Any guitar players here?

[JustLost]

A couple of weeks ago I picked up a cheap electric and a small amp. I used to play a little a LONG time ago but abandoned it due to time constraints and mind numbing depression. It always bugged me that I never stuck with it, so now over a decade later I'm back at it. If I'm still playing six months from now I'll buy a better quality guitar, but for right now this one suits me fine.

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone had any good suggestions on decent books or instructional dvd's. I can tune the thing, read tablature and make a few chords. Sometimes I can play something that resembles music (Just don't ask me to do it twice).

I might have better luck asking in a guitar forum, but I figured there has to be some lonely musician people in here somewhere.

Thanks...

 

[evanescencefan91]

hey ya I've been learning for a few years but, it can really make me depressed because i spend a lot of time pratacing but it never feels like I've gotten any good. I really need a new amp too, and it's making me really pissed, cause i haven't played for about a month since my old amp stopped working right. it wasn't a fancy amp or anything it just came with the guitar, so until i get a new one the spite keeps winning.

But Qui is really good at it and she's in a band, I'm envious of her. I've got no friends to be a band with, sorry I'm feeling spiteful at the moment, **** people

 

[evanescencefan91]

ya sorry i didn't mean to sound whinny, i kinda got off subject

 

[Hijacc]

Oh yah ive been taking guitar lessons for a couple months

 

[Matt]

Lol, I played it obsessively for about three years, but I kind of stopped in January of 2007 because I realized how destructive it was to every other aspect of my life (I wasn't kidding when I said "obsessively" >< ). Anyways, after about 2,370 hours of playing guitar, I'm still pretty mediocre, so that's another reason why I stopped.

Oddly enough, today I arbitrarily decided to pull my guitar out for the first time in weeks and play for about an hour or so. Weird coincidence.

I personally have never really needed to use a book. There are so many resources on the internet, that it's almost kind of pointless. One website you might want to check out is ultimate-guitar.com. They've got lessons - both in text and in video form. They also happen to have a forum, of which I've made over 7k posts on.

So...what kind of stuff do you like to play?

 

[Qui]

But Qui is really good at it and she's in a band, I'm envious of her. I've got no friends to be a band with, sorry I'm feeling spiteful at the moment, **** people

Woah there.
Don't get the wrong idea. I've only recently been able to make barre chords sound like anything, and it's a band consisting only of 2 guitarists and a bassist, and we've only played for people on one occasion (well, except for my mom in the tv room while practicing, but that hardly counts...)
Honestly, I started practicing seriously in september, before that it was like, here's an E chord, that's an A, and these are the tabs for the intro to "Come as you are".
I'm not that good. Just ask lead guitar friend. Today he had to explain to me what triplets are. Last week, it was harmonics. The week before, finger tapping.
The only thing I am reasonably confident about is my celtic finger-picking. It's random, but I know a few songs and they sound great.
To be honest, we're being mighty adventurous in attempting "while my guitar gently weeps" -and I'm only playing some chords and singing.
Matt's the one who's good. I have the slowest fingers on the whole west coast. And that includes my arthritic elderly neighbor.
Of course, none of that really matters. For me, playing guitar just comes down to this; If you have the most fun you win.

 

[evanescencefan91]

those are good words qui,

sorry i didn't mean to sound crazy, but come on, I'm sure your really good, and just the experence of playing in a band will really help

 

[Matt]

I've never been able to play in a band. ><

It seems like everyone plays guitar, and there are never any drummers, bassists, or willing vocalists around. The closest "band" experience I got was playing with another guitarist and a drummer for a one-time jam session in the drummer's bedroom, playing Blitzkrieg Bop, Island in the Sun, and Master of Puppets ad nauseum. But other than that, it's usually just me sitting at my desk in my bedroom. ><

I don't think there are any bassists in my entire city.

[/hyperbole]

 

[Qui]

My best friend from grade school was absent one day and her boyfriend, who at the time had no friends except for her, came over and sat with my lead guitar friend and I while we were jamming and practicing some stuff for guitar class. He asked us a bit about what type of stuff we play and we asked him if he played any instrument because usually people who ask a bunch of questions about the music you're playing play or played something and it turned out he plays bass so that's how we ended up with a bassist. Basically. Now that my friend doesn't go to school anymore he just hangs out with us all the time. He was really terrible when we first played together, but he's gotten loads better. Actually while lead guitar friend ditched us to go hang out with his girlfriend today (can't imagine why he'd want to do that...) bassist buddy played on lead guitarist friend's girlfriend's sister's guitar with me. So that was pretty sweet, we haven't actually played together in a while.
But yeah, I deffinitely have improved much more quickly since I've been playing with the guys. Especially since whenever I get tripped up on something my lead guitar friend will either explain it to me or get the band teacher to explain it to him so he can in turn explain it to me.
That's strange that you can't find any bassists Matt, in the group I hang out with at school 3 of us play guitar and 2 play bass.

 

[Matt]

They're generally a rare breed.

 

[Qui]

Yeah, actually, I suppose you're right. Now that I think of it, I only know 4 bassists total. We just got lucky with bassist buddy.

 

[JustLost]

Thanks for the responses. I've printed out various things from the internet already and the guitar actually came with a dvd, but that's all I have. I did pick up a cheap (everything is cheap) distortion box just because I kinda like that sound.

I've been fooling around with digital music on my computer for awhile now. It would be nice if I could eventually jack the guitar into the pc and add some rhythm tracks to the stuff I already know how to do. Kind of a "one man band" type of thing I guess. It's silly, but it keeps me occupied.

 

[Larsen B]

Get the chords licked, then make stuff up or jam with mates would be my advice. Excellent fun.

I've played for years - i just wish i was a good enough standard to play in a band, because it seems like every time i pick up the guitar i make up some pretty decent tunes.

 

[Blue Sky]

Yes, I play the guitar, I have an Ovation, Acoustic.

 

[toxic-tears]

i do, i do.. been learning and playing guitar since 14 years old..

the ibanez guitars are good.. my dad got the electric and bass guitar with that brand, same with the amplifier.

however, i got the cheap one from sale though its my 2nd guitar. electric acustic guitar from fender.

my 1st guitar is when i was still in the Philippines. its an acustic guitar. we bought it about P300, and if you convert it in dollars it's around $7- $9.. very cheap isn't it?..

 

[evanescencefan91]

wow, I'd buy 500 acustic guitars, dismantle them and rebuild them into a boat, and have a few leftover to play on. and I would sail along the lonely seas play for all who dare listen, ah the comfort we find in the melodious solace

 

[Qui]

Eh, I copied out 3 more songs with teh photocopier today. I've become the go-to person for beatles sheet music. It's annoying. Today I had requests for "All you need is love", "Don't let me down", "Strawberry fields forever" and "Being for the benefit of mr. kite". I didn't print Mr. Kite because it actually has no guitar and my lead guitar friend wanted to learn to play it. What a numb nut, he prolly didn't even bother to listen to it, he just heard me me singing part of it and thought it sounded cracked out. Which, it is. It makes about half a gallon less sense than none at all.

 

[Matt]

Lol, there's so much sheet music and tablature available on the internet. Are your friends not aware of the world wide web?

 

[Qui]

Well, it's not just tabs. It's all the parts. Play the organ? here's your sheet music. Guitar 1? sheet music and tabs. Same for bass, guitar 2. And chords, exact strumming pattern for every song, even tells you the measures when it changes. There's drums, and lyrics, and whatever other instruments are in that song. It's awfully handy, all of it together like that. You'd never find anything like it on ultimate guitar. not that complete. that's why people ask me. it's all there in my book. I freaking love that book.

 

[Matt]

Mmm, I will admit that drum parts aren't very commonly available on the internet. But your friends might want to try out the program Guitar Pro, which usually not only has all the instruments notated, but also plays them so you can hear each part individually (as well as slow it down for learning it).

Anyways...

Dropping your pick in your acoustic guitar vs. dropping your pick on the ground and it somehow disappearing?

The former involves maddening manipulation of your guitar's angular disposition, and the latter involves wondering where the hell your pick could go if you only seemingly dropped it on the floor right below you.