Anyone play guitar?

#28
#28
I've been picking along to music for the last hour and my fingertips are hurting lol
 
#31
#31
Lots of good info in here. I'd start with simple 3 chord songs and move from there. There are a ton of G,C,D songs out there. It's fairly important to get your technique correct at the beginning. You might want to check out theacousticguitarforum.com it used to be the taylor guitar forum, but now it has all kinds of guys on there. It really has more information than you could process in a few years...so it's a great place to go and read up and ask questions.
 
#32
#32
Coach Grizz said:
I would love to learn how to play, I would also like to learn how to play the slide like the old blues men. Does anyone know how to play the slide and how hard is it?
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haven't played much slide but IMHO you need a good ear - much more of a feel style.

also, you need to be comfortable with alternate tunings (just recognize standard tuning won't cut it).

helps to have an extra finger ala Hound Dog Taylor as well :)

hound_dog_taylor.jpg
 
#35
#35
Coach Grizz said:
I would love to learn how to play, I would also like to learn how to play the slide like the old blues men. Does anyone know how to play the slide and how hard is it?
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I play some slide...basically you're playing harmonics. Different slide materials will make a different sound. It's fun to play around with.
 
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#38
#38
Get a chord chart, frame it, nail it to the wall of your den or family room, and just learn to play the chords. Pick a song that is too hard for a beginner, download the tablature from this ULTIMATE GUITAR TABS ARCHIVE | 300,000+ Guitar Tabs, Bass Tabs, Chords and Guitar Pro Tabs! or any other site and play that song until your fingers literally are too sore to play. You'll develop some necessary calluses, you'll be working towards a goal, and along the way you'll just become a guitar player.

I did this at 21 while also taking 8 weeks of lessons. I chose Blackbird by The Beatles, and haven't stopped playing since. Eventually just throw 4 or 5 chords together, write some simple lyrics and you'll be a songwriter, as well. Probably the best thing I've ever done in my spare time.

I have a Fender acoustic, also. Some people knock them but I love Ramona.
 
#39
#39
Bottleneck blues guitar is alot of fun. Lots of open tunings, like volnbham said lots of feel. A lot of fun to play, and for some reason, just a basic knowledge of how to play bottleneck impresses more folks than anything it seems!
 
#42
#42
volinbham said:
I'd suggest learning the minor pentatonic scale and basic 12 bar blues (3 chords).

Then, when you watch TV or are generally hanging out just noodle around on the guitar. It will get you used to picking notes, the feel, etc.

If you learn the minor pentatonic in E then you can move it to other keys. I used to listen to an album and try to play the pentatonic scale along with it. The first challenge is locating the key. The nice thing about pentatonic is that it is pretty idiot proof in terms of scale notes fitting a rhythm. The other thing is that it is also the major pentatonic scale (which fits better with country). So the same notes for a E minor pentatonic are also a G major pentatonic. I found that a disk like Eric Clapton Time Pieces vol 2 has most songs in E or G and works great to play along with using the same basic notes found in the E minor pentatonic. Another album that helped was War's Greatest hits. It used the major pentatonic version more but the song structures allowed for goof proof riffs in the G major pentatonic.

The E minor pentatonic is as follows.

E (open string) ----- G (3rd fret)
A (open string) ----- B (2nd fret)
D (open string) ----- E (2nd fret)
G (open string) ----- A (2nd fret)
B (open string) ----- D (3rd fret)
E (open string) ----- G (3rd fret)

If you start that with the big E string (fat one at top) and play those notes in order it's the minor pentatonic in E. If you start with the big string at the G position (3rd fret) and play from there it is basically the major pentatonic in G.

You can change Keys by using the same pattern (e.g. start with big string at G position and go up 3 frets, drop to next string directly below G (C) and go up 2, do the same to the little string and you've done the minor pentatonic in G.

Long explanation but I found just noodling around with this along with a record really helped my ear development. Once that happens you'll naturally add stuff that sounds right and you are on your way.
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this.... i started at 34 and am now 40... try not to learn other people's songs at first... just play a few chords... like e minor and an A ... over and over til a diff sound comes in your head...then hum that sound... then think about writing a simple song.... take off from the ground that way and you'll fly... but definitely learn pentatonic and blues 12 bar... play 15 min a day first week and move up to twenty ... thirty as you callus your fingers.. good luck... great hobby
 
#48
#48
I mentioned the Elixers because they are easier on the fingers for beginners. We all probably had some bleeding when we started. I wish these had been around then.
 
#49
#49
rbroyles said:
The dulcimer is very popular here, I have two, one with an electric pickup.
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I saw a dulcimer shop in Townsend yesterday and nearly turned around to go back and look at them. I don't know the first thing about playing them though at all.
 
#50
#50
Especially if you are just starting out playing, I would spend $15 - $20 and buy a battery powered guitar tuner.

The one I have had for 10 years is called Quik Tune (Automatic Chromatic Tuner). Runs off 9 volt battery and shows you when your string is in tune. The tuner has a microphone that picks up the sound.

Very handy and something that made my early days of playing much less frustrating and enjoyable.

You won't regret it.
 
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