guitar NEWB thread

What about something online for music theory noobs who only really know chord shapes and anything more in depth is down to luck/trial and error? I'd love to know more about scales and theory but I'm scared???

try this, maybe? http://www.8notes.com/theory/

I haven't read it at all so I have no idea if it's terrible but it looks like it covers most of the basics you'd care to know

Guitar is probably the easiest instrument on which to take shortcuts, like you don't have trumpet players trying to do trills two octaves above middle C when they don't even know how to play middle C, but that's exactly what the guitar allows you to do. This is not to say you should avoid shortcuts. But devote a little time to learning, e.g., the 12 major scales in first position, the difference between a halfstep and a whole step, how scales are constructed, the intervals in a basic major chord, etc. In the long run this does so much for your ability to play inventively and to play with other people, like when you can actually build a maj7 chord and not just say "Oh Cmaj7 means my fingers go like this"

Trying for 2 years to make 12-year-olds understand this was no fun at all.

well dan you "know" those things already but are you comfortable doing them in rhythm at the drop of the hat all the time? ie can you play x scale without thinking about the fingering, while keeping your right hand picking pattern consistent, etc?

― Thu'um gang (jjjusten), Wednesday, February 15, 2012 11:44 AM (9 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

thats re: knowing the 12 major scales in first position, i know you know the other stuff - i just say this because as a dude who did violin before guitar, i knew that stuff too but the difficulty is in the translation to the fingerboard and the physicality of playing.

― Thu'um gang (jjjusten), Wednesday, February 15, 2012 11:46 AM (9 hours ago)

Thanks, jjusten, definitely hitting you up when I save up more guitar money. Leaning toward a Reverend, I think or one of those Ibanezes.

so I failed to contact a teacher last week

on the plus side, I have taught myself to play an A chord and have been doing A - E progressions like a happy loon

I still have a week left before my life starts sucking tho

One month later...

... I am terrible at finding a teacher

To paraphrase Ian Faith, Boston's not a big guitar town.

haha I know, I know

basically by the time I get home, I'm tired and don't want to look for one

then, on the weekends, I often find myself wrapped up in projects or in concerts/rehearsals/etc

I need to send out some emails tonight. Also I need to rescue my poor guitar from its banishment to the back bedroom

That's why you need a teacher, so he can yell at you for not practicing!

Of course, to paraphrase Nigel Tufnel: I don't really literally mean "yell."

lol I still don't have a teacher

HOWEVER! I do have the game Rocksmith, which at first glance is FUCKING AMAZING

it's not even the songs (although they have shit in there by QOTSA, The XX and The Cure), it's the minigames that help you get used to the guitar, like the Duck Hunt-meets-Pole Position fretting game

I wanted to buy that for myself and my kid, but we haven't had much scratch since I bought his PS3 for christmas. Maybe I can eke it out next payday.

@hurting2

I am very interested in acquiring a copy of "The Interrelationship of Chords, Scales and Fingerboard of Each one of the Twelve Tonalities of The Guitar." I have "A System of Tonal Convergence for Improvisors, Composers and Arrangers." Maybe we can set up a trade?

Rocksmith seems pretty awesome. I read that you should have a separate receiver/speakers for audio so that there's no lag?

They recommend that but I haven't noticed any problems

i feel like i should buy rocksmith just to make myself not play the same 100 riffs and cheats all the time when i play guitar. the shame of the bass player that fakes guitar fairly well.

i bought one of these. damn does it sound nice. kinda stoked for the madness

http://phantomguitars.com/store/product_images/p/ph12_w_pvt12__95037.jpg

If I have ever seen a 12 string with a whammy before, I had never stopped to think about the implications.

warrrrarrarararng. out of tune, somewhere.

I know! holy shit!

*spends two hours tuning 12 string, gust of wind blows whammy bar, has to start tuning guitar all over again*

good ear training

This may be me soon.

So I have pretty much no experience. I want to get a guitar for my birthday and start learning to play. I can't read music, know nothing about music theory, just want to rock out on my own for fun. I'm hoping to find a teacher too.

So - what kind of guitar should I be looking for? What is a good way to get into playing and not be discouraged (had a few lessons when I was a teenager but got frustrated)? And...how to find a teacher that "gets" me?

Get a made-in-China guitar. Just about any will do because they're all made there, anyway, at this level. You might consider taking someone with you who can play guitar to the store. If you're not buying a cardboxed guitar, you can try them and there will be duds with various defects, either from lack of quality control or because they've been beat up by other shoppers who did not buy, on the floor. Having someone who can play will steer you away from those.

Been decades since I had lessons. However, I'd think you would want to find a teacher, if you must, who shares, or at least pretends to share, an interest in the style of music you'd like to learn to play.

This last sentence otm

rocksmith has some pretty interminable loading times and a lot of weird little bugs. i think a better "game" would be something that let you play along with your favorite music, but let you slow it down and repeat during the hard parts till you get the hang of it.
try songsterr.com for something halfway there. (whoa-oh!)

adamrl are u still in LA? if so i can recommend an awesome teacher.

re: My First Guitar since you mention rocking out steel-string acoustic is a good place to start. if only to develop calluses and finger strength. there are a ton of great, affordable guitars out there. and if you're still in LA I can recommend a few good shops.

Yes I am still in LA and want an awesome teacher.

Also I want some pedals! What are some good one to get?

A little wishlist of things I've used/borrowed/owned before. The only one I have left is the Keeley but I don't play a huge amount of guitar anymore. I think the Electrohamonix pedals do a good job of packing in quality for price.

Delay - Electroharmonix Memoryman, BOSS DM2,
Ringmod - Moogerfooger MF102 (expensive)
Fuzz - Bigmuff (cheap too)
Overdrive - Fulltone Fulldrive
Pitch - probably Electroharmonix again, think they have a new one out that is quite something
Compressor - Keeley 4 knob (this is amazing and well worth the price)

ooooh, I understand "Delay" and "Fuzz', the rest are a mystery

lol. if you're already looking at pedals, you may not want to bother with acoustic after all. though it really is good for developing your technique...

for My First Electric, there's no way you can know yet what you're going to like, so the next best thing is something that looks cool to you and makes you want to rock the fuck out, or at least practice that you can also flip without taking too much of a hit. LA is one of the better markets for finding dope gear on craigslist. i'd vote for a used made-in-mexico fender telecaster or an epiphone sheraton, casino, or les paul.

pedals are a whole crazy world of their own. to start, you'll want an overdrive, maybe a delay, and maybe a compressor. recommendations for some of these things will be based on what guitar you choose. and what amp.

e.g. strat into fender amp loves a tubescreamer, les paul into marshall amp loves a treble booster. i have been down this rabbit hole and am happy to share. let's start with the guitar tho. and the amp.

re:teachers, since that's less interesting to the hivemind i'll reach out offboard if that's cool

good place to start gearwise: what sort of guitar music do you like?

this looks like nice delay pedal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3LSfEEaJmQ

good place to start gearwise: what sort of guitar music do you like?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Si85s8dvKWI

So...how long will it take me to get from COMPLETE newb to /\/\/\/\/\/\?

Not long, I'm sure!!

I'll also settle for

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VUnf8WRt-E

I'm on a big Ride tip right now

So like...I'd like to be Link Wray crossed with Joe Strummer crossed with Kevin Shields

and Rowland S. Howard and also I want to sound like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvvWccgN3Zs

rowland howard's gear iirc:

fender jag ---> mxr blue box ---> mxr distortion+ ---> some external multi-band eq with everything at 10 ---> twin reverb (reverb on most of the time i think)

could probably swap those pedals out for some others and still be in that ballpark, his sound imo has to most do with his playing, then that jag + spring reverb tank in the twin. probably?

Blue box forecer

Blue Box looks cool.

I'll buy one of those then

mexijags are gettable. the new johnny marr jag is The One imo but a little spendy for My First Guitar,

ampwise you won't want to start with a twin unless you already have a soundproof garage or live in a stadium but the princeton reverb reissue is dope. either way you'll need pedals for dirt.

blue box is crizzazy

there's a pedal-building rowland howard fan who will make u this pedal for $300. combo blue box/d+

http://www.messandnoise.com/images/3028385/640x461-c.jpeg

bah mexijags are false jags /jerk

overwound pickups. balls to that

lol jj it's a bit early to introduce the NEWBs to grumpy guitar people sittin-on-the-porch conversation. my first electric I wouldn't have even noticed the difference between humbuckers and single coils.

My feeling about most people debating the merits of pickups and the like is stfu and learn how to play. As long as a guitar is playable, holds its tuning and doesn't create horrible noise/interference you can change the sound quite a lot just through things like picking technique, messing with the knobs, etc. Even moreso if you're using pedals, although this is another area where people put too much focus. If you're a pro or a very experienced player you'll be more aware of how the tech can help improve your sound and solve your problems, but there's nothing more depressing than a shitty guitarist with an overly-thought-out customized guitar and rig.