Learning the guitar but
Discussion
So I have been trying to learn the guitar on and off for over 2 years and to be fair my heart was not 100% in it until the last 3 month.
I have been having an hour lesson once a week for the last 3 months and been practicing nearly every day for at least 10 minutes but on average half hour most the time. But I am still not getting it and it is very frustrating to the point where I feel like stopping again. But I really don't want to stop but I have found myself hitting a wall for practicing, determination and motivation.
I feel like I am going backwards and I seem to forget the chords and find it hard to remember the basic chords. I understand that I can't just pick up a guitar and be able to play songs with-in a month.
Would any kind soul care to give me a bit of motivation or tips to keep at it and any good beginner songs learn.
I have been having an hour lesson once a week for the last 3 months and been practicing nearly every day for at least 10 minutes but on average half hour most the time. But I am still not getting it and it is very frustrating to the point where I feel like stopping again. But I really don't want to stop but I have found myself hitting a wall for practicing, determination and motivation.
I feel like I am going backwards and I seem to forget the chords and find it hard to remember the basic chords. I understand that I can't just pick up a guitar and be able to play songs with-in a month.
Would any kind soul care to give me a bit of motivation or tips to keep at it and any good beginner songs learn.
Pothole said:
Practice for longer.10 minutes is teenager attention span bulls
t.
It's difficult to remember how long I spent learning how to play "House of the Rising Sun" but it was a long, long time. Especially the F chord. t.
Certainly when I was starting to play the banjo this year I spent a good hour every night for a week building up the muscle memory - swapping from one chord position to one other, over and over again until I didn't have to think about that particular change. Work on getting it right first, and build up the speed later. Certain changes, like C-G, or A-E and back again, come up all of the time, so it's a good idea to get those.
One thing I would say is that I'm entirely self taught, and I'm sure I could play something after a few months. I'm surprised you aren't getting much of a benefit out of the lessons.
davepoth said:
It's difficult to remember how long I spent learning how to play "House of the Rising Sun" but it was a long, long time. Especially the F chord.
Interestingly, Im just going through that exact phase! Im playing it finger style though and am struggling more with 6/4 timing than the F. Nice to know its not just just me.OP, ten minutes is not anywhere near long enough. Im not sure even an hour a day is enough. Ive been "playing" for about 14 months now, have a lesson every fortnight and I do know how you feel.
Motivation drops and you feel you are getting nowhere - just dont give up.
I think the guitar is an fabulous instrument, and it is such a flexible tool that its secrets wont just come overnight.
from my experience ( ie for me..) if I have a week or two where I've little spare time, then 10 minutes a day is only just enough to keep me where I was at.. I need at least 30 minutes a day to move forward / improve.
if you havent, then this is a good place to start..
http://www.justinguitar.com/en/BC-000-BeginnersCou...
and for your concentration issues, these are well worth a look
http://www.justinguitar.com/en/PC-000-Practice.php
but especially... http://www.justinguitar.com/en/PC-104-UseATimer.ph...
good luck, and try and remember, learning the guitar is a journey not a destination, so try and enjoy the ride, it doesnt have to be at 100 mph..
if you havent, then this is a good place to start..
http://www.justinguitar.com/en/BC-000-BeginnersCou...
and for your concentration issues, these are well worth a look
http://www.justinguitar.com/en/PC-000-Practice.php
but especially... http://www.justinguitar.com/en/PC-104-UseATimer.ph...
good luck, and try and remember, learning the guitar is a journey not a destination, so try and enjoy the ride, it doesnt have to be at 100 mph..
Hi,
You appear to be challenging yourself too much to get a result and it comes across almost as if it's a chore, similiar to "I must learn this to pass a exam" as a example.
Pick up your guitar when you want to play and when you want to learn and just enjoy the playing, the learning will come without realising.
I play in a band and have to learn new songs and i have to be in the right frame of mind to learn. sometimes with other stuff on my mind i.e. work, jobs at home to do, errands etc i find i cannot concentrate fully so at the expence of delaying myself i just leave the guitar in the corner knowing full well in a couple of days it will grab my attention and be inspired to play again.
Remember, playing a instrument is not a competition, it's for your enjoyment and relaxation,,
Regards,
Martyn
P.S The youtube clips of people playing far beyond my ability do not inspire me, they just depress me making me realise i can never be as good as them so i avoid them now...
You appear to be challenging yourself too much to get a result and it comes across almost as if it's a chore, similiar to "I must learn this to pass a exam" as a example.
Pick up your guitar when you want to play and when you want to learn and just enjoy the playing, the learning will come without realising.
I play in a band and have to learn new songs and i have to be in the right frame of mind to learn. sometimes with other stuff on my mind i.e. work, jobs at home to do, errands etc i find i cannot concentrate fully so at the expence of delaying myself i just leave the guitar in the corner knowing full well in a couple of days it will grab my attention and be inspired to play again.
Remember, playing a instrument is not a competition, it's for your enjoyment and relaxation,,
Regards,
Martyn
P.S The youtube clips of people playing far beyond my ability do not inspire me, they just depress me making me realise i can never be as good as them so i avoid them now...
Edited by Martyn-123 on Thursday 11th April 07:29
Edited by Martyn-123 on Thursday 11th April 13:33
I agree that 10 minutes is not enough practice but I feel that the nights where I don't have time to practice just picking the guitar up and have a 10 minute blast is better then nothing. I try to get an hours practice every other day.
The chords I seem to be able to now change from with no issue is the basic A, C, D, E, F, and G I can play wonder wall and that's the only real song I can play properly.
Is there other songs for beginners with these chords in?
The chords I seem to be able to now change from with no issue is the basic A, C, D, E, F, and G I can play wonder wall and that's the only real song I can play properly.
Is there other songs for beginners with these chords in?
dazp said:
But I am still not getting it and it is very frustrating to the point where I feel like stopping again.
I don't think this ever goes away - I know people who've been playing guitar for 40, 50 years who can rattle off the most amazing things and still be annoyed because there's a crazy jazz chord in there that they can't quite stretch to. Dissatisfaction at one's own ability is the default state of a musician!I spent a lot of time going through the same problem that you're encountering before finally getting off the starting block late last year. The problem I had was simple; my guitar was acoustic and therefore I could only play it when the neighbours were out. Guitar acquisition syndrome solved the problem when I bought an electric guitar that I could practice (through a headphone amplifier) whenever I wanted - the key when starting out, as I see it, is:
1. Practice for a decent amount of time.
2. Practice every day.
There are a series of horrible beginner brick walls that are a recent memory for me: being able to strum in time, being able to change between two chords, managing to play a scale without flubbing one or more notes, and getting a reliable barre. What I found was that if I kept focusing on one problem for an hour or so one evening, I'd make seemingly no progress but the next day I'd pick up the guitar and there would be a noticeable improvement. But to get that I had to put in the full hour or more practicing that one thing, and I had to pick up the guitar again the next evening, or no progress.
Clichés they might be, but the simple beginner songs using open A, D and E like Wild Thing and Louie Louie really help get you up and running too, even if you're only playing them at half or quarter speed. (Playing slow with the correct notes is better than playing the wrong thing at the right speed by the way; it's easier to speed things up than correct a fast mistake. Good advice I took from a PH thread, although I can't remember who posted it.)
Justin Sandercoe's course (justinguitar) is very good, as well. His first few lessons and guidance on practice schedules for the beginner are essential reading and viewing. I'm still very much a beginner, I can just about stretch to the riff from Don't Fear The Reaper or the intro to Winterlong if I have a good day, but that's self-taught from his beginner book which is very good value compared to a course of lessons.
Edited by Timberwolf on Thursday 11th April 09:15
My suggestion, and one I wish someone had made to me when I started a long time ago, is to learn a scale, ideally a simple two octave major scale across the fretboard using all four fingers.
There's two reasons for this, the first is that it's a great finger exercise, you are trying to get to the point where your fingers will do what you want them to, quickly and easily. The idea is that once you've learned it, you just play it over and over again. You won't need to think about it, you can even watch TV while you are doing it, so the time won't seem to drag.
The other reason is that after a while you can start to pick out tunes by using notes from the scale. You will find most tunes can be fitted into the scale, as long as you start from the right note. And after a while, you will start to know which note that is, because you will be able to tell the different intervals.
There's two reasons for this, the first is that it's a great finger exercise, you are trying to get to the point where your fingers will do what you want them to, quickly and easily. The idea is that once you've learned it, you just play it over and over again. You won't need to think about it, you can even watch TV while you are doing it, so the time won't seem to drag.
The other reason is that after a while you can start to pick out tunes by using notes from the scale. You will find most tunes can be fitted into the scale, as long as you start from the right note. And after a while, you will start to know which note that is, because you will be able to tell the different intervals.
Play (guitar!) with other people. For fun (not lessons per se).
Ideally find a motivated guitarist who is better than you.
Nothing works like making a decent racket with other people. As you play, you will find that things start to stick, and they become second nature.
Ideally find a motivated guitarist who is better than you.
Nothing works like making a decent racket with other people. As you play, you will find that things start to stick, and they become second nature.
Edited by 12v3pot on Thursday 11th April 14:47
12v3pot said:
Play (guitar!) with other people. Fur fun (not lessons per se).
Ideally find a motivated guitarist who is better than you.
Nothing works like making a decent racket with other people. As you play, you will find that things start to stick, and they become second nature.
What he said.Ideally find a motivated guitarist who is better than you.
Nothing works like making a decent racket with other people. As you play, you will find that things start to stick, and they become second nature.
...and I spent 8 months doing about 14 hours a day to learn bass. IMHO - 10 mins a day isn't going to achieve anything... Sorry.
Yes I do really want to play and I my thought was picking up a guitar for at least 10 minutes is better then not picking it up at all on the days when I don't really get much time to have a full practice session.
I feel that learning to play a guitar should be as much fun as when playing a song nearly perfect but I just don't seem to be getting it and the fun seems to of disappeared in the last week or so.
I feel that learning to play a guitar should be as much fun as when playing a song nearly perfect but I just don't seem to be getting it and the fun seems to of disappeared in the last week or so.
dazp said:
Yes I do really want to play and I my thought was picking up a guitar for at least 10 minutes is better then not picking it up at all on the days when I don't really get much time to have a full practice session.
I feel that learning to play a guitar should be as much fun as when playing a song nearly perfect but I just don't seem to be getting it and the fun seems to of disappeared in the last week or so.
As a beginner it does, and will continue. But for me, whenever I lose my mojo, I always go back and play a tune or riff that makes me happy or that I know I play well.I feel that learning to play a guitar should be as much fun as when playing a song nearly perfect but I just don't seem to be getting it and the fun seems to of disappeared in the last week or so.
As above - its a journey,not a destination.
davepoth said:
It's difficult to remember how long I spent learning how to play "House of the Rising Sun" but it was a long, long time. Especially the F chord.
First song I ever learned. That F was a killer, when I decided I was going to stick with learning guitar I went out and bought an Epiphone LP (what a heap of junk that was), and when I demo'd it in the shop I couldn't even play an F on it, I remember thinking "Well, I'll just get this one and hope I can learn to play a F on this like I can on my Squier" 
OP, don't be put off by seeing or hearing guitarists far beyond your own level. Instead of feeling discouraged, strive towards their ability. When I first started guitar I thought "I want to be better than Kirk Hammett", but then I started listening to guys like Satch, Vai, Macalpine, Lane etc. Then I realised I'd never have a 10th of their ability, as musicians like them occupy their own plane of existence when it comes to technical, improvisational and compositional ability. Instead of feeling downhearted that I'll never be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with a musician like that - so very, very few of us ever could, I use their music to give me the push to keep trying new things to improve my playing.
It doesn't matter if your idol is someone with a simple style like Hank Marvin or a a fusion wizard like Tony Maclpine, having someone to look up will push you to improve.
dazp said:
I agree that 10 minutes is not enough practice but I feel that the nights where I don't have time to practice just picking the guitar up and have a 10 minute blast is better then nothing. I try to get an hours practice every other day.
The chords I seem to be able to now change from with no issue is the basic A, C, D, E, F, and G I can play wonder wall and that's the only real song I can play properly.
Is there other songs for beginners with these chords in?
Can you play any minor chords? If you can play Am (and considering what you can already play, it won't be too difficult to learn) then you can play C, Am, F and G in sequence, and play a sThe chords I seem to be able to now change from with no issue is the basic A, C, D, E, F, and G I can play wonder wall and that's the only real song I can play properly.
Is there other songs for beginners with these chords in?
t-load of songs.For instance, "I Will Always Love You"
and a great many others.The first thing I learned aged 18 was a very very simple version of stairway to heaven that a friend of mine taught me .. I learned the finger positions parrot fashion and hadn't a clue what the actual notes were that I was playing, but I learned a song I liked that sounded excellent in my own head and I was hooked.
I think the thing that made it easier for me was that I never wanted to play in a band, and never actually wanted to be any good .. I just wanted to make some noise that sounded a bit like songs I liked. I'm still at the exact same stage now, 28 years later ..
I think the thing that made it easier for me was that I never wanted to play in a band, and never actually wanted to be any good .. I just wanted to make some noise that sounded a bit like songs I liked. I'm still at the exact same stage now, 28 years later ..
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