Grrr Im slacking(newb topic)

[pancho]

Hi.Well I kinda gave up on chords since they were boring and I couldnt play the easiest songs that were constructed of chords.I have no gameplan on how what to do next.I play maybe (avg) 20mins per day wich is I guess way too little.After playing about 10 licks that I know I stop beacuse ,well beacuse I dont know anything else.I dont want a teacher yet beacuse I know I can do this by myself.Im not gonna give up on the guitar but Im worried that Ill become an eternal newb.

[mark_dog]

Pigs on the Wing- Pink floyd

tab is here

pretty close chords

listen to the song for timing and rhythm

[knunchucksammy]

You should just double your practice time per day... so about 40 minutes is good for beginning progress.

 

I always teach my students the common G, C, D, chord progression since it is sooooooooo many songs allready, it sounds familiar and is fun to play when beginning.

 

Practice your rythm hand and chord changes untill they are proficent. Licks and soloing SHOULD come a bit later when learning. Practice the major scale for finger dexterity and DON'T give up! It really isn't that bad, you just need to put a little more time into it...

 

Matt

[Tedster]

Hi Pancho...be there in a minute...

[Tedster]

Chords? Boring? What chords do you know? What chords do you need work on? Every song I can think of has a chord progression. Every one. Chords are your foundation, the anchor that roots your playing in something solid.

 

Don't practice "playing" chords...practice CHANGING chords. Use a metronome and gradually decrease the time between chord changes...and at the same time make the changes more difficult. A simple progression to start with is the ol' "Doo-Wop" progression (I call it that because all the old 50s tunes used it) G-Em-C-D. Heck, if you think that's too old and stupid, bear in mind that Eddie Vedder recently covered the old tune "Last Kiss" (Where oh where can my baby be?) which uses that progression.

 

Play along with your CDs. Find simple tunes (there are a bunch listed in your earlier thread).

 

If you're only listening to riff-heavy stuff in drop-D...then you might get a bit confused at why someone would want you to learn open chords. But even most famous guys who are known as proficient drop-D'ers are most likely proficient in open chords and regular barre chords.

 

Although 20 minutes a day might seem like you're skimping...the important thing is not how many minutes you're playing, but the fact that you ARE playing. If you're watching the clock...throw the clock away. Lose yourself in playing guitar. Don't think (groan, whine) "I only have five more minutes and I'll finish my half hour"...rather, you should look up at the clock and say "Shit, I've been playing for two hours!!! I'd better put this thing down and do something else for a bit". If it's something you truly love, you won't think of it as drudgery. To that end, make sure you include fun stuff to play in addition to challenging exercises.

 

Now...if you don't want to get a teacher...hook up with another guitar player who's better than you. You'll learn stuff from them. That's how I learned. Well, one of the ways. It's kinda like an apprenticeship. Good luck! Keep us posted.

[pancho]

Thank you all I will take your advices seriously.Now I have some questions,my first question is about the G chord.In the tab that mark dog gave me G is played 330023 and in my Hal Leonard book its 300023.Wich one is wrong?

Also I dont understand this picture..http://www.worldguitar.com/majorscale.html

 

What do red dots represent and what do white dots represent?How do I learn the fretboard?How did you learn it?God I hope one day I can buy you guys a huge beer

[Gtoledo3]

Hey,

Both versions of the G chord are correct. The G only consists of three notes, a G note, a B note, and a D note. Any combination of those notes can be considered a G chord.

 

Basically, you choose which "inversion" or "voicing" of those notes to play, depending on what feeling you are trying to create. The G that is 330023, will sound much clearer with heavier distortion, and has a nice ringing sound, to my ears. The G that is 300023, has a different vibe, kind of folksier, nice when using a clean sound. Actually...

 

Say you wanted to play a G chord for a certain amount of time... to make it more interesting to the ear you could alternate between both versions of the G chord; perhaps, 2 strums of 330023, then 2 strums of 300023. For a heavier feel, you could just play a bar chord- xxx553. Then bust into those other versions for a "jangly" sound.

[Dave da Dude]

I agree with all said so far. Everybody here knows how hard it is in the beginning.

 

I also especially agree with learning the G, C, D chords first (and yes Em too, if you want - it's so easy). It's a VERY common chord sequence.

 

I didn't know about the 330023 inversion until now, it sounds interesting, I'll have to try it. The 300023 is definetly "Folksie", I used it on too many folk songs to even try to count. What is important, IMHO, is to play it "correctly" with the 2nd, 3rd & 4th fingers, NOT with the 1st, 2nd & 3rd. I learned the 2nd way, and although I'm very fast (just as fast as the 1st way BTW), the 1st way is easeir to make fast chord changes from.

 

ANY barre chord sounds "heavy rock" and can be mixed alternately with the open chords for a nice effect.

 

As far as songs, why? Let the chords "talk" to you. Play the chords until they are old friends. They don't HAVE to be played with G first and D last! Try the D first. If you throw in an A and / or A7 (not hard chords) you have "Whiskey In A Jar" (D, G, A / A7). Just "play around with them". It doesn't HAVE to be a song you KNOW, but it will be when you finish!

 

Learn to change QUICKLY. The hardest one I learned when first learning was (open chord) A to B7 (full open chord) to E. It took literally HOURS of practice sitting with a beer in front of the TV (it doesn't HAVE to be totally music time). But it was worth every minute! Now it's an old freind and even after 30 years and a layoff of 14 years it comes back easily.

 

Hang in there, Dave.

[knunchucksammy]

Pancho,

 

Here is some more help: I always teach people the G chord with the added note (using four fingers) because it sounds more full, and your ring finger can remain stationary when moving to a D chord. Help when practicing that G, C, D, chord progression. PRACTICE PRACTICE! jk.

 

Also, that picture that you don't understand is the C major scale. The bottom of the chart is the E string (the big string at the top called the 6th string, even though most beginners want to call it the first string) and the top of the chart is the other E or first string. To the left of the graph is the nut and tuners.... make a visual and play all of the notes one at a time making each note ring untill you pluck the next one. Try to make your fingers work AS LITTLE as possible for success.

 

You will here the scale sound like the very common.. do, rey, mi, fa... It is very easy and you can almost hear the next note that is supposed to be played. Don't worry about the different coloring because that is just telling where the root notes are... you are not concerned with that at this time.

 

Practice this untill you are sick of it and then move on to the Pentatonic and Blues scale. Make sure you allready understand the Major scale or you will not comprehend what you are learning and you will not have a basic understanding of scales and soloing. Have fun. Any more questions just let me know...

 

Matt

[pancho]

Select tablature view in that picture.Ok so the scale begins on the the "fat" E string?And that 5 is the C note?And 7 is D and 4 is E and so on?

At what speed do I need to execute my chord changes so that I can say ;Ok, fast enough lets move on.120?150?Also, what does "sus" mean in lets say Gsus4 chord?I see the diff between G and

Gsus4,Im just interested what does it mean.Ill be back

[Tedster]

Sus...means "suspended" ...it's a chord that wants to be resolved to the main chord.

[Skip_dup1]

it`s keeping you in suspense...until the next episode (chord)

[Tedster]

Q: How do you keep Skip in suspense?

 

[Skip_dup1]

Originally posted by Tedster:

Q: How do you keep Skip in suspense?

 

say, `stay tuned, we`ll be right back after...`

[pancho]

PIC

 

Guys can you give the answers to the questions from my previous post?

[pancho]

Ok here are some new questions that I have.

I have a Squier Strat and I was thinking about new pickups and strings.Could you give me some quality brands/models?Even tho its a cheap guitar

I have to say that its perfectly fine for a beginner like myself.What is the function of the "truss rod"?Also Ive seen some comments about action;"high action" ,"low action" and Im not sure what that means.Does it mean that Strats

have higher action than LPs?Is that it?Ill be back.

[Skip_dup1]

given my qualifications I`ll take the easiest question...

`action` refers to the relationship between the strings, the bridge and the fretboard of your guitar, usually it refers to the height of the strings from the fretboard. Most people have an ideal height for their playing style but in general, higher strings are better for slide or fingerpicking, and harmonics tend to ring out more clearly. There also some guitar tricks with harmonics that are easier with a slightly higher string. For fast licks, finger tapping, speed picking, etc. a lower string height is preferable-the closer you are to the fretboard the easier it is to handle quick changes. Another factor in that equation is string tension, which is the other component of `action`.

Hope that makes sense.

[pancho]

Thanks Skip! LoL I was so wrong

[knunchucksammy]

Pancho,

 

A truss rod is what adjusts action. As far as your question about the C major scale, it does not tell you what fret it is in. So to start the C major scale, you would start at fret 8. That means on the E string or fat string on fret 8. Hint, it will be easier if you start with your middle finger, going to your pinky and then next string with your pointer to middle to pinky.... idea is to make your hands move as little as possible.

 

A suspended chords means you are raising a note in the chord by one half step. This gives the chords a feeling like it has to go somewhere. Kind of like the 7th scale degree in the Major scale.

 

Matt

[pancho]

Hm.So what does that tab represent if not major scale Ok so I start at 8th fret but where do I go next?10?And then 7,8,10 on the A string? About the truss rod;so it "manipulates" height of the strings from the fretboard?I have a question about "Floyd rose".What does it do?So many questions so little time

[knunchucksammy]

K. You are dead on about the C major scale... Go to the A string and hit the frets you just posted. Also, you are right about the Truss rod. It "manipulates" the height or "action" of the strings.

 

I don't know what that rose thing you mentioned is. Got me....

 

Matt

[Skip_dup1]

I can`t tell you the mechanical details of the Floyd, but basically it`s a suspension bridge (sounds like something you would drive over, ya?),

so that the tension of the strings suspend the bridge of the guitar, as opposed to the bridge being in a fixed position relative to the body of the guitar. At the other end (closer to the tuning pegs), the strings are locked down by three plates attatched to bolts that screw down (this is actually an annoying device-if you loosen the bolt too much the plate can easily get lost). So between the two ends of the string it`s `locked`, but the suspended bridge allows the tremolo arm to rock the bridge back and forth, so voila-Eddie Van Halen & co.