Common Beginner Mistakes

[tintin]

Agree with all of the above.

 

Always tune first- playing an out of tune instrument is not productive and can be frustrating.

 

 

Some days will be easier than others, but practice every day, as slowly as necessary to get it right.

 

 

Pay attention to hand positioning. I found much of so called finger stretching for me meant correct hand positioning.

 

 

Play stuff you love and really want to play (aside from scales and basic exercise material, that is.)

 

 

Don't get discouraged- it's all a learning experience, and, believe it or not, if you stick with and practice, you will get better and better!

 

Experiment with everything and, as has been advised, have fun!

[highwing]

A guitar stand! That is sooo true.... when the guitar is out on the stand or hanging, I grab at it constantly. The cased ones don't see nearly the same activity.

Also, I learned by playing along to the radio, or records (dating myself here...) and cd's. I learned to tune to the song real quick (you only have 3-4 minutes or so) and pick out some chords or the melody. I really think that developed my ear and sped up the learning..... might want to try that.

There's some great ideas on this thread!

[SomeIdiotDreamer]

I'm incredibly nervous about my guitar arriving.

 

As someone who can't play, I'm nervous about putting it in a stand too, where anyone can see it. All the friends I've told about my purchase, the reaction tends to be a dubious look and an incredulous: "....why?" I guess I don't strike anyone as the rocker type. No one (except my mom) has been excited for me.

 

It's not just a nice, modest starter's guitar. I got a black Epiphone Les Paul Ultra II. That's a lot of guitar. By all accounts it's an incredible guitar. It looks like a dream. I identify with it in a really cheesy way: it's insane but I see a lot of me in this thing. It sounds so stupid to say that, as far as I can tell, it's just perfect.

 

On the other hand, it's an incredibly pretentious guitar for someone just starting out. Starter packs complete with amps, straps, and stands come for much less then what I spent on this thing. I catch myself trying to think of ways to get the guitar into the house without my roommate seeing it. Heaven forbid I go ask the guy at the music store for lessons and drag in this thing: he'll think I'm insane. I can't ask my friend's band if I can jam with them sometime, because they'll see what I bought and think I'm nuts.

 

Is this something first-time guitar owners go through, is this just buyers remorse, or is something else going on here?

 

EDIT: Keep the advice coming! I won't be the last new owner to enter this forum and this thread should be mandatory reading for each and every one of them. There's a wealth of information here.

[Whitmore Willy]

Sid,

 

Being a little nervous is normal.

As far as being excited for you...I think everyone around here is.

You see alot of you in the guitar?....Great!!! That's what life is about. Working for things that you want and deserve can be a stuggle at times. Enjoy it . Nothing stupid about that.

The importand thing is what you think about you....the rest of the world will take it's own slant. Nothing any of us can do about that.

[ant7629]

Nervous??? Man, I would be ecstatic if an Ultra II was on its way to me. It doesn't matter which guitar you start on, so long as you love it and by the sound of it you do already and it hasn't arrived yet.

 

As Willy says, forget what everyone else thinks. You have decided to learn to play because you want to and very soon you will be a guitarist; or in other words, one of the coolest people eon the planet and EVERYONE knows this.

 

BTW, you are obligated to post pics of your new ax when it arrives.... Its the law on this forum I'm afraid :-)

[IbbysB4Epis]

As you will soon find out, "It isn't easy!" No instrument is easy, not even a triangle. Do not get discouraged! When you become frustrated and feeling "I can't do this" keep trying.

 

Everyone else has offered solid advice. My two cents: once you learn the fundamentals some riff (intro to smoke on the water for instance), learn to play the riff in time. If you cannot keep time, you cannot play with other people or MP3's. So get a tuner with a built in metronome.

 

Good luck and don't give up.

[taxman]

....it's an incredibly pretentious guitar for someone just starting out....they'll see what I bought and think I'm nuts.

I see what you are saying, and that is an insecurity stemming from the fact that you feel you may let yourself, others, and your guitar down if you somehow fail at learning guitar. But face facts, you have a fine guitar. You liked it, you got it -- feel good about that. Now start learning at whatever rate works for you.

 

And by the way there are great advantages to starting out on a fine guitar:

A. the playing and learning is easier than on a "starter kit" guitar

B. you will not let that fine guitar just go to waste (My first guitar was a beautiful, expensive Strat. No way was I going to let such a fine guitar just be a decorative piece of furniture in the house. I made damn sure I was going to play that thing for all it is worth.)

[harry]

i know what you mean about having a nice guitar when your a new player, i got my custom after 6-7 mths of playing a £50 electric didn't think i could justify it. but what the hell ,it's my money i work hard for it i'll buy what i like.now i cant walk past it without picking it up(true about the stand advice).i play it everyday and things are starting to get easier ,i've also had a few lessons recently which has helped alot. i just love playing it so have fun and enjoy yourself .

[Bender 4 Life]

As Charlie Brown said, have it profesionally set up, and intonated, so it will play and sound right.

 

my biggest tidbit is.........don't be afraid of it !!!!! I've yet to hear of anybody being bitten by a rabid guitar.

(exception made for electric shock in bad weather)

don't be afraid for it to get a ding, or some wear.

please see my "quote" below.

[stan 58]

Tuning is the most important thing!!!!!!! Learn how to use a tuner. Stan.

[aj]

I'm incredibly nervous about my guitar arriving.

 

As someone who can't play' date=' I'm nervous about putting it in a stand too, where anyone can see it. All the friends I've told about my purchase, the reaction tends to be a dubious look and an incredulous: "....[i']why[/i]?" I guess I don't strike anyone as the rocker type. No one (except my mom) has been excited for me.

 

It's not just a nice, modest starter's guitar. I got a black Epiphone Les Paul Ultra II. That's a lot of guitar. By all accounts it's an incredible guitar. It looks like a dream. I identify with it in a really cheesy way: it's insane but I see a lot of me in this thing. It sounds so stupid to say that, as far as I can tell, it's just perfect.

 

On the other hand, it's an incredibly pretentious guitar for someone just starting out. Starter packs complete with amps, straps, and stands come for much less then what I spent on this thing. I catch myself trying to think of ways to get the guitar into the house without my roommate seeing it. Heaven forbid I go ask the guy at the music store for lessons and drag in this thing: he'll think I'm insane. I can't ask my friend's band if I can jam with them sometime, because they'll see what I bought and think I'm nuts.

 

Is this something first-time guitar owners go through, is this just buyers remorse, or is something else going on here?

 

EDIT: Keep the advice coming! I won't be the last new owner to enter this forum and this thread should be mandatory reading for each and every one of them. There's a wealth of information here.

 

I look at it this way:

 

People tell me I don't look like a computer geek, but it's what I get paid to do.

People look at me like I lost my mind when I tell them I have a PS2 and PS3 (I'm over 40) - Aren't you a bit old for video games?

Some people think I'm insane for buying a 45k car with only 2 seats.

And yes, some people looked at me like I was nuts when they found out I wanted to learn to play guitar at

'my age'

 

 

Don't worry about what they think. The object is to make yourself happy.

 

So the appropriate answer to "Why?" is Because you wanted to, and you could. That's why

 

 

You are probably nervous about spending what seems like a lot of $ on something you want to do.

 

But you have a fear in the back of your head that it's going to be harder than you think, and you may not like it after all, making it a 'waste' of money.

 

But ultimately, you'll likely be glad you did spend more and got a better guitar.

 

My 'Starter' guitar was the Iommi - lot more than I wanted to pay, but the only in-stock LH guitar at the time.

And a much better piece of equipment than any starter, to be sure.

 

The guy at the music store will likely appreciate the fact you bought a good quality guitar, not plywood with strings.

Ditto your friends in a band, except as peers, there might be a tinge of jealousy involved. :)

 

 

AJ

[stan 58]

You know you are a little old for video games!!Stan. Just kidding.

[Notes_Norton]

Most of this has been said before, but here is my take.

 

1) The guitar stand advice is right on

 

2) Immediately change the strings to 9s (very light gauge) as it will make your beginning fingerings easier

 

3) Have a guitar tech set up your action and intonation properly

 

4) Get a guitar tuner and tune up the guitar every time you play it. Guitars go out of tune with temperature and other environmental factors. If you always tune up your guitar, you will train your ears properly while you are playing

 

5) It is going to be slow going at first, don't let that frustrate you. Remember how difficult it was to learn your A.B.C's when you were very young, and how difficult it was to write them at first? It got easy, so will the guitar, you just have to put in the time. If it were instant gratification, everybody would be able to do it, and we guitarists wouldn't be so special.

 

6) When you come up to a difficult passage, try the two minute rule. It works for most people. (1) Play the passage as quickly as you can without making any mistakes for 2 minutes - not making mistakes is more important than the speed (2) put the guitar down for two minutes and do something else - like type on the internet - for 2 minutes (3) Play the passage as quickly as you can without making any mistakes for 2 minutes (4) put the guitar down for two minutes and do something else for 2 minutes (5) repeat as long as you like. I find I learn things faster this way than if I simply hammer it out endlessly. I suppose it gives the muscles time to create the memory.

 

7) If you can find and afford a good guitar instructor, do it. Make sure the lessons are fun, a bad teacher can be worse than none at all, and if you find the lessons are fun, you probably will learn faster.

 

8) Learn to read music - not just tab. Devote 10-15 minutes a day to it. Again, it will seem difficult at first, but in the long run it will make your guitar playing much easier.

 

9) Don't be afraid to just fool around and make weird noises on the guitar

 

10) Most of all, remember, playing music is supposed to be FUN. Remember, they call it playing music for a reason.

 

11) Never compare yourself with others. No matter how good or bad you are, there is always someone better, and always someone worse. Playing guitar is not a competition. You have to improve your own skills and become better than you were last month. That is all that is necessary. Also, remember, you are going to have bad days where you think you are playing worse than you did before. Don't let this bother you, you are probably just recoiling to prepare for a new leap forward.

 

12) Listen to music a lot. Listen until you can actually sing along with your favorite guitar solos, sax solos, and other musical melodies. This trains your ears. Listen to how the player/vocalist gets his/her expression, bending notes, changing the volume of different notes, adding other ornaments like hammer-ons, slides, etc. You don't need to be doing this right away, that isn't the point. The point is to notice how others get from playing empty notes to playing melodies and playing them expressively. If you listen with these kinds of ears, when your fingers become educated enough, the expression will come out of your guitar without you even trying. My first band director gave me the greatest gift a musician can ever get - he taught me how to listen to music.

 

13) Listen to all kinds of music, even the types you don't want to play. When I was on the road, I discovered some of the best jazz radio stations were in Nashville ... Rock and rollers have borrowed melodies from Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and plenty of others ... I even heard a Dan Fogelberg song where the melody of the verse was The 1812 Overture (Same Old Lang Syne), and I consider Dan to be a folk-rock artist (although I understand he had some classical training)

 

14) If you can, rent "Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts with the New York Philharmonic". It is entertaining, easy watching, and it teaches you a lot about music in an entertaining fashion. Watch all 9 DVDs in order. (It's available on Netflix).

 

15) Don't be nervous, relax. The guitar is a toy. There is no pressure for you to play it like a master in the first week. We all take baby steps when we start to learn. Enjoy the baby steps, enjoy each new discovery you make on the guitar, there is no rush to learn it all, you can live to be 140 years old, take lessons every day, and when go to the great gig in the sky, you still wouldn't have learned everything there is to know about music.

 

You are about to embark on a journey. Remember it is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy every step of the way. Learning to play music is a live enriching experience, and years later you will look back at the early frustrations and smile, and realize your life is better than it would have been if you hadn't learned to play a musical instrument.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

[tulsaslim]

Thinking it's easy (I tried to quote it but it wouldn't go).

 

That is THE best advise anyone ever gave. I have a slew of nieces & nephews who showed some interest in guitar only to quit when they realized they wouldn't be able to play like Van Halen in a week.

 

Understand that no matter how good you get you will never be as good as you want to be. When you learn to live with that understanding you'll be all right in the long run.

[cuthbertg]

All good stuff above.

 

1)My Grandad gave me a copy of The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer. It has everything you need to know in it. I still refer to it after neraly 20 years playing.

 

2) Get a tuner and learn to tune by ear - you cant bend properly if you don't know when you are hitting the right note.

 

3) if you are on a les paul, then I would leave it with gauge 10'strings on it and see how you get on. if you have trouble, then drop down to 9's. When starting out, it's easy to push lighter gauge strings out of tune when fretting. I started on an acoustic with strings like an egg slicer - never stopped me from playing to begin with, though it did start to hamper development after a few months.

 

4) You have got a great starters guitar - you are likely to keep hold of it for years. If you had got one of those starter packs, you would want to be rid of it within a year. Get it set up properly - ideally when you purchase it, but if you didn't. enjoy it for a few days/weeks and then get it set up (so you will see sa difference). You are 10 times more likely to pick your baby up more often she's in tune all the way up the neck etc - it also makes it easier to tune by ear correctly.

 

5) Learn a few chords and rythm basics, then get the chords to songs you like and have a sing song. This is the quickest way to get rythm going which is vital and you will enjoy it more playing songs you know. play them to other people, freind family as well. take some praise absorbtion - we all love it.

 

6) check out the blues - surely any aspiring guitarists first stop on the road to enlightenment?

 

7) Learn how to set up your own guitar - you'll enjoy it more if you can set it the way you want it.

[rafaelh]

On the other hand' date=' it's an incredibly pretentious guitar for someone just starting out.[/quote']

Non sense Dreamer...not applicable, most guitar players are to arrogant to know what that means :) ...just joking guys!

 

Anyhow get the best you can afford from the get go and cry once...besides if you would have bough a cheaper one it might have made it easier to toss it and surrender.

 

 

I catch myself trying to think of ways to get the guitar into the house without my roommate seeing it.

Ha!.....get married. Before you know it will be second nature.

 

 

Heaven forbid I go ask the guy at the music store for lessons and drag in this thing: he'll think I'm insane.

He'll probably think you are allot more serious about learning than if you came in there with a POS....anyhow don't sweat it' date=' it's your money not his.

 

I can't ask my friend's band if I can jam with them sometime' date=' because they'll see what I bought and think I'm nuts.[/quote]

They'll be more concern with what you can do with it rather than what you got....again don't sweat the little things...enjoy it!!

[ef_in_fla]

I'm nervous about putting it in a stand too' date=' where anyone can see it. All the friends I've told about my purchase, the reaction tends to be a dubious look and an incredulous: "....[i']why[/i]?" I guess I don't strike anyone as the rocker type.

 

Who cares? We're your friends now!! [-X/

[tintin]

I'm incredibly nervous about my guitar arriving.

 

As someone who can't play' date=' I'm nervous about putting it in a stand too, where anyone can see it. All the friends I've told about my purchase, the reaction tends to be a dubious look and an incredulous: "....[i']why[/i]?" I guess I don't strike anyone as the rocker type. No one (except my mom) has been excited for me.

 

It's not just a nice, modest starter's guitar. I got a black Epiphone Les Paul Ultra II. That's a lot of guitar. By all accounts it's an incredible guitar. It looks like a dream. I identify with it in a really cheesy way: it's insane but I see a lot of me in this thing. It sounds so stupid to say that, as far as I can tell, it's just perfect.

 

On the other hand, it's an incredibly pretentious guitar for someone just starting out. Starter packs complete with amps, straps, and stands come for much less then what I spent on this thing. I catch myself trying to think of ways to get the guitar into the house without my roommate seeing it. Heaven forbid I go ask the guy at the music store for lessons and drag in this thing: he'll think I'm insane. I can't ask my friend's band if I can jam with them sometime, because they'll see what I bought and think I'm nuts.

 

Is this something first-time guitar owners go through, is this just buyers remorse, or is something else going on here?

 

EDIT: Keep the advice coming! I won't be the last new owner to enter this forum and this thread should be mandatory reading for each and every one of them. There's a wealth of information here.

 

Hey- great taste in guitars! My Ultra-II was the first electric guitar I actually bought (got my Fender MIM Strat free

from my brother and my other LP I also got free thanks to GCs wacky policies.)

 

But anyway, have no remorse. Look at all the guitars owned by people on this forum, and we're not even on the Gibson forum or some other place where each guitar might cost $5000.00. If you're seriously interested in playing guitar, ya gotta have one you really like to play. Enjoy it!

[Steven Lister]

hey SID -- For an adult beginner, playing low-budget beginner guitars/practice amps is a really bad idea. I think that type gear is only suitable for young kids to thrash about. When you set out in earnest to fulfill a dream, you owe yourself a real chance - the best chance possible - to make that dream come true.

 

You have, through taste and good fortune, purchased an electric that also plays well unplugged -- so you have 2 guitars in 1 for your money. Wow, great start. Give it a fair chance -- it will become your dearest friend.

 

Also keep in mind that a lot of "good" advice may be wrong for you. For example, the guitar stand idea - good advice - but it never worked for me. I would just stare at how great my guitar looked and then practice a little, and then clean it a lot. After switching to hard case storage, my playing time increased 10x+. Reason -- taking out my guitar means that I am going to play now, and when I am finished it is cleaned and re-cased for tomorrow (oh yes, play every day by habit and soon you'll find that if you skip a day (well, b/c sh*t happens) you really miss playing and yearn to play your guitar, any guitar.

 

This art of playing requires a great degree of "feel" -- you have to feel your own way -- use what works for you, discard what doesn't and move forward without regret baggage. Here's another example: most say play songs - good advice - but I had to modify it for me. If it's someone else's song, I quickly lose interest trying to copy what they did/do. I will (we all do) borrow ideas from songs but except for my own songs, rarely do I play others start to finish. That would be a liability for cover-band bound players, and I used to feel uneasy about it around other players, but have accepted that having a 100+ cover song vocabulary was just not my path. Since giving up the guilt, I've played more, played better, and will...

 

Hit every BLUE NOTE baaaby..., I'm going to play on:-"

[Dave]

I agree with most everything that has been said.

 

* Learn to use ALL FOUR FINGERS!! Don't be a three finger lead player. You use all for fingers to make chords and you should use all four to solo. You will at first think that the little finger has no strength. That's true, but using the 4th finger will build strength in it and open up possibilities that won't exist, at least not easily, with three fingers. You can assist the little finger by using the 3rd to help in bends.

 

* Learn the scales and practice them. Play scales as a part of your practice session, at least the major, minor, and mixolydian/blues scales. It's boring at first, but doing so will open up vast possibilities for soloing. BTW, you NEED the little finger to do this well.

 

* Ditto on the guitar stand. A guitar in a case won't get played much. If you are worried about damage, keep it in a corner and teach the kids in the house that it is off limits until they get older.

 

* Earn Tablature. It's a vehicle for learning to play popular songs the right way.

 

* Practice Practice Practice!!!

[tintin]

Agree with above:

 

At first, I though scales were tedious and idiotic, but I've learned to really love 'em and understand

their incredible value. Great for warming up, using to develop solos, and understand music theory.

 

Most teaching I've seen, though, has recommended using the 3rd finger for bends rather than the 4th,

but whatever works!

[pohatu771]

I have similar thoughts about the guitar being too much for me... I'm taking Guitar II next semester (skipping Guitar I), but looking at what everyone else is playing - cheap Ibanez and Yamaha models, for the most part - I feel a little silly bringing my Martin.

 

I'll probably bring my cheap Martin-type acoustic for class... because it has an onboard tuner and I won't mind leaving it in the music department, rather than carry it to class every day. I'll keep the Martin in my room.

[pohatu771]

I have similar thoughts about the guitar being too much for me... I'm taking Guitar II next semester (skipping Guitar I), but looking at what everyone else is playing - cheap Ibanez and Yamaha models, for the most part - I feel a little silly bringing my Martin.

 

I'll probably bring my cheap Martin-type acoustic for class... because it has an onboard tuner and I won't mind leaving it in the music department, rather than carry it to class every day. I'll keep the Martin in my room.

[Birddog415]

I guess you could say I'm a new player too. I started late ...like a year and a half or so ago ...I'm 41 yrs old. I will say the guitar stand idea is a good one. I originally bought my son a guitar and he went to drums instead, so I inherited a guitar to mess with and the bug bit. Fast forward to my own 40th birthday , the lady I sold my first motorcycle to sold me one of her guitars on the cheap. messed around with both guitars and still was looking for a certain sound and feel. Fast forward again to only a couple months ago and aquired an Epi SG School of Rock edition. Feel , sound, all there. Keep up practicing no matter what and play what you can , and what you like. Try some ac/ dc licks as they are mostly power chords and a straight beat yet with a bluesey influence. Its better you bought a "nice" guitar as you'll probably play it more and those band member buds of yours might just try to talk you out of it for more than a few minutes. Have fun .

[Ron G]

The biggest and most common beginner mistake is to ask for advice here -

now you're more confused than before:-"