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MurraneousX posted:Plain and simple, what are some good warm-up exercises? Chromatic exercise horizontally along the neck I M A P e|-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1--- repeat up and down all the the other strings, fretting all four fingers at time, moving your index up to reach the next four frets. When descending, move your pinky to reach the next four frets. Chromatic vertically along the neck e|-1-2-3-4------------------------------------------------------------------------ b|---------1-2-3-4---------------------------------------------------------2-3-4-5 g|-----------------1-2-3-4-----------------------------------------2-3-4-5-------- d|-------------------------1-2-3-4-------------------------2-3-4-5---------------- a|---------------------------------1-2-3-4---------2-3-4-5------------------------ e|-----------------------------------------1-2-3-4-------------------------------- etc.. up and down to the 12th fret, you can vary this in a lot of ways, beginning with descending, changing the order of the fretting fingers (ie 1-3-4-2), start slow and keep it even and with as little tension as possible. Finger independence warm up: Start with all four fingers held down on the G string on the 2nd fret: e|---------------------------- b|---------------------------- g|--2-3-4-5------------------- d|---------------------------- a|---------------------------- e|---------------------------- Without lifting your other fingers, move your middle finger to fret the A string on the same fret. e|---------------------------- b|---------------------------- g|--2---4-5------------------- d|---------------------------- a|----3----------------------- e|---------------------------- Then move it to the B string e|---------------------------- b|-----3---------------------- g|--2-----4-5----------------- d|---------------------------- a|---------------------------- e|---------------------------- Then the low and high E strings e|----3----------------------- b|---------------------------- g|--2----4-5------------------ d|---------------------------- a|---------------------------- e|---------------------------- etc... I'm bad at writing TABs I hope this helps a little.
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Jun 5, 2011 22:21
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Don't spend too long on chromatic warmups. Once you get some basic dexterity with both hands, move on to scale warmups (plus arpeggios if you're feeling perspicacious). It does very little good to spend that much time playing patterns you don't use in music. Warming up with musical fundamentals goes a long way to making those familiar musical sounds second nature.
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Jun 6, 2011 02:53
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CalvinDooglas posted:Don't spend too long on chromatic warmups. Once you get some basic dexterity with both hands, move on to scale warmups (plus arpeggios if you're feeling perspicacious). It does very little good to spend that much time playing patterns you don't use in music. Warming up with musical fundamentals goes a long way to making those familiar musical sounds second nature. First thing I do when I pick up a guitar is play the C major scale up and down, position by position, starting at the open 6th string E and going up as far as that guitar allows. Once I've done that a couple times through in quavers and triplets and without any mistakes I go on.
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Jun 6, 2011 03:26
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Pocket Billiards posted:First thing I do when I pick up a guitar is play the C major scale up and down, position by position, starting at the open 6th string E and going up as far as that guitar allows. Once I've done that a couple times through in quavers and triplets and without any mistakes I go on. Now do the other 11 scales! Once you work through them a couple times it's actually a piece of cake. Do them in circle of 5ths order so you're only working with changes of one flat/sharp at a time. They really do become second nature. Anymore, I have to find technique issues to concentrate on because my fingers will hit the right notes and right rhythms even if I'm distracted. If you get into gigging, that kind of musical autonomy is extremely useful. Especially starting on the lowest note - as I always recommend - is good for your fingers/brain because it makes you think more in absolute terms of "what note is this?" rather than just where you are within a fingering pattern. CalvinDooglas fucked around with this message at 03:34 on Jun 6, 2011 |
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Jun 6, 2011 03:31
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CalvinDooglas posted:Now do the other 11 scales! What do I look like, Andres Segovia?
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Jun 6, 2011 06:08
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Jesus, it's not that hard. There is no "hardest scale", they're all just arbitrary finger placements and if you learned Eb minor first you'd think that was the easiest. Work out C, then go to F and continue adding one flat until you get to Gb major, then switch to sharps at B major and subtract a sharp until you get all way back to G. You can tackle it in a few hours all at once, or do them a couple scales at a time over a week or two. As always, these exercises become confusing if you use poor technique. Make sure you're using the pinky. When doing 3-note per string scales, you should NEVER have to slide to change position or barre strings.
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Jun 6, 2011 06:39
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if there's anyone out there who's hesitant to learn guitar because of crooked/broken fingers, take a look at my pinky:  I didn't think I'd ever play, but here we are, years later and It actually works. You kind of just deal with it and rely on strengths. Honestly, that looks pretty graphic, but it barely gets in the way. I know there's probably people out there with weirder hands, but I thought I'd at least mention that it's OK - you don't need hands like a concert pianist.
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Jun 6, 2011 11:27
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See what you want to do now is get real famous and write an awesome song that relies on that pinky shape for a certain technique, so people can say 'loving dolphins are gay loving bullshit man' when they try and play it
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Jun 6, 2011 16:34
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I've played finger-style bass for about 8 years now and I've recently picked up playing guitar too. My left hand is more developed than my right hand. I'm comfortable with power chords and a large majority of the open chord formations. I still need to practice not muting the high strings when I fret chord shapes but I know that will come in time. The thing that is frustrating me the most is my right hand. I'm starting to get used to the strings distances finally. However I cannot keep the pace and timing of different strum patterns and palm muting. My picking hand starts to lag behind. I know that it will take time and practice to build up the endurance but does anyone have a good regiment that they use to help?
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Jun 6, 2011 18:29
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 I just got my first guitar! I'm a big death cab/decemberists fan. Are there any songs by them that are good for someone who has literally never played before, ever?
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Jun 6, 2011 23:53
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Lackadaisical posted:
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Jun 7, 2011 02:22
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Dolphin posted:I'm assuming you have some musical background here. If you don't, I can transcribe it for you later. I have zero musical background. After hearing a friend play some of my favorite songs on his acoustic, I put a guitar on my amazon wishlist on a whim and it just sort of appeared. I've never really played any instrument, ever.
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Jun 7, 2011 02:42
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The Decembrists guitarist was pretty crappy last time I heard their music, I can't imagine any of their songs are that difficult.
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Jun 7, 2011 02:49
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Lackadaisical posted:I have zero musical background. After hearing a friend play some of my favorite songs on his acoustic, I put a guitar on my amazon wishlist on a whim and it just sort of appeared. I've never really played any instrument, ever. get a teacher if you really want to learn or read a ton of beginner tips online before you jump into playing any songs
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Jun 7, 2011 03:25
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Lackadaisical posted:I have zero musical background. After hearing a friend play some of my favorite songs on his acoustic, I put a guitar on my amazon wishlist on a whim and it just sort of appeared. I've never really played any instrument, ever. I was in the same boat as you a few years ago. Zero musical background, bought a cheap guitar and keyboard to teach myself. I also highly recommend this: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Music-Theory/dp/1592574378/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1307415262&sr=8-7 There are enough tutorials, lessons and videos online these days that almost anyone can teach themselves enough to play songs from favorite bands.
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Jun 7, 2011 03:57
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So I'm determined, after only an hour of playing, to learn this: http://www.indieguitartabs.com/bands/neko_case/11_moon.html But I'm struggling with the F. Any good videos or advice for doing it without killing my fingers?
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Jun 7, 2011 05:14
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Lackadaisical posted:I have zero musical background. After hearing a friend play some of my favorite songs on his acoustic, I put a guitar on my amazon wishlist on a whim and it just sort of appeared. I've never really played any instrument, ever. Sup zero musical background buddy. I bought a Washburn acoustic off Craigslist today after going to Sasquatch this past weekend. Been thinking about learning guitar since I was 15 (25 now). I'm really impressed that you can switch cords fast enough to make out a song at this point - even my C major to G major takes minutes at this point.
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Jun 7, 2011 05:20
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Lackadaisical posted:So I'm determined, after only an hour of playing, to learn this: Keep playing, really. Barre chords will gently caress you up until you keep playing them over and over and over again. Check out justinguitar.com for some walkthroughs. http://justinguitar.com/en/BC-161-F-chord.php
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Jun 7, 2011 05:33
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Lackadaisical posted:But I'm struggling with the F. Any good videos or advice for doing it without killing my fingers?  You could do this: x 1 2 3 3 x Fret the A minor with middle, ring and pinky. The move all those fingers up a fret and add the first finger to the B string to get the F chord. Unfortunately, you'll have a hell of a time with the F minor still. The F minor really requires a barre. You gotta barre to do that song. That's actually a good learning song. Use your first finger only for the barre chords and the chord transitions should be pretty smooth.
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Jun 7, 2011 05:46
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Lackadaisical posted:But I'm struggling with the F. Any good videos or advice for doing it without killing my fingers? First you learn this as a beginner: 1 1 2 3 x x Then you learn this as you grow: 1 1 2 3 3 1 Then you learn this as you advance: 1 1 2 3 x x - or - 8 10 10 10 x x - or - 5 6 5 7 x x Guitar is a magical instrument.
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Jun 7, 2011 06:21
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Lesson I learned on day one: Don't try to play for like 5 straight hours. My fingers loving hurt and I have a massive test tomorrow where I need to write a lot. Also, awesome tips. I'm determined to master the F chord and then this song in a matter of days. There is no such thing as over ambitious.
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Jun 7, 2011 06:37
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Lackadaisical posted:So I'm determined, after only an hour of playing, to learn this: Bookmarked that site to check later, but does it really have a better selection of indie tabs than Ultimate Guitar or is it redundant if UG is my prime source of tabs? EDIT: Quoted the wrong dude.
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Jun 7, 2011 08:38
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Thanks you guys for all the warm up tips, nice to have something to work from and to!Lackadaisical posted:Lesson I learned on day one: Don't try to play for like 5 straight hours. My fingers loving hurt and I have a massive test tomorrow where I need to write a lot. Really, F is not exactly Day One material, you don't have to feel bad if you suck at it. While there isn't such a thing as over ambitious, there is such a thing as burning out and getting bored if you expect too much too soon. Learning an instrument is a process that takes time and should be enjoyed as a process. The first thing my friend told me when I told him I'd bought a guitar was "even if you practice every day you will still suck in 3 months time" and I'm drat glad he did. Someone mentioned it briefly already but seriously check out Justinguitar.com, he has a really well structured and balanced beginner course and it's pretty much free. Though if you want to give him money that's OK too. RillAkBea fucked around with this message at 10:22 on Jun 7, 2011 |
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Jun 7, 2011 10:15
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I don't feel bad I suck and can't do the F chord. I just feel challenged to fix that I'm not expecting to be able to rock out tomorrow but I like to push myself. It doesn't mean I'm enjoying it less! By the end of the night, I almost got it. I still need a ton of practice to be able to get it more than once and in succession with other chords but still, I almost had it right. Any tips for making your fingers not hurt after? OTHER than don't play for so long at once?
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Jun 7, 2011 10:36
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The trick to F is to aim for E and miss. One trick for easing fingertip pain, that I heard some alpha-guitarists repeat, is to play right after wetting your hands with warm water. Your fingertips will be be shredded, toughening them to the future. I don't recommend that method as it's pretty medieval, but it does provide some results.
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Jun 7, 2011 12:32
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Lackadaisical, if you rub some hand lotion onto your fingertips before and after playing it can help with some of the abrasion that you get from playing guitar for the first time. After only a few days of playing you can expect to have callouses thick enough that you won't even think about your fingers hurting anymore. Also, what kind of guitar are you working with? Is it something at least mildly decent?
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Jun 7, 2011 13:59
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Lackadaisical posted:Lesson I learned on day one: Don't try to play for like 5 straight hours. My fingers loving hurt and I have a massive test tomorrow where I need to write a lot. I'm giving like a 3-5 days minimum before it stops hurting after playing with it for 30-60 minutes, and at least a week until you get it, but let us know how it goes!
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Jun 7, 2011 14:02
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Dolphin posted:Lackadaisical, if you rub some hand lotion onto your fingertips before and after playing it can help with some of the abrasion that you get from playing guitar for the first time. After only a few days of playing you can expect to have callouses thick enough that you won't even think about your fingers hurting anymore. Also, what kind of guitar are you working with? Is it something at least mildly decent? It's just the cheapest one with the best reviews on amazon - a Jasmine. No idea if it's any good but I figure it's just to learn on and I can get something better later. e: vvvv ya, I wasn't going to do that. I'm not one to suffer for my arts. Lackadaisical fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Jun 7, 2011 |
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Jun 7, 2011 16:51
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dolphins are gay posted:One trick for easing fingertip pain, that I heard some alpha-guitarists repeat, is to play right after wetting your hands with warm water. Your fingertips will be be shredded, toughening them to the future. I don't recommend that method as it's pretty medieval, but it does provide some results. That is a little masochistic. If you have good practice habits there is no need at all to do stuff outside of guitar playing. Practice regularly, keep improving your skills, and the physical impact of playing will diminish over time. When you've played regularly for 8 months or so and still have persistent finger pain from routine playing, then it's time to find out what you're doing wrong.
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Jun 7, 2011 17:14
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Lackadaisical posted:I don't feel bad I suck and can't do the F chord. I just feel challenged to fix that There's another video on Justin's site (honestly the whole thing is worth working through, dedicated practice time as well as fun playing time will improve your skills no end): http://www.justinguitar.com/en/BC-115-1MinuteChanges.php Basically the idea is to change between two chords, and count how many times you can do it one minute. Over time your muscle memory will develop, and you'll be able to do more and more in that one minute until you end up being a badass. Your fingertips will be a bit sore at first but once you get your calluses you won't notice it. Your barring finger will probably feel a bit raw too (the part in contact with the strings), and a good tip in general is to roll the finger slightly to the side, so instead of holding the strings down with the soft underside of your finger you're doing it with the side, which is harder and more flat and even. You'll probably get some muscle aches too, especially in that big one between your thumb and index finger - you're doing some pretty intense stuff your hand isn't used to! You shouldn't ever feel actual pain though, beyond the discomfort of the strings digging into you at first
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Jun 7, 2011 17:40
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I started two months ago and fingertip pain went away in a week or two tops. Took over a month for the muscle between my thumb and index finger to build up a bit so I could do chords at all for more than 15-30 minutes without it getting sore or tired.
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Jun 7, 2011 19:21
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baka kaba posted:See what you want to do now is get real famous and write an awesome song that relies on that pinky shape for a certain technique, so people can say 'loving dolphins are gay loving bullshit man' when they try and play it Would there be any guitar playing techniques that are easier to do with (relatively) small hands? I've been playing for a few months now, and it seems like almost every skill I'm learning would be easier to do with longer fingers.
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Jun 7, 2011 21:30
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Sad Mammal posted:Would there be any guitar playing techniques that are easier to do with (relatively) small hands? I've been playing for a few months now, and it seems like almost every skill I'm learning would be easier to do with longer fingers. Have you looked at smaller guitars? They make 3/4 scale and they don't tend to be terribly expensive that I recall.
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Jun 7, 2011 21:52
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Sad Mammal posted:Would there be any guitar playing techniques that are easier to do with (relatively) small hands? I've been playing for a few months now, and it seems like almost every skill I'm learning would be easier to do with longer fingers. hand size does not matter. All beginners think they have small hands.
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Jun 7, 2011 22:32
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Sad Mammal posted:Would there be any guitar playing techniques that are easier to do with (relatively) small hands? I've been playing for a few months now, and it seems like almost every skill I'm learning would be easier to do with longer fingers. Actually easier? All I can really think of is working in a cramped space, like up at the really high frets or on a guitar with a really narrow fretboard, but that's more about having small fingers than short ones I guess. Long fingers do pretty much help but like CalvinDooglas said, as you get better your hand gets more agile and stretchy and you can just do more. There's a stretching exercise here if you're interested: http://www.justinguitar.com/en/TE-007-FingerStretch.php The right guitar will help as well, just for having a good feel. But it's hard to think of an advantage small hands would necessarily give you. Maybe barring with one finger and stretching back with the others to mess around on the high E string? Or something
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Jun 7, 2011 23:14
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Segovia had the biggest case of sausage fingers you'll ever see. There's really no excuse.
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Jun 8, 2011 05:48
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I'm looking to retube my fender HRDx anyone have any good suggestions for brands? I'm not looking to spend a fortune so I'd prefer non NOS tubes.
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Jun 8, 2011 17:18
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lazerwolf posted:I'm looking to retube my fender HRDx anyone have any good suggestions for brands? I'm not looking to spend a fortune so I'd prefer non NOS tubes. What's wrong with the current tubes? Preamp tubes pretty much last forever, and power tubes will sound like rear end when they get old. Unless you want to spend more than most people consider reasonable, you're going to get a Groove Tube. Just about every brand of tube out there is just a repackaged Groove Tube, the only difference being how they're sorted. And since Fenders come with Groove Tubes stock, you'll probably just end up putting the exact same thing in its place. If you want to get fancy and try to find tubes with specific hardness and such you can, but the tone differences will be less than moving your EQ knobs a single notch. The idea that tubes are unique sonic snowflakes is pure marketing. They could invent hype about capacitors and resistors to get you to buy them if they wanted, tubes just happen to big, visible, and fragile. CalvinDooglas fucked around with this message at 17:55 on Jun 8, 2011 |
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Jun 8, 2011 17:51
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I got it used so I'm not sure of the amount of play time on the tubes. From what I could tell none of the pre amp tubes glow red (which I'm fine with keeping them since I like the current tone) I'm not sure if the power amp tubes have been biased or not but I noticed that one of the tubes has the plastic key part broken off and stuck in the amp. The tubes still work but I figured I'd look into getting new power tubes and biasing them
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Jun 8, 2011 18:38
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lazerwolf posted:I got it used so I'm not sure of the amount of play time on the tubes. From what I could tell none of the pre amp tubes glow red (which I'm fine with keeping them since I like the current tone) there are really only three things you have to worry about that could indicate a need to replace the tubes: microphonics - when the pramp tubes make "thunder" from the slightest touch bad power tubes - sounds like your amp is talking with its mouth full excessive noise - persistent hissing can mean a bad preamp tube Biasing is also marketing bullshit. The fact that like 99% of the tubes sold are from the same factory means the companies who relabel them have to find all kinds of creative ways to make their tube more attractive. Tubes aren't some special part, they are just gigantic analog transistors. Getting new tubes and biasing them as a matter of routine maintenance makes as much sense as checking all your capacitors to make sure they store current at their ideal rate. Tube amps are not high maintenance, in fact they will perform for a LONG time if you treat them decently. CalvinDooglas fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Jun 8, 2011 |
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Jun 8, 2011 19:29
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