And it’s Right. There. In. Your. Ear. Believe me, as a recovering violinist, I know of what you speak. When I pick it up again, I can still kill off the whole bag of cats in an hour or so and make it sound like an instrument. But that’s a hard hour to listen to, especially at such close range.
In retrospect, cello was the way to go.
I agree that you need to find the teacher and/or method that fits your style of learning and fits into your lifestyle. Different folks learn things in different ways. You’ve got a manageable goal, and I think you can potentially do it without instruction. If you find it confounds you, get a teacher.
Persistence is the key. It’s gonna be hard and your fingers are gonna hurt like hell. And then will come that day when a song comes together. And then another and another. And it’s all worth it.
Wanna set your sights high? Mike Dawes is incredible. One of these days, I will be able toplay this arrangement.
No pressure, amigo. Take it at your own pace. I’ve always wanted to be able to play like Chet Atkins, but that’s a long term project. Take as much time as you need.
You know the rule: whatever keeps you playing. In the beginning, I gave myself plenty of time to play songs using one note, maybe even one string. Just feeling the groove and making crowd noises in the background. It turned out that feeling the groove is more central than I realized - at least as important as getting muscle memory for chords and strums.
I could never abide by lessons. I have always just noticed licks or techniques I wanted to play, found or made up a groove that featured it, and then tried to get smooth with it. Oh man, SRV’s Pride and Joy Texas Shuffle groove - that’s like juggling two tennis balls and a chain saw. Lots of reps to get the mechanics ingrained.
Long nights playing an unplugged electric mindlessly in front of a baseball game or comfy sitcom rerun. Doing the exercises I describe above that way was the only way I could build up the muscle memory.
And I took my electric apart a few times - just because, and to do mods. Lots of mods. I wouldn’t recommend unless you have plenty of time to spare But somehow it helped me be a better player. Know your tools and shit.
Anyone else flash the image of enipla donning granny glasses and channeling John Denver while warbling “Rocky Mountain Hi --igh…”?
Haven’t checked the guitar instruction sites offered above, but some, such as ArtistWorks have interactive elements, where you can record yourself and get feedback from the instructor. I went through their bluegrass bass series a couple of years back and found it worthwhile.
You might seriously consider taking your guitar back to the store and ask them to do a “set up” (they will charge you for this - maybe $50). You might think that when you buy a brand new guitar that it should be completely ready to play. You might think that and you would be wrong. The action on a new guitar can often be adjusted downwards (by “action” I mean how far the strings are above the fretboard). Making your guitar as easy as possible to play is a good thing to do when you are starting out.
You need a setup if they didn’t do it when they sold it to you. But they ought to have done it in the normal course of business if you are a beginner taking a guitar home. “It needs a set up to play, costing $50. OK?”
Well, the sales guy told me that it would already be ready to play, with some minor tuning. I have to say, it certainly looks easier than it is. I can’t seem to sit comfortably yet. And I will definitely call Guitar Center about setting it up. They were very busy when I bought it.
40+ years of guitar playing talking here. And lots of teaching, both formally and informally. This may not be the most encouraging as I’m in a bit of a mood right now. Sorry.
Umpteen years ago I had a Mel Bay Chord Dictionary. I put it in my guitar case and could lay my guitar on top of it. It showed 3 or 4 chords on each page with a diagram and photo of a hand making the chord. You need a chord dictionary.
Yes, get a capo. “Here Comes The Sun” is in G, but if you play it in G it’ll be a mess. Put your capo on the 5th fret and play it in D. You’ll sound JUST like George Harrison.
Barre chords (F, Fm, F#, F#m and others) are VERY difficult for beginners to master. F is the first one you’ll come across. I believe it is the chord most responsible for new guitar players to go from “someone who is learning to play the guitar” to “someone who used to take some guitar lessons and has a guitar with a half inch of dust on it leaning in the corner of his room.” Work your way up to an F. Learn A Bb B C D E G of the major and 7th chords. Learn A Bb B C D E minor chords. Once you’re good at most of those AND can change chords easily and even without looking much, then start on an F major. That way, you’ll have so much work invested in learning to play and made so much progress that the rough spots you have learning the F won’t be so discouraging that you give up the guitar.
You’ll find yourself straining your neck to put your fingers on the right place on the fretboard. This is not a great thing. Neither is rolling the guitar so the treble side is away from your body to make it easier to look at your fingers. Practice in front of a mirror holding the guitar flat against you. Sure, use a strap/ Watch the mirror image of your fingers to place them. This will be easier on your neck and your wrist. Also the sooner you learn to recognise what chords look like in the mirror, the sooner you’ll be able to play with other guitarists by watching the chords they’re playing.
It’s great that you have a song you want to learn. I spent hours and hours in front of a mirror learning “I Should Have Known Better”. I learned the song. I already felt where the chord changes were, it was just a matter of learning to play the chords and to change them. Unfortunately, my songbook taught me the song in C. The Beatles played it in G. So much for playing along with them, but it worked fine on bus rides and sing alongs.
Good luck. Yamahas were good guitars back then. Have fun. I hope I didn’t discourage you much. I’ll try to stop by here again. Let us know how your’re doing, m’kay?
Enipla, there are plenty of online live lessons you could look at. This eliminates the drive, and forces you to commit to a schedule since you’re paying for someone’s time. I know it’s worked for the people I know who have tried it.
OP A chord dictionary is very handy ( I have my dad’s Mel Bay book from 1963), and a capo is something you should invest in at some point.
Some excellent advice here and I only have three things to add:
Tune the guitar every time before you play. Try doing it by ear and see how close you are while using the onboard tuner. It’s good practice and sometimes tuners don’t have batteries…
Give your guitar a quick wipe down on the strings and body after you’re done. Oils from your body will dull the finish and strings over time. If you bought a cleaning kit, use it, but a good clean microfiber cloth will do the job. No Furniture wax or polish EVER!
Humidify your guitar (especially in the winter months) and put it back in the case when you are done. Oasis and Humidipak are both good. I’ve done repair work on cracked necks from guitars falling off couches and crack repairs on others that have been left to dry out. Before I knew better, I bought my first “high end” guitar and didn’t do any of the above. It cost me several hundred dollars to repair the cracks to the top and sides due to it drying out in Alberta’s brutally dry winters.
I truly hope you enjoy playing and learning! Just remember it’s addictive…
Interesting to know, but I really don’t need to force myself to a schedule. Really, that would cause problems. As it is, I’m having fun and look forward to practice. I’ve got about 11 chords down pretty well.
The headstock needs to be angled away from your body. Not a lot. Maybe 10 degrees? It should also point upwards a little. Don’t hold the guitar completely level.
It puts your hand in a better position and makes it much easier fretting chords. Especially if you play further up the neck with a capo.
Give it a try. I found it made a significant difference for me.
If I had to guess I’d say it had already been set up. It’s such a basic thing he wouldn’t have sent you on your way without it, and said that to you.
Don’t worry about holding your body in position. Just learn chords of the songs you have to know because you love them that much. The repetition you need to get facility can be stultifying unless you are in a real motivating place.
Also get your hands in shape to make barre chords up the neck. Basically it means your index finger changes the key and the other fingers make the chord. All that F chord is is an E chord moved up one half step. If you move your A chord up 6 half steps it’s D sharp. Try to get used to those calculations.
This is handy because you can play chuck berry songs with barre chords and get a feel for the spatial relationships of the rock and roll chords, which you don’t up at the cowboy chords. (Music is all spatial relationships.) Chuck Berry will be a great resource for hours of pratice.
I find that it really helps to do finger/wrist stretches prior to practicing/playing. Press all four fingers of one hand against the palm of the other hand, making the wrist bend backwards. Then bend the wrist forward and gently press down on the back of the hand. Also, rotate your wrists both directions. I also move my fingers rapidly as if I’m playing a piano really fast. This all helps in playing, especially for those chords requiring a long reach (like barring the second fret for an A7 and using your pinkie to hit the 5th fret).
This is true at a decent guitar store, but at Guitar Center? You’re lucky if the salespeople there know how to string a guitar, let alone set one up. And they’ll tell you anything.
