Need Some Advice From Guitarists!

I have had a guitar for several years.
Now that I'm laid off I would like to further my skill on a guitar and
teach my son also.
I have an Ibanez acoustic-electric and also a Fender Stratocaster electric.
I just need some easy licks to start with.
I know basic chords and play a few easy songs,
but ready to callous my fingers again and start jamming.

reply to post by kdog1982


Well if you want to do it seriously then learn the scales and learn them so you can freestyle in a few of the most common ones, its dull and repetitive but its useful

The most useful one to practice would probably be the pentatonic minor scale

Start messing around with barre chords... look at players like jack johnson he is very technical or my favorit Modest mouse. Buy Modest mouses first album and listen to there soft melodies, scales, repeats, tone changees. learn all the notes on the guitar it is very easy and worth while... Once that is figured out you will be tickling the fret board like no other.

i agree learn your minor pentatonic scales (blues) learn in all positions and your playing will increase dramatically. then you can move onto different scale patterns. once your brain memorises these patterns the world is your oyster my friend. then mix in with bar chords (thumb over top) hendrix style yeh you rockn now boy lol oh and for those who cant afford gibson les pauls i highly recommend the les paul custom EPIPHONE beautiful tones great for jazz rock blues and heavy. and if you really wanna get technical get some ROBBEN FORD dvd's he is a genius

There are a couple of websites that you can look up a desired song and learn the chords or tablature. They also have tips on playing. If you can find a metronome or something with a simple drum beat, and you can practice strum patterns to the beat for timing and fun. Learn the minor chords if ya know the major ones already. Also youtube has tons of tips and ideas for playing. Have fun...
www.ultimate-guitar.com...
www.guitaretab.com...

Peace,
spec

There are a lot of lead guitar books out there. In fact, I have a couple that have focus exclusively on licks employed by the greats (Clapton, Page, Hendrix, May etc.)

learn all the notes on the low E and A strings.

i say start simple go with the Ramones and have fun and evolve... the Ramones tracks are really easy, less chords and repetitive licks.

reply to post by kdog1982


I guess first I need to know if you can read music or at least tabs?

ultimate-guitar.com and guitaretab.com are my two favorite sights.( I see someone else likes these two sites as well)

I find just playing Cord progressions or bar progressions helps me a lot you can just change your strum rhythm while doing progressions and you can make some cool noise. I personally am partial to a Bluesy strum rhythm, I have been obsessed with Robert Johnson since I first heard Hellhound On My Trail 15 years ago and have not set the damn thing down since.

Wow!
Thanks for the quick responses.
So,I will go back to re-learning my chords,some
are very difficult,like the F .
Barre chords are very difficult for me,
since I have small hands and have to build
on my strength in my hands.
But it all boils down to
practice,practice,practice.
Just looking for an easy way out,but there is none.
Thanks.

Originally posted by ParanoidAmerican
reply to post by kdog1982

 

I guess first I need to know if you can read music or at least tabs?

ultimate-guitar.com and guitaretab.com are my two favorite sights.( I see someone else likes these two sites as well)

I find just playing Cord progressions or bar progressions helps me a lot you can just change your strum rhythm while doing progressions and you can make some cool noise. I personally am partial to a Bluesy strum rhythm.

edit on 13-7-2011 by ParanoidAmerican because: (no reason given)

Yes,I can read music and tabs.
I have also used ultimate-guitar.com.
Thats how I learned the few songs I know.
With the chords I can play,I make up my own stuff.
People seem to like it.

Lots of good advice here so I'll just say...learn the blues first and foremost. Easy, fun and everything else grows from there. Once you can play the blues, you can play anything.

Originally posted by symogums
i agree learn your minor pentatonic scales (blues) learn in all positions and your playing will increase dramatically. then you can move onto different scale patterns. once your brain memorises these patterns the world is your oyster my friend. then mix in with bar chords (thumb over top) hendrix style yeh you rockn now boy lol oh and for those who cant afford gibson les pauls i highly recommend the les paul custom EPIPHONE beautiful tones great for jazz rock blues and heavy. and if you really wanna get technical get some ROBBEN FORD dvd's he is a genius

edit on 13-7-2011 by symogums because: xtra

edit on 13-7-2011 by symogums because: (no reason given)

I know the 12 bar blues,thats about it.
I need to study more from BB King as a start and get
back to learning the minor pentatonic scales.
Thanks

youtube!
hundedsof guitar free "tutorials" blues, jazz, metal..google is your friend.
ofcourse alot are trying to sell you their "blues guitarcourse " DVDS but there's plenty to learn with got a favorite song? search" "song " guitar lesson; odds are something is available on youtube..

reply to post by kdog1982

You may consider lowering the action of your guitars and using extra light size strings or nylon to help with finger/hand soreness. I bought a poster(but hey, it's here on the webs too) of some chords and went through learning them. Also, each chord can be changed for variety by adding or taking away a finger. Example, a D chord sounds a little different if ya lift one finger, as do any other chords, or add an extra finger somewhere.
One of the best pieces of advice I ever heard about playing music was by David Gilmore: It is just as important to play what you feel as what you think. In other words, take what you know sometimes and just play, without too much thinking.

There is a lot of magnificent guitar work out there, but I'd like to share my favorite piece of beautiful guitar work, by Stevie Ray Vaughn(RIP) It was the last song he ever recorded and he asked the studio eng to turn out the lights, total darkness, talk about 'feeling'


spec

Buddy it sounds like ypou just need to play an hour or more every day.....
Whatever you got play it.....But try to be regular about it...dont miss days if at all possible, and on the days you miss make a point of exploring other peoples music when you can.....just listen to what appeals to you.....
There are licks you can learn that are classic licks and i would start to learn aa few simple one if i were you...
Also a soft rubber ball to squeeze when idle etc wont hurt yer strenth...
I have been playing by ear since i was 8 and im 66 nearly now.....
Whatever you play, play it often and play it proud.Dont be afraid to reach for stuff.....

But I also need to look up
an easy power chord for my 9 year old son to jam to.
He likes Kiss.
Kiss was my first concert when I was 13 years old.
How cool is that

reply to post by stirling


Yep,you are right.
I haven't hardly played it more then 2 times a week.
And I usually play what I feel.
Time to get serious.

One of my best friends Doug Marks has probably taught more people to play guitar than anyone.
Metal Method

reply to post by kdog1982


Learn a scale a week. Do it 100 times, up & down, till it sticks.

Sleep with your guitar. Watch TV with your guitar. It should become another appendage, always there & natural.

Then, start playing along with songs you like. Record them and stop & start the recording 'till you know each note.

Don't try for speed. Too many guitarists are wasting themselves getting faster & faster. When the general public listen to guitar, they hear & feel the emotion.

Play to extract the maximum emotion. Look for things that get in the way of the emotion like buzzes and slips, then work on eliminating them.

Then try writing some of your own stuff. Again, don't get technical or fast or complex. Go for emotion & feel every time.