Do you need any help playing guitar? [Ask away]

Well, the pentatonic scale is kind of the starter for a lot of soloists. I'd grab a song you like, then start playing a one octave pentatonic scale in the right key over it . If you are unsure about how to figure out what key a song is in, feel free to ask me.

First, just start by playing one note every four beats. It'll seem a little empty but what you want to be doing is really hear how the note sort of meshes (or maybe sounds out of wack!) with the chords behind it. Dont think TOO hard, just listen and enjoy.

Then,

Switch notes every two beats. Things are a bit more interesting now.

then,

Every beat play a new note. This shouldnt be TOO fast for your hands, but your head might get tripped up in remembering where the scale is. No big deal, this is a new kind of practice! For the mind and the hands.

OK OK FEWWWF.

Now, go back to the one note for every four beats. And listen again. You may be a bit bored. Start to HEAR (but not play) how you might fill in those extra spaces. Is it a soaring bend? A small and subtle vibrato on the same note you just played? Maybe the note in your head is a little lower sounding, try and find it with your fingers .

Most importantly, ENJOY. This is just the first step to getting familiar with the differencing between joining together with your instrument versus merely playing it. Instead of using it to reach the end, it is the means.

Now I dont expect a rebirth or anything, at first you'll probably feel really shy about this, not sounding as good as the next guy or whatever. Dont let your ego tell you what to do, your musical pursuit doesnt owe your ego a damn thing. So chill out, try it some more. maybe try a different tune. Then, for today, that's enough. Slowly you're going to build the ability to hear what you would want to play in your head, then being able to translate it into your hands onto the fretboard. Like FUCKING MAGIC BRO!!!!

Let me know if you need more specifics or are having troubles. This is just one kickstarter I use for an aspiring soloist.


OTHER WAIVER: ask follow up questions. its a little different teaching thru text than one on one, i aint poifect!

im not really sure what the question is but id say,. GO FOR IT . playing isnt joining the military, tho some people make it seem that way. just start playing gently and slowly, very much without aim. just enjoy.

hmm, like all my new students i usually ask questions like "what do you want to be able to do ? write songs? jam with friends? play your favorite campfire tunes? rock stardom?" i pose to you the same sort of questions, since while the basics are pretty much the same for anything, it can still help me get an idea of where you might want to lean your time.

if youre new? most important things are probably that it looks cool

I AINT JOKIN BUB.

i learned on an old country lookin guitar and i didnt even like having it in my room because i felt it made me look like an old guy or something hahaha. look is quite important. it needs to motivate you to want to own your abilities on that instrument. i mean, dont we all feel bad for the jedi with the pink lightsaber or whatever? hahaha

most music stores will guide you to the proper entry level guitar, be prepared for around 250 bucks to be your budget, if you start getting lower it's more possible you have a truly insufficient instrument, but i wouldnt worry about anything beyond like, 350 (and even that is a bit steep!)

DONT: worry about wood types, tuning pegs, name brand, a certain type of inlay.

i'd bring a friend who knows a fair bit . lacking that, maybe try n hire on a local guitar teacher or university kid to come with you, it will be worth the extra bucks.

well, we have two mini technique going on here.

some , when he lands, he is strumming outwards with the back of his nails (RASGUEADO type technique) . that is the easier of the two. since your hand is already strumming down, as your palm lands for that percussion slap, you just flick your fingers out.

but that probably isnt your problem.

-the slapping sound is made by using your thumb to force the strings to smack against the frets.

so, start doing that .

*click, click, click* with your thumb, nothing else.

ok, EASY you say, easy.

now keep er goin, on the off beat, with your index finger on the high e, play!

*click, ping* *click, ping*

easy enough.

now, same deal, but this time the e string lands on the 2nd 16th note...

then, at the same time!


it's going to feel clumsy as hell, and impossible to land on the B or G string, but just go FUCKING SLOW DANIEL SAN.

this is a HUGE topic, so im just going to shoot out a couple of idea

that's part of what i would use theory for, just to open my musical eye up to new colours. do you have any idea of theory things? improvising with modes can be very fun and open up new harmonies. with theory you can come up with LOADS of weird experiments, like trying to play two chords over each other at the same time, playing a chord progression you know in inversions, trying to play a C major while playing an E major scale at the same time, soloing over one key with the scale of distant key.....

do you know all your 7 chords? 9s?

if theory REALLY isnt your thing (and you should taste it before you decide against it )

then well..

pick up your guitar, and try and play this :



not a note for note transcription, just jam with her, play with her sounds. with those inflections, articulations, the agression and sensitivity.

people who just "play by ear" are fine by me, but a lot of the time they use it as an excuse to only listen to one kind of music. if you are a by ear player, you better have let your ear taste so many fruits and flavors, otherwise you are REALLY boxing yourself in.