..from you sages aboard this forum. i`m a guitar noob, have been attempting to learn for a few months now, and have finally reached saturation point. i seem to be continually overwhelmed with what i `should` be learning. Every board has an opinion," learn scales, learn note circle, learn the triad method, learn the `caged` method" etc etc etc. i read the accompanying articles on all these and a hundred more, and the counter arguments and contradiction have left my head spinning!!. i have taken a few months and worked my way through to the `intermediate` stage of `justinguitar` on his excellent site and , i just don`t see how so much of the theory which is out there to learn, would be of any use to a regular `joe`, day to day player.please help a befuddled and confused bloke.
Comments
“Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay
I know it's not a technical answer, but it's deffo the case.
*An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.
Songs you like and along the way you'll find learning new ways to play the chords and which scales are used helpful with learning more songs. Then you can play with other people - that's the fastest way to improve imho, but there's nothing wrong with just enjoying playing guitar on your own and enjoying making music.
If you want to know about a particular technique you need to play a song you like then just shout and someone will be along shortly...
I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.
“Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay
Mostly have fun to start and learn the tricky stuff later.
Music is an expression of emotion, the less complex it is the more people understand it. To be honest the less complex it is the more like an emotion it is, the more complex it is the more like intellectualisation it is. Some people think that's cool, let them.
As for what to learn, don't rush to lose what you've got - noone starts on the first 5 frets these days - but if you've started that why not get sight to sound by leon white and start learning music notation? It's a worthy exercise
Most of the recommendations here transcribing, playing what you enjoy etc are all brilliant suggestions so all I'll say is good luck and if you're anywhere near chelmsford maybe we can jam some time, it's just about getting the creativity going nothing about a talent show or lesson
@Gassage described it so well -- learn that answer! There is absolutely no one path to take and it will be your individual journey. All of that Justinguitar stuff -- that will be useful one day.
The most useful thing which I learned, late in the day, is not to faff around with my practising. When I'm going to learn something, especially if it's something which doesn't interest me much, I often set a kitchen timer and devote 20 minutes to focus totally on the thing I'm learning. And I do that repeatedly, at least daily, until it's learned. Then it's "in". And it might be something very specific, say the intro to "Mr Brightside" which is incredibly useful if you happen to want to play "Mr Brightside" but not so useful outside of that task. Or it might be something much more non-specific but with more general uses. But I used to faff about with "practice" and not focus much.
*An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.
It is difficult to think of advice which is absolutely universal -- I'm not sure there is any. Of course that doesn't mean you have to reinvent the wheel, there is lots of advice grounded in commonality. But nothing is absolute and universal, not even "don't play with your feet".
I have not found that to be the case - bends are harder with the pinky, equally if you play scale patterns with fingerings, you don't learn the notes or degrees of the scale (or fretboard) as deeply because you simply learn which finger to plant down on which fret.
When practising scales, I use the "correct" fingers, that's part of the purpose of the etude.. but when improvising within a scale - forget the finger bindings.. they impede opening up the fretboard, playing between scale patterns and most importantly - where are the dynamics? the slurs, double-stops, pre-bends etc? If you're fingers are locked into playing as in an etude, surely the dynamics take a pounding.
I hope that helps, if it doesn't then please consider that I have failed to explain it adequately, before thinking it's all bull-honky (to use a missed friend's neologism), and run it past one of your trusted experts
I play as you've described- I use the most usable finger and I always thought I was sloppy because of it.
*An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.