Hello All....
Have finally bought myself an electric guitar after years of telling myself I couldnt do it. I am so excited about the prospect of learning and would like advice regarding where is best to start. I am under no illusion that I will be banging out Knopfler solos within a week, I am in this for the long haul and would really appreciate any tips.
Thanks in advance
Congratulations! You're about to begin a great adventure.
You might start with the Absolute Beginner Lessons on this site.
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
Good for you! There's no such word as "can't" - only CAN, and WILL! Years ago, I used to think, "I'll never be able to play like that......" - well OK, I still can't rip out lightning fast solos, but my rhythm playing's improved a hell of a lot, and the more I play, the more it keeps getting better.
Determination, and the will to overcome obstacles, is half the battle - you'll be looking back in a year or so and wondering why you ever thought barre chords were hard, or why the heck you couldn't play such-and-such a riff....it all takes time. Time, hard work, and determination....if you've got them, you WILL succeed!
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
Best of luck on your new found journey! I am sure you will have a lifetime of fun with your new friend!
Teamwork- A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction.
Hi there! Nice to see you decided to finally go through with it. I'll just share a few things that I find are important.
- Have fun. It's a hobby, not a job. Even if it's a job it still has to remain fun, or you'll just lose your will. It's important to just keep going at something if it doesn't work, but don't burn yourself out. Enjoy what you're doing and do the things you like and you'll eventually get there. If you just keep doing "boring" technical exercises (if you find that boring, that is) you'll just lose your will to play, and quit.
- You're making music, not doing math. You don't have to be an awesome guitar player to put feeling into it, you can do it from day one. If everything was about playing everything perfectly as the record/whatever, we'd just have a computer play it. Play it as fast as you like, just improvise a bit every now and then, do what sounds good to you. Never forget that whatever you are playing has feeling in it, and you just have to let it come out.
- Relax. You can't force yourself to become better, it just happens. If you're going at something for too long (you'll know when), just take a break. After the break you might get it right after a single try. Relaxing will affect a lot, and it's also very important to learn how to do it if you're going to be playing for audiences. It'll also become a lot more enjoyable (1.) and you'll be able to make it sound a lot better (2.).
Thankyou to everyone that has taken the time to give me some much needed advice lol. This site is by far the best I have found, there are no egos and help is always on hand. Have just purchased my Amp so it's time to practice!!
Cheers
Welcome to the boards. I'm a semi-newbie myself. Been playing seriously(ish) for 2-3 years. Had tried many times before, and not really got anywhere. This time, making okay progress. This board, and all the great helpful folks on it, are a big contributing factor.
One important piece of newbie to newbie advice. Practice as regularly as you can. 30 minutes a day beats heck out of 8 hours on a Sunday.
BUT when something interrupts your practice for a while, as it surely will, don't beat yourself up. Whether you've missed a day or a month of practice, don't sweat- just pick up the guitar again! Don't start sweating over how much ground you've lost, don't berate yourself for being a bad person, just pick it up and start playing. (This happens to me. Happens to most. Pick up your guitar.)
And welcome to a world of pleasure and music,
Ande
