Guitar chord forum - chordie — A beginner with few problems

Re: A beginner with few problems

null@example.com (eftpos) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:15:25 +0000

I've played for about 6 years. I do not have hearing aids. I can play barre chords fine but I still use a electronic tuner for tuning. The amount of guitarists I have seen tune their guitar to their tuning and then proceeded to play out of tune has absolutely amazed me. Get a guitarist learner to average and check their tuning with an elctronic tuner. Its a revelation. Most are out on a couple of strings. And they have played like that for years.

Re: A beginner with few problems

null@example.com (Zurf) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:30:35 +0000

crowellb wrote:

It has taken ten years for me to develop enough confidence to finger-pick barre chords in front of an audience so I was stoked when it turned out well.

Whoo-hooo. Only eight more years to go!

- Zurf

Re: A beginner with few problems

null@example.com (crowellb) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:28:55 +0000

Leo D. wrote:

Thanks everybody again,
Im now quite good at switching between open chords and when I played on friends electric guitar I was also able to play barre chords clearly. The acoustic is, however, another story and looks like its gonna be a long long time till Ill be able to play them clearly.
I have one more question, this one about strumming. I basically use two rhythms when playing songs: the first one is simple: bass-chord, bass-chord etc. used mainly for simple folk songs and then the second one: DOWN, DOWN UP, UP DOWN UP that I use on pretty much anything else. Can you suggest other patterns or a source where I can find them?

I agree that playing barre chords is a lot easier on an electric, but keep after it with an acoustic. It's well worth the effort. I just played a song at my sisters funeral...I mean... wedding this weekend that had two barre chords in it. I finger-picked it and it sounded great! It has taken ten years for me to develop enough confidence to finger-pick barre chords in front of an audience so I was stoked when it turned out well.

As far as strumming is concerned, your basic down, down, up, up, down, up, will get you through a lot of songs with 4-beat measure. www.justinguitar.com has some lessons on strumming if you need some more help. Learning basic strumming patterns will definitely help when you are playing with other people. Once you play awhile you'll be able to feel the beat and strum along as it feels right which is fun if you're jamming by yourself, not so much when you're playing with other people. Another tip would be to play with other people. You can learn some cool strumming patterns from them, not to mention new songs and chords. That is by far the best way to learn aside from taking lessons. And don't worry about looking dumb when you jam with other guitarists. Every one of us started where you are now and can understand the frustration. Most of us are always willing to give pointers to ease that frustration.

Hope this helps man. Good Luck!

Re: A beginner with few problems

null@example.com (Headcase) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:40:45 +0000

Hi this is Headcase signing off for three weeks in America, stay well everyone.

Luck to all. !!!

Re: A beginner with few problems

null@example.com (Headcase) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:37:35 +0000

Hi Alan, you of course realize that most people on this site don't have a clue what were talking about.
I am game for a Band just no Base Drums., we'd have to have big speakers though, and that's would be just for us never mind the public.
As we say over here: May you be in Heaven a half an hour before the Devil knows you'er dead!
Live long my Friend.

Luck to all. !!!

Re: A beginner with few problems

null@example.com (alansheeran) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:07:26 +0000

'Bout ye, Headcase !

I blame mine on Jimi Hendrix at full volume stereo six inches from each ear trying to track the guitar as it shifts from one speaker to the other. We should form a band, call ourselves the deef eejits !

Allabest.

Re: A beginner with few problems

null@example.com (Headcase) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:18:11 +0000

Hi Alansheeran, it's the flute player again, no, I have the same problem, ie, a Hearing aid, but I use it while I'm playing the guitar or not, I can still pick out my Minors and sevenths ect,
I blame it all on the flute playing, too close to the base drummer, I expect?

Luck to all !!!

Re: A beginner with few problems

null@example.com (alansheeran) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 06:36:40 +0000

"I still think its something with my ears, and I hope it can be 'repaired'."

Well, in my experience it was my ears ! Over a number of years it became more and more difficult to hit pitch when tuning. From there being a sharp edge to the note, it slowly rounded off until now I can only tell that I am off pitch when I play a chord ( it "beats" wrongly ) or the tuner tells me.

Quite separately, I went for years ignoring complaints from wife and kids over having to ask them to repeat anything they said. I eventually bit the bullet and got my ears tested. I now have a hearing aid and it makes all the difference.

I still play the guitar without a hearing aid - just using a tuner to tune. When I play with the hearing aid in the whole tone of the guitar changes - becomes toppy.

There are a huge number of people whose hearing starts to deteriorate at they get older. The answer is to recognise the symptoms and do something about it. Now when I put in my hearing aid in the morning, suddenly the birds burst into song.

Re: A beginner with few problems

null@example.com (Headcase) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:51:28 +0000

Hi Leo Me again just a quickie, you say you have good pitch, you tune your guitar and the strings sound fine; until you play a chord. Perhaps your pitch is not as good as you think, and I don't mean any offence by that, if it's not your pitch then something is raddicialy wrong with your guitar.
I have a pretty good ear and if I can get my high E string to sound in tune, then i can tune the rest of the strings to that. How you do it is im most beginers books; having said that i use an electronic tunner, because how would you feel if you walked out on stage with a band to find that you were not as quite in tune as you thought. One tip, you should tune youe guitar every time you use it, if your not suer if it's out of tune then play a full E Major chord playing all six strings, play it slowly a couple of times and you'll soon hear if it's in tune or not.
Luck to all. !!!

Re: A beginner with few problems

null@example.com (Headcase) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:27:58 +0000

Hey Leo, perhaps you are in a bit of a hurry to learn too much too quickly. Your still at school,
so you won't have as much time as old guys like me, I started playing Guitar just under a year ago; give or take a week, at 62, so you see I don't have the time you have. However I played in a band when I was young and you had to learn Music. Our conductor always said there were
olny two words that mattered in music they were; Timing and Practice, without Timing all the practice in the world was usuless, and if you had Timing if you didn't practice, you were going nowhere, lighten up on yourself enjoy you learning.

As for Barre Chords, well barre chordes =Practice. If you go over to the JamPlay site and watch the free lessons, there one on Barre Chords, it lasts for 38 minutes it;s verry good.

Remember, and a lot of people don't that Barre Chords opens the whole neck of the guitar to you. the two main bar shaps are the E chord shape and the A shape; and dont forget once you learn the dreaded Barre Chords it's not just chords like FMajor or B Major you can play using the open E & A shapes in a barre you can play chords in the Minnor the Seventh and Major Seventh, and that;s just for starters. I wish you good luck.

Luck to all. !!!

Re: A beginner with few problems

null@example.com (4gits&counting) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 10:32:33 +0000

Learn to play the open G without using your index finger. Even though it's more difficult to learn, you'll never regret it because it will let you transition to barre - and other - chords easier. Middle finger on A 2nd fret, ring finger on big E 3rd fret, and pinkie on little E 3rd fret.

Re: A beginner with few problems

null@example.com (patrickthered) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 09:25:37 +0000

I know quiet a few experianced guitar players who insist on tuning by ear. To be honest, I think it's a bit of an ego thing with them. Sound can be measured in the same way that weight and distance can be measured. We wouldn't expect to judge a distance by eye and be right each time...so why expect it with sound by ear?

Get a decent tuner that clamps on the head and works from vibrations. Works everywhere and will always be right.

Enjoy,

Pat

Re: A beginner with few problems

null@example.com (Leo D.) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 08:56:08 +0000

Yep - I think this is always an answer: Practice more (and better!)!

Re: A beginner with few problems

null@example.com (rokai) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:47:31 +0000

hi leo,
guess we have the same problem....
I learned how to play guitar when i was in high school, but till now i feel like am still a beginner...
i just learned how to play all by myself...
i think we must practice more...

Re: A beginner with few problems

null@example.com (GoodbyeBlueSky) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:45:10 +0000

I was trying to learn to tune by ear too..
But then I gave up and bought a tuner, made my life so much easier.

I should probably be less serious about guitar 'cause of school too,
But I prefer my guitar to homework. xD

And I listen to Bob Dylan and all that,
But I don't know how I could give you advice...

-Kerry-