|
Who here can play the guitar? (pg. 2)
|
View this Thread in Original format
| Omega_Blue |
i taught myself guitar (among other instruments throughout my life) when i was 13. i first started with reading TAB and then taught myself theory and all that jazz, finally taking a theory class and joining the jazz ensemble in high school. i already knew how to sight-read music from band class back in elementary/middle school though so that helped. i feel i'm pretty in good at the guitar, but conversely, since i never took lessons, i'm also kind of unorthodox with my own personal methods- not necessarily a bad thing, but it limits my playability. for example, i rarely use my pinky finger, i barre multiple strings with one finger instead of two or more with certain chords, i downstroke much more than i upstroke during complicated scale flourishes, and my finger-picking style is.. ghetto. lol
since you already know theory and play the piano you have a leg-up, it should come pretty naturally to you. basic hard rock guitar (which is what you should start with) usually doesn't utilize any chords more complicated than triads consisting of the root, its fifth, and its octave (power chord). personally, i taught myself by just playing along as best as i could to my favorite songs, transcribing everything by ear if the TABs i found online were incorrect, and then just hammering them out over and over and over again until i could play along to the song without ing up.
my suggestion- if you're adamant on teaching yourself, start with simple classic rock or punk rock to learn the basic techniques and finger placements for power chords. search for guitar TABs online and play along to your favorite, uncomplicated songs- and once you can play "smells like teen spirit" and "iron man" with relative ease, then you can move on to more complicated music that utilizes open chords (these, along with power chords, are a must-learn FIRST before anything else), barre chords, hammer-ons, pull-offs, etc. the lingo sounds complicated but it's gravy man. i taught myself solely on the entire metallica discography. the black album in particular has quite a few uncomplicated but fun songs that will teach you a lot of different techniques if you practice rigorously.
i also suggest that you read about and learn the "box shape" or "pentatonic scale" relatively early. it's the easiest and most common scale/way of improvisation, and practicing by playing up and down the scale, along with varying the patterns and inventing new licks, will teach you muscle memory and hone your finger dexterity.
so, in a nutshell, do this:
- download tabs for simple rock songs
- learn the power chord shape first.
- play along to all of those really boring easy songs. practice(x3)
- learn open chords next- E,Em, A,Am, C,Cm, D,Dm, G, F & B to a lesser extent
- basic technique- hammer-ons, pull-offs, bending, tremolo
- barre chords
- box shape, pentatonic scale, improvisation
then you should be able to branch out into whichever style fits you best. i'm a jazz and blues guitarist nowadays, a far cry from my metallica years, so after learning the above, i taught myself modes, diminished/augmented/7ths/9ths chords, chord inversion, jazz-style/flamenco finger-picking, etc.
ALSO- i've heard from many pro's that you should pick up and learn to play with an acoustic guitar first, since they're a little more difficult to play (the action of the strings is totally different than an electric and they're bulky). i personally disagree, but if you do decide to pick up an acoustic, get one with a cutaway so you can reach the upper registers. can't go wrong with picking up a cheapy electric though, fender makes a cheap version of the stratocaster called a "squier stratocaster" that's half the price as the original and just as playable. |
|
|
| Omega_Blue |
wow, that was a long-ass post. but here's some more suggestions-
beginning music to practice power chords and play along with, any of these artists will keep you busy:
black sabbath - iron man
deep purple - smoke on the water
nirvana - smells like teen spirit
metallica - enter sandman
green day - when i come around
good beginner guitars that won't break the bank:
squier stratocaster (comes in a pack with a practice amp, everything)
ESP LTD M-50
Jasmine ES31C, ES45C (acoustic- remember, make sure it has a cutaway)
Epiphone Les Paul Special II
Epiphone SG Special
avoid anything peavey, ibanez, yamaha, daisy rock. those guitars both sound and are built like . and if you buy the esteban infomercial guitar pack i will bitch slap you.
edit: actually after re-reading the OP i see that you're looking to buy an acoustic- again i suggest the jasmine ES31C or ES45C. i believe the 45C is acoustic/electric meaning that it has pickups built-in and you can plug it into an amp just like an electric and has the cutaway like i keep mentioning over and over. just whatever you do, avoid the huge fat dreadnought bodies with no cutaways; you'll be ing yourself over. |
|
|
| Domesticated |
Is the idea of 'muscle memory' a common one with musical instruments?
With passwords on computers, I have trouble actually recalling them, it's more so that I remember the finger actions required. Sometimes it feels like my fingers are remembering on my behalf. |
|
|
| Teezdalien |
| quote: | Originally posted by Omega_Blue
avoid anything peavey, ibanez, yamaha, daisy rock. those guitars both sound and are built like . and if you buy the esteban infomercial guitar pack i will bitch slap you. |
Not true. From my experience, I wouldn't touch a Squire strat copy. ing rubbish guitars imo. |
|
|
| Kismet7 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Sushipunk
I can play Smoke on the Water really badly. |
This i believe...would take some soul and talent to play 'Smoke on the Water' |
|
|
| Omega_Blue |
| quote: | Originally posted by Domesticated
Is the idea of 'muscle memory' a common one with musical instruments?
With passwords on computers, I have trouble actually recalling them, it's more so that I'm remember the finger actions required. Sometimes it feels like my fingers are remembering on my behalf. |
definitely. without it, you'd see your favorite guitar virtuosos staring at their hands on stage all day trying to remember where to put which finger where. :p
| quote: | Originally posted by Teezdalien
Not true. From my experience, I wouldn't touch a Squire strat copy. ing rubbish guitars imo. |
of course it comes down to personal preference but from the many peaveys (especially peavey), yamahas, and ibanez' i've played, they all suck. and yeah squier strats are garbage guitars but they're dirt cheap, easy to handle, and a good beginner axe to figure out whether or not he's actually going to WANT to continue or not. you can't go wrong with a decent strat copy, an amp, tuner, picks, cables, and gig bag for 200 bucks. |
|
|
| Domesticated |
| quote: | Originally posted by Kismet7
This i believe...would take some soul and talent to play 'Smoke on the Water' |
More proof that you know nothing about music. It's about the most simple and easy riff ever invented. |
|
|
| Teezdalien |
| quote: | Originally posted by Omega_Blue
of course it comes down to personal preference but from the many peaveys (especially peavey), yamahas, and ibanez' i've played, they all suck. and yeah squier strats are garbage guitars but they're dirt cheap, easy to handle, and a good beginner axe to figure out whether or not he's actually going to WANT to continue or not. you can't go wrong with a decent strat copy, an amp, tuner, picks, cables, and gig bag for 200 bucks. |
You're right I guess if you want a cheap beginner guitar, and I also agree that you should avoid anything Peavey. Some of the cheaper Ibanez and Yamaha models are crap, but I've played on tons of different guitars including a heap of different Fender and Gibson models and I have actually found some of the more expensive Ibanez and Yamaha models to be of high quality in build, playability and sound. It is personal preference of coarse, and I'm refering to electric guitars here.
My personal choice of an acoustic would be a Maton, but they don't come cheap either. |
|
|
| Kismet7 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Domesticated
More proof that you know nothing about music. It's about the most simple and easy riff ever invented. |
whether simple or complex, a riff/melody needs to be played with soul for it to be a great riff. the person who knows zero about music is clearly you. ;) |
|
|
| Omega_Blue |
| quote: | Originally posted by Teezdalien
You're right I guess if you want a cheap beginner guitar, and I also agree that you should avoid anything Peavey. Some of the cheaper Ibanez and Yamaha models are crap, but I've played on tons of different guitars including a heap of different Fender and Gibson models and I have actually found some of the more expensive Ibanez and Yamaha models to be of high quality in build, playability and sound. It is personal preference of coarse, and I'm refering to electric guitars here.
My personal choice of an acoustic would be a Maton, but they don't come cheap either. |
i would agree that i've seen some ibanez guitars (as i have little experience with yamaha) that were built well, but they just didn't sound or play right, for me at least. i used to own an epi les paul acoustic electric with f-holes, single cutaway (basically a les paul standard with f-holes) and it sounded horrendous. so yeah, it does go both ways.
i stopped playing regularly years ago but i still pick up my old aria pro ii xr-series on occasion, lol. it's a total jackson rip-off with the flat-style neck but i swear it's got *one* of the best feels and smoothest action on any electric guitar that i've played on. i mean, some of the industry-standard high quality guitars like the gibson SG just doesn't feel.. right.. for me. gibson's feel a bit heavy. i dunno. personally not a fan of strat's or tele's either. jag-stangs, on the other hand.... and due to the fact that i was a metallica nut, i have a soft spot for ESP guitars- love the V and explorer body styles.
for cheapy acoustics, i personally like ovations, not necessarily because of sound quality, but i like the shallow-bowl design and the fact that you can reach the upper register pretty easily. i've never actually heard of Maton (yikes) but when i think high quality acoustics i think martin or taylor. also, one of the best sounding and playing basses i've ever played on was a 1978(?)rickenbacker 4001S.. i've wanted one ever since.
| quote: | Originally posted by Kismet7
whether simple or complex, a riff/melody needs to be played with soul for it to be a great riff. the person who knows zero about music is clearly you. ;) |
no. |
|
|
| Kismet7 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Omega_Blue
no. |
fail. |
|
|
|
|
