? for guitar players

[Legzman]

Ok, now I've got another question. Been messin around with it some. And browsing youtube for basic lessons. They talk about playing 2 strings at the same time. ok fine, I understand holding 2 strings at the same time. But how do you strum 2 different strings at the same time?

 

[DreamSparrow]

A good idea is to avoid tabs, because if you learn with them you'll find it hard to ever stop.

Much better to learn stuff by ear.

Strongly disagree. I don't know of a single guitarist who's been playing any length of time and *doesn't* know how to read tabs. They're important in getting you started in the beginning.

Just don't become overly reliant on them to learn songs. Try figuring a song out first, and if you still fail, turn to the tabs. Also, transcribing songs actually makes you a better musician.

Ok, now I've got another question. Been messin around with it some. And browsing youtube for basic lessons. They talk about playing 2 strings at the same time. ok fine, I understand holding 2 strings at the same time. But how do you strum 2 different strings at the same time?

I'm assuming you're using a pick/plectrum. Where you'd normally strum one string, you just make sure that the motion of your hand follows through so that you'd hit the next string too. You should generally only be hitting strings with the tip of the pick, otherwise it's going to make it hard to avoid adjacent strings. You stroke the strings, you don't 'dig' in.

Also, the strumming hands fingers generally don't move. The motion comes from a loose wrist. The elbow is a pivot point (meaning it stays in the same position, but everything swings from that fixed point).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqe9-0xjcK4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUdj7X0pBj0&feature=related

In the first video, the wrist is loose. In the second video, the wrist is stiff.

 

[Renegade1Oh]

Ok, so I just picked up the guitar from my dad's house. It's an acoustic. But whatever. I need links people! Links for whatever you think I can use to learn some shit!

Hey Legz, Glad You Got Your Guitar Dude!!! Question, Did Anybody Tune It For You??? Or Does Someone Know How, And Can Show You How To Tune It, Maybe By Ear, Or The 5Th Fret Method??? I Can Walk You Thru The 5th Fret Method. Does Anybody Near You Have A Piano Or KeyBoard To Get Low "E" Set Correct, Thats The Top String #6, Bass. Let Me Know What You Have Access Too And Will Help Get Ya Started Dude!!! :glugglug:

 

[Legzman]

Good links DS!

So I found some good free tab sites. Takes forever to play one little section and it sounds like shit! Between the guitar no doubt being out of tune and me not knowing what the hell I'm doing. I look at the screen then at the guitar and takes me awhile to match my hands up. Damn this shit is confusing at first! I no doubt will get the hang of it.

Probably should have named this thread ?'s instead as I'll no doubt be asking a lot of silly questions over the coming months!

For anyone who's curious about what kind of guitar it is. I can't help you there! The sticker inside the hole (wrong name I know) is worn off. All I know is it's older than I am! One sticker is there still that says

Model Number
G 116 B

so whatever. Don't really matter to me, but I am kind of curious!

To Renegade:
Access to nothing.

 

[Renegade1Oh]

Legz, To Do It Correct, You Should Have A Piano Or Keyboard Or Pitchpipes That Can Play Low "E", To Start. But Here's Where Ya Wing It. We Know If It's Been Sitting Around, It's Out Of Tune. We Don't Want To Break ANY Strings Or Your Done, If It Seems It's Getting Tight It Can Be The String Is SHOT Or The Tuning Nut Could Have Dust Or Rust In It, Depending What It's Made Of. Take It Easy, DON'T BREAK A STRING!!! You Need To Hummmmm "Duhmmmm", Most Likely Tighting The TOP #6 String About 1/4 to 1/2 Turn, We'd Rather It Be Off Low, Than Break A String!!! Take IT SLOW!!! Pick Downward With A Pick, Holding The Pick At A 45* Angle. Using About The 1/8" Tip, OPEN, Make Sure NO Clothes Are Touching, Your Right Hand Knife Edge Isn't Touching Anything, We Want Clean Sounds!!! If You Think It Sounds O.K. Stop!! Now Here We Go, Take Your Left Index Finger, Press Down On The 6Th String At The 5th Fret, Now Pick Downward On The 5th String Open, Listen, Now Do The 6th String That We Just Tuned, They Are To Match, Do Them Again, Listen, Tune The 5th String Open To Match The 6th String Fretted At The 5th Fret, Back & Forth. When They Match Your 5th String Will Be Tuned "A". Next, Still Using Your Index Finger, Now Fret The 5th String, Pick The 4th String Open, Listen, Now Pick The Fretted 5th String, Listen, Tighten The 4th String Till It Matches The 5th String Fretted, Back & Forth. Your 4th String Is Now The "D". Again, Moving Down, Index Finger On The 4th String Fretted At The 5th Fret, Now Pick The 3rd String Open, Listen, Pick Your 4th String Fretted At The 5th Fret, Again You'll Most Likely Have To Tighten, Back & Forth Till They Match. When They Match The 3rd String Is "G". NOW STOP!! We Have A Change Coming And This Mess's People Up Doing The 5th Fret Method!!! You Have Done the 6th-"Low E", 5th- "A", 4th- "D", 3rd-"G". NOW THE CHANGE!!! Index Finger On The 3rd String, BUT FRET AT 4th FRET!!!! Now Pick The 2nd String Open, And The 3rd String Fretted At The 4th Fret, Listen, Back & Forth Till They Match, 2nd String Is "B"!!! NOW ANOTHER CHANGE!!! Index Finger On The 2nd String Fretted On The 5th Fret!!! Pick The 1st String Open, Then The 2nd String Fretted At The 5th Fret, Back & Forth. Tune The 1st String Till They Match!!! When In Tune It's "High E".

6th String- Fattest String= "E" (Low E)
5th String- = "A"
4th String- = "D"
3rd String- = "G"
2nd String- = "B"
1st String- = "E" (High E)

Now, Just Using Your Right Hand & Pick, Put Your Left Hand In Your Pocket, Strum Down Slowly. It Should Sound Sweeeeeeet!!! You Have To Learn To Do Your Tuning This Way Period, No Way Around It, You Have To Learn It!!!! O.K. Ya Have A Electronic Tuner, So Do I, But When Ya Get Together With Others And They Borrow It, Batteries Go Dead, They Get Dropped & Broke. I've Had Batteries Die, And My Buddy Dropped My Tuner On The Garage Floor, Plastic All Over!!! But One Of The Main Reasons, Is Between Breaks, Don't Be The First For A Beer, Run The 5th Frets, And Your Ready To Jam When Ya Have your Beer & Pizza!!! Hope This Helps, After You Do It A Couple Of Times It's Like A Bike!!! Have Fun Legz!!! Keep In Touch!!! :glugglug:

 

[Legzman]

Cool! Thanks for that!

I can tell, I've got A LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNGGGGG way to go till I'm even comfortable with the guitar let alone having songs sound the way they are supposed to. Albeit the acoustic, non distorted version!

 

[Renegade1Oh]

Hope It Helps Get Ya Started!!! You Need To Pick A "Riff", The Opening Of A Song, Or The Middle Instrumental Solo Featuring The Guitar To Get Them Fingers Moving The Right Way, How About "Sweet Home Alabama"?? If You Can Find Sheet Music Free On The Internet, Good Luck. I've Been Trying For Different Tunes, Books Cost $$$$ Would Love To Find From WWII "G.I. Re-Enlistment Blues". My Uncle Was In WWII And He Loved Hearing It When He Was In Luzon, Recovering From Malaria, Which He Still Get Spells Of It At 83. And Our Government Took Away His Malaria Pension, ALL $20.00/month, Starting This Year For All Vets!! It Sucks!! Guess The Rummies Need More Booze!!! Have Fun Legzman, Get A Soft Cloth And Wipe Your Guitar, Neck And Strings Down When Your Done For A Session. Start Good Habits For All Your Future Guitars Dude!! Now Play, Get Them Fingers Tips Bleeding!!! Got To Get Callus's On Them Tips!! Rock On!! :glugglug:

 

[fatstrat]

Thanks For The Link squallumz, I'm going to pick up the Blues Driver BD-2 & Overdrive/Distortion OS-2, man they sound great. Look out next Weds., I got that day off, I'm going shopping!!! Thanks Again!!

I have the OS-2 and it is great. I use it in combination with my TS-9.

Strat

 

[Christmas_Ape]

I can tell, I've got A LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNGGGGG way to go till I'm even comfortable with the guitar.....

LOL Yeah, that's what's supposed to happen. It's a learning process.

There's lots of great advice here. Good luck!

 

[Renegade1Oh]

LOL Yeah, that's what's supposed to happen. It's a learning process.

There's lots of great advice here. Good luck!

Well Said, I remember when I was Younger, Watching The Beatles, Stones, CCR, etc On T.V.. They Made It Look All Toooooo Easy, My Neighbor, Soooo Dang Easy, He Also Use's A Homemade Beer Bottle Slide, Sorry, Mines Store Bought Chrome Steel Pipe!!! In The Store Buying, It's Sooooo Easy To Hit A Couple Of Notes, Man If All The Others Can Do This, So Can I!!! Till Ya Get Home, Alone, Quiet, And Ya Hit The Total Wrong Note And The Dog Runs And Hides From Ya!!! Ya Get To Feeling Like Taking That New Guitar Instead Of Hitting A Stage Floor, Like On T.V. & Concerts, You Want To Hit Yourself Over The Head With It!! You Put It In The Stand, Grab A Beer, And Just Look At It. I Swear My Kramer Was Laughing At Me!!! Anybody Else Have Them Feelings When You Started Out Playing???? Well, Now I Know How To Make That Kramer Scream & Cry, I Can Make It Blue, Jazzy & Happy To Funky, And Down The Dusty Dirtroads, And Into The Hills, To The Mississippi Delta To Motown & Back!!! Yep, They Can Be A Real Pain In The You Know Where, But When It Starts Coming Together, Man It's Fun & A Damn Good Chick Magnet Also!!!! :thumbsup:

 

[Renegade1Oh]

Out Of Stock On The Blues Driver BD-2!! Major Bummer, Want That One First!!

 

[ninetysixcavy]

Get some really good (simple) songs that you like and just play them. Some of the greatest songs ever were made on acoustic guitar: Knockin on Heavens Door; Wish you were here; On the Turning Away, etc. Any of these can be played by just about anyone with just a little time and practice. That's how I learned. At first I stared at a guitar for a couple years jealous that other people could play, and then I found the chords for Knockin on Heavvens door and that was it.

 

[squallumz]

world easiest song:

http://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=36

 

[ninetysixcavy]

world easiest song:

http://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=36

Tom Petty - "Free Fallin'" is probably the easiest song in history. :2 cents:

 

[Legzman]

I like "smoke on the water" Not to intense, I guess.

Anyway, yes LOTS of great advice. Guess i just gotta give it time. Only took me a few times and I'm like "fuck this" but I realize there is a huge learning curve involved here and god damn it, I'm gonna kick its ass, though it'll take who knows how long!

I wanna be able to look back in a few years and think to myself
"I never thought I'd be doing this song on a guitar"
for whatever song it may be!

 

[Renegade1Oh]

Hang In There Legz!!! Read My Post #51. I Still Swear It Was Laughing At Me!!! Man I Wanted To Smash It Like Ya See On T.V. & Concerts. Too Much $$$ To Waste, Got Smart Before The Swing! I'd Drink A Beer Or Pop, Grab It And Go To It Again!! You'll Make It Dude, Takes Time, ninetysixcav's Turning Point Was "Knockin On Heavens Door". Mine Was Johnny Cash's "Cry, Cry, Cry"!! You'll Stumble On To One That Fits You, And It's Like Riding A Bike, Or Sex. It Will Come Ta Ya Man. Hang In There!!! Question, Would You Want To Try Tabulature??? I Know A Boogie-Woogie, Don't Laugh, Get A Gal Alone, They Love It!! If You Want I Can Try To Teach A Couple Of Riffs For Ya. Keep Them Fingers Going!! Rock On!!!:banger:

 

[DrDetroit]

Congratz fellow virtuoso!! The only good advice I have for you is practice, practice, practice. Its cliche, but true. Having a fellow guitarist to show you around is also very helpful. Here in Detroit there is no shortage of musicians, but thats here.

If you need some real help, there is a DVD series called the "Ultimate Beginner Series" that I , even after playing for over 20 years, think they are the best method to learning to play the guitar.

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=2625420

Also check out Guitar Axis - http://www.guitaraxis.com/LearningCenter.asp

Learning music theory however is another story. Reading music is its own venture and unless you are predisposed to it, I recommend at least one class in it to fully grasp the concept then see if you can learn on your own. :thumbsup::2 cents:

 

[L3ggy]

When you practice, try The House of The Rising Sun by The Animals.

 

[Legzman]

Question, Would You Want To Try Tabulature???

That's what I've been doing, I found a decent free tabs site. Got a nice search feature, so that's where I found the tabs for "Smoke on the water"
They've also got a lot of tabs for other songs I want to eventually play. But I'll check out the other songs that were mentioned as turning points.

Everyone here and everyone else I've talked to says, "practice, practice, practice" I've already come to that realization the first day I had it!

I might have to check out that Ultimate Beginner Series DrDetroit mentioned. I found some useful free lessons on youtube. Probably not the best place to get help, but considering where I'm at with my playing, it can't hurt!

 

[Renegade1Oh]

Hang In There Legz!!! Rock On Dude!!! How's The Finger Tip's?? Great Link Squallumz, Thanks Dude!! :banger: