Difficulty of Guitar and playing opeth

[Valerie]

Opeth isn't for someone who's JUST picked the instrument up. However, I started learning Patterns in the Ivy about 2 months into my playing.

You'll never jump a hurdle unless you actually attempt it. So whenever you can, throw yourself into the deep end and your ability will acclimatise to what you're trying to play.

A month ago I would've said that I'd never play Malmsteen's 'Blitzkrieg' up to the speed he recorded it at. Well what do you know, a month later, I'm almost there.

It's about being persistent and putting in the hard work to get results. Above all, however, you need to enjoy every single moment of playing the instrument. Never force yourself into doing something you don't enjoy or don't see its relevance to you.

Guitar is a hard instrument to start on.
It's an easy instrument to play crap on.
It's a very hard instrument to play very well.

In that middle point there is where this huge majority of mainstream guitarists seem to fit into. Punk, pop-rock, alternative rock... these are just people who've picked the instrument up, jumped the initial hurdle and then just confined themselves playing simple powerchord rock.

Electrics vs Acoustics

The most difficult type of standard 6-string guitar to play is a steel string acoustic. They require the most pressure applied by your fingers and build playing finesse and endurance. I recommend starting on one of these - I did, and despite making that initial hurdle so many times harder, it jumpstarted my playing ability immeasurably.

There is a version of acoustic guitar that is almost as easy to play as an electric. That would be the nylon-string acoustic. These are used mainly for flamenco and the like. Not the richest of sounds, so I don't play these much.

Electric guitar is the end of the line I guess. I waited about 6-8 months before I got my first electric. Playing electric guitar is a different thing to acoustic. They require different mindsets. Don't be a rock guitarist who just jumps on an acoustic and plays powerchords, and don't be a classical guitarist who just jumps on the electric and plays bach suites. Electric guitars with distortion emphasize upper harmonics. Learn where harmonics occur on the strings, learn pinch harmonics, use bends, use vibratos to your advantage. Do these things that are less impressive and less possible on acoustic guitars. Then when you're too lazy to break out the acoustic, play the bach suites with a clean electric sound . But what I'm really trying to say, and I hope I'm not confusing you, is to learn the advantages of each type of guitar and to adjust your playing style to use them.

Good advice The very first thing my dad said to me when he started teaching me to play, when I was around 13 (almost 8 years ago) was, "The guitar is very easy to play... but very hard to play well."

What Jeff Loomis does to warm up before concerts is play on an acoustic, so it's very easy to play on his electrics during the show.

Your fingers are only as fast as your brain can think. You can't just expect to be able to play Bhetoven on Speed by Katherine Thomas aka The Great Kat (notice my non-use of YJM :Smug: ) or any other shredder right away. You need to start slowly, use a metronome if you want (which is a good idea), and keep going through it, getting faster very gradually, so the muscles in your fingers remember the positions on the fingerboard. Through a lot of practice you'll be able to play thing. It just takes time and dedication.

Knowing musical theory, and being able to read musical notation is very, very beneficial. However, they're not completely necessary. Jeff Loomis can't read music, but I'm sure he knows a lot about theory. For now, in my opinion, what's very important as you're beggining is concentrating on technique, but not completely eliminating learning about music. My dad can play very well, and he can sight read, which is pretty hard, instead of having to break everything down. I'm still working on getting better at it.

Anyway, just take into consideration all the advice people have given you, before you spend your money on a guitar

 

[Valerie]

sorry about the double post -.-

 

[Oxyn]

Your fingers are only as fast as your brain can think.

Heh. I made this discovery a while ago. I tried to think about playing something really fast, I think it was Racer X - Technical Difficulties. I noticed, that I was able to think only as fast as I was able to play.

That's a confusing piece of text. And nobody cares. Oh well, I'm bored. I'm trying to correct my sleep rhythm by staying up all night

 

[Braighs]

The first song I learned was Agalloch - A Celebration For The Death Of Man.
Then House of the Rising Sun...oddly enough.
Listening to Opeth, I can pick up simple melodies here and there ex. Closure.
But I would recommend looking elsewhere for begining guitar.
And I have heard from many people to get acoustic first.

 

[NicholasDWolfwood]

Bass is somewhat different from guitar, but I'll share my experiences anyway.

When I first got my bass, I started playing Maiden's "Run to the Hills" about 5 times per night, every night, for a week or two until I learned it fully, or close enough (I mess around with some parts because often I find myself not wanting to learn the song 100% exactly like it was recorded)

It's all about practice, patience, persistence, and just in-general motivation. There's no point in getting any instrument, whether it be a drumkit, a keyboard, a bass or a guitar if you're going to get discouraged after two days of playing.

Acoustics will build up finger strength, yes, but what's the point in getting a $200 or more acoustic, and then spending $200 on an electric less than a year later, all because you wanted to play Welcome to the Jungle? (or some other well known rock song) Especially if you give up afterwards?

 

[etakistan]

And remeber kids, SECOND HAND IS YOUR FRIEND.


There are plenty of perfectly fine, playable and of course, much cheaper instruments just waiting for you.

 

[Ermz]

Yep, just beware of their deterioration and quality. Just because a 2nd hand guitar looks nice doesn't mean the neck isn't bowed, the intonation screwed, the frets worn etc.

Keep in mind how much second hand + service will cost.

It's a very good idea, if you're new to guitar, to get someone who knows their way around the instrument to go around with you and try some out, particularily if you're going 2nd hand.

 

[Nuk3m]

Necks are suposed to be bowed slightly, unless u want super fast neck and some fret buzz, its pretty hard to get both.

The bow has to be straight though not twisted like your jacksons. And to much of a bow fucks your neck

 

[metalisticpain]

God thanks for the feedback, outstanding ay.
Im looking into it, taking peoples advice on the yamaha pacifica series. No problem buying it i reckon, i can earn about 300 bucks a week, and im still at home so no bills and shit like that.

Anyways thanks for the comments real helped out ay, so im gonna go buy a resonably priced one, get a few lessons and try it out.

Cheers Everyone

 

[AFairJudgement0]

personally, I feel that playing an electric and then playing an acoustic is almost like playing an entirely different instrument. The set up is completely different and the sound is so much more natural and embodied coming from an acoustic. Dont get me wrong, I love walking up and down an electric neck just as much as as an acoustic, but there is a distinct difference in playing a good acoustic guitar.

Ive played a few different ranges of acoustics/electrics and every one is different in its own way. Music to me is about finding the sound/feel of the instrument and that has come from many years of playing shitty guitars only to find that I go back to them even now that I have much better equipment. My first acoustic was a crappy Yamaha 340, and now that I play a Larrivee there is an incredible difference in sound and quality, but I still love going back to my old yamaha just because I have grown acustom to its feel/sound.

Yeah, if you are just starting and you have desires to rock out real quick and thats all you want to do then maybe your best bet is to go electric, but playing guitar has so much freedom to explore different sounds and such. I actually like playing the drapery falls on acoustic and even demon of the fall because the acoustic breaks in the songs are actually played on acoustics. It sounds incredible playing those tunes almost exactly the way they are played in the song and its very hard to get a good replica of an acoustic on an electric. Thats just my opinion =)

 

[shark22]

Guitar is a hard instrument to start on.
It's an easy instrument to play crap on.
It's a very hard instrument to play very well.

So true.

 

[Colegrove34]

Just to throw it in here:

I've been playing for 3 years now and here's my advice as far as Opeth:

First of all, you will only get frusterated trying to play it right off the bat.

That said, Opeth's riffs are not all that complex, even though they sound great. Some parts are a bit complicated, especially with the right timing, but not extreamly hard. However, they use a lot of unusual and tough barre chords, that would be especially difficult, I have trouble with some.

But on the other hand, most opeth songs don't have solos, or at least not long or extremly difficult ones, so you can learn whole songs without worrying about that, which is a plus.