Post Guitar Guide

I thought we'd supplement whatever they do with a few words of hard-won wisdom from a player of many years standing. That's me, btw. Use The Guardian and Observer guides if you will (it comes free after the purchase price of the papers), but also trawl the net for the many excellent teaching resources out there, DVDs and the like. It is possible to find many, many free sites. Harmony Central is one essential to bookmark.

There are all sorts of ways of learning where to put your fingers, how to tune it, the sort of very basic stuff that worries beginners. The truth is that the guitar, particularly in its electric incarnation, is best learned by imitation from a real live person. It doesn't have to be a formal teacher. Find someone you know who can play even a little bit better than you and ask them how they do it. Most will be flattered and only too willing to show you. Swapping chord shapes and new licks should be an essential part of every young person's education.

Above all, watch other players, in any style, on TV, on DVDs or, best of all, live. In a music shop you'll find lots of widdlers cranking out their favourite bits. Ask them to show you what they're doing or just watch their fingers. Same when you see bands live - watch the fingers.

That brings me to my first top tip - a mirror.

No, you don't need it to practice all those on-stage moves, and how sexy your latest EMO hairdo looks. It's a practice and learning aid. Let's assume you know a couple of chords. Sit or stand in front of the mirror and play them. Look in the mirror and you'll see what they look like from an audience point of view. Get used to seeing fingers in this 'back to front' way and you'll be able eventually to steal anything you see.

That's it for now. I'll be studying what the London wallahs do with their Guitar Guide tomorrow and then I'll return to comment and criticise and add bits they've missed.

I thought we might turn this into a bit of a community interactive thingy by asking other players to give some tips in the comment boxes down there, or even to ask questions which I or other players may know the answer to. Anyone know who my three pictured players are?

A last top tip from me about tuning. Instead of the standard EADGBE, beginners should try tuning one half step down to EflatAflatetc. It's how Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, among many others, used to tune. It gives a big boom at the bottom end (both amplified and acoustic) and makes the strings a bit slacker - and easier on the fingers. If the strings are flapping about a bit tuned this low, buy one of the sets made by Ernie Ball for low tunings (notably on 7-strings). Finally, buy an electronic tuner - or find one on the web. http://www.metronomeonline.com/ is also a must bookmark.