Hints and tips for guitar beginner

[jkartik]

Sounds like the guitar has a really high action, that with the lack of a cutaway can make it tough to play rock/blues scales.

You don't need to learn the basics on an acoustic before you switch to an electric. If anything, an electric is easier to play and much more forgiving for sloppy guitar play

true. but its not all THAT easy as people make it out to be. you gotta be careful with the distortion. even if your pinky hits the unwanted string, your in for an embarrassing moment.

acoustic is more forgiving in this regard.

am of the opinion that if i can play it properly on such a cheap guitar, then switching back and forth from electric to acoustic wont be that big a concern..

jkartik added 3 Minutes and 58 Seconds later...

You sure?? The A380 is a pretty big plane! One of the basic requirements of Gypsy Jazz is strong rhythm playing. This means being able to implement quite tricky chord changes at high speed: some Gypsy Jazz numbers are 300 bpm. I practice chord changes with a metronome. The idea is to change a chord on each beat. Once into gear I can succesfully change chords at those speeds consistently: has taken me two years of solid daily practice though.

wow!! i honestly dont see myself practicing chords daily for 2 years.....

btw, how long have ya been playing the guitar ?

 

[MasterBlaster76]

true. but its not all THAT easy as people make it out to be. you gotta be careful with the distortion. even if your pinky hits the unwanted string, your in for an embarrassing moment.

acoustic is more forgiving in this regard.

am of the opinion that if i can play it properly on such a cheap guitar, then switching back and forth from electric to acoustic wont be that big a concern..

jkartik added 3 Minutes and 58 Seconds later...

wow!! i honestly dont see myself practicing chords daily for 2 years.....

btw, how long have ya been playing the guitar ?

300bpm is bloody fast though, eh? There are many songs I'm sure that don't require anywhere near changes that fast.

 

[jkartik]

300bpm is bloody fast though, eh? There are many songs I'm sure that don't require anywhere near changes that fast.

300 BPM is CRAZY!!
you gotta be stoned to play that fast....and getting high is legal where dutchad lives.

my ultimate goal is to play as fast as Joe Satriani and to be able to compose like the genius, the virtuoso Jimmy page. :hpraise

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Dutch, I'd be most interested to see a video of someone changing chords at 300bpm!!

MasterBlaster76 added 2 Minutes and 40 Seconds later...

true. but its not all THAT easy as people make it out to be. you gotta be careful with the distortion. even if your pinky hits the unwanted string, your in for an embarrassing moment.

acoustic is more forgiving in this regard.

That's true - I've had occasions where my pinky hits the wrong string and there's this little ping/whine sound, which is probably translated into a raucous screech on an electric?

So, how does someone change from clean playing to distortion - does it involve those little knobs on the guitar body? (I know diddly squat about how electric guitars work. )

 

[Simbazz]

Those "little nobs on the guitar," do, to a point, do a bit of distortion but its very little compared to what a good amp can do, and a pedal if you're so inclined.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

I'm beginning to get the hang of the F chord now. To help with changes, I've devised an exercise where I play a chord, any chord, but the following chord is always the F.

 

[Dutch]

300bmp is very fast and very hard to do well! the chord changes are quite do-able for me now but playing 8th or even 16th notes consistently well at that speed is still out of my reach for now: have a look at this player. He is called Stochello Rosenberg and he plays gypsy jazz on the kind of guitar I have. the rhythm player is Nousche Rosenberg, a cousin. They are the best in the world at what they do: takes a little while to get going but try and see it all the way through. This is what I am trying to achieve!!! The clarity of the picture isn't great but the sound makes up for it!

YouTube - The Rosenberg Trio "Les Yeux Noirs"

This other version is a little clearer!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAj8i7Le5lU

 

[MasterBlaster76]

That is just amazing! So, that's what Gypsy Jazz is - I like!

 

[pcfan123]

Steve sounds like your in need of a distortion pedal. You can get a decent one for about 30-40 bucks (not sure what it would be in pounds)

 

[Dutch]

Steve sounds like your in need of a distortion pedal. You can get a decent one for about 30-40 bucks (not sure what it would be in pounds)

Better still get a dgital master pedal: 100's of different sounds and possibilities in one small pedal!!! For about the same price too.

dutchad added 4 Minutes and 23 Seconds later...

That is just amazing! So, that's what Gypsy Jazz is - I like!

Notice how the rhythm player uses his thumb on the sixth string to play many of the chords: traditional thing for these gypsy players to do.

 

[pcfan123]

Ah yes and most usually even have a metronome and drum machine in them. I have a really nice one that has been collecting dust for a few years now. Too bad our voltage is different otherwise I would pop in the mail for you right away. I don't ever plan on using it again, that would require buying a guitar and amp!

 

[Dutch]

Ah yes and most usually even have a metronome and drum machine in them. I have a really nice one that has been collecting dust for a few years now. Too bad our voltage is different otherwise I would pop in the mail for you right away. I don't ever plan on using it again, that would require buying a guitar and amp!

Yeah exactly! I used to practice with the drum beat going and producing wicked sounds! Nice days! My favourite was Vox Wah-wah, or something: it made your guitar sound like someone using their voice to produce the notes.

 

[pcfan123]

Forget Wah, if you want to make your guitar talk then get the Talk Box! A little Frampton action

Hmarka added 1 Minutes and 9 Seconds later...

 

[Dutch]

Ha ha! Never heard that one before! Good stuff.

 

[jkartik]

@hmarka - how long did ya play the guitar before switching to piano ?