Yea, that's what I've been thinking of doing. My dad has a chord book and I figure I could just go through and start memorizing chords.

Learning chords is great, but memorizing them is no substitute for knowing the theory behind them. I really wish I knew theory, because then I could figure out any chord I didn't know.

I know some theory behind chords. My piano teacher has taught me some but I find it easy to forget .

Kate: I have one friend who kinda plays guitar but he really taught himself and only recently started...like a year ago...but he doesn't really know much, he just uses the little chord pictures . I think I have to get a job and just pay for my own lessons . My piano teacher's husband teaches guitar for only $10 a lesson. I can't start with him just yet anyway, b/c he recently became pastor of a new church and their family might be moving. But hopefully within a few months he can start teaching me. I hope in the meanwhile though my piano teacher can just show me a little. She knows how to play too and she also told me that she finds it easier to come up with songs with guitar than piano. And my goal for this year is too have at least 5 good songs written. Then maybe next year I can record an EP... . That's why I want to learn guitar- it's a much better supplement to voice than piano.

I'm surprised she would say that. I always thought that it would be easier to write on a piano. Guitar chords are usually composed to complement a vocal melody rather than the way around. A lot of the song writers in bands I know play piano (i.e. Aaron Marsh of Copeland, Wes Blaylock of Deas Vail, Stephen Christian of Anberlin, Stacy DuPree of Eisley, M. Thiessen of RK...). But your teacher plays both and I don't, so I'd trust her. That's very interesting. I wonder if it's a personal preference thing.

I think it's a personal preference thing. It also depends on the song. On piano, you just about have to come up with a melody line; in guitar, you just have to have chords, although there are plenty of other things you can do.
Correct me if I'm wrong about piano; I still can't play it.

I'm surprised she would say that. I always thought that it would be easier to write on a piano.

I don't know if it's hard on a guitar but it's extrememly hard on a piano for me. I can write music on the piano but I can not write the melody to already written lyrics. I just can't get it to sound the way I imagine it in my head. I haven't written music to any of the songs I've written.

I tried playing guitar once.....and failed misrably!

I am more of a drums kind of girl.....I play percussion right now, and I am just learning drums......my dad plays really well and is teaching me!

I find it really hard to come up with chords for a song on piano, so I hope and imagine that guitar is easier. I write lyrics all the time but find it hard to put them down to a tune once I sit down at the piano. It's frustrating...

I've been teaching myself the guitar... which has left me with blistered fingers and an open cut from strumming too hard without a pick. But it's been cool playing songs I just learned. My sister is a drummer and she's veryyy good.

I think it's a personal preference thing. It also depends on the song. On piano, you just about have to come up with a melody line; in guitar, you just have to have chords, although there are plenty of other things you can do.
Correct me if I'm wrong about piano; I still can't play it.

Yes and no! If you want to play a solo song on the piano, then you have to have a melody. However, if you want to play accompaniment on the piano to whatever, then knowing just the chords will get you by nicely.

What I suggest to anyone who struggles with chords is to take a harmony course. I am taking basic harmony and it has helped me in my piano a lot. In a basic harmony course you will learn how chords flow and sound best arranged together. For instance, you should always end a piece with a V-I cadence (Perfect cadence). A V-I cadence is where you go from chord V to chord I (In C major chord I is a C chord and chord V is a G chord). In a melody you should always end with either a 2-1 or 7-1 scale progression. To translate, a melody should always end by either going from the second step of the scale to the first step of the scale or it should end by going from the seventh step of the scale to the first step of the scale. This method of ending a melody is not a total rule, but it is a fool proof one. If you do it that way you just won't go wrong.

Well, glad you are all having fun with guitar. As for me, I just did my RCM grade 7 piano exam this morning. My performance was solid; so, I am happy. If anyone takes an exam I give a warning to you, the examiners are supposed to be "stone cold", no emotion, no nothing. You can either choose to be freaked out or amused. I chose to be amused!

I attend a music schooland am currently learning how to play the guitar, piano, and the balalaika. It is kinda hard juggeling three instruments at a time, but it is fun and I love it

I am miserably late to the party but I guess later is better than never!

How long have you been playing?
Piano for 10 years, recorder for 9 years, percussion for 5 years. I have a guitar but no clue how to play.

Have you performed in public?
Yes but not recently.

Are there instruments you don't play that you would like to learn?
I would love to learn how to play flute, violin, accordion, and bass guitar. (I would also like to learn how to play that guitar of mine! )

What type of music do you prefer to play?
Since I like listening to all types of music, I like playing all types of music. I suppose it really depends on the instrument though. With drums, I like playing rock music. With recorder I like playing classical music. With piano, I like playing traditional/folk/classical.

Do you write music or lyrics of your own?
I used to but not anymore. I should get back into it though. (I only write lyrics as a creative outlet. Never for anyone other than myself to hear! Writing lyrics is fun but I think my lyrics are horrible!). I haven't gotten into writing my own actual music though.

I was just given an offer by my voice teacher. She'll trade babysitting hours for hours in her recording studio. By the time I graduate, I should have enough completed original songs to release an EP, and she knows how to submit music to iTunes! *where's the jumping up and down and hyperventalating smilie?*

Sounds neat, winterlife! I don't really know of any places that would be good for recording--at least not at our house.

That's so cool winterlife! One of my goals to do within the next three years is to release an EP too