So i purchased a guitar...
So i purchased a guitar...
but how do i learn to play it? I feel like I would much rather start slow and learn how to read music than just start learning chords and reading tabs...... opinions from the q3w guitar masters?
learn tabs first... unless you can already sight read from another instrument (piano, brass, etc), it will just be an unneccessary hurdle for the moment. learn tabs, learn some chords, learn some simple songs, then learn to sight read if you still feel the need. it's not really that big of a deal unless you plan on interacting with other musicians. a lot of very famous guitarists have no formal training and don't sight read.
Take some lessons.
Learning "Sheet Music" is alot like learning to read and write as a child. If you dont have it down at an early age, you may struggle with it a bit. It's not impossible though.
You can get by with learning Tab, and Chords, Unless you have your sights on being the next Steve Vai. Later on get into studing music theory and all that other good stuff. Its also helpful to know the layout of the fret board. Being able to find any note anywhere on the neck will make things much easier.
BTW what did you purchase? Acoustic, electric? What Brand?
Learning "Sheet Music" is alot like learning to read and write as a child. If you dont have it down at an early age, you may struggle with it a bit. It's not impossible though.
You can get by with learning Tab, and Chords, Unless you have your sights on being the next Steve Vai. Later on get into studing music theory and all that other good stuff. Its also helpful to know the layout of the fret board. Being able to find any note anywhere on the neck will make things much easier.
BTW what did you purchase? Acoustic, electric? What Brand?
heh yeah... your fingers will hurt a lot for a bit, but they will callous up quickly so don't worry about that. the first time i played guitar, i tried my damndest to learn master of puppets for 8 hours straight... i think my fingers were almost bleeding after that haha. also... USE YOUR PINKY! i can't tell you how many people i see that don't use it. it's there, so use it. it will make a lot of chords and phrases a lot easier than if you don't use it. it's very hard at first, cuz it's basically joined to your ring finger and effectively fucking retarded, but keep at it, and it will gain independance from your other fingers.
Hey... I never took lessons. I like to think I'm pretty good. I know more theory than any of my 5 or 6 buddies that have been playing for as long or longer than me, and with the exception of one guy, I'm all around a better player than all of them. The one guy that's better than me basically sits in his room for 7 to 8 hours a day everyday practicing though haha.. I don't have fucken' time for that.
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RRROOOAAARRR
- Posts: 282
- Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2001 8:00 am
I go to a small college that has a music conservatory so there are people here that are just super hardcore musicians... My really good friend is a trombone major but he plays amazing guitar and piano... So i had him come with to help pick out guitar. We compared a bunch of guitars at a few shops... yamaha's, fenders, dean, taylors, ibanez, and a few super expensive amazing guitars so i could listen to them :-) ... I would close my eyes and have him play 4 guitars and i would tell him which i liked best. It ended up being a contest between a taylor big baby and this ibanez... and i always picked the sound of the ibanez over the taylor. it is an ibanez aw40
It has a nice classic rock sound. So we got home and he started to teach me to play some chords, C D G and E minor. I don't think he really knows how to read guitar music and he just plays a lot. But he is an incredibly talented musician, he knows all sorts of music theory etc, and i trust him a lot more than the guy at the guitar shop :-) MAN that guy was a creep.
But my dilemma is: I am trying to get non-music major lessons with a professor, but i heard it is quite difficult for this to happen. So I might just have to take lessons from my friend where he would just teach me the way he was taught.
It has a nice classic rock sound. So we got home and he started to teach me to play some chords, C D G and E minor. I don't think he really knows how to read guitar music and he just plays a lot. But he is an incredibly talented musician, he knows all sorts of music theory etc, and i trust him a lot more than the guy at the guitar shop :-) MAN that guy was a creep.
But my dilemma is: I am trying to get non-music major lessons with a professor, but i heard it is quite difficult for this to happen. So I might just have to take lessons from my friend where he would just teach me the way he was taught.
what exactly is your end goal
like a super virtuoso guy?
maybe that 1 guy with an acoustic shpiel? i like that one.
if its the latter, its alot of fun doing the two together, voice and guit i mean
it burns up carbs like a moeff tho, like when your jus learning i mean ey, unless its just me cause it seems i pay a high cost in carbs when i power concentrate dunno:shrug:
like a super virtuoso guy?
maybe that 1 guy with an acoustic shpiel? i like that one.
if its the latter, its alot of fun doing the two together, voice and guit i mean
it burns up carbs like a moeff tho, like when your jus learning i mean ey, unless its just me cause it seems i pay a high cost in carbs when i power concentrate dunno:shrug:
it is about time!
That's a good beginner guitar from the looks of it. Remember the sound will change as the strings wear in. Brand new strings always have a bright springy liveliness in their tone, but that can quickly disappear as the strings get corroded, dirty, and obtain fret-wear.
If you've got friends who play, they can teach you the basics in terms of open chords and bar chord patterns. However, for the sake of your hands, do take lessons so you wont build any bad habits. You can hit a C chord properly, and always get a nice solid sound, or you can do it improperly and cramp your hand and always get a buzz of sorts. With experience these glitches will even themselves out, but with lessons you'll be sure to do it properly the first time and avoid unnecessary frustration and pain. When my friends and I picked up our first guitars we always were stretching cramps and discomfort out of our hands...far more than when I finally took guitar lessons.
If you've got friends who play, they can teach you the basics in terms of open chords and bar chord patterns. However, for the sake of your hands, do take lessons so you wont build any bad habits. You can hit a C chord properly, and always get a nice solid sound, or you can do it improperly and cramp your hand and always get a buzz of sorts. With experience these glitches will even themselves out, but with lessons you'll be sure to do it properly the first time and avoid unnecessary frustration and pain. When my friends and I picked up our first guitars we always were stretching cramps and discomfort out of our hands...far more than when I finally took guitar lessons.
Well... I've done a lot of singing/musicals in the past and i would say i have a pretty decent voice, i can't sight sing.. But my roommate is sort of the same way, and we always write lyrics for songs and record the melodies, but we would like to take the next step and be able to (eventually) play them on guitar.
You don't HAVE to take lessons, but if you don't I very much advise you to read material on the net for beginners. It basically does have everything you will need, and there are several forums with extensive help sections (like the one at zentao).
Personally I don't like lessons that much, I don't have enough discipline to play what someone else wants me to
Personally I don't like lessons that much, I don't have enough discipline to play what someone else wants me to
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Tormentius
- Posts: 4108
- Joined: Sat Dec 14, 2002 8:00 am
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Silicone_Milk
- Posts: 2237
- Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2005 10:49 pm
Stay away from power chords.
Stay away from Smoke on the Water.
Joking aside....
Depending on the style of music you would like to play take a look at different scales like the classic blues scale on the key of A. (5th fret 6th string) This scale happens to be my favorite to dick around with.
Start with notes. Move on to chords from there.
Most importantly, if your hand is hurting, stop playing. Listen to your body. If you're in pain (not counting finger tips) as in joint pain, muscle pain in the hands you're not playing correctly. Stop playing or you could damage your hand.
If you get frustrated dont try to play. Playing in an angry mood can be heard in the "music". Put the guitar down. Take a break. Come back after you're refreshed and feel ready to take another whack at it.
One more thing before I go, muscle memory. Be careful about HOW you're playing. If you're playing wrong, dont know it, and continue to play for a year or so it'll be a bitch to learn how to play properly because you're hands will want to do what they're used to doing. Chords may be difficult to do right at first but keep at it and muscle memory will kick in and it'll be easy
When you're ready close your eyes and try playing a scale until you can do it without looking. Helps build memory of where notes are on the fretboard in relation to each other.
Stay away from Smoke on the Water.
Joking aside....
Depending on the style of music you would like to play take a look at different scales like the classic blues scale on the key of A. (5th fret 6th string) This scale happens to be my favorite to dick around with.
Start with notes. Move on to chords from there.
Most importantly, if your hand is hurting, stop playing. Listen to your body. If you're in pain (not counting finger tips) as in joint pain, muscle pain in the hands you're not playing correctly. Stop playing or you could damage your hand.
If you get frustrated dont try to play. Playing in an angry mood can be heard in the "music". Put the guitar down. Take a break. Come back after you're refreshed and feel ready to take another whack at it.
One more thing before I go, muscle memory. Be careful about HOW you're playing. If you're playing wrong, dont know it, and continue to play for a year or so it'll be a bitch to learn how to play properly because you're hands will want to do what they're used to doing. Chords may be difficult to do right at first but keep at it and muscle memory will kick in and it'll be easy
When you're ready close your eyes and try playing a scale until you can do it without looking. Helps build memory of where notes are on the fretboard in relation to each other.
I say play power chords, play what you want. Play whatever makes you feel good and whatever you like. If you hear it and like it and want to learn how to play it, then do so.
There are hundreds of fretboard sites on the internet. Just google up a few. If you know the tuning of each string (E, A, G, D, B, e) and know what a half-step is, then you can figure out what each fret position represents.
There are hundreds of fretboard sites on the internet. Just google up a few. If you know the tuning of each string (E, A, G, D, B, e) and know what a half-step is, then you can figure out what each fret position represents.