Guitar practice

[Elro]

Any guitar players here?

What songs would you recommend to a fairly new guitar player? I'm trying to learn guitar, and I'm looking for good tablature that's not too difficult to learn, but difficult enough to require practice.

I've already more or less learned Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin) and Sweet Child of Mine (Guns 'n' Roses) from tabs, and taught myself Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (Led Zeppelin). All three of those are songs I'd recommend.

[garak]

I found it really hard to just focus on one song and truly learn it - I would just go through whole albums, picking up the main parts, and saying "screw it" about the other parts. Being a good guitar player takes too much J. :/

[Elro]

I found it really hard to just focus on one song and truly learn it - I would just go through whole albums, picking up the main parts, and saying "screw it" about the other parts. Being a good guitar player takes too much J. :/
Yes, I know what you mean. I know those three songs I mentioned pretty well overall, but I also know fragments of many, many other songs. It just takes a certain kind of song to sit down and learn most of it. Most songs I try to learn only last a few seconds before I get frustrated with it and move on.

Bass lines are easier, though.

[glassmoon]

Any guitar players here?

What songs would you recommend to a fairly new guitar player? I'm trying to learn guitar, and I'm looking for good tablature that's not too difficult to learn, but difficult enough to require practice.

I've already more or less learned Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin) and Sweet Child of Mine (Guns 'n' Roses) from tabs, and taught myself Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (Led Zeppelin). All three of those are songs I'd recommend.

try these:
Metallica - Nothing else matters, unforgiven, fade to black
Pink Floyd - Is there anybody out there? Shine on you crazy diamond
Black Sabbath's guitarist's piece - dee
Dream Theater - another day

[melancholeric]

I got my first electric when I was 5....

Get guitar pro (www.guitar-pro.com/). I've learned a good amount of stuff with this that I couldn't learn with just tabs. Also, www.mysongbook.com has a lot of songs for that.

By the way, did you learn the guitar solos of Sweet Child O'Mine? If you did, how long did it take? I never bothered with those... I have the same problem with focusing.

[kuranes]

"I can hear it callin' me the way it used to . . "

There was a guitar out for awhile that had LED's under the strings that would light up to show other positions in the related triad after you played a note, so that you had several different places to choose from, as to your next move. I forget what it was called, and I couldn't ever afford it. Wonder if it's still out there. A gimmick, I know. Appealed to both the gadget freak and lazy part of me.

[Elro]

By the way, did you learn the guitar solos of Sweet Child O'Mine? If you did, how long did it take? I never bothered with those... I have the same problem with focusing.

Nah, I haven't worked too hard on the solos in any of the songs either, although I plan to try. Just needed new material in the meantime.

Thanks for the resources, particularly MySongBook. I've been using TabRobot (http://www.tabrobot.com/), but this looks better, perhaps.

[cjs55]

Learn Maiden albums, they're fun and usually they're pretty easy to figure out.

[nobarcode]

I forced myself -due to a suggestion- to learn to play acoustic guitar first in order to develop muscles and dexterity. That was good advice.

Later, in college, I took a few basic and second level music classes like classical piano, music theory, etc until I figured out that I liked Geometry better. :) I never memorized tablature because I was never able to figure out how to get a piece of paper to make a sound that appealed to me.

Eventually, I pin-pointed that listening to any kind of horn section, or horn player is more resonant. That sort of melodic phrasing just works.

I'm stuck there, and I only play on the occasion anymore.

[garak]

I came to the conclusion that guitar is too nuanced for me to ever truly dig it. I decided I should play drums -- but haven't gotten around to it yet!

[n0mad]

First of all, don't ever use tabs! Or guitar pro! Never!
Starts with simple blues songs, jammin' even if it doesn't sound good. Take down songs by ear, not by downloaded tabs or sheets. Believe me, it will pay a great deal a lot in long term. And don't be discouraged at start, u'll sound awful. But be patient and everything will workout. Later on u can do some theory, and look at the sheets and tabs. But only later, remember!
This was advice that experienced guitar player gave to me and I'm now thankful for that. Now I give it to you.

EDIT:
Within 3 years of passively playing guitar, I put down the solo from "Heartbreaker" by Led Zeppelin, all by myself. With no tabs at all! How many of you tab players can tell that?

[purple13]

I have tab for "Julia" by the Beatles. It's a fun one to play.. very pretty sounding. I fart around once in a while on my steel string accoustic, but not as much as I used to. I learned a bunch of Wizard of Oz tunes (fingerstyle) from a book by Mark Hanson that are fun to play. I have many books, from Neil Young to Paul Simon, to Jethro Tull.

[garak]

First of all, don't ever use tabs! Or guitar pro! Never!
Starts with simple blues songs, jammin' even if it doesn't sound good. Take down songs by ear, not by downloaded tabs or sheets. Believe me, it will pay a great deal a lot in long term. And don't be discouraged at start, u'll sound awful. But be patient and everything will workout. Later on u can do some theory, and look at the sheets and tabs. But only later, remember!
This was advice that experienced guitar player gave to me and I'm now thankful for that. Now I give it to you.

EDIT:
Within 3 years of passively playing guitar, I put down the solo from "Heartbreaker" by Led Zeppelin, all by myself. With no tabs at all! How many of you tab players can tell that?
Sometimes it's hard to figure out what chords are being used and stuff like that, so I wouldn't say totally avoid tabs, but I agree -- in general, it's good to be able to just figure things out by ear. But I think this might just be an innate ability to an extent -- I've known people who could sit there and simply not be able to figure out how to find the notes being played. To me it's easy -- if you're lower than the song, go higher, and vice versa! Duh! But it doesn't seem so easy for some.

[n0mad]

I didn't said it wouldn't be hard at start. It will be, oh it will be. U'll try to pick up Bob Dylan's easiest songs for a week! And still u won't get them right!
But, for one or two years, u'll be able to lift songs right off!
Hereby, I again thank guitarist that gave me this tip.
And another tip - lay off guitar effects. Do plain acoustic. A lot of begginers mask their incompetence with distortion. Don't do that.
As, for tabs... They'll be of use, but later. A lot later.

[n0mad]

As for song selection, which in fact was the question, I can't really prescribe u anything special. Do acoustic blues, maybe a little acoustic guitar classical pieces, like "Adelita" by Francisco Tarrega. Bob Dylan is great for starters. If you're fingerpicking, you could play a lot of songs by J.J. Cale.

[int]

Learn whatever makes you want to pick up the instrument and play.

Tabs/software/sheet music is fine to get the gist of a song. But once you know enough of it half the fun (and the point, imo) of music is to fill in the blanks with *your* version of whatever works. :)

[Serotonin]

Learn whatever makes you want to pick up the instrument and play.

Tabs/software/sheet music is fine to get the gist of a song. But once you know enough of it half the fun (and the point, imo) of music is to fill in the blanks with *your* version of whatever works. :)

Good point. Learn songs that you love. I re-taught myself piano after five years of not playing it, quitting at 13, much to my mother's disappointment, because I hated playing classical. At 18 I sat down again and learnt stuff from Steely Dan, Ben Folds, Beatles etc. By ear. Couldn't be bothered with the score.

[int]

Good point. Learn songs that you love. I re-taught myself piano after five years of not playing it, quitting at 13, much to my mother's disappointment, because I hated playing classical. At 18 I sat down again and learnt stuff from Steely Dan, Ben Folds, Beatles etc. By ear. Couldn't be bothered with the score.

Heh. I'm thinking of getting one of these:

http://www.casio.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=products.detail&catalog=Music%20Instruments&section=Digital%20Pianos&product=PX%2D100

I can get one pretty cheap because I've been hording gift certificates for a few years. I haven't played much more that a few songs (like "Hurt" by NIN and some originals) on a keyboard over the past 13 years but think it would be a decent addition to my little home studio. Since it has midi i can get a decent outboard synth, too. 88 weighted keys, a decent piano sound, and midi is really all I want.

What made me want to play piano again was the hidden track at the end of Pennywise's "Full Circle" album. That 1 song has inspired 4 or 5 others and makes me want to play, everytime I hear it.

[philonightmare]

I started out by playing Nirvana, Green Day, 311, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Most of their songs are pretty simple and finding correct tabs for them isn't too difficult.

Good luck, I've been playing for six years and I still find it challenging.

[Pedro_The_Lion]

Just start playing all those verse-chorus-verse songs that are easy to learn. Also, try playing approximations to the songs. I suck too I just like playing to songs I know.

[SheepDog]

I'm a bass player, but...

I agree with n0mad in a distaste for Tab. Training the ear is great exercise, despite the fact that it isn't always easy. I do recommend learning to read music. Written music (not Tab) can articulate nuances of music much, much better because there are notations for more than just what notes to play. Tab seems to be about where to put your fingers.

My other problem with Tab is that the fingerings that one person uses may not work for you, or they may not work in a particular transition between other notes. I think it's much, much better to find your own fingerings that work for you.

I play along with albums a lot when I practice, usually blues or jazzy rock. I think that sounds like great advice.

[Vagabond]

I found it really hard to just focus on one song and truly learn it - I would just go through whole albums, picking up the main parts, and saying "screw it" about the other parts. Being a good guitar player takes too much J. :/ Yep, more or less me too. But I am not a great guitar player - but that was never my goal. So I guess it depends. If you want to play for your own amusement, to feel better yourself killing time creatively or I don't know - for yourself, that is what worked for me. (I tried to sophisticate the way I played in time, I needed some challenge :P ) If you have long term plans about your guitar playing and want to be *great* at it eventually, I agree with what n0mad suggested. It will be a pain at first, eventually though it will pay off.

Oh and I totally agree that you shouldn't start with electric guitars (well I mean more than just effects, I suppose). I practiced on classical, and now acoustic and electric guitars are too easy to get used to.

[deus.ex.machina]

Yeah, I know this is an old thread, but I can't resist posting in it.

Perhaps I am more J than most INTPs since I spend a considerable amount of personal time practicing. I am also quite the killer guitar player, piano player, and singer (I play many other instruments, but those are the ones I am best at).

My practice sessions are rather atypical. A general day of practice for me is:

2 hours singing/acoustic
30 minutes of singing with electric and piano
30 minutes of practicing scalar runs at various tempos and note values
30 minutes of scale writing and practicing various scales
30 minutes of singing, interval training, or piano sheet music reading
1-3 hours of jamming over songs by ear

I have been into music all my life, so I suppose it is rather habitual, but I have I never loose interest in making music. Rote practice does bore me sometimes, so I just keep switching it up and always try learning something new. I am really good at improvising and can pick anything up by ear (except alot of jazz stuff). It's to the point where I can tell the chord name (ie. a sus2 chord), and the scale and whatever chromatic intervals are being added to the scale (like a blues scale with a M2 interval added to it).

yes, some practice is a chore, but it is worth it since I am the best guitar player I know, and us INTPs do generally pride ourselves on being the best. :)

Also, music really touches me. Those rare moments I hit the zone and my playing feels like it just got pushed into a new level of performance brings tears to my eyes; the brief glimpse and conscious realization of the infinite level of power and knowledge hidden behind a 12 tone system makes the several hours out of each day I spend making music worth it. 8O

[Maniac]

I found it really hard to just focus on one song and truly learn it - I would just go through whole albums, picking up the main parts, and saying "screw it" about the other parts. Being a good guitar player takes too much J. :/

Spoken in true INTP fashion. We're all so alike LOL

[deus.ex.machina]

Spoken in true INTP fashion. We're all so alike LOL

haha I can still be like that as well. I generally don't learn whole songs note for note. It's much funner figuring out the progressions, main melodies, and then just improvising everything else. :)

[sbw]

I've been screwing around with an electric lately (I have a lot of free time), but I can't define any of the technical terms deus uses above. so much to LEARN, can't wait...

Scott

[deus.ex.machina]

I've been screwing around with an electric lately (I have a lot of free time), but I can't define any of the technical terms deus uses above. so much to LEARN, can't wait...

Scott

Thats what I love about the domain of music! there is so much to learn that I will spend the remainder of my life studying the system and still die knowing there was more to learn. Don't worry though, us INTPs learn quick so you should have no problem. The only thing is that the practice at first is rather boring. I suggest spending equal time training yourself by ear and studying the system theory wise, just so you don't learn interest.

Also, making music will really help you develop a healthy control of emotions I think.

[sbw]

Thats what I love about the domain of music! there is so much to learn that I will spend the remainder of my life studying the system and still die knowing there was more to learn. Don't worry though, us INTPs learn quick so you should have no problem. The only thing is that the practice at first is rather boring. I suggest spending equal time training yourself by ear and studying the system theory wise, just so you don't learn interest.

Also, making music will really help you develop a healthy control of emotions I think.

*overreacts to non-existent implication that I'm not in control of my emotions* "I'll kill you, you sonofabitch!!!"

(sorry, I'm sure nobody else thought that was funny; I slay me)

seriously though...I don't know anything about 'theory' and I just started banging out screeching noises like a week ago...do you have any recommendations (websites, books, etc.) for "studying the system theory wise"?

Scott

[Maniac]

*overreacts to non-existent implication that I'm not in control of my emotions* "I'll kill you, you sonofabitch!!!"

(sorry, I'm sure nobody else thought that was funny; I slay me)

seriously though...I don't know anything about 'theory' and I just started banging out screeching noises like a week ago...do you have any recommendations (websites, books, etc.) for "studying the system theory wise"?

Scott

Theory is tough study. You have to love it. Most ppl I know can't stand theory, although I used to eat up music theory books for breakfast. Honestly, the truth is, if you know scales, you know everything. Scales are the building blocks for music. Pick a scale, do a nice chord I-IV-V progression and you've just started playing music. Harmonycentral.com might have some nice faqs, but just do a google for "scales faq".

[deus.ex.machina]

*overreacts to non-existent implication that I'm not in control of my emotions* "I'll kill you, you sonofabitch!!!"

(sorry, I'm sure nobody else thought that was funny; I slay me)

seriously though...I don't know anything about 'theory' and I just started banging out screeching noises like a week ago...do you have any recommendations (websites, books, etc.) for "studying the system theory wise"?

Scott

Sorry I meant "you" in more of a universal sense, than you individually. Don't worry, I have a sense of humor only I understand as well haha.
:)

I recommend biting the bullet and taking a couple guitar lessons, just to make sure you don't get shit twisted at first. Read and practice your own stuff while taking lessons though. As for helpful references, most of the books I read on music are on cognition and perception topics.

Here are some good links though:

basic scales and theory
http://webfile.com/
http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/appendix/scales/scalesmain.html
http://www.musictheory.net/

Music theory journal (subscribe)
http://www.societymusictheory.org/mto/

Random interesting shit on music theory
http://www.new-universe.com/pythagoras/mcclain.html

music cognition resource site
http://dactyl.som.ohio-state.edu/Resources/information.html

Very good site for ear training (very important skill most guitarists overlook)
http://www.worldvillage.com/jchuang/Music/Ear/intervals.cgi
http://www.musicalintervalstutor.info/listenpg.html
http://www.musicalintervalstutor.info/index.html

[deus.ex.machina]

Theory is tough study. You have to love it. Most ppl I know can't stand theory, although I used to eat up music theory books for breakfast. Honestly, the truth is, if you know scales, you know everything. Scales are the building blocks for music. Pick a scale, do a nice chord I-IV-V progression and you've just started playing music. Harmonycentral.com might have some nice faqs, but just do a google for "scales faq".

I never understood why many intps will eat up other complex systems, like math and computer programming, but will generally overlook music theory? It is a very complex system to understand completely...

[Maniac]

I never understood why many intps will eat up other complex systems, like math and computer programming, but will generally overlook music theory? It is a very complex system to understand completely...

I agree, I loved it. I never got further than modes though (lol, mixolydian is one word I'll never forget ;) ). I think that's all you really need though. Once you know scales, you know chords, and once you know chords, you know harmony.

The best thing about music that you can do the harmony first and then get the melody, or vice versa. I find the former to be a more 'theoretical' way, while the latter to be a more 'creative/inspirational' way.

[sbw]

deus--that's a bunch of sites. thanks so much. I'll check it out later when I get home from work.

Scott

[waxwing]

I'm a fan of finger-picking. It may seem backwards, but because of how I learn best (and some musical background), I prefer to learn an instrument by building chords. Normally I wouldn't recommend it to someone who's beginning, but maybe it's an INTP thing to want to build chords, to see how they actually work. Finger- picking helps me hear each note individually, similar to playing arpeggios on the piano. I also would recommend learning some short cuts that help you move quickly from one chord to the next (especially G-C-D). Also, bar chords are a great way to play a variety of songs with some variation.

[Zero Angel]

I'm playing by riffs and barre chords right now. Every riff I learn gives me a few new sounds to add to my arsenal when creating my own riffs. Chords for me are difficult to memorize, so I learn them by playing riffs.

The first two riffs I learned were:
Nirvana - Come As You Are (http://www.guitaretab.com/n/nirvana/26061.html)
as well:
Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water

Smoke on the water is super easy. There's different ways of playing the intro riff, but the way I do it is:

0-3-5-0-3-65---0-3-5-30

On the top string. Once you learn barre chords you can flesh it out. Barre chords are easy to learn. Its just one finger position that you can move along the different strings and frets.

www.ultimate-guitar.com

Great site, if you know what tabs you are looking for.

http://www.guitarnoise.com/

A pretty decent site. Has lessons, tabs, and tips for beginners and intermediates.

[waxwing]

I'm playing by riffs and barre chords right now. Every riff I learn gives me a few new sounds to add to my arsenal when creating my own riffs. Chords for me are difficult to memorize, so I learn them by playing riffs.
Cool.

I'm tempted to start a thread on how we INTPs learn to play guitar. I'm interested to see any similarities in methodology.

What type of guitar do you play, Zero Angel?

[Hamro]

i just started with rock chords, mainly playing The Offspring, then i moved onto chords and picking. then everything else. its best to start with rock chords, you can do pretty much with them. also learning how to read tabs is a must, im ok at it, i can read and play at the same time.

i practice bout 2-5 hours, i just play along my favourite albums, improving my technique. before i didnt kill the strings the right way when playing chords so it sounded pretty bad. but now its all smooth. my fingers are doing stuff i had no idea they were doing

[Zero Angel]

I play an acoustic. There are some songs that you can play on it that sound so much more natural and beautiful out then an electric could ever make it sound (especially once you hit some of the higher notes). If you ever hear an acoustic played well then you can really learn to appreciate it.

Someday, I will probably be able to afford a good electric and amp, but I'm really happy with the acoustic I already have.

[waxwing]

I play an acoustic. There are some songs that you can play on it that sound so much more natural and beautiful out then an electric could ever make it sound (especially once you hit some of the higher notes). If you ever hear an acoustic played well then you can really learn to appreciate it.

Someday, I will probably be able to afford a good electric and amp, but I'm really happy with an acoustic right now.Yeah, I play acoustic as well. I adore the raw, solitary sound. We can produce so many different timbres (and moods) on it, you know? I can make it sound so sad, so funky, so rich, so rhythmic and driving, so..., well, you get the point....;)

[last_caress]

Though I think it's a good idea to try learning a song by ear first, theres not a damn thing wrong with using tab, especially if you need to learn it quickly or are having trouble with a certaing part.
With a piano, if you want to play middle c, there is only one place to play it.
With a guitar, for any given note there are at least several different places on the fretboard that it can be played.
Just because you have found the correct note, does not mean you have chosen the optimal location on the fretboard to play.
This can definitely be an impediment with complex/fast music where it can make it much more difficult to impossible to play a given song (see technical metal.)

I myself like powertab.
http://www.power-tab.net/
http://www.powertabs.net/

It's not difficult to get the hang of and it has a rather large archive and user base.

[cv2]

www.classtab.org

Classical guitar would be my suggestion.


Any guitar players here?

What songs would you recommend to a fairly new guitar player? I'm trying to learn guitar, and I'm looking for good tablature that's not too difficult to learn, but difficult enough to require practice.

I've already more or less learned Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin) and Sweet Child of Mine (Guns 'n' Roses) from tabs, and taught myself Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (Led Zeppelin). All three of those are songs I'd recommend.

[Stoned_Rider]

Ok here are some acoustic songs that I've found quite easy as a beginner. They are dead easy yet they sound fantastic:

The Verve - The Drugs Don't Work
The Verve - Lucky Man
Green Day - Good Riddance
Staind - Outside
REM - Everybody Hurts
Marilyn Manson - The Nobodies

Right now I'm still trying to get the hang of barre chords. A good exercise in barre chords is Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing.

[Professor Chaos]

I'm thinking about getting a guitar for christmas and subsequently attempting to learn how to play. I understand this question lies on a number of variables but how long does it take to get "good"? By good, I mean play something like Gilmour's solo on Dogs. I have the time to play everyday and would like to think I have a decent inclination for music.

[melancholeric]

I'm thinking about getting a guitar for christmas and subsequently attempting to learn how to play. I understand this question lies on a number of variables but how long does it take to get "good"? By good, I mean play something like Gilmour's solo on Dogs. I have the time to play everyday and would like to think I have a decent inclination for music.

I've been playing for about two decades now. I'm slowly starting to get an idea of how to hold the pick somewhat right.

Edit: not to sound discouraging. I imagine if you're determined and somewhat talented you can learn to play things like that in a couple of years or so. But sounding as good as Gilmour is another thing entirely.

edit again: I can't for the life of me remember that solo right now, but Gilmour solos vary in their difficulty quite a bit. For example, "Mother" was fairly easy, and "Another Brick in the Wall pt2", well, way harder.

[stuck]

I'm thinking about getting a guitar for christmas and subsequently attempting to learn how to play. I understand this question lies on a number of variables but how long does it take to get "good"? By good, I mean play something like Gilmour's solo on Dogs. I have the time to play everyday and would like to think I have a decent inclination for music.

Totally depends on you. His solos aren't all that hard to play, from a technical viewpoint (i mean, there's a little bit of extended technique, but that stuff [pinch harmonics, etc.] can be learned relatively easily). The feel, however, is something that you may never achieve until you've reached mastery. That'd be 10 years or so (3 hours a day of practice). The creativity to write some of those things and endure the life of a musician, you have to be fucking insane to attempt that. Hope you like the journey.

If you like that stuff, and want to learn it, don't fuck around- learn it straight off. That's how many of the greats did it-they copied the masters before them. It's hard, but very rewarding.



Edit: not to sound discouraging. I imagine if you're determined and somewhat talented you can learn to play things like that in a couple of years or so. But sounding as good as Gilmour is another thing entirely.

I disagree with this- if you have it in you, you can just pick things up. The key is to slow things down as much as possible. Playing is, at its base, a mechanical act like brushing your teeth or riding a bike. You practice things until they become muscle memory, and then you work on the feeling and phrasing. The mechanical bit is not particularly hard, especially playing lyrical melodies on guitar.

[Julian]

I would recommend Everlong by Foo Fighters if you want something retarded easy. It's good practice for memorization.

[melancholeric]

Totally depends on you. His solos aren't all that hard to play, from a technical viewpoint (i mean, there's a little bit of extended technique, but that stuff [pinch harmonics, etc.] can be learned relatively easily).
I don't think the crazier bends + vibrato he does can be learned "relatively easily".

[Professor Chaos]

Thanks, that was the picture I was getting of how long it'd take, I just want to say in my lifetime that I was able to play certain well known solos.

Gilmour is one of the most underrated guitarists ever. Probably for the reason previously stated that his solos aren't overly difficult techincally. But, he was one of the most creative guitarists in general and capturing an emotional response through his guitar.

Most underrated solo from him would have to be at the end of Pigs (three different ones). In all likelyhood it was so overlooked because of the poor placement at the end of the song.

Edit: Some guy covering/shreddin' the solo on dogs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEs7slPMnR4

I can definitely see where the difficulty of the bends come into play.

[stuck]

I don't think the crazier bends + vibrato he does can be learned "relatively easily".

I think if someone really sat down and cogently demonstrated it, it'd be fairly easy, like a couple weeks or months to develop the muscles/callouses. It's not hard to shake your hand back and forth at 300 bpm, but it hurts like a motherfucker if you don't have the right callous. You'll bleed at first after about 15 mintues. Then you'll stop and go "that's fucking hard!"

It's the same things with those bends. Those elements of style take practice, but not the same practice as it takes to develop something like a rasgeado or a classical tremolo.

As far as tone, sustain, that shit, that's a lifetime obsession.

Maybe it's just me and the attitude I have about music. I have been playing it my whole life, so I may look at learning a new instrument with a bunch of assets that a noob may not have. I do know that, when I gave lessons, I could say "do this, this and this. DONT do that, or that," and then their 'problem' would be fixed. 10 minutes max for the lesson, but you'd have to practice for a couple years (or months, if it's a fulltime job) for it to take hold.

It's really just time spent. The guitar will feel like holding some kind of frozen octopus at first, but then it becomes a part of your body. Wear it around the house.

Here's an illustration of vibrato on guitar. Get a wire clothes hanger. Go to a wood surface, something you wouldn't mind getting a little scraped up. Take the middle finger on your left hand, and press the very tip (1 cm from your fingernail) down on the hanger, and rub it hard enough on the surface that you hear a scraping noise. Do it as fast as possible, and hard enough that you leave a mark on the surface. How long can you bear to do that for? Vibrato on guitar hurts worse than that.

[Alfredo]

I disagree with this- if you have it in you, you can just pick things up. The key is to slow things down as much as possible. Playing is, at its base, a mechanical act like brushing your teeth or riding a bike. You practice things until they become muscle memory, and then you work on the feeling and phrasing. The mechanical bit is not particularly hard, especially playing lyrical melodies on guitar.

So there's hope? Yes!

I'm teaching myself the ukulele, but I worry that I'm too much of a dilettante to ever be good at anything. I don't have ambitions of being a working musician or anything, I just want to expand the mediums I can work in when I make stuff.

At times I feel my reason for taking things up isn't "good" enough.

[stuck]

So there's hope? Yes!

I'm teaching myself the ukulele, but I worry that I'm too much of a dilettante to ever be good at anything. I don't have ambitions of being a working musician or anything, I just want to expand the mediums I can work in when I make stuff.

At times I feel my reason for taking things up isn't "good" enough.

pfff, isfp. you're like 15 miles ahead of me without trying.<_<

[melancholeric]

I think if someone really sat down and cogently demonstrated it, it'd be fairly easy, like a couple weeks or months to develop the muscles/callouses. It's not hard to shake your hand back and forth at 300 bpm, but it hurts like a motherfucker if you don't have the right callous. You'll bleed at first after about 15 mintues. Then you'll stop and go "that's fucking hard!"

It's the same things with those bends. Those elements of style take practice, but not the same practice as it takes to develop something like a rasgeado or a classical tremolo.
Dunno at all. It's not just the callous. Well, not for me, anyway.

With bends, the accuracy and all that. Also, it gets super hard when you try to do those gilmourish two steps up one down one and a half up up (like, from C to E to D to F). Also, I can't for the life of me do a decent vibrato on bends.

Actually not sure I can do a decent vibrato at all.

Hey, if you could do a videographic illustration on these things I'd really appreciate that. And I'm fairly sure there are others too.

[C-StoLibFro]

Often I play along with whatever is on tv for ear practice. There is nothing like busting out a wicked solo over the latest maxi pad commercial.

[stuck]

I'd bet part of it is also having your guitar set up the right way. For instance, I guess he uses 10s on his strat. That's light as fuck, and it makes it way easy to do bends. Try doing that using 13s like Stevie Ray Vaughn. I'd assume his action is dreamy.

Vibrato, for an NT, is all about rate. Gilmour sounds like he does a basic triplet feel vibrato over those slow grinders. Just isolate a lick and play it 4 trillion times while you watch your favorite episode of Hoarders.

To be honest, I'd have to take a couple weeks to build up some callouses to play blues/rock guitar. The most I have to do these days is a part or two for a song, and I go the blister route.

.

[Robert165]

Gilmour sounds like he does a basic triplet feel vibrato over those slow grinders. Just isolate a lick and play it 4 trillion times while you watch your favorite episode of Hoarders.

.

Have you seen Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii
It actualy has interviews and stuff where they talk about their craft
not like guitar licks or chord progressions
just o their approach to music in general

[Professor Chaos]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dPpPWQmlMA

Roger Waters is hilarious, you can tell he's totally stoned.

"What do you mean interesting? "

[C-StoLibFro]

The easy guitar book sketch gilmour knopfler lemmy

[euterpenc]

Lately I've just been doing finger exercises, weaving in some chord exercises. Then, I also just fool around in between exercises. Feeling for something that sound right.

[Faust06]

I have some jazz books, but I rely on the Allan Holdsworth method alot for improvising leads. I also practice some favorite metal/rock runs every now and then, but I'm not a shredder at heart.

It doesn't sound terribly elitist, but I practice tabs pretty often. Learn songs from your favorite bands. Even if they don't have tabs available, make some (I use Tuxguitar). I dissect some of my favorite chords as well and try to implement those. Also it's fun to take a song you've learned and deviate a little, transform it.

I personally never change tunings. I transpose everything to standard as I feel it helps me become more flexible in my playing.

Mostly, I dick around. The more you play, the better. Incidently, I haven't touched my guitar in a long time due to certain circumstances... but I'll get back into it soon enough. Composing is something I really enjoy, as well as improvising.