Learning guitar: Advice/Tips.

[troutman]

http://www.chordbook.com/guitarchords.php

[troutman]

Name the guitar players.

[cral12]

Practice - let Allen Iverson (video) tell ya...wait a minute...

[troutman]

http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/jam.php

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[blazingZepplin]

Before i was just an ordinary dude who does not know any instruments to play. I always imagine myself playing along while the music is playing. Most of the time i put the volume way up and close the door and just pretend i'm slash or kurt cobain bashing my guitar. Now... I don't want to bash my guitar because she's my baby and also very expensive if you love it, you will learn it

[troutman]

Anyone try Rock Prodigy?

https://www.facebook.com/RockProdigy

Rock Prodigy is the amazing, patented, effective way to learn guitar. It’s fun, sometimes challenging, but always awesome. For PC, Mac, or iOS, you’ll experience innovative teaching methods to teach you guitar in a way that’s accessible, simple and fun. Our method combines lessons, exercises, challenges, riffs, songs, videos, photos, diagrams, descriptions, and more all in a personalized learning path that tracks your progress.

You both see and hear which note to play. The app listens and gives you immediate feedback. You’re awarded points for playing or singing correctly. It’s fun and as immersive and effective as having a teacher there with you.

[Hack&Lube]

It would be good to find some kind of software to teach my systems, modes, scales, etc. so I could have more in my repertoire than memorizing one scale on the entire fretboard and then just moving it up and down if songs change keys.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

It would be good to find some kind of software to teach my systems, modes, scales, etc. so I could have more in my repertoire than memorizing one scale on the entire fretboard and then just moving it up and down if songs change keys.

Rock Prodigy might do something like that?

http://rockprodigy.com/blog/2012/10

[rotten42]

My tips:

1) Play...a lot.......play every day.
2) Pick a couple simple songs you would like to learn and play along. (tabs)
3) Don't play on too sh*itty a guitar. Honestly it will hold you back if it is a brick.
4) If you want to become a good player start learning your theory. If you want to be a casual player then just play a lot.
5) Find other people to jam with. This might make you improve faster than anything else.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by rotten42

My tips:


5) Find other people to jam with. This might make you improve faster than anything else.

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...ht=husker+mary

Let's do this!

[fanman]

Pick up a cheap stand and leave your guitar out in the open, in whatever room you use most. It seems like a small thing but you'll pick it up way more often than if it's in a case.

Try playing along to any songs that you like. That's probably why you started anyway, so roll with it.

There's a lot of free music sheet and tab websites online that are great for learning your favourite songs. Use them, often.

Don't be afraid to experiment. Any chance you have to jam with another musician, take it. You can pick up a lot of little details and tricks by playing with and watching someone else. Especially if they like to play a style/genre that you're not typically into. New techniques and ideas are good.

Every once in a while try to learn a song from a group that you don't listen to a lot, or even from a style that you've never tried before. It can be surprisingly fun and again you'll pick up some new things that you wouldn't normally think of.

Don't get frustrated if you can't get that riff you really wanted to play down right away. Just have fun and don't give up!

That's all I can think of now. There's a lot of good tips in this thread so good luck and strum away.

[AcGold]

music theory is only a language for describing what's happening. Most really good music has notes that make intriguing sequences that don't necessarily follow any theory and often times a note out of key that completely changes the theoretical situation makes the song much more unique and memorable. If you think in the box all the time you won't ever actually learn to play, you'll learn to imitate. One exercise I recommend is to pick a random note or chord and find a few complimenting notes that you can turn into music that sounds pleasing to you. If someone can't take 2 or 3 notes, sometimes even just 1, and make it sound good then they aren't really a musician. Learn to play musically by doing whatever sounds good to your ear, don't get stuck in patterns and keys for hours. Of course learning theory is good, but learn to also create music that is not based out of theory you already know but something you think sounds good using on the tools you have.

[rotten42]

Originally Posted by AcGold

music theory is only a language for describing what's happening. Most really good music has notes that make intriguing sequences that don't necessarily follow any theory and often times a note out of key that completely changes the theoretical situation makes the song much more unique and memorable. If you think in the box all the time you won't ever actually learn to play, you'll learn to imitate. One exercise I recommend is to pick a random note or chord and find a few complimenting notes that you can turn into music that sounds pleasing to you. If someone can't take 2 or 3 notes, sometimes even just 1, and make it sound good then they aren't really a musician. Learn to play musically by doing whatever sounds good to your ear, don't get stuck in patterns and keys for hours. Of course learning theory is good, but learn to also create music that is not based out of theory you already know but something you think sounds good using on the tools you have.

It depends on what kind of music you want to play. The more improvisation you get into the more you need the basic tools (theory) to accomplish it. I remember being taught by a Professor Warren Rowley in high school. He taught us to learn every single scale inside and out, frontwards and backwards.........then forget them and just play. The point being that once you learn that stuff it becomes second nature and it will become a part of your playing style.

[rotten42]

Originally Posted by fanman

Pick up a cheap stand and leave your guitar out in the open, in whatever room you use most. It seems like a small thing but you'll pick it up way more often than if it's in a case.

yup......always have my guitars in the living room. I play them a lot while watching sports.

[AcGold]

what kind of strat is that?

[jayswin]

Out of curiosity, where does everyone go for tabs on the internet? It seems a lot of the good ones have been shut down. www.wultimate-guitar.com is the only one I know of, but it seems to offer mostly "guitar pro" and "power tab" versions of songs, which you have to pay for and then it plays the songs for you or something.

I'm looking for a site with just straight up, user submitted (hopefully user submitted as in they submitted the actual tab from a tab book lol) tabs with a huge selection of songs.

[btimbit]

I always use ultimate-guitar and guitar pro. I don't remember having to pay for it though.

I know Power Tabs is free (or used to be) but it isn't quite as good.

What I did pay for and am happy with is their app. Using it on my tablet to learn new songs is great. I think it was $3

[JBR]

I've purchased an xbox 360 and Rocksmith. Works great for me. Learning cool songs and is fun.

[jayswin]

Okay, then I present my next question; Where do I find that special guitar cable that plugs into the Xbox 360? I have Rocksmith, and yet to try it, then when I moved that cable disappeared.

If there was somewhere local to pick one up for a decent price, I'd probably grab one and try it out.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by troutman

Name the guitar players.

I'll give it a go.

Row One: Frank Zappa, George Harrison, Saul "Slash" Hudson, Jimmi Hendrix, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Stevie Ray Vaughn
Row Two: Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Brian May, Johnny Ramone, Jack White, David "The Edge" Evans, Chuck Berry
Row Three: Angus Young, Pete Townsend, Tommy Iommi, Eddie Van Halen, ???, Ace Frehley, ???
Row Four: Duane Allman, Kirk Hammett, Carlos Santana, ???, Yngwie Malmsteen, Kurt Cobain, ???
Row Five: Jerry Garcia, Ry Cooder, Bo Diddly, Jeff Beck, Tom Morello, Brian Seltzer, ???