Post: #1

I need to learn how to play the acoustic guitar this year while im living in Asia before I move to Colombia.

I can only imagine the number of pantie droppings that would occur from me sitting at a corner cafe playing Aventura, Rakim y Ken-Y, Toby Love, Franky J, or Prince Royce on an acoustic guitar.

Add that to the fact im a gringo and your looking at an epic number of pussy getting thrown your way, not to mention some stardom. Albeit local.

So with that said, anyone have tips for learning how to play (the easiest and quickest)?

I tried BRIEFLY in college to teach myself from scratch and I gave up real quick. It was hard as fuck, but maybe I was going about it wrong. I dont know.

Post: #2

This is good http://guitar.about.com/library/blguitar...rchive.htm

Basically you have to practice 30 to 60 minutes a day, no more because your risk getting frustrated and burning out. Plus I've noticed that short practices everyday make much more progress than long ones every once in a while. You basically need to get your chords to sound good by pressing down hard and not touching the strings on the side of your fingers. Then you have to practice going from one chord to the other and practice this with all the combinations... this is easy when you're practicing for basic songs. Basically learning songs will improve your playing so you want to slowly escalate in difficulty.

I took 2 private lessons a week and was playing 3 or 4 songs well in a bout 4 months so pretty quick, but it does take diligence.

Post: #3

Good advice Riker.

My friend just told me that I should just learn how to play the C, G, Am, and F chords and you'll be able to play 99% of your favorite songs.

I never thought of any of these things previously.

Good stuf

Post: #4

When learning an instrument there is an initial hump that you must get over that can take anywhere from a couple of months to a couple of years depending on your innate ability.

But yeah, if you learn A, B, C, D, E, F, G chords in major and minor in the first position (which is what you will be using most of time on acoustic) and how to make a top and bottom bar chord you can play, I would say, 100% of pop and rock songs. The chords only start getting weird with jazz and certain technique heavy styles.

Another thing that will serve you well on acoustic is finger picking. It makes the song seem more full because you are essentially soloing, unless you're playing with someone else.

Here is an example of of what is called "Travis Style" finger picking. Donovan said it took 2 days for John Lennon to master the pattern. It took me about the same amount of time, but you should see the eyes light up when you can drop something like this: http://youtu.be/8EAqy1rUv7I

Cheers.

Post: #5

(08-10-2011 10:11 AM)Dash Global Wrote:  Good advice Riker.

My friend just told me that I should just learn how to play the C, G, Am, and F chords and you'll be able to play 99% of your favorite songs.

I never thought of any of these things previously.

Good stuf

Learning to transition smoothly between those chords is crucial to being a good acoustic guitar player. Learn E chords too. Once you've got those core chords down, start learning major/minor variations. I'd say with 2-3 months of 15 min/day practice (depending on innate skill and dedication) you'll be decent enough to play easy and recognizable songs.

I'd recommend short practice sessions as well. If you play for too long, your fingers will hurt like a bitch and you'll be out of the game for a few days. It takes a year or so to build up the finger strength to be able to play for long sessions.

The biggest musical tip I can offer: If you're learning guitar as a pickup utility, make sure you focus only on songs that girls love and will recognize. Girls don't give a shit about technical skill or original compositions. 3 chord Jack Johnson covers get you laid - Children of Bodom solos don't.

Post: #6

@Bronan

Thnx for the info. Trust I got the last sentence covered. You must dont know about latin music but those 5 artists i listed will make the panties drop off latin chicks! Guaranteed!

Post: #7

(08-10-2011 08:45 AM)Dash Global Wrote:  I can only imagine the number of pantie droppings that would occur from me sitting at a corner cafe playing Aventura, Rakim y Ken-Y, Toby Love, Franky J, or Prince Royce on an acoustic guitar.

It doesn't work like that exactly... at least in the western hemisphere. There's a surplus of guys out there trying to get laid by playing chords and so I find most girls worth their salt (1) may think you're a try hard (2) may not be terribly impressed by a guy playing chords. If girls already like you to begin with or if you're very proficient like being able to impress a crowd at the bar that's a different story...

Quote:So with that said, anyone have tips for learning how to play (the easiest and quickest)?

Again if your sole motivation for learning guitar is pussy, you're probably not going to get very far. IMO playing guitar to get pussy is one of the worst investments far behind going to the gym and improving your game. In addition to learning how to play chords, PEOPLE are usually only impressed if you can sing as well as play which takes a lot more time investment. If you really want to get good though the biggest thing is loving music. That will be your ticket to learning quickly. It's a long long journey before you start reaping dividends though especially if you have no music background.

That being said...

If you're a noob you'll probably only be able to play steel guitar 30-60m at a time before your fingers start to hurt. So if you want to maximize playing time, I'd try to play 2x a day 30-60m. one in the morning and one at night.

Anyway I'll just detail the rough steps that worked for me.

Stage I

Learn how to read tabs. This should take all of 10 minutes. Go find tabs of songs THAT YOU LIKE and learn how to play them. Learn to distinguish strumming patterns, experiment with different methods of strumming/fingering, learn how to quickly change chords.

I say forget learning chords at this point. As you commit more and more songs to memory you will unconsciously recognize that some chords appear more than others and will naturally memorize them. Learning chords without context, at least for me, makes them easily forgettable.

Good sources of tabs

ultimateguitar.net
there should be a bit torrent file of guitar tab pro tabs. the software guitar tab pro helped a lot.

Be warned. A lot of tabs are not 100% correct.

Stage II

You should have the fundamentals down right now. Switching chords, playing from memory, playing for longer than 30m before complaining your fingers hurt. People should recognize the songs that you play and give you a tiny bit of dap.

Here you can start branching off. Try different techniques - slapping, finger picking. Listen to different genres of music and try to copy them. Go look for acoustic covers of non-acoustic songs and learn how the guys mix it up. Try building up your knowledge of what certain chords sound like so that you can hear something and quickly play it. Try learning how to play songs without tabs by ear. Learn to sing and play at the same time perhaps transposing songs to match your vocal range. Learn a lot of different techniques/chords to add to your toolbox. Youtube is fantastic for learning how different people have experimented with songs.

Stage III

Spontaneous music making. Probably the most fun thing ever.

For this part you gotta learna bit of music theory. Get a bit more academic and learn what chords mix well with each other i.e chord progressions. Learn to dissect common songs as you play to see chords progressions. I usually set aside some time after fixed practice to just screw around. Feel free to remix songs.

Learn the pentatonic scale and variations of it. Find musicians that are good at soloing and steal their riffs and incorporate them into yours songs.

I'm more into blues so some personal favorites that I'm learning off right now.

Hendrix, SRV, BB King, John Mayer, Clapton

Best of luck

Post: #8

Not to bust your bubble or anything, but Reggaeton and Bachata on an acoustic guitar??

Lemme get all music nerdy on ya....

Cabas is a Colombian singer/songwriter, learn some of his tunes like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYe1tKDHSLE

Also, look into the Nueva Trova movement - basically like the Cuban equivalent of Bob Dylan's folk music. Silvio Rodriguez is amazing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u80ocuvZxmY

Also, try some Vallenato. Kaleth Morales did a bunch of songs acoustically before he died: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSSm3-gMT-I

One song that I have heard a bunch of times here on acoustic guitar is "maria" by Cafe Tacuba: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1vp8avx8w4

That should get you started once you master the basics. When starting out, learn the basic major/minor bar chords that you can play up and down the neck of the guitar: http://www.guitaralliance.com/guitar_les.../index.htm

Pick really simple Bob Dylan, Beatles, and blues songs to learn. Most rock and roll is only four maybe five chords. To make yourself feel better quickly, learn three string power chords and play simple Ramones songs. I Wanna Be Sedated and Blitzkrieg Bop are literally three power chords and nothing else, and I Wanna Be Sedated has a one-note guitar solo. When I started my first band, this was what we played, and it even playing those easy songs felt good.

Post: #9

Great advice AJ, although I disagree with you about it being a pantie dropper. I have seen it happen numerous times in America in Latin America. That was with ugly dudes with no game.

@Ajiaco

Have faith my man! Def acoustic with bachata and romantico RnB musico ala Rakim y Ken Y!

No disrespect to the old cats music as I like to call it, but

I like the new ish that packs thousands's of screaming females into shows up and down America and Latin America.

I almost cream me pants a the thought of a young white dude busting out something like this on a corner street cafe in Colombia.

Post: #10

Here's the big question: do you want to learn just enough guitar to get you laid, or do you really want to learn the instrument? If it's the former, I have a video for you:





If it's the latter, I'd suggest getting a firm grounding in classical guitar. Your technique will be solid and you can pivot to nearly any style with relative ease: flamenco, jazz, rock, folk. No bullshit tablature, no sloppy chords.

If you're interested, let me know and I'll drop some knowledge. This is an area I have a lot of experience in.

Post: #11

@Truthmosis

I want to learn the guitar because I LOVE music first and foremost.

Would love to be able to play my favorite songs where ever.

The women are just an added bonus!

Post: #12

A acoustic is a tough thing to learn with because it takes a very decent amount of time before your fingers get used to pressing on the strings properly and calluses to develop. It also has a wider neck with forces your hand muscles to stretch more. But it should all start coming naturally after a couple of months. Just remember that if your hand starts to tense up, you're doing it wrong.

Post: #13

Some more bachata acoustico Ajiaco.

Girls love this shit!

Post: #14

(08-10-2011 12:44 PM)Dash Global Wrote:  @Truthmosis

I want to learn the guitar because I LOVE music first and foremost.

Would love to be able to play my favorite songs where ever.

The women are just an added bonus!

That's a good thing, because I can tell you right now that even marginally decent, bullshit singing will get you further with chicks than expert-level soloist guitar flair. Being on a small stage or in a shitty band is more impressive than actually being good. I say this from experience.

If you truly like the instrument, want to develop your skills over the long term, and want to learn music holistically, I'd strongly advise you to get a classical training. You'll actually learn what the fuck you're playing, from a theoretical point of view, and get to become more of a complete musician. With a classical foundation, you can play that Mickey-Mouse bachata shit while a girl is riding your dick or in your sleep. That's barely an exaggeration.

Paired with flamenco or traditional Latin-American strumming technique (folkloric style), the classical foundation with turn you into a guitar god.

1. Start with a good book. The best starter book for classical technique is still Frederick Noad's Solo Guitar Playing. Jerry Willard's Complete Classical Guitarist is also quite good, since it takes off where Noad sort of left off when the guy died.

2. Invest in a quality (nylon string) student instrument. It may be tempting to get the $100 Chinese special, but those instruments are feces. It will impede your learning and quell your enthusiasm. Ideally you want something that you can grow into. Depending on your budget, you should seek out an instrument that's at least mahogany back and sides, even better if it's laminated Rosewood back and sides. Solid rosewood back and sides is the best, but they tend to start at over $1,000. But buy used. Go on craigslist. It's a buyer's market for used guitars right now. You can snag an instrument that retails for $2000 for as little as $500. It may sound expensive, but if you're serious, it won't be. The difference is sound quality alone will motivate you to play, since you can pull beautiful, sweet notes out of the thing which will resonate deep into your soul. The playability is another factor. Better instruments aren't as difficult to play. Think of a guitar as a woman. You can get the cheap ones easy, but the more expensive ones pay off from jump street. You will thank me in the end.

3. Practice every fucking day no matter what, even if your grandmother died. As others have said, it's better to practice a little every day than a lot one day. Cultivate a good, focused practice session based on the lessons in one of the books I recommended. Focus on technique, avoiding bad habits like you would a horny gay man's erect penis. This will enable you to progress further, faster.

4. Seek professional help for plateaus. Sooner or later you will encounter an obstacle in your progress that you simply can't overcome on your own. This is where most enthusiastic self-learners give up or taper off. Don't. Pay for a lesson or two with a teacher to work out those kinks. If you push through, you can get to that next level and keep moving. The feeling of getting through something like that is one of the best feelings in the world, akin to landing some decent tail.

There's more. But that should be enough to get you started.

Post: #15

@Truthmosis

I just need to be able to somewhat produce sounds like the original songs. Doesnt have to be perfect. Im not the best singer nor am I the worst so I aint worried on that front.

How long do you think it would take to get to the level of the guy in the video ur last post? He plays that song pretty damn well in my opinion...

Post: #16

delete

Post: #17

Hmm, while not as I bad as I would have expected, I still don't think I could bring myself to sing any of these songs to a girl with a straight face.

Come to think of it, maybe some flamenco-style guitar wouldn't be a bad idea...

Post: #18

(08-10-2011 03:00 PM)Ajiaco Wrote:  Hmm, while not as I bad as I would have expected, I still don't think I could bring myself to sing any of these songs to a girl with a straight face.

Come to think of it, maybe some flamenco-style guitar wouldn't be a bad idea...

Haha

I love bachata & RnB musica romantico, so I will have no problem serenading latinas with stuff like that.

They will MELT like butter and be in mi cama esa noche!

Post: #19

Singing gets more pussy than guitar playing. Both is a deadly combo.

Post: #20

(08-10-2011 04:04 PM)gringoed Wrote:  Singing gets more pussy than guitar playing. Both is a deadly combo.

Precisely

Then you add in a killer romantic love song.

And its a rap!

Post: #21

I dislike writing on the internet as nuance is lost but let me cut my words a little more cleanly. To add to tuthmosis' last post.

Like there are many ways to skin a cat there are many ways to become proficient at guitar. Can you become proficient by learning pop songs first, yes. Likewise with classical/metal/anything. The correct answer is - start off with whatever holds your interest first. The most critical thing in becoming proficient - practice - is a function of your interest. That being said, classical does give you a good technical foundation, blues/jazz will improve your improvisational skills, folk/acoustic your understanding of picking/strumming. If you stick with pop songs you will plateau quickly.

As I wrote above, I keep my interest by constantly branching off into different genres. When I was first learning I stuck to one style but found that my interest and consequently my practice time waned. A side benefit from diversifying is that it increases your toolbox of riffs/techniques.

Nylon and acoustic are good for different styles. Have a style in mind and then select the guitar. If you want an acoustic then get it. Your fingers will eventually adapt. Get a decent guitar. Get someone that has played that particular type of guitar for a while to come with you to get one. Starting off, you will have no idea what a good guitar sounds/looks like. Learn how to maintain it. If you let the humidity go whack you may end up paying someone to get your guitar repaired.

Tuthmosis is correct. Singing is imperative. An impressive technical piece will get most people interested only briefly unless they really like classical pieces. Learn what kind of voice (timbre/range) you have and consider transposing the songs accordingly.

I am not a purist. Tabs have a purpose. If you keep in mind that they may be flawed it's fine to use them. Although constant reliance on them will definitely impede development.

Post: #22

(08-10-2011 09:32 AM)Riker Wrote:  Basically you have to practice 30 to 60 minutes a day, no more because your risk getting frustrated and burning out.

I'd suggest starting with 30 and then eventually moving to 60 when your fingers got used to it. I've learned in a month but I practiced every day for an hour.

If you get a guitar with nylon strings, it will make it easier for you to learn, but eventually you have to switch to metal strings as nylon strings sound like shit.

Post: #23

I've been playing for the last five years. Start with the basics. Here's what you should do:

1. Practice up and down, down and up strumming
2. Learn the open major and minor chords from A - G
3. Learn to play barre chords
4. Learn the major and minor scale and try to play it properly
5. Learn to pluck the guitar strings ( thumb for EAD , index finger for G, mid finger for B and ring finger for E)
6. Learn how to tune the guitar.

these are the very basics of playing a guitar, it shouldn't take more than 3 months to learn all of these if you practice an hour everyday.

Post: #24

I use power-tab.net to get tabs - many of the tabs are first rate, include notes, and gives you the meter accurately as well. Using this, I can basically play most any song and it'll sound 99% like the original (baring different guitar types, etc).

I've been playing 8-9 years.

Post: #25

i prefer guitar pro to power tab