THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Fun Stuff => BAND => Topic started by: Coreh on 19 Dec 2007, 22:38
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for free.
It's brand new, and I've been commanded to learn to play it.
I have a guy that'll give me free lessons on my free guitar whenever I need them.
Is this is a sign from the guitar gods?
I'm pretty pumped to try to learn, but I'm wondering if it's insanely hard to learn.
I've heard mixed claims.
Tell me what you think, QC Forums! Especially you guitar playin' fools.
Am I good enough to join your ranks?
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I have no idea, but HOW THE FUCK did you manage to pull that one off? Yes, my freind, this is deffinitely a sign from the rock gods.
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Don't take lessons. Teach yourself. You can look up all the major chords online. (And the minor ones, too. GET IT! Ah, guitar humor. Ha ha.)
Seriously, many of the best guitar players taught themselves. It frees you from the conventions of how guitar "should" be played and lets you sound unique.
Basically just bang on it until it sounds good.
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Honestly, if you can get lessons for free, you'd be an idiot not to take them. Even if its just to pull you up on sloppy technique and shit you're picking up while teaching yourself. I know a couple of extremely awesome guitarists who taught themselves everything about actually playing the music, but had sort of petered out at a certain point because of the limitations of their technique.
I mean, you probably don't need the lessons if you're going to just bang around on it and maybe join a pretty average band, which is still a fun as way to use a dang old free strat as I can think of, but if you don't have to pay for them, it couldn't hurt. Since I started learning the guitar I found having a teacher is a great way to keep your motivation up when you're feeling a bit worn out by the constant practice and painfully sluggish improvement.
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Thurston Moore never took guitar lessons.
The defense rests, your honor.
(IIRC neither did Hendrix.)
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If we're going to argue guitar types, sell it and get an old cheap guitar and use the extra money on pedals.
I suggest a Danelectro or a Silvertone.
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Don't take lessons. Teach yourself. You can look up all the major chords online. (And the minor ones, too. GET IT! Ah, guitar humor. Ha ha.)
I'm going to call bullshit on this one right off the bat. 99% of self-taught guitarists have godawful form and play like shit.
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Don't take lessons. Teach yourself. You can look up all the major chords online. (And the minor ones, too. GET IT! Ah, guitar humor. Ha ha.)
Seriously, many of the best guitar players taught themselves. It frees you from the conventions of how guitar "should" be played and lets you sound unique.
Basically just bang on it until it sounds good.
Hypocrisy. You're claiming that there's no wrong way to play a guitar, but then you're saying that the academic way is wrong.
Take lessons from someone who isn't anal, but who will point out the most effective technique. There's absolutely no disadvantage to having brilliant technique, despite what fans of blues and classic rock might tell you.
Many of the best guitar players are extremely learned and technical, for instance. The likes of Satch, Steve Vai, John Petrucci, Andre Segovia, ect.
All very technical and proficient. But what zerodrone said is correct, too. You don't have to be perfect to be awesome, but in the end the decision is up to you. I reccomend learning these things:
- Scales and modes
- Chord theory
- Notes of the fretboard
- Something other than "Smoke On The Water" as your first song
Techniques to keep in mind are:
- Alternate, economy and sweep picking
- Tremolo picking
- Legato
- Bending
- Tapping
- Playing harmonics
None of those in any particular order.
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Yeah. You're pretty limited as to what you can do when you teach yourself. Like me. I've been playing for nearly two years, and I am only okay. I'm thinking I should look into lessons myself, to improve my picking technique, and learn new ones. I could also use help with modes and scales.
If they're free, totally go for them, man. Also, what kind of Strat is it? Fender or Squire?
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Cory, you're one of us now.
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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:
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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.
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Zerodrone you get construed as a "raving lunatic" because a lot of the things you say some off as being egotistical and overly reductive.
Right, and nobody else on here posts like that ever.
:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
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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.
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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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If you don't become a REALLY-FREAKING-AWESOME guitar player I will be really disapointed after this gift from the Gods of Rock.
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I hate Strats.
However, for getting a free one, I also hate you.
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take him up on the offer! lessons are not the be-all and end-all of learning to play, but the kind of direction they can provide is invaluable.
additionally, do not invest in pedals until well after you feel like you're overdue.
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Man, what is the deal with all the Strat hating? Seriously, sure a Gibson would rock most people's socks off, but why couldn't a Strat? Also, free guitars are awesome, no matter what they are. Unless it's a Harmony Rocket, man, those things suck.
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Zerodrone you get construed as a "raving lunatic" because a lot of the things you say some off as being egotistical and overly reductive.
Right, and nobody else on here posts like that ever.
:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
Dude all I am saying is maybe the problem isn't us, it's you. At least when other posters go off on an ego trip it's self-aware and/or funny (myself excluded, but then again it's my website and I am a pretty pretty princess so I get to behave as I please). Certainly nobody else complains when they get called on it.
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Perhaps I am self-aware and not as serious as you think and people shouldn't automatically jump to the extreme conclusion before hitting the Post button.
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I'm also going to point out that not all guitar teachers are pretentious douche bags, and if you can find a really cool one he or she might also teach you their own personal style or give you pointers on how to conceive your own, personal method.
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I call lessons a "boost" at most.
All the stuff I learned in lessons I could have learned by myself.
It's like learning how to drive.
12 hours later you say "Oh, so THAT's the clutch!"
Or... you could have an instructor in 5 minutes say: "So, that's the clutch."
Of course, I myself can see from a mile away when someone is entirely self taught (usually followed by "what the crap is he doing?") or entirely lesson-based (usually followed by "Oh, right, alternate picking on Phrygian. That's original. Gimme a sweep pickin' now. There we go.")
What I mean by these insane drunken stupor derived affirmations is:
1 - Self teaching is a good thing, but by the lords, have someone show you the basics if you don't already know, and at least have the decency of listening to other guitarrists and say "this guy knows his business I should do as he does on this occasion or this one". Don't go thinking you can do music as you want. You can, that's a fact. No one will want to listen to you though.
2 - Lessons is also a good thing, but you need to think outside the box. Again, listen to jazz players, and advanced guitar players. Have some imagination. Add some colour to your musics. It's the difference between reading a Webster and reading a Proust*.
* - Relatively obscure reference to Webster's Dictionary and Marcel Proust's novels.
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shit
Oh goodness, climb down from that tower. Many players who are less "talented" than you seem to be have gone very far. A prime example is Steve Vai, who considered himself about as talentless as one could get. Through work, study and practise he honed his ability far beyond most people.
You're in no position to claim who should and should not consider a career in music. "Talent" is purely subjective anyway. How many people think Jack White is talented? I think he's taken a bit too much influence from garage bands but good on him for getting as far as he has in the industry.
The fact of the matter is that most people will not work things out without guidance and certainly won't know what to name things. It's all very well and good to work out the Dorian scale but how will you know how applicable it is to chords, how to alter it and how it's already been altered from the major scale?
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Man, what is the deal with all the Strat hating?
Go look at any Strat in the world. Go now.
Back? Ok. Now you know why.
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Man, what is the deal with all the Strat hating?
Go look at any Strat in the world. Go now.
Back? Ok. Now you know why.
What, you kidding me? My strat is awesome.
And those matching headstock strats are awesome too. As long as its not X/white pickguard, I'm a sucker for strats.
Mine is currently Trans. Red / Black with the Gibson SG buttons.
It's awesome.
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Strats are over-played. Also, aesthetically, generally I prefer single cutaway guitars. The notable exceptions are the LP double cutaway, SG, and the Fender TC-90.
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Maybe they're overplayed because they are awesome? But seriously, quite a versatile instrument. Just imagine if everyone played arch tops instead. What a crazy world that would be!
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* - Relatively obscure reference to Webster's Dictionary and Marcel Proust's novels.
come on
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Gun to my head, my favourite guitarist of all time was probably a gentleman called Ricky Wilson.
Good Christ do I love this guitarist.
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I'm just suggesting that listening closely to music and experimenting may produce more interesting results than learning in an academic fashion.
So someone who learned to play an instrument the "academic fashion" can't experiment and/or listen to music?
Bullshit, dude.
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You guys have turned this thread into a debate with all kinds of music terminology and shit. Which I enjoy as much as the next guy.
But you all forget how your first week playing guitar was you trying to fret an open A major and whining about how your fingers hurt. You are totally overwhelming Cory with all this shit and that is the worst thing you can do to a beginning guitarist.
Cor, get the guy to give you a few basic lessons until you feel comfortable with the instrument in your hands, at least. Then teach yourself until you are at a point where you are ready to learn things not outlined in most lessons online or guitar technique books in a non-frustrating manner. This'll take about a year, give or take.
Or you can keep taking lessons from him but honestly, it's half the fun figuring stuff out yourself once you have a basic understanding of the instrument.
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You can debate lessons good/lessons bad, but it doesn't mean a damn thing because it all depends on the person and the teacher. For every prodigious person who successfully teaches themself an instrument, you have a person like me who teaches herself completely bass-ackwards and develops godawful technique. For every great teacher who offers good direction and encourages growth, there's a poor teacher who might not be a bad player, but maybe isn't a good communicator or patient or in possession of any number of traits that make a good instructor. You don't know what kind of student you'll be until you start trying to learn, and you don't know whether a teacher will be a good fit for you until you try to learn from them.
Congrats Coreh. If this is not a sign from the Guitar Gods, it's at least a free way to try a new hobby that could grow to be a lifelong love. That is a pretty cool thing. Take the free lessons as long as you feel you're benefiting from them, and by all means dabble around on your own too. Good luck and rock on.
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Maybe they're overplayed because they are awesome? But seriously, quite a versatile instrument. Just imagine if everyone played arch tops instead. What a crazy world that would be!
I don't like them as much because they are a 'versatile instrument'. A jack of all trades is a master of none.
Also, while I do think you should do a lot by yourself unless you want to train yourself classical or flamenco or that crazy stuff, you need to have the foundation so you don't fuck yourself up as with everything else. Just like how singers should have some kind of voice training under their belt, because if you don't, there's a good chance you're doing something wrong that will hurt you in the end.
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I'm just suggesting that listening closely to music and experimenting may produce more interesting results than learning in an academic fashion.
So someone who learned to play an instrument the "academic fashion" can't experiment and/or listen to music?
Bullshit, dude.
Um. That's not what I said.
This is what I mean by people arguing with me as though I said one thing when in fact I didn't.
Look at what I said again. "I'm just suggesting that listening closely to music and experimenting may produce more interesting results..."
In other words I've been giving my opinion based on possibility and personal experience.
Remember, I'm the guy that refuses to say that the Eagles are a "worse" band than Godspeed You! Black Emperor. So I don't know why you or anyone would think I'd presume to say that taking lessons is "always" worse than teaching yourself.
I personally never had any problems figuring out fretting chords or strumming or phrasing or whatever, so I guess if you can't even do those then yes, lessons would definitely be a good idea.
I think we can stop this stupid debate now and talk more about how big our dicks are what kind of guitars we like to play.
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I personally enjoyed myself more once I quit lessons and started teaching myself (my skills have probably suffered from it but I see no point in learning to play if im not going to enjoy it), but if they're free you might want to see for yourself.
And word of advice to a beginner: It will not get you girls as easily as you would think.
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Hey!
My fingers were just fine learning how to play chords, thank you very much!
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And word of advice to a beginner: It will not get you girls as easily as you would think.
He lies to keep more girls to himself. Get somewhat good, play in a band, and it WILL get you girls. Ric Ocasek, my friend, Ric Ocasek...
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It's true! Once you're good enough, that is.
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Um. That's not what I said.
You're right, I guess I didn't read your post through. Sorry about that.
What I meant to say before I decided to be kind of an asshole is that lessons are always a good idea. Even if you can figure out the chords and phrasing by youreself, it's always good to have a more experienced musician giving you pointers and correcting mistakes. It depends though, on the teacher. Both of my bass teachers were music majors. My first teacher graduated from the music academy of Moscow, and is also a classical violin player, and the second one was a Rimon school of Jazz and Modern Music and Berklee College of Music graduate. So it's fair to say I've had pretty good teachers. But if you get a passable guitarist who thinks he's the shit and can teach kids music, then you're really better off figuring it out yourself.
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And word of advice to a beginner: It will not get you girls as easily as you would think.
He lies to keep more girls to himself. Get somewhat good, play in a band, and it WILL get you girls. Ric Ocasek, my friend, Ric Ocasek...
Damn, I knew I was missing something.
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I've been teaching myself since April, and I'm pretty good. I mean, I'm not especially wonderful, I'm still struggling a bit trying to learn "The Dangling Conversation," but I'm getting there. If you have enough motivation to learn and want to be really good, then you don't need a teacher. Buy some books and learn songs you like. I learned it completely on my own terms, and would spend literally hours a day practicing. A lot of people I know taught themselves and they like it better that way. But a teacher is good for motivation if you think you need it.
Also music theory is scary. I made the mistake of trying to overwhelm myself learning about it at first, and then just got confused and frustrated. It's cool and important to know, so wait until you've been able to figure some things out for yourself and have been playing for a few months before you venture into things like that.
Good luck
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The thing about music theory for me is that I found it a lot easier to understand it intuitively without actually knowing the underlying concepts. Learning music theory academically is basically learning a really conplex form of math, and while I'm good at math, it always distracts me when writing songs if I am actually thinking about the interplay of chords and notes. I find it easier and more fun to just sort of let songs evolve organically.
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I have no idea, but HOW THE FUCK did you manage to pull that one off? Yes, my freind, this is deffinitely a sign from the rock gods.
*SPOILERS* It's a Squier
And word of advice to a beginner: It will not get you girls as easily as you would think.
*SPOILERS* He's gay
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Just practice with a metronome from day one. Don't make the same mistake as me :S
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I taught myself guitar, but before that I had piano lessons. An understanding of key signatures, chord structure, and scales really helps when you start.
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Also, aesthetically, generally I prefer single cutaway guitars. The notable exceptions are the LP double cutaway, SG, and the Fender TC-90.
You're forgetting the Jazzmaster/Jaguar, the ES-335 and all her cousins, and just about every Eastwood guitar ever.
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I'm getting a pure white(olympic) Stratocaster next pay-day. I'm pretty darn psyched!
I'd of gotten a Tele because of their bluesier sound, and cooler body, but this local spot that I'm buying it from didn't have any in stock at the time... Didn't feel like making him order another, so I compromised.
I may or may not sell my bass, or at least my bass-amp.
Edots:fucking pagebreak D:
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The thing about music theory for me is that I found it a lot easier to understand it intuitively without actually knowing the underlying concepts. Learning music theory academically is basically learning a really conplex form of math, and while I'm good at math, it always distracts me when writing songs if I am actually thinking about the interplay of chords and notes. I find it easier and more fun to just sort of let songs evolve organically.
Music theory isn't a set of instructions, it's an explanation.
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I'm getting a pure white(olympic) Stratocaster next pay-day. I'm pretty darn psyched!
you son of a bitch :(
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Music theory isn't a set of instructions, it's an explanation.
I know that. But for me personally more interesting song results are obtained by deliberately not thinking about music theory on a conscious level.
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I kind of have to agree with Zerodrone here. I have taken music theory, but when I write songs, I don't really think about any of it. I just play until I have something that sounds good.
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I know that. But for me personally more interesting song results are obtained by deliberately not thinking about music theory on a conscious level.
If you can name a single composer or musician that thinks about theory before they mentally process the sound they're creating I'll be very suprised.
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Uh. Almost every single classical composer ever wrote music with theory deliberately in mind, particularly Beethoven.
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If you're fluent in the language, you can express yourself a hell of a lot easier.
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That's what I'm saying. If you're fluent in the language, you don't have to stop and think "OK, what's the word I should put here?"
Writers do not often write with a conscious awareness of the interplay of their words. Composers do. Most rock musicians don't.
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I wonder if Dickey Betts had to think about his guitar harmonies when he composed them, or if he just heard them in his head like I do with mine.
This probably isn't helping Cory very much at all.
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Writers do not often write with a conscious awareness of the interplay of their words.
Speaking as a writer, that is total and utter bullshit.
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I kind of have to agree with Zerodrone here. I have taken music theory, but when I write songs, I don't really think about any of it. I just play until I have something that sounds good.
See for me, it's a bit different. I consider the theory, and when I'm writing I think, this is what a lot of writers do, and this is where the theory says this chord progression should lead - so I'll make it go this way instead. I learned the theory just so I can defy it, basically.
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I wasn't dogpiling on him. As a matter of fact, I was agreeing with him in one of my previous posts. I mean, for a writer's words to be hit or miss, they have to consider how they play into each other, right? I mean, if he or she is trying to say something, but what is actually put down in writing means something completely different because they didn't think about it, that kind of defeats the purpose doesn't it? Or would it be up to the reader to figure it out, due to the writer's carelessness?
Back to the theory part, I probably haven't had enough training with theory to actually apply the parts crucial to writing music. But I can read it, and figure out other bits when I sit down and analyze what I'm doing.
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I'm gonna have to agree with imapiratearg there. You can't just write a story without having to check to see if it makes sense, and it takes conscious revision to make sure you can get your point across as effectively and memorably as possible. If nobody's going to remember your story, there's no point in writing it, and the same concept applies to music.
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I learned the theory just so I can defy it, basically.
!!!
Thank you.
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Okay so anyway, thanks for the vast expansion of my thread into nearly everything relating to guitars guys! It was a good read.
So in addition to the free guitar and free lessons, another friend of mine is getting an amp for christmas so he gave me his current one. The signs continue? I need to get a cable so I can sit in my room and annoy my parents.
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Get a Monster cable. You will never regret it.
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I like Planet Waves 90º angled cables. Especially the ones with the angle on one end and it's straight at the other end. Very useful since I play an SG, and the output jack on my hardtail Squier Strat is turned inside out expressly so I can use those things without awkwardness.
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Speaking as a writer, that is total and utter bullshit.
Ah, anecdotal evidence based on a sample size of one.
I'm a writer as well. A published, nationally-known writer. And I never consciously think of the interplay of words when I write. I just write what I think sounds good. It's intuitive, not logical.
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1. That was a bit snarky, dude, don't you think?
2. It depends on what you write. If it's film/music/theatre reviews, of course you're not going to think about that, there's really nothing to say. If you're writing fiction, you can say a whole hell of a lot about certain things in the world, or you could just be writing for entertainment.
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Guys, put your guns away. He's just asking if it'd be a good idea to get some basic training on his guitar, or if he's better off without.
Coreh, take practice, see how you like it, and if it's not for you then free-style it! Personally I'm not getting any practice, as you don't really need it for what I want to do.
Do you want to play in a local/garage band? Chances are you won't need any guitar-practice. Also, what kind of amp are you getting from your bud? They threw in a free 10watt for me, since they're so starving for business, but it's definitely a piece of shit. I will have to get a better amp...
Guitaring is expensive :(
PEE S!: This thread is not about writing, wtf guys? What may apply for writing, may not apply for guitaring. There is no real proof of which is better; self-taught or free-styled, and the answer is probably neither. So let's just drop it?
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If you're playing in a garage/local band, maybe you don't need and practice per se, but as some have said before, it'll make the wheels of communication turn a lot easier if you can straight away both understand what key you're playing in such.
It might be reasonable to argue that as a single player, knowledge of music theory isn't entirely necessary (although I believe it is), but for writing music in a group, things will move much better if all parties involve know what they're talking about at least a bit.
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2. It depends on what you write. If it's film/music/theatre reviews, of course you're not going to think about that, there's really nothing to say. If you're writing fiction, you can say a whole hell of a lot about certain things in the world, or you could just be writing for entertainment.
I don't just write "for entertainment", and obviously I think about things like plot elements, but what was originally being talked about was consciously thinking about which words to use, in the context of an analogy viz a viz people consciously deciding which notes/chords to use.
Obviously some people (classical composers, mostly) write music before playing it, or use certain notes or chords on purpose, but not everyone does, and certainly no rock musician I know does. I've never been writing a song and thought "Hm, I think I should throw an A minor in here." When I or my band write songs, they evolve organically from just sitting down and playing. I'm aware that some musicians are more deliberate, but as I said, I don't really know any.
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I think you're misinterpreting or taking a narrow view of theory's place in writing though. True, very few people would be jamming something out and think "Hm, this needs an A minor," but with a grounding in theory, it makes things more intuitive. It's like having a road map. Some people might look at the road map the entire time they are going to the destination, and this will get them to the place all the same, but it doesn't make them a good navigator. But some other people can just look at the map, understand it, and use it as a guide to get them where they need to go, without having to constantly refer to where they are going. But they've got that information there for them. Without it, they'd just be guessing and driving blind.
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I've never disagree'd with any of that. What I was originally saying is that it's possible to grasp music theory without actually being taught it. That's all.
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(http://www.trephination.net/gallery/macros/derailed1.jpg)
So anyway. It's a 15watt Behringer amp. He said it's not super amazing but it is pretty decent. No I'm not looking to get into a local band, I just want to be able to play guitar. I'm gonna end up taking lessons from my friend, but just on how to work the damned thing and then I'm taking it from there.
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Yeah, it's fun to just learn guitar. Playing by yourself, learning some riffs you like, and occasionally writing some could be a blast;however in my mind being in a band would add a whole new complexity to playing the guitar. I think it would be a loads of fun, and definitely more fulfilling than any other hobby.
The hardest part seems to be getting actual people to play with, at least where I live. I can't see how progressing would be THAT difficult, as my job/schooling is flexible enough to allow me to whole-heartedly devote all my free time and energy to it.
As for the whole "Theory" argument, first of all, I don't know a whole lot about the matter... That said, I can't see how not knowing theory would cripple a band too much. Sure, knowing theory would probably speed up the process of playing together, but once a band gets it's chemistry down through hours of practice, I can't see it mattering THAT much. Anyway, I think it's best we leave it at. "Theory helps a lot, grab it if you're willing, but it's not 100% necessary. Bear in mind that you will probably have to play for a long while to grasp natural theory" and let this thread be what it is about...
Which currently seems to be amps?
For you vets, what's a good amp with a good price tag?
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The short answer is that there's no such thing as a good amp that's cheap. You can make cheap guitars sound awesome, but there's just no way to make a cheap amp sound good in a live setting, at least not reliably. If you're going to be playng live, there's not really any way to get around paying $500 or so for an amp. You could sneak in under $300 if you're not going to be playing "loud" music, though.
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For you vets, what's a good amp with a good price tag?
*shrug* I play a little 15 watt solid-state Marshall that's pretty nice. I know Patrick's got a beefier version from the same series, he'd probably agree that they're good amps, as far as solid-state goes.
I also have a 15 watt Peavey that's quite shitty, but it works for when I'm recording noise/drone. Way more low-end than the Marshall.
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Yeah, mine's the 100w version with a single 12" speaker. It gives me enough volume to neutralize most lizards, small rodents, and house pets, and it sounds -damn good- doing it.
But seriously, I'm gonna have to agree with Cory on the band thing. Yes, being in a band is HOLY SHIT FUN, but seriously? He doesn't even -play- yet. I've played for 4 and a half years and I still can't really work with myself as well as I'd like to, let alone a group of other people.
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Here's a total vanity note that's completely unimportant.
When I talk to people who don't play music and I tell them that I play guitar, they're like "That's so cool!" And then they ask me where I get lessons or something, and I say I taught myself, and they're like "ZOMGWTF!1!1!!!ONE!" It's actually not that impressive; it's pretty easy to teach yourself, but some people think it's the most awesome thing ever. I really don't care at all, but yeah...carry on.
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I've never been writing a song and thought "Hm, I think I should throw an A minor in here."
Why not? It never hurts to know the name of the chord you're using at any given time, and when you really have time to think about all the notes you're playing like in a chord progression, it REALLY helps you and other people to expand on it when you know the key, associated modes and music direction.
If you're not thinking about where you want the music to go on some level, I think you're definately doing something wrong. I just can't fathom placing your hands in a position of the fretboard, playing a familiar shape and not thinking about its name and associated notes, chords and scales. Well, I can imagine it, but why on earth would you not think about where you're going? Or how you're going to resolve? Thinking of the interval distances, or accidentals?
It's like writing a book as you go along, with no idea what the climax is going to be, the characters involved, the plot or the message.
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When I play guitar, I don't think. Period. I'm serious. It's completely intuitive. That doesn't mean I don't know on some level where the song is going or have any sense of dynamic. Listen to the songs on my band's Myspace and you'll see that I definitely have structure and timing. I'm just saying I don't consciously say things like "Hey guys, let's add X chord in here." All songs evolve organically.
Seriously, what's with all the snobby constructionism? Different people write music different ways. No big deal.
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Dude I was totally under the impression that you were the snobby on here, considering your early posts in the thread.
But basically I'm trying to violently pull information out of you so I can understand how to compose a whole song that isn't dissonant without taking any musical rules into consideration.
But during this post it occured to me that you probably do know a shitload of theory through experience and are merely ignorant of the names of what you're using. Fair game.
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Exactly. I "learned" theory before I learned the language of it. So while I definitely don't make completely "dissonant" music - the songs have hooks and riffs and aren't just random noise - I don't actively consider the rules. My playing follows the rules without my brain having to enter into it.
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That makes a lot more sense than "fuck music theory/structure" which is what I'd assumed you were saying. That's how I roll. I may not know the names of every note or chord, but damned if I don't know how to do shit.
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music theory is important on my opinion, music theory to me is a universal language of instruments and music itself, saying "fuck music theory" means well "fuck this C chord fuck that G chord fuck that pentatonic i keep playing i'm gonna rattle rattle rattle the instrument!" everything you do on the instrument whether you think so or not is owned by music theory, every chord is a simple evolution of chords that have evolved from thousands and thousands of years of musical evolution that became music theory, that G chord and that C chord is a simple 1-3-5- that just about all instruments interpret, it IS important, you don't have to know music theory but by george W bush's lonly brain cell! music theory IS the instrument and allows musicians to communicate with one another
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....what?
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I would totally fuck a C chord.
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I just follow the little white dots on the fretboard..
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Dear dalconnsuch,
I think all of us would appreciate it if, when you decide to write a couple of sentences, you would actually designate the sentences with this little tool called "the period". See? I just used one right there! After all, you might have something really intelligent and thought out to say. I wouldn't actually know; I just kind of skip over your paragraphs because they are, at the moment, unreadable.
Sincerely,
Griffin
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I would totally fuck a C chord.
Who gives an Fmaj7?
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Dear dalconnsuch,
I think all of us would appreciate it if, when you decide to write a couple of sentences, you would actually designate the sentences with this little tool called "the period". See? I just used one right there! After all, you might have something really intelligent and thought out to say. I wouldn't actually know; I just kind of skip over your paragraphs because they are, at the moment, unreadable.
P.S. I told you this like a week and a half ago too and you got all butthurt. No excuses now, sugar.
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Weather or not to take lessons is really dependent on your style of learning. Some people do great just going off on their own, and some people do better with a little direction. Look back at your previous learning experiences, how did you get by, did you listen in class or study at home? Even if you are the learn by yourself type, if you get stuck try lessons, or vice a versa. I know my teacher has helped me a ton, even though in most things I learn on my own.
There are a few things I would suggest strongly however, first learn the type of music you are most interested in, then branch out. So many people buy the wrong gear and get the wrong instructor only to stop playing in 6 weeks because they wanted to learn AC/DC not Bach, in general most people pick up an instrument to learn to play music, not that instrument. you'll want to learn to play the instrument later as your musical vocab broadens.
Also take at least a months worth of lessons just to make sure your doing it right, holding the instrument incorrectly can do serious damage to your hands and can limit your playing ability significantly.
Learn some music theory, if you've got the cash and time take the first two semesters of music theory at your local community college (watch out for classes call aural comprehension, they are a bitch, think calculus 2 for music majors). Music theory is more like science than an arbitrary set of rules, it describes how things sound, and how to analyze music. knowledge will only set you free.
in the end, nothing is forbidden everything is permissible.
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Dude it's "Nothing is true, everything is permitted." Get it right.
Also: Lurk more.
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As a proud former strat owner who loved his guitar but had it stolen from under his nose let me just say the following:
FUCK YOU AND YOUR FREE FENDER GOD HOW I HATE YOU AND I DONT EVEN KNOW YOU GIMMIE THAT GUITAR!!
on a serious note, go strats, go strats, go strats
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basically srats arte fuck gitars
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Oh man, if you just compared me to a Strat that shit stings.
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Dude it's "Nothing is true, everything is permitted." Get it right.
Also: Lurk more.
ohh crap, I knew I'd screw it up. praise Bob.