h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Even on the 'net i get to feel guilty about the full set of strings and 'how to book' that i haven't used yet...

Sounds like these are the sort of simple pointers i need to get me started.

Well if you don't plan on using those strings.. Uhm.. you could pass them..ermm hold on a sec.. what kind of strings?

I've had an old guitar sitting in the corner for about 2 years and i actually went out and bought a new set of strings about 4 months ago...Haven't managed to get them out of the package yet

Okay, so I'll rephrase that.. what kind of strings -and- what kind of guitar? I've got an oldish but still nearly mint that needs new stings badly (well.. obviously 'near mint' -except- for the badly neglected strings and the nice mellowness that only comes wtih age ).

Oh, and thanks for pointing this one out.. I hadn't heard of the circle of fifths...

just your basic acoustic guitar type strings...

X-light, light, med, heavy? Round? Equa? Brand? Steel, I presume? Wrapped or bare g string? Oh.. and I suppose it's just a basic accoustic, too?

*Reads from packet*

D'Addario classic nylon guitar strings

Natural dupont trebles
Silverplated wound basses

My book uses: Every Good Band Draws Fans and just FACE with no little descriptives...although i think Deserves Fans is more realistic.

Yes, i did manage to struggle through a few pages. I can now play the bottom two strings with very little competency

Altogether now (very slowly) E F G C D E

Wow, they have D'Addario there?! That was my first several sets of strings! (Of course, mine were steel, not nylon, but...) My favourite is now Equa, but I don't know if I can find them any more.. they never were very common.

I can read music, but only by studying the notes and such. I never did get good at it because I always drifted off to playing by ear (that was on the piano). For guitar I use tablature, and I always remember the strings by pronouncing the anagram (EADGBE -- like eedgbee.. worked for me ).

You have a chord book, right? Best way I found to learn was to find a simple song you can play through. I never did get anywhere til I did that. My brother came home from the service, and he'd been learning from a guy he bunked with.. he started to show me one song (House of the Rising Sun), got through three chords, then got distracted and disappeared. Left it to me to figure out the rest with my ear and chord book, which I scolded him for later, but it was probably the best thing he did.

So.. what kind of Guitar? Obviously a folk, if you're using nylon strings, but...

Oh.. and also, the way to -really- learn is to carry it with you everywhere.. There will always be someone you never knew could play that will teach you all kinds of tips, tricks, and little riffs.

I have a number of muso friends...just a matter of getting them at the right time.

Unfortunately the cd with the book i have has everything played on electric guitar, which makes it useless to me for seeing how i am going

I must buy the Nirvana unplugged songbook, at least then i know what the songs are supposed to sound like...

Still all a bit of a mystery to me at the moment, but i will battle on