[Sticky] --> Share things you've learned about guitar

This is all good stuff. Anybody want to put it into a top ten. Then a ten to twenty list for us beginers. We need to start somewhere.

Yea, that would be a good project for some of the "big dogs" to do one day. Submit to one another their top 10 or 20 (maybe in order) and decide what us noobs should have been doing.

Couple of things I've recently learned - or at least, thought about for the first time;

1 - Don't be frightened to try something new - fear of failure is actually worse than failure. So you get it wrong first time out - so what? You'll get it right eventually, so the sooner you try it, the sooner you'll succeed.

2 - Go back and try things you've been unable to manage before. (Kind of a corollary to #1) You might be able to do them now - you've got more experience, and they might not seem so unattainable after all.

3 - Most people practise what they're already good at. Make a little time to practise the things you're weak on - they're the things you NEED to practise!

:D :D :D

Vic

Do NOT pick your calluses' off, no matter how fun it may seem at the time.

You will regret it the next time your pick up the guitar :evil: :D

a few things that i can add:

- do not overlook the warm-up excercises like playing some easy scales (Am pentatonic is my fave one) or the one fret /one finger excercise. I have noticed that sometimes just five minutes are enough to warm yourself up and obtain better results in your sessions
- play with metronome as often as you can. Ok it is not exciting at all but I can assure you that if you do it regurarly it really improve your playing: 30 minutes with metronome are better than 2 hours alongside a cd;
- don't learn too many things simultaneously because you can not learn all of them properly. I.e. it is just a mere three weeks ago that I noticed that, no matter howe many times I read about it, I never really used the number one tip for the strumming guitarist (to strum open strings in the half-beat before chord changes). Now I'm doing it and my chord changes are a lot better. In a nut it is better to learn a thing at a time than to learn three unproperly;
- don't be too harsh in judging yourself. I'm far from being the guitarist I wish to be, but it is undeniable that my playing is a lot more consistent than say 6 months ago (not to mention 2 years ago)

cheers and good guitar playing to everyone

Matteo

A few other pointers:
* Hum while you strum. It'll make singing and playing easier eventually.

That does help. If you're just starting out like me, start doing that.

And the one about it not being a race is so true because there is no finish. If you have a friend you know is better dont go and learn every song he knows - perfect the one you want to learn and relax.

I'm 37 years old and thought I was just to old to start playing. I got a guitar for my 36th birthday and tried to play for about 9 months I had 2 different instructors (both flaked out on me about 2 mo. in :( ) I learned several scales, power chords & basic chords. Without a reliable instructor I just kinda gave up. Recently my son-in-law bought a new guitar and amp and brought it over. That re-ignited the guitar flame, but I was still feeling like I was too old to be any good at it. I started searching for "easy" guitar songs that's how I found this INCREDIBLE site. I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to this thread. After reading this thread (yes, I read every page)(I'm at work can't practice might as well read) I realise that I'm not too old to do this. So thanks to everyone for giving me the confidence to keep going. Keep up this great community. I'm looking forward to being a part of it. :D

After reading this thread (yes, I read every page)(I'm at work can't practice might as well read) I realise that I'm not too old to do this.

Pretty young, compared to a lot of us who picked the guitar up in our mid-40's......welcome to GN, and keep on enjoying the guitar!

:D :D :D

Vic

I was watching a Joe Satriani concert on DVD, and I found myself thinking, "Boy, I'd like to be able to play like Joe Satriani."

Then I had an amazing thought: Why would I want to do that? All I could do then would be to imitate Joe Satriani. What I should really want should be to be able to play like myself.

If you think about that for a while, it really makes sense.

8)

i often switch my sig around depending on my mood, and one i oft like to use hits this nail on the head. I'm paraphrasing here, but it's attributed to Willie Dixon and it goes...
"A bad rendition of you is better than a good rendition of somebody else."

I was watching a Joe Satriani concert on DVD, and I found myself thinking, "Boy, I'd like to be able to play like Joe Satriani."

Then I had an amazing thought: Why would I want to do that? All I could do then would be to imitate Joe Satriani. What I should really want should be to be able to play like myself.

If you think about that for a while, it really makes sense.

8)

Very true. What you REALLY want is for someone to say, "Boy, I'd like to be able to play like that fredramsey!" I know what you mean, though - it'd be nice to have the technical prowess of a Satriani or EVH or Vai or Blackmore, but to be able to do it in YOUR own inimitable style.....

Ah well, there's always tomorrow..........

:D :D :D

Vic

I started getting control of my thump pick. Then I was working on a sequence D2- D - Dsus. As I slowed down to get the timing right I noticed I was doing hammer ons and pull offs.

Always tell people that you suck no matter how good you get.

LOL..... Ain't it the truth !

Keith

Isn't that implied? LOL. Just kiddin'. :D

I not only say it, I can prove it!

(But I'm a tiny little, teensy weensy bit better now than I was last Tuesday...)

Best,

Ande

Good tips, just that regarding the equipment not everybody can afford spending much money on it. Get the guitar you can afford, well, a bit too generic, even if I get the point ;-)