Guitar Players?

Sig220_Ruger77

Well, the stars aligned and I bit the bullet tonight. I ordered a cheap electric guitar. I had some extra cash on my BioLife card and I've always wanted to learn to play the guitar, so with everything going on in the world today, I figured the timing was perfect. I'm not getting any younger, but I'm not an old fart yet, so what the heck! Will it be here before we're quarantined? I highly doubt it, but man, that'd be awesome. Any pointers or suggestions on how to start teaching myself? I will just have a guitar, no amp for now.

Jon

NeoBlackdog

Well, it's a bit late for my first bit of advice, but I'll give it anyway...  Start with an acoustic guitar, not an electric.  An electric with no amp doesn't give you much sound.  It's gonna sound sort of 'tinny' which may be disappointing to you.  
Second, don't expect miracles.  It takes time and lots of practice and your fingers are going to get sore but pretty soon the ends of your fingers will toughen up.   
Get a good Chord Chart to go along with your new guitar.  
Learn to 'finger pick'!  Some of the best guitar players on the planet (Mark Knopfler, Lindsey Buckingham) use that technique and put out some incredible sound.   
Good luck with your new hobby, Sig!  I hope you realize that if you get hooked on playing it can cut into your gun budget pretty severely.

yonson

There are so many styles of guitar playing and so many musical genres, you kind of have to choose.  Learning chords (there are numerous ways to play each chord) and applying them to melodies is as basic as learning to walk before running.  And yes, the sounds you're making will matter to you and as has been said,  you'll need an amp for an electric (find a cheap used one to start).  As you progress, you'll probably feel the need for a better instrument.  Don't give up easily.   

Junkballer

Accoustic is the way to learn, amplified will drive beginners away from learning with every little mistake being amplified. Learn the location of your basic cords then sit in a dark room where you can't see your fingers and practice, you'll train your ears and fingers (you'll definitely know when mistakes are made) plus you'll learn not watching finger placement on the fret board  . Also keep a rubber band on your cording fingers when doing nothing, like a person being board with nothing to do, play it around by moving your fingers in, out and around them while hooked over the thumb and little finger (first joints), thus keeping them limbered up. 

notnow

As the parent of a self taught player, I'll say persevere. Don't let a certain skill demand discourage you. Likely you'll find that you'll turn the corner on that ability and go on to the next. I watched and listened to my son. Starting in high school. It was rough. He would be playing till 1am some nights. Right below my bedroom. I don't know what was driving him but he did it. I don't know if he can read music but he understands the structure. He would get frustrated some times and all I could tell him was to put it down, let things settle and go back to it later.