Learning the guitar

DaveH said:
I'm struggling with improving my rhythm. I've always listened to a song and kind of just done quicker bits of up & down when needed. I know a fair few songs now and my chord changes are fast enough, but I thought it was way past time I learned to keep proper rhythm and strumming patterns. My brain just doesn't do it yet.

I've been looking at the pattern for Wild Rover, 3 beats, Down Down up Down up. Really simple. 1-2-3 down down down is fine, 1-and-2-and-3-and- going down up down up down up is fine. Dropping that up on the first off beat just isn't working at the minute.

I'm doing it with a metronome app. Too slow and I find there is so long between strums it feels unnatural. Faster I get into a knot. I guess it is just practice, like when I used to think about where to put each finger for a chord. But frustrating as hell at the moment. I've gone from not being able to play, to playing reasonably where people can recognise the song with poor timing, to sounding like I can't play again. I know it will get there.

Any tips, or just keep with the practice and speed up as I get used to it?
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Try Talk Tonight by Oasis.
It's got a deceptively tricky strumming pattern but it's great to try and nail down as a beginner, especially if you know how the song goes. Helped me immensely during my formative years.

Edit.

Try tapping out the strumming pattern on your knee before you play too. Palm for down, thumb for up.
 
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DaveH said:
I'm struggling with improving my rhythm. I've always listened to a song and kind of just done quicker bits of up & down when needed. I know a fair few songs now and my chord changes are fast enough, but I thought it was way past time I learned to keep proper rhythm and strumming patterns. My brain just doesn't do it yet.

I've been looking at the pattern for Wild Rover, 3 beats, Down Down up Down up. Really simple. 1-2-3 down down down is fine, 1-and-2-and-3-and- going down up down up down up is fine. Dropping that up on the first off beat just isn't working at the minute.

I'm doing it with a metronome app. Too slow and I find there is so long between strums it feels unnatural. Faster I get into a knot. I guess it is just practice, like when I used to think about where to put each finger for a chord. But frustrating as hell at the moment. I've gone from not being able to play, to playing reasonably where people can recognise the song with poor timing, to sounding like I can't play again. I know it will get there.

Any tips, or just keep with the practice and speed up as I get used to it?
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Keep practicing, play along with the music or watch and play to a video.

Let your mind and movements synchronize, it will eventually all drop in after peaks and troughs.

Good luck.
 
gizmoganzee said:
Keep practicing, play along with the music or watch and play to a video.

Let your mind and movements synchronize, it will eventually all drop in after peaks and troughs.

Good luck.
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Cheers. I always play along to music and have transposed a few songs that have Eb tuning. I think with limited rhythm sense, I’m lost without them,
 
A lot of new players spend hours learning the intros to songs or a lead break.

That time would be better spent learning to play a song ( and sing it) all the way through.

People like that and there is nothing like the applause from people to make your heart glad.
 
I’m no expert but took me ages before I realised that strumming and keeping control of the pick is infinitely easier if you angle it across the strings instead of perpendicular. It sounds less harsh this way too, to my untrained lug holes.
offshore said:
It's just my style of playing but love my rock and alternative music but blues is my go to for playing the guitar. Don't use many pedals mainly just the sound of driven tube amp is great to my ear!

It's just my style of playing but love my rock and alternative music but blues is my go to for playing the guitar. Don't use many pedals mainly just the sound of driven tube amp is great to my ear!
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What would be some good blues tunes to start with for someone who primarily plays oasis :lol: I have cracked off most of the intro to wish you were here this week mind (the bit gilmour plays in the live version)
I’d also love to be able to work my way around the fretboard and understand various patterns and scales etc. It genuinely bamboozles me though. Reading about music theory bores the tits off me which is probably because I don’t understand it. Keys. Scales. Modes. Triads. Pentatonics. So much to learn.
 
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Ditchboy said:
I’m no expert but took me ages before I realised that strumming and keeping control of the pick is infinitely easier if you angle it across the strings instead of perpendicular. It sounds less harsh this way too, to my untrained lug holes.

What would be some good blues tunes to start with for someone who primarily plays oasis :lol: I have cracked off most of the intro to wish you were here this week mind (the bit gilmour plays in the live version)
I’d also love to be able to work my way around the fretboard and understand various patterns and scales etc. It genuinely bamboozles me though. Reading about music theory bores the tits off me which is probably because I don’t understand it. Keys. Scales. Modes. Triads. Pentatonics. So much to learn.
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A bit of Delta blues is easy enough to crack and I like the " blues guitar institute" on YouTube they do simple lessons. Try that.
 
Joe Public said:
I’m using marty Schwartz YouTube channel at the minute but I’m a

I’ve got about 5 chords learned but hard to remember their names, it’s the strumming rhythm I’m finding hardest but can tell the difference from a few days ago so hopefully it will come.
Do I need a capo?
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Yeah, get yourself a capo. And a snark tuner. Always have them on your headstock. Remember that making chord shapes with your fingers is not natural. It’s always hard to do something not natural at first. If you persevere it will pay off and you’ve already noticed an improvement. Expect more improvements.

If your finding any chords tricky I’d advise moving your fingers to the shapes without strumming. Just make the shape, then move to a different chord. For example Am to F. Just pulsate your fingers down and you’ll still hear a sound then just go back and forth. Doesn’t matter if that seems boring because once you are playing songs for fun you’ll realise it was worth it.

My advice for strumming would be the same as chord shapes. Hard to do something unnatural at first but it gets easier and then seems natural.

Cue wanking jokes.
 
Ditchboy said:
I’m no expert but took me ages before I realised that strumming and keeping control of the pick is infinitely easier if you angle it across the strings instead of perpendicular. It sounds less harsh this way too, to my untrained lug holes.

What would be some good blues tunes to start with for someone who primarily plays oasis :lol: I have cracked off most of the intro to wish you were here this week mind (the bit gilmour plays in the live version)
I’d also love to be able to work my way around the fretboard and understand various patterns and scales etc. It genuinely bamboozles me though. Reading about music theory bores the tits off me which is probably because I don’t understand it. Keys. Scales. Modes. Triads. Pentatonics. So much to learn.
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Get ahold of Registry Guitar Tutor’s electric grade 2,3 & 4 books. Work your way through them, in increasing difficulty to learn the ‘shapes’ and a bit of the ‘behind the curtain’ theory.

Once you can play any major / major chord in a few positions (ideally including barres) start to look into chord progressions and how they’re built (YouTube job). Practise and apply what you’ve learned from the books to loop chords to practise scales over - a teacher at that point will get you flying.

Link to books
 
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Lovemore said:
Yeah, get yourself a capo. And a snark tuner. Always have them on your headstock. Remember that making chord shapes with your fingers is not natural. It’s always hard to do something not natural at first. If you persevere it will pay off and you’ve already noticed an improvement. Expect more improvements.

If your finding any chords tricky I’d advise moving your fingers to the shapes without strumming. Just make the shape, then move to a different chord. For example Am to F. Just pulsate your fingers down and you’ll still hear a sound then just go back and forth. Doesn’t matter if that seems boring because once you are playing songs for fun you’ll realise it was worth it.

My advice for strumming would be the same as chord shapes. Hard to do something unnatural at first but it gets easier and then seems natural.

Cue wanking jokes.
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Awful things.
 
Lovemore said:
Yeah, get yourself a capo. And a snark tuner. Always have them on your headstock. Remember that making chord shapes with your fingers is not natural. It’s always hard to do something not natural at first. If you persevere it will pay off and you’ve already noticed an improvement. Expect more improvements.

If your finding any chords tricky I’d advise moving your fingers to the shapes without strumming. Just make the shape, then move to a different chord. For example Am to F. Just pulsate your fingers down and you’ll still hear a sound then just go back and forth. Doesn’t matter if that seems boring because once you are playing songs for fun you’ll realise it was worth it.

My advice for strumming would be the same as chord shapes. Hard to do something unnatural at first but it gets easier and then seems natural.

Cue wanking jokes.
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Or just play power chords lol you can then strum any way you like and sound like a punk band hahaha 😂
chriswallace85 said:
Awful things.
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I think he's saying it more for the chord name when he's playing the shape as the tuner will tell you not just tuning. I use a Peterson clip on strobe tuner...
 
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offshore said:
Or just play power chords lol you can then strum any way you like and sound like a punk band hahaha 😂

I think he's saying it more for the chord name when he's playing the shape as the tuner will tell you not just tuning. I use a Peterson clip on strobe tuner...
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I just have a massive aversion to clip on tuners.
 
chriswallace85 said:
I just have a massive aversion to clip on tuners.
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Pedal board has my boss tuner on it but I must say the Peterson strobe clip on is a fantastic tuner that just happens to clip on. I don't leave them on as they can mess up a nitrocellulose finish just like the stand rash my Les Paul has lol.
 
offshore said:
Pedal board has my boss tuner on it but I must say the Peterson strobe clip on is a fantastic tuner that just happens to clip on. I don't leave them on as they can mess up a nitrocellulose finish just like the stand rash my Les Paul has lol.
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I wouldn't keep a Gibson Les Paul on a stand like. Me Epi lives on one but the Gibsons live in their cases.
 
chriswallace85 said:
Not as handy as a TU-3. Clip-ons are generally awful in a live setting.
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Had mine on my board for years but it's looking a bit raggy now
chriswallace85 said:
I wouldn't keep a Gibson Les Paul on a stand like. Me Epi lives on one but the Gibsons live in their cases
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chriswallace85 said:
I wouldn't keep a Gibson Les Paul on a stand like. Me Epi lives on one but the Gibsons live in their cases.
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It was 20 ish years ago when I lived in a tiny flat I thought I'd display a few. It's not very bad just found the neck is visible now.
 
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offshore said:
Had mine on my board for years but it's looking a bit raggy now
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It'll still work though I bet. Indestructible.

I just tune up relatively* for the most part, and use an app on me phone for a bit of accuracy. On the rare occasions I gig it's the TU-3 all the way.


*Relative tuning is an invaluable thing to know/learn for beginners.
 
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