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Hi from a Newby
Topic Started: Oct 1 2008, 09:42 AM (177 Views)
n1k_ns	Oct 1 2008, 09:42 AM Post #1
Newbie Posts: 8 Group: Members Member #8,876 Joined: October 1, 2008	Hi all, Just thought i'd introduce myself, I have had/tried various guitars over the years and never had a clue what to do with them so ended up dismissing the idea as 'too hard' within a matter of minutes. Mainly because when my mates have tried to teach me; they make it look and sound soo complicated to do even the simplest of things. I have wanted to play guitar my whole life, and last week my neigbour let me borrow his Electric guitar and amp due to him upgrading. A few days ago I thought i would give it a quick go while i was on my own. After a while of searching the net, i came across a youtube video by 'josephhkim' that explained the basics and showed a few drills to familiarise yourself with the guitar. To begin with i was useless even at the drills, but within 15-20 minutes i started to pick it up and learn a bit more about the fret board. I ended up doing various drills for an hour and a half! Next day at work (yesterday); all i could think about was going home and picking up the guitar!! And last night i started to play that classic part of smoke on the water. Even though i was only using one string, the feeling of making something that actually resembles music was fantastic and l ended up playing for over an hour again. Thats where i am now, i cant wait to go home and practice some more stuff! Hopefully i'll stick at it this time and not get too disheartened while im learning! If anyone has any tips, advice of words of encouragement please post them! Some things i would like advice on are: What chords to learn first? What easy beginner songs to start with? Thanks guys! n1k



Metallon	Oct 1 2008, 10:06 AM Post #2
Member Posts: 50 Group: Members Member #8,784 Joined: August 30, 2008	Hey, welcome to the forums, hope you enjoy your stay! Aaah, the thrill of learning... I remember when I myself started playing guitar. When I sold my LPS-II, and watched the guy trying it out (he couldn't play at all really), it reminded me of how it was to pick up a guitar and not being able to play it at all. I noticed then how far I've really progressed this half-hearted year I've been playing. I remember using my acoustic to play the bass line of I Got Five On It by the rap group Luniz, and then playing some 1/2 string tune from Final Fantasy VII. Of course, that was practising for gett my bass guitar, but nonetheless... I'm assuming you're attempting to learn how to play classic guitar? I headed directly into the rock/metal zone when I got my electric guitar, so I still don't know how to play classic guitar (I have a hard time switching between open chords and using my fingers, etc.) but I'm going to learn when I get my acoustic fixed and get a practise amp! You'll come to learn soon that different people find different chords to be of differing difficulty (lots of diff there!). Some easy chords would be D, E and G. I find those easy. Alternatively, Dm, Em and C are also relatively easy. I find that playing the chords G, D and E in that order is really easy because it's so easy to switch between them. That's because you you always keep one finger on the same string, so you have an easier time moving the other fingers. You'll also notice that "rolling" your fingers into a chord is easier than just hammering them on the strings at once. There are many different ways to do it and you can get different nuances depending on how you play... But that's nothing you should be thinking about now! Do like I did; find some simple tunes, and practise away! It's easier to learn than you think, and the more you learn, the easier it gets to progress. Don't forget to also play one-note melodies and not just chords. To break it down simply, chords usually work as rhythm play, while melodic playing (playing one note, but several notes) has more of a lead character. I hope I didn't confuse you too much xD
	I express my emotions musically to impress people with music emotionally.


n1k_ns	Oct 1 2008, 10:24 AM Post #3
Newbie Posts: 8 Group: Members Member #8,876 Joined: October 1, 2008	Thanks for the reply mate i'll take it all into consideration tonight! So is Rock/Metal easier to play for a beginner then? The sort of stuff i would like to play would be things like Vampire Weekend, i really want to learn 'A-Punk' as it looks pretty simple.



Metallon	Oct 1 2008, 12:19 PM Post #4
Member Posts: 50 Group: Members Member #8,784 Joined: August 30, 2008	It REALLY depends on what rock/metal you want to play, and what type of music in general you want to play, and if you want to focus on rhythm or lead. But for now, just stick to finding some simple tunes you like and try to learn them. Once you've got some decent grasp of that, think about what you would like to learn, do some research (google is your friend, and so is this forum), and then find out what techniques you'll need to play a certain song. Practise them, practise the song, and you'll do good Me, for instance, I quickly jumped into heavy metal, thrash metal and melodic metal as well as playing video game music on the guitar, so suffice to say, I jumped into some difficult stuff right away, but I also practise in general. This is really important, to practise just playing instead of playing songs, because you'll learn to not be sloppy But, like I said: Find some simple tunes or songs you like. Practise some basic stuff like chords and melodies and then just keep challenging yourself. I usually take up a challenge for a while, then leave it (usually unfinished), practise on other stuff and come back and realize I'm playing it better than last time.
	I express my emotions musically to impress people with music emotionally.


monwobobbo	Oct 1 2008, 12:26 PM Post #5
Posts: 598 Group: Moderator Member #8,625 Joined: June 23, 2008	welcome. ok hate to say this as its no fun but you have to learn the basics before you worry about songs. if you don't know how to make the chords etc then you will be vary frustrated. i do some teaching and believe me students always want to learn songs and how to do blazing solos. learn basic open chords like E,A and D first. try to learn all of the basic chords A-G. you'll need to learn barre chords and then you will have the basics needed to play the rythem parts of a song the lead stuff comes latter. oh and no metal is far from the easiest style to learn. after you learn some chords then perhaps AC/DC is a good place to start. i teach the opening of Led Zeppelin's Communication Breakown first usually as its just E A and D so it can be played in open chords and isn't tough.
	and now for something completely different


n1k_ns	Oct 3 2008, 09:57 AM Post #6
Newbie Posts: 8 Group: Members Member #8,876 Joined: October 1, 2008	Thanks for the advice! This week (my first propper week of learning) i have played it for over an hour a day, mostly just going over the drills over and over again. I have also learned the start of come as you are by Nirvana! Last night i started to teach myself some chords. Iv'e got A and C down and i'm trying to be able to get them right with my eyes closed. I also have a few mates coming over with their guitars tonight to hopefully teach me some more stuff One other thing i want to know, is that the electric im currently using (Squire Strat copy thingy) was given to me by a mate who rareley used it. It is filthy and looks like the strings are a bit dated (although seems to sound ok to me). How often should i need to change the strings?? bare in mind im a complete beginner and won't be doing any killer riffs for a long time. Thanks n1k



monwobobbo	Oct 3 2008, 12:52 PM Post #7
Posts: 598 Group: Moderator Member #8,625 Joined: June 23, 2008	later on you'll know when to change strings becasue they will start to loose tone and sound dull. for now i'd change them maybe once a month or two (or when you break a string). clean up the guitar and wipe down the strings after each time you play it. squire strats are fine for beginners.
	and now for something completely different


n1k_ns	Oct 3 2008, 01:25 PM Post #8
Newbie Posts: 8 Group: Members Member #8,876 Joined: October 1, 2008	Thanks mate



Metallon	Oct 4 2008, 11:26 AM Post #9
Member Posts: 50 Group: Members Member #8,784 Joined: August 30, 2008	Another sign is when there is some coloring starting to form on the strings. I think 1-2 months MIGHT be a bit excessive; I've heard that you can keep strings for a year. Buy yourself a set of nice strings (like Dunlop, Ernie Ball or D'Addario) and keep them for 4 months. Then check for coloring. I personally would recommend replacing all strings even if only one string snapped. This is because different strings and what not might put some unwanted strain on your guitar's neck (at least make it a habit if you get a more expensive guitar).
	I express my emotions musically to impress people with music emotionally.


monwobobbo	Oct 4 2008, 04:01 PM Post #10
Posts: 598 Group: Moderator Member #8,625 Joined: June 23, 2008	you can leave strings on pretty much forever but they lose tone after a while and sound kind of dull. if your strings start to rust or get discolorations then its definitily time to chage them. as i said wipe them down after you play every time and that shouldn't happen. yeah you can go for more than 2 months (i'm lazy and often do) it depends on how much playing you do and how picky on the tone you are.
	and now for something completely different


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