Learning to play a guitar!

[audrey]

I'm a major quitter to be perfectly honest. Once something gets, in my opinion, very hard or seems impossible, I tend to quit and move on to another thing. So this 1st week was exactly that; hopeless. Today I'm feeling much better about it after practicing for couple of hours this morning. So thanks everybody for the feedback, I appreciate your advices and help and also support.

 

I realize now I started out the wrong way, so I went back tons. Like really, at the core beginning of universe itself. How to hold a guitar, anatomy of guitar, names of the strings etc. So I was browsings the apps I can download which give guitar lessons, and I found a good one. It's called Yousician (exactly TinyRick!) and it helps me with the technique lot at the moment and is also a fun one. It works on feedback; mic is capturing sound of the guitar and gives back the feedback. So it has exercises like the one where you have to use your index finger, middle one and the ring finger for first 3 frets and G, B and E strings. I often find myself using only my index finger especially when song gets faster and I panic :-D Another fun thing is that it plays a song in the backround and it tells you exact moment when to hit each string on each fret and always with the feedback like; too early, too late, a bit late, perfect etc. It's the first time in a week I haven't felt so completely hopeless about guitar ha

I can only practice for 30 minutes at a time because fingertips hurt like hell. Also, I may have some troubles orientating fully with the guitar itself since I'm a lefty and the one I have (this one) is for righties :'')

 

At the moment, I'm not thinking about the music styles I want to play, I am just kind of trying to grasp the technique I have to be able to play anything at all.

[docwarren]

Pull a Hendrix and reverse the strings and play guitar upside down.

[audrey]

Pull a Hendrix and reverse the strings and play guitar upside down.

Ha.

 

If I stick with it, I'll buy one for lefties

I can see it somehow "fits" and feels better when I turn it upside down, and it seems easier to me that way.

[SunLight]

If I can add one (important) thing, do the proper warmups, stretching, etc. and don't overdo anything! Now I rarely play guitar and I can't play bass at all because my right hand goes numb after a few minutes. I can only play with a pick, but with my fingers I can't.

 

It's been like this for a loong time (years) and I don't think I will ever recover, let alone having the chance to improve my playing (even though improving is more about how you practice and what, not how long. And this is for guitar, video games and everything).

 

So take care of your hands! Playing a musical instrument is like a sport, you shouldn't force your body

[Nimrod]

I'm a major quitter to be perfectly honest.

 

I have that same problem, I'm trying to work on that :/

[EmtHipple]

The reason I asked about music preference is there is a guy on youtube that goes by banjo Ben. His videos and chatting with him really helped get my fingers moving for picking strings. Before I was pretty much locked into rhythm chords with a few minor embellishments. But some people just can't stomach bluegrass at all and I didnt want to my you Ill on top of the urge to quit. If you ever what to chat about playing we love talking about how bad we all are lol

[audrey]

The reason I asked about music preference is there is a guy on youtube that goes by banjo Ben. His videos and chatting with him really helped get my fingers moving for picking strings. Before I was pretty much locked into rhythm chords with a few minor embellishments. But some people just can't stomach bluegrass at all and I didnt want to my you Ill on top of the urge to quit. If you ever what to chat about playing we love talking about how bad we all are lol

I had to google "bluegrass"

It seems really really hard to play. Gotta be very fast :-O

[EmtHipple]

It gets fast but the basics of getting your right hand loose are there in the practice

[audrey]

It gets fast but the basics of getting your right hand loose are there in the practice

 

There's too much to learn! Too much!

 

 

I'll get to benjo later. It's too fast;, I like my things slow for now

[gaskarthx]

It's pretty funny that you mentioned that you're a leftie who plays a right-handed guitar. That literally what I am doing as well!

[audrey]

Okay, I learned to play the chorus of Knockin' on heaven's door

 

 

@Gaska yaaay, leftie buddies

[docwarren]

I cut my teeth on a lot of Eagles songs. Great way to practice rhythm as most of their songs are 3 chords. Beatles are the same way as are many of the 80's & 90's Country songs. Clint Black is a great 3 chord song artist.

[Mr.Karizmatic]

[Chameleon]

Trust me, Major/Minor chords, practice them till you can switch one from another easily enough, maybe some power chords as Doc I think it was said.  But get a hang of that and things will come much more easy to you.. Practice, and then practice more..

[Pabbatt Blue]

Listen to Gary Clark Jr. on youtube and you will be inspired. Thats what I did.