Most important steps....

JaDaRu · Unread post by **JaDaRu** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 12:05 am

hey everyone....

I've been lurking for a few months now and have finally decided to speak up on a semi-regular basis. My name's Jason, I'm 19 and from Boston. In a few weeks I'll be going down to Philadelphia for my freshman year of college. I've been playing since December, pretty much teaching myself everything from either the tabs on this site or other guitar.net, etc... the message boards have also been really helpful.

Here's what I've been wondering for a while: What do all of you more advanced players see as the 3 steps towards become good, if not proficient, guitarists. I'd appreciate any general or specific advice you could give. Forget "Practice, practice, practice" cause I'm fully aware of the committment it takes.

Thanks for the replies in advance, I'm sure they will be helpful

Jason

swift360 · Unread post by **swift360** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 12:34 am

well.. i am the first to reply, but im not of any help, because basically i am in the same boat.. i know how to play some songs and stuff.. but i really dont know scales or anything... is that something i should learn right away? any help is better than no help... and i also thank in advance

saleen · Unread post by **saleen** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 12:35 am

well I don't consider myself great but I have a few steps that I think will help you progress faster than I did.

1. learn songs all the way through......... not just the catchy riff

2. listen to a wide variety of music so you can come up with what you like/dislike

3. take a few lessons.......... they are worth it for a beginner. I took lessons for a while and then stopped and just learned songs but I never really got any better........... finally this summer I took some more lessons and I have learned more in one summer than in the past 3 or 4 years.

maybe since you are going to college explore a beginning guitar class or something....... I did just for an easy A and I actually learned something that I hadn't though of before.

I'm sure there are more and those may not be the top 3, but I think they are important.

thejoe · Unread post by **thejoe** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 12:40 am

the way i look at it...
1. being able to play a moderatly difficuld song/riff pretty much all the way through
2. being able to improvise with scales while other people are jamming on a riff (thats why you should learn at least some scales)
3. writing your own songs with lyrics

but thats just the way i see it.. and everyone will say somthing different on this thread im sure

right now im working on improv... ive been playing for just over a year

WOOOO HOOOOOO my hundredth post!!!!!!!!!!!
yay
*jumps up and down*
*claps hands*

isaac · Unread post by **isaac** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 12:46 am

lol. congrats on the hundredth, joe.

these may be hokey, but they'll help you through a lot of the mud. a lot of people will offer more specific advice, but these are the higher rules that i go by.

1. be patient and persistant.
2. absorb as much as you can.
3. do it for the music.

thejoe · Unread post by **thejoe** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 12:54 am

saleen wrote:well I don't consider myself great but I have a few steps that I think will help you progress faster than I did.

1. learn songs all the way through......... not just the catchy riff

2. listen to a wide variety of music so you can come up with what you like/dislike

3. take a few lessons.......... they are worth it for a beginner. I took lessons for a while and then stopped and just learned songs but I never really got any better........... finally this summer I took some more lessons and I have learned more in one summer than in the past 3 or 4 years.

maybe since you are going to college explore a beginning guitar class or something....... I did just for an easy A and I actually learned something that I hadn't though of before.

I'm sure there are more and those may not be the top 3, but I think they are important.

yesss... exactly, follow these directions

i wish someone would have told me to do so when i just started... alll i listened to was dmb and crappy pop-punk bands

haha.. thanks issac
and that star wars vid in the otha thread was awsome... i was very amused

isaac · Unread post by **isaac** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 12:59 am

isaac isaac isaac

NOT issac

it's right there!

*sighs* you'd think i can go a day without someone spelling my name wrong.

anyway! glad you were amused by the star wars vid. hopefully others were, too...+30 views and only 3 responses. hehe.

back to the thread- as saleen said, lessons are definitely a plus. but it's a lot easier when you find a teacher that you enjoy. i had an awesome one, and just made me love guitar even more, especially through the basic stuff.

fatjack · Unread post by **fatjack** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 2:58 am

there are way more than three steps... but here's some general stuff i tell my students...

-you'll never get better by playing songs you know over and over again

-you'll never get better by playing the same stylle of music, learn all kinds and dont just learn songs by one artist

-in order for someone to advance as a guitarist, they must force themselves to play songs above their level. you can learn as many songs as you want, but if they only take you five minutes to play perfectly, you won't advance

I'mWithFatjack · Unread post by **I'mWithFatjack** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 3:29 am

fatjack wrote:there are way more than three steps... but here's some general stuff i tell my students...

-you'll never get better by playing songs you know over and over again

-you'll never get better by playing the same stylle of music, learn all kinds and dont just learn songs by one artist

-in order for someone to advance as a guitarist, they must force themselves to play songs above their level. you can learn as many songs as you want, but if they only take you five minutes to play perfectly, you won't advance

If you think a song is too difficult, thats all the more reason to learn it..

Lying In My Grave · Unread post by **Lying In My Grave** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 5:10 am

Saleen said everything that i had planned on saying, so that saves me the time

but also (these might sound dumb or obvious, but i wish someone had branded it into my head when i had started): use good strings, and play on a guitar that you can stand. i played on a terrible Vantage my first year, and i swear a month after getting my Ovation my progress skyrocketed.
make sure you have a good tuner, and work on learning how to tune your guitar by ear (though it just takes time). & always check if it is in tune.
wash your hands before you play, and wipe down the strings when youre done. it gets annoying, but eventually it won't feel like a chore, & it'll save you money (on new strings).
happy pickin's.

JaDaRu · Unread post by **JaDaRu** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 7:42 am

Thanks everyone....now for a more specific questiosn: Should I learn scales and if so which ones? And lastly, are there any exercises I cad do or any other ways I can improve my strumming?

Gracias

Jason

MattyTrane · Unread post by **MattyTrane** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 8:49 am

Lying In My Grave wrote:Saleen said everything that i had planned on saying, so that saves me the time

but also (these might sound dumb or obvious, but i wish someone had branded it into my head when i had started): use good strings, and play on a guitar that you can stand. i played on a terrible Vantage my first year, and i swear a month after getting my Ovation my progress skyrocketed.
make sure you have a good tuner, and work on learning how to tune your guitar by ear (though it just takes time). & always check if it is in tune.
wash your hands before you play, and wipe down the strings when youre done. it gets annoying, but eventually it won't feel like a chore, & it'll save you money (on new strings).
happy pickin's.

Very good advice, but id like to reiterate. Washing your hands first is a real good thing to do try to remember to do it. and about progress skyrocketing with a better instrument....i feel ya.

saleen · Unread post by **saleen** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 11:04 am

do stretching exercise....... even away from your guitar and learn chords! like 7s and majors and minors in different forms

DMBFan63 · Unread post by **DMBFan63** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 11:12 am

These are really good tips they are giving yah

Being 100% true on them too.. practice is the key, persistance will get you there.. Personally, I've never had a single lesson, and just learning harder songs makes me better.. like it took me from 7:30 am- 10:45am to learn stay or leave.. just the main riff.. but it made me a better player overall because i practiced and didn't give up.. so those are the keys, practice, persistance, and faith

juineaux · Unread post by **juineaux** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 11:26 am

try recording on your computer. You can tell what you did wrong and improve from there. I also suggest making sure that you have a good strong rythymn with your right hand, alot of people focus too much on the left hand.

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Most important steps....

Most important steps....

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