ty for advice, the chord thing is what im working on now, and i have the dexterity excersizes as well, 11112222333444 on the 1st-6th string, 11223344 on 1st-6th string etc, and then some that are like 121314131214 on the 1st-6th strings.

i am doing that, and working on the chords, i just want to keep it fun as well, and i think i could get some of the dexterity stuff from playing songs, which is why i wanted to know some that are good to start learning early on, id rather play 1 song all day, and excersize with that, than play the same lame 1111222233334444 all day


the chords are giving some trouble tho, and im glad u said that its ok that dont sound super pretty at first... im getting better at them tho, i just have to put my fingers into weird positions, and sorta press down in a strange way, im was just hoping there was an easier way to remember, cuz im having trouble remembering exactly how i finger each chord so it doenst buzz or mute certain strings

I have another question! maybe someone can help....

its goign to sound retarded, but is it ok to look at the frets while you play? sometimes i dont need to if its ode to joy or something, but when it gets to be a chord where i need 3 or 4 fingers, or its the 3rd fret on the 5th string, it takes me some time to find it if i dont look, so im asking its ok to look at the fretboard when u play lol? and again about the chords, is there a particular way to hold your hand or anything, i am sticking to the way the book tells u to figner really, seems like if u have to do 2nd fret on strings 1-3 u do it in order so that ur first finger does the 3rd string, 2nd figner does 2nd string, and ring finger does the 1st string, cuz i guess its easier to play the bigger strings when ur not right behind the fret. but some of the chords are very challenging, and i have to almost turn my hand on its side to play them, this is normal?

dont worry about any of this yet man, honestly do what comes natural it will only help your playing(unless your making mistakes) which it doesnt seem like. Your finger dexterity and familiarity with chords will improve with time and practice. All guitar players have been through the stage of having your hands and fingers ache its somehting that will happen, everyone has a different playing style and youll find your with time, one more thing dont worry about being cool and not looking at the frets lol, youll notice if you keep up with any instrument that notes eventually come natural its all part of the learning process.

You are going to go absolutely nowhere with an outlook like that. You don't have enough interest to learn anything worthwhile

thank you for your input, but i dont like hearing this about my attutide, because you dont know me. And frankly, i dont care what you think anyway, your not the least bit helpful. I dont have time to argue with goofs, its tiresome, and ineffective, find another post to waste your breath in thank you

/e and just to reiterate, i dont need a life coach, what i need is a guide on learning guitar, and thats all.

This post was edited by blunderwonder2 on Apr 12 2011 12:27am

Peeps- he's willing to learn and although worded it badly in post #1, he has since proven he will put the time in so less of the rage towards him

@Phisherman - lol, I tell everyone to learn it - simple as. DO YOU KNOW IT?!?!?!

@blunderwonder2 - I always prefer acoustic > electric, nicer sound and a more versatile machine. I suggest you get some books too, the first 3 Grades cover all your basics for Rhythm plus an intro to lead and from there you can start to improvise over music etc.

Not sure about learning Iron Maiden on acoustic though, triplets gallops and sixtuplets I find fairly difficult on an acoustic, i think mainly because of the lack of distortion and palm muting - but I do recommend Maiden if you end up with an Electric.

take it at the pace that feels natural to you.

music is expression; a structured approach can help you in some regards, but i also think that it detracts in other ways. some of the best musicians i've ever heard don't know shit about theory, chord progressions, etc.

find songs you like, try to learn them; fall off your bicycle, get back on.

make music into whatever you want it to be, man.

I like to think about chords as shapes. Your hand and fingers form a unique shape for different chords. For example imagine u have an air guitar in front of u, now play the chord A minor. Now play E, notice the shape of ur fingers is the same, just positioned differently on the fretboard. So now when ur transpose this to a real guitar, simply form the shape you formed before on your air guitar and plug em in to ur strings. This way you wont have to be positioning your fingers one by one, you can simply form that particular shape beforehand and press it against your fretboard, and voila.. you have an instant chord.

Also for your exercises its ok to experiment and try different things to make less monotone your practice.
You can do for example a run from the 1st fret to the 12th playing random patterns. Interchanging strings, etc.
1324231
43211234
41424344
etc etc.
You can also try different rhythms and tempo.. possibilities are endless

A very important thing that its worth mentioning its not to bend the joints on your fingers when playing, this is normal to beginners, but its also important not to make the habit of letting your joints bend while pressing down the strings. your pinky may be the most troublesome, but this will go away as your fingers gain strength

can someone elaborate? im pretty sure i do this for at least 1/2 the chords ive been learning

It doesn't matter if you don't like it, it's the reality of the situation. I wasn't referring to your attitude, I was referring to your outlook. You seem to think you can accomplish something meaningful without putting in a lot of effort...... therefore you will suck. Period. Seen it happen many times with all kinds of students. Feel free to ignore but it's a solid observation. If you do not put in the time you will not advance to a jammable level.

This post was edited by Quabala on Apr 12 2011 09:55pm