-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Guitarists [or any other musicians I guess]: At what age did you start playing?
- Thread starter Star Power
- Start date
- Status
WHOAguitarninja
Member
http://raxel.junsenoue.com/demos/morbidaza-pickexc.avi
(and yea...I'm in my 'morning attire'....i recorded this about 2 hours ago)
Rax was kind enough to host the file for me (huge thanks), I figured I'd post tabs incase anyone was curious as to how to play it.
Each pattern is played twice. It uses a generally 'outside' picking technique....all the note on the b string are downstrokes, and most of the notes on the e string are upstrokes. The notes before the pull off's are downstrokes, then the notes on the b directly following are also downstrokes.
(and yea...I'm in my 'morning attire'....i recorded this about 2 hours ago)
Rax was kind enough to host the file for me (huge thanks), I figured I'd post tabs incase anyone was curious as to how to play it.
Each pattern is played twice. It uses a generally 'outside' picking technique....all the note on the b string are downstrokes, and most of the notes on the e string are upstrokes. The notes before the pull off's are downstrokes, then the notes on the b directly following are also downstrokes.
Code:
14p12----14------12-15p12----14----12-14p12----12
------13-----13-----------13----13----------13---
-------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------
19p15----19----15-20p15----19----15-19p15----15-20
------17----17----------17----17----------17------
--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------I'm a beginner and want to purchase a guitar. I stopped by a guitar center around here the other day and was overwhelmed. Anyway can someone tell me which model of the following three is the best? I would go for a cheap ass model seeing as how I am a beginner, but I don't want to then spend another $400 sixth months later.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7...67222/g=guitar/search/detail/base_pid/511261/
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7...67222/g=guitar/search/detail/base_pid/511002/
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7...67222/g=guitar/search/detail/base_pid/518661/
Thanks for the help guys
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7...67222/g=guitar/search/detail/base_pid/511261/
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7...67222/g=guitar/search/detail/base_pid/511002/
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7...67222/g=guitar/search/detail/base_pid/518661/
Thanks for the help guys
WHOAguitarninja
Member
I wouldn't go for the Scorpion, as I generally dislike guitars with only one pickup. The lack of a neck pu is really limiting in tonal options(although you might not be worried about that now, as you start to progress and get better, you will quickly begin to take that into account).
Nah, it's an excersize I got from a brief instructional video John Petrucci did for a japanese(i think it's japanese) magazine called Young Guitar.
Epiphone makes great guitars for the money, my friend had one and it produced some pretty great sounds for what it was, so my experience with them has been pretty positive. Fender I'm not gonna comment on because I personally can't stand the way they play, but I'm probably in the minority there so take that with a grain of salt.
That being said, you'll learn to love your first axe, no matter what you choose.
karasu said:
Nah, it's an excersize I got from a brief instructional video John Petrucci did for a japanese(i think it's japanese) magazine called Young Guitar.
Epiphone makes great guitars for the money, my friend had one and it produced some pretty great sounds for what it was, so my experience with them has been pretty positive. Fender I'm not gonna comment on because I personally can't stand the way they play, but I'm probably in the minority there so take that with a grain of salt.
That being said, you'll learn to love your first axe, no matter what you choose.
UtadaBarkley
Member
I guess I'll add my two cents... I started making music (rapping) when I was 13. Have been producing music every since I got my first computer and keyboard at age 17. Have had my own record label since I was 21. I'll be 23 next month... 10 years in the rap game, a solid 6 making sense of it all, and 2 years working on exposing it to the world.
Error Macro
Member
Hmm, I have no real way of recording myself. But I can play that riff that morbid posted. 
It's a pretty cool exercise; thanks for posting it dude. I really need to focus on learning music theory, scales and all that technical stuff. I've avoided it for far too long, and it's probably caused me to plateau like I have.
It's a pretty cool exercise; thanks for posting it dude. I really need to focus on learning music theory, scales and all that technical stuff. I've avoided it for far too long, and it's probably caused me to plateau like I have.
karasu
Member
Anyone have anymore cool excercises like that?
check this vid of steve vai recording for his new album.
http://www.vai.com/SightsSounds/video_vault/realillusions.html
check this vid of steve vai recording for his new album.
http://www.vai.com/SightsSounds/video_vault/realillusions.html
MrPing1000
Member
I really need to get off my fatass and play my guitar (ibanez sa120). I got it last Christmas and have barely touched it since. I'm all set as well, since my dad is pretty good and he has a lot of guitar stuff lying about the house
Kuroyume, I'm also not a huge Fender fan, but my first guitar was a Fender Squier "Bullet" which looks alot like that custom Scorpion, and it was a great guitar. It had a much flatter fingerboard than most fenders though. Also a single humbucker is pretty limiting as far as tone goes. I've never been impressed with Epiphones, but lots of people are, so who knows.
Personally, I would take whatever you are willing to spend and go check out all the used guitars in that range. You will definitely end up with a better guitar. Play them in the store though, before you buy anything, find something comfortable. Guitars are one of those things that don't get less good with age.
Personally, I would take whatever you are willing to spend and go check out all the used guitars in that range. You will definitely end up with a better guitar. Play them in the store though, before you buy anything, find something comfortable. Guitars are one of those things that don't get less good with age.
I played the cello at age 11 in 5th grade thru 7th then choir in 8th. A couple years ago at age 20 I started programming electronic music.
http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?songs=188473&T=3933
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/2/thebitmipsyndicatemusic.htm
http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?songs=188473&T=3933
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/2/thebitmipsyndicatemusic.htm
AlphaSnake
...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
retardboy said:
Push yourself. Do finger stretches.
Teknopathetic
Member
Haha, sweet, Raxel. I read your reply as Retardboys for a second and thought "WTF, you started *today*?"
AlphaSnake
...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
Exactly that. Just stretch them around. Pull on them. Massage them for a bit. Make sure your joints don't feel stiff and all.
My bruv got a guitar around 6 months ago...I want to learn it. I've went through a few chapters of a DVD called "Guitar for Dummies". So I just have to practice the 5 chords they showed me before I progress, but I've been doing some reading on the 'net as far as powerchords go and stuff.
I've sequenced some stuff using a guitar VST...so I can compose the songs (kinda) and then I'll have to learn how to play them...
I'm kinda jumping things...learning how to play songs I want to play, before really learning how to play the guitar.
Would it be feasable for me to learn within the next 2 months? And from that point, play in a band? I fear the answer is no.
I've sequenced some stuff using a guitar VST...so I can compose the songs (kinda) and then I'll have to learn how to play them...
I'm kinda jumping things...learning how to play songs I want to play, before really learning how to play the guitar.
Would it be feasable for me to learn within the next 2 months? And from that point, play in a band? I fear the answer is no.
WHOAguitarninja
Member
Raxel said:
I too can't stress enough how important this is. Using your pinky feels VERY weird at first but it is SO ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to becoming good. Even if you never pulll out the pinky unless you absolutely need it, it is absolutely necssary to be able to make use of it.
Other things to think about.
1. Always challenge yourself. It's easy to become content playing nirvana and green day and your friends will probably think you're hot shit for it(depending on how old you are), but you should ALWAYS have something (prefereably alot of things) that you're 'working on' and can't quite do yet. This keeps the instrument interesting, and keeps YOU improving.
2. If something just seems impossible, maybe there are other ways to play it. I find alot of trascriptions to be sonically accurate, but the fingering and layout of an arrangement to be just way off. Alot of the times I'll work out more logical ways to play things and that helps.
3. If you just can't get something, put it aside for awhile. If you've looked at the fingerings and some riff is just a bit too difficult for you to play at your current skill level, put it aside for a month or so and practice other things. When you come back to it, you may find that you can nail it flawlessly.
4. Break things up. Say you're playing some long passage and can't, for the life of you, play it straight through. Break it up and practice it in sections. It may seem logical, but you'd be surprised how many people DON"T do this. And I don't mean break it up into a few measures at a time. I mean break it up into groups of 3 or 4 notes. One thing I find beneficial is to sortof stagger the groupings. Say a passage is 16 notes long. First I'll split it into fourths. I'll practice each beat seperately(say it's 16th notes), so 4 notes at a time.
I'll seperately play notes 1-4, 5-8, 9-12, and 13-16. Then, I'll start grouping them together. I'll practice 1-8 for awhile, then instead of practicing 9-16, i'll practice 4-12, then 9-16, etc. Then lastly i'll practice 1-12, and 5-16. THEN i'll peice it all together. I find this to be very beneficial as it helps to cover any sort of transitions that might take place within the peice.
5. Lastly, realise that there is no song out there that is beyond your reach. 4 years ago I told myself. "Holy shit...John Petrucci is incrdible, he picks 32nd notes....I'll never be able to do that". Well, here I am, and while i'm still no JP, I can play a large portion of his stuff fairly easily. Point being...things that seem impossible to you now, are just that. Impossible to you NOW. With diligent practice and a good attitude though, and the realization that you have the physical ability to outplay anybody out there, in a few years you'll be playing things you wouldn't even dream about now.
edit - and alot of this stuff won't apply to you for now. But as you start to get better you'll see how these tips can help you out and you'll figure out your own little tricks for getting better as well. Becoming a proficient guitarist is as much abuot learning to learn, as it is about learning to play.
Dice
Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
I've been playing for 6 years and I also have a bit of advice. Make sure when you are playing that your elbow is away from your body, nice and loose, and your wrist is bending forward not backward, allowing for your fingers to come directly down on the strings. The end knuckles of your finger should not be bending back, but slightly bent and firm down in the strings.
This should be common sense but I see all to often newbies bunching up their arm so their wrist tilts back and their fingers lay more flat across the strings. That style might be good for some bass playing, but it's horrible for guitar. You'll always make muddy and/or buzzy chords and wear your fingers out fast (and possibly get arthritis).
Even though I've been playing for so long I haven't bothered to learn any leads. But I know just about any chord and can do some phycho rhythm things. I should mess around with my electric more though, it's time to move on, and I want to learn the blues.
Oh, and here are a couple great guitar sites...
http://www.torvund.net/guitar/lessons.asp
http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~desmith/guitar/
This should be common sense but I see all to often newbies bunching up their arm so their wrist tilts back and their fingers lay more flat across the strings. That style might be good for some bass playing, but it's horrible for guitar. You'll always make muddy and/or buzzy chords and wear your fingers out fast (and possibly get arthritis).
Yeah I know a kid who started guitar and all summer he didn't do anything but play for like 6-8 hours a day, he got really good really fast.
Even though I've been playing for so long I haven't bothered to learn any leads. But I know just about any chord and can do some phycho rhythm things. I should mess around with my electric more though, it's time to move on, and I want to learn the blues.
Oh, and here are a couple great guitar sites...
http://www.torvund.net/guitar/lessons.asp
http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~desmith/guitar/
- Status