Page 1 of 2

Guitar

PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 8:31 pm
by Steve-O
I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing here.
Besides the odd air guitar solo, I've never touched one before.

So what's the fastest way to learn how to play one?
My boss has been begging me for some time to pick one up so we can jam together.
And that's kind of what I've done.

Now I know what you're think, have him teach me.
But I've tried that... not a very good teacher.

Re: Guitar

PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 9:58 pm
by Stormtropper
Scales...

...practice them until your hands fall off...

...don't expect to get good quickly either...

...its like typing, you sure as hell won't get it in one day.

Re: Guitar

PostPosted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 6:30 am
by Fozzer
Being able to play a musical instrument is generally a gift....

..you either have it... :-*...

..or you don't... :'(...!

If you don't, then you will quickly realise it....or other will rapidly tell you!...

..and it will be hard work...all down the line....Trust me... :-[...!

Paul....Born with "The Gift".... [smiley=2vrolijk_08.gif]..... 8-)....!

Give it a try...you may be one of the lucky ones!... ;)...!

Fozzer's Tip Of The Day: Practice on the PIANO...FIRST...!!

(Scales, and intervals).

Re: Guitar

PostPosted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 7:38 am
by Mictheslik

Fozzer's Tip Of The Day: Practice on the PIANO...FIRST...!!



Mics tip of the day....forget the piano...it's cheating. Learn a decent instrument such as the Violin...then you can play in orchestras :D

.mic

Re: Guitar

PostPosted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 7:53 am
by Fozzer

Fozzer's Tip Of The Day: Practice on the PIANO...FIRST...!!



Mics tip of the day....forget the piano...it's cheating. Learn a decent instrument such as the Violin...then you can play in orchestras :D

.mic


If you practice on a Violin, Trumpet, Drums, or Clarinet, you will very quickly get evicted from your property...
....trust me...;)...

....had to suffer it from nearby neighbours.... :'(...!

(I've destroyed most of them now! ....The Neighbours and their practice instruments!)...;)...!

Paul... ;D...!

Re: Guitar

PostPosted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 8:26 am
by ATI_7500
Just teach yourself playing it.

I guess that's how it's done nowadays.



Bj

Re: Guitar

PostPosted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 10:19 am
by Steve-O
So I'm going to have to just harden up; and practice, practice, practice.
Oh well, figured as much. After all, I didn't learn the sax overnight either.

Re: Guitar

PostPosted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 12:46 pm
by EGNX
I play piano and guitar... I self taught my self piano from the age of around 6 up to quite a good standard... and when I was 14 I decided I wanted to 'rock' a little so I bought myself and electric guitar and self taught myself that aswell... From playing the piano it was definitely a lot easier to pick up the guitar... a bit like transferring from fixed wings to choppers... it took time but the same principals were there....  ;)

Re: Guitar

PostPosted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 2:30 pm
by Fozzer
I play piano and guitar... I self taught my self piano from the age of around 6 up to quite a good standard... and when I was 14 I decided I wanted to 'rock' a little so I bought myself and electric guitar and self taught myself that aswell... From playing the piano it was definitely a lot easier to pick up the guitar... a bit like transferring from fixed wings to choppers... it took time but the same principals were there....  ;)


The Piano...

...definitely...;)...

The black and white keys are laid out in a horizontal line in front of you....

...so it is easy to learn the scales, and intervals between notes...

You then apply the same procedure to the guitar fret board....

...and most other instruments, by LISTENING to the notes and intervals between them... :)...!

Paul...You hum it...I'll play it... ;)...!

Re: Guitar

PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 8:58 am
by flyboy 28
If you practice on.... ....Drums.... ....you will very quickly get evicted from your property...


I've had the police called on me because I wouldn't stop practicing my marching snare rudiments. Then again, it was eleven at night. Maybe not the best idea... :)

Re: Guitar

PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 3:18 pm
by dcunning30
If you want to learn guitar, you can buy books, peruse websites, watch videos, or just self discover.

Re: Guitar

PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 3:21 pm
by dcunning30
Commentary on the piano, it's an excellent instrument to study musical theory on and compose on, however it doesn't offer any shortcuts to learning guitar, save for the theory you've learned on the piano.  But theory as applied to piano is different as applied to guitar.

As Fozzer stated, the piano is layed out in a linear fashion.  The guitar is not.  When you are sight reading, applying the sheet to the keys is far simpler than onto the strings.  With the guitar, you can play the exact same phrase in about 3 different places.  Where do you choose?  And from each note, you can either play the phrase in a box pattern, or up and down the neck on a string, OR a combination of both techniques.

Commentary on violin, although it's a stringed instrument, it offers little in leverage to the guitar.

Re: Guitar

PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 9:40 pm
by Apex
I've been a guitarist for 43 years, and taught guitar for 7 years in the 70's.  I've also had 7 years of intense keyboard training on the classical level.

There is no "fast" way to learn guitar.  My teaching experience saw all types and ages of students.  Everyone learned at a different rate.  The ones who kept at it, that is.  However, seeking out a decent teacher is not a bad idea.  An instructor can show you shorts cuts and tricks that would take you a longer time to learn.  Videos and books can also be helpful.

Whereas, especially for young starters, knowledge of keyboards would be an asset, even if you were a pianist, it would not help learning guitar.  The guitar is intially perceived as a physical or motor control challenge, and playing chords and licks etc. takes time to grasp technically, as does the layout of the fretboard and how chords and scales relate.  The piano is linear and repeats chord patterns and scales every octave.  The guitar fretboard is a matrix with many different ways to play what are essentially the same chords and scales.  Also, there are many different ways to play the guitar; technique can be varied, even within the context of the same kind of music.  Learning different techniques also takes time.

Read dcunning30's posts carefully.

Be very patient.  What you practice today may not make sense for many weeks.  Just practice regularly each day.  They who learn slowly learn well.

Re: Guitar

PostPosted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 2:27 pm
by Politically Incorrect
What Dcunning and Apex said. PRACTICE!

Don't just try to shred, that is when you learn bad techniques that will last forever, start out slow, arrange practice time each day preferably the same amount or more and around the same time. Even 15 minutes a day will help you improve.
Grab a good teacher, learn some basics, join a group of friends and just jam. But most important have FUN!

You won't progress if your not enjoying it, don't get discouraged you will find that you will never sound like your guitar heroes, Practice and fun those are the keys.

Re: Guitar

PostPosted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 4:26 pm
by dcunning30
I've spent many years working out my technique to sound like this guy.  Personally, I think he's the best guitar hero ever.  I'm almost as good as him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alY43qMvxM0