MyLeakyBucket Posted March 12, 2002 Share Posted March 12, 2002 (edited) Hello all guitarees. I have decided to start a topic where guitar queries can be asked and answered, tips supplied, and general recommendations for learning guitar can be swapped. I have not been playing guitar long and like most budding rockers, I'm a bit shit. Still I want to improve and am interested on what people say on the subject, so come along and talk guitars. Be cool people, and lets get callus-developing! :D Edited October 27, 2005 by MusicManiac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
defgoddess Posted March 12, 2002 Share Posted March 12, 2002 YES! topic for meeeeeeeee... er, anyway. sorry. enthusiasm bad. trendy cynicism good. i've been trying to teach myself for like a year and a half, too bad i have an acoustic... they're so hard to learn on. i just went to sacramento this weekend and played some electric, it was so cool. and easy. hopefully my parents will let me take lessons i'd advise anyone to GET A FREAKING ELECTRIC otherwise you will be crap like me. (ok so my parents got it for me, not totally my fault). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLeakyBucket Posted March 13, 2002 Author Share Posted March 13, 2002 Hey def, I'm mainly learning on acoustic right now, it is pretty difficult, power chords especially. I'm gonna see if I can pick up a cheap amp and annoy my housemates next year. What sort of stuff do you play def? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigChiefSlapaho Posted March 13, 2002 Share Posted March 13, 2002 Cool, I like that idea. Been playing electric / acoustic / bass for about 8 years now... haven't really gotten any better, I've put it down for months at a time, but it's like a bike, you can get back on it quickly. Been requested to play at the next Dork Party. Specialized in classic rock... Jimi, Led Zep, Lynard, stuff like that. Know abit of modern day stuff, but it's all the same anyways. Studied in the ways of Van Halen & Kirk Hammet for a while... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigChiefSlapaho Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 You guys live around Miami? I could give small-time lessons & get you all started up the right way... develop those fingers into finely tuned stumps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLeakyBucket Posted March 14, 2002 Author Share Posted March 14, 2002 'Fraid not, I'm an English boy. I take it your fingers are pretty f**ked up then BCSlapaho. If I need some tips then I'll come to you. Actually, one song I'm having difficulty with the strum pattern for. It's 'On a plain' by Nirvana. Got the chords but the strum pattern I have not got. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigChiefSlapaho Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 Yer probably not going to like this... but I don't like Nirvana. They're too easy. I wanted to play stuff that was a challenge... EVH, Metallica, MegaDeth... but I'll DL the song, and I'll get back to you some time soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
defgoddess Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 i live nowhere near miami. sorry. i have resources to learn guitar though, it's all good. power chords are hard? ??? they're only like two notes. regular chords, like barred and F-sharp and D-flat minor with a diminished ninth, now THOSE can take a finger off.. i try to play whatever song i feel like... sad to say can't find any good bon jovi tabs... :scared: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartlessbitch Posted March 15, 2002 Share Posted March 15, 2002 *drools over topic, wonders why i haven't ventured in here sooner* as i mentioned earlier i have an ibanez 6-string electric guitar with a little crate amp, and as def mentioned she heard ibanez's sucked, i'll admit, it's no feder strat, but it's good for learning, and def, damn it YOUR BOYFRIEND, is only a really great guitar player (sean m and i were marveling over that the other day) i took lessons from the same guy brian did for a while (Stephan from Vacaville Music and TV) i also took a class at solano for guitar, the teacher was Leo Cavagh, i basically re-learned the basics i already knew (hence the name of the class intro to guitar) but learned a really killer jazz riff there. yes i agree learning on acoustic is hard, when i first started playing i played on this cheap ass acoustic guitar i got in a pawn shop in downtown vacaville.. *sigh* badness, it had classical guitar strings tho.. i had to push down really hard to get any kind of sound produced from that thing, the most recent thing i tackled was a tab of pink floyd's "wish you were here" from guitar world (i love that magazine) when i first started playing i played a lot of nirvana, (about a girl), house of the rising sun, zeppelin, hendrix (hey joe, nothing too complex) , etc. oh and lauren i have to say i was impressed @ spirit show by nick, amier and rich... it was pretty cool... they've gotten really good. hm.. and leaky i'll look into on a plain and i got to agree with slapaho. hes nirvana shit is pretty easy, lithium was the second song i learned after "sunshine of your love" i also dig playing hole, i love playing doll parts on my guitar because you can experiment a lot with that song.. and also like def, i'm a million miles away from miami, settled in a quaint suburb that def and i refer to fondly as "cowtown" gotta love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigChiefSlapaho Posted March 15, 2002 Share Posted March 15, 2002 No way!!! IBANEZ kicks ass! I mean, it's no Les Paul, but they're good guitars! Especially the accoustics, but the electrics are good too. Mine is a POS Charvel, also plugged into a Crate amp. Have a few effects, Flanger, Distortion, came with Floyd Rose floating bridge & wammy bar. Maybe one day I'll get something better. Although I am picking up a nice little hollow-body electric sometime soon (DMB!) Accoustic is not that tough, learning to play with your FINGERS & no pick is tough, I still haven't mastered that. Not that coordinated yet. Still downloading that song... goddamned dial up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLeakyBucket Posted March 15, 2002 Author Share Posted March 15, 2002 I mean that I'm not finding power chords easy on my acoustic, the shapes easy but the sound not particularly good. I think I'm by far the most inexperienced guitarist in here, sdo please pardon my ignorance. Can anyone recommend a good training amp? I do agree that Nirvana is easy for experienced guitarists, but as someone not very good it's good stuff to start with. Cheers y'all, catch ya later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigChiefSlapaho Posted March 15, 2002 Share Posted March 15, 2002 Power chords & accoustic's do not go hand & hand. The accoustic was designed for much more sound than just three strings at a time. I mean, you can do it, but it doesn't compare to an electric with an EQ & distortion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JunkerSeed Posted March 15, 2002 Share Posted March 15, 2002 Ah, good timing for this topic, when I get to Orlando em and my friends were thinking of each learning to play something and forming a really shitty band. I've wanted to learn guitar for a while. What would be a decent, cheap way to start? From the way the thread is going I can see acoustic isn't the best way to learn, so what do you all think is a good starter, and around how much should it cost me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigChiefSlapaho Posted March 16, 2002 Share Posted March 16, 2002 actually... accoustic is a great place to start. Put I wouldn't reccommend a full-body accoustic just yet. Go out & get a hollow-body electric (a la Dave Mathews) that way you can plug in when you want & keep that clean sound without the amp. To start up, if you're playing accoustic, most people reccommend the nylon strings, so you don't commit finger suicide. Otherwise, if you've already calused up a bit, go ahead & grab the metal strings alot more sound... remember tho, the nylon strings won't be picked up in an AMP. If you need more noise, go for the electric. Problem is, when you're alone & practicing, you won't hear much, b/c without the amp most electric guitars are useless. That big hole in an accoustic.. that's it's amp. Anyhow, drop by MARS in Dolphin Mall... great stuff & great prices. Let me know if you want me to tag along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLeakyBucket Posted March 17, 2002 Author Share Posted March 17, 2002 Chief knows his stuff. I started with a steel-stringed electric. It is hurting less now that I've fought through the initial pain barrier, but before that I did have to stop after about half an hour coz otherwise my fingers would have started blistering. It is worth it though, I wasn't particularly impressed by th esound of the nylon strings and now my fingers are callused nicely, I can play for hours at a time. Wahay! Can you recommend a good training amp and electric Chief, not too expensive but not shit either? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigChiefSlapaho Posted March 17, 2002 Share Posted March 17, 2002 Well... I think Crate amps rock. You can get a little 10-15 watter that sounds really nice & has a good EQ. Also, you might want to grab some effects, since if it brings distortion it probably sounds crappy. Grab some DOD Overdrive / Distortion peddals & enjoy. Starting guitars? Charvel is pretty good its a sub-brand of Jackson which is a classic metal guitar brand. The king of the starters is Squire (Fender-sub) & Epiphone (Gibson-sub). Those are truly great guitars. There's a few others, just gotta take a look around the shop one day. God bless the child that gets their first MusicMan 5150... (cries uncontrollably) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartlessbitch Posted March 17, 2002 Share Posted March 17, 2002 cRate amps are killer actually, i agree with slapaho, mine is small, but has a lot of clarity... the distorition sucks on my amp tho... and i do have a whammy bar.. but that's about it for the gadgets to enhance my guitar..i'll have to wait till pay day if i want to upgrade anything.. i don't know if you guys have one there, i think it's a chain but Guitar Center is a kick ass place to get guitars, esp. if you're just starting out, pretty inexpensive and the help is great... (lauren there's one in concord and sacramento, i don't know if you knew that or not) and here's a school of thought concerning the whole electric vs aucoustic debate. George Harrison once said "Andrea Segovia is like a fther to us all." (andrea segovia was a master class, classical guitar player) Andrea Segovia replied "if the they (meaning people who play electric guitar) are my children, then they would be the basstards" andrea segovia never took too kindly to the electric guitar.. and believed if you really wanted to learn how to play the instrument, it had to be on an aucoustic.. but i digress.. and i LOATHE using a pick, i never use it, always either finger pick or strum with my hand.. NO PICKS god i hate it, to me the pick isn't versitile enough to make the certain sounds i want to produce, i can get the desired effect more by using my hands.. or maybe i'm just a shit guitar player with no tecnique for not being able to use the pick.. oh well, i just hate using it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLeakyBucket Posted March 17, 2002 Author Share Posted March 17, 2002 Cheers very much, I'll have to look round for a guitar shop but if I find one, at least I'll know where to start. As for the "PICK", personally I swear by it right now. As a male who likes to keep his fingernails cut right to the cuticle, I find finger picking a little too labouress and so use a plectrum. When I get better I might see about stopping and becoming one of those obvious guitarists where one hands fingernails are short, and the other long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
defgoddess Posted March 17, 2002 Share Posted March 17, 2002 *clutches head* i've been so busy i haven't even got to read this thread... AGH! TOO MUCH ABOUT GUITARS! CAN'T ANALYZE ALL DAT--*BOOSH* lol. anyway, let's see if i can respond to some stuff... yes, there is a guitar center in concord and sacramento, i went to the one in sac with brian becoming one of those obvious guitarists where one hands fingernails are short, and the other long. lol! omg that's me... *looks at hands* i'm not a huge fan of picks myself, i will use them when playing songs that are more strum-oriented, but for something like 'stairway to heaven' i have more control with my fingers. but like oh, 'waiting', i'll use my pick. the guitar i want now is at skip's in sacto... mmmm it is a beeutiful PRS... DAMMIT when are we going to get a icon? i wanted a ESP SC model, but the neck is really rigid, plus it's fair heavier than the PRS Santana... mmm PRS... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juanbe Posted March 18, 2002 Share Posted March 18, 2002 Hey guys, what's the big deal about power chords?. I've been self-teaching myself (weird) about rock basics for about two years now in a electric guitar. I can't say I rock as hard as I wish to, but I'm not so bad at it. Have you ever tried the pentatonic-scale based chords on the third-eight? That's hard stuff, really. Power chords are piece of cake!. A small hint form you guys afraid of the acoustic: Even though it's harder to learn, it provides more strength and speed when you practice on it, so it's worth the pain. electric guitar gets waaaayyyyy too easier after, so you'll become even better players when you switch to it. Keep on the good work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juanbe Posted March 18, 2002 Share Posted March 18, 2002 About Ibanez: It surely kicks ass!!! Why do you think the guitar-master, Steve Vai, directly designs his guitars to be made by Ibanez??? I can say he's got a weird taste about design, but they sure rock!!! Strats are more classic and sound better when palyed clean, Ibanez are better for distortion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLeakyBucket Posted March 27, 2002 Author Share Posted March 27, 2002 Just bought myself my first electric. Its a Aria Pro 2 Fullerton, the sound ain't great but it isn't too bad either, especially considering the price of £120 (inc amp). I have a question that hasn't arisen before for me but has come to head now. I've been looking at guitar chords in sons and found chords like C5, D5, etc. However, looking in an old chord book my dad has, I could not find any of these letter-5 chords. Is there an equivalent which I might find in the chord book, and why does it not have it. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sango Posted March 28, 2002 Share Posted March 28, 2002 Sorry...that this has nothing to do with the last post its just that I've been wanting to play Guitar for like ever and I was thinking that the best way for me right now is to learn on my own...Well the point is that would you guys know of like a site or something that would help me to figure out how to play and stuff... right now I have an old acoustic...so yeah you guys think you can help me out?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLeakyBucket Posted March 28, 2002 Author Share Posted March 28, 2002 Sango, Thats how I started just two months ago, with an old acoustic and no idea what to do next. Can't remember the site I used but just got some of the major chords A,B,C, etc, and mucked about with them. Next step I did was just find guitar tabs and learn songs, its not hard really, they tell you where to put your fingers, you just gotta work out the strum pattern. I would recommend, www.Mxtabs.net for guitar tabs, they got a huge selection. Then just practice. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigChiefSlapaho Posted March 30, 2002 Share Posted March 30, 2002 I disagree. Best first way for you to learn is to watch & play along with other people who have somewhat mastered what they're doing. There's a major difference in learning to play guitar like Bob from down the street plays (or some website) as to playing guitar like a professional who's spent their life mastering the techniques, scales, correct strumming, fundamentals. Not saying that a GOOD site won't have the right information for you, but it's much better to have someone there who knows what they're doing correcting & helping you as you learn. Any idiot can mash out power chords with down strokes for 1/2 an hour. If that's all you're interested in, then go right ahead. If you enjoy a wide range of music with TALENT, (DMB, Metallica, VH, AIC, STP, SRV, Eric Clapton, Santana...), then take some time & learn it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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