Learning guitar (possibly)

[Haller]

Also for God's sake...learn how to read music. Most people have no idea how annoying it is when one is checking out guitarists and they have no idea how to read anything other than tablature. Get a fretboard diagram that has the notes labelled on the fret....and memorize it. Then learn where that note and it's octave is on the staff...and memorize that as well. After you have that down...learn rhythmic notation.

 

[fonzinator]

Originally posted by: dwell
Learn scales, all of them. Practice over and over with a metronome until you get calluses on your fret hand. Start with the major scales, then minor, then pentatonic and if you really are having fun the Dorian.

The faster and more exact you get the better you will be with the instrument.

I've never been interested in soloing. I've poured my 6 years of guitar into learning the craziest strumming techniques I can. I'm an unbalanced player: can strum like a machine gun but can't solo worth crap! I guess that's why I always have someone else playing guitar with me that can solo while I strum. Maybe some day I'll get around to learning scales. For now, I just got a 100 year old mandolin fixed up that I'm learning to play.

 

[AUMM]

i learned last summer, i found it takes a while to get good, but once you do it becomes really easy to learn new songs. so dont give up. i bought a yamaha f335 for like 180 i think. great guitar

 

[mrCide]

my advice is tto get something cheap (be it elec or acoustic) and do NOT give up on it...

after a year you'll start noticing how much better you are, and after 2 years you'll be practicing/playing solos and other cool stuff ... wondering 'how' you got better

<-----

 

Originally posted by: fonzinator

I've never been interested in soloing. I've poured my 6 years of guitar into learning the craziest strumming techniques I can. I'm an unbalanced player: can strum like a machine gun but can't solo worth crap! I guess that's why I always have someone else playing guitar with me that can solo while I strum. Maybe some day I'll get around to learning scales. For now, I just got a 100 year old mandolin fixed up that I'm learning to play.

I think you stand a lot more to learn from scales than just soloing. You learn a lot about music in general, keys, intervals, etc. I am starting to think I would be a better bass player than a guitar player because I really enjoy playing notes more than chords.

 

[Lithium381]

Originally posted by: Haller
Also for God's sake...learn how to read music. Most people have no idea how annoying it is when one is checking out guitarists and they have no idea how to read anything other than tablature. Get a fretboard diagram that has the notes labelled on the fret....and memorize it. Then learn where that note and it's octave is on the staff...and memorize that as well. After you have that down...learn rhythmic notation.

some of the best advice given so far!!! LEARN TO READ MUSIC.......
acoustic is better to start with, learn some scales, and find music for songs you know, and go at it, just keep at it and you should eventally get it...i did

 

[Kelemvor]

I have a copy of a computer guitar learning program I'll see you for cheap. Heh heh. Can't remember the name of it though. I never got all the way through it but it was good.

2 main methods of learning guitar are either notes the chords or chords then notes. I'd go with chords then notes since most guitar is background for singing and such and individual notes aren't as useful in that particular circumstances.

 

[Haller]

Originally posted by: dwell

Originally posted by: fonzinator

I've never been interested in soloing. I've poured my 6 years of guitar into learning the craziest strumming techniques I can. I'm an unbalanced player: can strum like a machine gun but can't solo worth crap! I guess that's why I always have someone else playing guitar with me that can solo while I strum. Maybe some day I'll get around to learning scales. For now, I just got a 100 year old mandolin fixed up that I'm learning to play.

I think you stand a lot more to learn from scales than just soloing. You learn a lot about music in general, keys, intervals, etc. I am starting to think I would be a better bass player than a guitar player because I really enjoy playing notes more than chords.

bassists play chords too man....take it from me, I am one.

 

[Haller]

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior
I have a copy of a computer guitar learning program I'll see you for cheap. Heh heh. Can't remember the name of it though. I never got all the way through it but it was good.

2 main methods of learning guitar are either notes the chords or chords then notes. I'd go with chords then notes since most guitar is background for singing and such and individual notes aren't as useful in that particular circumstances.

notes before chords....because you absolutely have to understand what notes are in the chords and why they are.

 

[MisterPresident]

Originally posted by: Haller

Originally posted by: dwell

Originally posted by: fonzinator

I've never been interested in soloing. I've poured my 6 years of guitar into learning the craziest strumming techniques I can. I'm an unbalanced player: can strum like a machine gun but can't solo worth crap! I guess that's why I always have someone else playing guitar with me that can solo while I strum. Maybe some day I'll get around to learning scales. For now, I just got a 100 year old mandolin fixed up that I'm learning to play.

I think you stand a lot more to learn from scales than just soloing. You learn a lot about music in general, keys, intervals, etc. I am starting to think I would be a better bass player than a guitar player because I really enjoy playing notes more than chords.

bassists play chords too man....take it from me, I am one.

Hey Haller, I'm starting to play bass this summer. Any tips that are different than those mentioned above for guitar?

 

[KingNothing]

I would advice buying a Takamine Jasmine as your first guitar. It's 200 new, less used, and has a nice sound for a cheap guitar.

 

[KaBudokan]

Originally posted by: Haller
Also for God's sake...learn how to read music. Most people have no idea how annoying it is when one is checking out guitarists and they have no idea how to read anything other than tablature. Get a fretboard diagram that has the notes labelled on the fret....and memorize it. Then learn where that note and it's octave is on the staff...and memorize that as well. After you have that down...learn rhythmic notation.

How do you get a loud guitar player to turn down?


Put some sheet music in front of him.

 

[oboeguy]

So, as someone who reads music rather well and knows some theory (I've written a thing or three for the oboe, nothing special), should I be starting with chords or notes? Or both?

 

[Cal166]

Everything on the net is in TABS, very simple to read. Not a lot of pple can read the real music but rather read TABs.

Been playing for over 3 years and finally the music theory i learned back while i was taking lessons are coming together.

Check out Marc Seal, he teaches you lessons thru video feed. New episodes are every first and last Fridays of the month.

He used to be live every friday night but was Guitar Center brought him.

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: aircooled
Get a beginners acoustic guitar and learn how to tune it, and the basic chords. Once you have that down, the path you take will probably dictate itself by personal preference.

Save yourself a lot of grief and get an electronic tuner.

 

[fonzinator]

Originally posted by: oboeguy
So, as someone who reads music rather well and knows some theory (I've written a thing or three for the oboe, nothing special), should I be starting with chords or notes? Or both?

I'd do both if possible. Maybe alternate practice for scales and chords each day?

 

[Rudee]

Joe Satriani always says "Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. There's no point in getting good at doing something the wrong way"