Fun Stuff > BAND
So I Got a Strat Today..
Jackie Blue:
I'm not saying the academic way is "wrong". But I have found that if you have a talent for music, and an ear for it, you can figure out the "academic" things like scales very easily, and you won't feel limited to the strict guidelines that traditional guitar teachers will lay down for you.
If you guys needed lessons to get good, well, okay. I was just giving advice on my personal experience which was that without taking lessons I learned very fast and within a year of playing I was doing things that had very technically grounded guitar players saying "Wow, that's pretty neat, I would never think to play like that."
This is all anecdotal evidence, I'm just suggesting that listening closely to music and experimenting may produce more interesting results than learning in an academic fashion.
If you can't figure out things like note theory and scales on your own pretty quickly, then I honestly would say that the guitar might not be for you, unless you only plan to play it as a hobby. If you plan to be a musician and dedicate your heart and soul to it as I have, then I think it helps to pave your own way.
YMMV and other standard disclaimers because apparently I can't say a damn thing on this board without being construed as some kind of raving lunatic. :roll:
jeph:
Zerodrone you get construed as a "raving lunatic" because a lot of the things you say some off as being egotistical and overly reductive.
Personally, I'm entirely self-taught. But I'm not gonna be all "oh you don't NEED lessons" or whatever. At the very least it can be helpful to have someone show you the proper way to hold the guitar, your pick, your hand positions, that sort of basic stuff. Better to have someone show you the basics early than get carpal tunnel or tennis elbow ten years down the line.
Jackie Blue:
--- Quote from: jeph on 20 Dec 2007, 06:06 ---Zerodrone you get construed as a "raving lunatic" because a lot of the things you say some off as being egotistical and overly reductive.
--- End quote ---
Right, and nobody else on here posts like that ever.
:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
Johnny C:
If you're also unfamiliar with basic music theory it can't hurt to have someone help you figure that out. Just set out the guidelines for what you want to learn.
P.S. I highly, highly suggest learning the notes on the neck if you're going to be playing with people, at least on the E and A strings. Learn them after you've learned the fun stuff, like power chords and stuff, but definitely learn them. My other guitarist doesn't know them and working with him is occasionally really challenging. He's mostly started picking them up from playing with me.
Chad K.:
There is no reason not to take lessons in the beginning. The key is to take what you learn and use that as the building blocks for exploring how to make music, as opposed to some people who rely upon what they learned like a crutch. Think about it, you can either pick up some of this information on your own as you go (key, chord structure, rhythm, strumming technique, etc) or have someone give you this information up front. Failing to have a clue about where to start is what keeps so many guitars in people's closets unplayed. That said, these things are helpful-
Proper left hand and right hand technique- Learn how to hold a pick, and how to use your left hand. Do string exercises, it helps.
Learn the notes on the neck - Figuring out what key a song is in is just plain valuable.
Learn some chords - Just the basics, and then start experimenting around with different chord structures.
Tempo/Timing - spend some time playing to a metronome. There is nothing more annoying than a guitar player with no sense of rhythm. Believe me, there are TONS of them out there, and they're all useless in a band structure.
Learn different styles- This one is touchy for a lot of people. Years and years ago, when I wanted to learn how to play, I went to my bass teacher to learn how to play like this once popular band called "Metallica". He hated said band, and instead insisted if I learned how to play jazz, blues, rock, reggae, bossa, folk, metal, etc. I would be a far better player for it. He was right.
Finally, outside of lessons find people to play with who are better than you, no matter what style they play, and jam with them. I learned most of what I know about writing and coming up with stuff by playing with people who smoked me and watching their technique and listening to their ideas.
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