Guitar Player's Thread

[eveningninja]

Oh ok, that seems alright then. How long have you been practicing for eveningninja? I'd love to be able to play guitar as well as you do and maybe you can tell me whats best to practice.. I'd seriouosly appreciate it

Well first of all don't base what is and what you should be on guitarists from teh yoUtube. Most of them who actually play well/cleanly have been playing longer than 2.5 years. The ones who say otherwise are most likely doing one of two things: (a) turning up the volume of the mp3 they are playing along with so much that you can't even actually hear their guitar, or (b) lying about how long they've been playing in an attempt to impress you or receive less harsh comments.

Now of course this doesn't apply to everyone. Some people have indeed only been playing a short amount of time and are quite impressive, and that's where knowledge and correct practice comes into play. I am not going to say "it's all about practice" because it really isn't. Sure it's a factor as it is with any other skill, but if it was the only/deciding factor there wouldn't ever be a need for things like teachers/coaches in this world. It's important that you take into account correct principles of practice while practicing or else you will either progress very slowly or not at all no matter how much you practice.

Take a look at some of these videos http://www.youtube.com/user/FreepowerUG he gives some technique lessons. He is a member of UG and has some really helpful threads there as well. PM me if you'd like more info. A lot of people seem to dislike UG simply because they find a shitload of inaccurate tabs there. Sure that's true, but there are also some really knowledgeable guys over there.

Oh, and: Don't attempt to "practice speed." The problem is that speed itself is not a technique. It is simply an indicator of how much control you have really. Practice/analyze your technique at slow speeds, with the correct principles of practice, and your "speedz" basically can/will improve. But as long as you think of speed as your primary goal and try to improve upon it directly, it will never come

 

[+VictimOfTheNight+]

You should also keep in mind that what other people write may be in your skill range, but may seem hard because you didn't write it.
It all comes down to practice.

yes... i'm no player, but these are wise words and i agree on them...

 

[GuitariSteve]

FREE download available for 24 hours!

 

[SteveMCsteve]

Is this your work?
EDIT: NVM

 

[<Arcane>]

Someone please tell me how long it'll take to get to the shredding level... I've been playing for 2 years and a half (roughly) and I am progressing

It all depents on
a) how much you practise a day
b) what you practise and
c) when you start playing guitar

I've seen people playing more thn ten years but they can't play shit on guitar but also other people who were playing 2 or 3 years and they are better than me. It is definitely easier to reach the "shredding" level when you start when you are younger and/or when you have some musical talent.

but I go on youtube and see people that say that theyve been playing for a year and a half and they can play the whole of Kissing the Shadows (including solo's)

Show me one

 

[SteveMCsteve]

I find the metronome to be really helpful with speed and right and left hand articulation.

 

[Crzy_Aus]

Oh, and: Don't attempt to "practice speed." The problem is that speed itself is not a technique. It is simply an indicator of how much control you have really. Practice/analyze your technique at slow speeds, with the correct principles of practice, and your "speedz" basically can/will improve. But as long as you think of speed as your primary goal and try to improve upon it directly, it will never come

Speed is an indication of the amount of practice, really. But do agree, for any instrument slow practice is the key; as soon as you have the techniques down and think you know what you're doing, inching up the tempo will be really easy.

Agreed that a metronome is very helpful for the more difficult rhythms, or for the people who aren't confident in their sense of rhythm/tempo.

IMHO, electric guitar is a bit easier than some other instruments in a way, because the emphasis is more on technique (which is just hours of practice when it comes down to it) rather than sound (since that's mostly taken care of by the equipment) or even in some ways musicanship.

EDIT: Another great way to practice a fast passage that you just can't seem to get down perfectly, or it goes out of whack rhytmically when you try it, is to take it slow and turn the fast notes into a dotted rhythm, then also reverse the rhythm (i.e. first dotted eighth-sixteenth-dotted eighth ect, then sixteenth-dotted eighth-sixteenth etc, or w/e), while articulating the notes well. Not sure how well this'd work for the guitar, but sure as hell works great for violin.

 

[Conti]

and that the fact that all the notes are marked off and numbered for you.

 

[Crzy_Aus]

and that the fact that all the notes are marked off and numbered for you.

Depends on perception really. If you're one of those horrible people with perfect pitch (like me), the frets only get in the way. I was trying to play mandolin once, was pretty horrible

 

[innuenDO]

7

FREE download available for 24 hours!

just the one song?


This song is such a shame compared to the old days.

 

[COBHC Rayza]

wait so my plan was this:
Get new guitar (without double-locking trem) and tune to D standard (1 step down I think) then learn a lot of scales, practise them heaps and try to play them as fast as I can. From what i've read that sounds like a bad idea. I was also going to do the same with sweeping and tremolo picking aswell as tapping...

 

[XxSNAPxX]

^^ Well the best thing to do is just do it at your own pace.....FUCK the net and what people say it's what works for you.

 

[Swabs]

YEAH... FUCK THE NET YEAH.

 

[The Emptier]

EPI!!: the valveking is alright, it certainly won't do on it's own though you will definitely need some sort of boost or distortion pedal, ive heard some good tones off of em though.

 

[children of COB]

Thanks man. Hm... well I'm sorta in this state right now where I've got some ideas flowing around, some of it in my mind still and some has been GPro'd for the time being. Definitely expect an entry from me in the next Cobot album whenever that may be. I am pretty excited to hear this third one, I'll download that when I get back home

That would be awesome, will be really looking forward If you have time give us a lil review on the album thread

 

[eveningninja]

Speed is an indication of the amount of practice, really. But do agree, for any instrument slow practice is the key; as soon as you have the techniques down and think you know what you're doing, inching up the tempo will be really easy.

You have to keep in mind that (electric) guitar is still a relatively new instrument, especially on a virtuosic level. Instruments like violin and piano have been played brilliantly and at quick tempos for a long time now, whereas it wasn't until probably the latter half of the 20th century where guitarists really started (and there is still progression to this day) to figure out and master the instrument at a technical level. This is why with guitar it is difficult to simply pick up the instrument and practice 'til you get ''good.'' Correct practice is foreign to most guitarists these days, and you can practice all you want but until you practice correctly you will either not progress or you will be severely limited. This isn't as much a problem with other instruments where ''proper technique'' is a widely accepted/acknowledged thing, among teachers and books. You take a look at guitar though and there is just so much more that could go wrong with your posture/fingering/picking/etc. that it's much more sensitive/complicated in that aspect.

IMHO, electric guitar is a bit easier than some other instruments in a way, because the emphasis is more on technique (which is just hours of practice when it comes down to it) rather than sound (since that's mostly taken care of by the equipment) or even in some ways musicanship.

That's a fairly good point. There are definitely a bunch of guitarists who try to take shortcuts by sounding good due to their equipment, simply because they have the option to, and people in general like to take the easy way out. The natural showiness of guitar in general definitely contributes to the overuse of effects, however this doesn't make the mastery of the instrument any simpler. In the same way that vibrato and bow attack produce expression and articulation on the violin, guitarists must also use vibrato, pick attack/angling, muting, among many other factors, to produce a good sound. And honestly it's pretty easily recognizable when these basic things are not practiced in a guitarist's technique and he/she attempts to simply rely on effects.

That would be awesome, will be really looking forward If you have time give us a lil review on the album thread

I would listen through right now but I'm gonna go study on campus for a few hours. Lol fuuuuuuuuuuck.

 

[TheKid]

Does anyone know of any good "metal-shaped" (Explorer, ML, V, Warrior, Rhoads, Xiphos, etc.) 7-string guitars with Floyd Rose trems?

 

[COBHC Rayza]

I am buying an LTD V-401 but am not too keen on the 81 in the neck. I would like to change it for an EMG 85 or something, but since I only use the neck pickup like 5-10% of the time I play so I don't wanna blow a lot of money on one.

Can anyone reccommend a cheap but good sounding neck pickup? Also can you mix an active 81 in the bridge and a passive pickup in the neck?

I might just try to find a secondhand 85 on eBay. Can anyone reccommend any other good EMG neck pickups? I think the 60 is meant to be good

 

[Muffin]

You CAN mix an active and a passive, but its an ordeal to wire, i don't recommend it. I'd go with a 85 and actually put it in the bridge, but thats just me. I've played the 85 and the 60 in the neck, i have to say i preferred the 85. The 60 sounded more.. "brown" to me, gritty and loose, i didn't like it much, the 85 seemed more collected and suited for the more classical setup and sound. Personal opinion though.

 

[Lowberg]

Yay recording real drums for the first time, for my band here at school's demo submission so we can get into battle of the bands and destroy all the indie rock and pop punk bands that make up the music scene here at school