Tips for learning guitar

shgeo said:
"Start with an electric. These require different techniques and if you're into rock it's boring playing with an acoustic anyway. "

Ever listen to Led Zepplin III?
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And what's your favourite song on that album?
 
Point44 said:
Also, don't get a strat if you're into heavy metal. Again, they're just boring looking.
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Don't let Dave Murray, Yngwie Malmsteen, Richie Blackmore, Michael Denner (Mercyful Fate!), Matthias Jabs, or Wolf Hoffman hear you say that... :D

Edit: Jeez I just realized that branded me as an old fogey! Uh, in my defense I also have Mastodon's Remission on my CD player right now.
 
Mercyful Fate had some killer stuff, I really hated King Diamond's voice though. Curse of the Pharohs or A Dangerous Meeting were great. Metallica's version was not near as good. Wolf Hoffman is a photographer now.
 
Don't feel bad I've spent 15 years learning to play the harmonica, and I still suck.

I can read and write music, but I can't play the blues on my harp. :(
 
TorzJohnson said:
Don't let Dave Murray, Yngwie Malmsteen, Richie Blackmore, Michael Denner (Mercyful Fate!), Matthias Jabs, or Wolf Hoffman hear you say that... :D

Edit: Jeez I just realized that branded me as an old fogey! Uh, in my defense I also have Mastodon's Remission on my CD player right now.
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Don't blame you. There aren't that many new metal bands worth listening to. Is Mastodon any good? A lot of people saying they're quite alright. I haven't had enough motivation buying cd's lately.

Yes. Unfortunately there are some people who still like the strat. Why oh why. It just doesn't look cool at all unless you're jimi hendrix. And everyone knows part of being in a band is to look cool.

shgeo:
see...i knew immigrant song would be one of 'em. Considering it's one of the few electric guitar tracks in that album. Electrics are just way cooler.
 
klattman said:
There's the old joke:
How do you make a guitar player stop playing... put music in front of him.
:p
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LMAO...that's funny cuz it is true.

Reading music is a pretty essential skill - especially if you have any desire to play with other people in the future, particularly if they aren't guitarists/bassists. I can think of plenty of people that got into music without the ability to read music...Billy Sheehan, Adrian Belew come to mind...but I'm sure they can all read now.

I play saxophone (occasionally other instruments including guitar), but heres my recommendation.

Pick a progression...likely blues form, or jazz blues if you are more courageous. Pick a key to learn it in (E or A for blues, I'd think) (Bb or F or C for jazz blues). Memorize the chords in the form. Learn the chord, scale, and to arpeggiate to the 9th for each chord. Then put it together. Practice through the form playing just the chords, playing just the scales, and just arpeggiating over the bars.

Add the blues scale to that and you are more than set for guitar. This should give you a foundation of the boring stuff, but also prepare you for typical stuff that is actually done in songs.
 
I've been "playing" for a year now. I know all the basic chords. I just can't do much with them yet. :confused: :( I still have to learn scales. :o

If you have the time and money, find a teacher.

Paul
 
Point44 said:
Is Mastodon any good? A lot of people saying they're quite alright.
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Yeah, they're good but may not be everyone's cup of tea. They're fairly extreme but adventurous, i.e. they explore some pretty unusual mutated territory. The drummer is a real MOTHER******, the album is almost worth it just to hear him play.
 
Point44 said:
Yes. Unfortunately there are some people who still like the strat. Why oh why. It just doesn't look cool at all unless you're jimi hendrix. And everyone knows part of being in a band is to look cool.

.
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Umm, Strats sound better? They can be manipulated to make 1000 sounds? They weigh 1/10 of a les paul? They are far easire to work on and have a replaceable neck..Did I mention their sound?

BTW, the new thing is Teles. Everyone and their mother is playing one now, which makes them waay overpriced. too bad for me.

Joe-
many fender guitar owner.
 
T. Erdelyi said:
Don't feel bad I've spent 15 years learning to play the harmonica, and I still suck.
:(
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Isn't that how you play a harmonica? You either suck or blow. :D ;)


Paul
ES 335 TD
 
Haven't played for a lot of years, but I started with clarinet in high school. No choice - had to learn to read music, learn your scales(your chops, so to speak). A while later, I switched to guitar - tried doing it by ear. It was a long haul, but still ended up having to get chording books, etc. Then I started to monkey with an electric bass. Managed to get some basics in, and then found, that I had to go back to learning to read music. I was also very fortunate, that a bass player moved in next door (country/country rock). We ended up jamming a lot - he could sing, play rythm. He was a "timing" fanatic!!! He would teach me a bass run, and then I had to practice against a metronome (no drums to assist) and then with him playing rythm and singing. He enjoyed doing this because it also helped him get better as well. Learning curve went way up for me. My son also plays electric (lead) but plays by ear - he was actually very good, but that came from very judicious practice. He was more in the rock & roll side. He started joining in. Then, I got invited to a practice session or two. Believe me, it's really different when the whole band is there!! Rob's drummer was great about teaching me how to enhance the drums, and vice versa. We jammed for about 8 years, before we moved out of our neighborhood. Bottom line, if you can get instruction, it can really help. I found that the basic stuff is boring. BUT if there is a defined target, it's really not that boring. I found that by trying to learn a certain song, or sets of songs, if you pay attention to what you have to learn, it's easier and more fun.

Then a few years ago, I started monkeying with knives.... Guess what? You have to learn the basics (again ;) ) Read music (forums), practice..........

Sorry to be so chatty - gord (It's Friday!!!!) :D
 
i can't read notes, and i'm a musician! :eek::D

i play keys and guitar, and i write industrial music (Skinny Puppy, Front 242, etc...).. i can read Tab (of course), but for me, i lack the patience and discipline to learn to read music properly.

i am fairly proficient at guitar, and while i suck at playing keyboards and piano, that's where i write most of my music. composing is much easier than performing!

when i first began to learn guitar, i had the good fortune of being friends with a few guitarists and some drummers. they taught me the basic chords, and the ever-obvious POWER CHORD (imagine a heavily distorted power chord playing as you read that). insta-Ramones when i learned that one! ;)

and you know what? that's all i needed. i taught myself pretty much everything else by ear, or by noodling around and finding complimentary notes (i guess that's what you'd call it). i'm not bragging, anyone can do this and if you're driven enough, you will too. then again, i don't use much guitar in my songs anymore (if at all), and it never went beyond power chords and some picked-apart chords.

having someone show you each chord and proper technique is definitely an asset, but don't be afraid to fondle your axe and find your own methods. discovery is easier to commit to memory than instruction, IMO. just don't let that thing outta yer kung-fu grip, and you'll be Yngwie Malmsteen in no time. wait -- that's probably a bad thing! :D;)


oh, and fave guitar by sound: Gibson SG... fave guitar by looks..EASY: Ibanez Iceman.

abe
 
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