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Post by colchar on Jun 17, 2010 11:37:28 GMT -5
He started out by discussing guitar, why I wanted to learn how to play, what my goals were, etc.
He then asked me to play chords that I knew just so that he could see where I was at with those. He then showed me easier ways to play some chords such playing the A major chord as a barre chord rather than with three fingers which I had previously been avoiding doing as my barre chords sound like hell but he watched my fingers closely and said not to worry, that he could see I was capable of doing it, and that doing them properly would come in time.
He then asked me to play some simple stuff using single notes to see where I was at with that.
We then worked on chords and chord changes and he wrote out the chords he would like me to try to memorize (some majors, some minors, and some dominant 7ths). We tried each of them individually and then he wrote out some exercises for me to work on between lessons which are designed to improve my chord changes. We went over those exercises once or twice and then started discussing reading music. Before I knew it the lesson was over!
He also had me playing through a tube amp he has set up there and it sounded soooooo much better than a SS amp that I now want one bad. Even a cheap tube amp to get me by for the moment would make me happy so I'm now searching around for one.
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Post by colchar on Jun 14, 2010 21:26:48 GMT -5
The guy I've picked does one hour lessons but he does them every two weeks rather than every week so it works out the same over the course of a month.
I had the first lesson tonight and really liked the guy. He explains things well, is very easy going, and made the lesson enjoyable. I've got some stuff to work on over the next two weeks but I'm already looking forward to my next lesson!
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Post by colchar on Jun 11, 2010 12:33:24 GMT -5
Thanks folks. I've found a guy reasonably close to here so we'll see how things go with him.
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Post by colchar on Jun 11, 2010 12:32:28 GMT -5
Thanks. I'll keep my eyes open for that review. Then again, by the time they post it mine will probably have arrived!
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Post by colchar on Jun 9, 2010 11:02:19 GMT -5
Never tried an Orange Crush Pix - got a so-so three star review in this months guitarist magazine - not that that means much Could you post a link to that review? I've tried to find it but haven't been able to thus far. I've read some other reviews that were very complimentary but would still like to see the one you mentioned.
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Post by colchar on Jun 8, 2010 11:51:50 GMT -5
This may be a dumb question but...
I've decided that trying to teach myself is just too frustrating and am going to take some lessons with a real guitar teacher but I am not sure what length of lesson to take. Should I take half hour lessons or full hour lessons? I always thought that full hour lessons would make sense as they would be more economical and you would get more teaching during that hour but a couple of people have mentioned that half hour lessons are the way to go so that you don't get bogged down with too much info each lesson.
What would people here recommend?
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Post by colchar on Jun 7, 2010 21:32:25 GMT -5
Jimmy Page.
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Post by colchar on Jun 7, 2010 21:27:40 GMT -5
While I am inclined to say Page or Duane Allman I am going to go with Chuck Berry because, without him, where would we be?
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Post by colchar on May 31, 2010 21:26:54 GMT -5
I have some questions about learning songs that I feel like a real idiot for asking but figured I would do so anyway. I was talking to my roommate (he’s played guitar for 15 years and is really rather good) about playing simple songs in order to get some sense of accomplishment rather than just constantly practising scales, etc. He commented that, at times, he thinks I’m channelling my inner piano teacher when he sees me playing scales and other exercises and that it would be a great idea to learn a couple of simple songs straight through so as to make practising more interesting and, ultimately, more entertaining (he mentioned that learning his first song really opened things up for him and encouraged him to keep going). To that end, I grabbed a book of 3-chord songs while we were in the music store today and I’m going to add learning songs into my learning/practise routine. However, when looking at the songs in the book I cannot figure out exactly how to read what is there and to translate it into music - this is the part that makes me feel like an idiot. My roommate has gone away for work for a couple of days so I can’t ask him until he gets back and I figured I’d ask here. Looking at the images below (for I Love Rock ‘n Roll) how many times would I play the E5 chord in the intro? Do I play it once and let it ring? Or do I play it more than once? And what about in the first verse - how many times do I play the E5 chord in that first line? And what about the A5 when it is first used – do I play it once or more than once? Unfortunately, the book doesn’t include any info on strumming patterns or how to figure out the timings of the songs and I am rather lost so any help people here can give would be greatly appreciated. Also, I tried listening to the song but there seems to be no correlation between what is in the book and what is actually played (eg. when the intro starts there are at least two chords played while the book only lists the E5 chord). Sorry for the stupid questions but, as I said, I’ve never before looked at a song written in this manner so have absolutely no idea what to do. Here are the pages from the book:
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Post by colchar on May 29, 2010 1:05:58 GMT -5
My Orange won't be in for 2-3 weeks but, once I get it and try it out, I'll post something here. Here is a link to the one I ordered (they also come in black tolex and look amazing but I wasn't willing to wait any extra time just to get a black one - plus the orange colour looks unique!): www.thomann.de/gb/orange_cr20ldx.htm
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Post by colchar on May 26, 2010 20:06:50 GMT -5
I've just ordered an Orange Crush PiX CR20LDX (Crush PiX is the new Orange Crush range of amps) and cannot wait until it arrives. From what I've seen of them, they are great and you might want to consider something from that series.
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Post by colchar on Apr 20, 2010 15:00:10 GMT -5
Not trying to resurrect a dead thread or anything but I figured this would best be posted here as it is a continuation of our previous discussion.
For those who recommended that I buy a tube amp I was wondering what everyone thought of the Peavey Valve King Royal 8?
I have found one that I can get for $100-$125(Canadian) which is about half the price of a new one and was thinking of picking it up just to try it out. As a grad student I can't really justify anything more expensive at the moment so thought this might be an idea to see what models like this are like without costing myself too much money. If it turns out I don't like this style of amp I can always sell it without losing too much cash (or I can do the same when I upgrade to a better one later on).
My other alternative is to return my little Marshall MG15 to the store where I bought it and pay the difference between that and a new Orange CR20LDX which is a lot better than my Marshall and will do me for now until I am out of grad school and can more easily afford to throw money around on gear.
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Post by colchar on Apr 20, 2010 13:57:50 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice everyone - I think I'll mess around a bit over the next day or two in order to find a spot for bracing and a style of picking that is comfortable to me. This is more difficult than I thought. I am having a real issue finding a technique with which I am both comfortable and confident. But I'll keep plugging away at it...
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Post by colchar on Apr 19, 2010 18:15:42 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice everyone - I think I'll mess around a bit over the next day or two in order to find a spot for bracing and a style of picking that is comfortable to me.
I will also try to get into the habit of only using two fingers on the pick as I don't want to develop any lousy habits now that are going to come back and bite me later on.
As for picks - when using two fingers I prefer a heavy pick (I tend to use Fender Heavy picks) but when using three fingers I am fairly comfortable using a medium gauge pick (just generic ones from my local music store).
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Post by colchar on Apr 19, 2010 13:15:42 GMT -5
Hey All, I have some questions about picking.
First of all, I tend to hold the pick with my thumb, first, and middle fingers just because it is more comfortable. Are there really any drawbacks to using this method? I know people like Eddie Van Halen, James Hetfield, etc. use three fingers so I don't see this as a big deal but almost everything I read says not to do this.
Second, when picking should one brace their picking hand against the guitar? I tend not to do this but have recently started the Learn & Master Guitar course in which bracing is recommended. The problem is that I find bracing to be extremely awkward - is it necessary for a beginner? Also, I find bracing more difficult when holding the pick as I do and slightly less awkward when using only the thumb and first finger.
Third, where is the ideal place to strike the strings? If I brace my hand I find it more comfortable to do so by resting it on the bridge but then I am only striking the strings immediately above the bridge pickup. If I do not rest my hand there I can more easily strike the strings above the gap between the pickups (I play an SG so it only has two pickups).
As usual any answers, and any other picking advice, would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
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