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Post by vintageken on Nov 11, 2017 15:07:57 GMT
Hi again people, complete newbie to music and looking for a little guidance please. Having bought my first instrument, an drednaught acoustic guitar I have been following a utube free beginners course provided by an American sage, Erich Andreas. He appears to be one of the best online teachers and wondered whether this was the best route to go. My initial thoughts were to learn the basics then perhaps get some one-2-one tuition? I also was wondering whether there is anything available on the “acoustic soundboard”? I must be doing something right as my fingers tips are sore! Thanks in advance Ken
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Nov 11, 2017 18:19:17 GMT
Hi Ken, You could browse through the Playing & Technique section here to see if there is anything that interests you. One to one tuition is fine, though can be expensive. Book learning, or now youtube tuition is where most of us get what we need, and I'd recommend a free online video tuition course by Justin Sandercoe. Young Australian chap who provides basic lessons, and shows how to play lots of songs too, and he grades his lessons so you can work through them progressively from beginner to intermediate to advanced. There are also members on here who teach, and some who can provide this via Skype if they're not local. Good luck with it! Martin
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Post by vintageken on Nov 11, 2017 19:19:10 GMT
Thanks Martin.... A lot of good information and food for thought.
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Post by vikingblues on Nov 11, 2017 19:51:21 GMT
Agreed, Martin. Justin Sandercoe is a good option for the free on-line lessons as there is a structure (and he's good).
Ken - a stage between free YouTube and one to one lessons I found useful was a paid website called JamPlay (there are others, but I found this one had the edge). A couple of dozen acoustic guitar teachers in a number of different genres. Some with getting on for 200 lessons. Mixture of lessons for beginners, on genre, on theory, on songs. Videos often with triple view - whole guitar from front, close up on fretboard fingers and close up of picking / strumming hand. Supplementary materials of Tabs / score, chords etc. Option to ask a question which will be answered by a teacher. If you buy at the right time of the year you can get 12 months membership for about the cost of 3-4 one-to-one lessons. Some people take to it, others don't!
As Martin said one-to-one can be expensive. Plus it's not always easy to find the right teacher for you - great if you can, damaging if not the right one.
Mark
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Post by robmc on Nov 11, 2017 20:49:17 GMT
Play the songs you like as soon as you can, once you know the cowboy chords the sky is the limit, pretty much every great song writer will have a song based on two or three simple chords, often some of their best songs. Just don't stop there like me
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Post by vintageken on Nov 12, 2017 10:49:17 GMT
Thanks mark, I will take a look at JamPlay and give that option some serious consideration. I have watched Justin’s videos before and they are similar to Erich’s, so will probably watch both in the early days as I think they will both reinforce the importance of things like dexterity, finger and thumb position etc. Like probably all beginners I am struggling with my chords! E-, E, A- and C i am just about managing but the others are a real struggle. Practice, practice and more practice is the order of the day..
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Post by vintageken on Nov 12, 2017 10:51:48 GMT
Cheers robmc, Songs? Haha.... Memorise them Chords first, then I’ll think about songs!
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Post by martinrowe on Nov 12, 2017 10:57:56 GMT
I'd say you are in a very interesting place. Most people here, I think, learn something after a long while that they wished they had done from the start i.e. play very slowly. It seems counter intuitive but it works. There is another thread on here that discusses this.
Anyway, welcome.
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Post by lavaman on Nov 12, 2017 12:21:01 GMT
Play the songs you like as soon as you can, once you know the cowboy chords the sky is the limit, pretty much every great song writer will have a song based on two or three simple chords, often some of their best songs. Good advice from robmc. Also, try not to press too hard on the strings with your fretting hand. A light touch is enough. Try to place your fingertips as close to the fret as possible; it minimises how much you need to press down. Iain
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Post by vintageken on Nov 12, 2017 13:21:41 GMT
Thanks for the words of encouragement Martin.... I must try and search out the thread you speak of....
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Post by vintageken on Nov 12, 2017 13:30:57 GMT
Thanks lavaman, yes both online teachers explain about finger pressure and position in relation to frets. I have almost got the D chord worked out now thanks to Justin’s way of positioning the fingers. Fingers are bloody sore and there’s a long way to go before all the notes ring true in each chord. I never was an impatient man, so I know I will get it sorted within a few days.... I really appreciate all the advice and encouragement from everyone.
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Post by geddarby on Nov 12, 2017 13:32:48 GMT
vintageken sore fingers just aren’t good enough. You must play until they bleed! Seriously though just follow the advice in this thread, listen closely to what you are trying to learn and if possible make contact with someone who will share what they have learned with you. These are things that I wish I had done when I was starting to play. Good luck.
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Post by vintageken on Nov 12, 2017 14:58:34 GMT
Thanks geddarby, I was planning to rest once the little pinky started bleeding!
I have been enspired to learn to play the guitar since I moved to Devon a month ago and discovered my local hostilary has two jamming nights each week. One of the guys there said that once I had learnt a few chords I was welcome to come and join the group and that he would help me along the way....
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Post by vintageken on Nov 12, 2017 16:26:07 GMT
Is it me or is it harder to play frets 1, 2, 3 and 4? It feels almost like I am over-reaching.... Please tell me it gets easier!
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Post by martinrowe on Nov 12, 2017 16:32:14 GMT
If your fretting fingers hurt too much you can just practice the right hand - in the long run this becomes more important than the fretting hand - I'd better say that you do need both though.
It gets easier, it's a matter of callouses and muscle memory.
Martin
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