Playing Guitar

[PaganMusician]

I started out knowing nothing of the guitar,a few of my friends made a thing out of getting together and jamming,and I started liking the idea,and eventually bought a friend's Squier Strat and tiny Squire amp with all neccesary accessories for a $100.Just hooked up and started playing.For more than a year,I played without knowing a single thing about music.Since then,its developed into an addiction.Its just odd to sit back and look at how far you've come.I now know more than I'd ever thought I'd know about music and guitars.My old Squire went from a guitar with warped neck and rusty components to a mean,humbucker driven monster. I blew out the poor amp's speaker eventually,and upgraded to a 120 watt Crate with tons of effects.
Anyway,just thought I'd share my short story of how I came into music.

But,I've come into a bit of a problem:I've come to a point where I know my playing is lacking something,but I don't know what that is.I've been through soo much information,but it feels like some info has slipped through the cracks somewhere along the way.I know chords,scales(pentatonics and otherwise),some songs,I can read sheet music,learned a good bit of music theory,and I've practiced countless hours,but I still feel there's something missing.Can anyone help me out here??Any ideas or opinions would be greatly appreciated.Thanks for your time.

[Barrett-tone]

hey man,

you should start learning more popular songs. not just barely knowing them, but master them so you sound exactly like them. mine as well pick songs you love, but along the way you'll pick up on the different rhythms and hot licks that have become popular and you can duplicate them and expand on them in your own tunes.

next start jamming with some more musicians and get a feel for how others play and learn to fit in a band live. there are hundreds of little things, too many to mention, that you'll pick up and realize once you've jammed with a band a few dozen times.

finally start writing your own tunes. just lay it out there and experiment.

hope that helps.
b.

[alison_665]

I want to learn guitar. One time I picked up my boyfriends guitar and figured out how to play a song but no ones ever taught me and we broke up so ne way i don't know how to play really. I've always picked up music really fast. I play the alto sax. I've been playing for years. And this summer i played the piano never played before. it seems easy since all the notes are in order on the keyboard the only thing i couldn't figure out (my sister had to show me this) the bottom staff(base cleff i'm told) it didn't sound right until my sister told me that all the notes are different on there. the A is actually a C etc. I finally learned it though and picked it up in a few weeks and now i can play. I really want to learn guitar but i don't know where i can get a book that'll teach me the basics. can u help?

[Pedjazz]

[PaganMusician]

Thanks to those that responded!I have had trouble sounding exactly like the songs I have tried to play,but I think its my equipment,because I play it exactly like the tab shows,and KNOW what it should sound like,but I can only come close to the tone of the original.The riffs are right,but the tone doesn't quite cut it.As far as jamming with others,I'm at a standstill until I can find someone to jam with.
I've tried composing my own music in the past,but always stopped at some point because I couldn't play what I had composed,or I couldn't figure out what to play in a certain part,and would go back to practicing and learning,and I haven't tried it again in over 5 months,but I should start again.Improvisation is something I do everytime I play,as I'm always trying to do something different.
My ear training skills are not all that,as I still have trouble identifying certain notes from each other.I'm still somewhat reliant on my instrument for composing,but I often compose without,but I need to sit down and play certain parts to figure out what goes next.
So,I do have a few things to work on,thanks again for the advice.Perhaps now I might progress a bit more.

Couple of quick questions:
Know of any good websites to purchase tablature books?
The stores in my area don't carry much on the music I listen to,so I need to go online for my tab needs.
Suggestions for new guitar?
I've been needing to upgrade for a while,but I haven't been able to decide on a good guitar to acquire.I play grunge/alternative/metal type stuff,and I play lead,if that helps....
to pedjazz:Blues,jazz standards?
I think I may know,but i'm not entirely sure of what you're referring to,though it may be just that I'm not entirely fluent in music lingo.
Thanks again

[PaganMusician]

[Lissa]

Hey :-),

If you are looking for a great guitar resource, here is one that I really liked:

http://green3.jamorama.hop.clickbank.net

[krustyegg]

u no power chords? if u feel sumfinks not there could be them
learning guitar is wot im doing right now, if u wanna spice things up a bit right away u could try adding effects.u may have sum on ur amp or u can use stomp boxes.Dont forget the quo started out noing only 2 chords.
other than that its jus hard graft.
ST

[SkidMarkJohnson]

For me, one thing that really opened my ears was recording. I know a lot of singers are totally shocked at how their own voice sounds the first time they hear themselves the way other people do.

You don't need an elaborate recording rig; just a simple inexpensive recorder with a mic is fine. Then just listen to yourself, I mean really really listen! The things you hear in your playing that you think totally suck, don't play any more! Your playing will improve instantly just by not playing the stuff that sounds BAD!

When I first started playing, I wanted to run before I could walk. I had to cut back and learn how to play just one note and really make that one note sing.
I had to just play two chords and make them really full and solid.

Knowing what not to play is something that comes from careful listening.

[signhereonline]

[mobilehomeboy]

I don't use much gear at all. Never have. I have enough amplification to blow the doors off of my house, because I have to to play live, but I have a $99.00 First Act Les Paul copy, and a Digitech GNX1, and that's it.

It's now whatcha got, it's whatcha do with it......

Isn't that what the dudes with small peepees tell everyone???

[signhereonline]

I've learned to do more with less over the years, as well. I'm talking about drums here!

[mobilehomeboy]

Ah, more "banging" semaphores........ my mind's in the toilet.

Hey! Maybe it'll bump into my career there!

[JeraldHenry]

Do you have anyone to jam with? Jammin with others, whatever the setting, adds a whole new dimension to your playing. Wether it be sitting in someone's living room, totally informal, or putting together an actual band with the intentio n of seeing where it will go.

[Thicker]

[quote="alison_665"]I want to learn guitar. One time I picked up my boyfriends guitar and figured out how to play a song but no ones ever taught me and we broke up so ne way i don't know how to play really. I've always picked up music really fast. I play the alto sax. I've been playing for years. And this summer i played the piano never played before. it seems easy since all the notes are in order on the keyboard the only thing i couldn't figure out (my sister had to show me this) the bottom staff(base cleff i'm told) it didn't sound right until my sister told me that all the notes are different on there. the A is actually a C etc. I finally learned it though and picked it up in a few weeks and now i can play. I really want to learn guitar but i don't know where i can get a book that'll teach me the basics. can u help?[/quote]

A really good exercise once you learn the basics and know A major, E major, and bar chords-
Start at A# major, and move to F major as quickly as you can without choking strings, then go to B major, then F# major, etc etc, do this up the neck, fret by fret as far up as you can, and then go back down. Very good for coordination.