Beginner advice please

Question:

> Hey Wayne > I too am just learning. Been playing for about 9 months now, and regret not > picking up the guitar earlier. I happen to be 40, and someone once said > (maybe on this board) if you start learning now and play for 10 years, > you’ll be 50 years old, and can play some awesome guitar. If you don’t play > guitar, 10 years from now you’ll still be 50 years old.

Today is my 40th birthday. I had just made up my mind to take up the guitar again (I had 2 years worth of lessons when I was 15). I gotta tell ya, this message sealed my decision! Thanks for the chuckle. ~BlueJeans —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–== Over 100,000 Newsgroups – 19 Different Servers! =—–

Response:

> Hi all, just got my first guitar last week after 30 years of wanting one, > hehe. > Anyway, I’d just like reassuring that changing from one chord to another > will get easier. It seems whatever I play, when I change chord I have to > stop and replace my fingers before I can carry on > Roughly how long do most of you play before you can do it straight away > without looking? Obviously, it depends on natural ability and amount of > practice etc, but it is still disheartening;) > I’m playing approximately 1 hr each day. > Thanks for your time,

Dude, It’s simple: If you ain’t sheddin’, you won’t be shreddin’!!! Their are no shortcuts. Practice makes perfect. Look what it did for me. Todd LaRoc http://profiles.yahoo.com/toddlaroc

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi all, just got my first guitar last week after 30 years of wanting one, > hehe. > Anyway, I’d just like reassuring that changing from one chord to another > will get easier. It seems whatever I play, when I change chord I have to > stop and replace my fingers before I can carry on > Roughly how long do most of you play before you can do it straight away > without looking? Obviously, it depends on natural ability and amount of > practice etc, but it is still disheartening;) > I’m playing approximately 1 hr each day. > Thanks for your time, > Dude, > It’s simple: If you ain’t sheddin’, you won’t be shreddin’!!! > Their are no shortcuts. Practice makes perfect. Look what it did for me. > Todd LaRoc

"Todd LaRoc" <ToddLaRoc > http://profiles.yahoo.com/toddlaroc

See? Perfect example, Wayne. This guy has never practiced anything worthwhile, and all he can do is wank on 30-year-old metal tunes. If he had practiced scales, reading, learning music theory, etc., he wouldn’t have to split his time between "shredding" in his bedroom (I won’t even touch the Freudian implications here) and his construction job. At this point, he could actually be considered something in music other than an annoying poser who posts his dating "availability" on the internet. Keep practicing, don’t worry about how long it’s taking you, and soon you’ll be lightyears past this loser. However, feel free to keep asking questions at this group. There are generally a lot of people who have tons of experience with some great advice. The above poster excepted, of course. — Mike C. "And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." –Friedrich Nietzsche

Response:

You’re right. A lot of the same "positions" just different names. Anyway just playing away, like a read today, sooner or later fingers won’t hurt and things that seemed impossible will just happen. I know that since the guitar (just one week today) the uke seems like nothing and chords that I thought were awful are now very playable. Who’d a thunk? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Hi Barry; >I agree, Ukes are incredibly fun. >I wonder if anyone ever pointed out to you that *interval-wise* Ukes are >tuned like the 4 highest strings of a guitar. If your Uke is "re-entrant" >tuning (high thin octave G string where the lowest pitched string would >normally be), you can still pretend it’s a low G as far as chord shapes, >fingerings, and voicings are concerned, meaning you can still think of it as >guitar patterns (the Uke’s G string notes will just be a higher octave than >normal but still the same notes as far as and chord tone numbers go). >This is to say, you aren’t really learning two different set of chords pre >say, the Uke just has a smaller string-set (4 strings) — a sub-set of >guitar. >Try playing Uke chords on your guitar’s 4 highest pitched strings and you’ll >see that they work (muffle or otherwise don’t play the guitar’s E and A >strings, the 2 lowest pitched strings.) The letter-names of the chords are >different on guitar but the internal intervals are the same. Likewise, if >you find some chord pattern on the guitars 4 highest strings that you like, >try it on your Uke. >also, in the event your Uke isn’t re-entrant tuned, you should try it some >day. It really defines the Uke’s unique character — cute, silly, sweet, and >fun as the devil to play (can I say that to a church choir director ;’). >P.S. If you guys (just starting) want to understand how your fretboards >work, or in Barry’s case how to apply what you already know about theory to >your guitar, take a look at the stuff on my site. I use chromatic numbers to >illuminate both music theory and the (any) fretboard. The semitone value >numbers are counting numbers, like counting frets. Here’s the 3 minute intro >for guitar http://www.TheCipher.com/3_minute_intro.html >Intervals are the key to theory and the fretboard, and they’re the forte and >focus of this method. >Roger >http://www.TheCipher.com/ > Newsgroups: alt.guitar.beginner > Hi. I guess I am in the same boat only older (almost 60). > I work as a church organist/choir director and have never > considered the guitar something I could play. Not much > hand strength etc., but wanted to play something with > the people who play strings, so I bought a Fluke Uke. > Big Arthur Godfrey fan as a kid, so like those songs and > the uke is so easy to play! Anyway was going to get a "spare" > uke (never feel safe with just one instrument) and my wife > said "get a guitar and try it". So now I have a Balladeer. > Wonderful! The dealer set the strings low and it has a great > slim neck, so all of my worries about playing are behind me and > playing all the time. When my fingers get sore I play the uke. > The both use different chords, but it isn’t confusing. I can > tune the uke to guitar string notes, but just as simple to think > of them as different instruments and just lean two sets of chords. > I’ll shut up, but this is a nice group and will be around to see what > happens with us all. >> Hi all, just got my first guitar last week after 30 years of wanting one, >> hehe. >> Anyway, I’d just like reassuring that changing from one chord to another >> will get easier. It seems whatever I play, when I change chord I have to >> stop and replace my fingers before I can carry on >> Roughly how long do most of you play before you can do it straight away >> without looking? Obviously, it depends on natural ability and amount of >> practice etc, but it is still disheartening;) >> I’m playing approximately 1 hr each day. >> Thanks for your time,

Response:

Hey Wayne I too am just learning. Been playing for about 9 months now, and regret not picking up the guitar earlier. I happen to be 40, and someone once said (maybe on this board) if you start learning now and play for 10 years, you’ll be 50 years old, and can play some awesome guitar. If you don’t play guitar, 10 years from now you’ll still be 50 years old. Check out some Seagull guitars if you get a chance. They are really nice. Guitars are becoming an obsession for me, I guess there are worse things in life Enjoy! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Hi there . . . So how old are you? I am 41 and also thinking about buying > one and learning. Ever since I was a teenager at summer camp, I have always > been wanting to learn how to play. I have visited a couple of music stores > in the area the last couple days. > wayne

Response:

Hi Barry; I agree, Ukes are incredibly fun. I wonder if anyone ever pointed out to you that *interval-wise* Ukes are tuned like the 4 highest strings of a guitar. If your Uke is "re-entrant" tuning (high thin octave G string where the lowest pitched string would normally be), you can still pretend it’s a low G as far as chord shapes, fingerings, and voicings are concerned, meaning you can still think of it as guitar patterns (the Uke’s G string notes will just be a higher octave than normal but still the same notes as far as and chord tone numbers go). This is to say, you aren’t really learning two different set of chords pre say, the Uke just has a smaller string-set (4 strings) — a sub-set of guitar. Try playing Uke chords on your guitar’s 4 highest pitched strings and you’ll see that they work (muffle or otherwise don’t play the guitar’s E and A strings, the 2 lowest pitched strings.) The letter-names of the chords are different on guitar but the internal intervals are the same. Likewise, if you find some chord pattern on the guitars 4 highest strings that you like, try it on your Uke. also, in the event your Uke isn’t re-entrant tuned, you should try it some day. It really defines the Uke’s unique character — cute, silly, sweet, and fun as the devil to play (can I say that to a church choir director ;’). P.S. If you guys (just starting) want to understand how your fretboards work, or in Barry’s case how to apply what you already know about theory to your guitar, take a look at the stuff on my site. I use chromatic numbers to illuminate both music theory and the (any) fretboard. The semitone value numbers are counting numbers, like counting frets. Here’s the 3 minute intro for guitar http://www.TheCipher.com/3_minute_intro.html Intervals are the key to theory and the fretboard, and they’re the forte and focus of this method. Roger http://www.TheCipher.com/ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Newsgroups: alt.guitar.beginner > Hi. I guess I am in the same boat only older (almost 60). > I work as a church organist/choir director and have never > considered the guitar something I could play. Not much > hand strength etc., but wanted to play something with > the people who play strings, so I bought a Fluke Uke. > Big Arthur Godfrey fan as a kid, so like those songs and > the uke is so easy to play! Anyway was going to get a "spare" > uke (never feel safe with just one instrument) and my wife > said "get a guitar and try it". So now I have a Balladeer. > Wonderful! The dealer set the strings low and it has a great > slim neck, so all of my worries about playing are behind me and > playing all the time. When my fingers get sore I play the uke. > The both use different chords, but it isn’t confusing. I can > tune the uke to guitar string notes, but just as simple to think > of them as different instruments and just lean two sets of chords. > I’ll shut up, but this is a nice group and will be around to see what > happens with us all. > Hi all, just got my first guitar last week after 30 years of wanting one, > hehe. > Anyway, I’d just like reassuring that changing from one chord to another > will get easier. It seems whatever I play, when I change chord I have to > stop and replace my fingers before I can carry on > Roughly how long do most of you play before you can do it straight away > without looking? Obviously, it depends on natural ability and amount of > practice etc, but it is still disheartening;) > I’m playing approximately 1 hr each day. > Thanks for your time,

Response:

> Hi there . . . So how old are you? I am 41 and also thinking about buying > one and learning. Ever since I was a teenager at summer camp, I have always > been wanting to learn how to play. I have visited a couple of music stores > in the area the last couple days.

I’m only 31 I’m afraid, I was "rounding up" when I said 30 years, but only by a few;) Thanks all for some great advice, definitely an incentive to carry on. It looks like It’s going to have to be practice practice practice, but I’m looking forward to that:) All those in a similar boat to mine, keep going. Great fun. Right, I’m gonna sit back down in the shadows and lurk for a while now, thanks all again. — David davidfirewater(a)hotmail.com

Response:

Hi. I guess I am in the same boat only older (almost 60). I work as a church organist/choir director and have never considered the guitar something I could play. Not much hand strength etc., but wanted to play something with the people who play strings, so I bought a Fluke Uke. Big Arthur Godfrey fan as a kid, so like those songs and the uke is so easy to play! Anyway was going to get a "spare" uke (never feel safe with just one instrument) and my wife said "get a guitar and try it". So now I have a Balladeer. Wonderful! The dealer set the strings low and it has a great slim neck, so all of my worries about playing are behind me and playing all the time. When my fingers get sore I play the uke. The both use different chords, but it isn’t confusing. I can tune the uke to guitar string notes, but just as simple to think of them as different instruments and just lean two sets of chords. I’ll shut up, but this is a nice group and will be around to see what happens with us all. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Hi all, just got my first guitar last week after 30 years of wanting one, >hehe. >Anyway, I’d just like reassuring that changing from one chord to another >will get easier. It seems whatever I play, when I change chord I have to >stop and replace my fingers before I can carry on >Roughly how long do most of you play before you can do it straight away >without looking? Obviously, it depends on natural ability and amount of >practice etc, but it is still disheartening;) >I’m playing approximately 1 hr each day. >Thanks for your time,

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi there . . . So how old are you? I am 41 and also thinking about buying > one and learning. Ever since I was a teenager at summer camp, I have always > been wanting to learn how to play. I have visited a couple of music stores > in the area the last couple days. > wayne > Hi all, just got my first guitar last week after 30 years of wanting one, > hehe. > Anyway, I’d just like reassuring that changing from one chord to another > will get easier. It seems whatever I play, when I change chord I have to > stop and replace my fingers before I can carry on > Roughly how long do most of you play before you can do it straight away > without looking? Obviously, it depends on natural ability and amount of > practice etc, but it is still disheartening;) > I’m playing approximately 1 hr each day. > Thanks for your time, > — > David > davidfirewater(a)hotmail.com

Well, to answer the original question, I can tell you what I tell all my students, which I absolutely believe in, in my learning experience. The most difficult thing in learning the guitar is the patience it takes to become a musician. If you realize this early on, you’ll get further than you ever expected. What happens in learning an instrument is that you’ll never be satisfied. You will always feel like you’re not getting any better. No matter how much you learn, how much technique you gain, how well you get to be able to play, you will always wish you could do something better than you can do. It’s the "Schindler’s List" thing, which was spoofed on the Seinfeld show: upon reflection at the end of the movie, the main character is distraught because he could have done so much more for the people that he saved, even though he was the only one who did the work that he did. Kind of a somber analogy, but it certainly has it’s own beauty. You may get to the point when you can play better than most people, and you *will* realize it, but you’ll think that you could be much better if you had practiced more, etc. This sounds frustrating, but it’s really the beauty of learning an instrument and learning to be a musician. There’s a never-ending wealth of information that can be tapped and you can make it your life’s work. Maybe you don’t feel that you want to make it your life’s work, but many people here can tell you that it’s certainly worth the price of admission. The saying goes "Music is a journey, not a destination" or something like that. You need to come to grips with practicing the instrument consistently, even though it seems to take forever and it seems as though you’re not getting anywhere. Developing this work ethic is one of the many side benefits of learning music. You learn to keep plugging away at a goal, without handicapping yourself by becoming frustrated. Keep practicing, trying to learn, even though you’re not sure you’re getting anywhere. Trust in music that you *are* getting somewhere. All of this sounds a little "zen-like", but a good portion of it is true. To check back into reality a bit, you may want to consult with a good teacher at least occasionally in order to ensure that you *are* getting somewhere, or consider asking friends or family if you seem to be getting better. However, try to get as far as you can without worrying about the goal. A watched pot never boils. That said, I can also tell you that it is near impossible to tell you how long it takes to be able to make chord changes without thinking about it, because when we experienced players got to that point, we were, of course, not thinking about it. It’s something that you will one day ask yourself "when did I start being able to do that?". It will come to you when you least expect it. Again, a watch pot never boils. The best you can do is practice slowly and carefully, with one chord change at a time. Try to have a technique in which you change from one chord to another. I tell my students that they need to have a "dance step" for their fingers in order to ensure a method to get from x chord to y chord. For example, if you’re trying to get from an open C chord to an F barre chord, finger the C chord and then look at what your fingers need to do to get to the F barre chord. Assuming you’re playing the 3-finger version of the C chord(there *is* a similar one that you may not be aware of that uses 4 fingers), you’ll find that your 3rd finger, on the "A" string, should stay where it is. The 4th finger drops on the "D" string, right underneath the 3rd finger. I point out that the 4th finger is the weakest finger, so it tends to travel with the 3rd finger in this way so that they can work together. The 2nd finger drops from the "D" string to the "G" string, on the same fret that it was already on, the 2nd fret. The 1st finger could stay where it was, on the 2nd string, but would also need to cover the 1st string, on the same fret(the 1st fret). If you’re trying to do the full barre, you’ll need to extend the 1st finger to cover the 6th string as well as the 2snd and 1st strings. If you can methodically think of the chord change in this way(it’s a lot easier when you actually do it than it seems from my explanation above), then you have a method to work with. Do this religiously every day and it will come, when you least expect it. Also, don’t worry that it seems slow and a lot to think about. You won’t be thinking about this for very long. People think driving a standard transmission is difficult, too, but they don’t understand that you really don’t have to think about once you’ve done it for a while. Keep practicing, I’ll expect to be gigging with you sometime in the future… P.S., I’ve got about 20 years experience doing this, am making a living at music, and I’m still learning new stuff. — Mike C. "And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." –Friedrich Nietzsche

Response:

Just keep practicing……over and over and over and over….. it will keep getting easier and eventually become automatic.

Response:

Hi there . . . So how old are you? I am 41 and also thinking about buying one and learning. Ever since I was a teenager at summer camp, I have always been wanting to learn how to play. I have visited a couple of music stores in the area the last couple days. wayne

Response:

David How comforting to see a fellow late starting struggling with exactly the same thing as me. I`ve had a guitar for 20 odd years and have made many attempts to teach myself but have given up as exams, jobs and kids have come along. i too struggle with chord changes ….I know a few chords but I need to stop each time to reposition my fingers too. i`m actuall going to book some proper lessons and make an effort to finall y learn to play it cheers Mick

Response:

> Hi all, just got my first guitar last week after 30 years of wanting > one, hehe. > Anyway, I’d just like reassuring that changing from one chord to another > will get easier. It seems whatever I play, when I change chord I have to > stop and replace my fingers before I can carry on Roughly how long do > most of you play before you can do it straight away without looking? > Obviously, it depends on natural ability and amount of practice etc, but > it is still disheartening;) I’m playing approximately 1 hr each day. > Thanks for your time, > — > David > davidfirewater(a)hotmail.com

Practice practice practice. Repetition repetition repetition. Remember one thing though, practice doesn’t make perfect, practice makes permanent so take it slow and make sure you fret those chords correctly and at some point you’ll just be "doing it" without even thinking about it. I’m on week 7 practicing about 2 hours a day and things are getting better for me every day. Regards

Response:

I seem to remember it took me about three months before G … pause … D7 … err … C became G D7 C, and since then almost all chords have been easy for me to fret … until barres came along -Alan — Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

Response:

Hi all, just got my first guitar last week after 30 years of wanting one, hehe. Anyway, I’d just like reassuring that changing from one chord to another will get easier. It seems whatever I play, when I change chord I have to stop and replace my fingers before I can carry on Roughly how long do most of you play before you can do it straight away without looking? Obviously, it depends on natural ability and amount of practice etc, but it is still disheartening;) I’m playing approximately 1 hr each day. Thanks for your time, — David davidfirewater(a)hotmail.com

Response:

Hi David I give lessons for a while, and mostly the rule is, that if you learn something new at your own level, it takes about 6 weeks to play it well. And I can give you a little tip, you practice best, when you slow down so much as it takes, to play without a pause. once you manage that , speed it up. BTW I admire you, for doing the thing you allways wanted. greetings Peter. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi all, just got my first guitar last week after 30 years of wanting one, > hehe. > Anyway, I’d just like reassuring that changing from one chord to another > will get easier. It seems whatever I play, when I change chord I have to > stop and replace my fingers before I can carry on > Roughly how long do most of you play before you can do it straight away > without looking? Obviously, it depends on natural ability and amount of > practice etc, but it is still disheartening;) > I’m playing approximately 1 hr each day. > Thanks for your time, > — > David > davidfirewater(a)hotmail.com

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