obey your teacher :s
SalemJeanette
Save Your Tears. Location: Popular Land. Joined: Jul 03 2009 |
obey your teacher :s
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Little J. |
How do you expect me to help
surreal
Eric: tank,godlike Location: Arizona Joined: Jan 04 2009 |
How do you expect me to help if you don't give me some specific examples of what you want to get better doing and what others seem to be better at? People these days! |
I do. I practice what he
karathrow
Joined: Oct 26 2010 |
I do. I practice what he tells me to. It's just that whenever I'm playing for ME and just for fun I play anything but the stuff he teaches because it doesn't really interest me. He's told me to tell him if there is music I'd rather learn but it would be kinda awkward since he's not a gamer and a lot older. |
I'm joking, practice
surreal
Eric: tank,godlike Location: Arizona Joined: Jan 04 2009 |
I'm joking, practice fingerpicking by playing simple patterns with your picking hand. Be sure to force the thumb to play only 4th-6th strings and index for 3rd, middle for 2nd, and third for 1st. Approach the same way one would practice using a pick successfully. As per strumming, keep working at it. It's like barre chords, repetition. |
Re: How do you expect me to help
karathrow
Joined: Oct 26 2010 |
surreal said
Sorry I guess I just want to know what kinds of things you do in a typical practice session. Or what you DID when you were new to guitar if that's more relevant. I'm not sure what kind of information I could provide that would help with criticism. closest things I can think of -My barre chords still sound like shit |
Well, I practice ALL the
are we talking about acoustic
StrangeJam
Da Manliness Joined: Aug 23 2009 |
are we talking about acoustic or electric kara. |
Re: Well, I practice ALL the
karathrow
Joined: Oct 26 2010 |
Link Strife07 said
How are you already doing recordings and arrangements after only playing 4 months T-T So jelly =( |
Re: are we talking about acoustic
karathrow
Joined: Oct 26 2010 |
StrangeJam said
acoustic sorry should have specified. |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
BluePhoenix
give me a dollar Location: Earth, Universe A Joined: Jan 21 2008 |
?
BacardiBreezer
My life is a chip in your pile. Ante up! Location: NE Ohio Joined: Aug 16 2010 |
karathrow said
I have to ask who you are trying to impress? Why are you playing guitar? I have been playing a few more months than you, never took lessons, and I think I'm doing pretty damn good (see my vids if you want to judge). I'm 100% self taught, and all I EVER play is video game music. That is THE reason I picked up the guitar. I never had a plan I really just did it. There were days when I practiced up to 12 hours. It came pretty naturally to me as I'm sure it did a lot of people on here. I would suggest doing some soul searching and ask why you're doing the things you do, and why you don't just concentrate on what you enjoy playing. Also, don't compare yourself to how good someone else is. |
Well, when I was learning to
musenji
Joined: Feb 02 2010 |
Well, when I was learning to play guitar I certainly didn't have anyone trying to get me to learn stuff other than what I really wanted to play. If the material you are learning from your teacher isn't inspiring, I would DEFINITELY bring that up in a lesson. Bring tabs, yourself, that you want to learn to play. Show them to your teacher. I also wasn't comparing myself to anyone else when I started out.
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And then I realized that the chord progression from Chrono Cross's Another World is the same progression as the chorus from Peace of Mind by Boston, and life was never quite the same. |
Re: ?
karathrow
Joined: Oct 26 2010 |
What indication did I give that I was trying to impress anyone? I'm playing guitar because I enjoy music and playing it and it's a more constructive outlet for me than video games. I've had days where I practice from when I wake up til I sleep and I still fucking SUCK. Fucking BADLY. I play guitar because I enjoy it, but it's frustrating to not feel like my efforts are reflected in the results. I put the time in but my play still sounds like shit. I see other people who have been playing less time than me doing much better and I just wonder what I'm doing wrong. |
Re: ?
karathrow
Joined: Oct 26 2010 |
Link Strife07 said
Definitely, but at the same time I also enjoy honing my skill at something and I just want to race through everything there is to know about guitar. I want to learn to make tabs/arrangements or even write my own music at some point so I just get frustrated when I feel like it's never gonna happen. |
Re: ?
musenji
Joined: Feb 02 2010 |
If you're looking for differences of approach, from my experience (and I think it's generally true for everyone) racing through is the least effective method of getting better. And, once again, your teacher may be your best resource but if you're playing stuff in lessons that really doesn't interest you, I would (tactfully) bring that up--regardless of how old your teacher is. Music is music!
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And then I realized that the chord progression from Chrono Cross's Another World is the same progression as the chorus from Peace of Mind by Boston, and life was never quite the same. |
Re: ?
Re: ?
Re: ?
karathrow
Joined: Oct 26 2010 |
Link Strife07 said
I definitely had a similar situation. I owned my guitar for about 5 years before I really tried to seriously learn it. I had some stupid DVD that I got with it and was completely confused and said fuck this. When I came back to it 5 years later I used a monkey island tab from here to goof around with and started learning stuff. I tried learning on my own but I figured I needed some direction so I started taking lessons. They've been helpful (I didn't even know any chords before taking lessons =.=;;) but after a while I feel like I'm kinda floundering in the same situation before I started taking lessons. I don't feel like I've really improved much in the last month or so. Racing through stuff is probably a bad way for me to have put it but I think I'm just eager to work on something new. How can I describe it....it's like...building a car that will never be complete and you just want to drive it. Or something like that. |
Well, first things first,
jitJoined: Mar 04 2009 |
Well, first things first, tell your teacher that you're more interested in fingerstyle than picking. That's probably a good indication that you're not progressing. Same instrument but a completely different style. I wouldn't go straight into songs, but do exercises where you can find all over the internet. Concentrate on your fingerpicking hand first, then work on your fretting hand. Sometimes mutitasking is not the answer and breaking it up into smaller tasks makes it a hell of a lot easier. |
Re: Well, first things first,
karathrow
Joined: Oct 26 2010 |
jit said
Yeah I think this is the problem too. I feel like I'm spreading my focus trying to learn too many different things at once and I'm just becoming a fail-of-all-trades. |
Being self taught is a nice
surreal
Eric: tank,godlike Location: Arizona Joined: Jan 04 2009 |
Being self taught is a nice achievement, I would know, but that essentially means absolutely nothing if you teach yourself incorrectly. Have discipline and make sure you practice in proper position and technique. Practice will make you better or worse depending on how you approach this. |
check the thread called
wayfaerer
"Embrace your dreams." Location: The Lifestream Joined: Apr 03 2011 |
check the thread called fingerstyle, its one i posted about getting pointers and tips for fingerpicking and whatnot, and some people threw in some really helpful and advice and practice tips and whatnot, so maybe thatll help.
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"i seem to be find a lot that apparently dont contain the .exe actually" -Anonymous "Has anyone really been far as decided to use even go want to look more like?" -Pherioxus |
I wasn't trying to imply that
BacardiBreezer
My life is a chip in your pile. Ante up! Location: NE Ohio Joined: Aug 16 2010 |
I wasn't trying to imply that you're trying to impress anyone, the way you are talking about comparing yourself to others and putting yourself down is what I meant. It was more like something I wanted you to ask yourself. I have to agree with the other posters about rushing it. This is not a good idea in learning ANYTHING new. Every single one of us sucked for a while...no one was born knowing how to do it. People were telling me I sucked so bad at 2 weeks and I'd never get it..and ya, I did suck at 2 weeks, but seeing as where I am now, I'm glad I told them to fuck off and kept on pressing on. I'm merely suggesting you relax and try to figure out what you like and what your goals are. |
Re: Well, first things first,
BacardiBreezer
My life is a chip in your pile. Ante up! Location: NE Ohio Joined: Aug 16 2010 |
jit said
Good point. I can't fingerpick, it's just not my style. I might get into it someday, but for now I don't really care. There isn't really a set list of rules and points of experience. You learn the things you want to learn so you can play what you want. I barely even know any chords tbh. |
Thanks for the feedback so
karathrow
Joined: Oct 26 2010 |
Thanks for the feedback so far everyone...I will meditate under waterfalls and contemplate what you have said. |
Only since october? How good
Arteriorrhexis
Bigot Location: Georgia... America. Joined: Oct 13 2008 |
Only since october? How good do you expect to be? Goddamn. |
Shit, I'd meditate under a
BacardiBreezer
My life is a chip in your pile. Ante up! Location: NE Ohio Joined: Aug 16 2010 |
Shit, I'd meditate under a waterfall if I knew where one was. |
I learned everything I can do
surreal
Eric: tank,godlike Location: Arizona Joined: Jan 04 2009 |
I learned everything I can do now in a period of one week, if it takes you any longer, you're not meant for guitar bro. |
Re: I learned everything I can do
wayfaerer
"Embrace your dreams." Location: The Lifestream Joined: Apr 03 2011 |
well thats a little harsh dontcha think? not everyone is as adept at picking up on things as quickly as some. ive been playing now 6 or 7 years, i dont claim to be an expert, anything but, but i do regard myself as a good guitar player, and for the fist few months of those years i was a noob, major. hell, at that time i was struggling with simple metallica riffs and power chords that werent in drop-D, but now im well enough to experiment with my own riffs, and play some more technical bands music like in flames and dream theater. cut the guy some slack mate, dont be so hard on him.
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"i seem to be find a lot that apparently dont contain the .exe actually" -Anonymous "Has anyone really been far as decided to use even go want to look more like?" -Pherioxus |
^ this got a good chuckle
musenji
Joined: Feb 02 2010 |
^ this got a good chuckle from me, surreal.
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And then I realized that the chord progression from Chrono Cross's Another World is the same progression as the chorus from Peace of Mind by Boston, and life was never quite the same. |
Are you kidding? Who cares
Kabukibear
Happy Strumming! Location: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Joined: Mar 22 2007 |
Are you kidding? Who cares what your teacher thinks? He probably doesn't listen to that pop music either, but thinks it's music YOU'RE interested in. So, obviously, he's actively trying to keep you engaged in the music. This is a good sign as far as the teacher goes. So bring him some of the arrangements you're working on and let him look at them. Also, bring him some stuff you'd like to play with time. Let him look through them and see if they will be teaching the techniques he wants you to be working on. Pick arrangements that are close, stylistically, to the piece he's having you playing. He's choosing them because they focus on techniques you need to learn at the beginning, so this will increase your odds of being able to play both music you enjoy, as well as music that will teach you. I would focus on one style at the outset, EITHER fingerstyle or picking. How much time do you put in practicing? If you enjoy playing I would think at least an hour a day? That should be your bare minimum. Focus on your weaknesses for the first 30-45 minutes of this. It sucks, I know, but do it. The last 30-15 minutes play stuff you like to play and are happy you are coming along with. You want to put in the grunt work but still end on a positive note. The last thing you want to do is turn it into work. You should put IN the work, but playing guitar should never BE work. Practice moving from only two chord shapes at a time, back and forth slowly. Then start to speed up. You don't have to be lightning quick at them, but be able to move comfortably from one to the other. If you start with chords that contain a lot of the same notes, you will be able to see which fingers actually do much moving. Just play one and slowly shift into the other, watching which fingers move. You'll see that some barely move at all. Focus on that and then start going back and forth. The thing with the guitar is you want to be as lazy as possible. You want to move as little as you can. So when you are switching chords, you don't want to lift your hand up completely and try to reset a chord on the fly. Barring is a matter of left hand strength, but I've found people who are having trouble can improve if they bring their left hand thumb a little closer to the back of the neck. A lot of non-classical players play with their thumb around the top, and this is fine for the most part. The thing is, when you bar like that, your fingers tend to be really close to the strings, and this can cause some messy buzzy sounding bars. So try drawing your thumb back just a little, closer to the middle of the back of the neck. You'll notice how this draws your wrist out and if you look at your hand itself you'll notice that rather than your fingers pushing into the palm of your hand, as happens when you bar with the thumb over the neck, instead the thumb is centered under the fingertips. So it's a more natural position as you will be squeezing as if you were pinching something between your fingers and thumbs. You make a stronger vice out of your hand which will make it easier to squeeze harder with that barring finger. Give it a try. |
Wow damn. Thanks Kabuki.
karathrow
Joined: Oct 26 2010 |
Wow damn. Thanks Kabuki. |
Psh...when I started learning
zen03y
CATFOOD Location: Lynn, MA Joined: Jun 20 2009 |
Psh...when I started learning acoustic guitar, I didn't learn any theory. I just went on Gametabs and practiced To Zanarkand a billion hours a day. It takes time, pal. And I as well get frustrated sometimes...but KEEP PLAYING THE SONGS YOU LOVE and you'll perfect them while trying to figure out your mistakes and get it going! ONE DAY. the only chords I can identify are the Majors and Minors. I know the others but not their names. ^_^ not saying you should do the same. but yeah, bring those videogame music! i'm pretty sure these music he gives were probably used in movies anyways. no difference. |
I have to look at an image
Hakoria
Laon King Location: gmt+1 Joined: Apr 03 2011 |
I have to look at an image chart just to see what a C chord is. I disagree with Kabuki though on one point, but this entirely depends on the person. I've learned picking and fingerstyle at the same time; you'll just need to consider the fact that you'll need to play more to improve both at a reasonable speed, which was fine by me as I had time to spare and loved playing. Reason for practicing both is because I played both acoustic and electric regularly, and needed both styles for the songs I was learning or just loved to play. I never needed to practice hybrid picking this way as it came very naturally to me (thumb+index holding pick, the three other fingers fingerpick) and can now play fingerpicking songs this way if I'm too lazy to put my pick away. The song itself sounds different this way, which makes your ears hear more to what a guitar can do, and gives you more to play around with. In this sense, you'll be having fun more and not always doing the same thing. You'll also be practicing your left hand's fingers speed/technique at the same time, and not just in one category (not just shredding by using only a pick/not just chord switching like basic finger style songs). |
man dont put yourself
Shrurikam
Joined: Dec 01 2010 |
man dont put yourself down |
Classical style? Ok let me
Giogiogio4
For all the dreamers: Our planet's dream is not over yet... Joined: Jun 10 2010 |
Classical style? Ok let me say this now, Pratice and playing are 2 differant things entirely. guitar, while mostly popular is a very muscle focused instrument. So the sloppier you pratice, the sloppier your playing will be. It Honesly takes TIME. I still suck ar Barre chords. But I get better each time. You pratice things and each day they get easier. Even if it takes you 5 mins to change a chord. the next day it takes less. your building memory into your muslces. and after you do a few songs that use the same chords you will improve. The key is to keep doing them. Classical guitar up there with Jazz are prob the most diffucult when it comes to guitar. They take years of pratice and knowledge to learn. And believe me comparing yourself to others will always leave you feeling like crap. THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE BETTER. Always but it's because they praticed more. I see it all the time. Some guy blows my mind at the guitar shop with this sick riff that i could never play. But i remind myself that they prob been playing that riff for a few years to get it where it's at. I have read a few articles that say after the first 2 years of real pratice your hands have all they need to play anything they want. it's just Our minds that don't know the material good enough. So never put learning the brain part of guitar on the sidelines. And excuse my spelling, my spell check is in the other browsers atm XD
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My Art for sale! : Here Latest Recording:Man of the World |
Re: How do you expect me to help
bleedingfingersJoined: May 18 2010 |
if you look at what you've wrote, you've helped yourself out isolate what you want to work on and start slow. |
Just keep Practicing
TomorrowsSeeker
Joined: Dec 08 2011 |
Heyo, Im Like this on my first Months too! I kept on Practicing,Prcticing,Eating,More Practice,Use the Bathroom,Sleep,Do some Tab Hunting,More Practice and so on. Keep Persevere. Being persevere is Clear Good luck
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Doesn't Matter what's tomorrow, but let it matter for itself. Start,Train,Re-hearse,Perform. |
Tips
TomorrowsSeeker
Joined: Dec 08 2011 |
Heres some tips: USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST
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Doesn't Matter what's tomorrow, but let it matter for itself. Start,Train,Re-hearse,Perform. |
stop having fun. duh
StrangeJam
Da Manliness Joined: Aug 23 2009 |
stop having fun. |
Re: stop having fun.duh
Shrurikam
Joined: Dec 01 2010 |
StrangeJam said
This. |
WHat that?
TomorrowsSeeker
Joined: Dec 08 2011 |
Whats that for?
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Doesn't Matter what's tomorrow, but let it matter for itself. Start,Train,Re-hearse,Perform. |
karathrow
Joined: Oct 26 2010
So I'm getting kinda frustrated with my progress in guitar as of late. I've been playing since October and I see people on here who have been playing less time than me but are playing way better. Idunno if they are just more diligent about their practice or what.
Do you have any habits or things that helped you improve as a guitar player? Like do you have a plan when you practice? Do you PLAN to practice? Do you budget a specific time of day to just practice?
I feel like I've been kinda stretched thin because I'm taking guitar lessons and my teacher is trying to teach me random pop music that involves picking, but then when I go home and play for fun I'm always playing game music that's finger picked. So I kinda suck at strummy stuff but also suck at finger picking.
Halp mi preez :(