I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing here.
Besides the odd air guitar solo, I've never touched one before.

So what's the fastest way to learn how to play one?
My boss has been begging me for some time to pick one up so we can jam together.
And that's kind of what I've done.

Now I know what you're think, have him teach me.
But I've tried that... not a very good teacher.

Being able to play a musical instrument is generally a gift....

..you either have it... ...

..or you don't... ...!

If you don't, then you will quickly realise it....or other will rapidly tell you!...

..and it will be hard work...all down the line....Trust me... ...!

Paul....Born with "The Gift".... ..... ....!

Give it a try...you may be one of the lucky ones!... ...!

Fozzer's Tip Of The Day: Practice on the PIANO...FIRST...!!

(Scales, and intervals).

Mictheslik wrote on Jun 3^rd, 2007 at 8:38am:


If you practice on a Violin, Trumpet, Drums, or Clarinet, you will very quickly get evicted from your property...
....trust me......

....had to suffer it from nearby neighbours.... ...!

(I've destroyed most of them now! ....The Neighbours and their practice instruments!)......!

Paul... ...!

So I'm going to have to just harden up; and practice, practice, practice.
Oh well, figured as much. After all, I didn't learn the sax overnight either.

EGNX wrote on Jun 3^rd, 2007 at 1:46pm:


The Piano...

...definitely......

The black and white keys are laid out in a horizontal line in front of you....

...so it is easy to learn the scales, and intervals between notes...

You then apply the same procedure to the guitar fret board....

...and most other instruments, by LISTENING to the notes and intervals between them... ...!

Paul...You hum it...I'll play it... ...!

If you want to learn guitar, you can buy books, peruse websites, watch videos, or just self discover.  All of these methods offer varying degrees of success.  However, if you want to learn the most efficiently and achieve the quickest results, get good advice before you make your 1st guitar purchase AND get a good teacher, AND plan on applying yourself to practice.

I know whence what I talk about.  I've applied all above methods to learn guitar, and I'm currently a guitar teacher.

I've been a guitarist for 43 years, and taught guitar for 7 years in the 70's.  I've also had 7 years of intense keyboard training on the classical level.

There is no "fast" way to learn guitar.  My teaching experience saw all types and ages of students.  Everyone learned at a different rate.  The ones who kept at it, that is.  However, seeking out a decent teacher is not a bad idea.  An instructor can show you shorts cuts and tricks that would take you a longer time to learn.  Videos and books can also be helpful.

Whereas, especially for young starters, knowledge of keyboards would be an asset, even if you were a pianist, it would not help learning guitar.  The guitar is intially perceived as a physical or motor control challenge, and playing chords and licks etc. takes time to grasp technically, as does the layout of the fretboard and how chords and scales relate.  The piano is linear and repeats chord patterns and scales every octave.  The guitar fretboard is a matrix with many different ways to play what are essentially the same chords and scales.  Also, there are many different ways to play the guitar; technique can be varied, even within the context of the same kind of music.  Learning different techniques also takes time.

Read dcunning30's posts carefully.

Be very patient.  What you practice today may not make sense for many weeks.  Just practice regularly each day.  They who learn slowly learn well.

I've spent many years working out my technique to sound like this guy.  Personally, I think he's the best guitar hero ever.  I'm almost as good as him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alY43qMvxM0