schmoron13 Posted January 13, 2004 Share Posted January 13, 2004 In a need to try something different, a friend of mine has given me a guitar. I want to learn to play most styles, but in essence, it'd be nice to lay down my own riffs and not rely on guitarists to record all the time. Also, every once in a while, it's nice not to have to plug something in/turn it on/or find a giant piano. As for my experience: Music major with an emphasis in jazz theory and composition (2001) played piano (multiple styles) for 16 years. can comfortably read treble/bass...decent in alto/tenor clefs played a lot of walking bass for jazz (jazz, and latin-son and montuno's together) I'm at a loss as to which way I should approach the guitar. I'd love to take lessons, but right now, I don't even have enough time to take jazz piano lessons anymore (work, grad school apps, starting a company). Soooo, I thought y'all would know. Are there any good books or websites to learn? Down the road (summer?), I'd like to take some lessons, but for now, i just want to be able to play chords and some scales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJDM Posted January 13, 2004 Share Posted January 13, 2004 http://www.jurai.org/~ling/oekaki/fear.jpg Oh god no you schmoron (13)! Not the guitar! I don't actually play guitar but best of luck. Learning a new instrument should be a fun challenge. DJDM.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmoron13 Posted January 13, 2004 Author Share Posted January 13, 2004 lol...thanks djdm did your gf draw that one up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faruk Posted January 13, 2004 Share Posted January 13, 2004 Dont give your self inn schmoron13! Remember The Code! Well, maybe you should start with something you like, but keep it simple. You can allways ask another guit player for help. I know this will sound blunt, but maybe you should start with clasic? Leraning new instruments is allways fun, go for it! Fat But Fast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n Flux Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 Originally posted by DJDM: Learning a new instrument should be a fun challenge. yeah, that and painful, very painful. i remember when i was just starting to play guitar... i had to take 2 day breaks in between playing cause my fingers hurt so bad! they will even start to bleed if your not careful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steadyb Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 Originally posted by schmoron13: Topic: I need your help...I'm going over to the dark side Whew!!! From the looks of your topic, for a minute there I thought you were getting a PC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phait Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 I thought he was getting HIS VERY OWN DEATHSTAR! http://www.legionxxiv.org/trooper124/deathstar.jpg Schmoron, here's my advice: I've been playing guitar for 8 years. When I started, it was 1997, I was 13, 14. I taught myself to read tabulature from my first Guitar magazine. That was on a 6-string small acoustic, sans one string... I wasn't concerned with chords, scales, etc. That's where you and I differ. I do however have a book of chords, I'd pick one of those up. If you don't have time for lessons, I'm sure there is a wealth of info online... I believe www.guitar.com is a good place, it's been a long time since I've been there. Pickup some tab books of your favorite guitarists, practice practice practice. Maybe take a look at Wolf Marshall or Mel Bay books... don't have any, but they seem to helpful. Oh and, hang around on the guitar forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 Originally posted by schmoron13: ... i just want to be able to play chords and some scales.Don't settle for that. Learn some basic leads. You will find that lead guitar is very different than piano and it will introduce new areas to your playing. Bend notes, use distortion, make it squeal and feedback, and listen to the scrape as you slide your fingers into a new position. Then go back to a synth and try to be just as expressive. You will be surprised at what learning a new instrument can do to broaden your expectations of your keyboard licks. Robert This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmoron13 Posted January 14, 2004 Author Share Posted January 14, 2004 seems almost like a memorial.... I'm not quitting piano by any means, i just want to diversify!!! I know how painful new instruments can be: almost passed out when i took up the trumpet (my teacher forgot to mention not to play for an hour a day, your first couple of weeks), and taking a latin percussion class in college was killer. My hands were ready to bleed on the congas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJDM Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 Originally posted by schmoron13: lol...thanks djdm did your gf draw that one up?Nope. Just found her on the net. DJDM.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 With a degree in Jazz theory and 16 years of piano playing, the Wolf Marshall books and online tabs are probably a little too basic for you. Pick up the guitar, use your ears and discover things for yourself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 I get maximum guitar fun from playing leads - melodies and solos. Maybe a good start could be to learn a few melodies to songs or pieces you like, or even write some yourself. You could also set some kind of simple MIDI rhythm section, and play alomg with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmoron13 Posted January 14, 2004 Author Share Posted January 14, 2004 but my problem is (and I got teased a lot by my cellist twin) that I don't know how to switch strings. I'll end up playing everything on a single string (obviously not the way to go) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 Once you learn how the intervals jump from one string to the next, you'll start to switch strings instinctively and without having to think about it. All in good time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Zeger Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 With your theory background, I would recommend getting a method book and learning the fretboard. You'll wanted to head in a direction where your lead play doesn't come from rote patterns and you know each note in a chord form and it's purpose. Any basic method book to start, though you will be bored to tears in short time. I used to have a great intermediate methid book from studio legend Tommy Tedesco, but I don't think it's published anymore. Too bad. Playing guitar will definitely expand your composition perspectives. I heard an interview with Billy Joel in which he discussed all the songs that couldn't have come from anything but a guitar. "Satisfaction" was one example. He cited his own "Matter of Trust" as something he could have only written on guitar. I was really surprised the first time I saw the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart playing guitar, because "Sweet Dreams" led me to think he was a synth jockey. I concentrated on guitar for about three years leading up to college, almost to the exclusion of keyboards. It's too bad I haven't touched my guitars in many years. Maybe I need to start again. Though I can still pick up a guitar and remember how to play "Mood For A Day". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 Originally posted by schmoron13: I'm at a loss as to which way I should approach the guitar. I'd love to take lessons, but right now, I don't even have enough time to take jazz piano lessons anymore (work, grad school apps, starting a company). (snip) Down the road (summer?), I'd like to take some lessons, but for now, i just want to be able to play chords and some scales.Doron, if you don't have time for lessons, do you really have the time to practice? I bring this up because, in my experience, practice takes more time than lessons do. Don't get me wrong - I understand, as I also have a degree in composition, how demanding teachers can be (expecting as much as a minimum of four hours of practice per day, for example), and I can see why you'd want to avoid that kind of commitment! However, there are many teachers outside of academia who are willing to let their students set the pace; and if you plan to have a teacher at any point, I strongly feel that the time to do so is in the beginning. It's much easier to learn good habits than it is to unlearn bad ones. While one can be given important information such as hand position, posture, and fingering from a book, a book can't provide the feedback to make sure that one is doing these things the right way. The best source for that is an experienced teacher. However, because of your strong background in music, I think that once a teacher has started you on the right track, you'll be fine teaching yourself beyond that point; and a good teacher can recommend appropriate material to help you do so. There is one more factor to consider: calluses. Playing the guitar is less painful once you've developed them, but a certain amount of regular playing is required in order to keep them. You may want to factor this into the amount of time you're willing to commit. If you ask about this in the Guitar Forum , I'm sure that members there can give you an idea about how much upkeep there is to "callus preservation." Well, that's my two shiny copper Lincolns. Good luck Doron. Best, Geoff My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catchpenny Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 i play guitar (hushed tones) as a main instrument and it is very true what Geoff Grace just said it is much easier to learn good habbits then unlearn bad ones. i would deffinately second the recomendation that you get a teacher -even if its just to start you off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan South Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 The guitar is a very physical instrument, very tactile. I'd suggest that you just spend some time strumming and picking the thing. Put your fingers in different places on the fretboard and see what kind of sounds you can make. See if you can come up with some chords even if you don't know which chords they are. It takes a while to get past the finger irritation, so go easy at first. Limit your guitar practice to fifteen or twenty minutes and build up slowly. Watch guitar players as often as you can. Try to figure out what they're doing with both hands and why. Get yourself a chord reference book and learn some of the basic chords for (a) all six strings (rock chord style), and (b) just the four higher pitched strings (jazz chord style). Try to figure out how to play a scale somewhere on the neck. Use the patterns that you discover to help you play melodies by ear. Find a teacher, but be prepared to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the instrument before you take any lessons. Even if it's mostly undirected noodling, you're learning to handle the physical aspects of the instrument. The Black Knight always triumphs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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