1 (edited by mhdmhd 2007-06-03 21:22:51)

Topic: beginner, i really need your help guys!

hi, i'm new here and also new in the world of guitar and i've been playing it only about 9 months. i always ask my teacher that how should i hold a guitar? and he always answers: however u like! but u know it isn't a good-enough answer for me! lol
i tried to look up for my answer in internet. some sites said put guitar on your left leg, and some other said put it on your right leg while sitting. i don't really know how to hold it??!!!??
can anyone help me with a picture?

and can anyone tell me how much should i know about guitar [i mean what things should i be able to play?] after this period of time [9 months]? [i wanna know if i'm stupid in music.]

and another thing is that i have a big problem with playing barre chords clearly. i think it's because my fingers don't have the power to push the strings like this because i'm just 15![in my country boys grow up less faster than US boys!] or maybe it's because i haven't changed my company-made strings yet or maybe because their are far from the fretboard?

and hey another big problem that i have is that i still write the names of the notes under their signs. i know how to read them but when i don't write their name under them i can't practice a song easily and fast. for example if i write their names under them i learn how to play the song after one day but otherwise it will take about one week!
and now that i'm playing the songs which have for example 4 notes under eachother [i mean chors] it's getting hard for me to write every of them. i mean it wastes my time.
and i'm sure that my problem is not that i can't play them, just reading!
my teacher [that is the worst teacher i think] said there is no problem[the thing that he always says] and it will be solved automatically. but i don't think so.
what's your opinion about it?

i'm a cool guy and sorry if i spoke a bit formal. it's because my first language is not english.

THANX for your help.

2 (edited by johncross21 2007-06-03 22:44:58)

Re: beginner, i really need your help guys!

If you are learning classical guitar the guitar should be on your right knee with a stool to raise the leg a few inches. Otherwise most players rest it on the left leg. Someone will know where a picture is

it takes a long time to play the guitar properly - not only is sight reading hard but training your fingers to play the notes takes time. If you are learning barre chords - then you are probably on the right track

pressing the strings down for barre chords in particular requires lots of practice (and it takes times for your fingers to achieve the necessary strength. Practice a little every day will help 

if you are playing classical music or want to sight read then don't write the names of the notes
under the notes (you have to learn the notes, I'm afraid)

Finally - don't give up - it sounds as if you are making solid progress - if you are enjoying it, stay with it

3 (edited by jag 2007-06-04 07:18:15)

Re: beginner, i really need your help guys!

yaar! try to watch the live show videos of the bands who are not doing much rock & have an acoustic sound .it wold help you............like jal,roxen,blue knight,mltr etc............ moreover sites like www.guitar.about.com
  & www.guitarmx.com gives  you an  impresive  tutorial about such matters & a complete free package for learning the basic of guitar.and the only way to learn guitar is to never give up...............so keep practising especially the chords smile

JAG is a an urdu word of persian origin which means the universe.:)

4 (edited by mhdmhd 2007-06-04 09:23:26)

Re: beginner, i really need your help guys!

i don't know what to say! thank you  johncross21 and jag!
but hey, what's the difference between a classical player and a pop player and a flamenco player? i mean what's the difference in the methods of playing?
i'm a bit confused. the title of the class that i go to is classical guitar but once my teacher said we play pop.[ i'm learning nick manolov's book]
i really like the songs such as hotel california and musicians like don felder. but i don know if they play pop, classic or flamenco?
can u help me guys?

5 (edited by cytania 2007-06-04 09:01:23)

Re: beginner, i really need your help guys!

First off it's flamenco not flamingo smile

Flamenco playing is not based around strums or picks it uses strong finger back-strokes called (I'm going to have to spell this as it sounds as I've never seen the Spanish word) 'rapswadoes'. You bunch up a fist over the sound hole the let out each finger in turn letting it rake over the strings. Do this explosively enough and it sounds great but it's a total hand killer. Flamenco school is made up with hours of practising this technique but it takes years before you'll convince a master.

Classical players play a loose finger style, although passages may repeat their music is not composed of standard picking patterns or strums, nearest you might get to a classical motif is the arpeggio. Classical doesn't give you much to hold on to as a beginner. It's you full blown sheet music and the fretboard - daunting.

Pop comes out of the western folk tradition and likes to use open chords and strums, simple pick patterns and rundowns. These are very appropriate for the beginner.

'The sound of the city seems to disappear'

6 (edited by mhdmhd 2007-06-04 10:37:51)

Re: beginner, i really need your help guys!

hahaha! sorry i always have this problem. so i think i should write 20 times from the word flamenco tonight! big_smile [thanx, i edited that post!]
thank u so much cytania.
so at last, how should i hold my guitar? on my left leg or on the right leg?
and i'm interesting to know which method of playing do u like? which one is more attractive?
and hey, can u name a famous-downloadable song from each method?
and[sorry if i ask this much questions] can u tell me about hotel california? i think it is classic...isn't it? and what about don felder? how does he play?

again, i'm so so sorry if i asked a lot of questions guys and thanx again.

Re: beginner, i really need your help guys!

If you are right handed i find the easiest way is to rest the guitar on your right leg. If you are left handed then rest it on your left leg. If you are a classical player then if you are right hand rest it your left leg and vise versa.

[url=http://www.myspace.com/rdxfunk]www.myspace.com/rdxfunk[/url]

8 (edited by cytania 2007-06-04 10:13:13)

Re: beginner, i really need your help guys!

The position you hold the guitar in depends on the moves you are making with your left hand. You often see classical players with the guitar neck up close and high. This isn't so they can see the fretboard but to give them more stretch. Alot of the poses Chuck Berry strikes aren't just showmanship but so he can stretch for double stops over 5 frets.

The low down rock guitar stance comes when songs have been made easier by using open G and so on but what may look like showing off, raising the neck, may be to allow strings to be reached. Also with electric weight is a factor, even when sitting down, I find myself moving from foot to foot to keep my back happy and suddenly realise I'm doing the rock guitarist dinosaur walk thing!

'The sound of the city seems to disappear'

Re: beginner, i really need your help guys!

thanx again cytania and thank u altex!

Re: beginner, i really need your help guys!

I think you are doing well. If you want to play by sight (which I equate to painting by  ear) then you have to practice and learn even if it takes longer. If it isn't that important to you then keep doing what works for you. if you like your guitar on the left knee then play that way same if you like it on your right. It doesn't matter if you lay it on the floor and play it with your toes. Do whatever is best for you and try everything even after you decide on something. In fact the great Segovia who bassically evented classical guitar playing did so to free the guitar and players from the box that "serious" musicians had put them in. Naturaly we built a new Segovia shaped box and tried to lock classical players in that. the point is that it is your guitar, your body, your mind it all belongs to you so realy you can do whatever you want with any of it. My advice is to try everything, keep what you like and disgard the rest.

"Nobody paints by ear so why would I play guitar by sight?" hmm

Re: beginner, i really need your help guys!

Hi mhdmhd!
This might help you in your sitting position search...

http://www.guitarprinciples.com/Guitar_ … itting.htm

I myself (at home) often use a bar stool (without back rest) "sitting" on my left foot/ankle. This raises the right leg (where I rest the guitar) a bit. This is NOT a good position for long sessions thogh, because it causes your spine to curve a bit and causes blood loss in the left foot...

/Missen

If you love what you do, there's no need to be good at it...

Re: beginner, i really need your help guys!

Not sure if this has been already mentioned, but did you have your guitar properly set-up?  This is to address your finger buzz issue!  Guitars that are not set up properly will require you to work harder than you need to.  Hope this helps!

Re: beginner, i really need your help guys!

kahuna has a very good point! if you do happen to find a problem in your setup do not try to fix it yourself!
take it down to your local shop and ask their opinion and have them fix it, unless its something you are sure you can easily fix yourself.

If you spend your life judging people, how will you ever have time to love them ♥

14 (edited by mhdmhd 2007-06-14 14:11:40)

Re: beginner, i really need your help guys!

thanx petermiss, kahuna and j-page!!!
i won't forget your help!