I will just leave this here, for a little bit more of "if he can do it - I can too" inspiration 
General / Off-Topic Question for guitar players.
I'd recommend buying a banjo and learning to play:
You follow 90% of the advice in this thread I guarantee you will never progress beyond a few basics, you will get frustrated by the lack of progress and quit. Ultimately, it will be just another fad for you and you will fail.
Playing one or two chords on a guitar doesn't make you a musician....
So; metal?
Most metal guitarists, at least the metal I listen to, are extremely accomplished and technical musicians with years of training, practice and experience.
In fact the standards of musicianship in great metal players are some of the highest standards you can get from any technical musician in contemporary music (rock, pop, blues, metal etc).
Playing the riff to Smoke on the Water doesn't make you a guitarist.
So do you really want to be a guitarist/musician?
I've been playing instruments, including guitar since I was six years old. I'm well beyond that age now and I am still learning; it's a lifetime project and progression if you are serious.
You can have a bit of fun and jam with your mates or you can be serious and get real about it..... if you do, and unless you are totally tone-deaf, and you put in the practice the sense of fulfillment can be great for you.
I'm out....
You follow 90% of the advice in this thread I guarantee you will never progress beyond a few basics, you will get frustrated by the lack of progress and quit. Ultimately, it will be just another fad for you and you will fail.
Playing one or two chords on a guitar doesn't make you a musician....
So; metal?
Most metal guitarists, at least the metal I listen to, are extremely accomplished and technical musicians with years of training, practice and experience.
In fact the standards of musicianship in great metal players are some of the highest standards you can get from any technical musician in contemporary music (rock, pop, blues, metal etc).
Playing the riff to Smoke on the Water doesn't make you a guitarist.
So do you really want to be a guitarist/musician?
I've been playing instruments, including guitar since I was six years old. I'm well beyond that age now and I am still learning; it's a lifetime project and progression if you are serious.
You can have a bit of fun and jam with your mates or you can be serious and get real about it..... if you do, and unless you are totally tone-deaf, and you put in the practice the sense of fulfillment can be great for you.
I'm out....
Last edited:
There is absolutely nothing wrong with this approach. For many people instrument is just a good therapy and escape from reality. It's totally okay to know how to play a bit, and just vent and relax from time to time.
I've been playing for almost 10 years, and I don't think I'm a good player. It's just something I do when I need to clear my head.
I play to relax as well.
Heres the poster I spoke of Uni:
Heres the poster I spoke of Uni:
The Rock Guitar Poster™
Click Here to view a larger image This totally radical poster shows how to play the hard rock and heavy metal lead and rhythm guitar used by today's rockers. The poster explores rock styles in great detail, explaining the chords, scales, and the guitar techniques used by the biggest stars...
www.castaliapub.com
Deleted member 110222
D
You know, I was gonna' write a lengthy argument that I would have shouted at you if we were having a face-2-face discussion.
But you know what? I'm not gonna' do that.
I'm just going to say this. I'm going to try my damnedest, do the best I possibly can, mostly now just to spite you.
No, I probably won't "make it big". I'll probably suck by many people's standards. But guess what? I don't care. Look mate, to be honest your post comes across as shooting people down before they even get a chance to try. It amounts to "nuh-uh, you can't do that!"
This might shock you, but some of us just want to compare ourselves to ourselves.
And another thing. If nobody begins, how can they hope to learn at all? That's basically what you've just told me. That you've already decided I'm incapable. Do you know how many people have said that to me in my life? Well so far all I'm doing is proving them right, by doing nothing.
You know what? Scratch the first line of this reply. I am angry. You have royally ticked me off. You are treating me like nothing, like most people do in this bloody world. And there's something you should know about people like me: Nothing, and I mean nothing, motivates us more than anger. You've driven up some very, very negative feelings in me.
But I'm older than I used to be. Wiser. So again, I'm gonna' go all guns blazing, just to prove you wrong. Yes, it will take years, decades even. I literally said as much earlier. At no point did I say I'd be done next week. Prove otherwise.
Here then:
en.wikipedia.org
I can see that trying to give good advice around here, or have any real conversation about developing musicianship and, subsequently, attaining some joy from a musical instrument is pointless.
Guitar Hero - Wikipedia
I can see that trying to give good advice around here, or have any real conversation about developing musicianship and, subsequently, attaining some joy from a musical instrument is pointless.
Last edited:
Bit harsh.
Totally depends what your definition of failure is.
If by "failure" you mean = won't become a household name; then that's probably true.
However, I'd broach the subject in terms of success rather than failure. I'm an optimist. (I also prefer to provide inspiration and motivation, rather than to demotivate the student. Yeah, I'm actually an instructor, and a pretty good one, but not in music...)
If by success you mean = have some positive learning, some fun, some reward, and can, "in the end", grasp even just the basics, as a recreational musician, then success is truly well within most people's grasp.
Uni, are you UK based, like I think?
I think it's a lot more problematic renting gear in the UK than in North America!
As referenced previously, a Yamaha Pacifica 112V is a great learner instrument. Gear4Music is a good warehouse retailer. New cost is around £225. An amplifier like a Vox Valvetronix is also a reasonably good suggestion, because it has a pretty smooth sound from a valve amplifier pre-amp combined with a large array of preset digital amplifier models. The cheapest, least powerful is the best fit for a home player, because it doesn't have to be cranked up loud to have a good tonal balance, it has a gain level control to attenuate volume, unlike a proper valve amplifier - even a 5 watt version of a valve amp is "too loud" for even the best of neighbours.
But yes, you can also use a headphone setup with electric guitar that you can't with an acoustic.
(Although electro-acoustic you can, but the acoustic part is still audible... And a semi-acoustic also can, but you lose the flavour and colour of what the instrument was designed for.)
I'm not up on current tech, but you could probably mix your music input with your guitar input into a headphone setup these days, so you have the music to play along with as well as hearing your own guitar. It's definitely a consideration, but I reckon you'd be less satisfied with that and therefore perhaps less motivated?
Maybe knock on your neighbours door and invite them for a cuppa and explain that for 1 hour per day there may be some audible sound because you're "trying to turn your life around through the medium of music"?
Finally, yes, use a pick (plectrum).
My favourite is a Dunlop Gator Grip because they have, as it says, a strong friction that gives a good grip, even when your fingers are "greasy"...
You need to experiment which works best for you, and which thickness you prefer after a bit of experience, but try those as a starter, maybe a 0.71mm to begin with.
Yours Aye
Mark H
Deleted member 110222
D
Again, how am I supposed to get anywhere if I never try?Here then:
Guitar Hero - Wikipedia
I can see that trying to give good advice around here, or have any real conversation about developing musicianship and, subsequently, attaining some joy from a musical instrument is pointless.
Honestly you are starting to sound like the elitist punks who barricaded everything from me.
Do me a favour, and explain yourself.
Occasionally you will come across music snobs, avoid engaging with such people. Just accept we will never be as good as them.
Some artists paint paintings with their feet.
The feet are much more skillful than we think.
I wonder if we can play ED with the feet ?
Duncan gator grips rock!
Deleted member 110222
D
Yeah. It's like, I never said I expect to be "household name" or what have you.
I just want to compare myself to myself. Is that really so wrong?
You will want an acoustic anyway, so plan on getting one, you cant take an electric guitar to the park
Cheap pretty good acoustics are easy to come by, i think the last one i got i grabbed before the music shop where i bought it could shine it up and restring it. Paid like 100 USD for it iirc.
EDIT: Just wanted to add, when you buy that acoustic guitar, take someone with you who has some experience with guitars if you can, you want something comfortable to play that sounds good and its not easy for new players to tell a good one from a merely ok or pretty one.
Also, if your fingers bleed you are playing too much. You dont need bloody fingers to develop good calluses. Also, remember its about expression not perfection, you might want to have a pad and pen close around and by your bedside. When a good line goes through your mind, WRITE IT DOWN IMMEDIATELY otherwise you will almost certainly forget it.
In the same vein, if you are a flatpicker, once you find a brand and thickness of pick you like, buy a lot of them and put a few in your pocket and sprinkle the rest around the house, when a good riff goes through your head and you cant find a pick its really irritating.
Cheap pretty good acoustics are easy to come by, i think the last one i got i grabbed before the music shop where i bought it could shine it up and restring it. Paid like 100 USD for it iirc.
EDIT: Just wanted to add, when you buy that acoustic guitar, take someone with you who has some experience with guitars if you can, you want something comfortable to play that sounds good and its not easy for new players to tell a good one from a merely ok or pretty one.
Also, if your fingers bleed you are playing too much. You dont need bloody fingers to develop good calluses. Also, remember its about expression not perfection, you might want to have a pad and pen close around and by your bedside. When a good line goes through your mind, WRITE IT DOWN IMMEDIATELY
otherwise you will almost certainly forget it.In the same vein, if you are a flatpicker, once you find a brand and thickness of pick you like, buy a lot of them and put a few in your pocket and sprinkle the rest around the house, when a good riff goes through your head and you cant find a pick its really irritating.
Last edited:
This is even better:
I'm left handed but was taught to play right-handed, so the pick is on my weak hand and I need all the grip I can get. But todays, I play fingerstyle most of the time anyway.
As for what Manticore said, he has a point indeed. Developing musicianship is a life-long journey, and developing proper technique from the start is crucial, once your brain learns something the wrong way, it's hard to overwrite that again. Plus, you need a lot of theory, scales, modes and all and some things you cannot learn by exercising, like the ability to really "hear" things. Add endless sessions of sometimes boring exercises, daily. There are no shortcuts to becoming a decent player, and I think that is what Manticore meant. Where we probably may differ is this: My musical education started at the age of six too, but I had to learn Recorder first for two years. Then, when my hands were large enough, I learned Classical Guitar for another five years, with the help of a teacher. I really like classic guitar, but that definitely was not what I wanted to play. I wanted to play electric, like the guys on MTV. My parents wouldn't buy me one, so I had to wait until the uni. After having saved all money for half a year, it still was not enough, so I waited for the start of the next month, withdrew everything available and starved for the rest of the month, but I was the proud owner of a black Godin tele (with a four digit serial no). I still had to exercise daily, but now it was fun, and that made a real lot of difference
O7,
NB. I got both editions of Rocksmith and can recommend them. Most of the songs I don't like, but the method itself is fun, and the scale and timing trainer games are definitely more interesting than metronome clicks (and precise timing is crucial). Never exercise without a metronome of sorts.
Last edited:
Been hooked on these picks for a good few years now. Very interesting feel.
Wow, haven't seen those picks for years!This is even better:
I'm left handed but was taught to play right-handed, so the pick is on my weak hand and I need all the grip I can get. But todays, I play fingerstyle most of the time anyway.
As for what Manticore said, he has a point indeed. Developing musicianship is a life-long journey, and developing proper technique from the start is crucial, once your brain learns something the wrong way, it's hard to overwrite that again. Plus, you need a lot of theory, scales, modes and all and some things you cannot learn by exercising, like the ability to really "hear" things. Add endless sessions of sometimes boring exercises, daily. There are no shortcuts to becoming a decent player, and I think that is what Manticore meant. Where we probably may differ is this: My musical education started at the age of six too, but I had to learn Recorder first for two years. Then, when my hands were large enough, I learned Classical Guitar for another five years, with the help of a teacher. I really like classic guitar, but that definitely was not what I wanted to play. I wanted to play electric, like the guys on MTV. My parents wouldn't buy me one, so I had to wait until the uni. After having saved all money for half a year, it still was not enough, so I waited for the start of the next month, withdrew everything available and starved for the rest of the month, but I was the proud owner of a black Godin tele (with a four digit serial no). I still had to exercise daily, but now it was fun, and that made a real lot of difference
O7,
NB. I got both editions of Rocksmith and can recommend them. Most of the songs I don't like, but the method itself is fun, and the scale and timing trainer games are definitely more interesting than metronome clicks (and precise timing is crucial). Never exercise without a metronome of sorts.
Wow, haven't seen those picks for years!
Ceramic. Mine is 25 years now and the printing is gone, but these last forever. And obviously, they still make them
O7,
Deleted member 110222
D
So do you guys think I can do this if I put my mind to it?
I do understand why some people might have their doubts but if I never try I'll never know, right?
I do understand why some people might have their doubts but if I never try I'll never know, right?
Yes. Go for it.
Accoustic...and start with One by Metallica. It's a nice easy intro at the start of the song and it was one of the first songs I learned. Guitar requires patience and hard work but once you get the hang of a song it will egg you on to more stuff. Tuning is very important but these days you should be fine with the tuning apps out there. I have an ESP electric but accoustic is a good start. I play an awful lot of video games so it's nice to mix things up every day. I think you should try it and you will earn an even greater appreciation for metal as you will have an idea of what the guys are doing in the band. Learn to read tablature too...it's quite easy to and all the songs you want to play are on the internet for you. Good luck !