Want to learn guitar
 

So it's spring break right now, for me at least. I decided to do something productive and fun. What could be better? Learn to play guitar. I could get lessons, however, I don't really have the time or the money for them. I figured I could learn on my own because my brother knows some guitar and he's taught me a few things. I also couldn't find any good online lessons.

So right now i'm working on finger strength, pentatonic scales and dexterity. I'm also getting very used to not looking at my picking hand for strings so i'm pretty accurate? Anyone have any excercises for beginners or a little lesson plan I could follow step by step for things to work on?

Also, I would like to be able to play/read actual notes on a music staff. Not really tabs. But i've been in music since 5th grade so I know music pretty well, I just need to learn them on guitar X D.

Any help is appreciated!

Here exercise to help you with left hand/right coordination.
Pick up/down, you can do it while watching TV that'll keep you from looking at the fretboard. Start out slow and listen for how clean you play the notes. Then you work up to playing it faster.


pick down up down up on each string

down stroke on E string
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|--1---------------------------------------------------|

up stroke on E string
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|----2-------------------------------------------------|

etc.

|---------------------------------------------1-2-3-4--|
|------------------------------------1-2-3-4-----------|
|----------------------------1-2-3-4-------------------|
|--------------------1-2-3-4---------------------------|
|-----------1-2-3-4------------------------------------|
|--1-2-3-4---------------------------------------------|


|--2-3-4-5----------------------------------------------|
|-----------2-3-4-5-------------------------------------|
|--------------------2-3-4-5----------------------------|
|-----------------------------2-3-4-5-------------------|
|--------------------------------------2-3-4-5----------|
|-----------------------------------------------2-3-4-5-|

|----------------------------------------------3-4-5-6--|
|--------------------------------------3-4-5-6----------|
|-----------------------------3-4-5-6-------------------|
|--------------------3-4-5-6----------------------------|
|-----------3-4-5-6-------------------------------------|
|--3-4-5-6----------------------------------------------|

etc to 8th fret or 12th fret,


do it over and over, forwards and backwards

^ that's an awesome practice exercises. a slight twist to it is to repeat each run a few times before switching strings or frets.

also, what kind of stuff are you playing already at this point? or have you just been focusing on developing technical abilities? if you haven't started playing covers for fun and practice i strongly recommend busting out some old Led Zep stuff, it fits perfectly into developing finger strength and ability via the trusted pentatonic.

as for reading actual music transcriptions, i can't help but maybe GB will offer a little something when he sees this thread.

When you get that adapt it and try to build on your hands co-ordination. Different patterns work very well at both improving your finger strength and picking such as in the previous exercises but also on your fingers co-ordination being something you don't have to think about.

|-----------------------------------------------2-3-4-1|
|--------------------------------------1-2-3-4---------|
|-----------------------------4-1-2-3------------------|
|--------------------3-4-1-2---------------------------|
|-----------2-3-4-1------------------------------------|
|--1-2-3-4---------------------------------------------|


|------------------------------------2---4--------------|
|----------------------------2---4-1---3----------------|
|--------------------2---4-1---3------------------------|
|------------2---4-1---3--------------------------------|
|----2---4-1---3----------------------------------------|
|--1---3------------------------------------------------|

Stuff like that and then moved up and reversed etc.Just be creative. I could write lots and lots more but I've been up all night with a bug and I really am too tired to write out lots and lots of this ****. But I hope to the extent it can that these exercises help.

With finger exercises there are 24 permutations
1234 2134 3124 4123
1243 2143 3142 4132
1324 2314 3214 4213
1342 2341 3241 4231
1423 2413 3412 4312
1432 2431 3421 4321

After doing them all I decide to do them on two strings, I like to do your last exercises but I invert the pattern which is the blue exercise. After doing them on two string I decided to skip a string which is the green exercise. The last one is my favorite. I saw video of Buckethead, it was hard to understnad him but he did this thing that sounded like a computer, it was almost impossible to understand him, but I got the jist of what he said. He mentioned this episode of the "Bionic Man" where he said Steve Austin had a cyborg double and at one point the face mask was ripped off and behind the mask was a computer and it made this computer music. I have literally no idea how Buckethead did it, but just by experimenting with finger exercises I got something that reminds me of a computer.




|--------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|------2-----4--|--1------3-----|
|-----2-----4--|--1-----3-----|---1------3----|------2-----4--|
|--1-----3-----|-----2-----4--|---------------|---------------|


|--------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|------2-----4--|--1------3-----|
|-----2-----4--|--1-----3-----|---1------3----|------2-----4--|
|--1-----3-----|-----2-----4--|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|


|--------------|--------------|------2-----4--|--1------3-----|
|-----2-----4--|--1-----3-----|---1------3----|------2-----4--|
|--1-----3-----|-----2-----4--|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|

then I skip a string


|--------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|------2-----4--|--1------3-----|
|-----2-----4--|--1-----3-----|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|--1------3-----|------2-----4--|
|--1-----3-----|-----2-----4--|---------------|---------------|

|--------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|------2-----4--|--1------3-----|
|-----2-----4--|--1-----3-----|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|--1------3-----|------2-----4--|
|--1-----3-----|-----2-----4--|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|


|--------------|--------------|------2-----4--|--1------3-----|
|-----2-----4--|--1-----3-----|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|--1------3-----|------2-----4--|
|--1-----3-----|-----2-----4--|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|

Neapolitan's version of Buckethead doing Steve Austin's cyborg double mask being ripped off.

|-----14--13------|--12----------15--|------------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|------------------|------14--13------|--12----------15-|
|-12----------15--|------14--13------|------------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|------------------|--12----------15--|------14--13-----|
|-----------------|------------------|------------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|------------------|------------------|-----------------|

|-----------------|------------------|------------------|-----------------|
|-----14--13------|--12----------15--|------------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|------------------|------14--13------|--12----------15-|
|-12----------15--|------14--13------|------------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|------------------|--12----------15--|------14--13-----|
|-----------------|------------------|------------------|-----------------|

|-----------------|------------------|------------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|------------------|------------------|-----------------|
|-----14--13------|--12----------15--|------------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|------------------|------14--13------|--12----------15-|
|-12----------15--|------14--13------|------------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|------------------|--12----------15--|------14--13-----|

chromatic scales work fine for beginners but if you really want to practice little and have big results try doing something like ..5-6 on all strings with the ring and pinky finger for both hands

it probably sounds really advanced but it isn't so, it's the basic exercise for index and middle finger, just for the other 2 you don't use as much.

This will do all the work in like ..10 minutes ( I guarantee you won't be able to do it for more than that) and then you can move on to chords and other things easily.

Thank you all. You have been a great help!

For reading music try picking up Christopher Parkening's Guitar Method 1. You'll learn classical guitar technique and how to read music effectively. Most importantly, you'll be learning some really cool tunes from the likes of Bach and other great composers.

it also depends on how creative and what you want to play. i like playing oldies and gettin' real creative, so i play to the radio (on the stereo). if you want to be real specific, i could tell you a good station i found, via pm.

Dang, i am trying to learn guitar right now, but I can barely do anything. It's really hard for me but I know I should just practice more. This will probably be a pretty good help. woo whoo

I find that doing these scales just using your left hand to hammer the notes on, rather than picking the string, it really hurts after a while, and it takes a while to do it without the sound getting all shaky, but seriously, I am starting to get a man-hand from it, so its worked for me!

I can pretty much play songs entirely comprised of barre chords on an acoustic now with only slight pain... now I can crush a raw potato in my left hand. Olympics here I come!

Spend most of your time playing the music you want to play. That way you'll learn the techniques that are necessary for you to do what you want to do. Specific technique practice for 10-20 minutes is good to refine movements your body is already capable of making. Playing the instrument should not be physically challenging for the most part (some stretches or chord "grips" may be exceptions).

I've had some serious muscle issues that prevented me playing for most of a year, and have to use my practice time judiciously. My chops have actually improved by practicing technique less and making music more.

One thing I found interesting/useful to think about. Grab the index finger of your left hand with your right hand. Now rotate your left arm. Your index finger is essentially the point of rotation (if you grab any other finger with your right hand, it's much harder to rotate your left arm). I found this useful for efficiently moving my left hand for hammer ons and pull offs.

Best of luck to you!

My advice, if you really want to be a good player, start with some of the excersices on the first page(very good guys, I learned with alot of those) Drop your social life and practice nonstop, you dont need a teacher. My sophmore year I didnt really talk to anyone, all I did was think about playing all day then came home and played 3 hours a day minimun, and sure I turned into a socially awkward recluse, but worth every second, I will have this for the rest of my life

Personally, I did the same exact thing as thelostpizza, except I started by jamming with my band then continued after practice for around 7 hours like 4 times a week, some of the best time I ever spent. The best advice I can give is to play music you like that challenges you but without making you feel hopelessly lost. That way you develop rhythmical skills, chord shaping skills, and lead skills. After a while, you start developing a feel for how all the notes work together so you can just sit down and play stuff that flows well without even thinking. The next best thing is to play with other people, especially people that have played longer because they usually give great tips and help push you to try harder things. Also, its true that everyone can play guitar, but playing music with others is much different.

Hi,I have been playing guitar from quite a long time.I dint learn to play guitar from any teacher or friend.I got to know how to play guitar via web.Yes,once while browsing I came across AAfter search.Out there,was an amazing video with full instructions to play guitar.There was an option too of an online tutor,that helped me a lot.If you are really interested to learn guitar you can visit AAfter Search.

luckily, i have a bunch, and i mean a lot, of friends into music as well.

I've been playing the guitar for a week... :laughing:
From the beginning I've been doing these exercises. They're really helpful in learning chords. My Friend consider that I learn very quickly.. I think it's because I'm doing these exercises. Thanks them, fingers became faster in really short time ;D

Sorry if I commited some mistakes in writing -,-