• Registered: 2007-06-24
  • Posts: 3

Topic: where do I go from here?

I have been playing for a short time and I am tired of playing the same old sounds. To all who read this I play for 2-4 hrs a day. I love it, and am wondering why I am not sounding any better at all. I just to be able to hear a song and go home and pick up the ole' fender and start playing. I have to listen for an hour hour at least to be able to pick up 1 right note in the chords. It's driving me nuts to the point where I started making up my own sounds. thanks for the help.

  • Registered: 2007-06-23
  • Posts: 113

Re: where do I go from here?

PUNT!
wink

There is a guy on my block who lives for rock, he plays records day and night, and when he feels down he puts the rock and roll on and it makes him feel alright. - The Kinks, Rock And Roll Fantasy
  • From: Orpington London
  • Registered: 2006-10-22
  • Posts: 390

Re: where do I go from here?

I am not sure how long you have been playing

to those who want a hobby rather than a career/qualification and are relatively new to guitar I suggest daily practice of about half an hour.   

as to learning by ear - if you are not experienced if is hard to hear music - that is why there are so many great songs on sites like this one

make learning by ear part of your practice routine right from the outset but not the only part - you need to get those fingers working too

johncross21's Website

  • From: Almancil, Algarve, Portugal
  • Registered: 2006-09-02
  • Posts: 6,198

Re: where do I go from here?

Hello Cyclops,

As JohnCross21 has already stated you are trying to run before you can walk.

Try going to the public songbooks and searching the beginners books. There will be songs in there that you know that are not too difficult to play and practice on those. Get your fingers strenthened and your chord changes crisp. It will take time and experience before you are able to work out the chords by ear.

As for the comment from Krhoades, well heaven only knows what he means. All are welcome to Chordie, even those with insuffucient intelligence to post a sensible and meaningful reply.

Roger

"Do, or do not; there is no try"

Roger Guppy's Website

  • Registered: 2007-06-23
  • Posts: 113

Re: where do I go from here?

Roger Guppy wrote:

Hello Cyclops,

As JohnCross21 has already stated you are trying to run before you can walk.

Try going to the public songbooks and searching the beginners books. There will be songs in there that you know that are not too difficult to play and practice on those. Get your fingers strenthened and your chord changes crisp. It will take time and experience before you are able to work out the chords by ear.

As for the comment from Krhoades, well heaven only knows what he means. All are welcome to Chordie, even those with insuffucient intelligence to post a sensible and meaningful reply.

Roger

I was just evoking a little humor.
Did you really have post that I have insuffucient intelligence to post a sensible and meaningful reply? I would expect you to take the higher ground. I mean no harm for I just like to make light of the frustrations of learning.:D

There is a guy on my block who lives for rock, he plays records day and night, and when he feels down he puts the rock and roll on and it makes him feel alright. - The Kinks, Rock And Roll Fantasy
  • From: Renfrewshire, Scotland
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 1,359

Re: where do I go from here?

I don't get it. You'll need to explain the joke to me. I don't mean this in a sarcastic or malicious way - I just don't get it.

Is anything really made up of zeros and ones??

alvee33's Website

  • From: Almancil, Algarve, Portugal
  • Registered: 2006-09-02
  • Posts: 6,198

Re: where do I go from here?

When a newcomer to Chordie posts a sensible question asking for help I do not see how a meaningless one word reply is going to benefit him/her. Chordie is a place to seek and give help.

My dictionary gives the definition of PUNT as 1/ a flat bottomed boat, 2/ a certain type of kick to a ball, and 3/ a gamble or bet. So how does that make a meaningful reply or even a jovial one?

If the word means something profound that I do not understand then I apologise most profusely, but I would like to know the meaning. 

We all post lighthearted replies from time to time, it would be a sorry place if we did not, but normally along with it comes some sensible comment to help the contibutor.

Roger

"Do, or do not; there is no try"

Roger Guppy's Website

  • From: Starkville, Mississippi USA
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 2,069

Re: where do I go from here?

Hello cyclops - Wouldn't we all like to just love to have the magic ear and touch to be able to play whatever we hear!  It is a rare gift to have such an ability - the vast majority of players have to work hard to acquire the basic technique and just crawl along slowly until basic proficiencies become automatic.

Virtuosos such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and others didn't just pick up a guitar and start ripping up the joint.  They spent years earning their chops.  In fact, they honed their skills by playing basic blues, spirituals, country and traditional folk music of all sorts.

Such 'roots music' may be relatively simple, but it is the foundation upon which the house of rock & roll was built.  So, my advice is to delve into some of this 'old' stuff and follow the trail blazed by the masters.

Get proficient at some 3-chord classics and learn some basic blues progressions.  If you are not yet singing while you play, start now to vocalize along with your instrument.  It opens up a whole new world of challenges and rewards.

It is good to be a little impatient - but you must also be demanding of yourself and strive to play musically and passionately.  Here is a songbook with some 3-chord rock&roll relics:
http://www.chordie.com/publicbooks.php? … ngid=56812
Give these a good thrash & howl and see where it leads you.  Hope this helps.  James

"That darn Pythagorean Comma thing keeps messing me up!"
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_comma[/url]

James McCormick's Website

  • Registered: 2007-06-23
  • Posts: 113

Re: where do I go from here?

Roger Guppy wrote:

When a newcomer to Chordie posts a sensible question asking for help I do not see how a meaningless one word reply is going to benefit him/her. Chordie is a place to seek and give help.

My dictionary gives the definition of PUNT as 1/ a flat bottomed boat, 2/ a certain type of kick to a ball, and 3/ a gamble or bet. So how does that make a meaningful reply or even a jovial one?

If the word means something profound that I do not understand then I apologise most profusely, but I would like to know the meaning. 

We all post lighthearted replies from time to time, it would be a sorry place if we did not, but normally along with it comes some sensible comment to help the contibutor.

Roger

Definition  2/.
In football, When all else fails, it's time to punt.
It's just an expression that shouldn't be taken literally.
It's commonly used as a jovial reply to a person whom you share their frustration.
I didn't know that every comment needed to be sensible/meaningful.

Is claiming my intelligence to be "insufficient" sensible?
Especially coming from an Administrator.
A forum Administrator should not formulate opinions of that sort.
By the way, you spelled insufficient incorrectly.

Isn't Chordie is a place to seek, give help and "have fun with a commonality"
which I'd like to add.

I'm just curious to figure out why the criticism toward me.
For I never attacked anyone or spoke of any harsh words.

I'm just here to learn & have fun.
If I wanted to be critcized, I'd talk to my wife.

Just so everyone knows, that was Tongue-in-cheek.

Please let me know if I can't have fun here.
If so, then I'll go elsewhere.


sad

There is a guy on my block who lives for rock, he plays records day and night, and when he feels down he puts the rock and roll on and it makes him feel alright. - The Kinks, Rock And Roll Fantasy
  • From: Starkville, Mississippi USA
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 2,069

Re: where do I go from here?

Hello krhoades - yes, this is a place to have fun and yes humor is part of any lively forum.  However, the initial posting in this thread was a sincere request for help from a person who was very new to the forum.  It takes a bit of gumption for anybody to ask for help - I believe a better response would have been some concrete recommendations, rather than a humorous remark.

To Americans familiar with the specialized lingo of American football, the remark 'PUNT!' has an obvious meaning.  To anybody else in the world it seems meaningless, and possibly insulting.  That is why Roger (a Brit) was critical - like many chordie users, he is not familiar with American football.  The original questioner logs in from Central European Time - so he is also probably totally unfamiliar with with the expression.

The language of music is universal - but common colloquial expressions in one country are more than likely going to be puzzling (and possibly seem hostile) to persons elsewhere on the planet.  Chordie users are all over the globe - so these types of minor misunderstandings are bound to occur on occassion.  James

"That darn Pythagorean Comma thing keeps messing me up!"
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_comma[/url]

James McCormick's Website

  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 2,662

Re: where do I go from here?

Anybody familiar with Frank Zappa's "Shut Up and Play Your Guitar"?
Just curious.

Give everything but up.
  • From: Renfrewshire, Scotland
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 1,359

Re: where do I go from here?

Jeez! I wish my first couple of posts had caused such a stooshie!
Thanks for the explaination. Us Brits and Euros tend to be a bit ignorant on American sport. If it's not The Beautiful Game (soccer) then we tend to be a bit lost.
Now, lets get strummin!

Is anything really made up of zeros and ones??

alvee33's Website

  • From: Almancil, Algarve, Portugal
  • Registered: 2006-09-02
  • Posts: 6,198

Re: where do I go from here?

Having read some of Krhoades other posts I realise that he is not an unintelligent person, in facy I was particularly impressed with his posting about 'altered states' in the Chat section.

My comments were a personal observation and nothing to do with Administration. I cannot remove that handle to make one, so I have learnt a lesson there.

Krhoades, I wish to apologise, hold my hand out in friendship and bury the hatchet.

As Southpaw suggested lets get back to playing our guitars and helping one another.

Roger

"Do, or do not; there is no try"

Roger Guppy's Website

  • Registered: 2007-06-23
  • Posts: 113

Re: where do I go from here?

Roger Guppy wrote:

Having read some of Krhoades other posts I realise that he is not an unintelligent person, in facy I was particularly impressed with his posting about 'altered states' in the Chat section.

My comments were a personal observation and nothing to do with Administration. I cannot remove that handle to make one, so I have learnt a lesson there.

Krhoades, I wish to apologise, hold my hand out in friendship and bury the hatchet.

As Southpaw suggested lets get back to playing our guitars and helping one another.

Roger

Rodger,

I apoligize also for coming off a little brash.
I fully respect the forum & what you do.
I guess that I have a little chip on my shoulder for I have always a difficult time being the new guy. Previous forums have never been so kind.
The hatchet is buried.

On to better discussions
smile


Kent

There is a guy on my block who lives for rock, he plays records day and night, and when he feels down he puts the rock and roll on and it makes him feel alright. - The Kinks, Rock And Roll Fantasy
  • Registered: 2007-06-24
  • Posts: 3

Re: where do I go from here?

thanks to all.I got the joke. It really was pretty funny. To all, I have been playing other people's guitars for 10+ years, my own since 2/17/07, I carved it on the back. It is a lot different when you you hear yourself over and over again. I didnt joke when I said I play 2-4 hrs a day. I have started to make my own songs up with basic chords and variations of chords that I think sound good. I am not sure if I sound good to anyone but my mother(she is going to I'm good no matter what the truth is). I thank you al for the honest comments and the humoruos ones too. I wont give up, I dont have a girlfriend, only my guitar. If I'm gone overnight I take it with me. what can I say, she is my baby!

  • From: Grimsby, UK
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 604

Re: where do I go from here?

This is the funniest thread i've ever read!  mind you, i have no life lol!  I sincerely hope the hatchet wasn't buried in the hand of friendship and i agree with the hooting and hollering along while you bash out the chords - I do and my family would like to disown me!!!!  Carry on regardless

I'm the son of rage and love