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Noodlers, What Do You Start Off With?

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(@rparker)
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Joined: 20 years ago
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Topic starter  

The scene. You sit down, get comfy and see the guitar right there on it's stand. For no known reason, you pick it up and just start noodling. What do typically do first? Finger around your favorite scale? Wail away at your favorite solo (or the only one you can remember?).

I'll go first. I always, always strike the D chord first. No clue why. After I hit the submit button, I'm going to purposefully hit a different one. The E chord.

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


   
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(@vic-lewis-vl)
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G string at the 9th fret - it's my starting point for a 12-bar blues in E.

I don't know why, either - especially considering I very rarely play in the key of E! Just seems as if my middle finger's magnetically attracted to that particular starting point.

After I hit submit, I'm going to use the B string, 10th fret, as a starting point for a 12-bar blues in A.......just to be different.

: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.)


   
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(@katmetal)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 726
 

For me, it depends on what I am intending to play; If I am in a rock/metal mood with a lot of distortion, I usually (forcefully) strum an E power chord. Although here lately, it is a D power chord with all these bands drop tuning. 8) It kinda sets the mood for me.

If I am playing my Pedal Steel guitar, I might start with a 5,6,8 grip, (strings) on pedals & do a slide run with a LKR (left knee lever right) for a 7th chord slide. Don't know why I do that; maybe because so many of the songs I used to play started with an into or bridge using that run.

I know that sounds kinda "techy", but any steel guitarists reading this will understand it! I also find myself starting off with some speed picking/chromatic runs/fills/licks at times as well. I used to really enjoy the speed picking stuff - Paul Franklin/Jimmy Crawford/Terry Bethal, & others, but for the last several years I have really gotten into the slow crying stuff, kinda like the John Hughey/Vince Gill sound.

I know, those are some real extremes - Rock/Metal to Country Gospel...Oh well, I guess I can't make up my mind what direction to go in...or maybe I get bored easily! :lol:

Nice topic, rparker - I like to hear what others are up to & how they approach the instrument.


   
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(@ignar-hillstrom)
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Joined: 21 years ago
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After I hit submit, I'm going to use the B string, 10th fret, as a starting point for a 12-bar blues in A.......just to be different.

oooh, you rebel! :D


   
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(@shadyharrison)
Reputable Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 279
 

F#m- followed after a bar by B (repeat x3)- opening bars of "My Sweet Lord". Still considering learning "Fishing in the Dark", but I get heebie-jeebies about anything other than standard tuning now after having broken two strings coming back up from various D tunings. :)

Take care,

Casey


   
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 KR2
(@kr2)
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Start of with strumming to a C chord then G, C, Am, F, C, G, G . . . repeat a few times . . .
. . . . and then I'm ready to play Classical Gas . . . .
. . . only I can't.

KR2

It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.


   
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(@vic-lewis-vl)
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Joined: 20 years ago
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After I hit submit, I'm going to use the B string, 10th fret, as a starting point for a 12-bar blues in A.......just to be different.

oooh, you rebel! :D

Yep, that's me. Tonight I started noodling and hit the B string on the 15th fret - hey, you know what they say about variety. Tomorrow I think I'll go for an E7(#9) chord just to spice things up - it might take me about 5 mins to get my fingers in the right place, but I'm going to go for it!

: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.)


   
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(@wes-inman)
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Great question really, because it is true, I almost always start playing slow blues licks in the key of A. Before it is over with, I play in almost every key, but I almost always start in A. :D

If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis


   
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(@rparker)
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Topic starter  

Wes, if I am going to tinker around with some single note, I go close to there first. I hit the middle root note of the Am pent scale. Goes to heck from there, but whatever. I should practice that more, but we're talking noodling here. :lol:

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


   
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(@trguitar)
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Believe it or not ... an Am arpeggio :shock:

"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --


   
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(@rparker)
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Topic starter  

Believe it or not ... an Am arpeggio :shock:

Hard to resist not playing House Of The Rising Sun from there?

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


   
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(@ricochet)
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Joined: 21 years ago
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I'd probably end up in "Summertime" from that.

Hmmm, I've got a new 8 string lap steel tuned in C6/Am7. HOTRS has to be in there somewhere.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."


   
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(@dogbite)
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Joined: 19 years ago
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for me I start with a G chord. especially if I have some distortion going. I let the chord sound out long and go into Powderfinger. but sometimes i start with a two note slide in E. the intro to the Stones "Last Time".

when I grab my uke I am in the key of C. I'll do a do re mi or do a deer scale then go off on a blues run, but end up playing Something by George Harrison, because it was the last thing I learned on the uke.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=644552
http://www.soundclick.com/couleerockinvaders


   
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(@rparker)
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Topic starter  

One additional thought. I was not really cognitive of the fact that I did so. It just kind of hit me. "Why do I start with a D every time?" was pretty much the initial thought when I realized it. I guess G sounds like a more logical chord to start with. I normlly don't pickup the fact that I'm out of tune until I play a G....the third chord in the song I'm most likely to belt into from a D.

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


   
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(@trguitar)
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Believe it or not ... an Am arpeggio :shock:

Hard to resist not playing House Of The Rising Sun from there?
Ummm ...... noooooo ......... sweep picking. :? :lol:

"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --


   
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