Jump to content
HAPPY NEW YEAR, TO ALL OUR HARMONY CENTRAL FORUMITES AND GUESTS!! ×

Starting out......again


marker

Recommended Posts

  • Members
Posted

For years I've dabbled with playing guitar. I know some of the basics, some of the scales, but can't play a single song. I recently decided that I'm either going to put some real effort into it and I'd like to hear from some people about what method of learning has worked best for them. Did you take lessons? Did you buy books and study, play, study, play, .....? Did you have a personal mentor? What seems to work for most?

  • Members
Posted

I've played for about 4 years now. Late bloomer - started when I was 20 and now I'm 24. I guess you could say I learned in a combination of ways except for having formal lessons. I did buy a few books for basics and to come back to when I'm in a rut. I also copped licks off CDs. I also was shown (and will no doubt continue to be shown) things by people who I jam/jammed with who have more experience than me. More than anything, though, I spent a ton of time by myself woodshedding...working on songwriting, lead guitar, some rhythm guitar, and pacing myself against CDs and a metronome. I think what I've gone through is pretty typical.

 

The main thing is to listen to your heart and not lose your focus/goals. For instance, if you're taking lessons and finding your teacher just isn't giving you what you want, quit the lessons and go it alone or find and join a band. There is a really good book about finding the right physical and mental frame when playing and living guitar, Zen Guitar (forget who the author is...).

 

Good luck, but above all else, HAVE FUN!!

  • Members
Posted

If you already know chords and basics then consider this.

 

Not trying to jerk your chain, or insult you guy, but there is only one excuse for people who dont learn entire songs when they learn a song. Its called being lazy....

 

And the cure is cheap! Its called discipline!

 

So if you want to be better then make yourself better and take some lessons and finish what you start. Learn songs from beginning to end and then PLAY them each time from beginning to end. This builds up callouses and trains your ears as well.

  • Members
Posted

Try learning the open string chords, then barres, then scales.

Also learn along the way the names of the notes on the fist five frets and standard notation as well as tab notation. With this little bit of learning (it doesnt take much effort of a good teacher is found) you can bite into bigger chunks of music and get somewhere alot faster.

 

Most poeple dont want to learn the boring stuff naturally. But it will accelerate your overall learning process by leaps and bounds when you get into theory and scales, and inversions, and modes and all the other stuff to come. And these things are what separates most average players from outstanding ones.

  • Members
Posted

I've been playing for about 5(ish?) years now. Started out when I was 15, 20 now so yes, 5 years. I'm completely self taught. Mainly because I already had extensive theory knowledge and general music from playing the trombone 8 years prior to that. Essentially I just read an article on how to read guitar tab, downloaded some tabs to songs I wanted to learn and presto! :D Asked a couple questions at guitar forums like this one once and while when I got stuck with some technique or other that was completely unique to guitar. eg, sweep picking, artificial harmonics etc. required some asking around.

  • Members
Posted

Iv played for 2 years. I started with a book and learn the basic chords and scales, then i just learnt songs while mixing in more scales and chords and lot of hard work. Iv gotten to a stage where i can improvise well, solo at a classic rock standard well, and im about to embark on a program to shred :D

  • Members
Posted

the best thing is to learn how to play your favourite songs. it's very rewarding if you master a song you really like. start with easy songs, a few basic chords. there are many songs out there which have only 2-3-4 chords. i think that would be the most fun to learn the guitar. and advice number two (as mentioned before): DON'T BE LAZY!! PLAYPLAYPLAYPLAYPLAY!!

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...