Starting at playing guitar..

PowerBlade

PowerBlade

Member
May 31, 2009
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Copenhagen, Denmark
Hey all, as titled, I've started to play guitar. I have an old acoustic one to see if it is what i wanted, and it is, so I am definitely going to buy an el-one.
Do you guys have any advice on how to start playing metal/death metal?
Also, any advice on which guitar i should start out with?

Would be great =)
 
Get an electric guitar, definitely. If you want death metal, then you'll want a guitar oriented towards metal. For a beginner you should get an Ibanez and a Vox combo amp. $300 guitar, $1-250 for the amp, and you'll be able to get a good metal sound and the equipment won't be utterly useless when you upgrade. This is what I went with and it worked great.

UNDER ABSOLUTELY NO CIRCUMSTANCES PURCHASE AND BC RICH GUITAR FOR LESS THAN A COUPLE THOUSAND
Their mid-to-low end is utter fucking shit. Yes, it looks incredibly sexy and yes, a bunch of pro death metal bands play BCRs, but they play high end or custom made guitars that have nothing to do with the mass produced low end stuff, and you can look as sexy as you want but it won't make you sound good.

What is your budget, though? You should buy the most expensive guitar you can, as it'll be way better that way.
 
I have an ESP / LTD F-50 that I bought on musiciansfriend.com for like $200 and I love it. My only complaint is that it tends to go sharp after a few hours so I have to keep retuning it.

My amp is a Roland Cube 20X that I also bought on musiciansfriend.com for less than $200 and for me, it's ideal. It has all sorts of built-in settings and effects and sounds much better than what I would expect from such a small amp. Also, because it's a small amp it's great for college students and other cohabitators. A lot of the more experienced people on this forum will probably tell you not to get one though, because it's a digital amp and everyone seems to have a boner for tube amps.

I'm sure there's a good reason though, but I'm inexperienced myself, so I'm happy with the little equipment that I have.

EDIT: I forgot to post the main part of my original intended post.

http://www.rondomusic.com/

The guys from the TabIt forums swear by this website. Everything looks suspiciously low priced, but so far I've heard only praise and worship about anything that's been purchased from this site.
 
No one is gonna start with a tube amp and if size/noise is an issue, you can't really deal with having one. Get a solid state combo.
 
Yeah, you should be able to get a 30W Vox combo and a pretty decent Ibanez RG for that. Head down to the nearest Guitar Center, and bring a friend who plays.
 
Ibanez RG or Jackson. I have one of each, the Jackson is what I learned on. I could post their different tones Saturday if you want to hear. Or you could try them at guitar center as was mentioned.
 
Yeah, well Vacant_Planets since i dont really know how to play guitar yet, i dont think i would learn much from trying them out with what i can play =)

would be great if you would post the tones though
 
I could record my Ibanez RG through my 30W vox. It's the actual setup I'm recommending to you. I only have an SM57 so it won't be perfect quality but might help.

However good the tone is, feeling comfortable playing a guitar is the most important things. For example, Les Pauls have killer tone, but I just don't like playing them. With the RG I'd say it's important to try because while I love it, my friends all complain about the neck. So we can show you the sound, but make sure it feels right. It doesn't necessarily have to be a perfect fit right away, though; you'll grow into it.

Anyhow, I'll stop blathering and record a sample.
 
As for the gear, these guys have some great ideas! To actually start playing metal, you might want to study some scales. The metal bands I listen to use the Dorian, Phrygian, and Locrian modes a lot. Locrian is wierd sounding to my ear, but I hear it in technical death metal (usually during high-pitched solo-like sections). I would also recommend the harmonic minor scale because it's my favorite. Chromatic stuff is also used in metal a lot...

Using all that scale/mode stuff, just play things that sound good to you, while playing patterns in those scales/modes. There is no real by-the-book way to learn how to play metal. Just play stuff! If you listen to metal bands, your playing will most likely sound metal.

Good luck! :headbang:
 
PowerBlade said:
Hey all, as titled, I've started to play guitar. I have an old acoustic one to see if it is what i wanted, and it is, so I am definitely going to buy an el-one.
Do you guys have any advice on how to start playing metal/death metal?
Also, any advice on which guitar i should start out with?

Would be great =)
Click to expand...

Ibanez! They sell starter packs on Musicians Friend that would be good.
 
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