learning guitar

[mrnicksta]

ok, so i know this thread may not exactly be in line with the topics usually found in this forum - but its about music, so what the hell!

i have been wanting to learn an instrument forever, primarily piano. however i have had a problem finding a good piano teacher and didn't necessarily want to pay a lot of money upfront for a piano. so anyway, i recently acquired a guitar, amp and various other guitar related bits and bobs (a fender squire strat if anyone is interested. and kindly donated by my father if anyone is further interested lol).

i was also given a number of pieces of "learn guitar" software. though i'm going to start with what i have for now, i wish to get teach myself not just about the guitar but about music itself also.

i am asking this on the assumption that at least one person here plays guitar and probably

so i was wondering, can anyone recommend any good books/software/ebooks/websites/other resources which will help me not only learn guitar but also music too (though whatever is recommended doesn't necessarily have to do both, one or the other is great!) :)

if anyone is going to post software or an ebook or something in response, could you please post in the respective forums in the goldmine, and put a link to them

thanks in advance

[mrnicksta]

bump! i find it very hard to believe we don't have one guitar player amongst the ranks?!

[xeno6919]

Sorry, I picked to learn how to play drums instead :-P

[tehbeetlepwn]

Sorry, I picked to learn how to play drums instead :-P

Lol, same here, though I will be acquiring a bass and possibly a friend's guitar within the next few months.

[Slashe50]

I play guitar, but I'm self taught with many sources scattered around the internet and in various books in my house and at the library.

There's the Rockhousemethod, which you have to pay for, but is sometimes pretty helpful. The book is pretty useful, with techniques, leads, and rhythm patterns and two CDs of the lessons.T he website is a goldmine, with riffs and other lessons by musicians from all genres. Well worth the $14.95, and you can probably find it free online (Rudi?)
http://www.rockhousemethod.com/

You could probably find various lessons on ultimate-guitar.com deep within their archives. It's pretty in-depth.

And, that's not my guitar in my signature, although sure as hell I'd like one. Dean Explosion Razorbacks are awesome.

[stereoblind]

i played guitar for 2 years.
i quit to focus on vocals in my band :)

[Rudolf]

I am tone deaf and devoid of any musical talent. :(

The last time I picked up a Guitar and started to play, men dressed fully in black appeared out of nowhere and put a cover over my head. Next thing I knew I had electrodes placed on my genitals and was given the option to never play again or the voltage would be increased.

Needless to say, I only agreed to never play again because their generator gave out. :lol:

[soulpimp]

ya i play guitar as well and my stuff is sort of jst all around the place i had proper teaching in school abit but that was crap so i jst ended up doing all tabs and chords and learned all that myself in the end but if you want check out Your in the band thats the book we used jst to sort of teach the notes but besides that i find it pretty useless

[mrnicksta]

lol well cheers for the help slashe, appreciated. i've since had a look around the web, and found a few good websites for music theory, primarily:

www.musictheory.net

that site is good cos it's all done in flash which allows concepts to be put across a lot better through animation and sound :) also, you can download the whole site as a zip!

also found a really good website for tabs (yes, i know there's a million of others also!).

www.songsterr.com

it has a lot of big artists, organised nicely into beginner, intermediate and advanced difficulties. but the best thing about this site is the fact that it not just gives the tabs, it allows you to play the songs, whilst following the tablature! very nice feature in case you're not sure on timing. plus the tablature is given as nice images instead of just typed up like you'll find on most sites :)

hope these help someone else as they have me!

[Cacteur]

I've played guitar since I was a kid. Like most Maori, I learn't through watching and listening to all the cuzzie bro's playing. and singing at parties.

We all started off using basic three chords to play rhythm to party songs. (C,F,G or A,G,D, E,A,D.) You'll find you can do most songs like that. Before long you gain proficiency and pick up a few lead riffs. Maybe find some guitar tabulature and begin to use more complex chords, minor's, diminished, and 7's etc.

After a while you're kneeling on the floor screaming out lead breaks and bashing heavy riffs like a pro....

I've played in a couple of bands in my day, heavy blues rock outfits. Nothing big time but we were regulars on the Auckland pub circuit around the early eighties. Punk was big time then, and we used to have big Bootboy Vs Rocker nights where punks and old rockers would dance between scrapping each other. Fuck me, they were awesome nights man... brilliant fun. :evil2:

Still can't read music, and don't have a solid body electric anymore, but have an old Eko, and a relatively modern Washburn, both with pickups, so I can still make it wail... :thumbsup:

Best way to learn is to play man.... play, play, play, and then play some more. I'm not so sure about the value of vids and books, but even if you use them, play heaps, like 8 hours a day. That's the real secret.:D

[tcald95]

I play alot of guitar.....i started off playing Nevershoutnever!
he uses alot of basic chords and once u learn those u can start looking up tabs and stuff
a good site to learn chords is
www.chordfind.com

[mrnicksta]

@cacteur, yes of course practice practice practice is the way to get really good, but i don't just want to learn to play guitar, i want to learn to play music, so i wanna get my head buried in some theory too :)

i'm being careful to try and play as well as study tho, so i'll get there soon enough

the funny thing is i started playing guitar originally when i was like 7 years old for about 2-3 years and then i quit (as children do!), and i can't remember a single thing. i really wish i hadn't quit cos i would have been playing for 15+ years by now and would be incredible. ah well, back to the start :lol:

[Slashe50]

If you wanna get your "head buried in theory" then you should go here:

http://www.8notes.com/theory/

The first couple lessons are obvious if you have some informal training in music, but the rest should help.

Also, for guitar music theory:

http://www.cyberfret.com/theory/index.php

There's scales, chord theory, ect. I still have yet to learn all of this, and I probably won't until I get more serious about music, so don't start studying up now.

[Slashe50]

Best way to learn is to play man.... play, play, play, and then play some more. I'm not so sure about the value of vids and books, but even if you use them, play heaps, like 8 hours a day. That's the real secret.:D

My philosophy on that kind of thing is that you should play as much as you want to, any time you like. That way, it doesn't feel like you have to do it and it's a forced thing, and it's more fun and experimental that way. Of course, this could end up getting inconsistent, but it works for me.

[Kenshi]

i used to play cello 4 years ago but i got kicked out of class, i wish i would have started back up the following year, because now i tried last year and had NO IDEA how to play and it was mid year so they didnt let me play cuz i didnt know how, :/ so now i got to wait until i get enough money to buy one to learn, but that is of course after the turntable so im thinking maybe in a couple years ill get one.

but i think you should play MORE than you want to. practice makes perfect, i am lazy and somedays i dont want to write or dont want to record but i know i need to keep doing that in order to progress so i suggest you get into the habit of everyday practice make it something you would regret deeply at the end of the day if you missed doing it

[Slashe50]

Agh, I play cello, and mi padre et me madre are forcing me to keep at it 'till senior year.

[Cacteur]

@cacteur, yes of course practice practice practice is the way to get really good, ........

My philosophy on that kind of thing is that you should play as much as you want to, any time you like. That way, it doesn't feel like you have to do it and it's a forced thing, and it's more fun and experimental that way. Of course, this could end up getting inconsistent, but it works for me.

Who said anything about practise. I said play. I never had to force myself to play, I had to force myself to stop so I could eat and sleep. Ya gotta have the luuurve man. Maybe there's a message here for ya....;)

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/qq122/Cacteur/0019.gif

[Slashe50]

I do have the luuuuve, it's just occasionally I don't feel like playing too much.

Is that a Yamaha? They're pretty nice guitars.

[Cacteur]

Sorry guy's. It sounds a bit like I'm giving ya'll shit and that's not my intention. I am serious about playing a lot though. If you want to be serious about playing, you've got to take it seriously. Treat it like a hobby and that's all it will ever be for you... a hobby.

As for learning music theory mrnicksta, if you play enough you will inevitably learn it. Maybe not so much reading music, but the mathematically magic logic, that is behind all good music will reveal itself to you on the fret board. I watched my heroes playing, picked up their chord progressions, saw where they played their lead breaks. You'll learn a lot that way. I really don't think you can learn much off these second rate (so called) axemen that sell learn to play DVD's and teach you generic Rock n Roll riffs and chord progressions.:thumbdown:

Whatever route you take, and whatever you hope to achieve, I wish y'all well. Music is my life man, and it's guitar playing that taught me it's true magic. :thumbsup:

....
Is that a Yamaha? They're pretty nice guitars.

It's a Les Paul Slashe. They're pretty nice guitars 'n' all mate.. :D

[Slashe50]

That's most certainly not a Les Paul. Les Pauls have one cutaway, that one has two. The pickup selector is above the fretboard, not near the knobs. They also have rectangular jackplates, not football ones.

EDIT: Sorry if I sounded like a prick on that one, I get carried away with guitaritry. >.<

[Kenshi]

i have the love once i start i dont want to stop, but its normally the starting that i put off for a little bit, its mostly video games tho that make me not want to start ;/

[Slashe50]

I could not make head or tail of that statement.

[Cacteur]

That's most certainly not a Les Paul. Les Pauls have one cutaway, that one has two. The pickup selector is above the fretboard, not near the knobs. They also have rectangular jackplates, not football ones.

EDIT: Sorry if I sounded like a prick on that one, I get carried away with guitaritry. >.<

According to the place I downloaded the gif from, it's the new 2008+ Gibson Les Paul Standard. (ie not the '58 to '60 Standard, nor the '68 to 2008).. but who the hell am I to say.... :afro:

[Cacteur]

According to the place I downloaded the gif from, it's the new 2008+ Gibson Les Paul Standard. (ie not the '58 to '60 Standard, nor the '68 to 2008).. but who the hell am I to say.... :afro:

Hey I'm serious Slashe. I do have no idea and should have said so at the start. This bloke had a review of the new standard and had this gif right in the middle of it. I believe you man...:respect:

Now come back ya little prick.. tryin' to turn me into a damn thread killer.. I won't have it!!! :violent:

[mrnicksta]

not as much a thread killer as a thread hijacker ;)

[Slashe50]

Hey I'm serious Slashe. I do have no idea and should have said so at the start. This bloke had a review of the new standard and had this gif right in the middle of it. I believe you man...:respect:

Now come back ya little prick.. tryin' to turn me into a damn thread killer.. I won't have it!!! :violent:
Hm... 2008 Les Paul Standard? Huh. Gibson must be screwing with their models now :dry:.

Whatevs.

[Cacteur]

not as much a thread killer as a thread hijacker ;)

Now you jes' hold on a minute there boy.. :dry: .. I gave you some damn good advice. It's not my problem if you wanna stick to the "play guitar in thirty minutes" DVD's..... gonna haf ta keep an eye on you....

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/qq122/Cacteur/0148.gif

[Cacteur]

Hm... 2008 Les Paul Standard? Huh. Gibson must be screwing with their models now :dry:.

Whatevs.

You're still not understanding me slashe.. I don't think it is a Les Paul either...

[mabrymusic]

sorry to bump this back to the beginning-just figured i'd give my 2 cents worth:

mrnicksta-i've been playing guitar for years and i've been 95% self-taught. it has its pros and its cons. there are those who'll say that learning music theory prohibits full creativity because you're learning "someone else's" way to play (essentially).

however, over all the years-i wish i would have learned how to read music and not just chord charts.

i'm incredibly limited not just because of my inability to read music but because i get really impatient when i hit a wall musically.

on the flipside, i've recorded 11 albums in all these years so it hasn't been too limiting-i'll just never be some badass lead guitarist any time soon :)

[Slashe50]

You're still not understanding me slashe.. I don't think it is a Les Paul either...

:giveup: