Learning guitar as an adult: lame or not?

[wyeaster]

after alpental i had to start writing down real names with tgr names. i can do faces and conversations but not names, faces, and two names.

[christoph benells]

i Havent read all of this thread, and someone may have mentioned this before me.

If you are going to learn to play music, start with learning music theory. I took a couple years of music theory classes at lake tahoe community college, when i was going through knee surgery, and it was very rewarding. Not only do you learn why what youre playing sounds good, but also learn how to play in key with other instruments.

Its the difference of playing some wack cover song in your basement vs. creating a beautiful song with several overlaid tracks and multiple insturments on garageband/digital recording devices.

Also, lets you jam confidently with other musicians, which in my eyes gives you the same feeling that skiing does. being in the moment, not thinking, just letting the mind and muscle memory react to situations.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

This guy started at age 20:

[abraham]

after alpental i had to start writing down real names with tgr names. i can do faces and conversations but not names, faces, and two names.

Man, don't even get me started on the people with three names

On the power supply question, I don't know. I have a buddy with an amp I can look inside but it may take time to get my hands on it

[wyeaster]

Man, don't even get me started on the people with three names

um... EXACTLY!!

[TomCrac]

"Q : "What do you think about those who go to school to learn how to play guitar?"
NEIL : "It would give you a rather sad view of your future, wouldn't it? First off, nobody cares if you know how to play scales. Nobody gives a shit if you have good technique or not. It's whether you have feelings that you want to express with music, that's what counts, really. When you are able to express yourself and feel good, then you know why you're playing. The technical aspect is absolute hogwash as far as I'm concerned. It bores me to tears. I can't play fast. I don't even know my scales. I know that most of the notes I play aren't where I play them. They're simply not there. So you can play any note you like. I think about it on another level, I don't care about that sort of shit. On the other hand, I appreciate really great guitarists, and I'm very impressed by those metal groups with their scale guitarists. When I see that, I go «Holy shit, that's really something». Satriani and Eddie Van Halen are guitar geniuses. They are incredible musicians, at an amazing level. But it does't really grab me. One note will do."

[christoph benells]

people absolutely care if you know how to play scales and if you know what note your playing. How else are you going to communicate with other musicians?

as far as being "technical" on the guitar, that doesn't matter. If you can shred impromptu solos in you basement, it doesnt mean its going to sound good with a bunch of other instruments. In fact, those are usually the worst people to jam with. all they know is how to go to town on some solo...not the song everyone else is trying to create...

most popular music has some very simple music theory behind it.

at a minimum learn:
names of notes
relationships between notes (i.e tonic, dominant, leading)
full steps
half steps
major scale
minor scale
blues scale
circle of 5ths
rhythm patterns (3/4, 4/4 etc.)
building chords, (i.e. what notes of the g scale makes a g major chord) including inverted chords and in alternate tunings
chord progression (i.e. 1-4-5 progression)

Dont worry about reading music, guitar doesn't actually play in the same realm of notes as the music staff has, so any music you see written on a music staff has to be transposed to play on guitar.

Music theory is kind of a trip...there are all these rules and guidelines to follow, but you don't HAVE to follow them. You can do whatever you want. It is an art of course...But, odds are, if you are playing something that sounds remotely good there is music theory to explain it.

[::: :::]

i've got classically trained violinists in my family, and they smirk about guitarists, not because they don't appreciate quality guitarists, but because the lack of rigor in the guitar world: loose rhythm, technical proficiency, reading music, etc... and especially the "much of it [the rigor of a discipline] doesn't matter as long as it sounds decent" attitude

let the butthurt begin

[skiballs]

I'm with Neil on this one. But I think Neil's bs'ing about his musical knowledge.
If you know the key, chord progression and know where the one is. It's all good after that.

[highangle]

Its the difference of playing some wack cover song in your basement vs. creating a beautiful song with several overlaid tracks and multiple insturments on garageband/digital recording devices.

True. I never took theory, and my shit covers come out totally wack. I can't seem to sound like Tony Rice no matter how many bullshit loops and tracks I add.

https://soundcloud.com/highangle-ses...alt-creek-1215

[christoph benells]

of course there are some people who are so naturally talented and creative that they can make beautiful noise with everything.

for the rest of us, learn some damn theory.

Highangle, nice track! and if your not just BS'n you probably know way more theory than you think, maybe just dont the official names of the things your doing. Either way, great pickin!

[skiballs]

True. I never took theory, and my shit covers come out totally wack. I can't seem to sound like Tony Rice no matter how many bullshit loops and tracks I add.

https://soundcloud.com/highangle-ses...alt-creek-1215

That's cuz you need to do more coke, or so I heard. Now that was back in the day of course.

[Odin]

Learn.

#1 rule: There's always going to be someone better than you.

Find the style you like and play it.

Learn chords, practice.
Learn how to tune your guitar
Learn what strings you have
Practice more
Learn more chords, practice
Practice, practice, practice
Practice more
Learn more chords
Practice more
Practice more
Realize that everything you thought was easy takes more work than you thought
Practice more
Try different guitar picks
Try different strings
Spend 2 hours in a guitar store test driving guitars you have no intention of buying by playing simple chord structures on them and looking around to see if anyone noticed.
Practice more
Realize that playing guitar and singing at the same time can be difficult
Practice more
Learn about music. Learn about theory, if you want. Learn about composition, if you want. Learn by ear.
Understand that knowing about the romantic period of composers will only go so far to you functionally getting "the blues"
Teach yourself some Bach, somehow. Transpose that shit. Play it on every instrument because its fun to mess with people by playing Minuet in G on a vintage 1970's era Horner Melodica. Play scales. Learn scales. Understand the reason why you learn scales. Understand that no one gives a shit that you can play scales in your family or life and that conversations about this are just about as bad as talking about your march madness bracket.
Practice more
Get a good teacher, if that helps you. It should, but maybe you don't learn that way. Find one that gives a shit.
Practice
Practice
Practice
Realize that you need more gear.
Practice more
Practice more
Realize that most tabs are shit
Practice more
Learn bar chords, fuck capos
Practice more
Practice more
Realize that you want more gear
Practice more
Realize that you actually really don't need better gear to play music
Practice more
Practice more
Learn where your shit came from
Learn that people take style, structure and music from other people and that this has been going on for time immemorial
Learn the roots of music of the tie to immigrant culture in the United States and Canada. That traditional songs were imported from everywhere and combined.
Realize that your friends can't play for shit
Practice more
Find friends that can play for shit
Practice more
Play more with them
Practice more
Have your friends push you to play and perform in a way that you didn't think was possible
Get embarrassed by playing in front of your family.
Try to figure out what is cliche and trite musically and play that shit anyway, except american pie, fuck that song.
Find people that you can use as interesting musical muses
Listen to everything
Listen to HOW you play
Some people like technical music, some people don't. I personally think that despite how well they are played, that 13 minute guitar solos are nothing short of musical masturbation used to show a technical skill that stopped being entertaining when you only play 3 songs in one hour, while others think that it is the glory of jehu shining upon their ass in some cosmic sunbeam of Gibson enhanced upper mind fuckery.
Practice more
Practice more
Practice more
Practice more
Figure out what it is that you don't like about the music you don't like without using the excuse "That music is shit"
Practice more
Once you are done with all that practice some more.
And practice some more.
Develop callouses.
Play so much you lose the finger prints on the tips of your fingernails.
Play so much one night that you superglue the cuts closed on your fingers and then keep playing
Play in cold weather
Play in the rain
Play by yourself at home when you are in a lousy mood because that is the only goddamn thing that makes sense
Practice some more
Play live in front of strangers
Practice more
Sell an instrument because you need to fix your car
Regret doing that for the rest of your life
Practice more
Practice more
Learn how to play drunk
Learn how to play high
Learn how to play sober
Practice more
Learn why you shouldn't just play fucked up all the time, because like smoking and drinking you will eventually forget what it was like to sit behind an epiphone or a gibson or a fiddle or a drum kit without a beer by your side and the music is the only thing that can carry you through that crisis of faith
Practice more
Practice more
Practice more
Practice more
Move
Find new friends that play music
Learn how to play their style
Play funk, play fusion, play jazz, play pop, play Cake covers or ACDC
Practice more
Move some more
Fall out of love with practicing
Practice more
Fall out of love with music
Stop doing anything
Work
Drink
Sleep
Work
Sleep
Go to an Irish festival
Listen to a woman play Bouzouki and sing songs in Gaelic
Fall in love with music again
Practice
Practice
Practice
Never stop practicing.
Never stop practicing.
Never stop playing.

[Chugachjed]

Dang. It'll be a long time before I can play anything close to that Highangle.

[TomCrac]

Looks like you got some good lyrics there Odin

[mnflyfish]

Nothing better than sitting down after a hard day at work and playing along with your favorite band's album and perhaps a glass of your favorite drink. So clearly not lame!

[cptpowder]

Can anyone recommend some decent online lessons?

[TomCrac]

Acoustic or electric?

I found the best thing is to pick your way through youtube. There are tons of tutorials. Some teachers are better suited for me than others, pace, detail, style etc.

[::: :::]

for a self-starter intro, i found a book better than vids since there's less clicking/stop/starting
http://www.amazon.com/Hal-Leonard-Gu.../dp/0881881392
ymmv

[Chugachjed]

I know it's not about the instrument it's the player but I returned the shitty pawn shop strat and picked up this sweet Gretsch today. It's night and day.

[skiballs]

That's nice. It wouldn't be bad to get a cheapy acoustic also. Tell the wife it's so your kids can play with you.

[Mazderati]

...it's not about the instrument it's the player...

[TomCrac]

Great looking gee tarr. You should get yourself one of these...



This way its easily accessible any time you want to grab it (also may help with any guilt factor if you haven't picked it up in a while

You may find that one day you will have to upgarde to a rig like axebiker has. Like skiing, it's easy to accumulate a quiver.

Rock On!

[highangle]

...it's not about the instrument it's the player...

Fixed. George slung a solid body Gretsch. Jed took back his fuckedup Strat before someone could rip it off, unlike Stevie Ray.

...

If you play long enough, you'll eventually get a Martin. You'll always want one.

[DasBlunt]

Get a MFing Ibanez

My ibanez is made in Japan....kinda cool.

Best glass slides? My homemade shit is poorly made.