General Music Chat

So, I'm a beginning-level guitarist, self-taught, and I'm just looking for some advice on what I should be practicing, like chords, scales, things like that. I'm looking for a good (and afforadble!) instructor, but I want to keep playing while I look and I've looked up stuff on the internet but I guess I want some more...structure? A plan, maybe. Any and all advice and suggestions are appreciated. Thanks

PLAY WITH PEOPLE PLAY WITH PEOPLE PLAY WITH PEOPLE KEEP YOUR MIND OPEN ( AND BY GOD DONT BECOME A COVER HEAVY PERSON ) YOU ALWAS DONT HAVE TO FALOW THE BOOK SEE WHAT U CAN COME UP WITH ON YOUR OWN SOMTIME ....

IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME BUT NEVER EVER EVER EVER GIVE THE GUITAR UP ONCE U START

FInd people who know how to play your favorite songs... You Tube, School, where ever, however... just gitr done...

Practice on songs you know and like - put the CD/MP3 on, and play along. Keep playing until your fingertips hurt and bleed - you need to build up calluses.
Find some others at your level or a little more advanced and play with them. Find a local music school/class where you get introduced to others at your level.
Don't give up, and keep practicing!

A good many people may disagree with this but scales and modes will teach you scales and modes. Learning to play songs will teach you to play songs. Just try to follow along with the songs that you want to learn. If you want to simply play rhythm to then, then play rhythm along with them. If you want to play lead, then learn the melody line first and then try to play it note for note on your guitar. When you do that you are learning the notes and positions on the neck as you learn the play the songs.
It worked for me, mainly because scales bore me but being able to play a song made me feel as if I was accomplishing something.. and I had something to show someone as I learned each song.

If you desire to read music, then go about it by taking some simple music lessons.

Opinions are like the "stinky ring", they all smell and everyone has one.

Get a teacher.

http://www.justinguitar.com/

This cats web site is great for finding information to build your own study guides.

Start with a metronome ... save yourself the pain latter on.

What you focus on first is determined by your goals.

I can't believe you guys are falling for this again.

Now I know how this game is played. COUNT ME OUT.

Do all the things suggested here, but remember the critical thing: your right hand (picking hand) is where the music lives. A light touch, playing from the heart will make all those drills worth while.

you have to do the due diligence. But the picking hand seals the deal.

Talbot

Practice on songs you know and like - put the CD/MP3 on, and play along. Keep playing until your fingertips hurt and bleed - you need to build up calluses.
Find some others at your level or a little more advanced and play with them. Find a local music school/class where you get introduced to others at your level.
Don't give up, and keep practicing!

bingo!


It would be great if you can get lessons, or find someone to jam with..

There are a bazillion videos on YouTube so you can probably find songs that you actually want to play being taught. You can probably find anything you want to learn on there actually.

The Complete Idiots Guide to Music Theory.

Seriously...

Find it on Amazon
2nd edition.

The Complete Idiots Guide to Music Theory.

Seriously...

Find it on Amazon
2nd edition.

I have that book! It's not bad.
But, for the most part I think you only need theory if you're going to get involved in professional composition and perhaps being a hired gun for studio recording. Most people only need to practice their favorite bands to get that feel for chord progressions to sing over.

and hours in the wood shed if you want to be a shredder.

Cheers!

Practice thats all it takes, the more you
practice the better you are.

I've also got Mike Miller's book on
Music theory, but gt graduate from that
to something like Robert Gauldin's book
"Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music", he'll show
you the theory of how 4 voices (tones) move
over the clef's horizontally and vertically.
Neither would help you learn to play guitar,
but both would help you master it.