I did it!!

[vernon]

if I can help with any questions just pm me

Which end of the guitar makes the best firewood?

 

[Saluki]

Which end of the guitar makes the best firewood?

 

[Saluki]

Um, do I have to give my guitar a name, like I would a car or a bike (Car called Archibald, the bike is called Mr Giant) or will just gazing at it adoringly while waiting for the pain in my fingertips to shut up suffice.
D, A & E nailed. I need a cuppa then I will go do it again.

 

[Wayne Tully]

Um, do I have to give my guitar a name, like I would a car or a bike (Car called Archibald, the bike is called Mr Giant) or will just gazing at it adoringly while waiting for the pain in my fingertips to shut up suffice.
D, A & E nailed. I need a cuppa then I will go do it again.

Great work, it really is a great thing to do, be careful though buying them does get addictive.

 

[delb0y]

Great news :-)

Can't beat playing the guitar!

As regards barre chords, one way to build confidence and strength is to buy a capo and put it on the second or third fret, and then try playing barre chords above that. The capo has the effect of lowering the action, and as the frets get closer together as you move up the guitar the fingering is less of a stretch, too. But a bit like cycling up hills... the only way to get good at it (so I've read here recently) is to do it a lot.

 

[RFATaff]

Um, do I have to give my guitar a name, like I would a car or a bike (Car called Archibald, the bike is called Mr Giant) or will just gazing at it adoringly while waiting for the pain in my fingertips to shut up suffice.
D, A & E nailed. I need a cuppa then I will go do it again.

Bernard. Great name for a guitar ;-)

Keep at the guitar it gets easier! When I was mad into it I foynd dipping my fingers in surgical spirit used to help speed up the hardening of the fingers.

 

[Salad Dodger]

Hi Colin.

Barre chords are tough.

It seems to me that most pro guitarists - even of acoustic guitars - use very, very light guage strings. These dont give as much volume but they will almost always play through amplification so basic acoustic volume, or lack of it, volume doesn't matter to them.

And they have their guitars "set up" properly. The strings are adjusted to be as low as possible.

Of course, some players are lucky enough to have hands like shovels, which probably are naturally stronger.

But having said all that, it just comes down to practice. Little and often, as part of a longer spell of playing. Sort of like doing interval sprints or hills on a bike as part of a regular ride.

 

[Saluki]

Bernard. Great name for a guitar ;-)

Keep at the guitar it gets easier! When I was mad into it I foynd dipping my fingers in surgical spirit used to help speed up the hardening of the fingers.

I used surgical spirit to harden my hands up when I started playing polo (I am not posh!)

 

[Beebo]

you should enjoy this documentary. Just dont expect to be this good straight away.


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27OT_FSWrIE

 

[Twotter]

You have a guitar? You can play some chords? You're a musician now....how cool is that!??

I taught myself to play by using tuition books, then a chord book and then by practicing with the songs I liked. Over time I moved on to writing my own songs, bought and sold more guitars (Gear Acquisition Syndrome or GAS is what we called n+1), started to play in bands, did some busking and had a lot of fun along the way. I've got just a few guitars now, including my Takamine electro-acoustic which I will never part with, and play at home for my own amusement. I hope you enjoy playing guitar as much as I do

 

[ColinJ]

Ah yes, I meant 'barre'!

I just Googled it and there are lots of people giving advice on how to tackle barre chords so I think I will have a go and see how I get on. I think once I got to a certain standard then my enthusiasm for the guitar would return. I normally get frustrated at my slow progress and give up for a year or two at a time!

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Hi Colin.

Barre chords are tough.

It seems to me that most pro guitarists - even of acoustic guitars - use very, very light guage strings. These dont give as much volume but they will almost always play through amplification so basic acoustic volume, or lack of it, volume doesn't matter to them.

And they have their guitars "set up" properly. The strings are adjusted to be as low as possible.

Of course, some players are lucky enough to have hands like shovels, which probably are naturally stronger.

But having said all that, it just comes down to practice. Little and often, as part of a longer spell of playing. Sort of like doing interval sprints or hills on a bike as part of a regular ride.

im not sure a really low action and very light guage strings is the way to go all the time. Players like stevie ray vaughan had really high action with very heavy guage strings for example. Getting the guitar set up right is important.

Given the challenges beginners face, especially with barre chords, theres no harm using super light guages and then moving back to more stable guages after while.

I tend to have a fairly high action on my strats with a hybrid guage 9-46 for the faster lead stuff. If i were just playing chords id have a heavier guage. Thicker strings last longer, sound better, but play harder.

Saluki if you have 'nailed' those chords the next thing is to get comfortable changing between them and staying in time to a click track, metronome or just tap your foot as you strum the chords.

 

[RWright]

Don't know if this has been mentioned yet but Youtube has a massive number of guitar lessons as well as instruction on particular songs.

I have been working on this one (it might not be considered beginner though), this guy does some of the better tutorials IMHO.

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2X_oPbLB3M

 

[BigonaBianchi]

yes you the web is a superb source of info and videos etc. Do be picky as to which ones you watch, there are many 'less than good' videos, tabs and info out there as well. You may want to run with the face to face lessons for now and then pick up stuff gradually online as well. I say that because it is very easy to think you are doing it correctly, then learn it all wrong (or less than perfect) and then have to undo the bad habits and start again. Your tutor can watch you play and give you proper feedback on technique etc, that is why you pay for lessons.

BTW, dont forget to learn the rock n'roll poses...these are important!

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Well done saluki as they say practice makes perfect.

Btw i saw an ad in a shop window the other day,it said

Guitar for sale,no strings attached.......i'll get my coat.