Practice regime..

[spellbound-by-the-bodom]

hey i'm a keyboardist (as you guys probally know by now ) and err i'm looking to actually play guitar to an ok standard what would be like a good set of stuff to do over the comming months like open chords barre etc its hard to decide what to learn first .......

 

[stuckx]

Learn some scales and do some exercice to pratice yours finger.. u know like 1-2-3-4

 

[Sinergy]

get lessons! It's in my opinion good, to get into the whole thing, then you can practise your own things.

 

[-Gavin-]

I've never had a lesson and am sitting my grade 8 exam in december.
Moral of the story.
Self Teaching is a lot better than Classes.


Cheaper.
You can go at your own pace.
You learn what YOU want.
You are forced to invent your own style.


Anyway dude.

Master playing the intervals

3rd 4th 5th and octaves.
They are far more useful in metal than open chords or barre chords.

Just my opinion but hey if ytou get those you can write a BM tune

 

[pallarandersvisa]

i find more often than not, the self taught players end up being the players that have the most "feel" in their music, while the strict lesson players end up being the most concentrated on technique and focused on "correctivity"

 

[gkelter]

Self taught players are not afraid to veer away from going by the book. Lessons create clones.

 

[Fenrir13]

when I began, I took some lessons about 5 months. after that, it was self-taught and learning bits from my friends and listening to a ton of music. I could barely read sheet music(still can't), but I just tried stuff out. When I 'taught' people, I more or less just showed them stuff to do to develop their own style. I had about a year's worth of music theory in high school; just general theory(not really instrument based.) It didn't do too much. sometime learning from friends who are fellow players was a big help i found; cause we could then teach each other things we figured out; just as basics, then we'd go and practice/butcher it into our own styles.

Seriously though, I say a good warmup at least are playing just some simple scales slowly, forward and backward. Of course slowly, warm the hands up, then go with it till you're comfy. If there is one thing I remember; it's never move on till you are totally comfortable with what you are doing; no matter how frustrating it gets. This is where those hours of practice a day can end up coming in; you don't even realize the time passes sometimes.

 

[NGC 3370]

Definately teach yourself
May take a little longer than normal to get everything right but then you will get more satisfaction when you do and a lot more money left over because lessons are so expensive.
If you don't want to totally go it alone try www.metalmethod.com because they have some great dvds to help you along.

 

[Stun]

Personally I've never taken a lesson or learned a chord in my life (played for 2 years)... but that's cause I'm a lead guitarist and rarely do anything but jam with my friends. Someone lays down the chords and I solo over it... but that's just my preference. I find chords a lot more difficult... I hardly ever even practice power chords.

It's hard to give someone advice on what to learn because only they know what they like doing... just experiment a bit and do whatever is the most fun.

 

[Fenrir13]

ive been playing about 4 years and never had a lesson. all you gotta do it practice. learn bodom songs. i started out on metallica, nothing but metallica, i learned most of their stuff from the first 4 albums

You too, eh? Yeah, I still remember one of the first songs I figured out was Orion. That was fun to practice on; it wasn't too fast, and it was nice and long; so it gave a lot to work with.

 

[Stun]

I agree with Styg about improvisation, something I forgot to bring up... improv is very important and is almost all I do. I'm not the kind of person to practice soemthing over and over until I can play it. I just practice improvisation, which is like practicing for everything... it's kinda hard to explain in words. But I don't agree that practicing things like 1-2-3-4 is a waste of time or that it'll drain your will to play guitar... I'd say nothing's gonna drain your will to play guitar except practicing too much, it doesn't matter what you practice; I know, I got sick of guitar just from improvising (but I'm back in practice again now)...

But anyways... why can't you improv and throw in things like 1-2-3-4 at the same time? I do.

Hmm, oh yeah, picking technique is something that 99% of ppl need to be shown precisely how to do... so get a guitarist friend to show you. Also, where you put your thumb on the back of the neck can greatly affect your range... if it's precisely in the middle of the neck you will have the most range, even tho it'll probably feel weird without practice. I still can't get it in right in the middle after 2 years of playing, but almost. But hey, even tho it is the "proper" place to put your thumb and it gives you the most range, you don't have to do it... I didn't when I first started cause I thought it was easier to let my thumb slide towards the top of the guitar (felt more natural).

 

[EndlessWhore]

Hey when i play, my first 3 fingers are fine and all, but when i watch myself play, my pinky is pretty much flying all over the place. Is this a major problem. I have watched some live Bodom videos and sometimes alexi's pinky is everywhere but obviously he doesnt miss things. Give me some advice on the importance of the pinky. Thanks.

 

[AlexiFollower]

its ok if you pinky goes all over, but the more you start to use it the less it goes EVERYWHERE, but no matter what it always jerk back when you play, but USE your pinky, it helps a lot when playing

 

[spellbound-by-the-bodom]

well I already know loads of theory and shit so I guess its just a matter of fact of aplying it to guitar I tryed some like full chords etc they just sound like muddy on a distorted guitar so i guess i'll just learn how to apply the theory. along with like some finger excersises and shit

 

[Serge...]

You're all wrong about lessons. Getting lessons can be very helpful if you have the right teacher. Having guidance from an experienced player is the best possible way of improving. I mean, nowadays with the internet, it's possible to get really good without lessons, but I see a lot of self taught players who can't coordinate their hands and don't know what they're doing. Even worse, they don't know that what they're doing is wrong. Getting lessons won't make you into a clone, it'll just speed up your process of mastering basic techniques. And since everyone's using famous people as examples, Satch taught Vai.

Oh and another thing, having a teacher will help you learn theory, and a player that knows theory is a better player period. Ask anyone that knows theory and they'll say it helps them immensly while teh only people that argue don't know any.

 

[lakebodomkiller]

my pinky is pretty much flying all over the place. Is this a major problem.

i used to have a the same problem, i wont lie it takes a lot of time and concentrated practicing to fix it, when you practice no matter what you are playing when you fret a note with your first finger for example, try to keep all of your other fingers on the fretting hand as close to the strings as possible with out touching the string you are sounding.

when i started out i would not let my fingers come off the strings more than 1/8 or less than an inch, Trust me it feels awkward at first but youll warm up to it. just think about this youve always heard less distance is less time elapsed. If you are playing and you pinky is 5 inches up in the air it is going to take more time and ENERGY to make that pinky hit the note you want to sound.

and one other side note it will increase you acuracy, because there is less room for error litterally. BUT thats just my opinion and maybe im a gina.:Smug:

 

[-Gavin-]

You're all wrong about lessons. Getting lessons can be very helpful if you have the right teacher. Having guidance from an experienced player is the best possible way of improving. I mean, nowadays with the internet, it's possible to get really good without lessons, but I see a lot of self taught players who can't coordinate their hands and don't know what they're doing. Even worse, they don't know that what they're doing is wrong. Getting lessons won't make you into a clone, it'll just speed up your process of mastering basic techniques. And since everyone's using famous people as examples, Satch taught Vai.

Oh and another thing, having a teacher will help you learn theory, and a player that knows theory is a better player period. Ask anyone that knows theory and they'll say it helps them immensly while teh only people that argue don't know any.

I agree with the lessons thing.
I never said they sucked, i jsut said i chose not to have them.
I can coordinate myself fine and i not as much practise strictly but i learned 90% of the shit i know, Techniques and stuff from learning other songs.
The First solo i learned was PAntera-Cowboys from Hell. BEfore that solo i couldn't pinch, stretch, alt pick fast or anything and so i worked on those becuase i needed them... now i do that song flawlessly (This was 3 years ago i learned it).
Lessons dont always equate to a better player, Look agt players like Wes Montgomery, they know fuck all theory, they play by ear and they play their asses off and rock.


I do however disagree with Lessons/theory =better player.

I know quite a lot of theory ( i have studied music for the past 3 years at the highest level my school offers and do a lot of shit at home too) but see, writing riffs that sound good is what counts not keeping it within a scale.
I have written many Atonal riffs that sound badass and can fit over chord progressions easily that are without ANY key Center(hence Atonal) and are not wiothin any scale.


If it sounds musical, its music regardless of all the technicalities.

Also, remember, music was made before modes were discovered....
Theory is not the Be all and End all of insturmental greatness, it jsut helps.

 

[Day_Before_Dawn]

I've never had a lesson and am sitting my grade 8 exam in december.
Moral of the story.
Self Teaching is a lot better than Classes.


Cheaper.
You can go at your own pace.
You learn what YOU want.
You are forced to invent your own style.


Anyway dude.

Master playing the intervals

3rd 4th 5th and octaves.
They are far more useful in metal than open chords or barre chords.

Just my opinion but hey if ytou get those you can write a BM tune

Are you taking your grade 8 in electric guitar man?, because ive been trying to take it so I can get into Leeds College Of Music. But I have been told you can't take grade 8 on the electric?. Are you doing it on classical or something mate?.

 

[-Gavin-]

Are you taking your grade 8 in electric guitar man?, because ive been trying to take it so I can get into Leeds College Of Music. But I have been told you can't take grade 8 on the electric?. Are you doing it on classical or something mate?.

Who ever told you that is retarded...



http://www.rockschool.co.uk/instruments/guitar/guitargrade-eight.htm


There is the book i use.

the exam entry form comes with the book.
Its something liike £40 to sit and there is 3 sessions a year.

 

[-Gavin-]

Oh yeah, you get a peachy certificate at the end of it too.

My friend did his G8 drums when he was 14.