Learning the Guitar

  • Thread starter Thread starter bluemc1
  • Start date Start date
Bill Walker said:
I gave one on one lessons for 20 odd years, so I'd say definitely yes. It will give you discipline.

But get a tutor who is pliable, I always asked my students what they wanted to play and taught them accordingly.
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Lol...I spent about 18 months, sometimes three nights a week, teaching (or rather trying to teach) a guy how to play Redemption song, I kid you not. It was all he wanted to learn. He was useless. He was happy to pay and keep it up...To be fair, he was a good laugh....Right up until the police burst in looking for firearms one night...Absolutely true! I also had a total beginner who just wanted to learn Mood For A Day...He managed it but I don't think he learned bugger all else from the experience...I did my part of the deal.
 
I had a woman coming to me for easily 4 fucking years, she literally never improved. She had no sense of timing and tone deaf. My wife said "she's after your body", I think it was her way of getting away from her husband for a couple of hours every week.
In the end she had twins and had to give up, I was relieved.
 
-dabz- said:
Lol...I spent about 18 months, sometimes three nights a week, teaching (or rather trying to teach) a guy how to play Redemption song, I kid you not. It was all he wanted to learn. He was useless. He was happy to pay and keep it up...To be fair, he was a good laugh....Right up until the police burst in looking for firearms one night...Absolutely true! I also had a total beginner who just wanted to learn Mood For A Day...He managed it but I don't think he learned bugger all else from the experience...I did my part of the deal.
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It really shouldn’t take anyone that long to learn redemption song!
 
Bill Walker said:
I had a woman coming to me for easily 4 fucking years, she literally never improved. She had no sense of timing and tone deaf. My wife said "she's after your body", I think it was her way of getting away from her husband for a couple of hours every week.
In the end she had twins and had to give up, I was relieved.
Click to expand...
Sounds like most of the people I've taught...The truth is, most people don't practice in between lessons...I've found that people have this weird attitude that somehow I'm gonna do all the work for them because they are paying me. I just give them the brush and paints, it's up to them whether they paint the fucking picture but they just don't get it. There is a lot of brain power involved, not just the sore fingers bit...I think that's where most people fail. I'm mostly self taught, but everything I've ever learned I've sussed out where it's place is in the scheme of things....Just listening and recognising stuff is a big part of it. Certain triplets are used by near enough any guitar player, all with subtle differences, but try as I might, most people can't seem to take it on board. If you want to learn a few chords, buy a book or go on You Tube... There was a thread on here years ago where I explained that if you learn just three or four chords played in the same sequence just with slight rhythmic differences, then you have the keys to thousands of songs...But people still think it is some great mystery...It ain't, you've just got to put the work in.
 
meltonblue said:
It really shouldn’t take anyone that long to learn redemption song!
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It did...I'll give you his name. Anyone who lived in Woodhouse Park Wythenshawe in the early eighties will deffo know Roy Hepburn....Rum fucker, but a top laugh... fingers like three kilo of Cumberland sausage and no sense of rhythm what whatsoever....
 
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-dabz- said:
It did...I'll give you his name. Anyone who lived in Woodhouse Park Wythenshawe in the early eighties will deffo know Roy Hepburn....Rum fucker, but top laugh...
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At least it was a good song (although I can’t imagine any song remaining good after that much repeat playing!)
 
Bill Walker said:
I gave one on one lessons for 20 odd years, so I'd say definitely yes. It will give you discipline.

But get a tutor who is pliable, I always asked my students what they wanted to play and taught them accordingly.
Click to expand...
Had a tutor that did exactly that for me. On a personal level, fantastic. All the guitar solos, slash's harmonics from the illusion albums, Randy Rhodes etc, I know them all.

For the technical side, I found I had to teach myself though. Probably because we ended up drinking beer and pissing around with different sounds, and I found out years later that it was because he assumed I was more advanced than I was at 13 because I had inadvertently picked up some techniques.

What I would have given for the fingerstyle techniques I know now, when I was in my 20s. Said every man ever.
 
bluetonium said:
Had a tutor that did exactly that for me. On a personal level, fantastic. All the guitar solos, slash's harmonics from the illusion albums, Randy Rhodes etc, I know them all.

For the technical side, I found I had to teach myself though. Probably because we ended up drinking beer and pissing around with different sounds, and I found out years later that it was because he assumed I was more advanced than I was at 13 because I had inadvertently picked up some techniques.

What I would have given for the fingerstyle techniques I know now, when I was in my 20s. Said every man ever.
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Kerpow!...You've nailed it there. If you want to really get into playing- technique is where it's at...Unless you just want a few Oasis tunes to impress your mates with...
 
Bill Walker said:
I had a woman coming to me for easily 4 fucking years, she literally never improved. She had no sense of timing and tone deaf. My wife said "she's after your body", I think it was her way of getting away from her husband for a couple of hours every week.
In the end she had twins and had to give up, I was relieved.
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Getting her pregnant was a bit extreme mate...:)
 
Ill add my advice.

Play everything you hear. Adverts, conversations, ambulances going by, sax solos, whitney houston vocals (as if you were writing what you wanted her to sing).

Find a way of doing it.

Either by slowing it down (which i can give you the software for) or by stop rewind play learn.

Come back next month and we will see if you really want to play guitar to the level of solo expression.
 
Plmokn said:
Ill add my advice.

Play everything you hear. Adverts, conversations, ambulances going by, sax solos, whitney houston vocals (as if you were writing what you wanted her to sing).

Find a way of doing it.

Either by slowing it down (which i can give you the software for) or by stop rewind play learn.

Come back next month and we will see if you really want to play guitar to the level of solo expression.
Click to expand...
Yep... that's how I learned...Stop rewind ad infinitum....Till you get your ear in.....Oh, and if you come from a large family, be prepared to be accused of wanking a lot when you have to resort to practising a lot in the bog...Any guitarist will tell you the acoustics in there are great....So will any wanker who seizes the opportunity to cover his sins with something more highbrow....
 
I've been off and on for a couple of years now. Frustrated to say the least, its slow going but hopefully persistence pays off I've managed most of the basic chords but it's the transitioning between them where I fall flat. A few months ago I paid £30 for a programme from an American guy called Taylor Dean Barnett (musicmatchr). Its helped me a lot already . Its all about muscle memory , I'm only on part 2 of the course but its focusing on transitioning between 2 sets of chords at a time (12 chords in total) its really beneficial the way he teaches it, 3 different speeds , once you've mastered the fastest rate you can move on to the next pair. He eases you in gives you regular advice and different programs. Google his name if you're interested in the program
 
-dabz- said:
Sounds like most of the people I've taught...The truth is, most people don't practice in between lessons...I've found that people have this weird attitude that somehow I'm gonna do all the work for them because they are paying me. I just give them the brush and paints, it's up to them whether they paint the fucking picture but they just don't get it. There is a lot of brain power involved, not just the sore fingers bit...I think that's where most people fail. I'm mostly self taught, but everything I've ever learned I've sussed out where it's place is in the scheme of things....Just listening and recognising stuff is a big part of it. Certain triplets are used by near enough any guitar player, all with subtle differences, but try as I might, most people can't seem to take it on board. If you want to learn a few chords, buy a book or go on You Tube... There was a thread on here years ago where I explained that if you learn just three or four chords played in the same sequence just with slight rhythmic differences, then you have the keys to thousands of songs...But people still think it is some great mystery...It ain't, you've just got to put the work in.
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That was me in a nutshell as a teen.

Had some guitar lessons but never put anything in between them (which is a shame as the teacher was great, decent bloke and a blue).

In short, I wasn't invested in it enough at that point in time - I was happy with my level and didn't have the application for it (which is probably why I didn't pick the damn thing up for however many years).

What a waste.................
 
Pezzer2 said:
I've been off and on for a couple of years now. Frustrated to say the least, its slow going but hopefully persistence pays off I've managed most of the basic chords but it's the transitioning between them where I fall flat. A few months ago I paid £30 for a programme from an American guy called Taylor Dean Barnett (musicmatchr). Its helped me a lot already . Its all about muscle memory , I'm only on part 2 of the course but its focusing on transitioning between 2 sets of chords at a time (12 chords in total) its really beneficial the way he teaches it, 3 different speeds , once you've mastered the fastest rate you can move on to the next pair. He eases you in gives you regular advice and different programs. Google his name if you're interested in the program
Click to expand...
Fair play mate - practice practice practice!!!

Don't get down heartened by it (and not to dis-credit the course) but as has been mentioned by someone else, each chord sequence probably unlocks thousands of songs to you (varying in tempo / strum patterns etc). So you can practice stitching your chord changes together whilst actually learning a song that you enjoy and want to play (if that makes sense).

Should keep it it more fun and provide a greater reward in my mind...........
 
-dabz- said:
Sounds like most of the people I've taught...The truth is, most people don't practice in between lessons...I've found that people have this weird attitude that somehow I'm gonna do all the work for them because they are paying me. I just give them the brush and paints, it's up to them whether they paint the fucking picture but they just don't get it. There is a lot of brain power involved, not just the sore fingers bit...I think that's where most people fail. I'm mostly self taught, but everything I've ever learned I've sussed out where it's place is in the scheme of things....Just listening and recognising stuff is a big part of it. Certain triplets are used by near enough any guitar player, all with subtle differences, but try as I might, most people can't seem to take it on board. If you want to learn a few chords, buy a book or go on You Tube... There was a thread on here years ago where I explained that if you learn just three or four chords played in the same sequence just with slight rhythmic differences, then you have the keys to thousands of songs...But people still think it is some great mystery...It ain't, you've just got to put the work in.
Click to expand...
Spot on. While I think getting a good teacher is essential, people need to manage their expectations of what a teacher does - which isn't casting a spell or sprinkling the student with some sort of magic dust that makes them a better player. You don't (or rarely) leave a lesson as a better player than before, but with a better idea of what and how to practice. As you say 'work' is key, and the more 'talented' musicians I've come across, the more I've found that when you scrape below the surface they've just logged their 10000hrs quickly. If a musical instrument is not taken out of a case between lessons, then progress will not occur.
 
Lockdown made me revisit the love affair, more proficient than any time in my life and it’s a godsend… incorporated the harmonica 6 months back, mrs has me playing ‘that’s what friends are for’ on loop (: fucking hate the song now
 
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