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Post by Steelpriest on Nov 13, 2004 1:32:01 GMT -5
Mainly self tought here. When I was a kid I had some basic lessons with an acoustic guitar. But it was rather boring, lol... I wanted to play rock'n'roll, not german folk songs. All I learned was some basic chords and that was it. I watched my pal, who was actually a good player, and tried things at home. I read books, looked at scales, always was in the first line of the audience and watched the local players, tried again... and figured it all out mainly by myself. I do have a certain knowledge about scales and music theory, but it is all selftought. I believe that some skills concerning the theoretic side of music are very helpful. But I can´t play sheet music or even sight-read music. But I know my chords and my scales. I use pentatonic scales alot and also different minor scales, lol, but don´t ask me about lydian, mixolydian and phrygian, lmfao. All I know is natural minor, harmonic and melodic minor. ;D I wish I´d know more about theoretics. It would make things easier when you try to figure out a song you want to play, without this knowledge it often takes longer to get a cover song together.  |
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Doug
Full Member
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Post by Doug on Nov 13, 2004 9:43:18 GMT -5
Great topic.
My first guitar was an electric Harmony LP copy, and it came with a few lessons thrown in to the deal. My instructor was great, and I remember he looked just like Randy Rhoads, who was coming about at the time. So naturally I wanted to see him go off on some Ozzy riff, but he concentrated on the "boring"stuff. After a few lessons he could tell what I was interested in, so he made sure he taught me some rock chords and a few techniques. A friend of mine lived two doors down, and also played guitar. He had a Hondo 2 LP copy and a Fender Twin Reverb amp. He taught me some rhythm parts to songs, and we would jam with me on rhythm and he with solos.
Other than that, I am self taught, by reading books, studying scales, and simply learning the fretboard. I never payed any attention to the "academics" of the guitar like theory and terminology when I was young, but am much interested in it now. Although my favorite music to play is rock and roll/vintage rock, even though I am in my thirties I also find some of the modern music interesting to play- i.e. right now I am going over a Disturbed CD and learning some parts.
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Post by mandough on Nov 13, 2004 15:02:26 GMT -5
I started about a year after I decided to try bass. I thought I could do better than my friends who told me they had things right when they picked out favorite songs, but I could hear the differnce between their "version" and the original, so I started on my own. I picked out all of James Hetfield's parts from Metallica's first three albums, then lost interest in super heavy music, which led me to Robin Trower and other influential classic rock guitarists who had a more mellow style. I still liked to rock out, but in a different way.
I got to wanting to do leads at that time, and thought lessons would speed up the process. I took them from a fellow in North Carolina who had this '63 Strat with lots of the paint rubbed off. He was the first to show me anything about the theory side of things. The modes of the scale and the fact that there are five places and scale shapes to do each of the seven modes in the major scale, was the biggest revelation about the guitar in my life. Other than that, I am self tought, and try to expand my understanding about the modes every time I play, and also have developed a serious interest in developing a mastery of double stops and how they can take the place of chordal passages, and solos in a song.
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Post by ZacAttack on Nov 13, 2004 16:20:52 GMT -5
My dad bought me a cheap ol airline acoustic guitar when I was real young. He tried to get me into it earlier but I didn't have the patience until I was like 8 or 9. He would sit down while he played his Gretsch and I would learn on my acoustic, without alot of progress it seemed. When I was 9 I guess, he asked me if I would like to try his electric. I remember being kind of scared of it for some reason. But I said yes and sat down as he handed it to me. He played the few basic cheater chords he had taught me on his acoustic and I followed on the electric the best I could. I remember the way it felt to hear what I was playing through the amp and how much easier it was to finger the electric guitar. About a year later he gave me that Gretsch 1964 corvette guitar and a Fender Princeton amp.
Noel, who I had known since 4th grade was and still is my best friend and wanted to play guitar too. We would take turns on the Gretsch, until his first guitar later that same year for Christmas. Then in the begining it went from dad to me to Noel. Not long after that Noel took off working songs up on his own. Everything he learned he would show me and every thing I would learn I would show him. It went on that way until we were like two sides of the same guitar player. His style complimented mine as mine did his. To this day there has been no other guitar player that I have played with that goes togather as well as Noel and I do, not even Dear ol Dad. When I play with Dad my playing compliments what he is playing and always has and I guess always will, because thats the way I learned. When Noel and I play it's an equal give and take, because thats the way we learned.
There were a few informal lessons and tabs from books and mags that helped along the way, but 23 years later I owe it all in the most part to Dad and Noel.
Keep on pickin
Zachariah Thompson
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Post by supedupviper on Nov 16, 2004 20:06:53 GMT -5
I am COMPLETLEY self taught, no formal lessons whatsoever. It all started back in 8th grade when I found some Led Zeppelin CDs around the house. For an 8th grade graduation gift, my dad took me down to guitar center and I picked up an Epi Special II and a Crate MX10 for about $200. I messed around on it for awhile, not caring about scales or chord families. Then about 4 months later after I had gotten a little better, I got my Marshall MG30DFX, it made me want to play even more. For christmas, I got my LP Standard, and when I got that I really started to teach myself about the technical aspects of playing guitar. I went to the bookstore and bought some books on guitar. I didn't read them all right away though. Then shortly after that I joined a band, and my 30 watt marshall wasn't loud enough. So then came my Marshall AVT150 half stack, and that just ultimatley gave me the spark that made me love playing. I went out and bought the Led Zeppelin DVD and just studied how Jimmy Page played, and tried learning songs by ear. Now I have a basic understanding of pentatonic scales and how to use them, I learn a couple new chords every day, play for at least 2 hours every day, and im learning more about the music theory
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Post by jeje on Nov 17, 2004 13:18:54 GMT -5
And I thought I was the only stubborn one... I struggled for six months on my nolyn classic with Stairway to Heaven(and managed to play it too, except for the solo) before I got to learning any chords  Now, almost a year after that, I'm just noodling away, playing whatever I like, trying to learn new stuff, and practicing some technique  edit: ah, and I don't know much theory, but I'm trying to get there.. |
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Post by noeljob on Nov 30, 2004 15:03:24 GMT -5
read zacs reply. a lot of practice, a lot of time, a lot of heart, and a little help from my friends. i cant read music myself, but i hear very well. you can go and pay alot of money to learn to play, but why? imho |
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Post by Soxfan63 on Mar 14, 2005 10:39:40 GMT -5
Newbie here..just came over from the forum on the Epi site. I've been screwing around with it off and on..mostly off..since I was about 17. (now 41) Took a few lessons back then..hated it....would rather try to play songs than sit and run scales for hours on end. Taught myself to read....figured out some riffs and songs here and there but I still suck pretty bad.
I ordered my Epi LP this morning...and bought some lesson books a couple weeks ago. Figured if I'm gonna have money invested in my Ovation and a new LP...then I better actually start learning how to play right.
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Post by hcoll on Mar 14, 2005 19:05:02 GMT -5
...this my third year...problem is I'm a slow learner.........
...my teacher switches between theory and learning my choice of songs...tough to do jazz or classical unless you can read music...we just finished up triplet inversions...
...currently learning The Ventures' "Ghost Riders in the Sky" for my next lesson...next time it'll be "Walk Don't Run"...then I'll have to find something else...it'll probably be Duane Eddie...................
...Atkins...The Ventures...Eddie...put the Valvetronix on 1x12 tweed with plate reverb & compressor pedal...some delay... switch to bridge pickup...I can have fun for hours on end...twangin' the Dot...............
...and yes...somewhere in the middle of my first spiral bound notebook...resides "Stairway to Heaven"............
...do my practical playing with the folk group at church...everyone's very encouraging................
...definitely...the time to learn music is when you're young...having said that...at 54...it's never too late...........
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Post by ExCaptain on Mar 15, 2005 0:29:15 GMT -5
I started playing back when I was around 14 (I'm 42 now). My parents bought me a Univox High Flyer guitar that has been gone a long time now. (I wish I still had it, I've seen them going for $500-$600 now!) I took formal lessons at a local shop for about a year, then got tired of the teacher not showing me what I wanted. I totally picked it up by ear and playing in bands with my friends. Many years later I am still playing by ear and still not there yet!! Anyway, I found I learned a lot by watching old music videos and watching bands in concert. I would see the guitar players playing and say to myself, "that's how they play that!"
I mostly play rythym guitar and love to hit the power chords. Still not brave enough to attempt leads though. It's been many, many, many years since playing in a band and haven't jammed with anyone else in a long time. I guess I am just content sitting in my little room that has my gear and fooling around.
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Post by guitarzan on May 30, 2005 16:55:42 GMT -5
Hey steel, that kinda sounds like me. I had a friend who was in a band show me a few things, and I use to fight my way to the front, and while everyone around me was moshing, or whatever, I was standing there, taking in what the guitarist was doing, and saying to myself, "so THATS how he does it...hmm." But I'm pretty much self-taught, never took formal lessons.
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