Learning Guitar

[NPK]

The cost of tutoring depends on the teacher...$30-$40 per hour is about normal...not cheap.

I've had 2 teachers that are incredible...used to bring in a tape or a CD of a song I wanted to learn, and they would listen to the song just once or twice, and immediately tab out the song...amazing!

 

[Trollhammaren]

I learnt guitar by myself, probably set me back a bit, because I only learnt scales a lot later and was doing palm muting wrong for a long time, but I enjoyed it as I learnt songs that I liked, which weren't songs with chords in them.

So the basics are chords and power chords, barre chords, scales, improvising etc.

I'd just learn how to read tabs and practice things like hammering and pulling off, trilling etc. and try and play some songs you like.

But do what ever you want, learning music theory will speed up you becoming a better player but I left this till late. If you practice all the time you'll become good.

 

[CC_Eagle]

Ten years this Feburary...

Anything AC/DC and you can't go wrong..TNT is perfect for mastering your timing.

 

[CC_Eagle]

I'm thinking of hiring a guitar teacher for an hour a week so I've got somebody to ask questions, to show me things I need to know, to explain things with examples in front of my eyes and to give me exercises to practice in the meantime.

How much do they usually charge, anyone?

$15-20 half hour usually..Thats what I charge anyway.

 

[SP]

been self teaching myself guitar for over a year

mainly play my own stuff

 

[SP]

How's that F chord going dev?

F chords are a prick :x

i find doing the F power chord is alot easier

 

[carcharias]

Ok Dev,
Yep the F is your first virtually impossible chord you come across.

Don't worry it will come , if you slide the F up a fret it then becomes F# up again it is a G then Ab etc etc .
It is the first real movable shape you learn.
It can also be called a triad if you only use your first two fingers.
Triads are the 3 main notes out of the chord and are great for real quick choppy chord changes.
Oils use them all the time. They are down the track though.

Someone said ACDC for timing....I agree , they have some great little chord riffs.
If you want to get any good , a teacher is a must.
I had lessons on and off for about 18 years.
I went back last year for about 8 months, just to brush up on some theory .
Also the A minor Pentatonic scale is the greatest thing you will learn.
E A D G B E
|*|*|*|* |* |*|<high e string5th fret
| | | | | | |
| |*|*|* | | |
|*| | | |*|*|

Hopefully that very dodgy diagram makes sense.
It is movable as well , just take it up or down depending on what key the song is in.
If you play this scale over Am or C keyed songs it will sound good .
Just pick a few notes out and get a little repetetive thing going.
You will be suprised how good you will sound.
As for the learning of theory ..well it is better to know but I don't think it's an absollute do or die.

The one true way to get better is to get in a band and just jam.
My first band ...the bass player had had one lesson and the drummer had had about 4 weeks worth at our first jam.
Off we went... A year later we ended up playing to a packed Kardoma cafe in the Cross at the final of a battle of the bands...We weren't even old enough to be in there.

Another cool thing to learn is the Drop D Tuning .
You tune your low E string to the D string.
Then it's just one finger and barre off the whole fret.
Grinspoon swear by it...(ready one, more than you are)
Silverchairs "Freak" is Drop D as is Tool's "Stinkfist".
You am I's "Jammies got a girl" is the same.

I hope some of this makes sense.

Foo Fighers tonight!!!...Monkey wrench..Drop D.

 

[millersnose]

throw the books away

just put on the cd and use your ears

 

[NPK]

throw the books away

just put on the cd and use your ears

Are you serious? Only the extremely talented with perfect pitch etc. will be able to teach themselves like that.

 

[HevyDevy]

Nah I definitely want a teacher

Incidentally, B minor is a bit tricky to get the fingers around too!!

I've been practicing the basic chromatic scale today by the way. Got it downpat.

 

[NPK]

Nah I definitely want a teacher

Incidentally, B minor is a bit tricky to get the fingers around too!!

I've been practicing the basic chromatic scale today by the way. Got it downpat.

B minor on the 2nd fret uses the same shape of major barre chords (F, F# etc.), it's just all 1 string down.
B minor on the 7th fret is just the B major chord with the middle finger not used.

 

[Simo]

18 years for me (makes me feel old, I swear it wasnt long ago it was 12!)

Great to see you learning HD, youll have a ball on the guitar if you stick to it.

Ill throw an easy song at ya, if I remember correctly 'shivers' by the screaming jets is just C and G the whole way through.

Also Heavens door is G, D and C as someone said, I dont know what version the person who said it has an Am in it is playing though!

I teacher I think is a great idea to help you kick off, helps you get past places you get stuck in.

Good luck.

 

[NPK]

Also Heavens door is G, D and C as someone said, I dont know what version the person who said it has an Am in it is playing though!

This one has Am in it.

 

[Simo]

I stand corrected, apologies NPK. When I had a teacher he taught me that years ago without the Am. Im gonna dig out my old book (if they still exist) and check it out. He used to be quite amazing at tabbing songs from his ear.

 

[waltzing Meninga]

The best way to learn songs is by ear. Yes, downloading the tab is easy and you will be able to play the song, but you haven't really developed our playing. My guitar teacher used to make me learn by ear when I was young and I used to hate it and justwant to download the tab, but i am so glad i learnt this way.

I have developed my ear from not being able to play smoke on the water by ear, to now being able to play absolutley anything just by listening to it.

Don't say to yourself "I don't have a musical ear so it won't work for me", because I didn't have one either when I satrted, but you can develop it more than you think If you force yourself to learn this way. It is also a vital tool in song writing as you can put the melodies and ideas inyour head into music.

 

[B-dos]

Mate, the guy is teaching himself to play guitar.

I think the only way to teach yourself is to use TAB or have some kind of book which teaches you chords and scales etc. If the guy sat there listening to a CD and trying to play it, he would get nowhere.

You had a guitar teacher so you havent actually learnt guitar by playing by ear at all.

 

[waltzing Meninga]

Mate, the guy is teaching himself to play guitar.

I think the only way to teach yourself is to use TAB or have some kind of book which teaches you chords and scales etc. If the guy sat there listening to a CD and trying to play it, he would get nowhere.

You had a guitar teacher so you havent actually learnt guitar by playing by ear at all.

Yes I did. My teacher made me learn that way. At first he did give me tips if I couldn't work stuff out etc. But after that If I really couldn't get something out,he would tell me to go home and spend as much time as I needed to work it out. Sure you can use tabs for your first couple of songs to get the hang of it, but my point is that you really need to get off the tabs as quick as possible or you just become good at replicating other peoples songs rather than being a guitarist or musician.

 

[B-dos]

Fair enough, i hear your point. My point is that without a teacher to teach you the basics (Chords, notes, scales etc) it would be very very difficult for a beginner to start teaching himself by trying to play by ear.

Sure, when you know the basics, and understand what works with what, and what notes are where on the fret board, playing and teaching yourself by ear is a great way to go. Until you know these basics, i would not recommend it.

 

[waltzing Meninga]

Fair enough, i hear your point. My point is that without a teacher to teach you the basics (Chords, notes, scales etc) it would be very very difficult for a beginner to start teaching himself by trying to play by ear.

Sure, when you know the basics, and understand what works with what, and what notes are where on the fret board, playing and teaching yourself by ear is a great way to go. Until you know these basics, i would not recommend it.

I agree. In a previous post on this thread I have said that you should study guitar/music theory before learning, and most of the practice in the early stages of learning should be centred around playing scales, as IMO this is by far the best way to get to learn which notes are where on the fretboard and you are learning the basics of improvisation, and what notes sound good with certain chord patterns. Learning scales usually comes from guitar tabs or a teacher as this is the only real place to start.

So my advise would be firstly to study at least the basics of music theory. I.E root and dominant posistions etc etc. Then to learn and practice sh*t loads of scales. Then learn a few basic songs you like by tab. After you have mastered a couple of basic songs, try and learn some more basic songs by ear. Even if it's just a couple of chords in the song - try and work out which ones they are and emulate what they are playing by ear. If you keep trying and you find there is no way you can get it - then go to the tab. Your ear will train itself beyond amazement if you practice like this.

 

[carcharias]

Doesn't Hevy Devon just want to learn to play a few songs ?

If so scales are as useful as tits on a bull....not to mention mind numbingly boring.

Learn the chords first Dev you will stay interested .