Preserved Topic: mind to share with a beginer on how to start playing guitar? (Page 1 of 1)

okay, I am facinated by guitar, so I bought one. If you know guitar, can you tell me how you got started? I followed the instructions from the "a complete idiot's guide on how to play guitar", but it just didn't help much because I may interpret the message wrong and keep practicing the wrong way and it may become bad habit later. So if you know any good ways for me to start, just shout it out and I'll listen.

thanx

Here's what I did see... sit on couch, smoke lot's of dope, play guitar, for 6 years.

Come to think of it, I suck. So don't do that.

Jason

Try this...
http://www.howguitar.com/

and then fill your boots here
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22how+to+play+guitar%22&btnG=Google+Search

When you're trying to play something and it doesn't sound too great just remember that there's no such thing as a *bad* note.... you're just, as musicians say... "playing outside." <BG>

What kind of music do you play? It all depends.. if you want to get into stuff like Steve Vai and Satriani, get yourself cheap base guitar and just practice arpeggios on it.. after about an hour, grab your 6 string and start playing... you will fly.

But the best way to learn is, practice practice and practice until your fingers are sore...

My tips:

Relax your hands
Warm up your fingers before playing
Practice simple keys going from 12th fret all the way up to first and then back
keep your thumb on the back of the neck.

Books and websites will not teach you how to play. They might give you some techniques and excersizes... this is just like you can't teach someone how to draw.. you have to have it in you...

I remember, there was a time when I stayed up all night just to learn Little Wing by Steve Ray Vanhaun (sp)

Oh yeah.. and practice

:: Max ::

What kind of guitar is it? Amp? Distortoin Pedal?

Try thinking of some songs you like and then search for there tabs like say.... Ozzy Osborne Crazy Train. Go to yahoo, google, or wherever, I usually go to www.thrashpit.com or www.theguantlet.com for my tabs, then type in the song or artist like "Tabs for Ozzy Osborne Crazy Train". Just try to play around. Try to hear things out, its a talent, if you have it, learning should be quick and easy.

I am in a band and we play hard core stuff. See I have a Fender 6 string (electric) and DOD Distortion Pedal. Learn some chords and the strings.

Standard tuning is:

E
B
G
D
A
E

First you should know what a low E sounds like or buy a tunar real cheap. Then once you have your top E (the fattest one closest to your pick) in tune, go up 5 frets and then play it and then play A at the same time, while they are still in sound turn the knob for A untill they are both harmonic, do it a couple times. Do the same with D & G but once you get to B it is different. To tune the B string you have to hit the 4th fret instead of 5th on G untill they are harmonic, then when B is tuned hit the rth fret on B and then hit bottom E and turn the knob untill they are harmonic.

Have Fun and Good Luck!

Ducati: "keep your thumb on the back of the neck."

That is of course unless you've got a thumb like Hendrix. Man I couldn't beleive that 'thing' the first time I saw it <lol>
I swear it had a life of its own.

As for my playing... I can play any 12 bar blues, in any key...as long as it's "A." <lol>

galaxal: It is as Ducati says... all about 'practice.'

Yup.. practice makes wonders...

For effects I would get some kind of processor.. I have Digitech RP12 and love it. Well.. of course wah wah pedal is a must

:: Max ::

there are tabs to a spitload of songs at www.olga.net

check with them, dl something you like and try to practice until it sounds right...

it took me *long* time to learn to play guitar, because I never practiced.... you have to set aside an hour or two and stick to it every day....


"A kleptomaniac is a person who helps himself because he can't help himself." --Henry Morgan
ICQ: 67751342

ok, im a guitar newbie as well.
i have a simple e-guitar with a grunge distorter and an amplifier.

but i dont even know how to read these tabs. i mean which finger goes where etc.

glaxal, what kind of guitar do yo mean? classical or electric?

Taught myself Piano, Guitar (Bass,electric-acustic,electric)

tab's pretty easy though it doesn't show the fingering, generally each bar will be a certain chord so if you know how to finger the chord it should give you an idea on where your fingers go.

But otherwise it goes like this (going into code mode for formatting)

E    <-- Current Chord

E -0------------------------------------   <-   high "e" string    

B -0------------------------------------   <- b string

G -1------------------------------------   <- g string  

D -2------------------------------------   <- d string

A -2------------------------------------   <- a string

E -0------------------------------------   <-  low "e" string

Numbers refer to the fret with "0" meaning open so this here would be your basic E major chord (e,b open g the first fret, d and a on the second fret and low e open).

pretty simple eh? The biggest issue here isn't the fingering but it's hard to get the timing and strum patterns down you really need to listen to the song carefully. I actually have a program that allows me to slow down songs without losing pitch which helps a lot.

I'd start with learning all the main open chords E G A C D (There's no real open B) and play them learning to move between them.

Get a metronome and play to it. I've downloaded one and a simple drum program as well from download.com

After you get the basic chords start working on some of the variations usually the minor chords first and then the 9's again learning to switch between the chords easily.

If you get bored just strumming chords switch things up learning the blues scales so you can do some soloing.

That's enough to get started I hope.

oh oh oh... and honestly if you can get a teacher, self taught works but if you can get some lessons for a couple of months it will speed things up tremendously.



:[ Computers let you make more mistakes faster than any other invention in human history, with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila. ]:

[This message has been edited by bitdamaged (edited 12-18-2001).]

good explanation! thanks bit!
but i didnt get the thing with the numbers...
in your example :
G 1
D 2
A 2

what does that mean?

and where's the difference between chords(*.crd) and tabs(*.tab) i can download?

edit: olga is a very good resource! thanks, petskull. just found this:
http://www.olga.net/faq/tabbing.php

edit2: no need to explain, bit. i just found out.

[This message has been edited by GRUMBLE (edited 12-18-2001).]

[This message has been edited by GRUMBLE (edited 12-18-2001).]

well i've been playing guitar for about a year now, i won't say if im good [im not]. but the way i see it you could either get started with power chords or learn open chords first. it kinda depends what you want to play.
i'd recommend the open chords as they allow you to make a mighty nice very quickly. in this way you won't get all discouraged and leave.

So learn, E F G A B C D and figure get it so you can switch between them without any big gaps in the song you're playing. just start with simple strummy songs and you'll soon be flying. Ok so f and B arn't technically open chords but they're not going to break any fingers.

The main sort of conceptual difficulty i have with the guitar is getting the hang of its 2 dimensionality. Like a piano you go left and you play a note up one semitone you go right and you play a note down one semitone. on the guitar you can go left right or up and down. this kinda screws my head up when my teacher asks me things like "where is the flatted 7th in that chord you're playing"

oh yeah while you're getting into the open chords you might wanna look at the pentatonic scale, once you figure out the six shapes you can just offset the pattern around the fretboard and presto you can solo in any key, in theory. i've only recently started on scales and i think i would be a much better player if i'd been playing them all the time.

the best tab site i've found is http://www.guitarnotes.com/tabs/

oh yeah, chords [.crd or whatever] will generally consist of like the lyrics to a song with the chords placed above the words so you can change chords at the right time and sing along.
tab files in theory would consist of the melody to a song [such as a solo] written out in tab form.
however i wouldn't worry about this distinction just get whatever you can on songs you wanna learn, be curious. if you have any problems, post em!


To answer your other question

E--0 <-- High e [thinnest string]
A--0
D--1
G--2
B--2
E--0 <-- low e [heaviest string]

you would place your second and third fingers at the second frets of the fifth [b string] and fourth [g string] strings and place your first finger on the first fret of the third string. your index finger is your first finger and your little finger is your fourth finger. So now you have your hands in an open E chord shape. now you can strum.

So basically tab tells you which fret on which string you should be playing at any specific instant. tab's weakness is in conveying rhythm. i can't play a song well unless i've heard it played before by someone. maybe thats just me though.

Also yeah, as for bad habbits: Do use your little finger as much as possible, never have your thumb flat to the back of the fretboard this sort of ruins all you leverage and try and fret chords and notes in such a way that the fingers of your left hand are bent into a sort of C shape. you don't really want there to be a straight line from the second joint to the end of your finger. this may make things a bit hard to start with, but it'll save you serious hand damage if you keep playing.

Hope all this is some use to you.

Relain

[This message has been edited by Relain (edited 12-18-2001).]

please don't start with power chords.... many 'musicians' play nothing but power chords and it gets really annoying..


"A kleptomaniac is a person who helps himself because he can't help himself." --Henry Morgan
ICQ: 67751342

oh my gosh ... i thought i was reading the question wrong. you multi-talented freaks, you ...

i can't play guitar, much... but i can bang out some awesome rhythm to songs i really really really like. don't talk to me about lead. too hard. can't be bothered.

SUN
//there's nothing to learning new stuff but REALLY REALLY wanting to//

Finally someone that I can really freaking help!!!!!! Just to let you know that I'm not full of shit. I have played guitar in many forms for a little over 18 years. I studied classical guitar in college and graduated with a degree in classical guitar performance. So now.

Here is my first suggestion. GET A TEACHER!!! You can not successfully learn without someone to help you understand what you are reading or trying to do. Do listen to articles where "Jimi Hendrix never took a lesson in his life" There are exceptions to every rule. Ducati had a few real good tips:

Relax your hands
Warm up your fingers before playing
keep your thumb on the back of the neck

Here are few things that I will ad:

1. Don't worry right now with Distortion effects, Flang or any of that shit. Worry about getting your hands around on the neck first.
More often than not the effects will mask the mistakes.
2. When you practice (assuming that it is electric) unplug the guitar. No amp needed for this. Not unlike the above reason
3. Practice slowly. You have to walk before you run
4. Watch every movement of your hand on the neck when you practice. When you do this it helps smooth the movement and makes it easier
to play faster.
5. When you come across something that is hard. Practice a little slower and watch every single move that every fingure is making. Same as above.
6. To ad on to the "keep your thumb behind the neck" as Ducati said, picture it like this: Make it seem that you could connect your middle finger on the neck of the guitar with your thumb. Kind of make an circle with your middle finger and thumb.
7. Relax when you play. There is no need to make your hand, shoulders or arms tense.
8. Learn everything you can!!!!


Oh and by the way did I mention to get a teacher. Be very selective of who you choose though as your teacher. The best performers don't always make the best teachers. Kind of like the saying goes: "I don't know how I do it, I just do". Don't get discourage because you can't just rip through some big lick. Take it slow and work hard to get it up to speed.

I would really stray away from tab. It can sometimes be a real crutch. Go ahead and find a teacher and have them show you how to read music notation in the process. They should be able to make it go hand in hand (learning how to play guitar and read music at the same time). I tell you this because I learned how to read music, now I can just sit down with just about any piece of music and just play it. Just read it straight off the page. I have gotten many gigs that payed a lot of money and I got it because I could sit down and just read the music. Not bad when you can sit down and play some music for 2-3 hours, eat lots of really good food and drink lots of wine and beer and walk out with $800.00 cash.

If you need any help you can email me.


Later,
C:\

ok, song pong forum.

we exchange recording of us playing in mp3 format and lay tracks over and over and over it.

Jason

Yeah JK! A friend of mine and I used to sit around an smoke pot all night and write tunes. Ahh. the good ol' days!

Here's a little tune in dMinor. It a cross between Mozart and Bach, it's kind of a "Mach" type piece.

Later,
C:\

yeah.... my best friend was my teacher...
he taught me a technique to learn... memorize all the basic chords and every time you sit down to practice put 4 chords together and play that- forget strumming, that comes later- over and over again. Concentrate on choosing chord combos that you usually have trouble with (like G to C, in my case)... pretty soon putting your finger on the string becomes natural.....

galaxial: if you send me an email and I'll teach you the basic chords...


"A kleptomaniac is a person who helps himself because he can't help himself." --Henry Morgan
ICQ: 67751342

[This message has been edited by Petskull (edited 12-19-2001).]