learning guitar? looking for guitarists new and experienced. drop knowledge or learn new stuff

[exit]

melvins is the greatest band #1 of my whole life

so bob are you new to the guitar still? if so just pick a couple songs and hammer away until you can play them perfectly without fucking up, when you do fuck up keep going don't stop playing, and my personal favorite... use drop tunings for easy chords, just get a BIG old Acoustic amp from the 70s or 80s turn it all the way up and play some shit that sounds like an Earth album

 

[Bob Loblaw]

thanks @exit,
i am not intuitive at this or i woulda learned years ago. so i am taking the slow and easy route for the bulk of the untalented dreamers. although, i am about at the point of focusing on just a couple of songs on the RS until i have them down pat.
it blows my mind when i find out so many of my heroes can't read music, including buzz. or when i watch someone pick up a guitar and just jam on it a bit, playing nothing in particular, but still being melodic. that is my first goal, creatively. am awhile off from that i'm afraid. gonna build a foundation to this first.
thanks for the suggestions!

am really disliking the Star Chords (or barre chords). i can sometimes hit them, but not by playing well, just sloppy and the game picks it up sometimes.

am down to the 5th and 6th string exercises on the L&M series.
can play all the exercises and songs fairly fast when reading the letters i've written in and fast enough to progress when reading the music. the mirror is really helping here. also singing the notes at the same time, although my voice gets tired quickly.

i'd say i'm playing for at least an average of an hour and a half a day. somedays it's only an hour and some it's 3.

finally hit 10 hrs on the new RS. i chalk that up to lots of guitarcade which takes too long to load. i've complained on the forums about what i think needs to be changed there.
(name is frazzed2)

 

[exit]

dude for my first few years of playing guitar, i taught myself with a little help from people who were great at playing, and they mostly helped me break bad habits and teach me chords and shit.

but 90% of it was me constantly rewinding my tape player on shit that sounded easy enough i could play it and figuring out songs just by fucking around and trying to get the right notes and get a feeling for what notes were where. i didn't learn theory until after i was able to actually play stuff.

i guess it ended up working out fine for me because a lot of other guitarists have commented on how amazing my ability to just "find" notes is

anyway i can only really speak as to how i picked it up myself, so that's what i would recommend i guess. i gotta say though learn some scales and just play scales over and over and over and over

if you can play a scale all the way up and back down at whatever speed you want comfortably, you have won so many of the battles getting started

 

[deadheadbill]

Been going to festivals for the last 3 weeks. Got my urge to play back, so I'm in.

Honestly going to eventually move towards Bass, Mandolin or Fiddle as everybody is a guitar player these days.

 

[exit]

yeah get a bass and drop tune it and play minor chords on it, is awesome with a fuzz pedal

 

[jambandphan03]

I guess this is as good a place as any to talk about this. Over the last few weeks, I have had a major life energy shift, I had been seriously stuck in a musical rut for the last few years. Though I always enjoyed playing, there seemed to be something lacking deep in the core of it all. I don't know if this is just a combination of factors that revolve around the fact that I grew up near Houston,TX, but since we started up with these ZZTop songs, I have found a new sense of vigor and musical passion that spoke to me deep in the core. I feel it pulling me in my gut. I am having a hard time explaining why it was this music that made the connection, but it was like a bit of a quickening sensation. I am almost 40, and I realize this music has been around my entire life, so its a little strange to me that its taken this long for me to really discover and appreciate this genre. We also just got a pretty talented blues guitar player a house over, so we have even more energy pushing us in the blues guitar direction. I am still diligently learning to play that bass, and feel like each day I am surpassing the day before in learning and ability to absorb more information. I find it deeply amusing that looking closer at ZZTop is what it took set a fire under my ass, but hey I'll take it. I know this may seem a bit out there, but I am a bit out there so...

 

[exit]

whenever you find musical inspiration just fuckin run with it

take it as far as you possibly can, record a million hours of tape and never play it back, whatever!!!

thats how i ended up with a basement full of synthesizers!!!!!!

 

[Bob Loblaw]

I guess this is as good a place as any to talk about this. Over the last few weeks, I have had a major life energy shift, I had been seriously stuck in a musical rut for the last few years. Though I always enjoyed playing, there seemed to be something lacking deep in the core of it all. I don't know if this is just a combination of factors that revolve around the fact that I grew up near Houston,TX, but since we started up with these ZZTop songs, I have found a new sense of vigor and musical passion that spoke to me deep in the core. I feel it pulling me in my gut. I am having a hard time explaining why it was this music that made the connection, but it was like a bit of a quickening sensation. I am almost 40, and I realize this music has been around my entire life, so its a little strange to me that its taken this long for me to really discover and appreciate this genre. We also just got a pretty talented blues guitar player a house over, so we have even more energy pushing us in the blues guitar direction. I am still diligently learning to play that bass, and feel like each day I am surpassing the day before in learning and ability to absorb more information. I find it deeply amusing that looking closer at ZZTop is what it took set a fire under my ass, but hey I'll take it. I know this may seem a bit out there, but I am a bit out there so...

that's awesome, jam.
not sure if you ever caught that josh homme video, but he gives my favorite piece of advice of all those guitar moves vids. basically at about 13:25 he's asked what he would tell a ten year old learning guitar. he replies, "when you expect anything from music you expect too much. so, you play for yourself, you play to enjoy it and you make the most of it for you." i found that even tho i consider myself a grunge/metal/industrial head above most other labels, i found that i enjoyed playing james brown the most of all the stuff on rock band, go figure.
glad to hear that you have found a new way to connect to the music and zz top is nothing to look down on. they may play mostly 'feel good' rock, but they are one of the best at it. (personally i'd take 'em over van halen any day.) thanks for sharing and keep playing!

and thanks for the continued encouragement, @exit!

i have two songs that i want to learn to play before my wedding in sept.
one is GNR's patience. that one is for my wife. we've known each other 20 yrs. and been together for 10. it's pretty apt and i don't give 2 tin shits for how cheesy it's gonna be

the second is 'wish you were here' by pink floyd for my mom (). i actually was able to learn the intro riff today. there are a few really difficult slides in the first solo that are gonna take awhile to learn ('specially since it's on an acoustic). hoping a buddy of mine is willing to do the other guitar for both songs. felt really great to play that simple riff over and over again last night. never ceases to amaze me how powerful a few simple notes can be and that i too can hold that magic.

 

[exit]

thats whats up, keep at it before you know it you'll be busting out your own tunes too.
and no worries there is really a certain magic to it and that's what i love to share...

use a metal slide for that p floyd track... im sure you have something aroun that can work as a slide

 

[deadheadbill]

I guess this is as good a place as any to talk about this. Over the last few weeks, I have had a major life energy shift, I had been seriously stuck in a musical rut for the last few years. Though I always enjoyed playing, there seemed to be something lacking deep in the core of it all. I don't know if this is just a combination of factors that revolve around the fact that I grew up near Houston,TX, but since we started up with these ZZTop songs, I have found a new sense of vigor and musical passion that spoke to me deep in the core. I feel it pulling me in my gut. I am having a hard time explaining why it was this music that made the connection, but it was like a bit of a quickening sensation. I am almost 40, and I realize this music has been around my entire life, so its a little strange to me that its taken this long for me to really discover and appreciate this genre. We also just got a pretty talented blues guitar player a house over, so we have even more energy pushing us in the blues guitar direction. I am still diligently learning to play that bass, and feel like each day I am surpassing the day before in learning and ability to absorb more information. I find it deeply amusing that looking closer at ZZTop is what it took set a fire under my ass, but hey I'll take it. I know this may seem a bit out there, but I am a bit out there so...

Good for you Jam. Keep the motivation flowing. Those old bluesy songs including ZZ Top are more emotional and pure than many forms of music and that may be what is drawing you in.

I love a wide variety of music including ZZ Top. ZZ Top and Van Halen were the first 2 live shows I ever went to(way back in '79) Their old stuff was just good crunchy blues.

I'm more into jam bands, EDM and blue/jam grass these days. The latter being easier to play so I focus on it. But I still love all forms of music except "new" country(read pop crap) and hard core rap(read misogynistic and narcissistic crap).

 

[jambandphan03]

that's awesome, jam.
not sure if you ever caught that josh homme video, but he gives my favorite piece of advice of all those guitar moves vids. basically at about 13:25 he's asked what he would tell a ten year old learning guitar. he replies, "when you expect anything from music you expect too much. so, you play for yourself, you play to enjoy it and you make the most of it for you." i found that even tho i consider myself a grunge/metal/industrial head above most other labels, i found that i enjoyed playing james brown the most of all the stuff on rock band, go figure.
glad to hear that you have found a new way to connect to the music and zz top is nothing to look down on. they may play mostly 'feel good' rock, but they are one of the best at it. (personally i'd take 'em over van halen any day.) thanks for sharing and keep playing!

I missed that vid, but can go find it. I actually am quite impressed with ZZTop after taking a closer look at their music and act. I think what is most amusing to me is how long its taken me to notice them. I mean, I'm from Billy's home town and used to regularly hang out at the Last Concert Cafe where Billy is known to show up frequently to hang out (just saw pics of him there at the end of Oct.) I probably smoked weed with the guy and didn't even know it... I was pretty un-aware of that generation of musicians really. While researching Billy's "look" for my man's halloween costume, I opened up pandora's box on discovering his playing style and learning blues guitar/bass, and Billy was the showman that took me through that door. He's quite the character and he feels strangely familiar to me, probably from being around at the cafe. Life sure is funny like that. More than anything I am super stoked to perform their tunage, being a TX native, it feels right, like it was pre-programmed in.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

 

[Bob Loblaw]

so i had a 'jam session' with a co-worker of the wifey's and his roommates. they did drums and lead and i basically just tried to make a rhythm with basic ramones chords. actually made a couple of riffs that they complimented me on. felt good. they all had small stashes of oil and i brought over my SYN w/ a domeless ti and my worm oil dome. blew their minds. also got to play some old school sega games that took me back.

a few articles from the current issue of premier guitar one on apc and another on zz top that i thought you'd be particularly interested in, @jambandphan03

http://www.premierguitar.com/articl...nother-round-for-billy-howerdel-and-james-iha

http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/19974-zz-top-gear-gallery

also an article on 'green' guitar building and a 3 string steampunk guitar

http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/19972-builder-profile-born-custom-guitars

http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/19914-bottom-feeder-my-steampunk-guitar


oh, and i figured out the opener for 'undertow' today, as well. thanks for the suggestion, @11eleven11 !

 

[11eleven11]

oh, and i figured out the opener for 'undertow' today, as well. thanks for the suggestion, @11eleven11 !

Nice dude. It's a fun addictive little riff. Also if I recall correctly, you do the same thing with the 3 lowest pitched strings in the drop d tuning to do the heavier same main chorus. That's how Adam Jones does it a lot of times. Fun song to play along with.

I swear dude, you'll be skipping a lot of bullshit and get pretty damn good if you get a transcribing program and some nice headphones to hear the details.

I just got these headphones and holy shit! I love them! They are perfect for hearing instrumental details. They come ready to be plugged into an amp, and they also work with normal auxiliary for MP3 players or your computer, etc.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

thanks for the suggestions. i got a decent pair of bose headphones and will keep the transcribing prog idea in mind. enjoying what i am doing so far. 'cept now that i've gotten to the last two strings of my L&M series and all the notes are off the scale. i think these last two are gonna take as long to learn as the other 4 put together.

don't mind taking the long way, got nothing but time. strengthening my hands, building muscle memory for proper chord shapes, all more important to me right now than "having fun", but the RS does allow for that. i missed the pre-order on bandfuse so no free neon strings for me. i really like a lot of the reviews i've been hearing. it seems to use tablature as well as colors for suggested fingers instead of strings. really want it, but am gonna wait 'til after the holidays and get in when the price drops (or at least that's what i keep telling myself).

 

[jambandphan03]

I often get that impatient, want to play like butter right now, sensation a lot, but all you can really do is play every day, for as long as you are able to, and eventually it just becomes engrained in your muscle memory. I am noticing many improvements, not only in my playing but in my awareness and ability to catch new things each time around that I missed, or was confused by before, when learning to play the songs... it feels a bit like a quickening. I'm so glad this fell into place so naturally.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

been too long since last update. kinda been slackin'. am a bit "up and down" and have been in the down the last few weeks. starting to come out of it a bit. also hit that first hard hill w/ the L&M series. been able to do the rocksmith and a little L&M refresher stuff over the last few days.

so i am currently sitting in a very painful waiting limbo.
when researching signature guitars i of course ran into a painful truth. not many lefties out there.
i started w/ adam jones from tool. silvertop classic gibson les paul. no lefties made ever, much less no signature edition. that took a bit to get over.
'94-'96 era touring NIN - Robyn Finck. has a signature guitar. no lefties, dual pickguard, tho. bummed.
cobain - no here i got lucky as there were three editions made
1. the jagstang - a custom made combo of the mustang and the jaguar. only found one guy looking for rare trades. used post nevermind touring.
2. the mustang - a classic fender reissue in a few different colors. nice sound, but not a huge amount of versatility.
3. and finally the jaguar completely faithful 'road worn' remake of his custom classic. more info here.... http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/revi...der/kurt_cobain_jaguar/index.html?no_takeover

i have been pining over this sucker since the first week i started playing. at a retail of $1300, i just couldn't justify it. then i found a guy in dallas selling one for 900. that was almost 3 months ago. yesterday it dropped down to 750. i had no hope for enough love from the wife to get a 'yes' on the subject, but i left it up on a window for her to notice as she was ambling around after getting home from work.
she said, 'no way, alright, get it.'
no emoticon good enough for my disbelief and joy.
i have responded to the two different posts for this guitar at least 3 times each. usually found a good reason for it, but definitely am showing my desire

i started at 7:30 last night. got a few hrs nap in the wee hrs. downloaded a "i can see if you read my message' app. am so excited, but also have a dread feeling some local is gonna come snatch it out from under me.

need some good FC love headed my way!

 

[2 Paces]

I feel for ya Bob. I'm lefty, but every time I pick up a guitar I thank myself for learning guitar righty. If I had to search for only lefty guitars, my collection would be a lot smaller. It's also nice to be able to pick up anyone else's guitar and jam.

The weather has been getting colder, so I'm in winter upkeep mode. This time of year I give every guitar some serious attention. Truss rod adjustments, intonations, general cleaning, string changes, fretboard cleaning & oiling, etc. It's amazing how much time I spend doing maintenance instead of playing .

Luckily I get enjoyment out of all of it. I just love guitars.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

any members who live in or near Dallas TX?

this guy prefers to do local and cash, but says he is a go if i pay up front.
really reaching out to the karma gods on this one.

p.s. my wife is a treasure

 

[Bob Loblaw]

money went out today. hopefully guitar should be on it's way tomorrow.
my wife is also a huge nirvana fan and is in love w/ the guitar itself, lucky me!

not gonna even let myself 'play' it really for a few months anyway. feel i need to 'earn' it.
thanks for the fc love. happy solstice and valentine's and anniversary and wedding to me!

practice, practice, practice!

 

[CheeseSandwich]

@Bob Loblaw
That's a very cool guitar Bob! I have no experience playing that particular guitar but my friend has a baby blue Fender Jagstang and it's really cool.
I love jag's, mustangs, music masters , anything kinda different I geuss. I have a duo sonic reissue currently. Like this:

 

[Bob Loblaw]

yea, i still am in shock and feel unbelievably blessed.

there was one lefty jagstang for trade that i thought about chasing, but i really like the way the jag sounds better.

that sonic-duo looks smooth. love the color. looks fun to play!
yea, the basic squiers, strats, and gibsons don't have much appeal to me. i do see a hollow body or semi-hollow body in my future as well.


i wouldn't have gone for the jag just 'cuz it's signature, but the ballsy sound that comes outta this thing is pretty unreal. that and to be able to play the bulk of nevermind (need a small clone and a dsp-1/2 pedal as well) from a gear standpoint is magical to me. i love the range of effects. kinda carries a range from fendery to gibsony.

this guy is an amazing guitarist and puts it thru it's paces and shows what kinda of sound this thing can pump out (w/ the right pedals)

i truly don't deserve it and would never have gotten it other than the price was so reasonable. 35% under retail. i am gonna have to work hard to 'earn' it. maybe selling one or two things to help offset cost, but practicing is the main way!

my back-up purchase this SG 310 modded out metal style for 300. much more reasonable, but much less satisfying and much smaller range.

 

[CheeseSandwich]

agreed jag's do have a awesome sound. I owned a Japanese made Fender jaguar a few years ago, bought it at a boxing day sale for cheap. I had always wanted one because of one of my favorite bands... Fu Manchu. It turned out not to be the right choice for me, i really didn't care for how it felt personally. For some reason, I have liked some of the really cheap guitars much more so than the more expensive ones...go figure.

 

[jambandphan03]

I don't know how many of you are using youtube for instruction, but I have been finding many vids that are at least worth a watch, like this one, and have been using a youtube downloader to grab any of the good ones I want to keep watching, it was free online, called YTD video downloader. Just wanted to pass this along, not sure if it's useful info or not.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

thanks for that, jam!

guess what showed up in the mail today!!!
so stressed about this all week.
hardly been able to play. this thing feels siiiiick.
gonna take awhile to get used to these insane controls

i am so blessed!

the guy had it strung up for a righty, and it still is.
i want to take it to a luthier to get it setup and check the intonation anyway, so i'm tempted to go ahead and waste the strings i got so i can play it 'til then.

really wish you were local, @2 Paces!

it feels so nice, it's crazy what paying ten times will get you, lol
first guitar was $75, this one was $750 +expenses.

my wife is the definition of kickass!