Post: #26

Quote:I've found a lot of technically proficient guitarists to be douchebags.

That has been my experience also. I am a below average guitar player but all the fellow guitar players I have known have been mostly pricks when going to them for basic information.

Post: #27

I think learning covers and power chords are two good first steps to learning guitar. I grew up playing bass but can play a few things on guitar. Reading tabs is much easier to learn than sheet music too. I think having two or three rifts to play proficiently is more important for beginners than understanding theory.

This thread is not genuine and is insulting to those who have put in years of hard work.

And we shouldn't be taking advice from someone who admits to having below average skill. You wouldn't teach pick-up after 10 cold approaches, why do you think guitar is any different?

Post: #28

Quote:This thread is not genuine and is insulting to those who have put in years of hard work

You seem to be another arrogant guitar player whose done years of hard work and wants to be over respected for it.

I am below average in guitar playing but what I have recommended I think works best for beginners. Learn to play in key and the pentatonic minor scale so to be able to partake in a jam and do a basic lead.

In your years of hard work and becoming a guitar expert you recommend learning covers and power chords -- . which I think is not so effective and not good advice. But then again what do I know.

Post: #29

Is this thread title arrogant or ignorant?
   

Post: #30

(04-04-2016 07:48 AM)tanner Wrote:  You seem to be another arrogant guitar player whose done years of hard work and wants to be over respected for it.

No, you are arrogant. You believe that, as a below-par musician, you understand the best approach to learning guitar. Hell, it's possible that you've stumbled upon a method that has worked in your particular case (though I highly doubt it). The idea that any aspiring musician should take your advice over that of someone who has practiced his art for years, or someone who has taught his art for years, is ridiculous.

So in conclusion, you are arrogant, not the well-established member you just insulted. Go practice your scales.

Post: #31

Guys it's really annoying and STOOPID how everybody thinks it's hard to be a surgeon, you can figure it all out in ten minutes, it's so fucking easy, whats with you ARROGANT fucks tryna go to medical school n shit? Fuck you for working hard.

Quote:You seem to be another arrogant guitar player whose done years of hard work and wants to be over respected for it.

Right? Who wants to actually put in work? #FeeltheBern!

Post: #32

Quote:Right? Who wants to actually put in work?

I find it a bit hilarious, that I make a satirical post - that even a 10 year old could likely figure out -( you don't become a jimmy Hendricks in 10 minutes - but you can still learn fairly easily to get the basics) --which was aimed primarily at ridiculing fellow musicians who over complicate beginners from learning guitar.

And the backlash that follows.

What if you don't want to become a guitar expert or legend?

Post: #33

OP do you play any other instruments or have a musical background?

The instructions are pretty straight forward, however I have a musical training background so the theory, terms, and general understanding of how theory applies to an instrument come easy to me. I know enough to see someone play an instruments and fake it enough to play twinkle twinkle little star (can't do woodwind instruments, damn embouchure). That's after twelve years of string lessons.

If you have no musical background then these instructions won't make much sense and certainly won't stick in 10 minutes. Your first efforts are going to suck hard.

With that said, I would suggest anyone who wants to play guitar to get lessons so you don't develop bad habits that impede your ability to play later on down the road. Getting a background in music theory will help you make music as well if you go down that route.

When I was in college I knew this guy that would do all sorts of douchey guitar things with girls to woo them over. I got sick of it one day and gave this supposed "awesome" guitarist a score for solo guitar for some random piece. The guy just looked at me like an idiot and asked if I had it in tabs. I laughed and walked away.

(04-04-2016 06:56 AM)roberto Wrote:  I fully agree with your sentiments though. I've found a lot of technically proficient guitarists to be douchebags.

Most proficient musicians are douchebags and tend to be of the crunchy granola libtard variety. There's a reason most live lives of relative poverty.

Post: #34

Yeah, this thread is pretty useless. I was half-joking in my post, but I really did just get a guitar, and this tells me nothing at all.
After about 5 hours of practice, I can reliably play Eminor and the second chord in "A Horse with No Name", and I know the finger position for a couple more but can't do them reliably.

I've played a few instruments in the past. I used to sing in a choir. I know how to read music, and how basic music theory works. I understood everything in your post.

It was still completely useless to me. If you have any advice on how to avoid muting the strings all the time, or how to move my hand fast enough to do a good upstroke, or even some good beginner resources, that would be helpful.

"There are these things called chords. You can learn them, and scales, and then you can be lead guitar!" is not helpful at all.

Post: #35

(04-04-2016 12:48 PM)SamuelBRoberts Wrote:  .
After about 5 hours of practice, I can reliably play Eminor and the second chord in "A Horse with No Name",

If you have any advice on how to avoid muting the strings all the time, or how to move my hand fast enough to do a good upstroke, or even some good beginner

Classic beginner song. All on the second fret

Have you cut your nails? You want em short. Really short. Use the tip of your finger, under your nail, to fret. Relax your grip on the neck and roll your hand around a bit further so that you can press down on the strings with the very tips of your fingers.

It's all practise. And a fair bit more than ten minutes worth. Do it little and often. Remember to keep everything relaxed, and if you tense up because it's going wrong then have a break.

Post: #36

(04-04-2016 11:05 AM)tanner Wrote:  

Quote:Right? Who wants to actually put in work?

I find it a bit hilarious, that I make a satirical post - that even a 10 year old could likely figure out -( you don't become a jimmy Hendricks in 10 minutes - but you can still learn fairly easily to get the basics) --which was aimed primarily at ridiculing fellow musicians who over complicate beginners from learning guitar.

And the backlash that follows.

What if you don't want to become a guitar expert or legend?

OP at best you are an idiot masquerading as Jonathan Swift. Also if you consider yourself a 'below-average guitar player' I advise you keep to yourself because for all I'm concerned you are a beginner. Learning Guitar is 'Overcomplicated' so that beginners have a solid foundation to build upon for higher levels of Guitar playing. You obviously aren't at anything close to a higher level of playing so you shouldn't be making satirical posts on subjects you have no understanding of.
And OP show me one guitarist that doesn't want to become a Guitar expert and I'll show you someone that just doesn't want to put the work in. You are a joke.

Post: #37

Ok, so this thread has run wild. An attempt by OP in his second post to add value by providing an OK instructional to newbies, but not without hoity-toity snark and a sales pitch to boot.

OP, where you went wrong was the claim that all expert musicians are assholes. In reality, there's probably something to be learned from them.

The question is: why would you want to learn something if you disrespect the proven experts in that field? Why recommend others to half-ass it rather than put in the time to become good?

Post: #38

Considering the DEPTH of the musical language, I must concur that the OP is full of shit. I've played music for 55+ years, have 2 degrees in music, and can play 30+ instruments well...and I STILL don't know shit about music.

Post: #39

OP's second post was pretty good, as a very simplified "music theory for dummies" type post. As others have pointed out, it takes a while just to learn to consistently get your fingers in the right position to play chords and have them not buzz and sound like trash, grow callouses on your fingers, reliably switch between chords, and learn major/minor of all seven chords, much less open/barred versions. Before you can do that you can't even really tell what OP is talking about.

I agree that to play the vast majority of popular music, you don't need to know much more than in that post. Hell, learn G, C, and D, be able to switch between them, a couple of strum patterns, and you can play hundreds of songs you've heard before and probably like. Most western popular music really isn't more complicated than that.

Post: #40

(04-04-2016 08:34 PM)portofmanteau Wrote:  I agree that to play the vast majority of popular music, you don't need to know much more than in that post. Hell, learn G, C, and D, be able to switch between them, a couple of strum patterns, and you can play hundreds of songs you've heard before and probably like. Most western popular music really isn't more complicated than that.

It's not going to happen in 10 minutes, though. That's about a month of work (an hour a day of practice) to get those chords down for the typical beginner.

Post: #41

Singing is hard as balls.

I know guys that can sing from Church, choir background or self taught. I don't think I have met a friend guy in person that's singing blows me away.

Guitar is easy in comparison.

I play drums and a little guitar.

I would say that 1 hour of guitar = 1.5 hours of drum practice = 3 hours of singing.

Tough as balls for me.

Drums is easy for basic beats ramps up like crazy once you start doing longer quicker complex beats and fills.

Post: #42

(04-04-2016 12:48 PM)SamuelBRoberts Wrote:  It was still completely useless to me. If you have any advice on how to avoid muting the strings all the time, or how to move my hand fast enough to do a good upstroke, or even some good beginner resources, that would be helpful.

For the muting strings problem, try this. Position your fingers for the chord (take as much time as you need) and then pluck each string individually from low to high E string. You are aiming for a resonant tone on each string, and where you hear it muted, adjust your fingers as needed. This can take a lot of time and patience at first, but be disciplined and don't be tempted to switch chords until you are satisfied that each sound is clear - at first you may even spend a practice session focusing on only one chord. Then switch to the next chord and do the same. Then switch back again. You need to aim for perfection on each string in each chord. Do this over and over again. The more chords you master, you will find that it gets progressively easier to master new chords as you develop an intuitive feel for the fret board. This method can be tedious and it can be frustrating, but is extremely satisfying when you hear the rich resonance of each chord. Thoroughly train your muscle memory now, and it will be with you for life.

Post: #43

@Travesty, I found it the exact opposite. I'm not blowing my own horn here (heh) but I'm damn good at singing. But guitar..... Fuck I hated learning that shit. Never progressed beyond rhythm, plus I wasn't really interested.

Post: #44

(04-04-2016 08:40 PM)Suits Wrote:  It's not going to happen in 10 minutes, though. That's about a month of work (an hour a day of practice) to get those chords down for the typical beginner.

At least a month, yeah. Still has to be the easiest instrument to sound halfway decent on and be able to play popular music and sing along. It's the "spanish" of musical instruments. Portable, easy to get to a very basic level on, but if you want to get deep into it there's a whole world of nuance to discover.

I'm learning violin now and dear lord just getting an open string to not sound awful is a steep learning curve.

Post: #45

@cuban

Have you sang live as a frontman for a band? If so I don't know if there is a Frontman thread, experiences on being one would be insightful.

Post: #46

Portofmantaeu, what are your problems with violin?

A lot of newbies always seem to put a lot of pressure onto the bow which makes the strings crack and sound like crap.

Relax and let the bow do the work.

Post: #47

^ how old were you when you first played violin?

If it is under 10 years old this sage wisdom is lightweight.

Post: #48

I like what this thread has become. Good save RVF.

Post: #49

(04-05-2016 02:01 AM)Travesty Wrote:  ^ how old were you when you first played violin?

If it is under 10 years old this sage wisdom is lightweight.

It is incredible how plastic a child's mind is. I played violin for a year as a kid and hated it. Never knew what I was doing, and can't remember a thing of it, except being in the school orchestra miming

Yet I pick one up twenty years later and I can straight away play clean notes on the A and E strings (with cheat stickers for finger positions!), and with a few weeks of practise it's good enough for simple folk fills in a jam. At this point I played nothing except harmonica too.

If anything this should be strong warning against the dangers of tolerating state sponsored indoctrination of children with left-wing 'values'.

@portofmanteau- you forgot E-minor.

Post: #50

(04-05-2016 02:01 AM)Travesty Wrote:  ^ how old were you when you first played violin?

If it is under 10 years old this sage wisdom is lightweight.

Probably like 8 or 9? I don't remember I was in 3rd grade. I had the "cracking string" problem until I was in 5th grade when I was playing for my parents once. My mom asked my dad, "Why is his instrument so screechy?" to which my dad replied, "He's putting a lot of pressure on the bow." After that I stopped putting pressure on it and my playing started to become pleasant to hear. Hand placement on the bow is really important for this. Your hand should be really loose and should gently guide the bow. There's no need to "grip" it so tightly.

It probably took me seven years to get to the point where I could sight read, play in different hand positions, play harmonics, acquire vibrato, and finally learn rhythm. Mind you I was goofing off and didn't take my playing seriously nor practiced regularly.

It should be stated however that it took me years to get to the level to play well. I didn't get proficient until my junior year of high school. I also didn't know how to read music until I was around 11/12 years old.

It was when I competed in high school that I started taking it seriously. There were a few times where I wanted to quit in middle school and told my parents as such. Part of the problem was the Suzuki method. If you're familiar with it you have these books where there are songs pre-made for your instrument of choice. I had a smattering of pieces I didn't like playing and my teacher forced me to learn them. What good is playing music if the music you're playing isn't enjoyable to play? I'm grateful my dad convinced me to stick with it.

I think the phrase, "can't teach an old dog new tricks" is bunk. Back when I lived in Boston, I took vocal lessons in a group at the request of my cantor. The group had one adult guy in his 30s who had never read music in his life, sang, or had any musical ability whatsoever (everyone else had a musical background). In the course of three months he learned how to read music, tune his voice to a note on the piano, and had basic rhythm. He stuck through with it and got proficient enough to sing out of a hymnal.

With one hour of focused practiced a day with one day a week of guided lessons from a pro will make you proficient rather quickly in any instrument. The trick is forcing yourself to stick with it and practice daily which takes a lot of will power. The same can be said for any new skill. There were times where I wanted to quit weight lifting for whatever reason. Willpower to do anything is lacking these days.

As for myself, I still sing in a choir to this day. I can also pick up my violin and get back to the same proficiency I had when I put the instrument down after about thirty minutes of scales and basic playing. I can still play Corelli's La Folia, some concertos for viola, and a few partitas.

That reminds me, I need to get my bow re-haired

I encourage anyone of any age to learn how to play an instrument of any style. Music is such a great skill which fills the soul with hope and vigor.