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[ThatStupidLion]

Hey all - im going to put a concerted effort into learning the guitar.

Two questions -

should i get a pick if i dont have one?

What should i focus on when practicing at the newb level... i know to be spending an hr with it each day but what should i be doing within that hour other than watching random youtube beginner lessons?

Any other tips or resources would be great too

Thanks!

 

[zbarron]

Hey all - im going to put a concerted effort into learning the guitar.

Two questions -

should i get a pick if i dont have one?

What should i focus on when practicing at the newb level... i know to be spending an hr with it each day but what should i be doing within that hour other than watching random youtube beginner lessons?

Any other tips or resources would be great too

Thanks!

I've only been playing a few months but I'd say yes to the pick. Get a couple. They are cheap and it's nice to know what kind you like. As for how to spend your time I'd really recommend JustinGuitar If you take the lessons seriously you'll lay some good groundwork and always know what to work on next.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

should i get a pick if i dont have one?

Yes— just to see if you like them. Get a bunch of different ones. I like heavy ones, but mostly I like not using picks at all. Some styles pretty much demand one, others demand not using one, and everything else is entirely up to you.

 

[Jonnax]

I just discovered this song:
Willingly by Vertical Horizon
https://youtu.be/bolhcm-x4SU

I really like the duet of acoustic guitars in it and the jolliness of it even if the lyrics are a bit on the sad side.

I was wondering if anyone knew any other acoustic duet style songs?

 

[zbarron]

I exchanged the Orange Crush 12 I got for the Orange Crush 20RT. I didn't realize how much reverb pedals cost when i made the choice initially, and I love the tuner and other features. I am getting a ton of static when I use the aux in. From what I am finding through research it seems my apartments electricity is ungrounded which makes a lot of sense.

Does anyone know if there is a cheap solution? Has anyone dealt with this? I am fine getting shielded cables or attaching some ferrite cores but i don't know if it'll solve anything.

 

[teruterubozu]

I exchanged the Orange Crush 12 I got for the Orange Crush 20RT. I didn't realize how much reverb pedals cost when i made the choice initially, and I love the tuner and other features. I am getting a ton of static when I use the aux in. From what I am finding through research it seems my apartments electricity is ungrounded which makes a lot of sense.

Does anyone know if there is a cheap solution? Has anyone dealt with this? I am fine getting shielded cables or attaching some ferrite cores but i don't know if it'll solve anything.

Get a grounded power strip. Totally helped with the buzz in my amp.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

I just discovered this song:
Willingly by Vertical Horizon
https://youtu.be/bolhcm-x4SU

I really like the duet of acoustic guitars in it and the jolliness of it even if the lyrics are a bit on the sad side.

I was wondering if anyone knew any other acoustic duet style songs?

Their first couple of albums (Running On Ice and There and Back Again) are both all acoustic like that. Wasn't until their major label debut that they went electric.

 

[Kalamari]

I actually tried a few strats at some guitar stores today, and my first impression was kind of wishy washy. The new ones I tried hadn't been set up or tuned at all, the used ones played better but had fret boards that were visibly worn. I guess searching for a guitar you like requires a fair amount of effort, until you find "the one."

Having only played an acoustic before, the lighter strings took a little getting used to, they felt really funny at first.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

Hashtag Put bigger strings on electric guitars is my new social media movement. Everyone should hop on board.

 

[Dracula's Nether Region]

Hey GuitarGAF,

Anyone know of any learning materials that accurately group songs by skill level? I've been going through Bridges Guitar Series Books and really love it as a referential catalog. These are for classical by the way, there are 8 levels. If you're cheap like me you can view the song lists and then go to classtab.org to find a good amount of the pieces. Look up the melody on youtube and you're good to go.

If anyone knows any helpful books, from any genre really, I'd love to know.

 

[Wag]

I've been playing with my fingers for 30yrs and since I got my electric I'm forcing myself to play with a pick. It's so hard to switch styles after so long.

 

[blackjaw]

Another pedalboard update, kicked off 3 pedals for the Bitquest, it literally does it all (infinite reverb, choppy delay, flanger/chorus, ring mod, filtered fuzz, etc). Probably can't play live with this but for bedroom or recording it is awesome. Probably adding my El Cap back on eventually.

TC Polytune 2--EQD Palisades--Dr Scientist Bitquest--TC Ditto. Cioks DC5 below powering everything.

 

[ShipTheCheese]

Another pedalboard update, kicked off 3 pedals for the Bitquest, it literally does it all (infinite reverb, choppy delay, flanger/chorus, ring mod, filtered fuzz, etc). Probably can't play live with this but for bedroom or recording it is awesome. Probably adding my El Cap back on eventually.

TC Polytune 2--EQD Palisades--Dr Scientist Bitquest--TC Ditto. Cioks DC5 below powering everything.

Nice little board! I recently bought the ditto x2 and it is amaaazing. Planning on building a spaceship eventually (pedaltrain classic pro board fully stacked) and next on my list is the strymon timeline.

Why must everything be so expensive

 

[Waveset]

Can anyone recommend a good online resource for learning/ practicing scales?

 

[NEO0MJ]

Another pedalboard update, kicked off 3 pedals for the Bitquest, it literally does it all (infinite reverb, choppy delay, flanger/chorus, ring mod, filtered fuzz, etc). Probably can't play live with this but for bedroom or recording it is awesome. Probably adding my El Cap back on eventually.

What's the main purpose of the board? I doubt it's just to stack them on top in an organized manner.

Why must everything be so expensive

Why indeed are pedals so expensive?

 

[hypotc]

This is some sexy guitar playing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq1eyyb85b4

 

[blackjaw]

What's the main purpose of the board? I doubt it's just to stack them on top in an organized manner.



Why indeed are pedals so expensive?

No that's the main purpose. And portability. I have an Orange 35RT inside that I use for headphone playing and a Vox AC15 in the garage so I can transport pedals back and forth on the board in its bag. Power supply mounted below makes it easy to plug and play.

I have a drawer with spare pedals (I loan a bunch to friends and constantly rotate pedals with Reverb) but the main board is my smaller board. I like using the smaller board because of portability and it makes me really use the pedals I put on there.

I have around $3,000 of pedals so I fully understand the nature of collecting...my wife does not...

 

[zbarron]

No that's the main purpose. And portability. I have an Orange 35RT inside that I use for headphone playing and a Vox AC15 in the garage so I can transport pedals back and forth on the board in its bag. Power supply mounted below makes it easy to plug and play.

I have a drawer with spare pedals (I loan a bunch to friends and constantly rotate pedals with Reverb) but the main board is my smaller board. I like using the smaller board because of portability and it makes me really use the pedals I put on there.

I have around $3,000 of pedals so I fully understand the nature of collecting...my wife does not...

How do you like your Orange 35RT? I just got an Orange 20RT. This is my first amp so I'm struggling a bit getting a good sound by messing with the settings. Do you have settings as your go to for certain sounds?

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

If anyone needs a budget* drum machine to play along with, try this.


*

Spoiler

major appliance is a budget item

 

[cryptosporidium]

Can we do a poll or thread about best guitar albums of 2016?

My fav was probably Jeff Becks new album, besides that though i mostly listened to 1960s-70s jazz and 80s heavy metal

What albums did you guys like best?

 

[Wag]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn_nd5l0yUo

This guy is a really good player and he has a whole series of videos posted of closeups of both hands. As I'm learning to use a pick I really appreciate it. I want to learn this.

 

[ExMachina]

Can we do a poll or thread about best guitar albums of 2016?

My fav was probably Jeff Becks new album, besides that though i mostly listened to 1960s-70s jazz and 80s heavy metal

What albums did you guys like best?

For guitar stuff out in 2016, I really liked...

Animals as Leaders - The Madness of Many
Nick Johnston - Remarkably Human
Travis Larson Band - Anicca
Mark Lettieri - Spark and Echo

...aside from that I listened to a bunch of older albums or YouTube only releases. :X

 

[cryptosporidium]

Another pedalboard update, kicked off 3 pedals for the Bitquest, it literally does it all (infinite reverb, choppy delay, flanger/chorus, ring mod, filtered fuzz, etc). Probably can't play live with this but for bedroom or recording it is awesome. Probably adding my El Cap back on eventually.

TC Polytune 2--EQD Palisades--Dr Scientist Bitquest--TC Ditto. Cioks DC5 below powering everything.

love the mini ditto

For guitar stuff out in 2016, I really liked...

Animals as Leaders - The Madness of Many
Nick Johnston - Remarkably Human
Travis Larson Band - Anicca
Mark Lettieri - Spark and Echo

...aside from that I listened to a bunch of older albums or YouTube only releases. :X

I forgot about johnstons and TLNs new albums. both really good. Johnston looks sooooo much like guthrie now its hilarious. its like his beard aged him 20 years. also hes one of the only canadians i know of to really break out on the scene, my homeboy Dave Martone needs more fame.

 

[cryptosporidium]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-rv1XVlufg

Lisa X is releasing her debut ep. Cant wait to see this lil girl in the next five years, she gunna be a beast of a player

 

[adamsappel]

Can anyone recommend a good online resource for learning/ practicing scales?

Here are the YouTube guitarists I follow for learning. There are some scale videos scattered in there.

StichMethod Guitar
Scott Grove
GuitarJamz
Jim Lill
CountryGuitarChops
creativeguitarstudio
Eric Haugen
Hoodrio
EricBlackmonGuitar
mnaicck
guitarblogupdate
Tim Pierce Guitar
YourGuitarSage

 

[teruterubozu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-rv1XVlufg

Lisa X is releasing her debut ep. Cant wait to see this lil girl in the next five years, she gunna be a beast of a player

The "little girl shredding" videos are huge on youtube. I prefer 15 yr old Ayla Guitar - way more soul and wise in her delivery.

 

[Wag]

The "little girl shredding" videos are huge on youtube. I prefer 15 yr old Ayla Guitar - way more soul and wise in her delivery.

Shit. She's better than most of the players (adults) I've jammed with at my local blues jam. Now, can she shuffle/swing? 😀

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

Shit. She's better than most of the players (adults) I've jammed with at my local blues jam.

As someone who did fairly well with note-for-note covers as a teenager, the skills I was missing were playing with other people and improvising. Improvising came a lot faster than playing with other people. No idea if this applies to her or not. Maybe I was getting undeserved praise and I really stunk. Who knows? all pre-YT. Regardless— lots of talent and potential in her.

Now, can she shuffle/swing? 😀

Hideaway. Pride and Joy.

 

[Wag]

She can play leads ok but she's missing something. Her timing is a bit off. As you say, probably experience jamming with other more proficient players.

That said, I'm sort of in the in-between stage now. After playing with a pick for a few days, now both playing with a pick and my old finger-strumming style feels awkward. I think a thinner pick might help.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

I think a thinner pick might help.

Well at least it'll be an inexpensive mistake.

Spoiler

Certainly try it, but my feeling is that you can only play softly with a thin pick, but you can play both hard and soft with a thick pick— you have to control it.

You mentioned only doing down strokes with your thumb in the past— now that you've discovered alternate picking, you can apply the same technique to not using a pick: try doing upstrokes with your first finger.

 

[cryptosporidium]

The "little girl shredding" videos are huge on youtube. I prefer 15 yr old Ayla Guitar - way more soul and wise in her delivery.

Theres also Tina S, the frech girl i think?

I like lisa X because both Friedman and Gilbert are really taking an interest in her. Gilberts on her debut too.

Reall glad to see so many female kid rockers out and about. Nili brosh i just got into, shes pretty good, really fun video of her meeting Jason Becker

 

[teruterubozu]

Theres also Tina S, the frech girl i think?

I like lisa X because both Friedman and Gilbert are really taking an interest in her. Gilberts on her debut too.

Reall glad to see so many female kid rockers out and about. Nili brosh i just got into, shes pretty good, really fun video of her meeting Jason Becker

There's also that little Chinese girl Pinxi Liu who shreds. The whole youtube guitar phenomenon has weird niches. Like those Japanese dudes who dress like anime girls and play metal while wearing germ masks to hide their identities.

 

[Wag]

Well at least it'll be an inexpensive mistake.

Spoiler

Certainly try it, but my feeling is that you can only play softly with a thin pick, but you can play both hard and soft with a thick pick— you have to control it.

You mentioned only doing down strokes with your thumb in the past— now that you've discovered alternate picking, you can apply the same technique to not using a pick: try doing upstrokes with your first finger.

Yeah, I've been doing that. I can kind of finger pick with my thumb in alternate directions while using my other fingers to pick individually. I'm only in the experimental stage now. I suppose with finger picks (at least a thumb pick and index finger pick) it would be easier.

It's going to take me a while to figure out a playing style I'm comfortable with. Right now it all feels so awkward. I'm having hard enough time just alternate picking scales with a metronome.

 

[Scottify]

Got a couple new pedals the other day. The Warden is a compressor that I'm still messing around with but I'm liking it a whole lot so far, it works well on bass too! Having a lot of fun with the Phase 95 too, been using it mostly on clean stuff to add a little oomph, a fun little pedal.

 

[Revoh]

Hey all - im going to put a concerted effort into learning the guitar.

Two questions -

should i get a pick if i dont have one?

What should i focus on when practicing at the newb level... i know to be spending an hr with it each day but what should i be doing within that hour other than watching random youtube beginner lessons?

Any other tips or resources would be great too

Thanks!

I've been playing guitar for 2 months now, so take that into account.

However, I think I'm progressing fast, so I will recommend what I've done so far.
When I first picked my guitar up I used Justin's site to get started.

In the first weeks I learned all basic open major chords (A, E, C, D, G) and could also change between them. I also started following several YouTube instructors and that led me to practice alternate picking, and doing a bunch of daily exercises, but then I eventually reached a point where I was playing these chords and I didn't really understand the why or how everything works in the background (how chords are formed, basic music theory, etc)

I don't know about you but if I'm going to practice every day for at least an hour I'd like to know everything I can to be a great player someday, so if that's cool for you I'm going to recommend using this material to learn music theory applied to the guitar:

http://absolutelyunderstandguitar.com

The site has 4 free videos, check them out! The price of the full course is well worth it (I'm not affiliate in any way, just my personal opinion)

I've been following the program for 2 weeks now and it's amazing how much I've learned. For example, I recently learned to play bar chords using the 5 major chord patterns in all positions of the guitar neck, in just 1 single one hour video. If you take into account that you can play all 5 patterns in any of the 12 keys that's 60 chords learned.

That's because he teaches theory first so you can pretty much deduce everything in your head.

The most important thing in the end I'd say is to make it a habit to pick the guitar up every. single. day, trust me on this. So good luck and I hope to hear more from you in the future.

 

[teruterubozu]

I went to Guitar Center and traded in my Fender Twin Reverb and Ibanez RG450DX for a Gibson SG Faded T. Also had enough left to spare for a Vox 40w. Guitar upgrade and amp downgrade! I have a Fender Super Reverb amp so it's not a big loss, but I also wanted something I could carry around like the Vox. The Twin is heavy as hell and I can't carry it anymore in my old age. My dog is bummed cuz he liked the whammy action of the Ibanez!

They give you 60% of what it would sell on eBay (what they would sell it for), plus 10% off any new gear if you opt to trade. I had the amp and Ibanez up on Craigslist but all people wanted to do were trades for crappy gear, so I pulled them down and went to GC. I took a loss but it definitely beats the hassle of creepy Craiglsit or packing and shipping guitars and amps for eBay. Anyway, I'm happy with the SG!

 

[ElectricKaibutsu]

I went to Guitar Center and traded in my Fender Twin Reverb and Ibanez RG450DX for a Gibson SG Faded T. Also had enough left to spare for a Vox 40w. Guitar upgrade and amp downgrade! I have a Fender Super Reverb amp so it's not a big loss, but I also wanted something I could carry around like the Vox. The Twin is heavy as hell and I can't carry it anymore in my old age. My dog is bummed cuz he liked the whammy action of the Ibanez!

They give you 60% of what it would sell on eBay (what they would sell it for), plus 10% off any new gear if you opt to trade. I had the amp and Ibanez up on Craigslist but all people wanted to do were trades for crappy gear, so I pulled them down and went to GC. I took a loss but it definitely beats the hassle of creepy Craiglsit or packing and shipping guitars and amps for eBay. Anyway, I'm happy with the SG!

Nice axe! I love SGs in cherry.

 

[Wag]

Holy shit. I really need to practice playing individual strings with the pick. After strumming with my hand for 30yrs I can't hit an individual string with a pick for my life.

I tried playing the string-skip saloon on Rocksmith with a pick and I can barely hit a single string. With my fingers I scored over 3mil. lol

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

Random story that all the SGs in the thread reminded me of. Back in high school, a friend and I were in love with the Epiphone Elite/Elitist line. They were higher end Epiphones made in Japan, for those who don't remember them.

My friend got the Elite SG for his birthday. He knew he was getting it, but had to wait for his actual birthday to play it. Finally, his day comes. Opened up the case, excited as all fuck. Picked up the beauty and... there were just chunks of finish and paint in the case. No clue what would cause such a thing, but the finish had just like fallen off the back of the neck in a bunch of spots. Is one of the craziest things I've ever seen.

 

[blinkz]

Been dying to pick up some new gear but tax season is holding me back.

That SG is sweet. Really love mine it's more versatile than people expect when they try it.

 

[Goldenroad]

Been trying to learn a bunch of Garcia licks. Feeling really inspired to play some Dead after seeing Joe Russo's Almost Dead at Lockn' this year. Tom Hamilton and Scott Metzger are just insane dual lead guitar players. They have a really awesome way of bringing just a ton of energy and new ideas to some age-old songs.

Check this out for some inspiration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh0f6otxWtY

Also can anyone tell me what the hell kind of guitar Tom Hamilton is playing here (guy with the glasses), and anything else you can pick up about his rig for me?

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

Looks like a BC Rich guitar, I think. I'm on my phone so can't make it out very well, though.


EDIT: Definitely a BC Rich. Don't know what model, though.

 

[Goldenroad]

Looks like a BC Rich guitar, I think. I'm on my phone so can't make it out very well, though.


EDIT: Definitely a BC Rich. Don't know what model, though.

Thanks man!

 

[teruterubozu]

Been trying to learn a bunch of Garcia licks. Feeling really inspired to play some Dead after seeing Joe Russo's Almost Dead at Lockn' this year. Tom Hamilton and Scott Metzger are just insane dual lead guitar players. They have a really awesome way of bringing just a ton of energy and new ideas to some age-old songs.

Check this out for some inspiration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh0f6otxWtY

Also can anyone tell me what the hell kind of guitar Tom Hamilton is playing here (guy with the glasses), and anything else you can pick up about his rig for me?

He's playing a Retro Series by Becker Guitars. Becker isn't around anymore but they do pop up used on Reverb and eBay.

And yes, it was designed by a former BC Rich dude.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

^
That's not the guitar he's playing in the video. The one in the video is an actual BC Rich of some sort.

I did read about the guitar above though, and it's a pretty interesting story about tracking down the BC Rich guy.

Here's the best pic I could grab from the video:

Can't get a good shot of the head, but it has the BC Rich 'R' on it.


EDIT: Here's an okay shot:

 

[nded]

B.C. Rich Eagle?

 

[teruterubozu]

Ah ok! that's a nice BC Rich! I usually associated that shape with the el cheapo BC Rich guitars.

 

[Wag]

Been dying to pick up some new gear but tax season is holding me back.

That SG is sweet. Really love mine it's more versatile than people expect when they try it.

Well, my SG isn't a Gibson, but I love it just same (plus the fact I only paid $160 for it).

 

[Goldenroad]

Spent all night last night checking out BC Rich guitars. A lot of them look a little too "edgy" for me. I can't really find a model like that one.

I'm looking at this one here, but again I don't love the body style or pick ups...

http://www.guitarcenter.com/BC-Rich/Mockingbird-Set-Neck-Electric-Guitar.gc


Wish I could fine that Eagle model, but it doesn't look very readily available in Canada. I love the look of that Becker guitar too, but I have a feeling that's gonna be way out of my price range.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

My guess is that it's vintage, custom, or both. I don't really know shit about BC Rich. But, I believe (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) that their lower end stuff says BC Rich on the headstock, while the higher end just have the R. So, I would personally pick this one over the one you posted.

Granted, I could be terribly misinformed. I haven't paid attention to BC Rich since I as in high school and wanted a Beast:

Just, LOL.