Pro brain, kindergarten skills
August 31, 2010 7:54 AM Subscribe
Guitarists: How do you wish you had started?
Every pro musician I know has a story like this: "If my 8-year-old body had my current brain, I would have spent way more time working on [boring long-term skill] instead of [exciting short-term projects needed to motivate 3rd graders]." For me (classical trumpet), that's "solfege/sight-singing" instead of "Camptown Races."
What is it for (acoustic, folk) guitar? Pretend that I've got all the motivation and discipline I need, and I'll practice slow scales (or whatever) for a year even if it delays my campfire-singalong debut.
My current goal is to become some kind of unholy Ani DiFranco/Phil Ochs hybrid, though if you tell me some other guitarist with technique I should admire I'll probably want to sound like them too. "Get some lessons" is already on the agenda, but I want to be better informed before I start talking to teachers.
Every pro musician I know has a story like this: "If my 8-year-old body had my current brain, I would have spent way more time working on [boring long-term skill] instead of [exciting short-term projects needed to motivate 3rd graders]." For me (classical trumpet), that's "solfege/sight-singing" instead of "Camptown Races."
What is it for (acoustic, folk) guitar? Pretend that I've got all the motivation and discipline I need, and I'll practice slow scales (or whatever) for a year even if it delays my campfire-singalong debut.
My current goal is to become some kind of unholy Ani DiFranco/Phil Ochs hybrid, though if you tell me some other guitarist with technique I should admire I'll probably want to sound like them too. "Get some lessons" is already on the agenda, but I want to be better informed before I start talking to teachers.
I'm a guitarist, and I know a lot of guitarists. This I know - you play what you like best, and the rest is just up to how much you practise.
I wish I had understood sooner that, whatever anyone says, it's FINE to play what you like. As long as you challenge yourself, you'll still learn, and importantly, you'll enjoy learning.
posted by greenish at 8:15 AM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
I wish I had understood sooner that, whatever anyone says, it's FINE to play what you like. As long as you challenge yourself, you'll still learn, and importantly, you'll enjoy learning.
posted by greenish at 8:15 AM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Start using the pinky on your left hand (fretting hand, so if you're left handed then I mean your right hand) right from the start. That's what I wish I had done. Now my pinky is way behind my other fingers in terms of dexterity and strength, and it's hard to use it because I always regress to what I'm used to unless I consciously force myself to use it.
Also, just using proper technique in general. I think a lot of guitarists probably learned to play with some sort of bad technique, whether it be posture, fretting hand position, or pick holding and attack angle. It's hard to go back and correct it once bad habits have formed. If you start using proper technique from the start, you'll internalize it and you won't have to break bad habits later.
posted by DMan at 8:33 AM on August 31, 2010 [2 favorites]
Also, just using proper technique in general. I think a lot of guitarists probably learned to play with some sort of bad technique, whether it be posture, fretting hand position, or pick holding and attack angle. It's hard to go back and correct it once bad habits have formed. If you start using proper technique from the start, you'll internalize it and you won't have to break bad habits later.
posted by DMan at 8:33 AM on August 31, 2010 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: I should probably clarify a little bit. I'm really, really good at practicing. At a rough estimate I've got 30,000 hours logged on my trumpet and I'm not bored yet. The kind of practicing I do these days involves (for example) playing the same note dozens (maybe hundreds) of times to perfect an attack.
What I'm interested in is ways to invest for the long haul and start the hard things (the stuff that's going to take 10,000 hours to perfect) first. I'm not joking when I say that I'll happily (positively, well-motivated-ly) go 6 months before I play my first melody if that time is better invested in some fundamental skill. (On preview, DMan, thanks, that's exactly the kind of stuff I'm hoping to learn.)
posted by range at 8:35 AM on August 31, 2010
What I'm interested in is ways to invest for the long haul and start the hard things (the stuff that's going to take 10,000 hours to perfect) first. I'm not joking when I say that I'll happily (positively, well-motivated-ly) go 6 months before I play my first melody if that time is better invested in some fundamental skill. (On preview, DMan, thanks, that's exactly the kind of stuff I'm hoping to learn.)
posted by range at 8:35 AM on August 31, 2010
I made huge leaps in my abilities when I started learning standard jazz guitar. Not that I really liked jazz all that much (I was relatively indifferent), but the chords I learned stretched and strengthened my fingers in ways power chords didn't. And my right hand became a virtual metronome.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 8:37 AM on August 31, 2010
posted by SuperSquirrel at 8:37 AM on August 31, 2010
I disagree with both of these:
Learn to read sheet music
you play what you like best, and the rest is just up to how much you practise.
Don't bother with sheet music aside from tab, unless you need to figure out the rhythm (which I've never had to do). I already knew how to read sheet music for piano when I started guitar, but I have never, ever read sheet music for guitar. If you're going to read any music, read tab. (And even that will become superfluous if you develop a good ear.)
As far "you play what you like best" -- I recommend going beyond that. I got started playing a lot of Nirvana, Green Day, etc. While it made sense to start with the music I liked when I was 13 years old in 1994, I wish I hadn't limited myself by spending so much time on music that's so firmly anchored to the same types of chords (power chords), not to mention bands with the same type of lineup (guitar-bass-drums-vocals, all loud). Ani DiFranco is obviously not the same style, but any specific guitarist is going to have the gimmicks they fall back on. I don't know enough about Ani to say what hers are (I do recognize she's an excellent guitarist), but I'm sure she has some.
So, diversify. I wish that after a very short period of getting the basics under control (I would say a month or two), I had very quickly started trying to get a taste of as many different genres as possible -- both listening and playing. I eventually got around to picking up jazz, classical guitar, '60s rock, Leo Kottke, etc., but I wish I had done more of this sooner.
Scales are overemphasized in teaching guitar. They're such any obvious "technical" skill to teach, but they don't do much good if you don't know how to use them in a selective, restrained way. I had a guitar teacher who mainly focused on teaching lots and lots of scales. That teacher happened to leave his job after a few of those lessons, so I got a different teacher at the same company. My new teacher told me he knew I was probably learning to play lots of scales and apply them in a way that fit the key, e.g. you learn different positions in which to play a G major scale, and you're prepared to noodle around that scale if it comes time to play a solo in a song that's in G major. But he pointed out that this is a recipe for show-offy soloing that's not very connected to the song. Instead, he said, focus on chords more than scales. Be conscious of what chord is being played at any given moment; then, if you want to do any kind of flourish or guitar solo, use the notes in that chord as your starting point and add "passing tones" in between. (For instance, if the chord is C major, you would be aware that the chord notes are C-E-G, so you might play a melody that goes E-F-G, with F being a passing tone.) Needless to say, I found my second teacher's advice more useful than my first teacher's.
Look, if you want, go ahead and learn the pentatonic and major and minor scales; learn all 7 modes; learn more exotic scales like the harmonic minor and gypsy and octatonic scales; set aside practice time to learn them frontwards and backwards, faster and faster. It's a fine skill. But don't focus on them so much that you start to think of scale noodling as the sine qua non of "good guitar playing." Many guitarists who routinely (and deservedly) get ranked in lists of the "100 greatest guitar players" never do a fast run up or down a 7-note scale.
One more tip: Focus on musicians who are not guitarists. I know, you have enough work on your hands just trying to emulate guitarists. One of the most useful things I read about guitar when I was learning was, "Most saxophonists are better than most guitarists, so you can get really good at guitar by copying saxophonists instead of guitarists." That might seem a bit silly -- surely you can find really fast guitarists to copy if that's your goal (and I know it's not necessarily your goal) -- but there's a broader point to it. Most guitarists, even some of the best ones, get stuck in ruts and, again, fall back on certain gimmicks. Focusing on a banjo player or bassist or xylophonist or even a singer or percussionist, and blatantly copying what they're doing, can help expand your technique and your musical mind.
After reading your follow-up: don't go 6 months before playing your first melody! You should be able to play some basic chords after one lesson, and you can become competent after one month. There have been other AskMe threads about this where people have said it takes 6 months or a year or something. Nope, not if you practice at least half an hour a day. The basics of guitar are easy! You can start playing cool songs immediately! Have fun with it!
posted by John Cohen at 8:45 AM on August 31, 2010 [6 favorites]
Learn to read sheet music
you play what you like best, and the rest is just up to how much you practise.
Don't bother with sheet music aside from tab, unless you need to figure out the rhythm (which I've never had to do). I already knew how to read sheet music for piano when I started guitar, but I have never, ever read sheet music for guitar. If you're going to read any music, read tab. (And even that will become superfluous if you develop a good ear.)
As far "you play what you like best" -- I recommend going beyond that. I got started playing a lot of Nirvana, Green Day, etc. While it made sense to start with the music I liked when I was 13 years old in 1994, I wish I hadn't limited myself by spending so much time on music that's so firmly anchored to the same types of chords (power chords), not to mention bands with the same type of lineup (guitar-bass-drums-vocals, all loud). Ani DiFranco is obviously not the same style, but any specific guitarist is going to have the gimmicks they fall back on. I don't know enough about Ani to say what hers are (I do recognize she's an excellent guitarist), but I'm sure she has some.
So, diversify. I wish that after a very short period of getting the basics under control (I would say a month or two), I had very quickly started trying to get a taste of as many different genres as possible -- both listening and playing. I eventually got around to picking up jazz, classical guitar, '60s rock, Leo Kottke, etc., but I wish I had done more of this sooner.
Scales are overemphasized in teaching guitar. They're such any obvious "technical" skill to teach, but they don't do much good if you don't know how to use them in a selective, restrained way. I had a guitar teacher who mainly focused on teaching lots and lots of scales. That teacher happened to leave his job after a few of those lessons, so I got a different teacher at the same company. My new teacher told me he knew I was probably learning to play lots of scales and apply them in a way that fit the key, e.g. you learn different positions in which to play a G major scale, and you're prepared to noodle around that scale if it comes time to play a solo in a song that's in G major. But he pointed out that this is a recipe for show-offy soloing that's not very connected to the song. Instead, he said, focus on chords more than scales. Be conscious of what chord is being played at any given moment; then, if you want to do any kind of flourish or guitar solo, use the notes in that chord as your starting point and add "passing tones" in between. (For instance, if the chord is C major, you would be aware that the chord notes are C-E-G, so you might play a melody that goes E-F-G, with F being a passing tone.) Needless to say, I found my second teacher's advice more useful than my first teacher's.
Look, if you want, go ahead and learn the pentatonic and major and minor scales; learn all 7 modes; learn more exotic scales like the harmonic minor and gypsy and octatonic scales; set aside practice time to learn them frontwards and backwards, faster and faster. It's a fine skill. But don't focus on them so much that you start to think of scale noodling as the sine qua non of "good guitar playing." Many guitarists who routinely (and deservedly) get ranked in lists of the "100 greatest guitar players" never do a fast run up or down a 7-note scale.
One more tip: Focus on musicians who are not guitarists. I know, you have enough work on your hands just trying to emulate guitarists. One of the most useful things I read about guitar when I was learning was, "Most saxophonists are better than most guitarists, so you can get really good at guitar by copying saxophonists instead of guitarists." That might seem a bit silly -- surely you can find really fast guitarists to copy if that's your goal (and I know it's not necessarily your goal) -- but there's a broader point to it. Most guitarists, even some of the best ones, get stuck in ruts and, again, fall back on certain gimmicks. Focusing on a banjo player or bassist or xylophonist or even a singer or percussionist, and blatantly copying what they're doing, can help expand your technique and your musical mind.
After reading your follow-up: don't go 6 months before playing your first melody! You should be able to play some basic chords after one lesson, and you can become competent after one month. There have been other AskMe threads about this where people have said it takes 6 months or a year or something. Nope, not if you practice at least half an hour a day. The basics of guitar are easy! You can start playing cool songs immediately! Have fun with it!
posted by John Cohen at 8:45 AM on August 31, 2010 [6 favorites]
A couple other quick points:
- Yes, take lessons -- but not too many! After a certain point, you've learned the technical stuff you need to know, and your time spent in lessons could be better spent with more creative playing at home. You'll also tend to absorb your guitar teacher's style and quirks, which isn't necessarily a good thing.
- Play music with other people!
posted by John Cohen at 8:58 AM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
- Yes, take lessons -- but not too many! After a certain point, you've learned the technical stuff you need to know, and your time spent in lessons could be better spent with more creative playing at home. You'll also tend to absorb your guitar teacher's style and quirks, which isn't necessarily a good thing.
- Play music with other people!
posted by John Cohen at 8:58 AM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: This sounds cynical, but I'll give you a quote from Neil Young:
"Just start playing. Learn a few chords and play with someone who's maybe a little better than you. Don't learn from a book any more than you have to. Learning from other people is what music is all about. Pick up things and put them back together yourself. Use them to write new songs, to make new sounds, new chord changes, new time changes. Just create. Even if it's all shit, just keep creating. Pretty soon it'll be great."
I'm a "classically trained" musician on woodwinds and brass. Deep knowledge of music theory. I picked up guitar after all that, and I fucking sucked. Sounded like shit. I wish I would have done what Neil is talking about instead, from the start. Guitar music is about feeling, and this is the only way I know of to capture and wield it.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 9:37 AM on August 31, 2010 [3 favorites]
"Just start playing. Learn a few chords and play with someone who's maybe a little better than you. Don't learn from a book any more than you have to. Learning from other people is what music is all about. Pick up things and put them back together yourself. Use them to write new songs, to make new sounds, new chord changes, new time changes. Just create. Even if it's all shit, just keep creating. Pretty soon it'll be great."
I'm a "classically trained" musician on woodwinds and brass. Deep knowledge of music theory. I picked up guitar after all that, and I fucking sucked. Sounded like shit. I wish I would have done what Neil is talking about instead, from the start. Guitar music is about feeling, and this is the only way I know of to capture and wield it.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 9:37 AM on August 31, 2010 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Fingerpicking excercises, scales, and just basic memorizing where every note on the fretboard is.
posted by spicynuts at 9:44 AM on August 31, 2010
posted by spicynuts at 9:44 AM on August 31, 2010
Best answer: I have a theory that if most guitarists, when beginning to play for the first time, used their least dominate hand for picking and their most dominate hand for string work, they would be better guitarists. In other words, buy a left handed guitar (if you are right handed). It may feel less natural at first, but using your dominate hand to perform the most dexterous work makes the most sense to me.
posted by boomcopter at 9:47 AM on August 31, 2010
posted by boomcopter at 9:47 AM on August 31, 2010
Best answer: I wish I had learned to separate my thumb from the other fingers (right hand). That is, to keep a steady rhythm with the thumb (like, on I and V notes), and then syncopate with the other fingers to do fancier stuff above. You can hear this clearly in blues guitar. I've tried to practice this in these, my "autumn years," but I can't quite get it now.
posted by DMelanogaster at 10:28 AM on August 31, 2010
posted by DMelanogaster at 10:28 AM on August 31, 2010
I would second posture and technique from the start.
In my opinion the music you are looking at revolves around its chords. If I could start again, I would work scales for warm up but do the heavy work with chords and chord progressions. Jazz chords are the only way to go and as I started learning them it really occurred to me that the music I like is a result of the musicians who went the extra mile with their chords. Radiohead is a great example of using unique chords to make the song sound different. As John Cohen said, scales are part of the chords. You learn all of the chords, you have learned the scales to some extent.
My main suggestion is that I wish I had paid more attention to chord progressions in my early days. These are what make the song. When you listen, there are some three-chord progressions that you hear each and everyday and these songs, at least to some extent, sound the same over the years. Listening to styles of rock or folk you can hear the gradual shift of chords over the years. In the 50's the progression I vi IV V (C-maj a-min F-maj G-maj in Cmajor) was a very common progression. "Happiness is a Warm Gun" uses this progression ironically.
The difference between another boring song and something that lights up those neurons is the slight modification of these progressions. So pay attention when you learn a song and learn not just the song but the chord progression so you can incorporate that style with your own flourishes later on.
posted by occidental at 10:29 AM on August 31, 2010
In my opinion the music you are looking at revolves around its chords. If I could start again, I would work scales for warm up but do the heavy work with chords and chord progressions. Jazz chords are the only way to go and as I started learning them it really occurred to me that the music I like is a result of the musicians who went the extra mile with their chords. Radiohead is a great example of using unique chords to make the song sound different. As John Cohen said, scales are part of the chords. You learn all of the chords, you have learned the scales to some extent.
My main suggestion is that I wish I had paid more attention to chord progressions in my early days. These are what make the song. When you listen, there are some three-chord progressions that you hear each and everyday and these songs, at least to some extent, sound the same over the years. Listening to styles of rock or folk you can hear the gradual shift of chords over the years. In the 50's the progression I vi IV V (C-maj a-min F-maj G-maj in Cmajor) was a very common progression. "Happiness is a Warm Gun" uses this progression ironically.
The difference between another boring song and something that lights up those neurons is the slight modification of these progressions. So pay attention when you learn a song and learn not just the song but the chord progression so you can incorporate that style with your own flourishes later on.
posted by occidental at 10:29 AM on August 31, 2010
Best answer: Oh, also, are you familiar with John Fahey? He's a good guitarist to listen to (and whose playing to aspire to)
posted by DMelanogaster at 10:29 AM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by DMelanogaster at 10:29 AM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
Great suggestions all around. My .2
1. Understand the fretboard. There is a logic underlying it. If you see that, everything after is easier. Consider the CAGED system.
2. Just play notes and improvise. Don't get hung up on playing <>> Eric or Stevie. Let your own music emerge.
3. Learn to fingerpick--travis-style, doc watson, mississippi john hurt. That style and <>> can transfer to any song you like or can improvise. You become free of picking with a pick.
4. Play with others. You leverage your music in a group. And it is fun. But don't be competitive, just play.
5. Practice every day. That means anywhere from 15 minutes to hours, whatever. Your guitar will become a friend you can't live without.
True words.
posted by captainmickey at 11:00 AM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
1. Understand the fretboard. There is a logic underlying it. If you see that, everything after is easier. Consider the CAGED system.
2. Just play notes and improvise. Don't get hung up on playing <>> Eric or Stevie. Let your own music emerge.
3. Learn to fingerpick--travis-style, doc watson, mississippi john hurt. That style and <>> can transfer to any song you like or can improvise. You become free of picking with a pick.
4. Play with others. You leverage your music in a group. And it is fun. But don't be competitive, just play.
5. Practice every day. That means anywhere from 15 minutes to hours, whatever. Your guitar will become a friend you can't live without.
True words.
posted by captainmickey at 11:00 AM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: * Learn hard genres, like bluegrass, jazz, classical.
* don't pick up a pick until you have been playing a year (or more!)
* work the Noad book, or something like Pumping Nylon if you want to work on actual hand stuff.
* practice singing while playing *right away*.
Maybe that's my list, because it's all where I have failed most! After 15 years of playing left-handed (upside down, on right-handed instruments), I finally decided to learn *for real* about a year ago. I got a classical guitar, banned tab (which if its in my sight, I WILL NOT read sheet music), and started over like an infant. It has been a delight!
posted by gregglind at 11:16 AM on August 31, 2010
* don't pick up a pick until you have been playing a year (or more!)
* work the Noad book, or something like Pumping Nylon if you want to work on actual hand stuff.
* practice singing while playing *right away*.
Maybe that's my list, because it's all where I have failed most! After 15 years of playing left-handed (upside down, on right-handed instruments), I finally decided to learn *for real* about a year ago. I got a classical guitar, banned tab (which if its in my sight, I WILL NOT read sheet music), and started over like an infant. It has been a delight!
posted by gregglind at 11:16 AM on August 31, 2010
I asked a similar question a few years ago.
Good advice there, but mostly the secret was playing chords over and over, practicing chord transitions, and practicing long enough to build up callouses and finger strength to practice more. There are a lot of easy, three-chord songs out there, and I'd practice them in strumming mode, then in finger-pick mode, then in some weird in-between mode that probably has a name, over and over until I couldn't do it any more. Then I'd switch to the ukulele and do the same there, just switching between chords until my left fingertips were screaming.
It takes a while to be able to practice very long, so the first months were pretty frustrating, but it sounds like you're up for it. Maybe get very light strings at first--that really helps.
posted by MrMoonPie at 11:16 AM on August 31, 2010
Good advice there, but mostly the secret was playing chords over and over, practicing chord transitions, and practicing long enough to build up callouses and finger strength to practice more. There are a lot of easy, three-chord songs out there, and I'd practice them in strumming mode, then in finger-pick mode, then in some weird in-between mode that probably has a name, over and over until I couldn't do it any more. Then I'd switch to the ukulele and do the same there, just switching between chords until my left fingertips were screaming.
It takes a while to be able to practice very long, so the first months were pretty frustrating, but it sounds like you're up for it. Maybe get very light strings at first--that really helps.
posted by MrMoonPie at 11:16 AM on August 31, 2010
Oh, one more pointer--leave your guitar out. Get a stand, floor or wall-mounted, instead of putting your guitar away. That way, it'll be right there when a fun song comes on the radio, or you're sitting around looking for something to do.
posted by MrMoonPie at 11:18 AM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by MrMoonPie at 11:18 AM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
I wish I had ignored scales and just bought a Beatles fakebook and learned all my favorite songs acoustically. Then I would have bought The Real Book and learned lots of jazz standards, focusing on chord substitutions.
Everything after that would have been a breeze.
One of the tragedies of guitar playing is that we tend to learn it all backwards, focusing on fast playing and easy rock songs, then trying to catch up with our keyboard and drum playing friends, who are way more well-rounded than us.
I can still play every Poison, Cinderella, and Skid Row song out there because I learned all that at 14. But have me sit in on "Misty" and other songs that I actually still like and I struggle more than I should.
posted by coolguymichael at 11:58 AM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
Everything after that would have been a breeze.
One of the tragedies of guitar playing is that we tend to learn it all backwards, focusing on fast playing and easy rock songs, then trying to catch up with our keyboard and drum playing friends, who are way more well-rounded than us.
I can still play every Poison, Cinderella, and Skid Row song out there because I learned all that at 14. But have me sit in on "Misty" and other songs that I actually still like and I struggle more than I should.
posted by coolguymichael at 11:58 AM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
Learn rhythm, really. Count out before a song, in your head if you have too. Learn to tap your feet to the beat all through the song. It'll be easy on a lot of songs, but sometimes it's difficult and it's useful to be good at it.
Maybe you already have this covered, but a lot of classical musicians I've met are pretty awful with rhythm when they play by themselves.
posted by wayland at 12:47 PM on August 31, 2010
Maybe you already have this covered, but a lot of classical musicians I've met are pretty awful with rhythm when they play by themselves.
posted by wayland at 12:47 PM on August 31, 2010
Oh yeah, learn how to make I-IV-V chord progressions on your guitar. It's super easy. Learn 12-bar blues too.
posted by wayland at 12:49 PM on August 31, 2010
posted by wayland at 12:49 PM on August 31, 2010
After 15 years of playing some chords reasonably well and knowing a few scales, I decided 9 months ago to delve a bit deeper on the guitar.
I read half of a book on music theory (nothing explicitly guitar-related), which helped me understand scales and intervals a bit better. I practiced a handful of scales. I played along with music.
But by far, these are things that I feel have contributed significantly to my growth as a guitarist:
1) Keeping a guitar around and accessible. Having one at my partner's house, one in my bed, one in the living room, and a couple with alternate tunings all helped me be able to just pick up a guitar and start playing without having to go get it from somewhere or open a case.
2) Not being afraid to sound "bad." When I stopped caring whether I was making the "right" sounds all the time, I was able to experiment enough to be able to understand scales in my own terms, as a sort of spatial layout that maps to a tonal layout. This also enabled me to imagine what each note will sound like, so I can pick out notes and play along with music and musicians without much diddling around.
3) Playing with other humans. The more I play with other people, the more my skills have developed.
I also highly recommend you get a teacher. I didn't have one, but I think it would have been a good idea. A teacher will help correct your form so you don't hurt yourself or develop habits that are hard to break.
Also, work that pinky on your fretting hand! Start trying to fingerpick!
On preview...
I disagree with The World Famous that you shouldn't use alternate tunings until you have mastered standard tuning. Open D, for example, can be excellent for learning fingerpicking technique without having to do too much work with your fretting hand, and it just sounds beautiful without much effort.
posted by MonsieurBon at 4:05 PM on August 31, 2010
I read half of a book on music theory (nothing explicitly guitar-related), which helped me understand scales and intervals a bit better. I practiced a handful of scales. I played along with music.
But by far, these are things that I feel have contributed significantly to my growth as a guitarist:
1) Keeping a guitar around and accessible. Having one at my partner's house, one in my bed, one in the living room, and a couple with alternate tunings all helped me be able to just pick up a guitar and start playing without having to go get it from somewhere or open a case.
2) Not being afraid to sound "bad." When I stopped caring whether I was making the "right" sounds all the time, I was able to experiment enough to be able to understand scales in my own terms, as a sort of spatial layout that maps to a tonal layout. This also enabled me to imagine what each note will sound like, so I can pick out notes and play along with music and musicians without much diddling around.
3) Playing with other humans. The more I play with other people, the more my skills have developed.
I also highly recommend you get a teacher. I didn't have one, but I think it would have been a good idea. A teacher will help correct your form so you don't hurt yourself or develop habits that are hard to break.
Also, work that pinky on your fretting hand! Start trying to fingerpick!
On preview...
I disagree with The World Famous that you shouldn't use alternate tunings until you have mastered standard tuning. Open D, for example, can be excellent for learning fingerpicking technique without having to do too much work with your fretting hand, and it just sounds beautiful without much effort.
posted by MonsieurBon at 4:05 PM on August 31, 2010
I've found that, more than anything else, playing with other people has helped me become better at bass (not guitarist!). I can practice at home using guitar pro or tabs, but it's just not the same as a) having someone show me what I need to do and b) having that slight added pressure knowing that if I fuck up, we'll end up starting all over again. That pressure, knowing that other people are depending on you to play your part, is a better motivator than practicing alone.
posted by Ghidorah at 5:11 PM on August 31, 2010
posted by Ghidorah at 5:11 PM on August 31, 2010
Response by poster: You're all awesome. Lots to think about. Having spent my whole life learning a melodic instrument and never learning the piano, one thing that fascinates me is how I'm going to wrap my brain around a chordal instrument. I'm glad I didn't try to extrapolate from my own experience; there's insight here I would never have thought of.
And Threeway Handshake, that's exactly why I'm doing this in the first place.
Now I have to go get a guitar.
posted by range at 8:45 PM on August 31, 2010
And Threeway Handshake, that's exactly why I'm doing this in the first place.
Now I have to go get a guitar.
posted by range at 8:45 PM on August 31, 2010
Best answer: If I were you I'd probably take lessons from a classically-trained instructor to start. Classical methods are all about doing the hard stuff (sight reading, posture, technique, scales, right-hand precision) before doing the "fun" stuff (chords, rhythm, riffs, etc.)
On the other hand, there are other areas you could do really well at, based on your ability to practice like crazy. Finger-intensive styles like bluegrass or Travis picking, or even fast metal riffs.
I guess my question is what kind of guitarist you want to be*. Classical? Jazz? Metal? Blues? -- each has vastly different skill sets.
* it's OK to not have an answer to this question. Mine is "all of the above" so far.
posted by mmoncur at 1:37 AM on September 1, 2010
On the other hand, there are other areas you could do really well at, based on your ability to practice like crazy. Finger-intensive styles like bluegrass or Travis picking, or even fast metal riffs.
I guess my question is what kind of guitarist you want to be*. Classical? Jazz? Metal? Blues? -- each has vastly different skill sets.
* it's OK to not have an answer to this question. Mine is "all of the above" so far.
posted by mmoncur at 1:37 AM on September 1, 2010
Whatever you do, definitely take lessons. I've learned more in a month of weekly lessons than a year trying to teach myself from books or the internet.
posted by saul wright at 6:35 PM on September 2, 2010
posted by saul wright at 6:35 PM on September 2, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Oh, and don't neglect the right hand. Learning fingerpicking is something I wish I had done/done earlier. I have a lot of dexterity in the left hand, but still have stupid fingers on the right.
posted by supercres at 8:04 AM on August 31, 2010