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Post subject: Where I'm at . . .
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 7:57 pm
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So as I've already posted, I bought me a new MIA Strat last week. I've owned an acoustic guitar for 25+ years, and in that time, I never took lessons and I never established a formal, structured means of actually learning the instrument. You could say I've spent 25+ years "noodling," as I guess it's called.

That said, I have long known how to string, tune, and keep in tune a guitar, and I move back and forth between a bunch of different chord shapes quickly, easily, and accurately, without having to think about it. Muscle memory, I guess you could call it.

I haven't sought out lessons yet, though based on the advice I've gotten here, I plan to soon. In the meantime, I've established for myself what I hope is a usefully structured, meaningful practice regimen. I've printed off a bunch of scales and chord diagrams. I've been practicing the scales for a couple hours a day, concentrating more on accuracy than speed (though it's fun to try to race through them every so often!). I'm working on breaking what I believe are a couple bad habits:

--when the scale or chord calls for the 4th finger, I'm using it. I know the pinky falls by the wayside for many guitarists, and if I can ingrain its use as a habit, I figure I"ll be in better shape down the road.

--I've always picked down near the bridge; now, I'm concentrating on picking midway between the bridge and the neck. It was very awkward for the first couple days, but it's much, much more comfortable and natural now.

--Everything I play, I'm using alternate picking. Again, I figure if I develop that habit from the very outset, I'll be better off down the road.

--The tips of my left fingers are like little rocks now, which is a good thing.

--I'm trying to actually focus on each thing I'm doing, rather than just moving through it blankly.

--My wrist and hand are no longer achy, which means I'm either building the muscles up nicely or that I'm not working hard enough.

--I'm avoiding the "noodling" for the time being, concentrating on the things I know are useful. Sure, running through scales and practicing chord shapes is monotonous, but I find myself becoming very relaxed, and everything else kind of fades away.

--When I practice scales, I'm concentrating more than anything on the major scale. It's kind of awkward (especially at the lower positions, where the distance between frets is greater), but I can honestly say that I'm playing it now much more smoothly, accurately, and instinctively than I was just a few days ago. I've had a rough idea of what this scale was for years now, but I've never sat down and truly practiced it. Now, I sit there for hours, playing it slowly, over and over again, at all positions on the fretboard, up and down, driving my little one nuts.

So does it sound overall like I'm off to a good start?


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Post subject: Re: Where I'm at . . .
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 10:37 pm
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Why did you change threads? I thought you got a lot of good responses which you sorta ignored, still going at it by yourself. Not sure how you want us to respond, do you want us to say you're amazing and you will be the next Eric Clapton? You've played off and on for 25 years you kinda know what you're doing so why do you need any of us to tell you what to do. People suggested online lessons (I mentioned Pebber Brown), people mentioned in-class group lessons, someone mentioned jamming with other guitarists. Well, when are you going to do those things? Go ahead and practice your scales but in my opinion you just want to do what you want to do and not really challenge yourself which you have exactly done for the last 25 years. I gave a very sincere answer to you which you didn't respond to. Yeah, this one goes to 11 we get it, you have your new Strat and all is good. So you know the major scales (and sometimes you go crazy and play them fast), you have callus', you can do chord shapes ("I guess it's muscle memory"), it's all so boring and obvious to any person on this forum. Here do this, play barre chords without using your thumb. Hard right? impossible no, I can do it (well, not perfectly) and I've played seriously for 3 months but if you can do it you are going to shred like crazy. I'm serious, use arm strength not your thumb, if you can do that you're getting the right hand strength then your thumb is just for balance. Memorize the fret board. Practice hammer-ons and pull-offs. Learn musical theory. This will all help. Just please stop with these posts, have fun with your hobby and let the real guitarists learn on this forum. Yes, it's tough love dude but c'mon we don't want to see that nice Strat on Craigslist anytime soon. But it will if you don't follow our advice: get a teacher, jam with someone, get lessons online. Just play and don't talk about it, let that Strat do the talking. Man, I could go on and I have, so I'll just shut up now. Out.


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Post subject: Re: Where I'm at . . .
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 4:23 am
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vacuumcleanersucksupbudgie wrote:
Why did you change threads? I thought you got a lot of good responses which you sorta ignored, still going at it by yourself. Not sure how you want us to respond, do you want us to say you're amazing and you will be the next Eric Clapton? You've played off and on for 25 years you kinda know what you're doing so why do you need any of us to tell you what to do. People suggested online lessons (I mentioned Pebber Brown), people mentioned in-class group lessons, someone mentioned jamming with other guitarists. Well, when are you going to do those things? Go ahead and practice your scales but in my opinion you just want to do what you want to do and not really challenge yourself which you have exactly done for the last 25 years. I gave a very sincere answer to you which you didn't respond to. Yeah, this one goes to 11 we get it, you have your new Strat and all is good. So you know the major scales (and sometimes you go crazy and play them fast), you have callus', you can do chord shapes ("I guess it's muscle memory"), it's all so boring and obvious to any person on this forum. Here do this, play barre chords without using your thumb. Hard right? impossible no, I can do it (well, not perfectly) and I've played seriously for 3 months but if you can do it you are going to shred like crazy. I'm serious, use arm strength not your thumb, if you can do that you're getting the right hand strength then your thumb is just for balance. Memorize the fret board. Practice hammer-ons and pull-offs. Learn musical theory. This will all help. Just please stop with these posts, have fun with your hobby and let the real guitarists learn on this forum. Yes, it's tough love dude but c'mon we don't want to see that nice Strat on Craigslist anytime soon. But it will if you don't follow our advice: get a teacher, jam with someone, get lessons online. Just play and don't talk about it, let that Strat do the talking. Man, I could go on and I have, so I'll just shut up now. Out.


Yikes, didn't mean to piss you off there, kiddo.

No, I'm not soliciting compliments.

No, I'm not wanting to know if I'm on the road to being the next Clapton. I never will be, and I'm OK with that.

No, I don't intend to grace the forums with never-ending play-by play accounts of every new chord, scale, riff, etc, that I learn.

Unless I take up a meth habit, the Strat isn't going to be pawned, Craigslisted, or otherwise parted with.

I am sorry if I haven't been as attentive to the boards as I could and should have been; real life asserts itself. For what it's worth, I spent a good hour the other night watching Pebber Brown's videos on Youtube after you recommended I do so. He has one video, about an hour and a half long, that runs through a complete practice session for beginners. The guy is a great guitarist and obviously a great teacher, and I'm glad I know who he is now.


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Post subject: Re: Where I'm at . . .
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 5:37 am
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Karl Hungus wrote:
So as I've already posted, I bought me a new MIA Strat last week. I've owned an acoustic guitar for 25+ years, and in that time, I never took lessons and I never established a formal, structured means of actually learning the instrument. You could say I've spent 25+ years "noodling," as I guess it's called.

[...]

--The tips of my left fingers are like little rocks now, which is a good thing.

[...]

--My wrist and hand are no longer achy, which means I'm either building the muscles up nicely or that I'm not working hard enough.

[...]

So does it sound overall like I'm off to a good start?


Dude, if you have developed rock hard calluses and your muscles have finished adjusting in less than a week, you're not having a good start, you're a miracle.

Keep on playing, but don't neglect fingerpicking. It's much easier to go from fingerpicking to plectrum than the other way around, so put in some time doing 4- and 5-finger picking.


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Post subject: Re: Where I'm at . . .
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 5:53 am
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arth1 wrote:
Dude, if you have developed rock hard calluses and your muscles have finished adjusting in less than a week, you're not having a good start, you're a miracle.

Keep on playing, but don't neglect fingerpicking. It's much easier to go from fingerpicking to plectrum than the other way around, so put in some time doing 4- and 5-finger picking.


I've always built calluses very quickly. Right now, I'm drumming my fingers on my desk, and it sounds almost like fingernails (though I keep those bitten down to a proper length).

I've watched a bunch of tutorials on Youtube about hybrid picking and "chicken picking." All I can say is that looks like some seriously challenging stuff. But yeah, definitely one of those things you want to get at least familiar with early on. I don't imagine there's a style of music that doesn't incorporate it, at least to some degree.


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Post subject: Re: Where I'm at . . .
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 6:01 am
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Karl Hungus wrote:
I've always built calluses very quickly. Right now, I'm drumming my fingers on my desk, and it sounds almost like fingernails (though I keep those bitten down to a proper length).

Bitten is not good. Get a proper nail file that doesn't have an abrasive edge so it won't harm the calluses. Guitar Salon has a glass one that's just perfect, but you can find usable ones at a local pharmacy/chemists for just a couple of bucks.


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Post subject: Re: Where I'm at . . .
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 6:23 am
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arth1 wrote:
Bitten is not good. Get a proper nail file that doesn't have an abrasive edge so it won't harm the calluses. Guitar Salon has a glass one that's just perfect, but you can find usable ones at a local pharmacy/chemists for just a couple of bucks.



Yeah, bitten is definitely not good. An ugly habit, but at least it's a sporadic one; I clip them more often than I bite them.

A glass file, huh? I'd never heard of such a thing. Looks like they have them on Amazon too, and I'm willing to bet they have them at Walgreen's. I'll swing by there after work. Thanks for the idea!


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Post subject: Re: Where I'm at . . .
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 5:38 pm
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If you have a PS3, XBox360 or a decent computer... go get Rocksmith 2014. That just might be the most fun way to learn on your own that's available right now!

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Post subject: Re: Where I'm at . . .
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 6:21 pm
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Funny watching you I see shades of myself a few years ago. I played clarinet in high school and so tended to think of things as building towards something, hence an appetite for scales, building finger strength, calluses, etc.

Problem that is you eventually realize you're leveling up but for what? :lol:


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Post subject: Re: Where I'm at . . .
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 7:00 pm
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Tiger J wrote:
If you have a PS3, XBox360 or a decent computer... go get Rocksmith 2014. That just might be the most fun way to learn on your own that's available right now!

-1

I strongly recommend against Rocksmith 2014. I bought it, and it's worse than nothing. That is, it can help you practice rhythm, but for anything else, it's really bad. You can't see what notes you're playing, and for a long long while all you'll play are random notes from a song. You learn to associate strings with colors, and you don't have colors when reading sheet music or tabs. It doesn't teach you (or allow) alternatives. And you have no idea what scale and mood you're "playing" in.
It may be fun as a game, but for learning real guitar playing, it's worse than nothing in my opinion. Spending the same amount of time with a guitar lesson book is going to be way more useful.


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Post subject: Re: Where I'm at . . .
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 7:51 pm
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:? There's an actual "Guitar Salon"?


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Post subject: Re: Where I'm at . . .
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 7:56 pm
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Wayne2 wrote:
Funny watching you I see shades of myself a few years ago. I played clarinet in high school and so tended to think of things as building towards something, hence an appetite for scales, building finger strength, calluses, etc.

Problem that is you eventually realize you're leveling up but for what? :lol:


I played piano as a child because I was essentially forced to. That went pretty much nowhere. Later, I played trumpet for a couple years in high school, essentially just for s&g. Again, that went nowhere.

With the piano, I was too young to really be into music very much, so the idea of learning songs I liked to make it fun was somewhat of an abstraction. And with the trumpet . . . well, none of the music I actually listened incorporated much in the way of brass instruments. So in both cases, there really wasn't much for me to aspire to. :-)

( My band teacher played clarinet; I always thought it was a beautiful instrument in the right hands.)


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Post subject: Re: Where I'm at . . .
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 8:00 pm
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arth1 wrote:
Tiger J wrote:
If you have a PS3, XBox360 or a decent computer... go get Rocksmith 2014. That just might be the most fun way to learn on your own that's available right now!

-1

I strongly recommend against Rocksmith 2014. I bought it, and it's worse than nothing. That is, it can help you practice rhythm, but for anything else, it's really bad. You can't see what notes you're playing, and for a long long while all you'll play are random notes from a song. You learn to associate strings with colors, and you don't have colors when reading sheet music or tabs. It doesn't teach you (or allow) alternatives. And you have no idea what scale and mood you're "playing" in.
It may be fun as a game, but for learning real guitar playing, it's worse than nothing in my opinion. Spending the same amount of time with a guitar lesson book is going to be way more useful.



I don't have a PS3 or xBox or any other game system, so that's a non-starter. Even if I did, I think you're right. Sounds too gimmicky to be a useful learning tool.


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Post subject: Re: Where I'm at . . .
Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 5:02 am
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arth1 wrote:
Spending the same amount of time with a guitar lesson book is going to be way more useful.



And a lot more boring!! I tried the lesson books, tapes, DVD's...I was bored out of my mind in no time. I understand where you are coming from, but a lot of people do not want to be professional guitar players. I want to have fun, its a hobby, maybe play for family and friends or at a party, that's about it. I have seen other people who have already learned guitar, try Rocksmith and hate it. I understand why, it's because it's not for you. From your description is does not sound like you stuck with it for very long. Yes, it starts out with random notes, but as you improve it adds more notes and then works up to cords. It has lessons in game format that teach cords and scales. It also does something that taking a lesson for a hour once a week cannot do, it listens every time you play and if you start doing something wrong it lets you know right then, not after you practiced it wrong for days. The bottom line is everyone learns different, we are all individuals and there is not just one way to learn. What works best for you may not work for someone else. I have gone the traditional route learning drums and piano and I never had a teacher that could keep me interested. Rocksmith has worked for me, it may not work for some people, but I just think that telling a new player not try something is not the best thing to do. Try everything, and see what works for you. I will say this, after learning what I did from Rocksmith I am now interested in theory and how songs are put together and I am looking for a teacher. :D

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Post subject: Re: Where I'm at . . .
Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 5:29 am
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vacuumcleanersucksupbudgie wrote:
[...]
I've played seriously for 3 months
[...]
let the real guitarists
[...]
Out.


Quite.


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