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ella_guru
Canada1741 Posts
Here's a lil jam of me and a buddy covering a tune we like: im on the left with the turban. Well, feel free to ask and hopefully i can further your magic in music. I used to teach professionally, but I recently moved and just really havent been doing it for a couple of reasons, so i guess my inner teacher is feeling lost haha.    | ||
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prplhz
Denmark8045 Posts
-e besides a ton of practice  I don't think I'm all bad at improvising but I never got any formal training in playing the guitar and I wonder if I've missed something important. | ||
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halo112
Canada3 Posts
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beg
991 Posts
On July 06 2012 09:05 prplhz wrote: How do I get better at improvising? -e besides a ton of practice I don't think I'm all bad at improvising but I never got any formal training in playing the guitar and I wonder if I've missed something important.indeed. same question from me. i basically only learned to play other people's songs, but can do so rather good. played for 5 years but quit, after realizing my time was spent so stupidly (due to practicing unimportant technical shit that wouldnt bring me nowhere). now i kinda wanna get back to playing. | ||
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Tahona
United States252 Posts
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mindjames
Israel323 Posts
How to improvise better: Pick a guitarist of choice (preferably someone who you consider as an ideal improviser) and start learning his chops. Then find other guitarists (or any instrumentalist) and repeat. Sooner or later you'll be figuring out your own chops and add your own twist to the stuff you've learned. Other than that, try to pay attention to dynamics (how hard you hit the strings, in what way etc.), vibrato, sliding up and down, bending, muting and so on. All of these require training to achieve better precision. How to start playing when you can already read music: Reading music will not serve as an advantage at this point, but knowing your theory will. In any case, expect some sore fingers and some frustration, as the guitar is a real bitch at the very beginning. The best way to start would be to learn some basic chords from youtube/google. A, B, C, D, E, F, G, major and minor. Pick easy songs that you like and try to have fun. By the time you get your chords down, you should be able to play most pop/rock songs off the top of your head. | ||
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imPermanenCe
Netherlands595 Posts
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mindjames
Israel323 Posts
On July 06 2012 18:09 imPermanenCe wrote: How to pick a guitar that suits you? A rule of thumb is, if you're not sure, then you're better off with a cheaper guitar. Once you figure out what's "missing" or isn't to your liking, then you should upgrade. You'll be doing this a lot over the years, as long as you keep playing. Note that getting a bigger brand (Fender, Gibson) guitar does not mean you'll get more bang for the buck. Don't fall for popularity. If you can already play, just visit your local store and try out a bunch of them. You can compare prices online afterwards. If you can't play, you can either: a) just get a simple classical/acoustic guitar, or - b) go with a friend who knows. If you're looking for an electric right away, a squier or an epiphone will do the trick. | ||
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ella_guru
Canada1741 Posts
Im not on here everyday like I used to be, but i'll make sure to mention if i'm going away for a while or something, so id expect something within 48 hours at most of each post. i dont mind at all if other people jump in and help thats cool. just uh, know your shit . hahahaha. i dont know, i dont like guitar teachers who say there is this one way of doing things, this is how you do it. i'll address how i feel about the improvising tonight. i think most important is you enjoy and learn about yourself through this pursuit. whether you bang on the guitar with drum sticks or learn every harmony in inversion. this pursuit is a journey of complete imagination. see you tonite | ||
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kafkaesque
Germany2006 Posts
I'm kind of puzzled by a technique I've seen in this rendition: Michael Chapdelaine - California Dreaming The song is pretty straight forward, but how does the percussing work, while on the same beat playing notes normally? I don't understand the motion of the hand, what exactly is happening there? Here we have a cleaner performance, but it still isn't enough for me to comprehend what's going on there: | ||
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AirbladeOrange
United States2573 Posts
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ella_guru
Canada1741 Posts
On July 06 2012 09:05 prplhz wrote: How do I get better at improvising? -e besides a ton of practice I don't think I'm all bad at improvising but I never got any formal training in playing the guitar and I wonder if I've missed something important.A WAIVER: i dont "believe" in theory any more than i believe in a screwdriver. neither of these things are necessary, but in certain situations they have been tried and true to help you gain new perspective. theory is just another approach, and a new approach is sometimes all you need to open up new neural pathways to guitar nirvana + Show Spoiler + 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! On July 06 2012 12:48 beg wrote: i basically only learned to play other people's songs, but can do so rather good. played for 5 years but quit, after realizing my time was spent so stupidly (due to practicing unimportant technical shit that wouldnt bring me nowhere). now i kinda wanna get back to playing. + Show Spoiler + 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. On July 06 2012 12:59 Tahona wrote: What would be the best way to get started when I want to teach myself how to play. I can read music from years of piano and saxophone so that really isn't an issue. + Show Spoiler + 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. On July 06 2012 18:09 imPermanenCe wrote: How to pick a guitar that suits you? + Show Spoiler + 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. On July 07 2012 05:34 kafkaesque wrote: Hey man, I'm kind of puzzled by a technique I've seen in this rendition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0wVP4UrgpE Michael Chapdelaine - California Dreaming The song is pretty straight forward, but how does the percussing work, while on the same beat playing notes normally? I don't understand the motion of the hand, what exactly is happening there? Here we have a cleaner performance, but it still isn't enough for me to comprehend what's going on there: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUGc73viJk4&feature=related hahah i remember wondering about this exact thing. the thing is , it really is just what you think. + Show Spoiler + 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. On July 07 2012 12:59 AirbladeOrange wrote: Cool thread. How can I keep things interesting so I stay motivated and keep learning new things? I generally like to just make up my own stuff rather than learn other people's songs. I usually find myself playing one of the few things I made up myself rather than venturing out. It's really hard for me to come up with new material. Any ideas for me? + Show Spoiler + 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. pick my brain, go zonkers with it. hope it helps. STAY COSMIC float thru your internal universe with your instrument. let go. | ||
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kafkaesque
Germany2006 Posts
The thumb-on-lower-strings-slap has been in my repertoire for quite some time, but combining it with actual notes seems nigh impossible to me. | ||
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Cooleh
United Kingdom63 Posts
How do you write a song like this, just guitar and singing? Does it matter if you write the lyrics first, the chords first, or experiment with the little riffs or bits inbetween chords? There's a few little riffs at the start but after that it's mostly just chords, nothing too technical, I'm just wondering how he gets the chords/strumming to flow with the lyrics so well. and also how he creates those short riffs at the start. Does he just play about with different scales and find something he likes? I imagine a lot of it's practice to find decent chord progressions, ones which fit with the mood and lyrics, and varying the strumming to fit too, but I'd definitely like to hear your thoughts. Thank you! | ||
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phiinix
United States1169 Posts
I've always felt like I have a horrible horrible ear. Lets say you play an E on the guitar. If you play another note after, unless you play a D#, F, or the E an octave above/below, I have no idea what note is it. And about half the time even if you do play the D# or F I can't tell. When I play I can tell, because visually I can see that one note is 1 fret above the other, but if someone else is playing it or if I'm listening to it, I'm totally lost. How the hell do you even know what a note is anyway? If you played say a C, and then the C an octave above, I can tell it's an octave, but I have no clue what note it is. Is there anyway to know what a note is other than playing all of them and just using memory to tell what note is what? | ||
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Elsid
Ireland318 Posts
On July 08 2012 10:01 phiinix wrote: Any tips on learning how to tell what key a song is in, or how to play notes in accordance to the song? Like how do you learn to jam alongside another track? I've always felt like I have a horrible horrible ear. Lets say you play an E on the guitar. If you play another note after, unless you play a D#, F, or the E an octave above/below, I have no idea what note is it. And about half the time even if you do play the D# or F I can't tell. When I play I can tell, because visually I can see that one note is 1 fret above the other, but if someone else is playing it or if I'm listening to it, I'm totally lost. How the hell do you even know what a note is anyway? If you played say a C, and then the C an octave above, I can tell it's an octave, but I have no clue what note it is. Is there anyway to know what a note is other than playing all of them and just using memory to tell what note is what? For me being able to figure out the key or notes was just a matter of listening a lot and playing a lot, then one day for me it just clicked and i can pick up tunings and patterns etc pretty handily. I imagine that's how it happens for most people. | ||
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ZaloMonkada
United States86 Posts
On July 08 2012 01:09 ella_guru wrote: 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. Can you talk about some good exercises when starting? I know theres scales and stuff but it'd be really great if you could list off some things I could practice as a beginner! | ||
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TORTOISE
United States515 Posts
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mindjames
Israel323 Posts
On July 09 2012 08:56 ZaloMonkada wrote: Can you talk about some good exercises when starting? I know theres scales and stuff but it'd be really great if you could list off some things I could practice as a beginner! Jumping in again. Your question suggests that you're approaching the guitar (and music) in the same way that you would approach math. Instead, try to think about it as a language. You're in a foreign country and you can barely communicate. But as you listen, you start to pick up certain words that stick out, and you figure out what they mean and how you can use them. Later on you start to pick up "patterns" of speech, which helps you form sentences. You start to understand whole stories just by listening, and later on you fill in the blanks through context. In the same way, music needs to sink in. If someone tried to teach you a jazz mode without you ever listening to music in which it was applied, you would end up with a nice bracket of notes that is pretty much useless to you, and you wouldn't be able to "speak" through the scale. Before you start doing 'exercises', I want to point you right back to ella_guru's question: What do you actually want to achieve with the guitar? It wouldn't help you to lift heavy weights if you're going to run a marathon. Devote your time into figuring out what your favorite guy is doing, look it up (google WILL teach you music), learn it, practice it, master it. Here's my way of learning music: * Listen to stuff you like * Get excited about certain elements in the music * Try it out on your instrument or voice until you 'get it' * Look up what it's called so that you can communicate it towards other musicians Having said all that, I wouldn't want to leave you empty handed.  Generally speaking, it is useful to know the major, minor and pentatonic scales regardless of what genre of music you're into. You might learn them as "shapes", but keep in mind the shape is a derivative of the scale and not the other way around. If you need more info in that department just ask! | ||
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imPermanenCe
Netherlands595 Posts
You're a little bit less vague than ella_guru, haha  | ||
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olabaz
United States298 Posts
On July 08 2012 10:01 phiinix wrote: Any tips on learning how to tell what key a song is in, or how to play notes in accordance to the song? Like how do you learn to jam alongside another track? I've always felt like I have a horrible horrible ear. Lets say you play an E on the guitar. If you play another note after, unless you play a D#, F, or the E an octave above/below, I have no idea what note is it. And about half the time even if you do play the D# or F I can't tell. When I play I can tell, because visually I can see that one note is 1 fret above the other, but if someone else is playing it or if I'm listening to it, I'm totally lost. How the hell do you even know what a note is anyway? If you played say a C, and then the C an octave above, I can tell it's an octave, but I have no clue what note it is. Is there anyway to know what a note is other than playing all of them and just using memory to tell what note is what? Yes there are tricks to doing this and once you learn them you just have to practice. What you're talking about is learning the intervals. So first the intervals: + Show Spoiler + Assuming a C major scale you have the notes: C D E F G A B C8 and the intervals are: From C to C: is Unison (same note) C to D: Major 2nd C to E: Major 3rd C to F: Perfect 4th C to G: Perfect 5th C to A: Major 6th C to B: Major 7 C to C8: Octave What about the notes we left out? C# D# F# G# A# well since those don't belong to the scale they have "bad" names C to C#: Minor 2nd C to D#: Minor 3rd C to F#: Tritone (also called Augmented 4th or Diminished 5th) C to G#: Minor 6 C to A#: Minor 7 Hopefully that's clear. Moving along to how to recognize them we have: + Show Spoiler + U = Same Note m2 = Jaws Theme M2 = Where Is Thumbkin m3 = Lullaby M3 = Oh When The Saints P4 = Here Comes The Bride TT = The Simpsons P5 = Star Wars m6 = Yeah M6 = NBC Theme m7 = Somewhere M7 = ? O = Same note higher pitch You can listen to them here and they also have other song suggestions http://www.musicalintervalstutor.info/listenpg.html Any questions just PM! | ||
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Masamune
Canada3401 Posts
I hope I see you on MuchMusic in the future!! | ||
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ella_guru
Canada1741 Posts
I committed to strict technical regimen for many years while studying at a university level, then realized the truth about music, and caused me to drastically change my approach. I'm always searching for new, so I dont always speak in ways that are IMMEDIATELY evident to the student, who might want a "tell me what to do" idea..... but I LOOOVE technique!! Something is magically about practising an arpeggio for an hour over , and over, and over, losing your mind in the ocean... ahhh yes. I like your answer RezJ, this is how I like to teach, it is important to turn the mirror on students... have them search... the answers they find then are the most meaningful... | ||
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ella_guru
Canada1741 Posts
I can't begin to express ... the guitar is an instrument which points to self exploration.. I'm excited for all of you. | ||
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kane]deth[
Canada368 Posts
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ZaloMonkada
United States86 Posts
On July 09 2012 19:46 RezJ wrote: Jumping in again. Your question suggests that you're approaching the guitar (and music) in the same way that you would approach math. Instead, try to think about it as a language. You're in a foreign country and you can barely communicate. But as you listen, you start to pick up certain words that stick out, and you figure out what they mean and how you can use them. Later on you start to pick up "patterns" of speech, which helps you form sentences. You start to understand whole stories just by listening, and later on you fill in the blanks through context. In the same way, music needs to sink in. If someone tried to teach you a jazz mode without you ever listening to music in which it was applied, you would end up with a nice bracket of notes that is pretty much useless to you, and you wouldn't be able to "speak" through the scale. Before you start doing 'exercises', I want to point you right back to ella_guru's question: What do you actually want to achieve with the guitar? It wouldn't help you to lift heavy weights if you're going to run a marathon. Devote your time into figuring out what your favorite guy is doing, look it up (google WILL teach you music), learn it, practice it, master it. Here's my way of learning music: * Listen to stuff you like * Get excited about certain elements in the music * Try it out on your instrument or voice until you 'get it' * Look up what it's called so that you can communicate it towards other musicians Having said all that, I wouldn't want to leave you empty handed. Generally speaking, it is useful to know the major, minor and pentatonic scales regardless of what genre of music you're into. You might learn them as "shapes", but keep in mind the shape is a derivative of the scale and not the other way around. If you need more info in that department just ask! Well I currently was just learning some songs I enjoyed listening to and would play like 4 scales over and over again while watching TV. I was more or less just seeing what you guys did when you started playing guitar. I pretty much just want to be able to play the music I listen to and some of it is pretty tough (at least for me) so I wasn't sure if I was going about learning the right way. I played french horn for 7 years, and at least for that instrument, if you didn't learn your fundamentals correctly, you'd have a very difficult time a year or two down the road. Just wanted to make sure I was learning the right way before I got too invested! Thanks for your help tho, really appreciate it | ||
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heroyi
United States1064 Posts
However i have problem when playing with the B and high E strings on a fret. Whenever I try to strum them using my pinky and ring finger(G chord for instance) I can't seem to hold it down which consequently makes a buzzing or muted sound (so I can't play clear music :/ ). The strings are thin and I have to press them extremely hard relative to all the other strings which I don't have problems with. I don't know if the strings are too high of which I may need to adjust or if its my pinky and ring finger skin being too tender (have been playing alot for a week so far although I don't have problems playing when utilizing those same fingers on different strings). It is frustrating because I want to start playing barre chords but can't because the E and B string require too much of my attention. *Sorry if I didn't use terminologies correctly or if my answers seem vague. I am still a nub xD | ||
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Elsid
Ireland318 Posts
On August 03 2012 03:46 heroyi wrote: I just started learning to how to play an acoustic guitar. However i have problem when playing with the B and high E strings on a fret. Whenever I try to strum them using my pinky and ring finger(G chord for instance) I can't seem to hold it down which consequently makes a buzzing or muted sound (so I can't play clear music :/ ). The strings are thin and I have to press them extremely hard relative to all the other strings which I don't have problems with. I don't know if the strings are too high of which I may need to adjust or if its my pinky and ring finger skin being too tender (have been playing alot for a week so far although I don't have problems playing when utilizing those same fingers on different strings). It is frustrating because I want to start playing barre chords but can't because the E and B string require too much of my attention. *Sorry if I didn't use terminologies correctly or if my answers seem vague. I am still a nub xD This could just be a matter of finger strength, basically just keep playing and eventually you'll be able to do it pretty comfortably The guitar could also be set up badly but i'd say it's probably just your finger strength ^^ | ||
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Saronix
Canada73 Posts
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heroyi
United States1064 Posts
http://music.stackexchange.com/questions/4446/how-not-to-touch-irrelevant-strings so the op's problem is EXTREMEMLY relevant to mine. i have played around with my positioning i.e perpindicular, sideways etc... but the problem still pursues. for example playing the e minor is a problem for me since it hits the fourth string... i was wondering maybe you guys know a little tip or something. as of now i have improvised where i bend the string as much as i can with my index and hope for contact with the fret. obviously this is not an optimal solution so... yea. as of right from what i read from the thread it seems that i should just file my nails down to oblivion lol. tl;dr i have a meaty and pointy index finger that prevents me from playing certain chords and notes. how to get around that. p.s my keyboard is somewhat broken so i apologize for the grammar/punctuation mistakes. i can't even capitalize | ||
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Gprime
Canada198 Posts
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ella_guru
Canada1741 Posts
would videos be a better way to communicate ideas? | ||
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Deleted User 255289
281 Posts
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Elsid
Ireland318 Posts
On August 23 2012 06:46 superbarnie wrote: is it absolutely necessary to have a certain type of guitar for certain genre of music? Not necessarily no, however trying to play for example death metal on a strat with stock pickups might be a bit tricky. It all really depends on the tone you want/like. What type of music are you interested in playing? heroyi hey so another question http://music.stackexchange.com/questions/4446/how-not-to-touch-irrelevant-strings so the op's problem is EXTREMEMLY relevant to mine. i have played around with my positioning i.e perpindicular, sideways etc... but the problem still pursues. for example playing the e minor is a problem for me since it hits the fourth string... i was wondering maybe you guys know a little tip or something. as of now i have improvised where i bend the string as much as i can with my index and hope for contact with the fret. obviously this is not an optimal solution so... yea. as of right from what i read from the thread it seems that i should just file my nails down to oblivion lol. tl;dr i have a meaty and pointy index finger that prevents me from playing certain chords and notes. how to get around that. p.s my keyboard is somewhat broken so i apologize for the grammar/punctuation mistakes. i can't even capitalize Hmm, well your nails on your fretting hand should be really short anyway (don't want to damage the neck). I suppose maybe you should try having your thumb as low as possible at the back of the neck and just keep practicing. ^^ Edit: Actually looking at that link more I have very similar nails to that guy. I also sorta have stubby/meaty fingers, for me I just try to keep my thumb as far back as possible at all times. In most situations you want your thumb as far back as possible anyway because it opens up a greater range for your hands (Hence you'll rarely see good classical guitarists thumbs above the neck). This is probably your main problem, I've seen friends of mine struggle playing really fast three note grouping passages because their thumb is too high so you might want to have a look at that if your thumb is too high. What type of music are you playing? | ||
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heroyi
United States1064 Posts
On August 23 2012 07:21 Elsid wrote: Not necessarily no, however trying to play for example death metal on a strat with stock pickups might be a bit tricky. It all really depends on the tone you want/like. What type of music are you interested in playing? Hmm, well your nails on your fretting hand should be really short anyway (don't want to damage the neck). I suppose maybe you should try having your thumb as low as possible at the back of the neck and just keep practicing. ^^ Edit: Actually looking at that link more I have very similar nails to that guy. I also sorta have stubby/meaty fingers, for me I just try to keep my thumb as far back as possible at all times. In most situations you want your thumb as far back as possible anyway because it opens up a greater range for your hands (Hence you'll rarely see good classical guitarists thumbs above the neck). This is probably your main problem, I've seen friends of mine struggle playing really fast three note grouping passages because their thumb is too high so you might want to have a look at that if your thumb is too high. What type of music are you playing? playing around with indie, pop, rock etc... as of now im just picking up easy musics to play to get my hands busy for example green day song's good riddance. the big project i want to eventually learn to play is eric clapton's tears in heaven. everyone needs a trump card lol. yea i do keep the thumb low but it doesnt matter. finger isn't long enough per say and thus i cant apply enough pressure on the string so i get that buzzing sound. i have done everything the guy has which includes trying to put the string between the meat and the nail of my finger and placing the string on the flesh point of my finger. right now im having success with doing a combination of bending the string toward the first string and pushing it down by pinching the string between the side of my nail and the neck itself. i like this so far but i want to try to get good form when playing also can someone recommend me a website that is a reliable reference page? i have been looking up chords on google but it seems some of the images it spits out from other websites are incorrect i.e it shows how to do a f chord major but it neglects to tell you mute the 6 and 5 string. | ||
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Elsid
Ireland318 Posts
On August 23 2012 10:26 heroyi wrote: playing around with indie, pop, rock etc... as of now im just picking up easy musics to play to get my hands busy for example green day song's good riddance. the big project i want to eventually learn to play is eric clapton's tears in heaven. everyone needs a trump card lol. yea i do keep the thumb low but it doesnt matter. finger isn't long enough per say and thus i cant apply enough pressure on the string so i get that buzzing sound. i have done everything the guy has which includes trying to put the string between the meat and the nail of my finger and placing the string on the flesh point of my finger. right now im having success with doing a combination of bending the string toward the first string and pushing it down by pinching the string between the side of my nail and the neck itself. i like this so far but i want to try to get good form when playing also can someone recommend me a website that is a reliable reference page? i have been looking up chords on google but it seems some of the images it spits out from other websites are incorrect i.e it shows how to do a f chord major but it neglects to tell you mute the 6 and 5 string. Hmm , sorry I can't really think of anything else for your finger problem. All I can really say is keep practicing with your thumb around the middle of the neck and hopefully it's just a problem of finger strength. As for chords, I don't have a reference page but it helps to know some really simple music theory. That way you can find all the chords yourself and find your own fingerings etc. Also F Major I would normally play as a bar chord as it gives you the full voicing with the fifth and sixth string. I also think bar chords are a fantastic way to figure out a lot of simple music theory from. Do you know any scales? (not that I would emphasize that you have to learn scales or anything but I find knowing a little about the relationships between the notes helps when you want to come up with chords. Although it does appear to limit some people to just the 1 scale/position) | ||
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Gben592
United Kingdom281 Posts
On July 06 2012 09:05 prplhz wrote: How do I get better at improvising? -e besides a ton of practice I don't think I'm all bad at improvising but I never got any formal training in playing the guitar and I wonder if I've missed something important.Sing what you play when your practicing, and then improvise in your head when your not practicing ^^ | ||
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pjw
Australia76 Posts
Everytime I feel I'm gettin' a grip on the instrument I realise how far I have to go before I don't have to think about it anymore and just play what ever is in my head(maybe in 50 years lol) Still, rockin' out will always be fun whether it's with first pos pentatonic to a 12 bar or tapping away to an 80s power ballad! I feel really lucky atm, studying music at TAFE with some amazing teachers always keeps me inspired! ps: every guitarist needs to watch frank gambale's chop building not only is it actually reallly useful for elec rock guitarists but it's probably the funniest thing you will ever see | ||
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Deleted User 255289
281 Posts
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Elsid
Ireland318 Posts
On August 24 2012 06:59 superbarnie wrote: I'm a beginner guitarist, and I have a Squier Strat that i bought in a beginners starter pack. I enjoy listening progressive metal, power metal, and melodic death metal so I intend to play metal songs in the future. However, my current skill level is insufficient so I'll stick with practicing classical songs and chords for the time being. Ah somewhat similar to myself then ^^ , a friend of mine was playing in a metal/thrash metal band using a mexican strat for a few years. Although he did replace one of the pickups and eventually moved onto an ltd eclipse. What exactly do you mean by classical songs? For me I learned blues stuff and then blues/rock songs for ages with a teacher, eventually we did a little metal (not a lot). A lot of the metal stuff you can begin to figure out yourself with the aid of tabs etc. (also your ear is pretty handy). I do think it's worth it to learn chords and stuff too though learning different musical styles gives you great ideas when writing your own music and ideas on how to change and re-arrange things in other songs.Basically if you're starting out don't worry too much about having the right guitar for the job , it's important to learn how to play first. With a squier this will be cheaper , also i've played some good squiers. What bands are you into? ^^ | ||
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corpuscle
United States1967 Posts
On August 24 2012 06:59 superbarnie wrote: I'm a beginner guitarist, and I have a Squier Strat that i bought in a beginners starter pack. I enjoy listening progressive metal, power metal, and melodic death metal so I intend to play metal songs in the future. However, my current skill level is insufficient so I'll stick with practicing classical songs and chords for the time being. If you want to start getting the basic technique for metal down, there's a lot of easy classic/hard rock that I'd recommend that will get you in the habit of working with distortion. AC/DC, Zeppelin, Hendrix, Deep Purple, and even some metal bands like Sabbath or Priest or Maiden have a plethora of very simple songs that will get you headed in the right direction. Metal is very different from other genres in that it's 90% palm muting and alternate picking, which you run into a hell of a lot less in other genres. Practicing, for example, the intro to Curse of the Pharaoh will get you much farther than getting the hang of open chords and stuff, which, to be honest, you aren't gonna use much. edit: thought of some other good/easy songs, mostly Megadeth, Iced Earth, or covers they did, since they're all in one place which makes my life easier. you won't be able to play all the riffs, but it's a start, at least. links go to tabs, if you want the sheet music (which I'd recommend learning), pick up a copy of Guitar Pro and find the .pro files on ultimate-guitar or something. Mary Jane - Megadeth In My Darkest Hour - Megadeth Symphony of Destruction - Megadeth Trust - Megadeth The Scorpion - Megadeth Paranoid - Black Sabbath Hallowed be thy Name - Iron Maiden Highway to Hell - ACDC Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath Wherever I May Roam - Metallica One - Metallica Welcome Home (Sanitarium) - Metallica For Whome the Bell Tolls - Metallica I know that's pretty much all thrash, which you didn't mention liking, but that's pretty much where you have to start. The stuff progressive and death metal bands do is far too technical for a beginner, you basically start out with stuff that's similar enough that it's honing your chops, and work up from there. Once you feel like you've gotten a decent grasp of the basics of alternate picking and palm muting, you can try moving on up to Slayer and some of the faster Megadeth stuff, or Iced Earth if you just want some very simple practice songs (their riffs are super generic which make them amazing for practice). double edit: also get yourself a pack of Dunlop 2mm picks, or some other very heavy variety. the picks that most people use are too thin for metal, they flop around way too much under fast alt picking and don't get you the right tone. better to get used to it now than have to adjust later. | ||
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Deleted User 255289
281 Posts
Thanks for the info! What exactly do you mean by classical songs? Well, actually is not classical. I meant the practice songs in the guitar learning book i bought at the music store. What bands are you into? ^^ I think there are too many to list! xD lately, I'm listening to these songs from my playlist. In the past i've listened to as i lay dying, killswitch engage, all that remains, amon amarth also. ( and probably more but i forgot) @corpuscle wowee thanks for all the info! I'll start practicing those songs now. Do you recommend any particular model/brand pick or just any 2mm pick? Btw, I got a when i bought my squier it came with a little amp like this one. When I turn on distortion is really weird especially if I play more than one note at a time (chord) and also there would also be a buzzing sound. Is this normal for cheap amps like mine? Or maybe i put a setting wrong? | ||
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Elsid
Ireland318 Posts
On August 25 2012 06:56 superbarnie wrote: @ elsid Thanks for the info! Well, actually is not classical. I meant the practice songs in the guitar learning book i bought at the music store. I think there are too many to list! xD lately, I'm listening to these songs from my playlist. In the past i've listened to as i lay dying, killswitch engage, all that remains, amon amarth also. ( and probably more but i forgot) @corpuscle wowee thanks for all the info! I'll start practicing those songs now. Do you recommend any particular model/brand pick or just any 2mm pick? Btw, I got a when i bought my squier it came with a little amp like this one. When I turn on distortion is really weird especially if I play more than one note at a time (chord) and also there would also be a buzzing sound. Is this normal for cheap amps like mine? Or maybe i put a setting wrong? No problem yo ^^ Yeah I'm more into the thrash/early death metal stuff so my knowledge of your exact wants is close but not entirely there ^^.A lot of metal has got to do with developing a good right hand technique while palm muting but I think it's still worth it to learn rock/blues/whatever. Perhaps try "For Whom The Bell Tolls" first as it's pretty easy ^^. Some of those songs might be a bit tricky to learn for a beginner so don't worry if you can't get them or if your rhythm isn't perfect. Those things will come with time/practice. If you're in to early death metal some of the songs like Deaths "Evil Dead" is easy enough. As for your amp I'm not sure what level your ear is on so it's hard to tell if your ear is just like more sensitive than your amp or if you're using it wrong. If you want a sorta good Thrash sound throw your treble up to around 3 o clock middle to about 12-1 o clock and bass to 11-12 o clock. That'll give you a good early death/thrash sound. Ultimately though those amps are pretty bad so you will eventually need to move on. What do you want to do on the guitar? Is your end goal to play in a band or? Cos those amps are practice amps nothing more :3 they give you a rough idea of what'd happen on a real amp but they're just there so you have some noise while you're playing. | ||
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corpuscle
United States1967 Posts
@corpuscle wowee thanks for all the info! I'll start practicing those songs now. Do you recommend any particular model/brand pick or just any 2mm pick? Btw, I got a when i bought my squier it came with a little amp like this one. When I turn on distortion is really weird especially if I play more than one note at a time (chord) and also there would also be a buzzing sound. Is this normal for cheap amps like mine? Or maybe i put a setting wrong? I use Dunlop Gator Grip 2mm, but it's a matter of personal preference. Picks are super cheap, so I'd recommend just telling the guy at the music store you're trying to figure out a brand and you want to try a couple heavy picks... they might even let you try them out at the store instead of making you buy them. As for the amp... I got the exact same one with my first guitar (might have been an older model), and it really blows. Everything's gonna sound like shit on that, even the clean tones. As Elsid said, it's quite literally only there so that you can hear yourself. That said, pretty much any cheap (think <$500) amp is going to be utter shit on overdrive (which, by the way, isn't the same as distortion, but that's not too important), if you want to play metal. If you stick with guitar long enough that you decide to spring for a slightly better amp (think like $100 range, my 15-watt Marshall was around there when I bought it), I'd recommend also picking up a distortion pedal, which can be around $40 for a cheaper one. Nearly all solid-state amps do a really poor job getting any sort of distortion sound you'd want for metal, you really either need a nice tube amp (which is very pricey) or a pedal. Either way, though, I wouldn't worry too much about tone. Just focus on playing the notes as cleanly as possible until you're willing to drop $100-$200 to get a semi-acceptable tone... it's never gonna sound the way you want until you've been playing for five years and have dropped $1000+ on your kit anyway. I've also heard rumors about those entry-level strats having really bad pickup shielding and just poor wiring overall, so that could be contributing as well. Again, not really something to worry about, though; you're going to need to buy a new guitar if you end up getting serious about it anyway, especially if you want to play metal (single coil bridge pickup? nowai). On August 25 2012 08:47 Elsid wrote: If you're in to early death metal some of the songs like Deaths "Evil Dead" is easy enough. That song is fast as shit, I couldn't play it for like a year and a half o_O | ||
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Elsid
Ireland318 Posts
On August 25 2012 09:28 corpuscle wrote: I use Dunlop Gator Grip 2mm, but it's a matter of personal preference. Picks are super cheap, so I'd recommend just telling the guy at the music store you're trying to figure out a brand and you want to try a couple heavy picks... they might even let you try them out at the store instead of making you buy them. As for the amp... I got the exact same one with my first guitar (might have been an older model), and it really blows. Everything's gonna sound like shit on that, even the clean tones. As Elsid said, it's quite literally only there so that you can hear yourself. That said, pretty much any cheap (think <$500) amp is going to be utter shit on overdrive (which, by the way, isn't the same as distortion, but that's not too important), if you want to play metal. If you stick with guitar long enough that you decide to spring for a slightly better amp (think like $100 range, my 15-watt Marshall was around there when I bought it), I'd recommend also picking up a distortion pedal, which can be around $40 for a cheaper one. Nearly all solid-state amps do a really poor job getting any sort of distortion sound you'd want for metal, you really either need a nice tube amp (which is very pricey) or a pedal. Either way, though, I wouldn't worry too much about tone. Just focus on playing the notes as cleanly as possible until you're willing to drop $100-$200 to get a semi-acceptable tone... it's never gonna sound the way you want until you've been playing for five years and have dropped $1000+ on your kit anyway. I've also heard rumors about those entry-level strats having really bad pickup shielding and just poor wiring overall, so that could be contributing as well. Again, not really something to worry about, though; you're going to need to buy a new guitar if you end up getting serious about it anyway, especially if you want to play metal (single coil bridge pickup? nowai). That song is fast as shit, I couldn't play it for like a year and a half o_O Well as far as metal goes it's sorta simple : o maybe a little fast alright but the chord progressions are really easy and it's an easy structure.I'd say "For Whom The Bell Tolls" is a good place to start to begin to learn metal songs, although i did find some of your suggestions perhaps tricky for someone just learning. I dunno I sorta had to figure out all my metal play myself cos I was too lazy to use tabs (couldn't read them for fuck) and the teacher i was going to was more interested in teaching me blues and traditional irish music and stuff (he didn't really have the right hand technique down for metal). Not that this was bad for me cos it taught me to use my ear a lot and gave me a lot of ideas for writing my own stuff ^^ Oh also forgot to mention superbarnie, about pics. Pick whatever you're comfortable with, a friend of mine (in a heavy/thrash metal band) still uses dunlop .72s which are really really floppy for me. Personally I prefer to play with jazz 3's cos they're very accurate and really really aggressive. Amp wise when you're looking to upgrade the peavey valveking is worth having a look-at (the combos are quite good) I use one (can't afford/fit a stack I'm afraid) and if you're willing to do a bit of work or get a few pedals they can sound absolutely fantastic. They sound great with a good visual EQ, this is all sorta down the line for you though if you're just starting out ^^ | ||
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Deleted User 255289
281 Posts
Btw, what are pedals for? | ||
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Elsid
Ireland318 Posts
On August 25 2012 12:58 superbarnie wrote: another question, should I keep my left thumb on the back of the neck of the guitar out not? Btw, what are pedals for? The left thumb thing is debatable amongst guitarists. Personally I think you should always try to have your thumb around the middle of the back of the neck. Of course there are times when it'll rise a little bit (rising pentatonics on the 12th springs to mind, a lot of peoples thumb comes over or gets higher then). The general idea is that your hand has most of it's stretch with the thumb at the middle of the neck, whereas it can be harder to maneuver if your thumb is higher. That however is not to say that a guitarist who has his thumb higher or above the neck is bad, there's plenty of fantastic guitarists who have their thumb over. I however have seen friends struggle to play certain note groupings and stuff with high thumbs (although that could have also just been a lack of practice of the groupings). So in general if you want cleaner technique try to keep it around the middle of the neck at all times. Be aware however that sometimes it will rise and not all of these cases are bad. On to pedals, pedals are for changing your sound essentially. People buy distortion pedals, eq pedals, delay pedals, wah pedals, flange pedals etc. Personally I don't really use any, I want to get an EQ at some point because they really do great things if you know what you want your sound to be. If you're playing gigs owning a distortion pedal is handy as you won't always be playing on your own amp, and the distortion pedal helps if you know generally what it sounds like and how to get the sounds you want out of it. I wouldn't fret(savage pun) about pedals too much for now, a lot of less experienced guitarists just buy pedals because there's this whole idea that they'll bring you to the next level. It is pretty false, pedals are completely non-essential for practice and unless you're playing gigs or playing with a band often/recording they often aren't worth the money they cost. | ||
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corpuscle
United States1967 Posts
On August 25 2012 22:07 Elsid wrote: On to pedals, pedals are for changing your sound essentially. People buy distortion pedals, eq pedals, delay pedals, wah pedals, flange pedals etc. Personally I don't really use any, I want to get an EQ at some point because they really do great things if you know what you want your sound to be. If you're playing gigs owning a distortion pedal is handy as you won't always be playing on your own amp, and the distortion pedal helps if you know generally what it sounds like and how to get the sounds you want out of it. I wouldn't fret(savage pun) about pedals too much for now, a lot of less experienced guitarists just buy pedals because there's this whole idea that they'll bring you to the next level. It is pretty false, pedals are completely non-essential for practice and unless you're playing gigs or playing with a band often/recording they often aren't worth the money they cost. I'd argue that they're useful for people who have a bad amp and don't want to drop the money to get a better one. I haven't even heard a sub-$200 amp that has anything close to an acceptable distortion, you can get a much better tone by just spending $50 on a pedal and $100 on the amp. I do agree they're their not essential, but if you're playing to have fun, it's definitely more fun to sound good. They're also quieter if you're trying to keep your volume down and still get acceptable distortion. | ||
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Elsid
Ireland318 Posts
On August 26 2012 00:21 corpuscle wrote: I'd argue that they're useful for people who have a bad amp and don't want to drop the money to get a better one. I haven't even heard a sub-$200 amp that has anything close to an acceptable distortion, you can get a much better tone by just spending $50 on a pedal and $100 on the amp. I do agree they're their not essential, but if you're playing to have fun, it's definitely more fun to sound good. They're also quieter if you're trying to keep your volume down and still get acceptable distortion. Well it is handy do have a pedal that you know the sound of. Spose a good distortion pedal doesn't hurt, but i'd still go for a better amp first. | ||
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Deleted User 255289
281 Posts
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Elsid
Ireland318 Posts
On August 26 2012 06:57 superbarnie wrote: so basically since my amp sucks so much I should buy a pedal for distortion? I'd say fuck that and get a better amp myself, but it is up to yourself ^^ How long have you been playing? | ||
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corpuscle
United States1967 Posts
On August 26 2012 06:57 superbarnie wrote: so basically since my amp sucks so much I should buy a pedal for distortion? Not with your amp... as they say, you can't polish a turd. What a pedal does is modify the signal coming into the amp (you connect it to your guitar, and then the pedal to the amp), but if your amp is too shitty to make any sort of nice sound, it's just a waste. I'd say wait until you upgrade your amp to something that's $150-200, and then consider a pedal if you still don't like the tone you're getting from the standard OD. | ||
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blabber
United States4448 Posts
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mindjames
Israel323 Posts
On August 31 2012 06:35 blabber wrote: what's the best way to go about bending two strings (ex. the 2nd and 3rd string) at the same time? Probably with your third finger barring both of them. If you don't wanna bend them at the same fret, use your third and pinky, or whatever works for you. | ||
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corpuscle
United States1967 Posts
On August 31 2012 06:43 RezJ wrote: Probably with your third finger barring both of them. If you don't wanna bend them at the same fret, use your third and pinky, or whatever works for you. I find that it helps for the bigger bends if you use both your second and third fingers, assuming you have it free. As with single-string bends, it helps for overall control if you can use more than one finger, and double-string bends take twice as much finger strength. edit: to clarify, I don't mean using one finger on each string, I mean barring both at the same time | ||
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Cycle
United States300 Posts
On August 31 2012 06:35 blabber wrote: what's the best way to go about bending two strings (ex. the 2nd and 3rd string) at the same time? The best way to bed two strings is to put one finger on each string, and then bend them both. If you try barring it requires more force to grip the strings to make sure the higher-pitched string doesn't slip out. | ||
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corpuscle
United States1967 Posts
On August 31 2012 09:12 Cycle wrote: The best way to bed two strings is to put one finger on each string, and then bend them both. If you try barring it requires more force to grip the strings to make sure the higher-pitched string doesn't slip out. This works, but you'll run into problems trying to play certain licks... I'd recommend just practicing doing it by barring. | ||
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heroyi
United States1064 Posts
I fear the soap they use will destroy any calluses that i try to develop. I would like to continue to play my guitar but my fingers prove to be too soft and thus i cant hold the strings down despite using all my strength. Also as mentioned previously my nails are to elongated which deters me to play my guitar even more so | ||
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