Imoshi, I can't add anything. It's pretty much been said. I just wanted to repeat the words of "don't give up". You've taken the first step of a long journey. Enjoy the ride.
Oh, and welcome back Chris.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
If it's any consolation, I've been playing rhythm guitar for four and a half years and I still can't play lead guitar. Why? I don't practice it. A kid having played just 3 weeks on lead guitar would be much better.
Whatever you do, DON'T QUIT! We're all out here rootin' for you. Print out this thread and read it every week or so. In a couple of months you'll read this and find you've gotten much better and you're more confident in your playing.
Almost all guitar players are just regular people. Literally it all boils down to slow/concentrated practice. Once you've put in hundreds or thousands of hours you will be much better. When we all started we wanted to learn everything fast. Find the quickest way to get good. We were told it's just amounts to practicing and we didn't like the answer. Now, after putting in hundreds or thousands of practice hours, we know the people who advised us back then were right... :idea:
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
Imoshi,
I registered here just now, if for nothing else than to respond and give you a little encouragement.
You see, I too am brand new. I bought my 1st guitar 6 days ago. This is my 1st foray into learning any kind of music.
When I walked into the store to buy a guitar. I couldn't form 1 chord, not one single chord. I couldn't (can't) read music.
I think the key to not getting discouraged early on is to focus on what you have learned in these last few weeks versus what you still cannot do.
So, I've owned a guitar for a whole 6 days. Well, what have I learned that I didn't know last week?
I know, and can finger my 1st few chords. G,C,D,A,E, Em; meaning that I no longer have to look at a chart to form the chords. Chord switching is still tough, and I find that my thumb placement is the biggest culprit. It tends to want to rest near the top of the neck. I've found that if I force my thumb more to the back of the neck, I don't buzz/mute strings as often. But it's not ingrained yet.
I know how a major scale is constructed and am starting to practice a few basic major scales.
I know that I need more structure that what I have, so I have my 1st guitar lesson scheduled for Tuesday.
I get frustrated too, but I try and look at my progress in little steps, one foot after another and before you know it you've walked a mile.
Cheers,
Landog
Duplicate post,
Sorry,
Landog
When I first started playing, I dug throug my cd collection and found songs with simple chord progresions. I then jumped online and found the chords (guitaretab.com is a good place to start). I learned the chords first but they sounded like crap so I began playing the cd and trying to mimick the strumming patterns and transitions of the song. Sounded great till I turned of the cd and tryed playing without the help of the stereo and it sounded like crap again, but better then before. Kept doing that over and over and over till i nailed it a week later then I thought I was elvis or somehting. I started with John Prine and Pink Floyds Darkside album. I never paid for lessons bcause I didnt want to pay heaps of cash to learn someone elses style, I wanted to do it the hard way and train myself by ear (and with the help of sites like this.) It doesn;t hurt to make friends with other guitar players either, you can always learn from someone who is nice enough to show you a couple of chops.
Hope I could help,
good luck
Ed
