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Post by creamburmese on Jul 22, 2014 14:59:14 GMT
I'm looking to get some input on this - I'm a relatively new player, and to date I've been taking lessons pretty much continually - so I don't really have to think about what to practice and any noodling I do is ancillary to my lesson goals for the week. However I am currently on a 2-month break from lessons, and despite initial thoughts that I would "finish" a couple of pieces, work on exercises, pick a new piece to learn, etc. that has all gone by the wayside. - In fact, without someone setting goals for me, I'm not actually achieving anything. (And I do like to have something to show for my efforts). To date I've messed around with a ragtime piece and given up because there's no conceivable way I can use my thumb on the 6th string ( I mostly play a 52mm classical and I have short fingers). Actually I think I would need a 40mm nut to make it happen (do they make them even?) And barre chords in combination with hammer-ons and pull-offs may be in my future but not in my present. I've been noodling with bossa nova progressions but have to work up to fretting some of those tricky 7ths, 9ths etc, and the rhythms keep getting mixed up in my head. (I'm waiting for guidance.... ) I've experimented with altered tunings, but found it too confusing to have to rely on TAB (I may not be good at it, but notation is the only way I can translate notes on page to noise on guitar).... So obviously I need to be more focused when I pick up the guitar. Does anyone else have this problem? Suggestions?
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alig
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Post by alig on Jul 22, 2014 15:20:26 GMT
My advice, for what it's worth, is to get a songbook by someone you like and work your way through a couple of favourites. Failing that, have a look at one of the TAB/chord sites and just browse. Find a tune you like and come up with your own cover of it - different rhythm, mood, style, etc.
Youtube's good too. I like to look for live gigs - players sometimes do different versions of tunes.
Downside is you can end up with shelves and folders full of music.
Still... it's our hobby.
Alasdair.
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Post by michaelm on Jul 22, 2014 15:53:52 GMT
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brianr2
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Post by brianr2 on Jul 22, 2014 16:34:34 GMT
I am something of a tab book addict and spend my time working through a range of them. There are some excellent recommendations the thread here., including from me. Have fun with your researches! Brian
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Post by scorpiodog on Jul 22, 2014 16:37:26 GMT
Thumbovers require a radical repositioning of the left hand. But as our hands aren't 6 feet across, it can usually be accomplished with only a little effort. I tend to use thumb for 6th string (and sometimes 5th string) damping rather than fretting, but you have to have your palm in the middle of the back of the neck instead of the thumb. Push the neck down a bit and it's easier. But if you don't want to use thumb fretting, don't. This guitar playing malarky is supposed to be fun! There are many ways to accomplish things. Use whichever ways seem right to you. As for how to keep motivated and keep progressing, I find that playing with others does that for me. If you need to play something in a group, it serves as a real goad to getting it right(but sometimes only hours before the deadline! ) Procrastination is my life. But I'll put it off til tomorrow.
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Post by missclarktree on Jul 22, 2014 16:44:17 GMT
Just a wild guess, but were you trying to play the F chord with the thumb over? I can't manage that either, but if you're struggling with the barred F chord, why not just half-barre it and play the F on the 4th string?
I've always struggled with the full barre because, no matter where I place my finger, there isn't enough flesh between the knuckles to hold them all down cleanly. One solution which has worked for me is to wrap a small sticking plaster around your finger between the two joints. It just pads it out a bit.
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Post by fatfingerjohn on Jul 22, 2014 17:32:05 GMT
Bit difficult to answer specifically when I don't know what you've learnt so far and what your main musical interest areas are. But I guess we've all 'been there' and many like me will still be there, possibly further forward but still with the same question. The problem I found particularly in the early days is recognising before I set out on something whether it was reasonably within my capabilities; stretching me but not breaking me. I've many times set off on something (a song, a style) too often only to get into it a bit and then realising its a step too far; this is a bit demoralising. So I avoided barre chords (and still do 40 years later!) and any big stretches because my fingers. wrists and many other things seem to limit me. Obviously in my early days without internet made it tougher.
So what would I advise? I like the 'learn through songs you like' approach that has been suggested; problem is 'which songs'.
Try Justinguitar's website; its free and incredibly well organised into programmes of different skill levels and progressions. And he has around 100 song lessons split into grades; there are bound to be a few in each grade that you want to try I'd have thought and that will roughly pitch your ability.
Similarly the other lessons. A quick look at a few will get you into the right level.
justinguitar.com/
Good luck
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Post by mandovark on Jul 22, 2014 18:14:05 GMT
If you're used to spending time learning pieces and working on exercises, what about spending your lesson-free time on the other side of playing: creating the music for yourself? If you're a singer, pick a song you like and think about how to accompany yourself in a way that suits your voice and playing style. Personally, I prefer to do this without looking up chords for the song, because (a) it's good to train your ear to hear the harmonic structure of the song, and (b) you might want to change them anyway. If you're not a singer, try it with a tune: pick out the melody on the guitar, then try to find some harmonies that work for it. Be prepared to experiment - try the melody in different octaves, try it with different harmonies, see if some of the major chords sound better as the relative minor, etc.
I think this kind of exercise is really helpful because you can work to your own level - whatever that is - and you can begin to find your own 'voice' and style on the guitar. And, of course, accompaniment is a big part of what we do as guitar players, whether it's accompanying yourself or someone else. As your knowledge and technique improve, your accompaniments can become more sophisticated - listen to the likes of Martin Simpson or Martin Taylor when they accompany singers or play harmonised melodies. But I'd also pick out someone like Eva Cassidy as someone who was a competent guitar player rather than a great one, but who really understood how to shape an accompaniment in a way that suited her voice.
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Jul 22, 2014 22:41:45 GMT
The only trouble with learning to play an instrument, is that the whole process tends of necessity to focus on the instrument and the mechanics of making it do stuff. If that is all there is to it, it can be a somewhat soul destroying experience. For me, the primary objective has always been to make music, and the instrument a tool to accomplish this. So maybe, creamburmese, your 2 month break from lessons might allow you to reimmerse yourself in listening to the kinds of music you love and focus less on working at the guitar to help get through the next lesson. Heresy? I don't think so. Hopefully a short while doing this might help you to reassess where you are with your playing, and where you want to go with it. It may help you to set more clearly your own goals, and return to your teacher with an even clearer vision of what you want to achieve from your playing rather than attempting to meet teacher-set goals. Hope that makes sense! Keith
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Post by creamburmese on Jul 22, 2014 23:24:09 GMT
Thanks for all the ideas- love to hear about your individual experiences Just posting to this thread helped me think about what I really like about playing the guitar- if I continue in what I know how to do - learn from notation - I can learn from my Spanish music book. Just love Spanish music! And I've only tried a couple of pieces from it so far so there are lots of possibilities. The other thing I would really like to do is learn to harmonize tunes - I don't have a problem picking out the tune but I have no clue how to make an arrangement to go with it. I will check out some if the recommended sites - I know chord and scale structure I just haven't figured out how to apply it- especially the variations that aren't straight major or minor. As for barre chords - never thought of using bandaids - will give it a try! though in general I can manage 5 string barres and 6 string E shapes just fine - it's when other fingers are also required to perform ascending or descending slurs or stretch 4 frets while holding the barre that I am out of my depth. I think I'll give up on the thumb over for the time being. It would definitely require me to shift my playing position and my hand position quite drastically and possibly acquire a guitar with a narrower nut. I guess with more experience some find it easy to shift - but I've got a very long way to go before I reach 10,000 hours . Love seeing all your ideas - I'm enthused!
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alig
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Post by alig on Jul 23, 2014 8:32:58 GMT
The only trouble with learning to play an instrument, is that the whole process tends of necessity to focus on the instrument and the mechanics of making it do stuff. If that is all there is to it, it can be a somewhat soul destroying experience. For me, the primary objective has always been to make music, and the instrument a tool to accomplish this. So maybe, creamburmese, your 2 month break from lessons might allow you to reimmerse yourself in listening to the kinds of music you love and focus less on working at the guitar to help get through the next lesson. Heresy? I don't think so. Hopefully a short while doing this might help you to reassess where you are with your playing, and where you want to go with it. It may help you to set more clearly your own goals, and return to your teacher with an even clearer vision of what you want to achieve from your playing rather than attempting to meet teacher-set goals. Hope that makes sense! Keith I agree 100%, Keith!
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Post by creamburmese on Jul 23, 2014 12:09:28 GMT
AAAAagh! Keith -the mere thought of going without playing for 2 months puts me in DT's .... I start to have cravings if I don't get to play at least twice a day ... The last time I had a break I had surgery and was unconscious.... I think there's a name for it beginning with a... at least there's no down side apart from sore fingers! However you have a great point - maybe I should be doing something entirely different - I play to make tunes happen... I like the thought of figuring out songs for myself and haven't had the confidence to try yet, so perhaps we shall start - maybe with baa baa black sheep !
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Post by ocarolan on Jul 23, 2014 13:12:10 GMT
AAAAagh! Keith -the mere thought of going without playing for 2 months puts me in DT's .... I start to have cravings if I don't get to play at least twice a day ... The last time I had a break I had surgery and was unconscious.... I think there's a name for it beginning with a... at least there's no down side apart from sore fingers! However you have a great point - maybe I should be doing something entirely different - I play to make tunes happen... I like the thought of figuring out songs for myself and haven't had the confidence to try yet, so perhaps we shall start - maybe with baa baa black sheep ! Ah, sorry, maybe I wasn't clear - not at all suggesting that you stop playing altogether, just that you make the most of a break from lesson-driven playing by enjoying music for it's own sake and taking a more relaxed approach to your playing - having fun, in fact. You seem to have a good idea for doing that in picking out familiar tunes - as you suggest, nursery rhymes can be a good start. It can give you a good working knowledge of the fretboard and the ability to "guess" where the next note might be. Excellent! Keith
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