Guitar Player's Thread

[children of COB]

@Inhe, umosay and all the ''no guitar'' composers: I'm so jealous of you people, I'd love to be able to do that. Did you have a teacher for theory and all that stuff or are you al self taught?

Yeah I see what you mean. Like some people are so advanced on guitar, they can "hear" the note by just looking at a particular fret. But that takes a looot of experience with the instrument, unless you are some sort of musical genius. I know theory also, and I can do as you guys do, write out a song on GP completely independent of the guitar. But again, I don't like how that works/feels. I'd rather express it on the instrument first.

Don't worry Mystique, there'll be always someone worse at that, and I'm that guy, I'm like the slower composer ever, and I tend to end up throwing random scales and sweeps everywhere with a couple of harmonics and tappings when it comes to solos. Even my drummer gets the things done just in his head faster than what I go with the guitar in the hands,

so you write out the un-guitarisitic ideas out on GP, as you are forced to do anyway I really doubt that improvising riffs all the time will lead to the same shit...I mean, look at bands in the "old" days...they didn't have a fuckin GP on their computer. Even Alexi still gets his ideas down on a real 4 track thing.

Yep, but he gets the basic riffs, then all the harmonies and stuff are arranged by him with Roope and Janne at the rehearshal place and they work them out with the theory, which I'd love to be able to do.

 

[(__Joonas__)]

You guys know any really good free guitar lessons for a beginner to get quickly up to it?

 

[inhe]

@Inhe, umosay and all the ''no guitar'' composers: I'm so jealous of you people, I'd love to be able to do that. Did you have a teacher for theory and all that stuff or are you al self taught?

That's the thing, it's not theory, i do it by "ear" so to say, i write down what i hear in my head. My theory is like the most basic stuff, not enough to actually be able to put it to use.

 

[innuenDO]

Yep, but he gets the basic riffs, then all the harmonies and stuff are arranged by him with Roope and Janne at the rehearshal place and they work them out with the theory, which I'd love to be able to do.

What's theory for you?

To be honest I don't see very much theory in Children of Bodom songs. Okay they'll have to know which chords belong to which scale but that isn't that hard since they use ionic and aeolian modes only. Harmonizing and rising the last chorus by 2 semitones is more mathematics then real theory. Their music doesn't have so much counterpoints (don't know the real english word for it). I doesn't follow a complicated schemes like a sonata and isn't riddled with with chord progressions that lead from one scale to another.

And I still like their music!

 

[children of COB]

^That's exactly what I call theory and what they use. I don't say that they use really weird and stric theory when it comes to measurements and changes of modes and all that stuff, but the fact that they work the melodies and the riffs in paper and just mathematically knowing that it's going to sound good. I mean, Alexi writes down a melody, and then he gets the key and decides if he's going to do fourths, fifths, octaves or whatever, gets the scale and does it, knowing it'll sound good.

When I want to harmonise, I either go for octaves or fifths because they are easy to make or I have to start the ''trial and error'' method,

You guys know any really good free guitar lessons for a beginner to get quickly up to it?

Yes, they call it practice.

That's the thing, it's not theory, i do it by "ear" so to say, i write down what i hear in my head. My theory is like the most basic stuff, not enough to actually be able to put it to use.

Lawl, I do it the same way, but I'm kinda slow and more than once has happened that I come up with a really cool melody/harmony or riff, I write it down and then I can't play it, Last time what happened is that I made a Necrophagist-like riff and well, my skills are not enough to play it clean atm,

 

[innuenDO]

Lawl, I do it the same way, but I'm kinda slow and more than once has happened that I come up with a really cool melody/harmony or riff, I write it down and then I can't play it, Last time what happened is that I made a Necrophagist-like riff and well, my skills are not enough to play it clean atm,

That's my problem when I write. I have been playing for less than 3 years so I'm not able to do cool high speed sweeps and fast picking but the music I write would sound much better with that.

 

[(__Joonas__)]

Yes, they call it practice.

I think it's irrelevant whether I sit for 1 or 10 hours a day with the guitar on my lap, if I don't know what to practise with it... Just saying if someone's telling you what to practise, you learn faster.

 

[Corny]

I think it's irrelevant whether I sit for 1 or 10 hours a day with the guitar on my lap, if I don't know what to practise with it... Just saying if someone's telling you what to practise, you learn faster.

The best but at the same time most expensive way is to learn with a good teacher, nothing can substitute this (at least in the first months/years). Most music schools offer lendings of instruments, so that you don't have to buy a guitar before you even know if it's the right instrument for you.

The second way is to buy a guitar book for beginners with a good method in combination with contact to other guitar players who can show you stuff here and there, which helps you to avoid mistakes. Wrong practicing can result in mistakes that are really hard to get rid of.

The third way is to gather unsorted infos of some webpages. Disadvantage: No guiding line, many retards in the internet telling wrong stuff etc. Advantage: You don't stick to the perspective of one single author.

The fourth way is to take guitar pro, play along with the files and figure out all by yourself. This is the worst "method"


If you can't afford a teacher, use the second way. 25 Euro for a book which helps you through the first months is not too much. There are blogs where you can illegaly download loads of books, but I swear: You will learn BETTER and FASTER and MORE MOTIVATED when you have a printed book lying before you and knowing that you paid for it.

And one last tip: Don't use rock or metal books in the first months or you'll end up like the average young metal guitarist.

 

[(__Joonas__)]

I swear: You will learn BETTER and FASTER and MORE MOTIVATED when you have a printed book lying before you and knowing that you paid for it.

And one last tip: Don't use rock or metal books in the first months or you'll end up like the average young metal guitarist.

Good tips. Actually of all the way of learning you listed, I use them all. Except pay teacher. I've one or two mates who give me nice tips now and then.

I namely wanted to pay for the guitar myself and not wait for christmas and ask help from parents or shit like this And it really gives you a psychological motivation kick.

So what should I try, classical, blues..?

 

[children of COB]

^Basic chords, pentatonic scales, the normal scale and then keep going for some time. Start with some Nirvana if you want to learn songs straightaway I'd say.

 

[Dunununuuu-NUNUNU]

About improvising:

Sure thing! Our mind is much more developed than our fingers! Atleast for the most of us

I find when I'm stuck in a rut with improvising I have to remind myself to think of a melody/phrase in my mind. And then I get out of it.

Another thing I like to do is "transfer" my style to something like Dream Theater, wich is genious, but ain't one of my great inspirations. Results in various stuff that's different than what I normally would do, but stills sounds like me

 

[Shadowalias345]

My pickscrapes dont sound very good at all anymore.

Would changing my strings fix that? (my strings are months old btw)

 

[Corny]

You need to change them anyway if they're months old. So do it and see what happens.

 

[Pђoenix]

Maybe your pick is worn down to. I suggest using a new one.

 

[Corny]

I just bought a ticket for a Paul Gilbert show, september 27th!

Financially, it was the wrong decision but whatever, it's PABLO!!! Too bad that the VIP tickets for 160 Euros are already sold out. They include a one hour lesson, the ticket, a CD, a DVD, a shirt...

 

[Pђoenix]

hah coincidence, I just ordered mine for November!!! No way in hell could I have aforded the VIP ticket at the moment. Btw Congrats Corny on getting engaged!!

 

[OvSeth]

A CD is what, 10 Euros, DVD, 20, the T-Shirt, 20? Cost of the the normal ticket is what, 75 euros? 35 euros to have a 1 hour session with PG is nice .

 

[Corny]

hah coincidence, I just ordered mine for November!!! No way in hell could I have aforded the VIP ticket at the moment. Btw Congrats Corny on getting engaged!!

Thanks!


@Nick: The ticket price is 25

 

[dreams_of_eternal_hate]

^come to msn

 

[marfal66]

I started with nirvana, but once you mastered the powerchords, you can play all of their songs. aswell as all dumb punkish emoish songs, aswel as all pop/rock/radio shit etc etc
Knowing you're gonna play metal, you won't need all these other chords often (I have never used them)