Guitar tips you wish you knew when you started playing

[msteeln]

Maybe the Holy Grail of noob questions.
#1 Quality time to practice.
#2 Dedication.
#3 Quality gear that is affordable.
#4 Learn properly. www.guitarprinciples.com

Yours?

 

[deeaa]

That you're not gonna be making a career out of it & there's always gonna be players wayyyy better and more successful than you no matter how much you tried

And IF despite all odds you're gonna somehow make it into a career or even a self-sustaining hobby, forget about normal life & family and good steady income. Chances are very slim.

Also IF it seems you could make it a career, be aware that it likely includes making tough choices, disregarding and discarding friendships and forgetting about just having fun and partying about it - music making is a career just like others, and a very unforgiving and tough one at that that needs a level business head more than it does creativity and whatnot.

 

[Eric]

I like this thread.

I guess if I had one, it would be finding someone who knows what they're doing and who has been around the block and listening to and trusting them. The tough part is in realizing just how difficult this is. I've been 'tutored' by a couple of people who were just blowing smoke up my ***, and they hurt more than they helped. There was an awful lot of stuff for me to learn, and it has taken exponentially longer because it's been largely self-taught.

 

[marnold]

Just because someone who has been playing forever is getting into all kinds of exotic scales, it doesn't mean that you have to. Conquer the pentatonic. That other stuff won't go anywhere.

I also wish when I was first playing bass that I had the slightest hint of music theory. That way I could have learned one pattern for all the modes and not try to jam different ones in my head for each. What a waste of time.

Oh yeah: if you have a bass (or guitar, for that matter) that you really like, don't sell it even if you think you'll never play again. You'll hate yourself for it.

 

[Eric]

I also wish when I was first playing bass that I had the slightest hint of music theory. That way I could have learned one pattern for all the modes and not try to jam different ones in my head for each. What a waste of time.

I'm not sure I understand this point; how do you view it now?

 

[R_of_G]

Listen to lead players other than guitar players. You can learn a good deal about phrasing by listening to horn players and pianists that you might not get by limiting your influences strictly to guitarists.

 

[marnold]

I'm not sure I understand this point; how do you view it now?

The Metal Method lessons opened my eyes on that subject. Since so much of metal is minor, he teaches it from the standpoint of the minor key (instead of the major key like most music theory books will). You learn patterns for the A minor scale all over the neck (five total, seven with three-notes-per-string). Once you know that, you know every mode. All that changes is the root. For example, if I play the A minor pattern starting on "A," it's a minor. If I play the same pattern but start on "C," it's C major. If I start on "E," it's E Phrygian. One set of patterns, you know every mode. Of course, in metal you don't use every mode anyway. The big ones are minor, Phrygian, and the occasional Dorian.

 

[Spudman]

I like Marnold's suggestion about learning theory. If I would have been more receptive of learning some in the beginning I'm sure I'd be much farther along in my skills. Mine is all ear training.

Two other things that I wish I would have grasped early on: learn the business end of music, and don't get real drunk at a gig, do a bunch of cocaine and forget to take your expensive guitar home with you.

 

[R_of_G]

... and don't get real drunk at a gig, do a bunch of cocaine and forget to take your expensive guitar home with you.

Well if we're getting that specific with them, don't plug in to play for the first time with a neighbor you're trying to impress and forget that you left your guitar in an open tuning and sit there looking bewildered when the notes you're trying to play of a song you've played a thousand times before come out sounding utterly wrong. By the way, if you were to commit that error, the remedy is as follows... Suddenly realize you're in open G and begin cranking out Brown Sugar as if the prior thirty seconds were some odd avant-garde ambient intro.

 

[Tig]

• That guitar/amp/pedal you are lusting after and just know it is the best possible choice in the world, even though you know nothing about guitars/amps/pedals... Well, it is very likely you will find out that is wasn't all that, after you purchase it. (take online reviews and demo's with a grain of salt, too) Don't be taken in by a dumb or too slick sales person at the store.
• Learning guitar will take plenty of time, patience, and dedication. It will take years to sound like what you really want to, if you have the talent and dedication. Don't expect too much right away, but don't let this advice turn you away. You will enjoy the journey and be surprised just how good you can sound fairly soon. *This doesn't apply much to prodigies, however.

There are many exceptions to the above.
This became more advice to new players than stuff I wish I knew. I'll add more later...

 

[Zip]

#1 Cool it on the drugs. Seriously.
#2 The guy running the board is not your enemy. He really wants to make you sound good to everyone else in the house - listen to his suggestions.
#3 It hasn't all been done before.
#4 Really. Lay off the drugs.
#5 The guitar is the instrument, not just the strings. The whole thing makes music.
#6 Sometimes, noise is just noise....not the "coolest thing I ever heard!!".
#7 Listen to all styles of music, not just the guitarists you want to sound like.

 

[R_of_G]

#5 The guitar is the instrument, not just the strings. The whole thing makes music.

+1

There are a great many sounds to get out the guitar without involving the strings.

#6 Sometimes, noise is just noise....not the "coolest thing I ever heard!!".

Conversely, sometimes noise is exactly what the situation calls for. Not every solo needs to be a means of forward propulsion in a predictable arc. It's all in how the player approaches the noise.

 

[Hampus]

I wish I had known what I know now...

1. Learn musical theory. Not just how to do things, but why. This will help you in the future as you well be able to figure things out even if you don't know them by heart.

2. Practice with a metronome.

3. practice with a metronome.

4. Jam with others, our practice to a song from your cd our mp3 player.

5. Speed isn't everything. Timing and phrasing is even more important.

6. Practice rhythm as much as you practice lead.

And last but not least, practice with a metronome!

/Hampus

Sent from my cobra phone

 

[Photomike666]

Practice various picking patterns. Couldn't tell you how much time I wasted trying to work out the timing of a song or tab, only to now know it is just a picking pattern.

Train your ear. Not just hope it comes with practice, but actively add techniques into daily practice. There and websites that play a random note or chord & and you learn to distinguish which. The quicker you get this skill the better. JustinGuitar.com has this.

Learn theory. Guitar is about creativity, and it's easier when you know why something does or doesn't work.

Start writing a song as early as possible. It forces you to put theory into Practice and gives an idea how other song created.

Take all advise with a pinch of salt. It's your journey, enjoy the experience.

 

[Photomike666]

Oh two others,

use a metronome always. Learn slow as well as fast.

Learn some stage craft. Way too many accomplished musicians fail to entertain their audience.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Maybe the Holy Grail of noob questions.
#1 Quality time to practice.
#2 Dedication.
#3 Quality gear that is affordable.
#4 Learn properly. www.guitarprinciples.com


Yours?

I may have been told some of these and not paid attention, but in any case:

1) Proper and efficient ergonomic techniques in fretting, ie, how to efficiently place and hold hand depending on what is going on, where to place thumb (not up the neck), how to hold the guitar , etc. Some additional feedback from my first instructor, who is basically a folk style acoustic strummer and finger picker, would have been nice.
2) Importance of practicing rhythm skills, and subdivisions of beat. I really wish I did not develop, and have to overcome, the habit of starting and stopping my right hand while strumming in order to match time. I jumped into learning songs (maybe forced my instructor to teach me some honestly), and tried just to match what was going on by ear and by starting and stopping my hand as my sense of time told me. Instead, I it would have been better to learn (and practice) how to move my hand constantly in time, subdivide time and strike the strings in accordance with the subdivisions, with the right hand moving in time the entire time.

Those are the main things I can think of right now.

 

[marnold]

It's interesting how many people mentioned rhythm. As someone who came to guitar from bass, rhythm isn't a problem because that's what bass _is_. Granted, there's still quite a difference between bass and rhythm guitar, but once you've got the beat, you can do lots with it. If you don't have the beat, it won't matter what you're playing.

 

[Robert]

My tip - if you want good looking babes to show up for your gigs - don't play jazz!!!

 

[Robert]

#2 The guy running the board is not your enemy. He really wants to make you sound good to everyone else in the house - listen to his suggestions.

That's right. Running a discussion board is hard grunt work, but I am not your foe. I do want you to sound terrific.

(sorry, couldn't resist. All the stress lately is messing with my humour)

 

[sunvalleylaw]

My tip - if you want good looking babes to show up for your gigs - don't play jazz!!!

Man, I can't believe that answer. It can't be true!

 

[Tig]

1) Proper and efficient ergonomic techniques in fretting, ie, how to efficiently place and hold hand depending on what is going on, where to place thumb (not up the neck), how to hold the guitar , etc. Some additional feedback from my first instructor, who is basically a folk style acoustic strummer and finger picker, would have been nice.

Pebber Brown has an excellent lesson on this, which is good to refresh our technique with even years into playing:

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Mark Wein also has some good free vids on this point, including ways to increase your reach, etc.

 

[msteeln]

Importance of practicing rhythm skills, and subdivisions of beat. I really wish I did not develop, and have to overcome, the habit of starting and stopping my right hand while strumming in order to match time as my sense of time told me. Instead, I it would have been better to learn (and practice) how to move my hand constantly in time, subdivide time and strike the strings in accordance with the subdivisions, with the right hand moving in time the entire time.

Great input, thanx!

What are some forum thots about anchoring the picking hand vs keeping it completely free?

 

[Zip]

That's right. Running a discussion board is hard grunt work, but I am not your foe. I do want you to sound terrific.

Haha Ummm, the 'front of house engineer'.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Great input, thanx!

What are some forum thots about anchoring the picking hand vs keeping it completely free?

I will leave that to the instructors. There are different opinions.

 

[msteeln]

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
― Ira Glass

 

[Radioboy950]

Some good stuff here already.
*Learn the fretboard*
Even if you play by ear, everything you do will make so much more sense to you, and open up your playing like you never imagined.
Jeff Kollman (Glenn Hughes, UFO, Cosmosquad, Bombastic Meatbats) passed along something that really helps. When he was learning, he drew the fretboard on a piece of cardboard and put it in front of him to better visualize different positions for chords and lead runs, etc.

*Don't be afraid to try new things*
Maybe it's learning slide technique, or learning to funk it up with a Wah-Wah...or experimenting with a different music genre or style. Have fun.

 

[Ch0jin]

Some good stuff here already.
*Learn the fretboard*
Even if you play by ear, everything you do will make so much more sense to you, and open up your playing like you never imagined.
Jeff Kollman (Glenn Hughes, UFO, Cosmosquad, Bombastic Meatbats) passed along something that really helps. When he was learning, he drew the fretboard on a piece of cardboard and put it in front of him to better visualize different positions for chords and....

This. I made one like 20 years ago and I STILL regularly drop it on the floor or on my amp when I'm practising just to remind myself where all the notes are.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Some good stuff here already.
*Learn the fretboard*

That is the other thing I have worked on. I am not sure I needed that straight off, but it is sure a good pursuit now. Learning pentatonic patterns, learning minor and major patterns, and from there, learning the chord tones and triads to focus on in all of the above.

msteeln, I love that Ira Glass quote!

 

[Monkus]

excellent thoughts here guys...here's what I wish i'd known...

1. The act of creating doesn't guarantee awesome.
2. Use forearm strength rather than thumb strength to fret chords.
3. Get to know overplaying, then don't do it.
4. Everyone needs a 'talent' pedal.
5. Have fun, always.

That Ira Glass quote is boss...