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nutjob
Trad climber
San Jose, CA
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I've played guitar for nearly 20 years, but lots of gaps where life focused elsewhere.
ATTITUDE
Better to enjoy the ride, not just focus on the destination.
If you are an adult with other responsibilities competing for your time, your attitude is by far the most critical piece to improving.
If you are motivated by reaching a goal of sounding kick-ass or playing a certain song well, you might quit in frustration if you don't commit enough time.
The trick is to really enjoy the process of learning, even when you suck in the beginning. You should get stoked playing simple melodies on one string, learning to play the F chord cleanly, playing your first bar chord after a few months (or years if you play only a few minutes a day). Shift your mindset to be happy with very slow progress (sort of like being happy for a few inches on an OW). If the tiny rewards of very slow improvement aren't enough for you, then you should find a way to spend a lot more time or find a different hobby.
BUYING YOUR FIRST GUITAR
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When starting out, get something cheap but decent quality. You don't know what you like yet. Focus on this:
* it should stay in tune, make sure the tuning pegs work well
* intonation: look down the neck and make sure it's straight, not curved. play the 12th fret and make sure it doesn't buzz.
* classical (nylon vs. steel) strings are easier to start, but you'll have another round of pain switching to steel & building more fingertip callouses
Example: My first guitar in late 80's was a used classical at $80. My second guitar was electric used $240. After 10+ years of guitar experience and lots of discretionary income, I bought guitars in the $500 to $1500 range. Just because it's expensive, doesn't mean it's good. And you can find a decent guitar for pretty cheap.
TAKE AN EXPERIENCED GUITAR PLAYER WITH YOU TO BUY YOUR FIRST ONE
READING MUSIC vs. PLAYING BY EAR
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Some people are awesome music readers and can't improvise to save their life (seen more piano players like this). Most guitar players tend to start out 'playing by ear' and improvising stuff, but can't read music worth crap. Playing by ear is a very important skill to develop (just listen to recordings or other people and try to imitate what you hear, starting out on easy stuff like childhood nursery rhymes, etc.), but don't neglect learning to read music. If I have any regrets about my musical experience this is probably one: I didn't spend enough time to really get fluent with music reading (I could just do it at a frustratingly slow pace), and it held up my progress at different times.
TIME COMMITMENT
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Makes a big difference. At times of my life when I'm playing well, it takes about an hour of playing before my fingers are really moving fluidly.
Edit: Blinny, you can correct the string tunings you list as A-E-D-G-B-E. Should be: E-A-D-G-B-E
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TrundleBum
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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How do you get the keyboard player to stop playing ?
( Take away the sheet music )
And get the guitar player to stop ?
( put sheet music in front of them )
And how do you get the lead singer to stop singing ?
( Just 'Suggest' that she might, just maybe, want to have a peek at the sheet music)
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the Fet
Knackered climber
A bivy sack in the secret campground
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If you're into metal, not much point in starting on acoustic.
That LOG stuff has great guitar work, but the vocals are horrible. I see that stuff on MTV at midnight and laugh. It sounds like a joke. How can anyone listen to that crap? Dude, just sing in a fairly natural voice, that voice of Satan sounds like a soundtrack for a bad Halloween party.
Older Ibanez's are a great deal right now. (e.g. late 70s). They were actually better than gibsons in the day. People are starting to realize it though and prices are going up.
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hafilax
Trad climber
East Van
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I agree about the late 70's Japanese knock-offs. I have a 1980 Greco SG and it's as good or better than any of the newer Gibsons I've played. $500
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paganmonkeyboy
climber
mars...it's near nevada...
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others have said it, but i want to re-iterate - 20 minutes a day for a month will get you up on the path, and keep you progressing.Once you get the muscle and ear you can play longer, but no matter what - 20 minutes a day...
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mark miller
Social climber
Reno
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Hey man PMB has spoken 20 minutes a day to better health and guitar playing, I'll start tomorrow, Gawd willing.
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GDavis
Trad climber
SoCal
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I can play "Through Fire and Flames" on Expert, so here's my advice.
After turning on your Xbox 360, start the campaign on "easy." Work your way through the 80's glam rock until you can jam ill riffs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9ao_vOsZkg
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 9, 2008 - 10:11pm PT
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Sacrament
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Jan 10, 2008 - 01:14am PT
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'89 G&L ASAT - it deserves better than me and I do need to get back to it...
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jan 10, 2008 - 03:02am PT
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hey there stzzo, say as to your quote:
"Not sure if someone's said this:
It may sound horrible and feel difficult at first. Just keep practicing and don't get discouraged."
i will second that----as i usually stop cause of the wire string---piano never seemed so tough... lol...
but seriously, DON'T GIVE UP--- IT REALLY DOES GET BETTER... (WELL, the finger-and-string part, does... lol)
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Jan 10, 2008 - 01:32pm PT
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’91 BL Custom:
(I posted these in the Killswitch thread a while back…)
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Shack
Big Wall climber
Reno NV
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Jan 10, 2008 - 03:13pm PT
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Bryan R U back in town?
Will you be joining us tonight?
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Spencer Adkisson
Trad climber
Reno, NV
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Jan 12, 2008 - 12:21am PT
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Someone taught me this once. You'll never forget which string is which if you remember this phrase, "Every Acid Dealer Gets Busted Eventually".
E (Lowest, thickest)
A
D
G
B
E (Highest, thinnest)
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Double D
climber
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Jan 12, 2008 - 08:42pm PT
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So eKat..."if you already have a loving relationship with YOUR guitar..." I've tried this line on my wife for years, especially when I want to sleep with my guitar between us...but every time I even get near the thang she whips out a honeydoo list...WHAT'S THE SECRET???
I'm bummed right now 'cause my ax dried out and the strings are laying upon the frets...no jive. It looks like surgery is needed in a small town...yikes!
DD
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Double D
climber
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Jan 12, 2008 - 10:43pm PT
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eKat...Unbereavable! My wife would have me lynched for pologamy with one of those around! Next time I'm flush and feeling the love...I'll delicately approach the subject. Maybe I could just start a new religion or somethin...Sweet dreams!
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 12, 2008 - 11:18pm PT
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I'm on it Sal! heh, as if...
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Double D
climber
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Jan 12, 2008 - 11:51pm PT
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eKat...sweet pic!
I remember being quizzed in high school about why Hershey's had manufacturing plants in the central valley...answer: it's close to the almonds! duh?
So I wuz think'n, MT...dental floss? Dental floss guitar strings? What gives?
I gonna have to wait to get a good casket to send it in...this would be really a cool concept though...having it revived from a casket!
For reals though, how do you keep'em in a very dry environment? Mine is way old (I toted it in Yosemite BITD) and a chep one, but the sound from the aging is(was) great. Care tips after the resurection?
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murcy
climber
San Fran Cisco
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Jan 13, 2008 - 12:39am PT
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a thoroughly-if-roughly loved 70's strat and a korean assembly-line acoustic that i kept trying to convince myself didn't sound better than all the other guitars in the shop. but i won't pretend i don't drool when i see a genuine blinny!
to get good, listen to dirtineye who IS good. if you just want to get good enough to have fun...
with youtube, learning guitar is easy. just enter "guitar lessons" into the search and you'll get great stuff. or think of a song you'd like to learn and enter its name and "solo guitar" or the like, and there are scads of videos of people showing off how they play it. that plus tabs, and you're golden. but i learned with headphones and a record player.
in the pic the acoustic is capoed with a sawed-off capo for this song (the video + tab made it easy to sort-of-learn):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsD6uEZsIsU
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Double D
climber
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Jan 13, 2008 - 08:18pm PT
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SAWEEET! Thanks for the tips n I'll be in touch!
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