Learning the Guitar

  • Thread starter Thread starter bluemc1
  • Start date Start date
4 simple chords
C Am F G

there's quite a few well known songs there :)
Simple? I always struggled with F - think that’s why I never got anywhere, I just couldn’t hold down a barre chord. So I’m stuck with C, G, D, Am for life.
 
Simple? I always struggled with F - think that’s why I never got anywhere, I just couldn’t hold down a barre chord. So I’m stuck with C, G, D, Am for life.
Usually thumb position problem...People fuck up when they play with their palm flat to the neck.. It's such a simple thing to correct, but people find it awkward and fall into bad habits from the get go.
 
There is also... D A Bm G...How many U2 fans would feel comfortable knowing that with or without you is the same chord sequence as wrecking ball by Mylie Cyrus?... that said, Still got the blues by Gary Moore is roughly the same as I will survive...
 
Ah, I remember the first day I learned E7 as a kid. Changed my life. For the next five years I played it every time there was an E to A transition and was convinced it had revolutionised my sound. Those were the days.
 
Simple? I always struggled with F - think that’s why I never got anywhere, I just couldn’t hold down a barre chord. So I’m stuck with C, G, D, Am for life.
Barre chords are a fucker when you start and most, myself included, think putting loads of pressure on is the way to go and it ain’t. It’s all about technique and individual finger placement.

Anyhow easiest song chords ever has to be horse with no name, the first I learnt was bad moon rising D A G
 
You can play F in open position (not barre)
And over time learn to wrap your Hendrix thumb over so you can play both and it becomes the easier transition from most open chords.

@RobMCFC stick with it, even whilst you are working on expanding your selection of chords there are so many playing styles that you can learn, enjoy implement on your chords of C, G, D, Am.

Look at how someone like Neil Young plays, fingers never stop moving, picking out individual notes, hammer ons etc and a chord is never just a chord.

So many brilliant sounding things to play on the guitar that are not that far out of reach.........
 
I still have a LOT to learn, but here has what has helped me a lot so far:

1) Lessons from a good teacher in person. A good guitar here.

2) Instructional DVDs such as Brent Mason's, Terry Downs', Redd Volkaert's, Doug Seven's, and Ken Carlson's.

3) Transcriptions/Tablature of songs I wanted to learn.

4) Playing live, jamming with friends, being in a band, playing on stage. Your learning gets accelerated once you perform in front of people.

5) Learning songs on my own by ear. The Tabs & Lessons are great "foundation builders" and I still use them to this day, especially for stuff more advanced than my current level, but learning by ear is great for development.

6) Writing Songs. Even the most elementary chord changes help one appreciate the craft of songwriting.
 
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Simple? I always struggled with F - think that’s why I never got anywhere, I just couldn’t hold down a barre chord. So I’m stuck with C, G, D, Am for life.
Play F like you would play a C...the transition is much easier....like this pic
 

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I still have a LOT to learn, but here has what has helped me a lot so far:

1) Lessons from a good teacher in person.

2) Instructional DVDs such as Brent Mason's, Terry Downs', Redd Volkaert's, Doug Seven's, and Ken Carlson's.

3) Transcriptions/Tablature of songs I wanted to learn.

4) Playing live, jamming with friends, being in a band, playing on stage. Your learning gets accelerated once you perform in front of people.

5) Learning songs on my own by ear. The Tabs & Lessons are great "foundation builders" and I still use them to this day, especially for stuff more advanced than my current level, but learning by ear is great for development.

6) Writing Songs. Even the most elementary chord changes help one appreciate the craft of songwriting.
Can't argue with any of that but 4 through to 6 can really enhance your playing and enjoyment in my humble opinion..............
 
I've been back on Rocksmith for the last 3 months or so after 2 or 3 years of not playing. It's really starting to come together with chord transitions and even some simpler solos I can pull off now.

Rocksmith is a great tool and it really works for me, they make it really easy to understand where you should be on the neck and what string(s) to be strumming. You can dive straight into to practicing songs or there are lessons and mini games available to refine technique. The songs start off really slow and basic and only get you plucking a small percentage of the actual notes or chords, but the difficulty increases the more you improve.

The first time I was on it years ago I started to hit the wall when the note track speed increased and more notes appeared. I was losing track of the song because my eyes couldn't keep up between looking at the screen and then looking down at the neck. Through practice however recently it's getting a lot easier to stay focused on the screen and move my hands to the correct places without looking down. It's just practice and practice pure and simple. Such a rewarding experience when you can nail a certain riff or even do a pretty rough take on a song.

Anyone else had experience with Rocksmith?
 
Anyone do pro setups that are local (Oldham) I’m (Hopefully) getting an American Standard Strat ‘97 in a part ex deal this week and it’s set up for slide. Cheers
 
Quick headroom check if you please.

What appears to be a decent conditioned US made Martin DM mahogany Dreadnought on eBay - what should the top end price of it be?

Currently sitting at about £400 with circa 7 hours of bidding remaining.

@Bill Walker any thoughts?
 
Quick headroom check if you please.

What appears to be a decent conditioned US made Martin DM mahogany Dreadnought on eBay - what should the top end price of it be?

Currently sitting at about £400 with circa 7 hours of bidding remaining.

@Bill Walker any thoughts?
Cheaper end Martin but by all accounts excellent.
I'd go up to about AU$1500, ...750 quid if it's tip top condition.
 
Cheaper end Martin but by all accounts excellent.
I'd go up to about AU$1500, ...750 quid if it's tip top condition.
Much obliged - looks to be in decent nic.

Apparently NY played one for a bit in the '90's which started the alarm bells ringing as a 'must bid'.

It's a punt but worst case scenario it will hold it's value..........
 

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