Thread: I suck at guitar

You have to help yourself. Do you already play acoustic guitar and are good at it? You need to practice. You need to understand music theory. You need to be able to use techniques like hammer-ons, pull-offs, and bending notes, etc. fluently. Music theory and rhythmic feel are the most important. Picking techniques and strumming techniques. Start on an acoustic. What gauge strings do you use? What effects do you use? What style of music do you want to play. I can answer any questions about music theory for you.

Dannon's right. Plus, remember that EFFORT is far more important than talent, so just practice, practice, practice and the talent will be there. Mistakes are good because you learn from them.

Originally Posted by Dannon Oneironaut

You have to help yourself.

Very true there is no magic pill that automatically makes you talented. Playing instruments is like writing, to get good at it you have to do it everyday. If you want to get good at guitar, play all day, everyday. If you are gonna hang out with friends, bring an acoustic guitar over to their place. That's how I got good at ukulele(and accordion), I just carried it around with me everywhere I went (except school). Have patience and good luck.

My number 1 suggestion is to attempt to learn music theory at the same time you learn to play guitar. Playing a guitar is a technical skill, but without knowing what is harmonically or melodically possible can put quite a hinderance on things like writing/improvising/jamming/understanding what you're playing.

Theory theory theory theory theory theory theory theory theory theory theory theory theory theory theory theory theory.

Ricci Adams' Musictheory.net

what's music theory?

No I did not play acoustic before, I actually wanted a bass but my parents won't let me get one until I learn 10-20 songs on the guitar, so that makes it less fun of a process.

I have been playing flute for three years though.

You can play bass on the guitar. Just play it an octave up. I'm trying to work on walking basslines while playing chords on jazz tunes.

If you think you suck(you don't suck unless you give up, so don't suck!) but if you think you do, just learn easy songs that any moron could. Learn smoke on the water or smells like teen spirit. Hell, learn mary had a little lamb, learn songs you know on the flute. Just dop things to work on your dexterity and your ear.

Learn the blues, it's so easy and so fun. Learn the Motor City is Burnin TAB. Just the bass riff. It's all simple pentatonic/blues scale. Do you know those two scales? Probably the two most important scales to know for guitar.

What kind of music are you trying to learn now?

Just learn some scales and chords and easy songs, take it one step at a time. You don't suck, know one really sucks, people only suck if they think they're sweet when in reality they're super mediocre. Like greenday. They suck, they've been playing for years, they get paid tons of money, yet they sound lame. You just don't have much experience.

A lot of being sweet at guitar is just not giving a fuck. Do something to help you lossen up(Iwon't tell you what, that would be against forum rules) and just have fun and play whatever comes out. Don't worry about wheather or not it sounds good while you play it, just play it and keep going, go with the flow, even if it sounds awful, go with it. Another good thing to do is play with someone else, just jam, listen to what they do and feed off it.

Music theory is the "how" music works. It is all about scales. There are usually 7 notes in a scale. The distance between these notes are called intervals. The way music works harmonically and melodically is these intervals. Music theory is also how to build chords out of these scales, and how chords can progress to other chords smoothly, or not. Any feeling that you can imagine can be expressed through music, and understanding theory allows you to know how to express what you want to. Without understanding theory then you are just stumbling in the dark hoping to stumble upon something that sounds good. A musician can go to an open mic and know which performers understand theory or not. Learning theory also develops your ear at the same time, so you can hear any song and play it by ear without somebody having to teach it to you, or without having to watch an instructional video or read tablature or written music.

Many people don't have the patience to learn theory and it is a real shame. At first it seems very very complicated, but it isn't really. It is worth it. It just takes a little time to get familiar with the concepts. Like I said, it is all based on 7 notes. A scale is Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti and then Do again but an octave higher. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8(1) And it keeps repeating. It is like a circle, or an ascending spiral. This is the most basic concept to become familiar with. Maybe later I will show you which of the 12 notes are the 7 that are in a scale. Because only 12 notes exist, but a scale is usually made up of 7. There are 5 note scales, but they exist within 7 note scales. It is a 7 note scale but you don't play 2 of them. This is why people give up, because it seems so mathematic and complicated. And most people just want to have fun and impress chicks but they aren't curious as to how it works. Please be patient and give theory a chance. Then you will really be able to impress chicks.

well, the first thing to do is to learn to tune your guitar extremely accurately. Now-a-days they have electronic tuners, but not when I began playing. So I never use them. I like to be able to use my ear to hear the beat frequencies align as the strings tune up. The two things to playing music: Theory (melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic) and development of the ear to hear subtle intervals.

It was never important. Unless you don't have natural talent.
Well, maybe that's not exactly correct. You should learn chords at the least.
Then if you learn to play by ear that should develop your abilities a lot.
Even just learning by ear helps you to improvise.

Music theory is a different way to learn the same thing. But if you've got a good ear, you can just fuck around
and figure out the same things. Like which notes go together, how to switch to a different key etc.

To help you train your ear, if it's not good already, completely fuck up the tuning on your guitar and then try to tune it again.
Also learn the chords and try switching between them. I think this should pretty much be the first thing anyone does on most instruments. If not all instruments.
Switching quickly between notes/chords will help greatly later on because you'll start to do it without thinking. And that's when you start improvising and having fun/going with the flow/getting lost in the music etc.

The big rock stars suck.

Originally Posted by Lucidness

I don't think "natural" talent come's from reading music anyway. Alot of the "Big" rockstar's ect don't read music & have never bothered to really learn anyway. Its not exactly needed for them.

This is one of the biggest lies I have ever ever EVER read on this board. I'd put out the stat that about 97% of "big" rockstars know a LOT of music theory. Trust me, you pick it up whether you want to or not the longer you play/write music. Why do you think they can improv and solo so well?

Theory is important whether you're consciously thinking about it or not.


p.s. being able to read a chord progression (roman numeral style: I, IV, V -- or even direct notation style: Ab, Db, Eb) is knowing some music theory.
p.p.s. knowing what key you're playing in and the scale of that key is also knowing some music theory. This is the basics of improv... You think Clapton didn't know what key he was playing in? Lol.

Oh that's what music theory is, I learn about that stuff in band class, which means I read music play scales and exercises, but on a different instrument.

Originally Posted by dacher2

Oh that's what music theory is, I learn about that stuff in band class, thanks for the help though.

What I'm trying to get at though, is that you should be applying these things to guitar. You should probably start by learning scales. Then shred those scales all day for hours until you can play them extremely well. Don't go too fast, make sure you're getting good, smooth rhythm. Accuracy is more important than speed for building up a good foundation.

Learn ALL of the scales. Make up little exercises to work with (start on root, play up to fifth, and back down. Or skip every other note, etc. Just a good way to get your hands used to playing melodic lines). Work on your picking a lot here as well. Try to use good up down up down picking, not up up down up up down, or antyhing like that (there's a time and place for that, but up down up down is a good habit to get into from the start). I used to have a bad habit of always doing a down pick when I changed strings, but it if it's time for an up pick, go for it.

After scales learn barre chords. Learn the various chord shapes, major, minor, dom7, maj7, min7, min7b5, etc.

From there start playing along with your favorite songs. Find out what key they are in and just improv using only notes from that key. You'll naturally start to develop your own little licks and nuances.

They were talking about learning music theory. Reading music notation =/= knowing music theory.

I've been jamming with various guitarists of all skill levels for 9 years now. 100% of the people I've played with who didn't know any music theory were completely awful. The ironic part is that a lot of them refused to learn theory because they thought it would limit them creatively, when in fact their ignorance of basic music caused them to be the most limited musicians I'd ever met.

Music theory is fairly simple, it's immensely useful, and it's even kind of fun. Just fucking learn it.

KNEEL TO THE GLORY OF THE INTERNET

I already know music theory.

I agree that READING music is not necessary, unless you want to play classical music. I can barely read music. But I know my music theory up and down and inside out. It is fascinating stuff. Every culture has their own theory but it all ties together into a grand music theory. For example, blues uses the pentatonic scales to play melodies, but they use the dominant scales to make chords. This is the hallmark of Blues is playing a different scale for lead than the rhythm. Also, in blues if they are playing the minor pentatonic they bend the 4th note up to a fifth, and if they are playing the major pentatonic scale they will bend the 2nd up to a 3rd. This is in rock music also. A lot of middle eastern music uses modes based off of the harmonic minor scale. Jazz theory is very advanced theory and they make use of so many scales all the time for each chord. It is really fascinating how to come up with the blues sound, and then the jazz sound, then the Spanish sound, then the Indian sound, all using the same chord progressions. This is theory. Being able to read music notation is not theory, although it is what they teach in school. People that are trained just to read written music are quite limited. They can't improvise, they can only play what is written.
A basic chord is built off of every other note in the scale. 1, 3, 5 is a basic triad. So in the key of C it would be C, E, G. The next one you can add is the 7. This is called a 7th chord. 1, 3, 5, 7 or C, E, G, B. Then you can add a 9th (since 8=1 then 9=2 but an octave higher). So you will have a C, E, G, B, D. If you are using a dominant scale (like they do in blues and rock often) you have a dominant 7th chord and a dominant 9th chord. It is fun to come up with chords like these for every scale you learn.

Originally Posted by dacher2

I already know music theory.

Obviously you know the barebones basics of music theory - staffs, notation, chords, etc. but if you can't figure out how to learn to play the guitar by yourself then you absolutely do NOT know THAT much music theory. Read what DuB said and quit being a pussy. Also:

Originally Posted by Lucidness

Paul mccartney can't read music.

Fucking L. O. L.

And yes, Dannon nailed the difference between being able to read music and actually UNDERSTANDING music theory. Get over yourselves people. Anyone who can jam either INTUITIVELY understands music theory, or spent some time actually learning to understand music theory. Don't let the shit just glaze over you. You came here asking for help getting better and 9/10 people are telling you theory is your best bet. Quit bitching if that's not the answer you wanted to hear. It's almost as bad as people that go "how do I learn to hack computers." and when the answers they get are "learn as MUCH as you can about computer programming, networking, drivers, OSs, etc." then they bitch and moan and complain that they can't figure out how to hack. LEARNING MUSIC IS NOT A BRISK WALK IN THE PARK, SORRY TO BUST YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS! Theory is understanding why what you're playing works and will guide you to other things that will sound good. Hear a melody in your head? Music theory will make it extremely easy to play it. Don't know theory? POKE AROUND AT THE FUCKING FRET BOARD LIKE A RETARD TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT! Catch my drift?

no need to use such colorful language sir However I do agree with what you wrote.

Originally Posted by dacher2

no need to use such colorful language sir However I do agree with what you wrote.

Sorry about the language. It's my motivational style, lol. I really do hope you get into guitar and that you love it. Music is a very special part of my life, and I'd like it to be part of yours too! Also, make sure to note that I suggested learning music theory in conjunction with learning guitar. It's hard to learn one without the other, as they go hand in hand (theory AND application).

Um, may I just ask why you gave up flute? Is it because people think you're gay for playing it instead of guitar which is ""manly""?
I have seen this, including myself for a little bit. I got over it pretty quick and you should too if that's the reason.
If it is, just look at Jethro Tull, AWESOME
If it is not the reason, ignore this post lol

Originally Posted by tommo

Um, may I just ask why you gave up flute? Is it because people think you're gay for playing it instead of guitar which is ""manly""?
I have seen this, including myself for a little bit. I got over it pretty quick and you should too if that's the reason.
If it is, just look at Jethro Tull, AWESOME
If it is not the reason, ignore this post lol

Guessing right now that it's related to the fact that the context in which he learned flute was classical, which if you're not into that would get you to quit pretty quickly. Just a hunch, though.

Also, you shouldn't be looking up Classical Theory (which is what you'll usually get for blanket search of music theory). Jazz theory, or modern theory are really what you'd want (these are both pretty much 'pop' form theory, pop meaning anything not too far from the norm such as avant garde, and highly experimental music, so that includes rock, jazz, blues, pop, hip hop, etc).

Originally Posted by tommo

Um, may I just ask why you gave up flute? Is it because people think you're gay for playing it instead of guitar which is ""manly""?
I have seen this, including myself for a little bit. I got over it pretty quick and you should too if that's the reason.
If it is, just look at Jethro Tull, AWESOME
If it is not the reason, ignore this post lol

I said I'VE BEEN PLAYING for 3 years i can deal with all the haters.

Originally Posted by Lucidness

Also paul mccartney might be able to read music, but he simply doesent. He doesent feel the need to.

YouTube - Paul McCartney Don't Read Music, You Got Problem With That?

See what i mean? Fucking LOL.

This is not the same as CAN'T read music. I hardly ever read music either, as it's not very necessary WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND MUSIC THEORY. So yeah, don't be a twat. I feel you have a wild misconception of how practiced musicians approach music.

Originally Posted by Lucidness

Music theory isn't as important these day's. You might aswell learn by TAB or learn by ear which is what i did.

That's why music isn't anywhere near as good these days.