Age old crappy hand / finger debate...

What do people use to record themselves?

I use a Mac, so I just use GarageBand, which the Mac comes with. It does some basic amp modeling and effects. I use a 1/4" to 1/8" converter on the guitar cable and plug right into the computer. I am getting a USB interface soon which is a more ideal setup, better sound quality & latency and whatnot, but my current setup is quite sufficient for basic progress recordings.

A lot of people around here use Audacity (free), I know that's cross-platform and available for Windows. Depending on what kind of soundcard you have, I don't know if the latency would be reasonable or not... but my guess is it would be fine for something this simple.

I'm sure something as basic as a tape recorder could suffice, too.

What do people use to record themselves?

I use a Mac, so I just use GarageBand, which the Mac comes with. It does some basic amp modeling and effects. I use a 1/4" to 1/8" converter on the guitar cable and plug right into the computer. I am getting a USB interface soon which is a more ideal setup, better sound quality & latency and whatnot, but my current setup is quite sufficient for basic progress recordings.

A lot of people around here use Audacity (free), I know that's cross-platform and available for Windows. Depending on what kind of soundcard you have, I don't know if the latency would be reasonable or not... but my guess is it would be fine for something this simple.

I'm sure something as basic as a tape recorder could suffice, too.

Tape recorder? whats one of those LOL

I have a laptop so i'll have a look around :D

cheers

... My pinky was not just weak it was stiff with arthritis. With practice it freed up and works fine now.

... I didn't start until I was nearly 58 (I'm now 60). Believe me, I was terrible when I started. Hands wouldn't work at all. I'm not terrible any more. Any age is fine. :D

I am so glad I checked into this forum today. Thanks for an encouraging post, Chris.

I am 58 and just starting (I did have lessons for a month in 2004 but family problems intervened). And I can feel a touch of arthritis in my left hand (and many other places too! :( ) .

I really want to learn to play but was beginning to feel it was a silly idea because I'm too old and I should start 'acting my age'. I was also concerned that fretting might make the arthritis worse.

Your post has motivated me because you've shown me it can be done. :D I'm going to print it out and keep it around as a reminder.

I just stretched my fretting hand from the nut and you can spread a full fret further than me. So be thankful you have that stretch. :shock:

Oh, and just to add - i am NO WHERE near close to being able to play ANY songs :(

Fortunately, that's not true.

You can learn a song in few minutes. The trick is which song. :D

I think we all start out with a dream of ripping out something like Layla, or some cool bit of blues, or whatever - and that does take time! But the way to go is to find songs that suit your level. Again, we always seem to aim too high - and realistically we aren't going to able to match something that was played by several musicians in a band with a heap of expensive gear and a recording engineer behind them - even if the chords look easy. But we can play simple traditional songs - they just aren't all that cool... :roll:

When I started out I was happy to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (if it was good enough for Mozart, it's good enough for me... :wink: ) but not everybody feels that way. But there's another very simple song that pretty much everybody knows, and can actually use. It's Happy Birthday to You. I expect you're already well past this stage, but I'll put it here for anybody else starting out. And also because, to be honest, it's worth knowing at any stage. It's a handy song, even for a working band to know.

It doesn't take long to work out how to play it up and down a single string -and it's good practice to work it out. Later you can work out how to play it across several strings in a more efficient way. Later again you can work out some chords or maybe do a Hendrix style version of it (like he did with Star Spangled Banner). It's a simple tune that you can get started on very early on, but which you can keep improving more or less indefinitely, and even cool dudes won't mind you playing it on their day. 8) It's also a good song to start working on your singing. You're going to want to sing alongside your playing at some stage anyway, so the earlier you get into the habit the better. And that's an easy one that you can probably sing roughly already.

Here's a start:

G string open = 0, then it's fret numbers along the G string. (It will work on any string, so if that doesn't suit your voice range, try the same frets on another string.)

0, 0, 2, 0, 5, 4

0, 0, 2, 0, 7, 5,

0, 0, 12, 9 Ok you take over from there... :wink:

Cheers,

Chris

I really want to learn to play but was beginning to feel it was a silly idea because I'm too old and I should start 'acting my age'. I was also concerned that fretting might make the arthritis worse.

Your post has motivated me because you've shown me it can be done. :D

That's great to hear. :D

This is an excellent place to come and get friendly assistance, because there's such a wide spread of ages and experience here, and everybody seems happy to chip in and help. But if there's any other way I can help just send me a PM.

In the meantime you could start on Happy Birthday as I outlined above. Two more years and you'll be needing to be able to play it really well at the 60th bash! :P

Good luck.

Chris

Hey, don't worry. If you don't think you're able to play chords (which you ARE, btw, it just takes lots o' practice) you could just play like this guy:

http://www.glumbert.com/media/mckee

Chords are over-rated! (evidently)... and so is using a pick.

haha

:)

Dean J.

Just got home from practice. After seeing that, I want to chuck my guitar. That was AMAZING! Can anyone here on the forums tell us why that works. My logical mind says you can't do that. What the heck is he playing? :shock:

why it works?

I guess it's because he's pretty good.

:wink:

You should see the rest of his stuff on his website.

Sorry, it wasn't posted to discourage anyone. Just to expand horizons, I suppose. Don't you let it backfire on me, now!

Happened by chance to pick up this thread, am I glad I did. Been playing ??? for a couple of months, going through chord transition, just the basic chords, slow going but I'll get there. The reason for this post is that I was asked to do something called a 'Caterpillar', with fingers starting on the 6th E string, 1st finger fret 5, 2nd finger 6th fret, 3rd finger 7th fret, and 4th pinkie 8th fret, you progressively move each finger independently to the next string same frets until you reach 1st E string, then back again. I cannot for any money, bar breaking a finger or two fit one finger per fret, has really been getting to me, hence my reason for this post. I would like to thank all the guys and gals out there for their responses to similar dilemmas, shows there is light at the end of the tunnel, slowly does it, just shows the forum works.
I have read from quite a few posts that people have been encouraged to do exercises by their tutor, could somebody tell me what these are, NOT the 'Caterpillar'.

Happened by chance to pick up this thread, am I glad I did. Been playing ??? for a couple of months, going through chord transition, just the basic chords, slow going but I'll get there. The reason for this post is that I was asked to do something called a 'Caterpillar', with fingers starting on the 6th E string, 1st finger fret 5, 2nd finger 6th fret, 3rd finger 7th fret, and 4th pinkie 8th fret, you progressively move each finger independently to the next string same frets until you reach 1st E string, then back again. I cannot for any money, bar breaking a finger or two fit one finger per fret, has really been getting to me, hence my reason for this post. I would like to thank all the guys and gals out there for their responses to similar dilemmas, shows there is light at the end of the tunnel, slowly does it, just shows the forum works.
I have read from quite a few posts that people have been encouraged to do exercises by their tutor, could somebody tell me what these are, NOT the 'Caterpillar'.

Start higher up the fret board and have your thumb pointing vertically behind it - it will make it easier.

perhaps start at the 10th fret, as the frets are narrower, then when you're happier, move down a fret. this is what i am going to do, as i cant start at the 5th fret myself.

Thanks Mike, i am glad it is not only me. Main problem is my 4th finger, it's the first time I have found a use for it, and it failed. I shall give your advice a go over the next week. At the end of the day there are no short cuts, just practice infinitum.

Thanks Mike, i am glad it is not only me. Main problem is my 4th finger, it's the first time I have found a use for it, and it failed. I shall give your advice a go over the next week. At the end of the day there are no short cuts, just practice infinitum.

Im afraid so..

And actually, I can do a 5 6 7 8 stretch and and a 1 2 3 4 stretch for this exercise..

However, I couldnt do one before, so you will be able to - As you say, Practice Practice! If you cant start at the 10th fret, start at the 12th and so on - its just getting your finger used to it.

Listen to me eh, giving advice when I too was low in confidence - note the was.. i had a good weekend with the guitar :)

Hi Mike

Just been trying the 12th 13th 14th and 15th, for half an hour, hopefully will get there. When I form my fingers into a 'claw like' shape, my 1st and 4th finger bend inwardly, was this an experience you had? or is it just me?
Thanks for the kind words of encouragement, I look forward to being in an enviable position of giving the same myself.
I'll let you know if I see any improvement by the weekend.

Hi Mike

Just been trying the 12th 13th 14th and 15th, for half an hour, hopefully will get there. When I form my fingers into a 'claw like' shape, my 1st and 4th finger bend inwardly, was this an experience you had? or is it just me?
Thanks for the kind words of encouragement, I look forward to being in an enviable position of giving the same myself.
I'll let you know if I see any improvement by the weekend.

That is natural as you're stretching the gaps between your fingers. look at your hand and do it to your face and you will see - it does shorten the stretch, but you will be fine (im positive :))