Hints and tips for guitar beginner

[MasterBlaster76]

Yeah not many people know it! I have taught many people and always do this kind of exercise with them. I play quite complicated jazz chords that require pretty tricky fingerings and stretches and very quick changes between chords and I always practice tricky chord sequences in this way. You just have to be patient. An advice that someone gave me that I have reallys stuck to is: if you want to do something well do it slowly!!!! Speed comes from accuracy and not through "being quick!"

It sounds like very good advice; my piano teacher always had me play a new piece slowly at first, hands separately, then hands together and always counting, so not only did I get the notes right, but the rythms as well. Thanks to that, I've got a good sense of the beat in the music without counting at all now.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

The trick is about where you place the thumb at the back. The thumb creeps up trying to compensate but it is ideal to have the pad of thumb on the back of the neck rather than let it creep over the edge towards you as it were. This gives the fingers more reach. Dont pay too much attention to all that is written over how you "should" do it. Everyone is different. There have been many, many guitarist of exceptional quality who have had a "wrong" technique and many guitarists with an exceptional technique who have been pretty average. If it works for you, it works. Tiredness in the limbs and fingers is all part of the fun, unless you are experiencing real pain you can push it a little. Real pain is a no-no; muscle fatigue a must!!

When you say muscle fatigue, do you mean in the upper arms and shoulders?
And, I've read several reviews of my guitar saying that it has the quality of a much more expensive instrument - would you agree (if you've played one)?
Either way, it sounds pretty damn good to me. One other thing, I've discovered that if I play the strings close to the bridge as opposed to over the soundhole, I get a much more 'twangy' sound - almost like an electric guitar. Not that I do that often (I'm consciously trying to avoid bad habits), but that sound might come in handy in certain types of music...

My fingertips are sore now, but I've also noticed that the skin is hardening as well, so according to what I've been reading, the discomfort when pressing down on the strings should start to reduce in the next two weeks or so.

 

[Dutch]

When you say muscle fatigue, do you mean in the upper arms and shoulders?
And, I've read several reviews of my guitar saying that it has the quality of a much more expensive instrument - would you agree (if you've played one)?
Either way, it sounds pretty damn good to me. One other thing, I've discovered that if I play the strings close to the bridge as opposed to over the sound hole, I get a much more 'twangy' sound - almost like an electric guitar. Not that I do that often (I'm consciously trying to avoid bad habits), but that sound might come in handy in certain types of music...

My fingertips are sore now, but I've also noticed that the skin is hardening as well, so according to what I've been reading, the discomfort when pressing down on the strings should start to reduce in the next two weeks or so.

The trick is is to relax the arm as much a possible. because you really "want" to, the rest of the arm tenses trying to get the positions and press the strings. Good practice is just to shake out the arm every now and then and stretch. If it really hurts you need to be careful. You can seriously strain a wrong muscle or worse. Take your time, take it seriously. But on the other hand muscle fatigue will always be there. Especially because when learning you;

a. use muscles you don't normally use
b. use the wrong muscles!!

It's like writing with the "wrong" pen-grip. Instead of the thumb and fingers the whole arm becomes involved trying to grip the darn thing!

Another excellent exercise is to take a chord you can play easily, maybe a minor, put you fingers in position and then "force" yourself to really relax the hand and arm and still get a clear sound: release again, place, relax, release, place, relax!

You can also do the following to help your fingers become more independent of each other and of the arm as it were:

Place all four fingers one after the other on the fifth fret of the third string; so your index finger is on the fifth fret, your middle finger on the sixth fret of the same string etcetera. Now whilst you leave your other three fingers exactly in place you move your index finger to the fifth fret of the 4th string, back to 3rd, to the second string, back to third. Get it? Then you place all your fingers at the starting position and do the same with your middle finger, and the other fingers. after a time you can then stretch to the next strings (5th and 1st etcetera.)

If you don't quite get this exercise let me know. You don't need to play the strings (you wont get any sound as the other fingers are in the way anyway!) but this will really help a lot if you have the patience to do it for a couple of minutes before every practice session!
The guitar you have will have a really nice sound to it. You can indeed get different qualities of sound by playing either side of the sound-hole.

Good luck!

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Thanks Dutch, you've been very helpful. Did you ever play professionally?

 

[Dutch]

Thanks Dutch, you've been very helpful. Did you ever play professionally?

Semi-professionally to be honest. I have also taught quite a few people and I have played various kinds of music in various set-ups. at the moment i am in a Gypsy Jazz band which is a lot of fun.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

The trick is is to relax the arm as much a possible. because you really "want" to, the rest of the arm tenses trying to get the positions and press the strings. Good practice is just to shake out the arm every now and then and stretch. If it really hurts you need to be careful. You can seriously strain a wrong muscle or worse. Take your time, take it seriously. But on the other hand muscle fatigue will always be there. Especially because when learning you;

a. use muscles you don't normally use
b. use the wrong muscles!!

It's like writing with the "wrong" pen-grip. Instead of the thumb and fingers the whole arm becomes involved trying to grip the darn thing!

Another excellent exercise is to take a chord you can play easily, maybe a minor, put you fingers in position and then "force" yourself to really relax the hand and arm and still get a clear sound: release again, place, relax, release, place, relax!

You can also do the following to help your fingers become more independent of each other and of the arm as it were:

Place all four fingers one after the other on the fifth fret of the third string; so your index finger is on the fifth fret, your middle finger on the sixth fret of the same string etcetera. Now whilst you leave your other three fingers exactly in place you move your index finger to the fifth fret of the 4th string, back to 3rd, to the second string, back to third. Get it? Then you place all your fingers at the starting position and do the same with your middle finger, and the other fingers. after a time you can then stretch to the next strings (5th and 1st etcetera.)

If you don't quite get this exercise let me know. You don't need to play the strings (you wont get any sound as the other fingers are in the way anyway!) but this will really help a lot if you have the patience to do it for a couple of minutes before every practice session!
The guitar you have will have a really nice sound to it. You can indeed get different qualities of sound by playing either side of the sound-hole.

Good luck!

Thanks, Dutch; I understand the exercise completely. It reminds me of the finger lifting exercises I was given by my piano teacher. So, how many times should I do that for each finger? Or should I just do it for two minutes before starting the session?

Also, I could really use a coherent, structured practice schedule. I don't, of course, expect you to write one out for me (!) but if you know of any sites that will have what I need, let me know! Thanks again.

 

[Dutch]

Thanks, Dutch; I understand the exercise completely. It reminds me of the finger lifting exercises I was given by my piano teacher. So, how many times should I do that for each finger? Or should I just do it for two minutes before starting the session?

Also, I could really use a coherent, structured practice schedule. I don't, of course, expect you to write one out for me (!) but if you know of any sites that will have what I need, let me know! Thanks again.

Cool! Just do it for a few minutes as a warm-up exercise. A great site is: Andreas Obergs site. Yes it will cost you a bit of money (nothing compared to three months of guitar lessons!) and he starts off from basic to more advanced to very advanced in all kinds of genres. Could be worth a look. Here is the link:

Andreas Guitar Universe |

Whatever you do, play daily, even if it is just five minutes. And don't discount the benefit of just sitting in front of the TV and noodling away on the guitar!!! Everyday for 20 minutes is better than twice a week for an hour!!!

 

[MasterBlaster76]

My guitar came with something that looks like an Allen key

What the heck's that for?

 

[Dutch]

My guitar came with something that looks like an Allen key

What the heck's that for?

Tightening the neck. Dont worry about it. Only ever let someone who knows what their doing tighten the neck. You shouldn't need to go near it!! If you dont have an expert its like asking your neighbours second cousin's sisters friend to perform brain surgery on your mum wearing oven gloves!

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Tightening the neck. Dont worry about it. Only ever let someone who knows what their doing tighten the neck. You shouldn't need to go near it!! If you dont have an expert its like asking your neighbours second cousin's sisters friend to perform brain surgery on your mum wearing oven gloves!

Ah. That would be a 'bad thing', wouldn't it? :laugh Why didn't they give me a tuning fork instead? Never mind, I don't think it'll be that long before I can do that by ear - I know exactly what it should sound like on the piano and guitar. I think I've got a fairly decent ear.

Dutch, when it comes to cleaning the strings after playing, what's the best thing to use: just a dry cloth? Is this guy:

How to Clean Guitar Strings: How to Change Guitar Strings | eHow.com

using a bit too much force to clean them? He mentions doing it without pulling them, yet look how he's pulling that low E!

 

[Dutch]

Mmmm, he will end up having to re-tune his guitar every time like that! Absolutely not necessary. If you clean your strings every time why do you need to scrub them madly like he is doing???? It is not as if they are going to get really filthy. He is probably just spreading one bit of muck to another part to be honest.

Strings don't get that dirty if you clean them every time.

It is an idea to wash your hands before playing. Particularly if you have just eaten. Fat and grease is the main cause of dirty strings and everything else sticks to that. Just take a cloth, one that is smooth, like a handkerchief or something, and wont leave all kinds of threads on the strings or frets, place it under all six strings and gently move it up and down. Then wipe the top of the strings: done. Don't use any kind of cleaner whatsoever!

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Thanks. I knew that it didn't look like something you should do to guitar strings!

 

[drainpipe32]

Super Duper Double Bubble Gum 'climbing'. Super Duper Double Bubble Gum 'climbing'. Super Duper Double Bubble Gum 'climbing'. Super Duper Double Bubble Gum 'climbing'. Super Duper Double Bubble Gum 'climbing'. *ultrasonic* Super Duper Double Bubble Gum 'climbing'. *ultrasonic*

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Super Duper Double Bubble Gum 'climbing'. Super Duper Double Bubble Gum 'climbing'. Super Duper Double Bubble Gum 'climbing'. Super Duper Double Bubble Gum 'climbing'. Super Duper Double Bubble Gum 'climbing'. *ultrasonic* Super Duper Double Bubble Gum 'climbing'. *ultrasonic*

Say what???

@Dutch: There's some rep in the post on its way to you.

I popped down the music shop again today - they said that they can do new strings and new pegs for the old guitar for less than ?20. Result! A lot cheaper than getting a new guitar and the guitar itself should sound as good as new, surely?

Also, regarding chords, I've found with the G Major for example, if I not only press the sixth string down, but also push it slightly higer on the fretboard, it creates enough clearance for the second string to sound without buzzing/muting. I'm not sure if that's a bad habit to get into or not, but it does make the chord easier to play consistently. I'm also thinking about guitar lessons, just once a month to 'touch base'.

 

[Dutch]

Say what???

@Dutch: There's some rep in the post on its way to you.

I popped down the music shop again today - they said that they can do new strings and new pegs for the old guitar for less than ?20. Result! A lot cheaper than getting a new guitar and the guitar itself should sound as good as new, surely?

It will sound pretty nice is my guess, as long as the fretboard is still pretty straight and the action (the height of the strings) is reasonable!! Go for it!