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Post subject: Learning the Guitar
Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 11:50 am
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I know this may be a stupid question to all of you, but I am just learning to play. Do any of you recommend an easier and faster way to learn? An online lesson or software you have used? Thank you... :?:


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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 12:04 pm
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Do you already have a knowledge of music?

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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 12:06 pm
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Starting from scratch, unless you count the piano lessions I had 30 years ago. :lol:


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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 12:17 pm
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1) For me, taking lessons spooled me up real fast. In less than a year, I went from "this is a D chord" to figuring out Alex Lifeson's guitar solo in Rush's "Bastille Day".
2) Trade licks with your git buddies. Have your buddies teach you everything they know, and tech them what you know.
3) If you have the ear and can figure out music by yourself do it. AC/DC is great for this, especially their '70s stuff.
4) Jam with friends, even just one -- It is fun and you will be surprise what you will learn, especially when it comes to soloing.
5) Practice, practice, practice -- There is no substitute for hands on a guitar. When I was in high school, I played about 4 hrs a day. And when in school, I was doing finger exercises on the desk. I was a hound...

Good luck!!!!!

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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 12:25 pm
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Learn the major chords
Learn (and practice) the pentatonic and blues scales
Jam with friends and learn from them
Practice
Practice
Practice

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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 12:38 pm
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Unfortunately brother there's nothing all that easy about learning to play, but with the right attitude and a whole lot of patience and determination, you should be able to learn what you're after in the end. Use what ever knowledge that you can muster up from your old piano lessons to help you along the way and if you still play piano and have a decent understanding of the keyboard, then that'll help you out big time as well. I don't personally know of any software or anything out there to help you learn, but if you REALLY want to learn, then go to your local music store and take some lessons from someone that you can trust. Like all of us already know...Practice makes perfect so don't get discouraged and give up like many other players have done. It's a much better feeling to overcome something that had you stumped, than to let it beat ya...Good luck man!!! :twisted:

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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 12:53 pm
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^^^ All great advice. Try everything and see what works best for you. Start with the cheaper, easier things like...

- online lessons
- onine articles

mostly cheap and easy. Then try ....
- some books (amazon.com, etc)

Also play with as many people as you can. Play with people better than you. Don't worry about "sucking". You're new, you're not expected to be amazing. Ask questions, have people show you things, listen good and learn what they show you. Play it better than them.

If you only know one chord, play the hell out of that chord. Quiet, soft, strummed, each string picked, with a pick, with your fingers - just play what you DO know as best as you possibly can.

If you're still in a rut and just don't "get it", try lessons with someone you're comfortable with, will listen to you, plays like you want to play, and is willing to work with you and not just make you stick to "Hair-Metal-Guy's Concret List of Beginning Guitar Steps That's Etched In Stone" - you get the idea.

For me, back when I learned (early 80's), there was lessons, or you were on your own. A few Mel Bay books, but that was crap for what I wanted to learn. Some "Metal Method" cassette tapes by some "Doug Marks" dude, which helped but there wasn't nearly as much as today.

What did work for me was just playing what I knew really well, playing it a LOT, playing with other people, in all different styles, and mostly - playing along to the songs I wanted to learn. I can't even tell you how many times I played songs over and over again, trying to figure them out, and playing along to every single part of them. After getting good at that, I started to develop my own "musical language" of things I liked, phrases, licks, riffs, etc. Then I could hear things I knew in other songs, all over, etc. Learning cover songs so well, in great detail for me, back then, was the biggest step in music for me. I learned so much about how things are written, why they sound good, how to mimic that sound without copying it, and developed my ear so I can learn 25 songs in a few days for cetains gigs when I need to, and can jam along to pretty much anything without ever having heard it before. Some will argue about the cover thing and say to be "try to yourself and stick to your soul" or some other esoteric mumbo jumbo. If that works for you, great! I'm just letting you know how I started, have played for over 25yrs professionally. Just one person's opinion.


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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 1:04 pm
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Go down to the crossroads and sell your soul to the devil. Worked for Robert Johnson. :P

Welcome to the forum!


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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 2:10 pm
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I'm a beginner too but I've held that title for 5 years now. I would beg for an instrument to learn and when I was given one as a gift, I became so easily frustrated due to my impatience.

For the last 5 years I was on and off with learning on my acoustic with occasionally mastering some chords and a scale or too. I still just lacked the motivation and heart.

I got a littler wiser and developed patience. I just recently bought my first electric guitar and the feeling has returned.... perhaps because I just went ahead and spent my hard earned money on something I was so sporadic with before...

I still am just a beginner but I have about 5 years worth of advice in me too. Some say learn scales to develop speed and accruacy, while another good friend said just start with songs you like. Maintain the interest and have patience. I wish I could just jam at this point but... in due time...

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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 2:46 pm
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SleepingLionheart wrote:
...Some say learn scales to develop speed and accruacy, while another good friend said just start with songs you like. Maintain the interest and have patience. I wish I could just jam at this point but... in due time...



I would say to learn a little of everything, not any one thing and stick to JUST that. There's a guy at work, been playing for like 2 yrs. Does some half-ass, sloppy scales in different places, and doesn't know a damn chord or chord progression. Not even a simple two chord stumming pattern. For two years, pathetic. Why? Because he's "waiting until he gets better at scales before he moves on to chords". Makes no sense to me.

Learn a little of everything, and learn from other styles of music and even other instruments when that time comes. You'd be surprised what listening to and trying to copy saxophone lines will open up in your guitar playing head, when you get to that soloing stage.

Try everything, from every angle, find what you are good at and run with that full speed - saving time for some variety so as not to get like the dude at work.


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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 3:04 pm
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For some free stuff that's helpful, check out

www.fenderplayersclub.com

There are some basic lessons on chords, scales, picking, strumming techniques, and a few easy songs to learn.

Good ole' Papa Fender thinks of everything...

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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 3:47 pm
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dgonz wrote:
Learn a little of everything, and learn from other styles of music and even other instruments when that time comes. You'd be surprised what listening to and trying to copy saxophone lines will open up in your guitar playing head, when you get to that soloing stage.


EXCELLENT ADVICE bro!!! Another tip that I find VERY useful (and this is because you do have some piano background) is to think of the melody lines of a piano while trying to get more involved with a certain section of a song or even for soloing. That even helps to lay out a rhythm track since you'd be used to using your left hand to do that anyway on the piano. :wink:

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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 3:49 pm
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Just get really good lessons and practice, thats how I was when I was a kid! I was 8 1/2 when I started playing and its been 29 years since! I'm still practicing! Just work hard for it and you will get what you want in life.... :D

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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 4:02 pm
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one morning i woke up with the urge to learn guitar.

i bought one.
Later that day i learned the open chords and practiced switching between them for another day.
Then I basically just learned tabs of every song i like. I had to listen to songs that sounded easy to find ones to start out with first though.
Now I'm here and i am not great but i can learn most songs that i want except for ridiculous ones.

Just remember one thing;
Have fun 8) :wink:

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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 7:12 pm
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I woke up one day and could just play....No I'm just joking. Take lessions and practice. You need to find a good teacher. Also play with other people. You will keep practicing until the day you die. Have fun with it.

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