Guitar Megathread - learn-share-talk-lessons-tips-fun

[piszczel]

There's nothing wrong with teaching songs bro, it's just important that the songs require particular techniques or skills/chords that you are trying to teach your student.. putting techniques in context and learning WHOLE songs is pretty beneficial for a few reasons.

Most importantly I think it introduces the idea of getting the right tone/feel for a song instead of just being able to PLAY it.

I agree, although it's not exactly what I had in mind. Teachers usually like to teach fairly simple songs unless you ask them to do something else. My teacher was showing me how to play Master of Puppets, and halfway through I said I want to learn something else, because although reasonably fast, the song is not technically demanding or anything. So he taught me Eugene's Trick Bag, which I made a crappy video of few posts later. Similar thing happened with Children of Bodom's Are you dead yet; I don't even listen to the band, and yet for some reason we took two lessons to teach me the song. Two lessons which could've been used on learning theory or technique.

tl;dr
Learning songs definitely helps, but only in the first few months of playing I think, when you're still trying to get used to the instrument.

Speaking of learning songs, I have a terrible memory. Takes me absolute ages to remember any riffs or simple melodies. For that reason when it comes to solos, I just like to improvise rather than learn it note for note. Anyone else do it as well? Haven't seen many videos on youtube of people improvising solos to songs.

[piszczel]

Btw I don't know if this has been posted or not but check out this guys channel - he gives pretty good lessons.

http://www.youtube.com/user/tziras

[An hero]

Don't get a teacher who is a young ugly college metalhead reject. Get an old guy who plays jazz to teach you the guitar

[ctgblue]

I don't agree with you a lot, but ^^^ is sooo true

BEST teacher I ever had was an older guy who had me working jazz runs when I was in HS. If I could have afforded to keep with it, I would have gotten a lot better fast.
looking back at some of the (almost 30yr old) sheet music, it was pretty complex

I quit the young meathead (he was pretty good, but slow classical was not what a 17yr old wants to learn)

[Metallibanger]

Don't get a teacher who is a young ugly college metalhead reject. Get an old guy who plays jazz to teach you the guitar

x2. My teacher is a jazz player and he's awesome at all styles.

[-themask-]

Any brahs here have the Boss RC-2 pedal?

This thing is so much fun.

[piszczel]

Haha, watch this!

[piszczel]

OK I was thinking of new sweeps and I came up with some pretty cool ones that utilize some awkward fingerings so are perfect for practicing sweeping and accuracy:

E minor sweep:

E ----------------12h15p12-------------
B -------------12----------12-----------
G ----------12---------------12---------
D -------14---------------------14------
A -10h14--------------------------14p10
E ---------------------------------------

Same sweep, but with the 7th added (much more tricky I think, but still doable)

E ----------------------12h15t17p15p12--------------------
B ----------------10h12----------------12p10--------------
G -------------12----------------------------12------------
D ----------14---------------------------------14----------
A -10h12h14--------------------------------------14p12p10-
E -----------------------------------------------------------

Another Em sweep:

E -------------3p0h3-------------------
B -----------5-------5-----------------
G ---------4-----------4---------------
D -------2---------------2-------------
A -----2-------------------2-----------
E -0h3----------------------3p0--------

I'll post more when I come up with some cool ones.

Btw, does anyone have similar "tongue twisters" but for normal picking?

[vin_nz]

I agree, although it's not exactly what I had in mind. Teachers usually like to teach fairly simple songs unless you ask them to do something else. My teacher was showing me how to play Master of Puppets, and halfway through I said I want to learn something else, because although reasonably fast, the song is not technically demanding or anything. So he taught me Eugene's Trick Bag, which I made a crappy video of few posts later. Similar thing happened with Children of Bodom's Are you dead yet; I don't even listen to the band, and yet for some reason we took two lessons to teach me the song. Two lessons which could've been used on learning theory or technique.

tl;dr
Learning songs definitely helps, but only in the first few months of playing I think, when you're still trying to get used to the instrument.

Speaking of learning songs, I have a terrible memory. Takes me absolute ages to remember any riffs or simple melodies. For that reason when it comes to solos, I just like to improvise rather than learn it note for note. Anyone else do it as well? Haven't seen many videos on youtube of people improvising solos to songs.

ever think that the problem you note in your last paragraph is because you haven't spent time learning to remember whole tunes?

Learning songs is infinitely helpful no matter what point you're at, it just depends on which ones you're learning.. For instance, you could learn a whole bunch of beatles songs to get a good grasp of how to use chord progressions in pop/rock music..

I learned about 60% of a Freddie King album note for note (I very rarely do this), and it helped me expand the vocab of my blues playing as well as teaching me a lot more about how to get a traditional blues tone ala Freddie King's first few albums.

There's a time and a place for improvising and note for note, but let's not kid ourselves, a huge part of improvising ISNT actually improvising, it's using stock phrases and licks that you have worked out and or learned, or using your knowledge of theory/scales/chords to play something fitting. Sure, it's pretty much put together on the spot, but it's not entirely improvised in that some of it is already known before if you get what I mean..

there's tonnes of improv videos on youtube, mostly in the jazz/blues genre

[piszczel]

ever think that the problem you note in your last paragraph is because you haven't spent time learning to remember whole tunes?

Learning songs is infinitely helpful no matter what point you're at, it just depends on which ones you're learning.. For instance, you could learn a whole bunch of beatles songs to get a good grasp of how to use chord progressions in pop/rock music..

I learned about 60% of a Freddie King album note for note (I very rarely do this), and it helped me expand the vocab of my blues playing as well as teaching me a lot more about how to get a traditional blues tone ala Freddie King's first few albums.

There's a time and a place for improvising and note for note, but let's not kid ourselves, a huge part of improvising ISNT actually improvising, it's using stock phrases and licks that you have worked out and or learned, or using your knowledge of theory/scales/chords to play something fitting. Sure, it's pretty much put together on the spot, but it's not entirely improvised in that some of it is already known before if you get what I mean..

there's tonnes of improv videos on youtube, mostly in the jazz/blues genre

Cool, thanks. Good advice.

I meant videos of people playing specific songs that have solos in them (e.g. some AC/DC tune) but instead of playing the solo from the song you improvise it yourself. Haven't seen many videos like that.

[MyDenverMint]

This is an excellent thread!
I've been playing guitar for around 4 years and recently I've started to actually learn music theory. Before I mainly focused on learning songs. Now I'm more interested in how they were created and the theory behind them.

[An hero]

Cool, thanks. Good advice.

I meant videos of people playing specific songs that have solos in them (e.g. some AC/DC tune) but instead of playing the solo from the song you improvise it yourself. Haven't seen many videos like that.

I improvise pretty much all my solos. For me, improv is what music is about

[Dr_JAZZ]

hotel california

[mullyman]

Look what I bought this weekend. 2001 Martin 000-28EC. She'll be here tomorrow morning.






Sorry for all the pics but I know guitar players like looking at them, so here ya go.
MULLY

[piszczel]

Look what I bought this weekend. 2001 Martin 000-28EC. She'll be here tomorrow morning.

Nice!
I googled it and looked at the price, holy moly

[mullyman]

Nice!
I googled it and looked at the price, holy moly

Well, here in Japan they retail around 5200. I grabbed this one, used of course, for 2.
MULLY

[AntoineDufour]

great player

[Dr_JAZZ]

seriously under-rated guitarist by the music community, Ritchie Sambora

[AntoineDufour]

more gareth pearson... he is very good..really...amazing player check out his other stuff too

[Nick_15]

Hey, I hope I'm posting the right place, but does anyone here have any good lessons for improving my lead playing, for example I learned Nightmare yesterday and it wasn't a problem till there came a few sweeps, and I got lost..Also if anyone know some good scale lessons and theory to 'em, cus I can easily make up a riff but if someone asks to make me a solo over an E I'm completely lost (I know the pentatonic scale tho..)

Any help appreciated

[An hero]

Hey, I hope I'm posting the right place, but does anyone here have any good lessons for improving my lead playing, for example I learned Nightmare yesterday and it wasn't a problem till there came a few sweeps, and I got lost..Also if anyone know some good scale lessons and theory to 'em, cus I can easily make up a riff but if someone asks to make me a solo over an E I'm completely lost (I know the pentatonic scale tho..)

Any help appreciated

1. Someone tells you to solo over an E
2. Play pentatonic scale in E
3. ????
4. Profit


and I don't know what the fukk "Nightmare" is but if you want to play sweeps then you have to do it REALLY SLOW a lot. And I mean really slow. Like 60 bpm. Don't be one of those *******s that immediately tries to do it at 300 bpm and can't mute for ****

[Nick_15]

1. Someone tells you to solo over an E
2. Play pentatonic scale in E
3. ????
4. Profit


and I don't know what the fukk "Nightmare" is but if you want to play sweeps then you have to do it REALLY SLOW a lot. And I mean really slow. Like 60 bpm. Don't be one of those *******s that immediately tries to do it at 300 bpm and can't mute for ****

Yea but I want to learn more than the pentatonic scale, sucks playing pentatonic all the time, but I also wannna learn the theory behind them, sucks

[AntoineDufour]

GOD DAMN I am impressed Gustavo Guerra improved immensely since I first started watching him. He was always good but now hes unbelievable.

The next vinnie moore easily... sounds so similar to him...

[An hero]

Yea but I want to learn more than the pentatonic scale, sucks playing pentatonic all the time, but I also wannna learn the theory behind them, sucks

http://www.justinguitar.com/en/SC-001-TheMajorScale.php

learn each shape of that and you can play 7 different modes in 12 different keys

that should be enough for you

[vin_nz]

once you know the scales and how they work over chords you can start the endless process of actually using them to make interesting musical phrases..

[Nick_15]

once you know the scales and how they work over chords you can start the endless process of actually using them to make interesting musical phrases..

That's what I'm trying to learn ^^

[MistuuhMitch]

I just started playin acoustic guitar a couple months ago and was wondering if most people just find out their own finger picking pattern as they would strumming ? ive been trying to learn this new song Bruno mars- Just the way you are (no homo i just like it), i learned how to play it by strumming like this guy



but then i saw this video



I wanted to learn how to play like this instead (sounds alot better imo). Any tips ?

[Dr_JAZZ]

[ddollar]

I just started learning barre chords two weeks ago and I am having alot of trouble moving up and down the neck while holding the barre chords, any tips on keeping all the strings ringing out? I can never keep the B string pressed down all the way.

[An hero]

I just started learning barre chords two weeks ago and I am having alot of trouble moving up and down the neck while holding the barre chords, any tips on keeping all the strings ringing out? I can never keep the B string pressed down all the way.

I don't really see why you would move while holding down the barre. If you're moving between chords all you have to do is lightly touch the strings to mute them