Help for a newbie

[travel_hymn]

So I just got my guitar today and I don't know how to play

 

 

can u kool peoplez (Jorgi/Harry/Pekka etc) help me out.

 

I want to learn crushx3, it's in Drop D right? I have it in Drop D atm. I don't understand how to read tabs. oh I'm such a loser.

 

Any tips for a n00b would be appreciated.

[kwik-silva]

Tabs pretty simple, although having no time indications you can pick them up pretty easy from the song. Tab basically works as if it's something like

 

e-----0-------

b-----1-------

g-----2-------

d-----2-------

a-----0-------

e-------------

 

 

Would just be an A minor chord as you're told to play open on a and (top) e strings, 2nd fret on d and g and 1st on b, any help?

[Wildman]

Tab is really easy.

 

Each line is a string, and the numbers are where the frets are located.

This for example is the example of a power chord:

 

e|---------------------|

B|---------------------|

G|---------------------|

D|--3-----------5-----|

A|--3-----------5-----|

E|--1-----------3-----|

 

Each row shows you where your fingers should be placed. For example, you place your index finger down on the first fret sixth string (yeah, the bottom string is the top, because its a lower pitch), then you take your ring finger and place it third fret, fifth string as well as placing your pinkie on the third fret fourth string.

 

Do this at the sane time and you have a basic power chord.

 

As for something more complex like this

 

Seven Years (Acoustic) - Saosin

 

Drop D

e|------------------------------|

B|------------------------------|

G|------------------------------|

D|-----10-----------10--------|

A|---8----8---8---8----8-----|

D|-0--------0---8--------8---|

 

 

That's actually a very simple song, and all you have to do is move one finger.

 

 

I hoped I helped some. I wish I was there to personally teach you.

[travel_hymn]

well thank you both I progressed a little!

 

I managed that power chord, don't know how but I did XD

 

so yeah..

 

what song should I try and learn first preferably standard or drop d tuning

[kwik-silva]

Try misery business without the fiddly little bits! (or with it if you prefer) it's pretty much just palm muted quavers in the rhythm part (I'm not good at judging skill level though )

[Paramaniac]

omg, wow, all that stuff you just said is really confusing.

I tried learning guitar a few years back. yes, it was a fail haha xD

[Harry]

Okay, so I'm gonna be the bearer of the truth here. I'll split this up into 2 posts to make it a bit easier to read and to take in and feel free to read the posts at separate times.

You guys that are talking about chords and all that stuff, do you realize how potentially overwhelming that is for a beginner to take in?

I mean sure enough, yes that is the shape of an open A Minor chord, but at this stage maybe she isn't even aware of why that is called an Open chord, and if she has not studied any music theory in the past she will not even understand what makes an A Minor chord an A minor.

 

I know that when I first picked up a guitar, I had no idea what an A Minor chord was, what an open chord was and had no idea of music theory hence I had no idea why an A Minor chord was what it was.

Why? Because I was a beginner.

Let's be honest with ourselves guys. We are dealing with a beginner here that just got their guitar, not someone who has been playing for 2 months or 3 or whatever.

Let me say this much before I proceed further:

I can play technical death metal, progressive death metal metal, thrash metal, I can play some excerpts of Johann Sebastian Bach pieces on electric guitar and I can play a few Buckethead guitar solos note for note (which I learnt by ear).

Clearly, I am not a beginner.

But here is the most important thing about all this : The longer I have been playing, each day the more I realize I am further away from mastering than the instrument than I did the day before.

Not because I'm not getting better, but because the guitar is a FUCKING HARD instrument to play and there is so much you can keep improving on.

I'm 21 years old. My dad is like, 53 years old and he is STILL learning new shit about guitar playing and he has been playing the damn thing for almost twice the time I've been alive.

Joe Satriani, also 53 years old, who is often regarded as one of the most technically accomplished electric guitarists of, well, all time really, still says he hasn't mastered the instrument, has things to learn and wishes he could play better.

 

The more I learn each day, the next day I realize I am even further away from learning it all because there is SOOOOOOOO much to learn. It's frustrating, it makes me want to scream some days (in fact, some days I do scream and swear at myself), I tell myself what a fucking awful guitarist I am some days, but on the positive end, it gives me the hunger and drive to improve and to put myself in my place as to where I am at on the instrument at a particular given moment in time.

Because of other interests/hobbies, social life and other responsibility commitments, I can't spend 12 hours a day playing guitar to try to master it, so in the end I just had to accept I'll never be all that great, but at least I can push myself to get better.

The ultimate point of all this is, is to stay humble and DON'T get ahead of yourself, otherwise you'll start putting barriers in front of your progress, even if unintentionally.

 

This is the end of part 1 of my well, whatever is you call it.

Onto part 2 and subsequently, another post coming up.

[Harry]

Paramore is HARD to play, make no mistake. If it were actually that easy, then I wouldn't be seeing so many covers of their songs on youtube with absolutely appalling sense of timing, terrible intonation and just general lack of attention to details that make it go from totally amateurish to actually sounding good.

If you're a beginner, forget playing Paramore. It's out of your league for now.

 

A beginner needs to learn to crawl before they can walk. I would have said "learn to walk before they can run" but I feel my former analogy is more applicable in the case of a pure beginner.

A good

You need to learn the fundamentals before you can progress to greater things.

Sometimes not learning the fundamentals now, means you have to relearn them later, which is just a pain in the ass.

I'd suggest getting a guitar teacher, because instead of fumbling about trying to work out the complete basics, they will be able to set you on the path in the correct manner right off the bat, which will make guitar playing SOOO much easier in the long term.

Bad technique can lead to a number of things.

At best, it will limit your ability to progress. At worst, it can cause SERIOUS injuries, some of which may never totally go away and may continue to cause you pain.

This is not a myth or some joke. I do know people with injuries that came about from playing their instrument with terrible technique or practicing in an inefficient way.

 

If you learn the correct technique and good practice habits from the beginning, you're a huge step ahead of many other guitarists.

On top of that, maintain good physical health. I jog, run and ride my bike regularly and it just keeps the body functioning well.

I know that sounds obvious and all and you're probably thinking "meh, whatever dude", but I used to sit at my computer for 14-16 hours a day and nearly caused myself injuries to my wrist and my back, both of which would have been bad for my guitar playing in some way or another and now that I exercise and get my fucking ass off the computer I feel infinitely better and I never get those wrist pains anymore.

 

Back to my point about Paramore being hard to play. Yes, I do play technical death metal, which is pretty demanding stuff, but even I can acknowledge the level of skill and precision needed to successfully pull off Paramore guitar playing.

Make no mistake, Josh and Taylor are BADASS rhythm guitarists, with an amazing sense of timing and they have the right technique to make things sound awesome.

Neither are amazing lead players, and I'm sure both of them would admit that too, but they play their shit in time, with accuracy and just general great control of what they are doing, which IMO commands far more respect than someone trying to play something beyond their actual abilities and sounding totally sloppy and terrible as a result.

They did not get to their level overnight. Those fuckers know how to hit the strings hard and keep shit under control.

You should be setting aside AT LEAST one year of practice before you can really start to sound fairly convincing playing Paramore songs.

Maybe 3 years of playing guitar before you start to really start nailing it with aplomb and people start telling you that your renditions of Paramore are pretty fucking slammin'.

 

Matt mentions palm mutes above. Palm mutes ARE NOT easy. It will take a long time to properly master the art of palm muting.

Maybe not to your taste, I don't know, but even if just to listen to the techniques, Metallica and Megadeth are great examples of fucking masterful palm muting. Generally, if you're palm mute technique is good enough to play their stuff, you can pretty much play anything that involves palm muting.

Sometimes they are artists I don't like at first, but I just learn to play their stuff anyway to build technique and eventually the music grows on me.

If you get to that level, playing old Metallica and Megadeth stuff will build a very strong foundation in rhythm guitar for pretty much all rock styles.

Hell, I admit, I've been playing for a while but even I sometimes have trouble palm muting the verse riff from Misery Business.

I probably made it look easy in my video of my cover version but the truth is by the end of that first verse my arm/wrist was actually burning a little bit, because I haven't practiced that stuff enough lately to really have great stamina for it.

If you're beginner, there is not a chance you will be able to play those palm mutes in Misery Business, sorry to burst your bubble concerning your post there Matt:p

 

You've got a guitar now, just take a moment to think about what your goals on the instrument are.

Do you want to get good enough to join/start a professional level band?

Do you want to teach guitar to others?

Do you want to remain a hobbyist player, but still want to achieve a level of technical proficiency that will enable you to play along with your favorite songs?

And of course, that's just a few things to think about, there are plenty of other goals/goal levels you'll have in mind.

Once you actually have a clear idea and vision of where you want to go, start doing the necessary things to get there.

I'd say, despite what goal you choose, at least have a few guitar lessons. Don't take short cuts, because guitar is not a thing of instant gratification. If you get good, it's because you put a lot into it, the sacrifices you made and the fact you're willing to accept it's a long term thing.

The first few months of playing might not be fun and could even be quite tedious, but don't be put off, because once you get better, you'll get to a level where it's so much fun and you'll be infinitely rewarded for having put the work in:D

[travel_hymn]

Do you want to remain a hobbyist player, but still want to achieve a level of technical proficiency that will enable you to play along with your favorite songs?

 

 

^ That.

 

And guitar teacher is out of the question, sorry.

 

And I know what you mean by injuries....I fear for my back and my wrist too. I need to get out more and do more exercise.

 

I'm scared now, Harry.

 

Paramore is hard to play. I know.

 

I think I've fucked my wrist and back already to be honest. I'm not feeling very comfortable. I'm worried about my health. I always worry about my health.

 

 

I must be honest I'm quite put off now, it almost seems like a mistake that I even considered wanting it.

[Wildman]

A guitar is definitly not a mistake. You'll learn to love it!

 

If you have skype (I'm getting a webcam tomorrow) I can give you an eLesson.

[travel_hymn]

my back hurts, i'm actually scared. im not using that strap anymore!! stupid me I can't take care of myself.

 

yeah I have skype

[Harry]

I honestly didn't mean to sound discouraging at all, I was just laying the truth down in front of you.

I can say, for all the frustrating times with playing guitar, for all the times I nearly just said to myself "Fuck it, I'm gonna quit playing" and whatever, it could never overcome the joy and happiness being able to express myself on a instrument could provide.

I always felt I had some sort of void in my life and just being able to play guitar each day, it's something special to me that just fills that hole.

Other people seeing me play has inspired others to pick up the guitar and learn it and for those that already played, it gave them the extra drive to improve because they admired the level I was at (hell, I didn't think I was that special, but to them they must have heard/saw something in my playing I didn't) and wanted to get there too.

Do persevere, because as I said, once you reach a certain point, you'll just feel so rewarded and happy with your progress. You're only 17 now, and by the time you get to my age now, you could be pretty damn good.

There is a serious lack of excellent female guitarists out there. It seems such a male dominated thing to get truly good at the instrument and it would awesome if you were able to "guys are naturally better at guitar" attitude that so many girls have and just became a great player. It can be done and has been done before and there is no reason why you can't if you're intelligent enough and have perfectly functional fingers.

You could eventually inspire others too, and serious, it puts a huge smile on your face knowing you've personally affected others lives in such a positive way.

 

Just take things one step at a time, so you don't become overwhelmed.

Be it guitar or learning to look after your health or whatever, don't feel pressured to get it all done quickly, because you can't and you'll stress yourself out that way. Take it slow and you'll notice the improvements over the coming months.

[777]

Not much words can be said that'll actually get you going on the guitar. Buuuuuuuut fooling around on the guitar does help a lot. Chords woman, Learn chords. Stretch those fingers and give them chord memory.

[travel_hymn]

I honestly didn't mean to sound discouraging at all, I was just laying the truth down in front of you.

I can say, for all the frustrating times with playing guitar, for all the times I nearly just said to myself "Fuck it, I'm gonna quit playing" and whatever, it could never overcome the joy and happiness being able to express myself on a instrument could provide.

I always felt I had some sort of void in my life and just being able to play guitar each day, it's something special to me that just fills that hole.

Other people seeing me play has inspired others to pick up the guitar and learn it and for those that already played, it gave them the extra drive to improve because they admired the level I was at (hell, I didn't think I was that special, but to them they must have heard/saw something in my playing I didn't) and wanted to get there too.

Do persevere, because as I said, once you reach a certain point, you'll just feel so rewarded and happy with your progress. You're only 17 now, and by the time you get to my age now, you could be pretty damn good.

There is a serious lack of excellent female guitarists out there. It seems such a male dominated thing to get truly good at the instrument and it would awesome if you were able to "guys are naturally better at guitar" attitude that so many girls have and just became a great player. It can be done and has been done before and there is no reason why you can't if you're intelligent enough and have perfectly functional fingers.

You could eventually inspire others too, and serious, it puts a huge smile on your face knowing you've personally affected others lives in such a positive way.

 

Just take things one step at a time, so you don't become overwhelmed.

Be it guitar or learning to look after your health or whatever, don't feel pressured to get it all done quickly, because you can't and you'll stress yourself out that way. Take it slow and you'll notice the improvements over the coming months.

 

 

So what should I be practicing before starting on songs or starting on Paramore? I don't just want to be 'fooling around with it' for one or two hours cause like I said I really can't get a proper teacher for this. :/

 

 

...and I don't want my hands/back to be hurt.

[Wildman]

my back hurts, i'm actually scared. im not using that strap anymore!! stupid me I can't take care of myself.

 

yeah I have skype

 

The strap wont do much to your back if you it up high enough.

 

Wanna exchange skype addresses when I get my webcam?

[travel_hymn]

The strap wont do much to your back if you it up high enough.

 

Wanna exchange skype addresses when I get my webcam?

 

i'm in pain though im scared.

 

and of course =]

[Wildman]

As long as you wear it a little lower that breast level, it should be fine.

[Harry]

I'm like, six feet 1 inches tall and I honestly think sometime in the near future, partly because of my height, my back is going to be fucked, but I wont let it stop me from playing.

When you sit down to play, sit in the "classical" position. You will be able to find examples of that position on the internet.

Basically, the classical position puts your wrist in a position that minimizes the chances of wrist damage and also is less stressful on your back.

I play fairly technical stuff with wide stretches, so when I stand up I have the guitar with the strap set fairly high.

Yes, compared to the likes of Josh and Taylor with their low slung rock star guitar positions, I look like a fucking dork, but I'd rather look like a dork now and still be playing guitar in 30 years time rather than look cool now and injure myself and not be able to play at all anymore. But heh, anyway, some of the most badass guitarists that people admire and don't think are dorky at all wear their guitar really high, so it's not such a concern anyway. Generally you'll find it's more metal and jazz fusion guitarists that rock their guitars high, whereas a lot of punk style players tend to sling it low

Depending on what style of music you play, you'll feel what level you should set the strap. If your wrist starts hurting, raise it immediately without hesitation.

 

I have a lot of friends and could be constantly hanging out with them smoking pot and getting drunk or whatever the fuck it is people want to do when we hang out, but I don't. I made it clear to my friends I need a certain amount of alone time and that I need to sacrifice a good deal of social time to get this stuff done. They respect my decisions because they are cool fuckers.

It's all about getting a balance. I have my alone time, and I also spend a good amount of time with my friends and it keeps me relatively happy

If it means getting a part time job to be able to afford guitar lessons, then do it.

Don't think as the job as some mundane crap, but instead, as a means to end for getting guitar lessons which is a MUCH more positive way to look at things.

I'm not Mr Fucking Happy Pants non stop, I have anxiety disorder and get rather stressed out and depressed at times, but despite what shit you go through, you just gotta pull through and see things in the most positive light you can.

 

I stress that learning the fundamentals is totally key to this whole thing, as I've said before. It's just so important.

Doesn't matter if you got a part time job, found it to be fucking terrible and mind numbing and quit after two months, if that paid for 2 months worth of lessons, that WAY better than nothing and will get you a good understanding of the fundamentals.

 

All up to you in the end. I can't sit here all day giving you advice, because quite frankly, I have other shit to do. I don't mean that in the sense I don't want to help out, because I do, but I just am a fairly busy dude lately and will be for quite a while yet and I can't exactly make this my priority in life:p

Take on board any good advice you can get, and then it's up to you to get the ball rolling.

[travel_hymn]

ahhh Harry thank you that means a lot

[haylsbells]

Hmmm...well if you're starting out you may want to try something more simple. My first song was brown eye girl Nd it took me a while to get it. But don't give up no matter how much you want to because oncE you get over that hard hump it gets so much more easier and fun after that

[haylsbells]

After reading harrys posts (despite the swearing) I completely agree with what he's saying. I've been playing since I was in elementary school. I started with acoustic because the strings are a little harder and acoustic is debatable to be more hard to play but I don't regret starting acoustic. I really wanted to start electric to be a total awesome 5th grAde girl but it waswoth it. If you have electric now I say thatyou start with acoustic songs. Go on YouTube and find some beginnig guitar lessons if you can't afford lessons. We need more female guitarist! Sorry If my spelling sucks I'm on an iPhone haha. Anywho pm me for more detAils and advice and I'll gove you my email. After 4 yeRs o not giving up I can play some pretty hard and difficult stuff which means it's so much more fun.

[travel_hymn]

Ahhh thanks so much for that!

 

PM'ed =)

[777]

Don't wanna be "fooling around " are you fucking kidding me dude? Jam the SHIT out of that guitar!

[Harry]

After reading harrys posts (despite the swearing) I completely agree with what he's saying. I've been playing since I was in elementary school. I started with acoustic because the strings are a little harder and acoustic is debatable to be more hard to play but I don't regret starting acoustic. I really wanted to start electric to be a total awesome 5th grAde girl but it waswoth it. If you have electric now I say thatyou start with acoustic songs. Go on YouTube and find some beginnig guitar lessons if you can't afford lessons. We need more female guitarist! Sorry If my spelling sucks I'm on an iPhone haha. Anywho pm me for more detAils and advice and I'll gove you my email. After 4 yeRs o not giving up I can play some pretty hard and difficult stuff which means it's so much more fun.

 

Swearing?

Oh come on, that's pretty toned down for me:p

Acoustics are not harder or easier, just a different instrument, different tools in the box really.

You wouldn't want to try to play death metal on an acoustic, nor would I want to play a song written specifically for acoustic guitar with my electric guitar with the gain set to uber high levels.

[Wildman]

^ I actually play a lot of metal on acoustic.