The Learn2Play Guitar Thread

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Figured i'd start one instead of spamming up the outside link thread.

Anyways between this week i'm going to make the plunge and get myself a future in music. I have decided between four different starter sets:

Option 1

Option 2

(is there any real difference between the two?)

Option 3

Option 4

Now I wasn't sure if I should buy both the acoustic and electric packs, since i'll have the exposable income, or just buy one (I'm kinda leaning towards electric atm because they look cooler). Then there's always bass. Argh, I don't know!

Now the real question I have is what accesories/books would you guys reccomend I get for just starting out? I'm defintly going to be looking at the price of lessons so!

Thanks

[Powerslave]

I sold my electric guitar after a month of trying to play some chords. Shit is hard. Godspeed to you.

Fuck chords. I never play them. Yeah I do powerchords, but I only like to play Metal, so there you have it. I only play Lead guitar, so a lot of single notes and 'solos' types of stuff. I'm really not interested in all those chords, but I'm sure I will start on them soon. For now I just play things I like to play. Bits of songs here and there, I enjoy it.

[Powerslave]

What songs? Not everything is played with chords you know.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

When I was like 10 or something our music teacher tried to teach us all guitars and the first song she taught us was Yellow Submarine

[etiolate]

*sigh* I miss this guitar. Broke her over a year ago. Why did you go with electric?

[MyNameIsMethodis]

I haven't gone with any yet. I've never been a big fan of acoustic though, mostly because I like to make awesome sounding sounds and not just the regular acoustic sounding sounds.

But I could be totally wrong.

[Powerslave]

I dont know man, I know very little of this stuff. Maybe I should have learned to play some songs first. Or maybe I couldn't even play the notes.

You can't really play the melodic parts of songs with chords. That's what lead guitarists are for. Say you want to play a bit of a song where you just hear a lot of single notes one after the other, those are not chords, you strum chords over a few strings, lead guitar is just picking each note one by one.


methodis:  screw the accoustic, an electric can act as an accoustic as well, and you can do so much more with an electric. Once you discover the awesomeness of Distortion, you'll fall in love. Get a guitar with a humbucker.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Whats a humbucker?

Also how do I get one of those killswitches like buckethead...or is that way beyond anything a noobie should be messing with.

Also I don't want to spend too much money at first, like in the 2fiddy range for the first guitar. Thats why those squier packs are incenting.

[Powerslave]

I showed you what a humbucker was in the Outside Link thread.


it's the double pick-up on the body of the guitar beneath the strings. Those things catch the vibration from the strings and put it out into sound through an amplifier. A humbucker will give you a fat crunchy tone, necessary for distortion. Distortion on single coils sound like shit.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Ahhhh thats right. I forgot what that was called heh.

But also were there any real difference between those two squier starter packs? It seems the cheaper one has the better looking guitars, oddly, but the more expensive one just includes headphones and a fender amp.

[Powerslave]

What songs were you trying to play?

[Powerslave]

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Yamaha-PAC112J-Electric-Guitar?sku=511077

methodis: A lot of people seem to praise the Yamaha Pacifica 112 guitar. It's a great stratocaster with a humbucker in the bridge. I think it would be a great versatile guitar. From what I know, I would recommend either this guitar, a low-end Ibanez with a humbucker, or a Squier Fat Strat (also equipped with a HB)


But you are going to have to buy the amp and everything else seperately. Don't worry about it, it's better that way. Most guitar packs are low quality.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Wow that yamaha looks pretty sick, same with that squier fat strat hah. I don't know now!!!

I still have to decide between the stupid bass and regular guitar also !

Actually this one looks pretty awesome this.

I don't mind having to buy an amp later on, i can always use my multiple pc's as an amp for now.

[Powerslave]

Why would you want to play bass? Seems boring to me. You'll only get 1 type of sound out of it and it will all be .....bassy

[MyNameIsMethodis]

I dunno, i've always been infuated with Les Claypool. Plus for some reason, i think bass is easier in my head heh

But that Ibanez guitar is looking really appealing.

[muckhole]

I'm gonna interject here and say, no matter what kind you buy, learn some cords. What Powerslave is suggesting may be fun for playing around, but only focusing on lead is extremely limited. You need to learn everything possible. It will just make you an all around better player.

[bagofeyes]

I'll also interject and say distortion on single coil pickups doesn't always sound like shit

[Beezy]

I got an acoustic guitar last summer. Haven't had any time to play it at all.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Lol so many conflicting statements! 

Oh well, few more days before I can actually order, heh.

[Powerslave]

I'm gonna interject here and say, no matter what kind you buy, learn some cords. What Powerslave is suggesting may be fun for playing around, but only focusing on lead is extremely limited. You need to learn everything possible. It will just make you an all around better player.

I wasn't suggesting anything to the OP, I was talking to Kosma.

I'll also interject and say distortion on single coil pickups doesn't always sound like shit

If you got an expensive guitar/pick-up.... sure, maybe.

And hotrails aren't single coils.

[muckhole]

I wasn't suggesting anything to the OP, I was talking to Kosma.

Sorry , I misread. Past my old-man bedtime.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

I actually know several chords from being young and playing Yellow Submarine and Smoke on the Water. I was always taught though that you need to know chords most importantly no matter what, so those were drilled into our heads. I never really thought about just playing like one single strings and such.

I have a old acoustic guitar about the same size as the fake Les Paul that came with GH3...I sometimes dig it out and try it out but to no success, but I think thats because it's not in tune heh.

[Jabberwocky]

I've been wanting to learn how to play acoustic. What's good for beginners?

[muckhole]

I've been wanting to learn how to play acoustic. What's good for beginners?

Do you already have a guitar? If not, the packages listed by the op has an acoustic setup in option 4. Either way, If you go back in the outside link thread, you'll find a bunch of posts that should help you get started.

Start reading here:
http://www.evilbore.com/forum/index.php?topic=6017.msg542672#msg542672

[CurseoftheGods]

Why would you want to play bass? Seems boring to me. You'll only get 1 type of sound out of it and it will all be .....bassy

I bet he's black. Haven't you seen the South Park episode?

[Phoenix Dark]

I sold my electric guitar after a month of trying to play some chords. Shit is hard. Godspeed to you.

Fuck chords. I never play them. Yeah I do powerchords, but I only like to play Metal, so there you have it. I only play Lead guitar, so a lot of single notes and 'solos' types of stuff. I'm really not interested in all those chords, but I'm sure I will start on them soon. For now I just play things I like to play. Bits of songs here and there, I enjoy it.

ha you can't play shit

a-a-a-b-b-b-c-c-c-a-a-a

[Powerslave]

Go play some bass PD.




CotG: yes.

[Bildi]

Hey Powerslave, did you keep your Ibanez S?

[Scurvy Stan]

Those packs are kinda meh. I'd say spend the couple extra hundred and get a Fender MIM Strat or Epiphone Les Paul Standard (both about $400) coupled with a VOX Valvetronic 15 watt amp (about $175) and you'll have a sick setup (yet affordable) that will last you a long ass time and sound sweet as hell. Throw in a couple effects pedals later when you figure out what you like for styles.

[Powerslave]

Hey Powerslave, did you keep your Ibanez S?

Yeah I still got the SA160. I love it. I improved very much and I'm like 65% in of having mastered alternate picking

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Those packs are kinda meh. I'd say spend the couple extra hundred and get a Fender MIM Strat or Epiphone Les Paul Standard (both about $400) coupled with a VOX Valvetronic 15 watt amp (about $175) and you'll have a sick setup (yet affordable) that will last you a long ass time and sound sweet as hell. Throw in a couple effects pedals later when you figure out what you like for styles.

I really don't want to spend $600 on something i'm not even sure i'll play more than once....

[Bildi]

Hey Powerslave, did you keep your Ibanez S?

Yeah I still got the SA160. I love it. I improved very much and I'm like 65% in of having mastered alternate picking

Sweet.   

Did you get used to the sharp edge on the body?

[Powerslave]

Yeah man, that problem has completely gone away, miraculously.

I feel like I should be going to the next level. Try something different than playing music through tab, but I'm too lazy to check lessons

[muckhole]

I feel like I should be going to the next level. Try something different than playing music through tab, but I'm too lazy to check lessons

There's really nothing wrong with tab, in my opinion. Do you write at all?

[Powerslave]

No I only play other men's music.

[Bildi]

Yeah man, that problem has completely gone away, miraculously.

I feel like I should be going to the next level. Try something different than playing music through tab, but I'm too lazy to check lessons

I'm glad you got used to it.

I've always been a bit of a lazy bastard when it comes to practice, so I keep an electric in the lounge and do exercises while watching TV sometimes.  Since it's an electric it's nice and quiet so I can still hear the TV.

TAB is a very useful and quick way to get the position information - it's good to be able to read it well.

Reading notation is certainly a bonus - for rock guitar I'd start by learning time values of the notes as it's useful when you're learning a passage that is a bit more complex or quick and hence you can't get the timing by listening to the CD.

[muckhole]

Also, Powerslave, you could check out these books:

http://www.guitargrimoire.com/

I know guys who swear by them. There's a whole series on different scales and methods, which, since you like playing lead, would be really handy. Best of all, if you don't feel like reading them, they have the lessons on DVD.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

I think i'll be puttin in a order Friday night for a guitar...finally *sigh*. Still don't know wtf one to get

[muckhole]

Don't sweat it too much. Look at it this way, if you decide to play guitar in the end, whichever one you buy now will not be the only one you own. And if it turns out playing guitar isn't something you like, you won't care which one you got anyways. This first one is just a tool for you to learn on.

[Powerslave]

Bildi I'm curious to see/hear how great you can play. Do you have any recordings of yourself? If not, can you make one if it's not too much asked? If not, can you write down and explain the things you can do? If not, can you suck my dick?

Also, Powerslave, you could check out these books:

http://www.guitargrimoire.com/

I know guys who swear by them. There's a whole series on different scales and methods, which, since you like playing lead, would be really handy. Best of all, if you don't feel like reading them, they have the lessons on DVD.

holy SHIT at those jpg artifacts. They must have worn down that image for years by saving it in Paint as a jpg

I'll see if I can find these books somewhere around here.

I think i'll be puttin in a order Friday night for a guitar...finally *sigh*. Still don't know wtf one to get

Don't freaking order a guitar online. Go to a store and get either a Yamaha Pacifica 112, an Ibanez GRG170DX or a Squier Standard Fat Strat. You can't go wrong with either of these, all 3 got great reviews. It will boil down to a matter of personal preference (looks of the guitar), I don't think they'll sound much different from each other. Although the Ibanez does have 2 humbuckers whereas the Pacifica and the Squier are more alike.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

I don't know what that store has for inventory, but I guess i'll check it out.

[Positive Touch]

personally i'd recommend looking around on craigslist or at local garage sales for a cheap p.o.s. guitar.  sure it'll sound like shit, but you don't need an amp when you can't even play yet.  if you stick with it and want to really start rockin, then look around for a nice electric and an amp.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

I was actually thinking of looking on craigslist, but I heard that thats a bad idea because the guitars are usually fucked up on there.

[Powerslave]

^Don't listen to Positive Touch. If you buy a piece of shit guitar with lots of problems you'll be more inclined to just stop playing all along.

but you don't need an amp when you can't even play yet. 

Bullshit. The cool sound amplifiers create will just encourage him to play more or get better. An electric without an amp is so lifeless. And acoustic guitars are shit.

[Positive Touch]

yeah but as long as the strings stay on who gives a fuck?  if you give up on guitar after a little while you saved yourself a shitton, and if you stick with it you're out like $50 but you'll have a spare guitar to smash at a live show

[MyNameIsMethodis]

I remembered, I have an old ass like 1945 acoustic someweres in my garage. I could always dig that out to play acoustic with.

But I saw my friend play his electric with an amp and it was omgsogoodovermyface and made me want to start playing...that and i'm getting tired of fake rocking out in RB and GH when I could throw the amount of time i've put into those behind a real isntrument.

[Positive Touch]

do you know anyone else that plays?  take them with you and have you look over a potential buy if you're worried about a bad guitar.  How bad would you have to treat a guitar to seriously fuck it up anyway?

and powerslave, while i agree that an electric guitar w/amp is probably the most amazing sound ever, in the hands of a noob it just sounds painful and shitty.  and if he buys a cheapo guitar on craigslist, he can get a cheapo amp on there too.  I don't think amps even start to sound decent until you start spending a few hundred dollars anyway.

[Positive Touch]

acoustics are a bit harder because the thick strings can hurt your uncallused fingers

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Well I don't really want an acoustic anyways, I want to jam the fuck out not make sappy love songs

[muckhole]

Well I don't really want an acoustic anyways, I want to jam the fuck out not make sappy love songs

Some of my heaviest songs were written on an acoustic. Mind you, distortion usually found it's way into the mix sooner or later.

[Bildi]

So what is the story with all you guys - what sort of music do you like and what do you like to play?  What are you working on?

It'd be nice to get to know more about the guitarists around here since we seem to be getting a few. 

Edit: sorry Powerslave, I missed your question earlier.  I'll type something up.

[muckhole]

I like alot of different styles, I'd say a bit of everything except country. I just started writing again after a loooong hiatus. I haven't been in a studio in years. I did alot of vocal work in the 90's on some local talent's CD's as well. Father dying+family business killed my music career pretty quick, but, that's life.

[Bildi]

What sort of stuff are you writing?

[muckhole]

What sort of stuff are you writing?

I always find these kind of questions difficult. I tend to like heavy guitars and drums, but the stuff I've been outputting the last few months runs the gamut from mellow to semi-heavy. If you're asking me to nail down a genre, I suppose rock/alternative, though the latter has been thrown around enough to make me sick.

[Bildi]

That's cool - it gives me a pretty good idea.  It can be pretty hard to put creations into a genre, but I get the drift.

[muckhole]

How about yourself, Bildi?

[Bildi]

I play rock and classical.  I've always played classical but I picked up electric in my teens and still predominantly like much the same stuff as I did back then (Satriani, Vai, Petrucci.... you know the drill).

I've never written a ton of music but wrote with a sequencer years ago and wrote some stuff when I've been in bands.  It tended to be similar to what I listen to - sometimes heavy-ish rhythm and some odd-time grooves, but more often mellow stuff on the whole.

Bildi I'm curious to see/hear how great you can play. Do you have any recordings of yourself? If not, can you make one if it's not too much asked? If not, can you write down and explain the things you can do? If not, can you suck my dick?

  Answers in order:

Not online, possibly, sure,  .

When you say "things you can do" I guess you're thinking technique stuff?

In terms of electric I'm technically OK.  During improvising I resort to legato rather than speed picking if I want quick bits.  Never been a good improvising speed picker - I can sit down and learn a speed picking passage for a song, but never really learned little patterns and so on to put in improvising.  I've actually been practicing improvisation speed picking these last few months, but not very seriously.  I'm not really a "trick-bag" improviser, so I don't have lots of cool little pre-learned sweeps and runs.  I just make it up as I go and try get a nice melody in there as most listeners need a hook to latch onto to really enjoy listening to improvising.  Helps inspire fellow improvisers too.

I don't remember a great deal of theory since I hardly ever sit down and have a jam with someone so I don't get to apply it actively.  I can remember enough to give someone a backing in the right keys or something though.

I still have source materials from when I taught guitar (haven't taught for 8 years, since I finished university) and I've been thinking of converting them to PDFs.  If I do, I'll let you know and can email some to if you like although they're generally light on explanation (since they were made for giving to students at lessons).  But they're highly applicable theory, not much wishy-washy crap in them.

Fuck, that's a long post.  So what is your story Powerslave?

And make sure you leave your zipper open while you tell it. 

[MyNameIsMethodis]

So got my paycheck today...$191 

Guess i'll be saving another stupid week. 

[muckhole]

You sound like you're very technically proficient, Bildi. Classical guitar makes me jealous. Being self taught, I have zero theory, can't read music etc. But I'm very fortunate in that I have a weird sort of musical photographic memory. If I come up with a riff, chord progression etc. that I like, I never forget it, sometimes even for years, until I get around to recording it. Sometimes I can write entire songs, lyrics and all, in my head while doing things like washing the dishes.

As for fast leads, speed picking and the like, it was something I was never terribly interested in, and i only recently have really started to put any effort into doing. I would always leave that to my friend who was a huge Satriani, Eddie Van Halen style fan, when I needed tha sort of thing.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

So I got my dads old acoustic; wish my camera had batteries or i'd take a picture. Anyways, anyone know a good online website with some basic tutorials? And on how to tune a guitar

-Thanks

<3 Meth