How Many Guitarists Do We Have Here At GK?

Good post Scotty. I agree that you start to learn your own style as you go along. I prefer to play by ear, but it is not natural to me. I have a forced-"perfect pitch." I've always been able to pick out notes, but it takes me a long ass time to play and transcribe by ear and I had to teach myself that.


I knew a girl in college with actual perfect pitch. She played every instrument possible and was the biggest bitch about it. If one string was even close to out of tune, she knew and ALWAYS said something about it. I was like, "Bitch, I am playing Nirvana, I am pretty sure that doesn't matter!"

 

Check out Jeff Loomis from Nevermore. He said he could pick up music from a very early age. He can shred and uses a 7-string.


"Psalm of Lydia"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUQusWJb8UQ


"Riverdragon has come"

 

I'm nowhere near perfect pitch, so again, for me it gets back to feel. I can't hear a song and immediately tell you what key it's in. But if I you give me a guitar and let me strum around for a minute I'll be able to figure it out. Therefore, since I don't understand theory or have a great ear for pitch, my senses of feel and vision have grown more acute. I keep hoping that I'll eventually be able to also play by smell and taste.


Lion- LOL @ that chick. Did it ever get irritating? I mean, was she ever particularly helpful? Interesting that you used Nirvana for this specific example. I've read many times that Cobain took lessons as a kid when he first started playing b/c he wanted to learn how to play Back In Black. However, as soon as he learned the chords G,A,D he stopped taking lessons and started making his own music.


Ras, are trying guitar playing to see how it feels for the moment, or are you hoping it grows into a big part of your life? My story id this in 1995 I knew I wanted to play guitar and I just knew it was going to be a massive part of my life. Still, I held off on buying one for a little while just to see if the fire would die down. Instead it just got bigger so in August 1996 I bought my first amp and guitar and I haven't looked back. Mind you, at first there were some devastating realizations that hit me right in the gut. Example, I got the guitar on a Tuesday and thought by Saturday I'd be shredding. I seriously thought that. Every time I watched one of my guitar heroes play, it looked so easy. I don't know why, but I really believed I was going to pick it up like that too, as if I were blessed with a massive amount of guitar-playing talent. ) Imagine my frustration when reality sank in:icon_confused:!


It got very very frustrating very very fast. I had to decide right then: Even though I had no natural innate talent nor aptitude, and it was gonna be way harder than I thought, if it was still something I wanted to commit to. I'm like "Is this even gonna be any fun?" So I did take some lessons. I was also fortunate that one of my closest and best friends had already been playing guitar for 8 years by the time I started playing, and HE had perfect pitch. So he was able to teach me a lot in a short amount of time. He gave me confidence and I desperately needed that more than anything else.


I'm a physical player. My one big thing in playing was being able to get hands fast enough and articulate enough to be able to play the stuff I hear in my head. That's always been and continues to be my biggest barrier. I'll hear the music in my head, but my sometimes my hands/dexterity aren't enough to get it out of my head and onto the guitar.


I look at practice this way: I'm always playing. I'm never practicing. Playing is my practice. Kinda like when a kid is playing a video game. He's trying to get better and get to the next level of the game. But if you ask him if he's practicing, he'll look at you weird and tell you he's playing the game, not practicing.


Man this post got long in a hurry. Damn.

 

guitar player for hire


...that's me...been playing since I was 14...turnd 51 on easter sunday....I own the fender telecaster that I bought when I was 14 with paper route money...american made tele ladies and gents...the real deal...I have had many an ax over the years from acoustic to acoustic-electric to electric 6-strings and basses...ovations, gibsons, fenders, kramer, carvin, reverend,...to name a few off the top of my head...wish I still had my gibson SG...miss that one...and my black fender strat...and would love to own a martin acoustic...


...I play lead/rhythm and was basically self-taught from books and learning to play by ear...that was where I had my best luck...if you learn to play by ear...and can even tune your guitar by ear and then pair that with a book smart (read music)approach...you can become really confident and good...the rest as they say is YOU...everyone brings their own chemistry to the neck of the instrument...face the music...


...I need to get out my reverend and tele and restring them...turn my amp up to 11 and get my ya-yas out...best stress reliever Ive found...slam dunkin a major bar chord...or winding up for a pete townshend windmill appproach to jammin' out...course at my age...one needs to excercise caution...ya' know though...at 51...who am i foolin cept maybe for myself...I just caught Joe Walsh opening up for Bob Seger in Denver april 2nd earlier this month...Bob is 68 friends...68...and he can still kick the dog...so dammit...I need to bust out some chops lol

 

Another good thing to do is find a semi-difficult picking song to warm up with. I use The Beatles Blackbird, but I think every guitarists has their own warm up song. Just something you can keep playing everyday while you try your hands at something else.


The only reason I use "Blackbird" is because some hippie chick tried to play it one time at my house, and I decided it should be learned proper. Great finger loosening exercise.