advice on playing

chuck_d14 · Unread post by **chuck_d14** » Tue May 13, 2003 9:35 pm

I was in the forum that everyone is talking about how long they have been playing and it brought up a couple of questions........I have been playing for a little over a year now and i can a majority of dave songs (iono how many) but my problem is while i am playing most of these i can never play them all the way through, my wrist starts to hurt or i just play til it cramps up. Some of the people were saying they could play whole songs at like eight months, granted i can play a couple all the way through. Does anyone have advice for me on how to build up the strength in my hands?

I just have to say that since i have been visiting this site my guitar playing has boosted incredibly!! Thanks for all the help provided here, I haven't seen another site like it!!!!!

ericwormann · Unread post by **ericwormann** » Tue May 13, 2003 9:39 pm

I know its a cliche and everyone hates to hear it, but just practice. It is kind of like when your fingertips started to hurt when you first started to play and you didn't htink it was going to get easier. But it does after time.

To be honest, I doubt most of the people that say they can play any song all the way through have actually sat down and played most of the songs all the way through. Most people learn the main riffs and play those riffs a couple times. Unless they are actually performing the songs (which I doubt people who have been playing for 8 months are) I seriously doubt that they mean they play the songs all the way through without stopping.

chuck_d14 · Unread post by **chuck_d14** » Tue May 13, 2003 9:49 pm

Right on! I do practice a lot, and you are definitely right....it doesn't seem like it is getting better now but it will. Thanks for the advice.

saleen · Unread post by **saleen** » Tue May 13, 2003 10:14 pm

I just always have a guitar in my hands, whenever I am watching TV, on the computer.... basically anytime I am home I have it with me.

the least thing I have to worry about is stamina because I play about 4 hours a day just sitting around.....

stretch those hands and fingers out even when you are away from your guitar, just bend them back and forth from chord position to position ect...

Pickles · Unread post by **Pickles** » Wed May 14, 2003 8:41 am

to practice i play along with dave. just start up a song and play until the end.

grock · Unread post by **grock** » Wed May 14, 2003 11:01 am

shane wrote:to practice i play along with dave. just start up a song and play until the end.

expand this for any song. get a recording and play along. it does wonders to help learn it.

Jay · Unread post by **Jay** » Wed May 14, 2003 11:22 am

yeah. i usually learn the songs in pieces, but once you get a whole one learned, don't play the pieces anymore, do it all, start to finish, every time. transitioning smoothly between parts of a song are just as important to it sounding good as playing it at all. plus, it strengthens your hands. maybe this is a good idea...learn bartender, it's pretty easy, but playing along with even an easy song for 10 minutes straight will build up some strength in your hands...

Jay · Unread post by **Jay** » Wed May 14, 2003 11:26 am

chuck_d14 wrote:Right on! I do practice a lot, and you are definitely right....it doesn't seem like it is getting better now but it will. Thanks for the advice.

another thing is, the learning curve for guitar seems to have a lot of plateaus on it. like, i pounded away at So Much To Say for WEEKS, and then one day i just picked up my guitar and played it out of the blue. i remember when i first started playing, i couldn't get the strumming down for the Watchtower jam, but now strumming is pretty much second nature, even on new songs. play all day till everyone says "stop playing that damn song"

lamboe80 · Unread post by **lamboe80** » Wed May 14, 2003 1:40 pm

Jay wrote:
chuck_d14 wrote:Right on! I do practice a lot, and you are definitely right....it doesn't seem like it is getting better now but it will. Thanks for the advice.
another thing is, the learning curve for guitar seems to have a lot of plateaus on it. like, i pounded away at So Much To Say for WEEKS, and then one day i just picked up my guitar and played it out of the blue. i remember when i first started playing, i couldn't get the strumming down for the Watchtower jam, but now strumming is pretty much second nature, even on new songs. play all day till everyone says "stop playing that damn song"

This same thing happens to me all the time. I gave up on songs when I tried to learn them at first. Now after 3 years of playing, I can play most all of those songs now pretty easily, except for the Stone. SMTS, BOWA, Fool To Think, and warehouse were some that were hard at first but are easier now.

chuck_d14 · Unread post by **chuck_d14** » Wed May 14, 2003 2:51 pm

Thanks a bunch guys.........I am sure that i will be making leaps and bounds real soon.....i appreciate all the help!

Jay · Unread post by **Jay** » Wed May 14, 2003 4:17 pm

yeah fool to think is a lot easier now, (not the chorus tho

). songs do get easier and it's cool to be like "man i thought this was hard??"

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