and I have a great time. I haven't moved on to finger picking yet although I'd like to - I'm sticking with chords for now.

Learning to read tabs helps too.

Bert Weedon's "Play in a Day" guitar book?

Thank you very much! I’m going to enjoy this I think!

I don’t know how this evenings practice will go though... sliced my left middle finger whilst cooking dinner!