Hey! My names Olivia and I live in Melbourne, Australia (greatest city in the world? Yes). I just turned 18 and I started playing (and I use the term 'playing' very loosely, it's more like destroying music for everyone in my house :oops: ) for about a month or two ago. Just teaching myself off the internet, saving to travel not for a teacher. My guitar is...actually I have no idea, I think it's a Yamaha, but it's at least 20 years old, just found it lying around the house. I can do a few songs so far - American Pie, Angel from Montgomery, and then just a few lines of others. I'm doing my last year of high school now, so I don't have that much time to dedicate to practice, though the time I do practice I really should be doing homework. ANYWAY. I have a few question, hopefully someone can help me!
1. What the hell are pull ons and flick offs? :?
2. What is 'alternative picking'? Like finger picking? Different? And similarly, how does finger picking work? Is it like strumming without a pick, or picking the strings differently? :?:
3. How does the tabs on the internet work? Like, what exactly does this mean?
|--3--|--2--|--3--|--3--|-----|--3--|--3--|
|--3--|--3--|--3--|--3--|--3--|--3--|--3--|
|--0--|--2--|--0--|-----|--2--|-----|--0--|
|--0--|--0--|--2--|-----|--2--|-----|--2--|
|--2--|-----|--3--|-----|--0--|--2--|--2--|
|--3--|-----|-----|--2--|-----|-----|--0--|
and this
G/F#/E
E A
E A
E A
G C
D C
C E
C G
D A/B/G
Does A/B/G mean play those three in quick succession or is it it's own chord, or something else completely?
Thanks, for any help you can give, assuming anyone can be bothered to finish this essay :P
Hi Olivia, and welcome to GN! 8)
I'll try to answer your questions the best I can.
#1 - I think you mean "hammer-ons" & pull-offs". A Hammer-on is when you have already played a note, (say with your index finger), you hold that note, and sound the next note of higher pitch by hammering on, (or hitting the next note really hard), to the next fret with your finger, (say your ring finger). A pull-off is when you have played a higher note, (say with your ring finger), and you also finger a lower note, (say with your index finger), and you pull off from the higher note & kind give the string a little pinch as you pull off of the higher note to sound the lower pitched note.
Found a video on youtube: Hammer On & Pull Off Lesson
#2 - there are a lot of different ways to pick notes. Finger picking is when you use your fingers to pick individual notes, (think of the song "dust in the wind" by Kansas).
#3 - read each column straight down. - ex. 1st column is a G chord, you play 1st string (low E) 3rd fret, 2nd string 2nd fret, 3rd & 4th strings open, 5th & 6th strings 3rd frets. 2nd column is a D chord, etc. (Imagine you have turned the neck of your guitar flat on you lap; the bottom line is closest to you). The last part of your question I would have to assume that you are correct.
Hope that helps. Good luck. :D
"The only way I know that guarantees no mistakes is not to play and that's simply not an option". David Hodge
Thanks heaps, that video was great!
Welcome to GN!
#4491....
