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help practising


donnerdeal

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Hi! So this might have been asked before, I'm not sure (sorry if I'm spamming). I need help practising. I'm not sure how to practise. I guess you could say I'm a beginner because I've been playing for 2 and a half years on and off. Anyway, I'm fine with chords and I can play songs that only involve chords but when it comes to playing things I want to play like power chords or tabs I kind of suck.

I'm kind of slow at moving my fingers and sometimes I'll miss the string completely or my finger would be in a really awkward position. When I practice I really don't know what to do. Usually I practice songs I know and am decent at but I feel like thats getting me no where.

Anyway my question is, what should I do when I practise? My dream is to play guitar for a band (unrealistic I know) and I can't get there if I'm not good at guitar first, lol.

So yeah, any advice?

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Define your goals first. What do you want to do well? What do you think will make you the guitar player who you want to be? (skills, technique, etc.) You may find there's a long road ahead, but it's actually cool, as it's the ride that's fin, and not the destination.

With an end point in mind, you can start looking for the tools that will enable to travel that road. This is very personal and I would recommend at least some online correspondence lessons to help you plan out a path and to have someone help you get there. :)

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In time, you will find power chords are quite easy, you just have to become accustomed to them.

Isolate what you want to improve at and practice that in particular for 15 minutes a day without stopping (everyday).  The results will amaze you.  It's also better to practice an hour a day rather than all day one day a week.

Furthermore, its better to play something properly and slowly.  This trains the muscle memory in your hands.  With accuracy, comes speed, not the other way around.  Be patient and enjoy.

Ps When I am done practicing my weaknesses, I always make sure I have some fun on the guitar thereafter.

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Goncalo Crespo wrote:

Define your goals first. What do you want to do well? What do you think will make you the guitar player who you want to be? (skills, technique, etc.) You may find there's a long road ahead, but it's actually cool, as it's the ride that's fin, and not the destination.

 


 

That's the biggest thing - think about your goals.  How you focus your practice will depend on what you want.  In the beginning, though, there are a lot of fundamentals that will be applicable regardless what your goals are.

If one of your goals is to be in a band, I'd suggest learning songs by artists you like.  The kicker is to learn the whole song, not just the riff or chord progression.  Learning things note for note is great for your ear, it's the best way to do it, but not "mandatory."  When you're just starting out, it may be more important to build repertoire and basic skills.  Even if the song isn't note for note, if you can play the whole song on your own (okay, maybe you play an A instead of an A7, or a different voicing than used on the record, or you can't play the solo yet), it's a great learning experience.  You'll learn about how these songs are constructed, and you'll have songs you can put to use with a band.  You'll also be learning finger dexterity, chords, etc.

 

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Given what you describe as your current skill level, I would second the practice every day thing, at least a half hour.  I'd also go slow, making sure you do it right before trying to speed up your pace. 

I'd also recommend NOT trying to learn songs note for note at this point.  You're better off spending the majority of your time practising scales, then move on to arpeggios after you have at least the major/minor, pentatonic scales down.  Doing those scales will build your dexterity and coordination between your hands up immensely, and also train your ear to figure out how you generate recurring patterns in songs.  I would finish each session by playing a song you know and trying to work in some of the single note progressions you've been learning.

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First of all, I think more guitarists could stand to skip the pentatonic scale drilling because I think it's largely responsible for the basic flavor of so many guitarists being pretty much identical. Second of all, drilling scales and arpeggios when the OP wants to learn to slide power chords up and down... it's not very applicable.

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  • 3 weeks later...
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Acoustic or electric guitar...

Go to your local music store and show them your guitar.

Ask the guitar guy what he thinks of it.

Then ask him to put the best guitar in his place in your hands so you can feel the difference.

If it's night and day, trash your guitar and buy a guitar that is easy to play.

If your guitar is a "POS", even a seasoned player couldn't do anything with it.

That aside, in answer to your question, get a cd player that will "mark" a section of a song and play it over and over.

This is useful in practicing passages of songs.

Music stores have machines that will play songs at low speed WHILE RETAINING PITCH!

Get one or the other for practicing. Practice your favorite songs so you can get a vocabulary built on what you are inspired by.

Over time you end up with an arsenal of little bits of everything you have practiced... you can pull this out at will.

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