Baraka_Guru: Let me start by saying I think it's awesome you're getting back into playing. I know aberkok will too, but you probably don't need me to tell you that.
I'll back up what punkmusicfan21 has said. Jay Tursers are great acoustics that can usually be had for $150 or less. They make awesome beginner instruments and don't hurt the pocketbook too much.
Regarding your electric, whether or not it's worth it to get it back to peak playability depends on how attached you are to it. Depending on how extensive the wiring issues are, you may need to take it to a repair shop and have them fix it all up for you, but if it's just a matter of adjusting the neck, swapping the strings and replacing a switch, you'll probably get more life out of it. If you want, I can have a look at it the next time I make my way to Toronto. I've been considering a purely social visit in May, and that might be a reason for me.
If you decide to replace it with another electric, there are a lot of great beginner options. I make no secret of the fact that I love my Silvertone, but how good they are varies in direct proportion to how well you set them up; off the shelf they're not so hot, and they usually need a bit of work to get them playing properly. If you don't know how to do that and don't know a tech you trust with it, you may want to look at an Epiphone or something similar. The higher price tag is worth it for a better instrument that doesn't need as much love to take it from good to great.
Having had some more experience with them since my last post in this thread, I have revised my opinion of Squiers. They are terrible instruments. Do not buy one. If you desperately want a Strat copy, there are better third party manufacturers.
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Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
Well, Martian, after a few fits and starts, I've finally taken the proper leap to pick up my guitar again for regular practice. It's been nearly 10 years since I've played regularly. I'm actually pretty grateful because I've maintained and remembered much of what I've already learned. I learned guitar mainly through high school with a couple of courses and a few years of practice. But what I never really learned enough about is scales, etc. I never really moved beyond rhythm and basic licks. I want to learn much more about the instrument, so I figured I'd focus up to an hour a day on practicing, and much of that will be to focus on scales, such as you've recommended here.
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Scales are good for fundamentals. Learning the twelve majors and minors and how to play them in various positions will help you to build up that speed and precision that is really fundamental to everything else you'll do. Varying your exercises is also good. You can find new ways to play the scales or try different ones (major, minors, blues, etc), try different fingerings and so on. This sort of drill practice is like physical exercise in that it should always be slightly uncomfortable for you. If you can play it without thinking about it, you're ready for something more advanced.
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Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
But I want to know if there is a good knowledge base I can tap into....preferably a book. I'm going to get Hal Leonard's Guitar Method from the library shortly, and even sooner I will be perusing a couple of books on music theory. I don't think I want to be able to sight read per se, but I do want to know scales, keys, etc, so that when I see music I can at least fake it or improvise. I'm also interested in picking up a good number of styles that I can just jam in. I have a book on the blues, but I need to build a stronger foundation before I get into that, I think. I wouldn't also mind playing rock, R&B, Jazz, classical, and Latin, though I understand that some of the latter genres would benefit from an acoustic guitar. I only own an electric.
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I'm pretty sure I have one of the Hal Leonard books around here somewhere. There's a whole series of them for guitar, and they serve as a good introduction to the instrument as well as various styles. Depending on your level of ability, you may find them a bit simplistic.
If you want something that will lay out scales for you, you might try borrowing one of aberkok's scale books. Guitar and piano are both concert pitched instruments, and a lot of piano stuff is easily (or even directly) translatable. So long as you can read standard notation that should be a fine way to get started. Punkmusicfan21's lesson plans might also be a good option, as would paying for a couple of lessons from an instructor to get some basic exercises going.
I didn't learn much from books, and therefore am unfortunately unable to recommend any particular volumes. However, I will shortly be embarking upon a more serious study of the classical style, and if I come across anything I'll let you know.
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Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
EDIT: Oh, and do you recommend "exercises" for finger strength and speed, or do you suggest these things are built naturally through scales practice?
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Finger exercises are a substitute for practicing scales, with the only difference being that you don't work on any actual technique while you do them. If you have an option, always play. I have nothing against buying a grip trainer or something that you can carry around with you and play with on the subway or at the office or whatever, but I don't think it's necessary. You'll build all the hand strength, co-ordination and callouses you need just by playing.
I'm going to leave both theory and metronomes to aberkok. He ought to be able to give you some decent advice on both.
punkmusicfan21: If I give you an address, could you email me those lesson plans too? I've been asked to teach guitar recently, but I've never done any instruction before and it'd be helpful if I could see an example of how to go about it.