New to the game

[satmanjf@gmail.com]

I thought it would be cool to see what advice the seasoned players have for those just starting out.

Interested in picking some up myself.

 

You will get frustrated but keep in mind that it doesn't happen overnight. You will probably start out learning some intros and then you might notice that your playing the same thing over and over, that's ok so keep doing it.

Eventually a door will open and you will stumble on to something new, this is a very gratifying feeling .

Try and play with other players, this in itself worked wonders for me.

When your fingers start to hurt beyond belief and you want to stop for the day , play for another 10 minutes.

If you can , put a guitar in your bedroom and living room.

Pick it up even if you don't play it, at least do some stretches with that Pinky and maybe run some scales if you know any.

I stated with the A minor scale.

I started on acoustic, this helped me play things cleaner, mistakes can be covered up with distortion , but not all of them. Acoustic is easier to haul around to your buds house, lake, park, girlfriend or significant other ( PC ) or wherever. Just my 0.02

[Grant Harding]

Practice parts you're learning slowly and DON'T speed up until you have it nailed (clean and no mistakes, right fingering).

 

Use a light touch with your fretting hand and press just behind the actual fret, not actually pushing the string all the way down to the wood.

 

A guitar tone that sounds great by itself is unlikely to sound great in a band. Put some music on when you're tweaking your tone.

 

Don't get roadies and groupies mixed up.

[Chordite]

There is just so-o-o much but off the top of my head --

 

In the beginning,

1 One thing I would suggest is outside your "scheduled learning time" always having your guitar on your lap unplugged when you are browsing or sitting around and 'tinker' around the moves you are learning whilst you mind is somewhere else as a form of "no pressure learning" it still gets it in your fingers.

 

2 Tune it every session! even if it sounds 'about right' those slightly off pitch strings will kill the guitar like a honkey tonk piano.

 

3 As Grant says try to develop a light touch Beginners always wring the guitars neck. Just try a few strums of Em and a few strums of C round and round in a loop. backing off the pressure slightly each time around you will be surprised how little pressure you need and it still sounds clean. Remember all you are doing is pushing the strings till they touch the fret which is not much at all.

 

4 Also when bending use two fingers, one behind the other. I use middle and ring fingers together mostly to bend

 

Once you start to move up

1 One of the hardest things I found about group playing is playing through your mistakes to keep everything in time. It is almost a reflex from being on your own in your beginner days to say "Oops" and do it again--- you can't do that! Nope

 

2 Also try to find a venue where you can practice loud. Your guitar through a 100w up amp is almost a different instrument to your bedroom amp, those little things like muting strings become much more important.

 

3 I will add that gigging may or may not be for you. I found my moods varied too much. Some days I feel really tight with it but others are like a bad date, some audiences can be a challenge but you have to carry on, if you are remotely sensitive to heckling it can turn into an endurance test.

Personally I found I was more of a "Studio" mentality than a "Road" mentality.

[satmanjf@gmail.com]

There's some good advice so far, I thought there would be more. I will throw a few more out.

 

Chords- start out with g,c and d. G and C are very similar and will be easy to move between. I always tell people it looks like your flipping someone off which helps them recover the shape if they get lost. Once you have G and C down start working on D. You will be surprised at how many tunes you can learn using these 3 chords alone. Practice strumming these 3 and then move on to picking.

Use picking pattern 4 down starting on the low E ( your top string ) once you reach your 4 string down , go to the high E ( bottom string ) and pick 4 up , change chords and repeat pattern starting on the string that the chord shape starts on. Do this with G and C. Rinse and repeat, good luck

 

Don't try to learn too much at once as this will only confuse you and you will forget what you have been working on.I hope I explained that right.

 

Don't pressure yourself and DONT give up. It is a long journey but it is do-able.

[hellion_213]

Gotta agree, and would like to reiterate, about keeping a guitar around, unplugged, for running scales, repetitive riffs/motions, sweeps, etc while couch surfing. There's a Lot of time that's otherwise wasted.

 

1) Tab Pro is Awesome. Occasionally wrong here and there, but definitely worth the fee.

2) if you plan on using a whammy bar for Anything more than vibrato, Nothing beats a Floyd Rose. Not learning how to adjust it is inexcusable with all of the YouTube how-to's.

3) active pickups push through a pedal chain with no significant losses.

4) no matter how big/small a show is, always keep a bag or tub on hand with extra cables, extension cords, tubes, strings, a mic or two ( yes, a mic or two, have run into situations where the house Did Not have a mic), Low-Z cable, 9v's, etc. Pretty much everything you might need if something craps out. And don't leave it in the truck or van, it's worthless outside.

5) Rehearsal settings need to be Exactly! what you intend to run live. Studio settings are different, and usually not 100% up to you. Rehearse as you would play live. Chordite hit on this, but not only does the amp respond differently, you and your fellow bandmates need to Completely know how the set sounds.

6) Which brings me to another point - take more cues off the drummer. If the house monitors suck, or the sound guy isn't good, you may not be able to hear the vocalist, or other guitarist. You can pretty much Always hear the drummer. having to meander closer to the PA to get cues is doable, but not advisable.

7) headphones lie, but may be the most practical way for you to hear yourself if you live in an apartment or have small children. Or a wife that just doesn't understand.

8) Do Not skimp on Strings. There are plenty of areas where being a tightwad is OK, but Not strings. That doesn't mean run out and only buy Flatwound, but the strings are the part that you interact with the most, so if an extra Dollar or so makes that more enjoyable, that's what needs to happen. Again, not the time to be cheap.

9) use the right freaking pick! If you're playing aggressive music, it doesn't make sense to show up with a Jazz light pick. You Cannot cheat gallups or triplets by allowing the pick to flutter, Effectively. You will only annoy the rest of the band. Pick picks appropriately. If you play jazz or have a super light touch, by all means. If the music style calls for trem picking, alternate picking, etc., make sure you have an appropriate pick. That doesn't mean a freaking Bass Stubby either. Take the time to figure out what works best, not only for your grip, but also for the music you intend to play.

10) being in tune is the number one most important thing. Doesn't matter how fast you can play, or how technical. If you're not in tune, it's going to suck, and while not everyone will know Why, they will know it sucks.

11) If you want to play like (insert name here), do not try to simply buy everything that artist uses live. You will not sound like that artist in the studio. You would probably be better off buying a modeler and impulses for that. Signature gear is designed to get you close without breaking all of your piggy banks, and are usually close to the sound of an artist.

12) Beginner guitars today are infinitely better than they were twenty years ago. Still not great, so if you can afford it, try to get out of the base model Squier, Ibanez Gio, etc.and into at least the Squier Vintage Modified, RG series, etc. As a beginner, the less time you spend screwing around with cheap gear that doesn't stay in tune, strings getting stuck in the pot metal bridge, etc. the more focused you can be on practicing.

[Grant Harding]

Don't think you have to be playing every note all the time. Leave some holes for other instruments and give the listeners a break. Very few people in a given crowd paid to hear GUITAR ALL THE TIME, NON STOP!

[Axisplayer]

I will only add one thing I read and never forgot: An amateur practices until they get it right, a professional practices until they cannot get it wrong. Nothing will replace adequate time with the guitar.

[hellion_213]

I'll add a few more -

 

13) It never hurts to have an amp a little bigger than you think you need. You can always turn down a larger amp, but you only have so much with a small amp. And if the PA or soundman sucks, your amp is all you're left with.

14) If you're playing originals that You wrote, there's no excuse for You not to know the song(s) You wrote.

15) To more or less paraphrase Samurai Guitarist, and touch on Grant's comment - Do what's best for the song. If that means hang back and let the bass take the lead, whatever, do it for the sake of the song.

16) Nobody! plays well drunk or high. At least not as good as they Could. Keep it to minimum, if absolutely necessary, for nerves, and that's it. Nobody paid to see you fall down or suck. Do that crap on your own time, if you must.

17) A gig should never be treated as a practice. Practice should be treated as a practice, rehearsals should be treated as a combination of practice and a gig. Not the other way around. If you don't know a song well, or can only play it at X bpms, forego the song. Newer bands especially - inexperienced drummers WILL rush the tempo, and if you don't know the songs inside and out, you're doomed.

[Grant Harding]

For fat sparkly clean leads - turn the amp up and play with a light touch.

 

Same with bass guitar - turn up and use a light touch.

[badpenguin]

In the beginning, practice your chords. If there are 5 positions for a C maj, learn 6. Know your chords, know when to use them. know the differences between a Maj7, A 7th, and a maj min 7th. Reasoning behind this is beyond simple: While there are 100's of lead players, a good rhythm guitarist is a rare find.

Buy the best gear you can afford.

Learn to do your own setups and repairs. this way, That 40 bucks an hour you would be paying me as a guitar tech, can go towards better gear.

Buy the amp/guitar that suits what you want to do, and not what others are playing.

 

Ok, now you are practicing with others.....

With more experienced players, shut up and listen. Listen to what they do, ask why they did it.

With less experienced players, shut up and listen. NEVER point and laugh, ALWAYS be helpful in your criticisms.

Just because person A has a Gibson, and you have an Epiphone, doesn't mean he's better then you, it just means he spent more money.

Just because you have a Gibson, and he has an Epiphone, ....... (see above)

 

In a band situation....

NEVER date the drummers.... wait, he's a drummer..... date the singers girl friend.

Offer to carry others gear, once yours is stowed away.

Tip the soundman. WELL. And before the gig.

 

 

 

 

 

[satmanjf@gmail.com]

All good advice, hope it help you guys just starting out. And remember NEVER LOAN OUT YOUR GEAR !

[Chordite]

Another thing crosses my mind and that is:

Don't be afraid to go romping up the fretboard. Beginners always seem to hang around the nut where they feel "safe" and avoid "difficult territory" from 7 to 15. just get up there, it's actually easier

also Learn to barre early after learning the basic cowboy chords for the same reason ,

[Chordite]

'NEVER LOAN' True. I am one bass and one classical down on that lesson.