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Pretentious Turtle posted:How do you hold your pick? How much of your arm are you using to pick? I hold it between thumb and index, index kinda pointing at the strings. When I go for faster stuff, I tilt it so I'm picking with more of an edge. I couldn't tell you how much arm I'm using, but I try to be all from the wrist, however I do notice my bicep always tenses up a lot...
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Oct 4, 2011 04:55
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I'm picking up the guitar again after a 2 year hiatus, and I was curious about the open tuning configurations? My music is heavily reliant on alternating major/minor/aug/7th/diminished/etc on the same note. Are there any open tuning configurations that make this easier than just the standard tuning? Also, I have never been able to play barre chords because my hands aren't strong enough. Are there any open-tuning configurations that can produce a similar sound to barre chords on standard tuning without the prerequisite finger strength?
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Oct 4, 2011 05:42
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Hammer Floyd posted:I hold it between thumb and index, index kinda pointing at the strings. When I go for faster stuff, I tilt it so I'm picking with more of an edge. I couldn't tell you how much arm I'm using, but I try to be all from the wrist, however I do notice my bicep always tenses up a lot... Relax your bicep and try to use more of your arm, your elbow will be majorly helpful even if it seems like your forearm isn't moving at all. If holding the pick that way is most comfortable for you, you don't need to change it up. But you could experiment with holding it in different ways. I grip the pick with the side of my index finger and thumb, with the index loosely curled.
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Oct 4, 2011 06:47
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Hammer Floyd posted:Right, I'm starting to work real hard on my picking techniques. You're going too fast. Slow down so you can work out technical problems. Slowness is not a problem in itself, it's other inefficiencies that cause it. Roll that back to like 72 bpm and do a complete rhythm ladder - quarters, 8ths, 16ths, and sextuplets. Just start running your scales there and you'll pick up speed within a few weeks.
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Oct 4, 2011 15:07
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Thank you all for the tips, advice and links on these dreaded barre chords. It's coming to me more cleanly, little by little, and I find myself on occasion being able to play it all the way through without bum notes. I know the best thing I can do right now is just play it slow and steady, working on accuracy rather than matching the song's original tempo, so that is what I shall do!
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Oct 4, 2011 23:32
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Harold Ramis Drugs posted:I'm picking up the guitar again after a 2 year hiatus, and I was curious about the open tuning configurations? My music is heavily reliant on alternating major/minor/aug/7th/diminished/etc on the same note. Are there any open tuning configurations that make this easier than just the standard tuning? You can experiment with different tunings if you feel that you really just can't do barre chords, but if you're playing more than just major and minor chords you're just going to run into the same problems. Also changing around your tuning will require a set up if you want your guitar to retain decent intonation. Dolphin fucked around with this message at 06:38 on Oct 5, 2011 |
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Oct 5, 2011 06:32
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Dolphin posted:For some people it's borderline impossible to get a clear sound when barring if they aren't barring with the side of their index finger enough. You also might want to make sure that your action isn't too high, because that can also make barre chords much more difficult. What side of the index finger? The thumb-side or middle-finger-side? Also, are there any guides to playing barre chords with the side of the index finger anywhere? Every guide/diagram I've seen shows the player pressing on the fret with the middle padded part of their finger.
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Oct 5, 2011 20:19
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Harold Ramis Drugs posted:What side of the index finger? The thumb-side or middle-finger-side? Also, are there any guides to playing barre chords with the side of the index finger anywhere? Every guide/diagram I've seen shows the player pressing on the fret with the middle padded part of their finger. The video I posted before gives a lot of detail http://www.justinguitar.com/en/IM-111-EShapeMajorMinorBarreChords.php Looks like he's revamping all his videos, noice!
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Oct 5, 2011 20:31
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Harold Ramis Drugs posted:What side of the index finger? The thumb-side or middle-finger-side? Also, are there any guides to playing barre chords with the side of the index finger anywhere? Every guide/diagram I've seen shows the player pressing on the fret with the middle padded part of their finger. Also, depending on how your neck is set up, certain chords might be much more difficult to play.
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Oct 5, 2011 22:07
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Dolphin posted:Thumb side, roll your finger toward the headstock. I can get a clear tone without even gripping with my thumb, and you should be able to as well. The main issue people run into is that their joints are spaced out just right so that no matter how they position their index finger over the strings, one of the strings always hits a joint and doesn't get fretted well enough, and pressing the strings into the crease where your joint is obviously hurts.
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Oct 5, 2011 22:36
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I have about $300 to spend on a guitar, although I'd like to spend less as I really just dick around on guitar and am not playing to stadiums and what not. My favorite guitars are typically Ibanez and Gibson. I love how thick a dual humbucker Ibanez gets on heavy riffs, and I love the thick warmth of a Gibson SG. I've been doing some research and was thinking about one of Gibson's Epiphone SG models, but I've heard they're made in China and produced very poorly for the price. I heard about a company called ESP that offers several models of affordable guitars. I did some YouTubing and I'm pretty happy with what I've seen of them. As I'm not a seasoned guitar vet, can someone tell me the difference between these three models other than price? I want something dual humbucker (or 2x single coil 1x humbucker) for sure, and I'm a sucker for a cool body shape/paint finish. Viper 10: http://www.zzounds.com/item--ESPVIPER10GT EC50: http://www.zzounds.com/item--ESPEC50 MH103QM: http://www.zzounds.com/item--ESPMH103QM
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Oct 7, 2011 17:22
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Doctor Claw posted:I have about $300 to spend on a guitar, although I'd like to spend less as I really just dick around on guitar and am not playing to stadiums and what not. http://www.maldenguitars.com/store.htm are highly recommended for the sale price. That red sg clone is hot, I would buy one my self but I already have a guitar that I suck with so I don't need a second one.
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Oct 7, 2011 17:56
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Doctor Claw posted:but I've heard they're made in China and produced very poorly for the price. For those prices though, they're still gonna be made in China probably, or some other country with a poor record of production quality. RillAkBea fucked around with this message at 19:29 on Oct 7, 2011 |
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Oct 7, 2011 19:23
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I'm not looking for a good guitar that costs under $300, I am looking for the best guitar that costs under $300.
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Oct 7, 2011 20:14
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I am a huge fan of ESP, but I would not touch any of the under 400 series LTDs with a 10 yard pole. Look at Agile: http://www.rondomusic.com/electricguitar-ss10.html This page and back will have guitars that fit in your budget.
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Oct 7, 2011 21:22
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So I recently decided to pick up guitar, and I was hoping to get some recommendations on a purchase. I intend to play mostly metal and hard rock, but also maybe a little classic rock and even blues and I want to know what guitar I should purchase. I have looked around the internet and there are many opinions but I'm interested in what this thread thinks. My price range is around 300$ for just the instrument and I think I am going to go with the Roland micro cube in the OP unless someone has anything to say about that. Thanks in advance.
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Oct 8, 2011 01:34
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The cube does loving own, and like I mentioned above, Agiles are pretty solid. Another choice is trawling around ebay for older made-in-japan Ibanezes, but that's kind've a hard thing to do when you're just getting into guitar. That and most of them have double locking trems which I wouldn't give to a beginner.
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Oct 8, 2011 03:12
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Yes I have seen the Agile AL-2000 recomended repeatedly but was unsure if it was suited to my (hopeful) playing style, they sure look like straight sex though, had my eye on this http://www.rondomusic.com/al2000blackflm.html any advice on it. Like I said I could go higher than that (mabye like 350$ tops) but you tell me if its a good idea. Edit: also looked at this http://www.rondomusic.com/hornet.html Axetrain fucked around with this message at 09:04 on Oct 8, 2011 |
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Oct 8, 2011 09:01
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A guitar like that can pull of any genre whatsoever very easily, you'll find legendary players in any style of music using Les Pauls or Les Paul-alikes. Any complaints someone would have about the specs of that guitar really all come down to personal preference.
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Oct 8, 2011 09:06
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I'm going to go ahead and recommend the Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster to everyone looking for a cheap Tele, for the price it's an absolutely fantastic guitar.
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Oct 10, 2011 09:38
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Dolphin posted:I'm going to go ahead and recommend the Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster to everyone looking for a cheap Tele, for the price it's an absolutely fantastic guitar. This. It's a really, really good Tele. The Classic Vibe strats are also great bang for your buck. The neck on my 50's Classic Vibe is downright amazing considering the price.
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Oct 10, 2011 10:49
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This past weekend I was finally able to get across town to the good guitar shop in hope of finding a starter piece, pretty disappointed to learn 'casters just don't fit my hand save for one odd ball in the bunch. Not wanting something with a floyd, and my budget ($350ish) pretty much ruled out everything but a Dean VX which felt like a cheap toy, and an Epi SG which had the best neck, the body not so much. As it looks like I'll be internet shopping is there anything out there with a neck like an SG or even just kind of similar? I'd like some sort of starting point other than nut width.
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Oct 18, 2011 03:30
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Could you find the particular SG model on the Epiphone site?
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Oct 18, 2011 04:08
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Run of the mill cherry red G-400.
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Oct 18, 2011 04:27
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I just got my old beginner Ibanez (RG321) back from this guy and I've decided to start learning again, my friend said I should start by learning all of the min7 and diminished chords because they sound real harsh even without distortion, is there anything else to add to that list or should I just keep looking for shellac tabs? I'm in standard tuning at the moment but he says Drop C or Drop B will make it sound even radder. Is there anything else I can do to make it sound mean without distortion (distortion is the easy way to sound like a brute).
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Oct 19, 2011 21:59
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spe posted:I just got my old beginner Ibanez (RG321) back from this guy and I've decided to start learning again, my friend said I should start by learning all of the min7 and diminished chords because they sound real harsh even without distortion, is there anything else to add to that list or should I just keep looking for shellac tabs? Short answer: what Long answer: It's all in the attack. Know how to pick hard and make things sound aggressive. There's no trick to it other than just doing it. 'Harshness' outside of icepick treble ear-stabbing is subjective. You could play a diminished chord and make a mellow as gently caress tune or you could use a diminished chord and play gore death grind ball gently caress core.
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Oct 19, 2011 22:19
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Got it, gonna slam those badboys hard and twisted. Better get some spare strings if I'm gonna be putting my impotent rage into it. My friend is coming round tomorrow to show me how to smash out some blinders, he probably knows a thing or two about this aggressive attack business. I forgot how fun this is! e: one more question! Am I better off getting real thick strings here? I went into the guitar shop and told the guy I know nothing and he handed me a pack of Ernie Ball Regular Slinky, now I've been looking online and I can buy some called Not Even Slinky, Beefy Slinky etc... Will these chunky fellas be able to take more of a beating than lighter gauge strings? spe fucked around with this message at 22:55 on Oct 19, 2011 |
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Oct 19, 2011 22:34
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Picking hard is really bad for developing good lead technique though, in my opinion of course. I've found that most of my injuries, dry spells, lack of precision, etc. could all in a way be traced back to either using too much of my pick or picking too hard.
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Oct 20, 2011 00:28
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spe posted:Got it, gonna slam those badboys hard and twisted. Better get some spare strings if I'm gonna be putting my impotent rage into it. My friend is coming round tomorrow to show me how to smash out some blinders, he probably knows a thing or two about this aggressive attack business. I forgot how fun this is! Heavier strings might help, yeah. But keep in mind that it's not all about picking as hard as possible, you've got to figure out how to give nuance to it with your picking hand without relying on breaking strings faster than necessary. SSJ2 Goku Wilders posted:Picking hard is really bad for developing good lead technique though, in my opinion of course. I've found that most of my injuries, dry spells, lack of precision, etc. could all in a way be traced back to either using too much of my pick or picking too hard. Absolutely. You've got to learn how to pick dynamically. Don't always pick hard. Know how to pick more conservatively and still get a raunchy sound. Technically speaking, your baseline technique shouldn't be slamming the strings 100%, it's just one of the techniques available for certain sounds. You'll end up hurting yourself if you go all Hulk all the time.
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Oct 20, 2011 00:36
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It's all about doing what's right for the music in context. If you pick hard all of the time, the percussive tone will probably get stale and it will be hard to play fast for long durations. If you pick lightly all the time, sure you can play fast, but the music will lack energy and tension and be just as boring. Using dynamics to articulate feeling is in my opinion one of the most important parts of a compelling performance.
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Oct 20, 2011 00:36
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Cheers lads, gonna pick out some sweet noisy tunes and try and make it sound mean without hammering the strings too hard, solid advice!
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Oct 20, 2011 01:32
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spe posted:Cheers lads, gonna pick out some sweet noisy tunes and try and make it sound mean without hammering the strings too hard, solid advice! Try some unison bends too and don't quite match the notes to get some dissonance, although it obviously works better distorted too
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Oct 20, 2011 04:09
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Alright, so I haven't been playing for too long. I first really got into it sometime last year, when I got the mom of my at the time boyfriend to ship out his guitar he had laying around there house out to here. And then when I broke up with him, he took it with him, so I was without it for over half a year, until I managed to convince him to give it back to me last month. It's a really cheap Fender, pretty much the lowest end guitar they make, just a beginners guitar. I don't really like it that much though. I more have it just because it was a free guitar at the time. But it's just been giving me trouble, has been difficult to play on, and just has a bad sound to it, ever since I first started playing it. It's just really cheap is all, and I'm wanting to move onto something more. I suppose I don't need something too spectacular, as I'm not that great, though I know that's also not the right attitude to have. Point is, I want to get a new guitar. I'm wanting an acoustic, and forgive me if I suck at guitar terminology, but I want an acoustic electric, and by that I mean the type that can be played as a regular acoustic, but also plugged in to an amp or something (would that be called acoustic electric?). Of course I'd love something amazing, but I'd say my budget is probably between $200 and $400. I can't really go over $400 at the moment, and that's really the most I feel comfortable spending on a guitar at this time anyway. But I'd also be happy if it was less than $400 (and maybe even more around $200). There's a thrift shop one town over that usually gets all sorts of guitars in all the time. I was thinking of heading over there and seeing if they have anything available. That way I could pick one up, hold it, see how it feels, and just strum it a little to get a general feel for the sound and everything. Thing is it's not guaranteed they'll have a guitar in stock, or that they'll have anything good, or even what I'm looking for. I did stop by there once last year, and the guy that owns the place is real nice, and if I wanted to I could give him my contact information and he'd be happy to call me up when he gets something in. But there's also no telling how long that could take. I really don't enjoy going to places like Guitar Center (don't like the feel I get in that store, plus they feel overpriced to me), but I don't know of any guitar shops nearby (besides that one Guitar Center). And I'm a little wary about buying something like a guitar online, but I'm not fully against it (especially because it's more convenient). I did hear from a friends dad that Yamaha makes pretty good guitars that sound surprisingly well for how cheap some of them are, but I don't really know. I also do not know what to really look for in a guitar. So yeah, sorry for kind of rambling a bit there, but could anyone offer some advice on buying a new guitar, and what I might want to look for?
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Oct 20, 2011 07:45
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The thing about acoustic-electrics, acoustics with pickups, I mean, is that they're not really designed for playing through electric guitar amps. I believe all acoustic pickups are equivocal to extremely low impedance electric pickups, which means it'd sound like balls. I don't have any personal experience with acoustic electrics, so someone might have to correct me on how they would sound! Yamaha makes excellent guitars, as do Seagull, Godin, Takamine, and Ibanez. I know Guitar Center has a generally lovely vibe, but if you can manage going there, they usually have a sweet acoustic area where you can try out a lot of acoustic in relative silence.
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Oct 20, 2011 07:57
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baka kaba posted:Try some unison bends too and don't quite match the notes to get some dissonance, although it obviously works better distorted too Does this guy have amazing sustain on those notes or is that just me imagining things? Good setup? Feedback? Compressor?
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Oct 20, 2011 12:41
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DaJe posted:Alright, so I haven't been playing for too long. I first really got into it sometime last year, when I got the mom of my at the time boyfriend to ship out his guitar he had laying around there house out to here. And then when I broke up with him, he took it with him, so I was without it for over half a year, until I managed to convince him to give it back to me last month. It's a really cheap Fender, pretty much the lowest end guitar they make, just a beginners guitar. This is at the top of your price range, but I'd go ahead and recommend what ended up being my first bought acoustic electric - the Martin DXk2AE. You should be able to find it cheaper than this if you hunt a bit, but basically the higher cost is absolutely worth it. IMO this has the quality and sound of more expensive acoustic, and in fact my friend after borrowing it for a few days is getting rid of his Ovation AE for one. I link to this on Guitar Center just because it is convenient, but if your Best Buy has a music store they should have one of these as well to play. Even though it is Best Buy (lol), their music store employees do not work on commission, and at least at my local one the manager there only hires musicians who know what they are talking about and aren't dicks. Plus, I've worked out deals on my last two guitar purchases there for a few hundred (!) off each. If you do play it, just be sure not to use DADGAD at first because you'll instantly buy it without looking around which is never smart 
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Oct 20, 2011 15:25
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How kosher would it be to mention my fledgling guitar/music store and offer deals on starter guitars in here?
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Oct 20, 2011 15:59
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DaJe posted:Alright, so I haven't been playing for too long... If you're in the market for an acoustic for cheap what I'd do is go to a pawn shop or a guitar store and play a few until you find one you like. Acoustics to me are all in the feel of the guitar and the sound it makes and that's not really something you can get on recommendation. Although there are high end acoustics that are guaranteed to be amazing, you're not really buying in a price range that has any guarantees attached. And since this will be your first acoustic and acoustics in general are more difficult to play, you will get frustrated easily if you pick a guitar with a difficult learning curve. I have to wonder if you've taken your old electric to a professional to see if there are any adjustments that could be made to make it play or sound better? There are a lot of small changes to the guitar that occur over time that could make it unplayable, and the necks on some cheaper electric guitars aren't that great and sometimes need adjusting, especially if you change all the strings on them at the same time. Even if you purchase a decent acoustic, it wouldn't hurt to get your electric intonated just in case you want to switch back and forth, which I do pretty much every week it seems. SheepNameKiller fucked around with this message at 16:11 on Oct 20, 2011 |
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Oct 20, 2011 16:03
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Pretentious Turtle posted:The thing about acoustic-electrics, acoustics with pickups, I mean, is that they're not really designed for playing through electric guitar amps. I believe all acoustic pickups are equivocal to extremely low impedance electric pickups, which means it'd sound like balls. I don't have any personal experience with acoustic electrics, so someone might have to correct me on how they would sound! I know I personally wouldn't know much about that. But if it was something I could still play just acoustically, and not plugged into anything, I'd be perfectly fine, as long as I had the option to still plug it in. Incredulous Dylan posted:This is at the top of your price range, but I'd go ahead and recommend what ended up being my first bought acoustic electric - the Martin DXk2AE. You should be able to find it cheaper than this if you hunt a bit, but basically the higher cost is absolutely worth it. IMO this has the quality and sound of more expensive acoustic, and in fact my friend after borrowing it for a few days is getting rid of his Ovation AE for one. I link to this on Guitar Center just because it is convenient, but if your Best Buy has a music store they should have one of these as well to play. Even though it is Best Buy (lol), their music store employees do not work on commission, and at least at my local one the manager there only hires musicians who know what they are talking about and aren't dicks. Plus, I've worked out deals on my last two guitar purchases there for a few hundred (!) off each. If you do play it, just be sure not to use DADGAD at first because you'll instantly buy it without looking around which is never smart Thanks for the recommendation, I'll look more into it. Maybe I'll try going to that Guitar Center nearby, and just seeing what they have there, and what the prices are. There's actually a Best Buy in the exact same place as the Guitar Center, so I could always go back and forth and see which store has what. I don't particularity enjoy Best Buy either (but that's in regards to electronic devices, and anything computer related), however from my own experiences, the people who work there are nice and I could probably find someone who does know what they're talking about. I'm just not sure how much of a range of musical equipment this particular Best Buy has (haven't been there in a long time. I do at least have something to go on now though  SheepNameKiller posted:If you're in the market for an acoustic for cheap what I'd do is go to a pawn shop or a guitar store and play a few until you find one you like. Acoustics to me are all in the feel of the guitar and the sound it makes and that's not really something you can get on recommendation. Although there are high end acoustics that are guaranteed to be amazing, you're not really buying in a price range that has any guarantees attached. And since this will be your first acoustic and acoustics in general are more difficult to play, you will get frustrated easily if you pick a guitar with a difficult learning curve. See, that is what I was thinking of doing. I think before heading anywhere else, I might try heading to that thrift store I mentioned earlier. Yeah it might be something second hand, but it may be hardly even used. And even if it is, that doesn't mean it won't sound good. What you're saying is something that was recommended to me before, and something I feel is probably best. I should go in there, see if they have anything, and if they do just pick it up and try it out, and see how it feels to me personally, and is it something I enjoy. Plus I could probably haggle the price down a bit easier, and not only that, but I could probably get something there for a cheaper price than if I were to find the same thing elsewhere. Also what I have right now is just a regular acoustic, not an electric. It does have an adjustable tension bar in the neck from what I understand, and I tried seeing if that made any difference for me, but it didn't really seem any different no matter how I adjusted it. I was thinking of maybe having someone look at it, to see if they could tweak things a bit (bridge seems too high, strings near the head are too close to the frets), but then I also kind of wanted to just buy something new, that's my own guitar (I technically don't even own this one).
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Oct 20, 2011 17:09
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Woah woah woah, definitely don't go to the trussrod first to adjust action, and definitely do not tweak it without letting it sit for a while between minor adjustments. On acoustics your only real choice is to file the nut or bridge down to lower the strings, the trussrod should only be adjusted if the neck is too bowed one way or another to get consistent height.
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Oct 20, 2011 19:23
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