learner thread! (help!!)

[Lemonhead]

hey folks! well, i'm trying to learn the guitar an i was wondering if maybe some of you great eskimo guitaristscould help me?! haha! any help would be great!!smileys/smiley4.gifi really want to be able to play some bob dylan songs in a while, thats the idea!


okay, well i'm kind of learning chords now and i've got a chart that goes from the major chords (a, e & d etc.) right down to augmented chords and stuff like that, so how many should you learn to be able to play most stuff?! and i'm really having trouble changing chords quickly and do ya just have to practise loads or are there tricks to doing it right?! cause it takes me ages to sort out my fingers on the right strings!smileys/smiley5.gif


and sorry for rambling, you're great for reading but the part thats hardest for me is getting how to read music, the tab page on this site looks crazy and i just don't get it yet!! and theres some places that just give you chords, so does that still work the same?!


well, uuh again, any help would be really appreciated, sorry if you're nowpointing at the screen and laughing at my stupidity but really, these questions need to be asked!!


cheers guys!smileys/smiley2.gif

[ade and rice]

hi dude,


there is a rule i once learned, and i don't know how out of date it is but you only really need to learn 15 chords to play more or less anything.

A Am A7 B7 C C7 D Dm D7 E Em E7 F G G7

Most songs can be played using these, and most songs can have one or two of these chords as substitutes for other chords that they contain.

Learn the F and the B7 they are the trickiest as a beginner!

hope this helps!!

[Vienna]

oooh this is helpful...i'm gonna try this summer to learn so yay keep em coming smileys/smiley4.gif

[ade and rice]

I'm thinking of starting a beginners workshop here....

[Vienna]

sounds like a plan stan smileys/smiley2.gif

[ru-doll]

yay defo start a a beginners workshop!! ok bob dylan´s kncking on heaven´s door is really easy, well the simple chord version is. i can´t remember it exactly now but its like g c a , g c em or something really simple

[Lemonhead]

hey thanks guys, thats a great help!!smileys/smiley4.gif15 is pretty okay, i reckon i can manage that... great tip, you're the man adrian!! hey, a beginners workshop... that could work!! and ruth too, cheers!smileys/smiley2.gif


i guess i should the learn the chords off before i go to the tabs anyway... it's lookin' good!...

[tomas]

yay defo start a a beginners workshop!! ok bob dylan´s
kncking on heaven´s door is really easy, well the simple chord version
is. i can´t remember it exactly now but its like g c a , g c em or
something really simple

the basic progression goes like that i think...smileys/smiley2.gif



G (2 beats) D (2 beats) C (4 beats)






G (2 beats) D (2 beats) Aminor or Aminor7 (4 beats)

[cheese]

Ade's rule is spot on a will really help you...but really you can't beat beat old fashioned practise :) I've been playing guitar for almost 2 years now and it's pretty easy after a lot of practise, most chords no matter where on the Fret board are pretty much second nature now. Just keep practising and you develop like a mini brain inside your hand which will change chords without you thinking about it :) My sister tried to learn how to play a few months ago and has given up because she can't play what she wants to play, that's because she is running before she can walk so to speak. Learn those chords that Ade has mentionedby themselves whilejust making up jazzy patterns and you'll get the hang of it. Also I noticed that once I learned barre chords then I was off doing all sorts of things...just keep practising and you'll do whatever you want :)


For example I thought I'd never be able to play Jeff Buckley's version of Hallelujah but I sat down for like an hour one day and now it's easy :) But yeah anyway keep practising those chords...mainly your basic open chords such as A, G, D, Em, Am, Dm, A7 etc and then move onto barres such as F, B, Bm etc and then you'll fly!

[cille]

you can play that well after 2 years you say? jeez i gotta continue practising this time for a little longer than 2 months...smileys/smiley9.gif

[cheese]

Well About a Year and 5 months I've been playing but yeah, it's the only thing that has ever made me be proud of myself as I'm self taught also...butI do a lot wrongso lots still to learn hehe...like I said practise lots...though I don't really do much elsehttp://www.eskimofriends.com/forum/smileys/smiley9.gif http://www.eskimofriends.com/forum/smileys/smiley17.gifhttp://www.eskimofriends.com/forum/smileys/smiley31.gif Edited by: cheese

[cille]

smileys/smiley20.gifkeep it up, ian babe!smileys/smiley31.gif

[cheese]

Thankyou Cille smileys/smiley4.gifhttp://www.eskimofriends.com/forum/smileys/smiley31.gifhttp://www.eskimofriends.com/forum/smileys/smiley10.gif...remember you are going to be my bands singer http://www.eskimofriends.com/forum/smileys/smiley4.gif

[sezmo]

A mini brain inside myhand? Cool! smileys/smiley16.gifsmileys/smiley36.gif

[Lemonhead]

thanks again! hey, my friend gave mechords for blowin' in the wind an it looks cool, only about 3 chords!... (i think its a beginners version.). hey, i'm just wondering, after learning the chords, what's next?! should i try to get used to fingerpicking or uh, try an read tabs or something?! it'll be a while anyway, but whats the most essential stuff to learn and the best ways?man, i should quit asking ye all this stuff but uh, i really want t play good!... smileys/smiley4.gif...

[Gatsby]

best thing to do is practise going from different chords into each other... play all you can and vary it... keep practising your changes etc. i wouldnt go into fingerpicking until your at an intermediate or more advanced stage


also alot of beginners have problems with strumming... my advise is to keep practising up down movements then move on to quicker strums


also watching mtv and strumming along with your hand muting the strings works well to pick up most of the rhythms


hope ive been of some helpsmileys/smiley1.gif

[Lemonhead]

great, cheers!smileys/smiley4.gifi'll strum till my fingers bleed and come back in 6 months for more!!smileys/smiley36.gif sounds good...

[Gatsby]

oh i love the quote in your sig by the way... what songs that from?
not a huge dylan fan but i love his lyricssmileys/smiley1.gif

[jayavo]

Well About a Year and 5 months I've been playing but yeah, it's the only thing that has ever made me be proud of myself as I'm self taught also...butI do a lot wrongso lots still to learn hehe...like I said practise lots...though I don't really do much elsehttp://www.eskimofriends.com/forum/smileys/smiley9.gif http://www.eskimofriends.com/forum/smileys/smiley17.gifhttp://www.eskimofriends.com/forum/smileys/smiley31.gif


that sounds exactly like me....smileys/smiley17.gif


cant do much barre chords though as i do have hands that knot up bad....(doctors have waffled between tendonitus and carpal tunnel- i gave up caring either way)


lots o practice.....dont run before walking(as someonesaid)and find others to play with. i noticed my speed and accuracy were helped big time by playing with others....i didnt learn any songs for the first several months i played ....just diddled around with chords, trying different rhythems and strumming patterns. i think that really helped cause so many people i know tried to learn a song, didnt know how to strum and gave up.


jason


I smoke. If this bothers anyone, I suggest you look around at the world in which we live and shut your f**kin' mouth.

[Mulletman]

www.chordbook.com (http://www.chordbook.com) you will see diagrams to all those chords and it also names chords you can't figure out and has scales to learn and all sorts of stuff. it really helped me hammer out the scales because i never had the patience to learn them earlier. hope this helps.

[SisterMidnight]

thanks again! hey, my friend gave mechords for blowin' in the wind an it looks cool, only about 3 chords!...





That was one of the first songs I learned to play, JJ. A lot of Dylan's songs are three chord masterpieces, and try some Neil Young, too. smileys/smiley1.gif


And this link comes in handy if you're playing along and find yourself saying "What the heck chord is that they're asking for??" Even lets you change to different tunings when you're ready for that.


Chord Generator (http://www.olga.net/programs/web/chordgen/guitar.php)