General Music Chat

One good practice tip I've been working on is to take any solo I put together and figure out the chords behind it and play that part. if it works - then I have something - otherwise - try again tough guy!

I realize that is probably backwards to how sane people do it. <sigh>

Talbot

I would say get a good Beatles songbook, Zeppelin, and of course Eric Clapton.

I started with Hendrix, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, AC/DC, Zep, and Trower.

I think you would need to find something you like and are interested in learning, some of the shredder guys to me are way too advanced for a beginner, maybe as one moves into intermediate playing, but the shred guys might overwhelm a beginner.

Just my 2 cents

So many guitarists, so little time. He should start with someone he is keenly interested in and begin to deconstruct what they are playing. There is a cool app online that will allow you to change tempo and/or pitch of a song or solo to slow it way down which is pretty useful.

I highly recommend working with a good guitar teacher who can identify where he is now technically and knows what comes next.

My earliest roots:
BB King, Clapton, The Beatles, Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, Santana, Robby Krieger, Dick Dale.

If you were just starting to learn guitar which famous lead guitarists would you recommend to copy to give you the BEST vocabulary to advance your playing ability? In other words stealing licks from who gets you the fastest start?

Best vocabulary - wow. that's a tall order - and subjective too. Ask him what his favorite bands and solos are, then have him find a guitar instructor to help him learn those. Imitation is the best tool for starting out. After that, playing to backing tracks to build on what you learned from your idols.

cheers

I would find a guitar player that is easy to emulate but who is tasteful. You can't start learning guitar and get any satisfaction by trying to do what someone who is light years ahead of you is doing. It would only discourage you.
Try to find simpler leads that give a beginner goals that can be obtained, and that will both encourage him and let him see that it is possible for him to accomplish those leads. And don't stick with just one picker. There are a lot of them out there who sound great but play rides that aren't that complicated.

I would find a guitar player that is easy to emulate but who is tasteful. You can't start learning guitar and get any satisfaction by trying to do what someone who is light years ahead of you is doing. It would only discourage you.
Try to find simpler leads that give a beginner goals that can be obtained, and that will both encourage him and let him see that it is possible for him to accomplish those leads. And don't stick with just one picker. There are a lot of them out there who sound great but play rides that aren't that complicated.

Not true! The first song I learned in its entirety, within 8 weeks of picking up a guitar, ever.. was "Stairway to Heaven". Laugh as you might, that song was way complex for a whupper-snapper like me back then... There was a kid in my neighborhood who put the entire side of my town of guitarists to shame... He's been at it for only a year, and he loved Jazz riffs, and played that stuff till the cows turned to cows with a mad disease...

My whole point here ...Go for the songs that intrigue you, No matter how hard .. if ya love songs, learn them immediately... and find buddies who can show you the licks as well... Nothing beats the fever and passion (And I would say don't stop for anyone or anything...) That's how you become a good guitarist.... IMHO

EVH & SRV

DeLauney nailed it.
Eric Johnson!
The guy can frikin play any genre he wants

And, he's got some instructional vids

I would find a guitar player that is easy to emulate but who is tasteful. You can't start learning guitar and get any satisfaction by trying to do what someone who is light years ahead of you is doing. It would only discourage you.
Try to find simpler leads that give a beginner goals that can be obtained, and that will both encourage him and let him see that it is possible for him to accomplish those leads. And don't stick with just one picker. There are a lot of them out there who sound great but play rides that aren't that complicated.

Not true! The first song I learned in its entirety, within 8 weeks of picking up a guitar, ever.. was "Stairway to Heaven". Laugh as you might, that song was way complex for a whupper-snapper like me back then... There was a kid in my neighborhood who put the entire side of my town of guitarists to shame... He's been at it for only a year, and he loved Jazz riffs, and played that stuff till the cows turned to cows with a mad disease...

My whole point here ...Go for the songs that intrigue you, No matter how hard .. if ya love songs, learn them immediately... and find buddies who can show you the licks as well... Nothing beats the fever and passion (And I would say don't stop for anyone or anything...) That's how you become a good guitarist.... IMHO

LOL.. I guess I forgot to take into consideration what some people might perceive as complicated.

I would also advise against emulating one or two guitarists like all these guys who think they're SRV reincarnated. Learn a song or two that inspire you and then move on or you will just end up a hollow musician wanna-be.

I would also advise against emulating one or two guitarists like all these guys who think they're SRV reincarnated. Learn a song or two that inspire you and then move on or you will just end up a hollow musician wanna-be.

Don't be like me, kids. Don't be like me...

I would find a guitar player that is easy to emulate but who is tasteful. You can't start learning guitar and get any satisfaction by trying to do what someone who is light years ahead of you is doing. It would only discourage you.
Try to find simpler leads that give a beginner goals that can be obtained, and that will both encourage him and let him see that it is possible for him to accomplish those leads. And don't stick with just one picker. There are a lot of them out there who sound great but play rides that aren't that complicated.

Not true! The first song I learned in its entirety, within 8 weeks of picking up a guitar, ever.. was "Stairway to Heaven". Laugh as you might, that song was way complex for a whupper-snapper like me back then... There was a kid in my neighborhood who put the entire side of my town of guitarists to shame... He's been at it for only a year, and he loved Jazz riffs, and played that stuff till the cows turned to cows with a mad disease...

My whole point here ...Go for the songs that intrigue you, No matter how hard .. if ya love songs, learn them immediately... and find buddies who can show you the licks as well... Nothing beats the fever and passion (And I would say don't stop for anyone or anything...) That's how you become a good guitarist.... IMHO

LOL.. I guess I forgot to take into consideration what some people might perceive as complicated.

Ha ha No fair! I was only 14 at the time...!

Jimmy D is dead on. Don't settle on just one or two artists or style of playing while learning. Versatility goes a long way if your wanting more than just a bedroom hobby.

In my post I recomended a Beatles songbook, no one asked why? Cause as a lead guitarist I think the first consideration before you go diddle diddly doo is to figure out the inside of chord structures so you know how to hang a solo on a rythym not the other way around.

I was never into the Beatles except for a few songs, but for a couple of years I really dug into the Chord Structures, throwing little parts of chords into your solos can really help you understand how it works, plus I learned a lot of great turnarounds for songs that I otherwise wouldnt have known.

Honestly in the 70s I got one of those Pat Thrall Rock Solo things and it really showed the basic pentatonic scales and how to move them all around on the neck, I think my real basis in lead lines came from that.

With all the online help today its not hard to find learning tools, when my cover band was picking up new songs a coupel of years ago, I many times cheated for that little elusive part that didnt just pop in my head, and also for alternate tunings that folks use these days.

Then it all comes down to playing and repitiion til you have it drilled in your head so deep that you dont even think about what you are doing you just do it. I sit in with a lot of different styles of music at times and I dont have to know the songs, just quickly check out the chord structures they are using and go to town when its my turn to solo.