Blisters on my fingers - How to be less bad at guitaring
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Apologies if there is already a thread for this somewhere in the archives.
A place to talk about anything guitar related. Please feel free to share any hints/tips about playing guitar or even mild guitar porn (I know what those with a filthy mind are thinking - its not that). There are no stupid questions as everyone is at a different place in the journey. We all started at playing that first chord and feeling the buzz.
I started playing about 10 years ago in order to surprise the wife at our wedding with a song from one of her favourite movies. I'm probably best described as in intermediate player who is slowly getting their head around the theory side.
Tips:
Learn the chromatic scale. There are 12 notes split into those that are A to G. Most of these have a sharp (#) or flat (b) (same note but named differently) inbetween but some don't. Remember the mnenomic "Every Friday Beer and Chips" EFBC which describes those that don't. So: E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Bb B C C#/Db D D#/Eb.
Learn the minor pentatonic shape.
Have a crack at Rocksmith. Its software like guitar hero but for actual guitars. It is no longer supported but there are thousands of official songs and tens of thousands of community created ones. It also has a lot of lessons that improve specific techniques and lots of mini games that encourage repetition of them. Rumour has it that there is a newer version in development.
Ask questions here.
Watch youtube - there are tons of videos out there that are really helpful.
Current setup:
PRS custom 24 10 top
Gibson SG (heavy strings and downtuned to c#)
Mexican Squire Strat setup for slide work
Home made cigar box guitar -
Tried to use rocksmith to get me playing again but for some reason it struggles to pick up certain notes, not sure if it’s the guitar or the software but it proved too frustrating.iosGameCentre:T3hDaddy;
XBL: MistaTeaTime -
I've been playing for about 20 years now but with a few gaps of a few years in amongst that. Started on acoustic, got an electric a few years later, but always preferred acoustic and that's what I play entirely now.
Main two guitars are a nylon string flamenco style guitar I've had for about 10 odd years, and a fender acoustic I got a few months back (present for 10 years service at work, chuffed).
I'd put myself as a low-mid intermediate, in that I can play entire songs start to finish and can probably figure out how to play a version of most things. I'm quite hamfisted tbh, never really had lessons outside of mates showing me starter chords at the beginning, and one car-crash lesson that I got nothing out of. I'm also quite set in my ways really, I rarely, if ever, get up the dusty end and am quite happy to travis pick my cowboy chords for the most part. Couldn't tell you much, if anything, about music theory.
Anyway, I play most days, hour or so in the evenings, more at weekends. I started playing more start of lockdown last year as a few colleagues and I did some video-call sessions just playing a tune or two each, really motivated me to practice. -
Everyone seems to focus on scales and chords etc but really for a lot of rock n rolly stuff it's all in the timing and technique - left and right hand muting, vibrato, hammering, pulling and sliding etc. -
The Daddy wrote:Tried to use rocksmith to get me playing again but for some reason it struggles to pick up certain notes, not sure if it’s the guitar or the software but it proved too frustrating.
This does happen from time to time, particularly in the downtuned songs. There are a few things you can do such as changing the pickup selector or adjusting volume/tone control on the guitar. Check out customsforge.com for threads that can help you further.
What guitar do you have? -
nick_md wrote:Main two guitars are a nylon string flamenco style guitar I've had for about 10 odd years, and a fender acoustic I got a few months back (present for 10 years service at work, chuffed).
I had a fender acoustic but I just didn't connect with it. Every single note was a fight and I genuinely wanted to set it on fire and watch it burn. Ended up giving it away. -
Cheers, I’ll give that a look. I’ve got a Squier Telecaster, although it’s not in the best condition anymore. Also got an epiphone Les Paul 3/4 for my son, it’s a good size for rocksmith.iosGameCentre:T3hDaddy;
XBL: MistaTeaTime -
Pseudoscot wrote:
I had a fender acoustic but I just didn't connect with it. Every single note was a fight and I genuinely wanted to set it on fire and watch it burn. Ended up giving it away.nick_md wrote:Main two guitars are a nylon string flamenco style guitar I've had for about 10 odd years, and a fender acoustic I got a few months back (present for 10 years service at work, chuffed).
Yeah I read mixed reviews of their acoustic range, but it's the first steel string I've had that wasn't like ~£30 or something, so I love it. Plays nicely imo. -
I should probably use this thread to kickstart a hobby, seeing as I was allowed to buy myself two guitars as a wedding present about eight years ago. I can't play much more than I could when I took lessons I didn't pay attention to in the early 90s.
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Man I love I'll See You In My Dreams, great tune with many great guitarists covering it. (First tune they play on this vid)
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I've been playing for about 2 or 3 years, I've no sense of timing, no musical ear and struggle to learn anything unless I see it being played yet it's still one of the best decisions I ever made to start playing.
Your older now moot so I think you'll find it a totally different experience. Pick a song you like, search for an easy guitar tutorial of it on you tube and start learning.
Love to see some of you guys posting your playing, it's always inspiring as a beginner to see others play.
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I'm in the Drummers Union so I'll just keep quiet and silently judge you all. Tsk. Limelight hoggers.
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I'm so pleased that I'm so shit at guitar despite spending years becoming a severe guitar and guitar tech nerd. Is as it should be. -
I do a pretty good setup though.
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Will take some sexy shots of my lovely guitars later. Sometimes I just like to look or point at them but I reckon they've been played, on average, four times a year each since I bought them.
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Here are my two mains, the nylon needs restringing after one snapped last year:
...I've also got a black Suzuki something that Escape gave me.
I'll do a video over the weekend. -
Funny that, was just fucking around on guitar. Very like nicho's. Sadly cracked a bit so has a weird timber sometimes. I don't know how to post pics no more. I've stalled and picked up, mainly my own way. Stuff gets easy that was hard. But don't play enough to have good finger strength.
Don't wank. Zinc in your sperms -
Nice oud.
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I thought Ouds didn't have frets, or had moveable frets or something?
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I think ouds come in both flavours, fretted and fretless. The only thing I know with moveable frets is a sitar.
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Ah yeah, I was thinking of the sitar (in terms of moveable frets). Would love to have an oud.
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Kow wrote:Nice oud.
Yeah this is an Algerian mondole. Not a mandolin. Closest thing is a mandola, but what it sounds most like is a Greek lute /Arabian oud. Sort of. It's a halfway house between that and a mandola. I can't play it for shit, mind.Don't wank. Zinc in your sperms -
Don't wank. Zinc in your sperms
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