Tips for an old guy trying to learn guitar

[passedpawn]

How old is he? My boy says he wants to continue, but damn is it hard to get him to try anything new or to practice outside of his lessons. I just learned that his instructor has been introducing chords to him...I sat him down and tried to do some work with him on the chords I knew he had learned. He seemed to have no interest in it and wanted to practice the riffs he had learned weeks earlier.

He's 17. I don't tell him anything, he's always practicing his chords. He's a bit of an overachiever though (he's a Junior at University of Florida!). Ask me in a year if he's still playing though.

My 2¢ on kids and stuff like this: Don't let him quit, but let him do the parts he likes. If you push too hard, he might ditch the whole thing. I have two older kids that I forced through piano lessons for several years, but later allowed them to choose, and they quit. Now all of us regret that - they wish they had continued, and I do too.

 

[Ridire]

He's 17. I don't tell him anything, he's always practicing his chords. He's a bit of an overachiever though (he's a Junior at University of Florida!). Ask me in a year if he's still playing though.

My 2¢ on kids and stuff like this: Don't let him quit, but let him do the parts he likes. If you push too hard, he might ditch the whole thing. I have two older kids that I forced through piano lessons for several years, but later allowed them to choose, and they quit. Now all of us regret that - they wish they had continued, and I do too.

My boy is only 9. I keep telling him that he will regret it if he quits. He seems to understand what I'm saying...but doesn't seem to be willing to much effort in, just the same. I'll keep him plugging along and hope that one day the switch turns on.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

He's 17. I don't tell him anything, he's always practicing his chords. He's a bit of an overachiever though (he's a Junior at University of Florida!). Ask me in a year if he's still playing though.

My 2¢ on kids and stuff like this: Don't let him quit, but let him do the parts he likes. If you push too hard, he might ditch the whole thing. I have two older kids that I forced through piano lessons for several years, but later allowed them to choose, and they quit. Now all of us regret that - they wish they had continued, and I do too.

Funny you mention this; about a month ago I had posted something similar on this thread about finding a balance between encouragement and overbearing.

For some reason I just discovered The Civil Wars about 2 weeks ago, and I love it. I've been working on learning some of their songs on the acoustic, which has been a nice challenge as he plays different than anything I had learned so far.

 

[passedpawn]

I was watching this last night. After being astonished that this was not originally by Roberta Flack, I couldn't help trying to figure out the chords she was playing. I'm not a player, but since I'm sort of learning along with my son, I pay a lot more attention to what guitar player's hands are doing. I imagine that's true for all of you.

 

[normonster]

My boy is only 9. I keep telling him that he will regret it if he quits. He seems to understand what I'm saying...but doesn't seem to be willing to much effort in, just the same. I'll keep him plugging along and hope that one day the switch turns on.

Some girl will come along, turn that switch on and take over for you, eventually. Lol

 

[Ridire]

This hobby is a fickle mistress. I've really taken a step forward in my ability to play a few strumming patterns and keep the rhythm (assuming it only involves specific chords). Last night, I was killing it. I played a couple of songs from beginning to end and was really in a groove. Working from home today, and I was all geeked up about grabbing the guitar at lunch time. I couldn't do a damn thing this afternoon ...sounded like a seal getting raped when I tried those same songs. I now see this is going to be a 3 steps forward, one step back, kind of process. I'm chalking this one up to finger fatigue from playing so much yesterday.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

This hobby is a fickle mistress. I've really taken a step forward in my ability to play a few strumming patterns and keep the rhythm (assuming it only involves specific chords). Last night, I was killing it. I played a couple of songs from beginning to end and was really in a groove. Working from home today, and I was all geeked up about grabbing the guitar at lunch time. I couldn't do a damn thing this afternoon ...sounded like a seal getting raped when I tried those same songs. I now see this is going to be a 3 steps forward, one step back, kind of process. I'm chalking this one up to finger fatigue from playing so much yesterday.

My dad and I talk about this a lot. Some days I feel like I can do anything. I'm a white Jimmy Hendrix.

Other days...not so much. If I'm not feeling it after about 10 mins, I usually just run through a couple easier songs I enjoy playing every once in a while, then put it away for the day. No use getting frustrated if it's not all coming togeter.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Well, I may have gotten my first gig. Maybe. It's for an office (not mine) summer party, and they were looking for music, but everyone was too expensive. Me, well I'm cheap. We'll see what happens...if I don't get it I will not be upset by any means, but it made me start thinking about it as a possibility on the side.

They asked for some demo music and I'm like, "uhhh" yeah I'm not really there yet, aside from a couple cell phone quality recordings I made a month ago. So, next step is to record a few songs in case stuff like this comes up in the future.

It's a fun hobby, and I want to keep it that way; if I can make a couple bucks playing a few times a year I'd be happy.

 

[Homercidal]

Well, I may have gotten my first gig. Maybe. It's for an office (not mine) summer party, and they were looking for music, but everyone was too expensive. Me, well I'm cheap. We'll see what happens...if I don't get it I will not be upset by any means, but it made me start thinking about it as a possibility on the side.

They asked for some demo music and I'm like, "uhhh" yeah I'm not really there yet, aside from a couple cell phone quality recordings I made a month ago. So, next step is to record a few songs in case stuff like this comes up in the future.

It's a fun hobby, and I want to keep it that way; if I can make a couple bucks playing a few times a year I'd be happy.

Nice!


I've been playing with some youtube backing tracks. Just type in a key and guitar backing track and take your pick! (Pun not intended.)

Mostly blues and rock so far. There are some very interesting songs to play over top of.

And Jos Satriani is releasing another album in about a month. Just in case you were a Satch fan. It's called Shockwave Supernova. Pretty much the same Joe sound, some sounding more recent, some sounding more classic Joe.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I really enjoy playing along with backing tracks. One of the things I'm working on is controlling my tempo; sometimes I just play too darn fast no matter the song, and it can be really inappropriate. And not even like a dirty joke-type inappropriate. More like, playing David Crosby guitar songs at the speed of Foo Fighters songs.

 

[Ridire]

Update.

I was practicing today and thinking about how bad I am. Then I thought of the things I first posted here...and it made me feel better.

I'm 7 months into this, and still practice nearly every day. I am now capable of playing a few songs from beginning to end (not well). I'm spending a good deal of my practice now going through a rhythm portion of Patience by Guns n Roses.

I just talked to a young(er) guy I met through a friend who is a professional guitarist/uekele player/mandolin player, etc., who is going to give me lessons via Skype. I'm thinking his input will help a ton.

This guy travels around with a lot with Brian Vander Ark (the Verve Pipe) and plays as a duo with his wife...they have songs on some movie soundtracks, etc., and are just generally a very gifted group of people.

I'm still geeked about this.

 

[arturo7]

Don't try to be a guitar god. Learn to let the music flow through you.

Only one out of a thousand are allowed to get up on stage. However, being able to make music is a 50/50 proposition.

 

[Homercidal]

Good to see you are still practicing.

Me? I just lost my callus again, so I better get back at it. Wish I had a friend nearby to jam with and start writing songs. I think I'd be better collaborating on songs rather than just picking up the guitar and playing the same old songs for warmup.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Just the other day I was actually just wondering about how you were coming along. This is good to hear!

I'm interested to hear how Skype works for lessons; I've heard of a number of people getting lessons via video conference, but I have not tried it. One thing worth mentioning is my dad has been hanging out at his local Guitar Center and got to know the guys pretty well. He started taking lessons from one of the guys there and has been video taping the lessons so he can go back and go over it throughout the week. This guy teaches quickly and the videos help my dad (and subsequently me, because I get to see the videos as well) make sure he catches everything over the course of a 30-60 min lesson.

Unfortunately, I took a 6 week hiatus from playing due to a vacation and then a dislocated finger. FORTUNATELY the dislocation was my pinkie on my strumming hand, so I was able to pick the guitar back up and play with the splint on. I'm going to play at an art festival called ArtPrize in Grand Rapids with my sister in a couple weeks so I'm trying to get back into playing shape for two full days of playing on the street.

 

[Homercidal]

Just the other day I was actually just wondering about how you were coming along. This is good to hear!

I'm interested to hear how Skype works for lessons; I've heard of a number of people getting lessons via video conference, but I have not tried it. One thing worth mentioning is my dad has been hanging out at his local Guitar Center and got to know the guys pretty well. He started taking lessons from one of the guys there and has been video taping the lessons so he can go back and go over it throughout the week. This guy teaches quickly and the videos help my dad (and subsequently me, because I get to see the videos as well) make sure he catches everything over the course of a 30-60 min lesson.

Unfortunately, I took a 6 week hiatus from playing due to a vacation and then a dislocated finger. FORTUNATELY the dislocation was my pinkie on my strumming hand, so I was able to pick the guitar back up and play with the splint on. I'm going to play at an art festival called ArtPrize in Grand Rapids with my sister in a couple weeks so I'm trying to get back into playing shape for two full days of playing on the street.

Cool! I'm going to see if I can make it down this year. I haven't been, but it looks pretty cool. It's a very popular festival.

 

[Ridire]

I am doing well when there are 2 full measures of one chord. I seem to initially get to the chord kind of sloppy but recovery ok, if I have time. If a song involves chord changes within a measure, I'm toast.

For example, in Patience, the verse is two full measures of C, two full measures of G, two full measures of A and two full measures of D. I can nail that and can even do it with various strumming patterns.

But the the chorus is one measure of C, one measure of G, one measure of C, one measure of Em, one measure of C, one measure of G and then to D for multiple measures. I just can't seem to get set on the C chords before my hand is moving to change chords again...gets very sloppy.

I have started doing a drill that I thought up myself. I play that chord progression with all down strokes, but I cut the measures in half (two beats per measure) and see how fast I can do it. Not sure if this will help, but it seems worth a shot.

 

[Homercidal]

I feel ya. It's much more difficult for an old dog to learn them new tricks. Just keep practicing. Maybe just practice changing between two chords for a while, then try another two chords. I think that approach works better then trying to practice a whole song filled with different chord changes.

 

[GrogNerd]

my fingers are too fat to make a good C chord in the first position, so I cheat. Especially if a G chord is anywhere near it

 

[Ridire]

I feel ya. It's much more difficult for an old dog to learn them new tricks. Just keep practicing. Maybe just practice changing between two chords for a while, then try another two chords. I think that approach works better then trying to practice a whole song filled with different chord changes.

I do that, too.

My routine is to spend 5 minutes just going through the chords I know. Most of them, I will strum once, pick each string once, and hear that it is clean. The remainder of the 5 minutes is repeatedly forming the chords that were not initially clean and working on getting them clean.

After that, I spend about 5 minutes doing "one minute chord changes". I set the timer for one minute, pick two chords (if I am working on a specific song at that time, I pick chords that are next to each other in that song) and see how many times I can change from one to the other in one minute.

After that, I do "free for all". This is usually working on full songs, or at least segments of songs. This is also where I'll do my "half measure" exercise I explained above.

I make sure that at least some of my free-for-all time is spent doing portions of songs that require string picking instead of strumming (like House of the Rising Sun).

Of course, if I start taking lessons from this guy, this will probably all get scrapped.

 

[Ridire]

And whenever I start to get discouraged, I remember that 5 weeks ago, changing from any chord to the C was "impossible". Now I do it routinely...but not quite as clean as I'd like.

 

[Homercidal]

I do that, too.

My routine is to spend 5 minutes just going through the chords I know. Most of them, I will strum once, pick each string once, and hear that it is clean. The remainder of the 5 minutes is repeatedly forming the chords that were not initially clean and working on getting them clean.

After that, I spend about 5 minutes doing "one minute chord changes". I set the timer for one minute, pick two chords (if I am working on a specific song at that time, I pick chords that are next to each other in that song) and see how many times I can change from one to the other in one minute.

After that, I do "free for all". This is usually working on full songs, or at least segments of songs. This is also where I'll do my "half measure" exercise I explained above.

I make sure that at least some of my free-for-all time is spent doing portions of songs that require string picking instead of strumming (like House of the Rising Sun).

Of course, if I start taking lessons from this guy, this will probably all get scrapped.

He will have his own method, but I think you are probably doing things the way I would.

The nice thing about lessons is a good teacher can spot arm, hand, and finger positions that might make playing easier or cleaner. That is one reason I still think about getting lessons. If I had someone local I really thought could teach me a variety of styles, music theory, and help me with cleaning up my sound too, I'd pay for lessons again.

My probably is I keep changing what I want to do. I *should* get some fingering advice on certain scales and work on them like you do. Over and over for several minutes until they feel natural and clean. Then other times I want to look at music theory and how keys relate and basic song structure. Other times it's just jamming and trying to get that SOUND to fit the mood.

Probably anything that can get my pinky some workout would be helpful.

Did that sound dirty to anyone else, or is it just me?

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Did that sound dirty to anyone else, or is it just me?

Incredibly. And I liked it.

The nice thing about lessons is a good teacher can spot arm, hand, and finger positions that might make playing easier or cleaner. That is one reason I still think about getting lessons. If I had someone local I really thought could teach me a variety of styles, music theory, and help me with cleaning up my sound too, I'd pay for lessons again.

That's really true. I watch a ton of guitar videos and everyone does things just a tad bit different. There are so many ways to play this instrument, it's just crazy.

About lessons, I think my dad has taken maybe 5 lessons (in consecutive weeks) and he had to stop. He learned so much he was just having a hard time keeping up with it (even after practicing 1+ hr a day) and needed to take time to catch up with the lessons. So, at about $20/lesson it's really not a bad way to greatly advance your abilities if you can find a good instructor. My dad, for instance, has learned more than just chord positions - he has also learned about how to use pedals in different ways, loopers, etc etc. Honestly, it's been a great investment for him and videotaping them has been super beneficial.

All that said, I guess I'm just saying it could be a great way to advance your abilities quickly. It sounds like you are putting in some really great practice.

My personal dilemma: I go through different phases. I've been on a Clapton kick for a couple months on my acoustic. Yesterday I watched some Foo Fighters concerts and crap...now I want to get my electric out and mess around with that stuff.

Not enough time to do it all.

 

[Homercidal]

Yesterday I watched some Foo Fighters concerts and crap...now I want to get my electric out and mess around with that stuff.

Not enough time to do it all.

Bah. Just play them Foos on acoustic. They make mostly chord songs anyway.

Me? I need more riffs and licks. I'm a child of the 80s! :rockin:

 

[nutty_gnome]

20 bucks a lesson is an amazing deal! I'm paying a buck a minute for my son. Its worth it though!

 

[Devon]

Lately I've been using RiffStation. It reads chords from youtube videos through some sort of voodoo and witchcraft. Works for me when I just want to have a couple bevs and bash away for a bit. I can't say how accurate they are, but it passes the time.

 

[Ridire]

Lately I've been using RiffStation. It reads chords from youtube videos through some sort of voodoo and witchcraft. Works for me when I just want to have a couple bevs and bash away for a bit. I can't say how accurate they are, but it passes the time.

That is awesome...

 

[Homercidal]

Lately I've been using RiffStation. It reads chords from youtube videos through some sort of voodoo and witchcraft. Works for me when I just want to have a couple bevs and bash away for a bit. I can't say how accurate they are, but it passes the time.

Interesting. It didnt' quite work for me when I tried Jungle Love by Steve Miller. I know they use an Open tuning for that song.

Also, I'd have to sit down and compare, but their chords on Blue on Black by Kenny Wayne Sheppard is slightly different from what I picked out a while back.

I'll remember this site when I get the urge to practice a new song, though. I'm sure it will help at least get the basic chord progression even if they don't show any embellishments.

 

[slym2none]

IDK if I posted here or not already, but if not, here:

I suck at playing guitar. I have been trying for 20+ years, and have barely gotten better.

I will always suck at playing guitar.

Thenkyew.

 

[estricklin]

He will have his own method, but I think you are probably doing things the way I would.

The nice thing about lessons is a good teacher can spot arm, hand, and finger positions that might make playing easier or cleaner. That is one reason I still think about getting lessons. If I had someone local I really thought could teach me a variety of styles, music theory, and help me with cleaning up my sound too, I'd pay for lessons again.

My probably is I keep changing what I want to do. I *should* get some fingering advice on certain scales and work on them like you do. Over and over for several minutes until they feel natural and clean. Then other times I want to look at music theory and how keys relate and basic song structure. Other times it's just jamming and trying to get that SOUND to fit the mood.

Probably anything that can get my pinky some workout would be helpful.

Did that sound dirty to anyone else, or is it just me?

Absolutely. I've broken my share of G strings while fingering A minor too so your not alone.

I've been fiddling around lately way too much, the more you learn the lazier you get sometimes. I'm gonna plug my axe in and buckle down on my next days off though and learn some Dire Straits. Reading this thread somehow keeps me motivated.

Was thinking about making some really informal video lessons if anyone is interested. Making not on single songs but more techniques??

 

[Homercidal]

I'd be down to check them out. I played enough over a couple of days to toughen my fingers up again.

I'm planning on having a friend over to join me. He just moved back from Indiana and I've given him some time to get the house back in order and some family time, but now I think we need to schedule regular get-togethers to write music and play some guitar.