Anyone mastered the guitar on here?

[Phil1]

My mrs says I’m a great strummer, always thought it strange as I done own a guitar..

 

[NZBlue]

Can you explain "plays well", "nicely" please?

You don't want to be fighting it. If the action is too high for example then you will just get frustrated. Equally if it is so low that it is buzzing then you will also be on a hiding to nothing. A good setup can turn a horror to play into a pleasure and it is worth finding a good local guitar tech who can cast an eye over your guitar and make some improvements to its playability. It shouldn't cost a fortune but can make a massive difference.

Most guitars come from the factory with an action that is higher than it should be. It allows them to be set up to suit their new owners. You might prefer light strings and they ship with heavy or vice versa and changing these will usually need a truss rod tweak to adjust the relief (note I said relief, if anyone says they will alter your action by adjusting the truss rod run a mile!). Nut slots are typically a little shallower than ideal which will make it harder to play chords in the 1st position, exactly where you will be spending all your time as a beginner. Saddle height is something else they can look at but that makes more difference higher up the neck. Sometimes the neck simply is at the wrong angle and it needs to be completely reset. Again a good tech can advise you.

This should give you a good idea of what is involved. It is for an electric but the concepts hold true for acoustics too.



The other thing is it should be comfortable for you. You might be better with a shorter scale or a longer scale depending on your body size and shape- guitar bodies vary dramatically too- I much prefer a smaller 000/OM size to a Dreadnaught, it is much more comfortable for me. I also love guitars where the body meets the neck at the 12th fret rather than the usual 14th. It changes both the sound and the ergonomics of the whole thing.

You don't say if you have an electric or acoustic but different makes and styles have different neck profiles so don't be afraid to try as many as possible. There is no such thing as wrong or right, but there is right for you.

All these things can make the difference between you fighting it, so it is not playing nicely, or just being your friend that you always look forward to picking up. It's worth getting these basics right to get you on the right track at the beginning. As I said what make, what it looks like and even what it sounds like are really unimportant at the beginning.

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

Taylor Swift seems to get by.

She’s very talented but it also helps if your dad is a millionaire hedge fund manager.

 

[jim tolmies perm]

Still trying if I can be arsed to practise. I suppose I 've become good enough for my needs , playing live occasionally, recording. Always hated bar chords coz I don't have great upper arm shoulder strength so go for 4/5 string chords which give you more flexibility with solos, riffs and fills imo.Got a nice lightweight sleek Squire Fender Strat which is nice and easy to play, great action.
These days spend more time trying to improve my piano playing .... getting there bit by bit, maybe mellowing more with age ;)

 

[GaudinoMotors]

You don't want to be fighting it. If the action is too high for example then you will just get frustrated. Equally if it is so low that it is buzzing then you will also be on a hiding to nothing. A good setup can turn a horror to play into a pleasure and it is worth finding a good local guitar tech who can cast an eye over your guitar and make some improvements to its playability. It shouldn't cost a fortune but can make a massive difference.

Most guitars come from the factory with an action that is higher than it should be. It allows them to be set up to suit their new owners. You might prefer light strings and they ship with heavy or vice versa and changing these will usually need a truss rod tweak to adjust the relief (note I said relief, if anyone says they will alter your action by adjusting the truss rod run a mile!). Nut slots are typically a little shallower than ideal which will make it harder to play chords in the 1st position, exactly where you will be spending all your time as a beginner. Saddle height is something else they can look at but that makes more difference higher up the neck. Sometimes the neck simply is at the wrong angle and it needs to be completely reset. Again a good tech can advise you.

This should give you a good idea of what is involved. It is for an electric but the concepts hold true for acoustics too.



The other thing is it should be comfortable for you. You might be better with a shorter scale or a longer scale depending on your body size and shape- guitar bodies vary dramatically too- I much prefer a smaller 000/OM size to a Dreadnaught, it is much more comfortable for me. I also love guitars where the body meets the neck at the 12th fret rather than the usual 14th. It changes both the sound and the ergonomics of the whole thing.

You don't say if you have an electric or acoustic but different makes and styles have different neck profiles so don't be afraid to try as many as possible. There is no such thing as wrong or right, but there is right for you.

All these things can make the difference between you fighting it, so it is not playing nicely, or just being your friend that you always look forward to picking up. It's worth getting these basics right to get you on the right track at the beginning. As I said what make, what it looks like and even what it sounds like are really unimportant at the beginning.

Wow - that is so helpful and explains a lot - thank you.
Bought myself an expensive Martin elec/accoustic and I struggle to play it clean - a real effort - pressing like mad!.
Got a much cheaper accoustic one and it is so much easier to play.
My electric is a PRS and that's a joy to play - real easy.
The Martin though!! Like razor wire.
Thanks - any suggestions where to take the Martin to have the alterations made -
Forsyths? Ah - just seen NZ - I'll find somewhere.

Cheers.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

You can play a huge amount of songs by just knowing a handful of chords.

I played bass but music is one hell of a waste of time if you want to make real money.

If you're Status Quo you can build a whole career on it. And have hardcore fans like Pablo Zabaleta, which is pretty cool.

 

[Magicpole]

I tried acoustic in my early teens, but my Mum said in the nicest possible way that i was shit and she was trying to watch the TV, gave up after that.

When I started to play, I thought I was doing great, until my sister walked past my room, popped her her head in and informed me. “That doesn’t sound like anything.”

She should have become a motivational speaker.

She was right though. However, I never gave up as I am a stubborn twat, but I have never become even remotely good. Or anywhere near that.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

What's the name of that weird guitar that Jimmy Page plays slide on on “In my time of dying”? It sounds so bloody good, but I've never seen it anywhere else. Anyone on here own one?

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

When I started to play, I thought I was doing great, until my sister walked past my room, popped her her head in and informed me. “That doesn’t sound like anything.”

I would have chosen to take it as a compliment. Means you're not derivative.

 

[NZBlue]

Wow - that is so helpful and explains a lot - thank you.
Bought myself an expensive Martin elec/accoustic and I struggle to play it clean - a real effort - pressing like mad!.
Got a much cheaper accoustic one and it is so much easier to play.
My electric is a PRS and that's a joy to play - real easy.
The Martin though!! Like razor wire.
Thanks - any suggestions where to take the Martin to have the alterations made -
Forsyths? Ah - just seen NZ - I'll find somewhere.

Cheers.

No problem, which Martin do you have (I'm a big fan of them)