Hello... A guitar learner
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Lusaka_Guitarist
Member
Hello. Welcome to the forum. With guitar, it's easy for one to develop bad playing habits and to eventually reach stagnation (what we call the plateau experience). To avoid that, one has to learn guitar technique step by step. If you are going to learn it by yourself, get yourself a good guitar method book that will take you from absolute beginner level through to higher levels. Good method books also have music theory lessons (some come with DVDs and CDs).
If you can afford a teacher, get one. Also note that a method book is 'a must have' (even when you have a teacher) coz method books have well thought out exercises meant to develop you playing.
Finally, I must also emphasize that you learn some music theory. Music theory prepares you to reach high levels of playing and helps one to avoid the frustrating plateau experience.
Advice and help is available on this site so feel at home and post your questions.
Lovemore Nanjaya.:guitar:
If you can afford a teacher, get one. Also note that a method book is 'a must have' (even when you have a teacher) coz method books have well thought out exercises meant to develop you playing.
Finally, I must also emphasize that you learn some music theory. Music theory prepares you to reach high levels of playing and helps one to avoid the frustrating plateau experience.
Advice and help is available on this site so feel at home and post your questions.
Lovemore Nanjaya.:guitar:
EddieRUKiddingVare
New member
What ever you do - don't try my blogs, unless you want peoples ears hurt when you play guitar............
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John Watt
Member
This is the most serious and musically astute, and historic, advice anyone can give you about playing a six string guitar.
Please, look up Orville Gibson, who in 1850 began Gibson guitars.
He played a guitar he built for himself, being left-handed, and his bass strings were at the bottom of the fretboard.
Like a violinist or cellist, or a contra-euphonic valve instrument, and a piano, the bass is left and the highs are right.
I believe a left-handed person invented the guitar as we know it, and righties turned it upside down.
Mr. George Benson laughed a lot, sitting with me in his dressing room, taking turns with his guitar, but he agreed it could be true.
He described playing the high E as "scrunching up your fingers", making any note use difficult,
compared to reaching across the fret-board where your fingers can move freely in any direction,
and if you are bending the strings you are reaching across to pull them down, a natural movement,
not trying to get the end of your finger on them to push them, when reaching across allows fingertips to bottoms.
When Jeff Healey's drummer called me over to meet Jeff, sitting in his local bar,
Jeff thought I was sitting with my guitar on my lap like him, pulling big bends as he did.
Jimi Hendrix also played bass on the bottom and right-handed, trying to do it all.
The best thing about playing with bass on the bottom is that your barre chord finger is reaching up to the highs,
so the bottom pad of your finger, the strongest part, is holding the bass down, or is positioned over it, all the time.
Your fingertips are better positioned to play the high strings, where you want your best dexterity.
Imagine playing chords where, if you want, you can just move your hand so the bass notes are pressed down,
and if you're using feedback where you have to dampen any string you aren't fingering,
that just happens naturally with a hand movement, not the use of individual fingers.
Even if you're not musical with barre chords yet,
all you have to do is try holding the strings down both ways to see bass on the bottom feels more effortless.
There's a reason why electric lead guitarists haven't reached the acclaim of being considered as virtuosos,
and I know, as one of the first symphonic-electric guitarists, that having to scrunch up your fingers is why.
If that's not true, I'm going to have to order a custom made left-handed piano,
or turn my photo of Nicolo Paganini around to make him look like he's playing the other way.
After-edit additions!
You know how some classical guitarists can never use their little to middle fingers, the three of them,
to pick a high string quickly, making fast notes, despite practicing this co-ordination all their lives?
That's easy to do the first time you try, using your thumb to middle finger, highs on top.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNgSeJzLJFc
Here's the Gypsy Kings! See the lefties and see who is playing bass on the bottom.
I know, I know, bass on the bottom, highs on top, what a concept!
And yes, you can still play guitar real easy and still have the blues.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gopiZc1F_Yk
Please, look up Orville Gibson, who in 1850 began Gibson guitars.
He played a guitar he built for himself, being left-handed, and his bass strings were at the bottom of the fretboard.
Like a violinist or cellist, or a contra-euphonic valve instrument, and a piano, the bass is left and the highs are right.
I believe a left-handed person invented the guitar as we know it, and righties turned it upside down.
Mr. George Benson laughed a lot, sitting with me in his dressing room, taking turns with his guitar, but he agreed it could be true.
He described playing the high E as "scrunching up your fingers", making any note use difficult,
compared to reaching across the fret-board where your fingers can move freely in any direction,
and if you are bending the strings you are reaching across to pull them down, a natural movement,
not trying to get the end of your finger on them to push them, when reaching across allows fingertips to bottoms.
When Jeff Healey's drummer called me over to meet Jeff, sitting in his local bar,
Jeff thought I was sitting with my guitar on my lap like him, pulling big bends as he did.
Jimi Hendrix also played bass on the bottom and right-handed, trying to do it all.
The best thing about playing with bass on the bottom is that your barre chord finger is reaching up to the highs,
so the bottom pad of your finger, the strongest part, is holding the bass down, or is positioned over it, all the time.
Your fingertips are better positioned to play the high strings, where you want your best dexterity.
Imagine playing chords where, if you want, you can just move your hand so the bass notes are pressed down,
and if you're using feedback where you have to dampen any string you aren't fingering,
that just happens naturally with a hand movement, not the use of individual fingers.
Even if you're not musical with barre chords yet,
all you have to do is try holding the strings down both ways to see bass on the bottom feels more effortless.
There's a reason why electric lead guitarists haven't reached the acclaim of being considered as virtuosos,
and I know, as one of the first symphonic-electric guitarists, that having to scrunch up your fingers is why.
If that's not true, I'm going to have to order a custom made left-handed piano,
or turn my photo of Nicolo Paganini around to make him look like he's playing the other way.
After-edit additions!
You know how some classical guitarists can never use their little to middle fingers, the three of them,
to pick a high string quickly, making fast notes, despite practicing this co-ordination all their lives?
That's easy to do the first time you try, using your thumb to middle finger, highs on top.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNgSeJzLJFc
Here's the Gypsy Kings! See the lefties and see who is playing bass on the bottom.
I know, I know, bass on the bottom, highs on top, what a concept!
And yes, you can still play guitar real easy and still have the blues.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gopiZc1F_Yk
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butt
New member
Well thank you all for your great great suggestions.. It will help me alot.. also I found this one
http://www.bandjamit.com
What you guys think about it... I think is the perfect site to take start
http://www.bandjamit.com
What you guys think about it... I think is the perfect site to take start
JHC
Chief assistant to the assistant chief
Any kind of music education would be good for rock musicians
John Watt
Member
Hey, hey now! Let's be fair!
When's the last time you saw a symphony get through a performance without sheet music?
Rock music had a lot to offer, the electronic sounds and recording techniques,
that all radio, TV and movies use now.
It's too bad life has become more about the technology you own,
or all musicians would find more gigs waiting for them, out there.
The best musical background begins in your youth, with singing in the choir.
When's the last time you saw a symphony get through a performance without sheet music?
Rock music had a lot to offer, the electronic sounds and recording techniques,
that all radio, TV and movies use now.
It's too bad life has become more about the technology you own,
or all musicians would find more gigs waiting for them, out there.
The best musical background begins in your youth, with singing in the choir.
John Watt
Member
JHC! Yeah, if you were here you'd see me doing the hook in the mouth thing,
or doing the reeling you in motion like I'm the fish.
If we were walking along the shore debating music,
I'd even do the seaweed in the nose like snot, blowing it all over you.
That would really make you laugh.
I have to defend the rock music scene, those six and three-nighters in bars,
even if it's gone. Why?
Because you gave a lot of your life travelling around, just to play onstage for a living.
It wasn't about historic or beloved traditional or cultural sheet music, it was about our lives together,
even if the party got carried away and the music and gigs faded away.
At least I'm not an educated, sheet-reading studio pro in the big band jazz era,
sixteen or eighteen musicians touring in a bus, playing dances and concerts,
watching a quartet of hillbillies with electric guitars and amplifiers and three chord songs,
taking the gigs away.
or doing the reeling you in motion like I'm the fish.
If we were walking along the shore debating music,
I'd even do the seaweed in the nose like snot, blowing it all over you.
That would really make you laugh.
I have to defend the rock music scene, those six and three-nighters in bars,
even if it's gone. Why?
Because you gave a lot of your life travelling around, just to play onstage for a living.
It wasn't about historic or beloved traditional or cultural sheet music, it was about our lives together,
even if the party got carried away and the music and gigs faded away.
At least I'm not an educated, sheet-reading studio pro in the big band jazz era,
sixteen or eighteen musicians touring in a bus, playing dances and concerts,
watching a quartet of hillbillies with electric guitars and amplifiers and three chord songs,
taking the gigs away.
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JHC
Chief assistant to the assistant chief
I dont know how to reply to that John but I dont use barbed hooks so you are free to spit it out.
John the best thing that I got out of playing was the bonding of the musicians in whatever trio or band you happened to be with at the time, a guitar is OK for playing by yourself but with D Bass, Flute or Clarinet you get tired of being by yourself in a room you just have to be with others.
Yep I know and understand what you are feeling a lot of people say they play Guitar and in fact can manage just a few chords but get away with it. The UK club scene of the 50s was a gold mine for young inexperienced musicians (me) they had the chance to play clubs, dances, cafés etc with a variety of combos to get hands on experience, the good old days eh.
We once had a guy in the audience (Jazz club) ask if he could sit in for a few numbers which was a very common thing in those days so the boss said ok the guy sat down with his Guitar and it had a Capo fitted! this was the first time I had seen one and had to ask what it was, to day I believe it is quite common.
SotosOpeth
New member
Hello dude!Welcome!JamPlay site was some great lessons.Wish you the best
JackStuart
New member
The link which you have shared is nice you can also have a look at Kenny Hill’s Performance https://youtu.be/6vy14r0v-zU for getting more tips.