Desperately needing guitar learning methods - please help

[zabrak]

Right,

 

so basically I'm going to practice the guitar for about 6 hours a day on weekdays (after work starting 6 PM until midnight), and all day on weekends. I would only take breaks when I deserve it (say I master a full Metallica or Zeppelin album, then I'll give myself a few days of leisure time).

 

 

However I'll need to have a set schedule to follow, if I want to properly practice the guitar for 6 hours a day throughout the weekdays on all day during the weekends....

 

...Which is where you guys come in. Can anybody here share me any websites or methods or whatever that you guys used, to learn how to play?

 

Help would be FANTASTICALLY appreciated bros.

 

[gardo]

I like your enthusiasm. Be careful not to over do it and frustrate yourself. I believe there are times when the most productive thing one can do is to just put it down and walk away,at least until you feel fresh again. This is only my opinion but I think how we feel has a lot to do with how we play. Keep it positive. Some of the best lessons I've found have been getting together with friends to play and share ideas.. Sure you need discipline and practice to get the basics down but it also needs to be fun to keep things positive ,

[Caffeinated Cat]

I really like this site for learning:

 

http://justinguitar.com/en/GG-602-FenderMustang1.php

 

The guy's a fantastic teacher and he's got lessons on just about everything.

[knotty]

I really like this site for learning:

 

http://justinguitar.com/en/GG-602-FenderMustang1.php

 

The guy's a fantastic teacher and he's got lessons on just about everything.

Another vote for Justin.

[knotty]

There was a guy on here a few years back who was going to do X,000 hours and reckoned it would make him a virtuoso. He reported progress for a bit If I remember correctly. Anybody know how it turned out?

[zabrak]

~OH~ and can I have your completely honest opinion on what I eventually what my guitar to look like?

 

It'll be a gibson Les Paul, and I plan on getting a proper custom paint job, to have this done:

 

http://www.vintage-america.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Columbia_beer_399.jpg

 

That American flag shield applied to the guitar, with the gold outline, blood red stripes and all

 

People have boringly applied the american flag to it, but my idea will be different.

 

Think of America's coat of arms:

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Great_Seal_of_the_United_States_%28obverse%29.svg

 

or this Marshal Aid logo:

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/US-MarshallPlanAid-Logo.svg

 

But it'd what you see in the first link above. I think it'd separate my guitar from the rest while still looking nice.

[gardo]

Concentrate on learning to play it first. If you practice as much as you're planning it will get beat up anyway.

Don't spend your life locked in a room alone practicing or you may end up like Bucks. A legend in his own mind

[billybilly]

Play it properly before you try to get a piece to speed. Speed comes from accuracy, building muscle memory before moving forward.

[WRGKMC]

You want to break your learning time up into at least four different categories.

 

One: Listening to the music you plan on playing undistracted is a huge element.

For many older veterans like myself its the way I learned nearly all the music I play.

Think of your music as a library and break it down into categories. You can separate it by

genre if you want and rotate genera's when you listen and study.

 

Two: involves book work. Reading Tabs, Writing Lyrics and chords down, collecting music information

you can practice when you do practice. Lets face it no one can remember everything. By having a hard copy it

is an instant roadmap from point A to point B. If you made the trip once or twice you may still need to use that map until its memorized.

 

Three: Doing your physical Exercise. I call them "Reps" and treat them just like you do doing pushups, sit ups or lifting weights.

I'll pick a scale and run it over and over. Take a break then take another scale and run it over and over. It can be as boring as sin, but its

an absolute necessity. I work until the back of my wrist begins to freeze up, then I get some blood flowing again flexing the hand. I may start

of slow and accurate maybe 60 notes a minute then gradually ramp the tempo up to where I'm playing triple that speed. It may take a half hour

to pump up to that speed, but after awhile you hands just do it and you go Holy Crap how did I manage to do that without thinking about it.

 

Four: You Got to get out and play with other musicians, and see other musicians play. Music is about sharing first and foremost.

None wants to know what you do with yourself behind a locked bedroom door. They want to see how well you work with other people making good music and you can learn more about music in an hour playing with others than you can learn playing 10 years alone. I don't care if the players aren't half as good or twice as good as you are, you'll learn more teaching beginners what you have learned and pick up some needed leadership skills along the way.

 

I'll add a number 5 here too. Practice your vocals. I don't care if you're bashful or your voice is rotten tomatoes. The only way it will ever get better

is by singing all the time. You're worth three times more to a band if you can hold a tune over someone who cat sing at all. Someone who can only play

guitar had to be really frigging great to take the place of a guy who can sing and play moderately well. Besides its allot more fun to take center stage and

do both a couple of times a night even if you have a full time singer. That guy needs a break too, plus a band really sounds pro when you have harmonies.

 

There's a whole lot more to it all as you will find and much of it requires blind faith. You have to let your passion for music drive you and when you think you can go no further you have to reinvent the wheel and take it to a new level. You will have periods when you just don't want to play any more but you have to have the drive to pick yourself up by the boot straps and take it another mile. Once you can do that then you can do the same for other musicians you work with. You have to be able to spot the guy whose slacking dragging the band down and trying to hide behind others to skate by. He's the guy who would look over your shoulder and copy your homework because he's to lazy to learn it himself. You need to tell those guys there's nor room for slackers and if he cant do his homework and keep up with the pack, you'll need to find someone else who can.

 

On other occasions it may be you whose slacking and before you get all pissed about being told this, do a self evaluation and correct it if they are right. Bands are very personal things. Many times more personal then your own family. If you cant work with people in a tight group like that and work as a single unit when it counts you're probably not going to be a successful musician.

[noisebloom]

There was a guy on here a few years back who was going to do X,000 hours and reckoned it would make him a virtuoso. He reported progress for a bit If I remember correctly. Anybody know how it turned out?

 

Pretty sure that was Rock Lobster, isn't that right? Haven't seen him around here since the meltdown last year. He is missed.

 

It was inspired by the theory that anyone can become great at their chosen skill after practicing that skill for at least 10,000 hours.

[DaleH]

Timing is everything. Always use a metronome of some type.

 

Play with other people. The more and better people you play with, the better you will get. Don"t get hung up on genres. If you plan on making a living at it you will be expected to look at the music and play it, not waste time.

Work on your vocals and rhythm skills daily.. Making it on just guitar playing is pretty slim.

 

Stop when you start getting sloppy. 10 min, of good practice is better than hours of bad sloppy playing.

 

[knotty]

 

Pretty sure that was Rock Lobster, isn't that right? Haven't seen him around here since the meltdown last year. He is missed.

 

It was inspired by the theory that anyone can become great at their chosen skill after practicing that skill for at least 10,000 hours.

Not sure who it was. I remember a poster call rock lobster though. He seemed to be approaching the project quite seriously.

[DaleH]

Not sure who it was. I remember a poster call rock lobster though. He seemed to be approaching the project quite seriously.

 

rock lobster posted not long ago before this change. Pretty sure he was still attending Berklee college?

 

[jtr654]

Start slow be accurate and work up speed play with a Clean tone and a click track ( for timing) record yourself the mic will not lie. To tell you the truth it also has a lot to do with your natural ability how fast or if you progress. No amount of practice is going to make you good if your timing is off if you have No ear or taste.

[capitalist]

Everyone has given the OP good advice. I just have a few things to suggest. If the internet lessons or books are not meeting your expectations, seek a qualified guitar teacher at a music school for private lessons. To progress at a deliberate pace, you must learn proper technique and avoid bad habits. Learn songs that you like, but learn some theory and scales along the way. If you have the discipline and dedication you will excel as far as you want to go. Good luck!

[Floyd Rosenbomb]

 

Have fun.

[mrbrown49]

Back when I had a teacher he had me break up my practice time into three sections.

 

1) Scales, exercises, chords, modes theory etc.

 

2) Learning practicing songs.

 

3) Improvising along with backing tracks or records, writing original stuff.

 

I found it very effective, especially when tying the different sections together; doing exercises and scales that will help with a particular song I wanted to learn for example. Breaking up the time like that made sure that I wasn't just wanking but actually learning and making progress. Also helped keep it interesting.