Best Way To Learn Guitar

[MoeJo110]

So, I've been wondering about this for a bit... What do you think is the best way to learn guitar? I know many people who have had guitar lessons and have done alright, most of them around my age, but most people I've met just play in their free time by looking up songs to play or learning by ear.

And I'm wondering, which way do you think is better? Lessons, playing in free time, etc.

I've been playing guitar for about 2 1/2 years, but I've only really started playing seriously to get better since the beginning of this year and I've accomplished more in 7 months than I did in 2 years just by changing my mentality. I don't know any technicalities, other than some basic chords. I'm wondering if I would benefit from actually learning guitar when I take music classes in college, or if it would confuse me and mess me up, or if it would make it easier to play and make me better. I really want to get good at playing the guitar someday, and I'm not sure how far just playing songs by ear in my free time will take me... Any advice or anything helps! Thanks!

[Rudi]

a lot depends on what your objectives are.

 

You ask a sensible question. You dont want to spend hours practicing scales if all you need is to understand & employ harmony better.

 

Because that is what might happen. A lot of teachers will teach you what they want to teach instead of what you want to learn.

 

What are you after really?

[davidmichael]

Ive been sitting here for an hour wondering how to answer your question,hopefully doing more good than harm.

This is coming from someone thats been playing for over thirty five years,still learning every day,and still just a mediocre player that LOVES to play.

First off,as Rudi said,maybe theres not a lot of relevance in learning things you dont think apply to what your trying to achieve,but who knows what youll be trying to achieve down the road.If possible Id try to absorb every aspect I could.If I could start from scratch,I would learn every scale in every mode and how they all relate to each other.

Second is practice,practice and more practice,but not to the point where you get burnt out on it.You might get frustrated from time to time when learning new stuff,but thats when you regroup and play some stuff youve allready mastered to make it not seem monotonous.

Next in the learning process I find that just slowing things down to what seems like ridiculous speeds till you get it down ,then slowly build your speed up to the tempo you are trying to achieve.

Next is making sure you are achieving the emotions in your playing.It doesnt matter if you can play 1000 notes a minute if theres no feeling to it.Simpler sounds better when your heart is behind it.

As far as lessons or not I dont know how to answer that as I never had them,but most of the greats have either had them or taught them at some point of time.If you could find a teacher that could keep it interesting and fun ,Im sure that would be awesome.

Im sure you are aware of all the material as far as lessons for songs and technique on youtube.Tons of helpfull info !!!

Also getting together with other players can give tons of insight.

Another piece of advice Id offer is when you come up with an idea,find a way to make sure youll remember it,be it a scratch track recording or simply writing your progression down.Thats coming from a person that cant remember what he played ten minutes ago.

I could go on forever but the cut and dry:

Play from your heart;Play to enjoy;Maintain your focus on what YOU are trying to achieve;Stay in the groove,and dont be afraid to go outside the box.Some of my best stuff has come from just an experiment or even a mistake that turned out sounding good.

Best of luck and keep on jammin.

David

[MoeJo110]

Ive been sitting here for an hour wondering how to answer your question,hopefully doing more good than harm.

This is coming from someone thats been playing for over thirty five years,still learning every day,and still just a mediocre player that LOVES to play.

First off,as Rudi said,maybe theres not a lot of relevance in learning things you dont think apply to what your trying to achieve,but who knows what youll be trying to achieve down the road.If possible Id try to absorb every aspect I could.If I could start from scratch,I would learn every scale in every mode and how they all relate to each other.

Second is practice,practice and more practice,but not to the point where you get burnt out on it.You might get frustrated from time to time when learning new stuff,but thats when you regroup and play some stuff youve allready mastered to make it not seem monotonous.

Next in the learning process I find that just slowing things down to what seems like ridiculous speeds till you get it down ,then slowly build your speed up to the tempo you are trying to achieve.

Next is making sure you are achieving the emotions in your playing.It doesnt matter if you can play 1000 notes a minute if theres no feeling to it.Simpler sounds better when your heart is behind it.

As far as lessons or not I dont know how to answer that as I never had them,but most of the greats have either had them or taught them at some point of time.If you could find a teacher that could keep it interesting and fun ,Im sure that would be awesome.

Im sure you are aware of all the material as far as lessons for songs and technique on youtube.Tons of helpfull info !!!

Also getting together with other players can give tons of insight.

Another piece of advice Id offer is when you come up with an idea,find a way to make sure youll remember it,be it a scratch track recording or simply writing your progression down.Thats coming from a person that cant remember what he played ten minutes ago.

I could go on forever but the cut and dry:

Play from your heart;Play to enjoy;Maintain your focus on what YOU are trying to achieve;Stay in the groove,and dont be afraid to go outside the box.Some of my best stuff has come from just an experiment or even a mistake that turned out sounding good.

Best of luck and keep on jammin.

David

 

This is perfect, describes a lot of me perfectly, thanks! 

[TapperMike]

I've got to hand it to Tom for that article was great.

 

I was self taught at first.  All my buddies had guitars and encouraged me to pick up guitar but as soon as I did they'd offer me nothing. I'd have to watch them play a song then go home and try to figure out what they were doing.  I'd buy books and try to learn from them.  The thing was.....I got good quick on my own and I could hold my own as a rhythm guitarist but my lead playing sucked.  Even as I got better there were still many things I knew that I didn't know.  I was dissatisfied with my first teacher and found a second one at the same store. Three months with a good teacher taught me more then 3 years on my own with every book I could get my hands on.

 

 

 

[MoeJo110]

I've got to hand it to Tom for that article was great.

 

I was self taught at first.  All my buddies had guitars and encouraged me to pick up guitar but as soon as I did they'd offer me nothing. I'd have to watch them play a song then go home and try to figure out what they were doing.  I'd buy books and try to learn from them.  The thing was.....I got good quick on my own and I could hold my own as a rhythm guitarist but my lead playing sucked.  Even as I got better there were still many things I knew that I didn't know.  I was dissatisfied with my first teacher and found a second one at the same store. Three months with a good teacher taught me more then 3 years on my own with every book I could get my hands on.

 

That's kind of what I'm thinking, other than, my friends never played guitar. I feel like I can play rhythm, but I've gotten more interested in playing solos and such recently. My AP Stat teacher this year plays guitar (Other than he likes folk and I like harder rock), he has a guitar in his room the one time I went in there. Maybe I can learn a bit from him and see what being taught is at least like.

[TapperMike]

Here is my simple tip to learn smarter.

 

Learn Songs all the way through.

Believe it or not the cornerstone of learning any instrument has to do with muscle memory. Our eyes and ears "teach' our fingers. Don't try and learn every song under the sun. Learn songs that you should be able to play with relative ease. A well performed easy song will do more for your self confidence starting out and be better received then a difficult song half learned with lots of mistakes.

 

 

Play Out

When you get a song down well enough to perform play out. Even if you are only playing to birds and squirrels.  Again it's a confidence builder and you'll be more prepared with performing in front of others as well with others or recording.  You'll be able to concentrate past distractions.

 

 

Loud and Proud

I'm actually rather soft spoken and introverted. It takes a bit more for me to push songs out with confidence then extroverted.  However If I practice with conviction I perform with conviction.  You don't have to get the loudest amplification in the world. It's more about attitude.  If you mumble through a piece to learn it, chances are you'll be mumbling or fumbling through the song when you perform it.

 

Practice Slowly

This is something I always need to remind myself because I didn't learn it the right way. I'd try to race through things and make mistakes.  When you are learning something and make a mistake on a muscle memory or subconscious level you are learning a mistake.  It's takes longer and it's actually harder to unlearn a mistake then to simply practice slowly enough that there is no mistake.

 

 

Practice in the Morning

In the morning our minds aren't cluttered with everything else going on in our life (usually) In the morning we are less likely to have internal and external distractions and we can focus on what we need to learn,  A well concentrated half hour of practice every day in the morning is more effective to building strong technique and confidence then trying to roll it all up into 3 hours of  Late nite can't sleep try to do it all once a week.

 

 

 

Practice When you aren't Practicing.

Throughout the day we all have moments where we have free time to think. This isn't the time to listen to your playlist.  Try to imagine how a song you are learning is played in your head. This will do wonders on two separate levels.  It will help you to develop relative pitch and .... A funny thing about the collective unconscious / subconscious.  The subconscious can not differentiate between a lie and the truth.  That is something that our conscious mind has to think about and determine.  If you imagine the song and your performing it inside your head.  Then it treats the song as almost a valid experience as playing the song. Almost in that your conscious mind will sink in and say to you. That wasn't you performing it was just your imagination.  However If you imagine playing the song none the less it will actually ease any discomfort you have playing the song.

 

I used to work an 80 hr week at two different cooking jobs. Every day I'd get up early and try to practice at least one song.  I'd keep a setlist of the songs I'd be performing and imagine myself playing them during idle moments at work.  I'd try to get a little practice in during the afternoon between shifts. And then.... Well I was still playing in a band two nights a week.  When I'd hit the stage I'd be confident and competent ready to play.  If I didn't put the practice time in and put the imagination time in I would have easily fallen apart on stage.  The rest of the guys were playing out 5 nights a week which wasn't an option for me.  But I could easily play on there level of seasoned pro because I made time to make it a reality.

 

 

Being Your Own Coach

Tom and I have expressed some of the challenges of finding a good music teacher.  Yes they are out there but you have to know what you expect from them in advance and.... You have to be upfront about it.  Part of the problem is we often don't have as clear and direct goals that we define in advance and the other part is...Sometimes we just get wow'd over technique and personality and surcomb to what they think we ought to know rather then what we need from them.  When you play around more seasoned players regularly or a teacher who has your interests at heart over their own the equation changes dramatically. Others can see the progress you make over time better then you might see it yourself.  

 

Friends, teachers and other musicians to hang around are great when you have them to.  I used to go out to ....parks. Where I'd often find someone else playing to birds and squirrels.  Listen to a few songs, play a song for the guy or gal and chat.  Every-once-in-a-while we'd jam over the blues. It was good fun for a few hours on a lazy afternoon and helped me build my confidence playing with and for other musicians.  But as I stated above "when you have them to'

 

Sometimes family or friends can also serve as a form of inspiration although they might not be the best coaches they can send you good vibes that you are headed in the right direction.  Never walk away from a situation and put the bad on yourself. Even in a less then stellar performance. Instead think of yourself as your own best coach.  "Well that's something that I'm going to work out and get better for next time" is a way to monitor yourself rather then "I suck, I'm never going to play guitar again" It's awkward but not impossible to be your own coach at first.  More often then not what people need is a coach to build them up then a teacher to explain something they already know.

 

Recording yourself for yourself.  If done correctly you will be able to see your own progress over time by recording yourself. Set a two week goal.  

I'm going to learn x song or master x lick or finish writing x song in two weeks. Don't record leading up to when you are going to finish the project.  Simply practice at a relaxed pace and record during a confident and relaxed state of mind.  I love songstuff because people actually do things like rewriting lyrics and trying in earnest to better themselves as songwriters. It beats the pants off of other forums I've visited where people just give up trying or think that they have to know everything before they can do anything.  If you set the goal for two weeks you should be able to perform a song with no editing for note correction.  When you are done with recording the song, Listen to it in a non judgemental fashion and store it away to listen again.  Don't decide you have to release it everywhere instantly.  If you like it enough after a month or so or if you want to redo it later that's fine.  Life is a work in progress as is writing, recording. Hotel California was an overnight success that actually took very very long time to get down to where they could play it.  http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1121

 

I know there is a lot of recording technology on the market and in my opinion it devalues the recording process because it's too instantaneous.  I know people who will sloppily put together tracks then spend ungodly amounts of time editing the tracks so they are somewhat usable.  You want your music to come from you. "Keep it real"  When it is real even for your own listening it's more earnest.  When you do have that quiet time where you can look back over what you did for the last six months or year you can gain a greater appreciation of your own work and progress.

 

 

Play for the sake of the Song

Whether you are playing for yourself, playing to record, or playing to an audience play for the sake of the song whether it's yours or someone elses song.  Don't play it because your bored. Want to play it and play it like you want to play it.  I've done a lot of gigging in my life. Received many a standing ovation. Stood before my worst critics and had audiences that wouldn't stop staring at my hands. The secret is respect the song enough to play it well and play it for the sake of the song,  We musicians are a needy lot and we suffer the same insecurities as the rest of the world.  Some gigs others may just be platicating or enduring us because they are friends, family. Some gigs we are simply window dressing or wallpaper at some event where we might not even get a nod because we aren't the main attraction.  I've done "art in the park" shows where the audience wouldn't even look to the stage.  That's fine play for the sake of the song and you can walk away knowing that you played well even if the audience didn't acknowledge it.  When you put your attention to the song as opposed to on yourself or the crowds reaction then you don't have to be concerned with if they got you are not.

 

Every year or so I go to a huge outdoor festival mostly featuring singer / songwriter folksy type.  I don't recognize the songs and most of it goes in one ear and out the other.  If someone can pull me in with a good song I'll stop and listen.  Moreover I'm interested in people watching and the shops or little stands set up in the street.  That's the way most people act in outdoor events. it's not a discredit to the fine singer songwriters who perform. It is just what it is.  They don't get flustered hoping / waiting for a good or bad reaction or endless lines of people who don't even look their way.  It's a paying gig. They are already plenty loud and playing any louder isn't going to attract more of a crowd.  Because they are playing for the sake of the song rather then their own ego they can hold their head up high and move along to the next song.

 

On Theory

Music is not science and it's not religion. It is part craft and part art, There is not one universal theorem that applies to all situations. If for example you studied the original four mode theory behind Gregorian Chants you would find it very hard indeed to understand how "popular" music is written or use it as a basis for non Gregorian Chant music http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_chant The same holds true for other theorems that have developed since then. While a bebop bass player injects chromatic ideas over walking bass lines it could come off as obtuse (doesn't sound like it fits) in other musical forms.  I'm not against theory. I'm an advocate for theory however.  I've seen where some types who are so afraid of doing something wrong they blindly follow a path are actually defeating their own creativity in the process.  Experimenting with theories in context is the way to learn theory. Not just read something on a page and think you know it.  Don't be afraid to try out different concepts for yourself but simply accept that there is no "Be all end all" theorem under the sun or that all theories will work in all circumstances.  Use your ears and use your sense of taste to see if it's working for you.  If something doesn't you can put it on the shelf for someday when it might.

 

 

 

 

Chords, Progressions, Scales, Licks.

Learning scales and scale patterns is important not only for understanding how music works but also for developing muscle memory. It's one of the few things I advocate out of context of learning songs and in context. Fluidity first.  As for the rest i generally advocate learning in the context of a song.

 

After learning my first two chords ever I learned my third chord by combining the first two and the third in context of a song.  To learn a progression say a 12 bar blues progression outside of the context of a song is not as effective as learning it inside the context of the song.  You learn the progression, you learn the chords, you learn the rhythm and you learn a song.  What's more when you are done you can take the aspects from that song to write your own song.  Nothing is totally abstract and in isolation.

 

If say you learned Tom's pentatonic playground.  It's teaching you stuff in context. That isn't really where it ends. You get the scale in context of a song. with pentatonic ideas riffs that you may be able to adapt to your own music. And do so in a much more in hand approach then dried ink on paper.  

 

 

Guitar Pro

No software will make you all that you want to be.  A lot of that comes from you first.  That being said some software can help you if you are willing to make some commitment.  While there are several products similar (both free and payware) Guitar Pro - http://www.guitar-pro.com/en/index.php is the industry standard.  While not every transcription you get for the program is dead on accurate I've found that in general and for the most part they are the closest on the market.  Simply because someone can transcribe doesn't mean that their transcriptions are accurate. It is true for print sheet music as well.  The tricks for making the most of gp are, Don't be afraid to experiment once you have learned something "So you can make it your own"  And know when to walk away. GP is a learning aid. However it can quickly become a crutch if you let it.  I've found this true for myself, Where I would learn a song by using the program but not well enough that when it wasn't open I couldn't perform what I had learned.  Study a song "just enough" to get through it then... Close the program and try to play the song without the program. As that is the true measure of learning. When you don't have to reach for the book/program to play because you know it.

 

Try not to obsess over only the parts you like for a song. Learn the entire song. Learn the song sufficient for playing it and then try taking what you've learned and putting your own stamp on it.  Great you've learned a song that goes A-E-G.  Now take those same chords and try playing them in different positions and with different rhythmic techniques.  Try swapping out major chords for their relative minor chords. Try changing the order of the chords. Try transposing the song to a different key.  All of these (and more) are creative approaches you can use to expand your knowledge and technique and then apply to your own unique songwriting.

 

 

Backing Tracks

I know it may seem hypocritical as I'm a fan of Band in a Box.  Using backing tracks to write songs is like trying to dance in a body cast. Sure they are fun to jam over and improvise but I really don't think of them as writing tools.

 

 

Arranging

Boy that's a long road. But you don't have to walk it alone and you don't have to wait till the end of the road to learn and apply things.  I know you aren't in a band. In the right band setting it can come as easily as turning on a light switch. You lay down the chords and give others room to play they give it back to you and magic happens.  Not in a band and you are doing several takes sometimes with only a click track to work from. Playing one guitar part, then playing another then trying to play a bassline that fits and then at the end of it you finally get to sing.  Along the way you start figuring out how to tighten things up. not playing others parts and still putting just the right amount of splash into your playing. Some people like to play and sing at the same time.  Problems can emerge when they are playing the same rhythm as they are singing and then it's next to impossible to get enough separation between the guitar and the vocals afterwards.  Taking a little time to think about the arrangement and....playing the parts separately will go a long way in attempting to get everything in place without stepping on the other instruments toes.  Good blues and jazz bands know this well. They don't as much play as written as they simply improvise over a progression. Each has their spot and can support the other without stepping on one another.  That level / type of musicianship is best learned and served being in a band that operates on the level. It can be developed alone but it's an uphill battle.

 

Playing Parts

Okay so you can play guitar and sing.  Good for you. (i'm a terrible singer) you don't need to take on other instruments to handle arrangement (but it doesn't hurt) 

 

I love Julia Nunes whether she's singing an original or a cover.

 

Have uke will harmonize. She doesn't have the greatest voice in the world but she makes the most of it. She's not the greatest uke player in the universe but she knows how to play a rhythm that compliments her singing without getting in the way. She doesn't play every instrument in the world but the ones she does play are there to... compliment the song not detract or derail it. She doesn't use backing tracks or tones of synths or reaches for some super duper thing a ma bob (like me) she just uses the tools she has to make things happen.  All that stuff is... within your grasp. It's work, it's dedication and it's out there.  In short Julia Nunes is being Julia Nunes.  Sure she's learned a lot by playing other peoples songs yet kept enough of herself in the process.  So goes the journey of the musician / songwriter.  Learn from others and take away something to make it your own so you can share your uniqueness with the world.

[davidmichael]

Well done Mike.

Alot of good advice that I could stand to apply to myself.

And also Ive allways wondered why I play so much better in the mornings.

Many a day Ill get up at 6am and just tear the strings off the guitar.{No wonder my G.F. loves me so much.Still havnt figured out how the volume knobs work.LOL}

[TapperMike]

I'm not my own best student.

 

One of the things that came late to me and I'm reluctant to follow through on is ... Practicing slowly and building speed gradually.  Especially when I'm trying to work out a difficult passage.  I too learn the mistake and find myself working harder to unlearn the mistake.  Acknowledging it when it happens is the first step but... If you still do it afterwards who do you have to blame?  

[Rudi]

That could do double-duty as a very well written blog article Mike...just a thought!

 

I think it should be a songstuff article (if Mike agrees of course).

[MoeJo110]

That could do double-duty as a very well written blog article Mike...just a thought!

A also agree. I did not expect to get such well thought out and in depth responses, thank you. But that deserves to be more than just a comment on some random page.

[TapperMike]

Much Thanks.

 

I'm revising some stuff in my head right now and I'll post to my blog over the next week as time allows.  Currently I'm working two jobs and have little free time.

 

 

-Mike

Edited September 15, 2014 by TapperMike

[Glenn Allen]

Mike, that was excellent.  It's the exact type of advice I give my students, such as utilize Guitar Pro (especially the looped speed trainer), practice in front of as many people (squirrels, birds , etc.) as you can, gain speed by practicing slow, practice with backing tracks, practice when you aren't practicing (I do this all the time), record yourself for yourself.  There's not much to add.

[MoeJo110]

That's good to hear Mike! It was helpful, I'm still referring to it! 

 

Yeah, I need to work on starting out slow, I just like to dive into things, jump right in on the deep end because that's just how my personality is. That is a great wake up call though! 

 

I need to get out and play with other people again. And perform. I've played with 2 other people who played guitar before and it was a huge help and eye opener each time. We taught each other songs and tricks which really have helped me build up to the mediocre guitarist I am today. Too bad I don't know many people that play. Maybe when I get to college next year. 

 

And how can you get Guitar Pro? More importantly what is it? 

 

However, I have been doing something right, I've been recording myself play for a bit for my Youtube channel and for when I recorded a whole bunch of originals just for safekeeping, which I'm actually going to go back and listen to since I haven't listened to them for a long time and compare myself to how I played a year or 2 ago. 

[TapperMike]

http://www.guitar-pro.com/en/index.php?pg=product#/interface

 

Guitar Pro is a software tool that displays songs in Tablature. The number of songs available in "gp" format number in the hundreds of thousands.

The makers of guitar pro host http://www.mysongbook.com/ which is a "repository" of songs for guitar pro.  They are 100 percent legal and the transcribers are paid for their hard work as well.

 

The guitar pro format is extremely popular and there are hundreds of other sites (not just mysongbook) that host guitar pro tabs.

 

Yes there are other products which can read guitar pro format. Some shareware and freeware products such as http://www.tabledit.com/

And Tux http://sourceforge.net/projects/tuxguitar/ come to mind.  However nothing comes close to the quality of sound, ease of reading and other fine points of guitar pro.