Learning guitar - need some tips. - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

CityOfAngels · 08-16-2005, 10:57 AM

My first question: How the heck do I do those chords that require you to have all strings pressed down? I can't get my index finger to keep them all down. Some will be down, while others will either rattle or not produce any sound at all. Any tips regarding this?

AVoiceOfReason · 08-16-2005, 11:36 AM

It takes practice to get your index finger where it will keep all of the strings down. You MAY be able to cheat in the beginning and put your thumb on the top bass string --if you are playing an F formation, for example.

The other thing that comes to mind is that your guitar may not have the easy action necessary to be able to do it; my first one wasn't, as the strings were set high above the fretboard. In such a case, you can play the chord, but don't hit the top string.

ratbastid · 08-16-2005, 11:48 AM

It sounds to me like you're talking about bar chords. I wouldn't start out there. Learn the complete set of open chords for all the naturals. It'll make a big difference for you to understand the relationships of the open chords when you start putting them on top of bars, and you'll have built up the hand strength by then to do bar chords.

My rule, when I teach people to play guitar, is: once you can play an open F, THEN you can start doing bar chords.

jmf1234 · 08-16-2005, 01:11 PM

Yeah, bar chords require little knowledge of how to do them, and hella practice. you just over time adapt and you can produce the sound. Like I recently changed the strings on my acoustic to Madd high gage and I kept getting harsh buzzing, but after afew days I got it, its like a habitat, you just gotta ease into it. and definitly agree on the whole open chord deal. I mean I dont know if you are doing any theory or whatever, but learning about what the chords are and stuff helps big time, cause there is alot of different shapes, its cool stuff man. Props for being a musician, musicians and artists get at least 50 more cool points than other people

AVoiceOfReason · 08-16-2005, 01:57 PM

Reading this reminds me of when my nephew was learning to play. He had all the basic chords down, and I showed him how to play bar chords:

"Here, you play the F chord at the fifth position and you have an A. Now, drop that fourth finger in there and you can switch the A to an E in the Bb position."

Short pause.

"You can DO that?" he asked, eyes getting wide.

"Sure, and I'll show you the D positions, too."

In that evening, I opened a new world for him. I wrote down which chords were on each fret, and he took it from there. I can't begin to play as well as he can now. He's been playing in a local band now for years, and when I hear him, I lean over to whoever is close and say: "I taught him everything I know."

slant eyes · 08-30-2005, 11:54 AM

*raises hand* ooh ooh, can someone teach me?

so inside scoop and i hope this doesn't get out. i've been picking up the guitar on and off mostly not learning a thing and not long enough to develop calouses. but i really want to learn to play.

a while back, my brother and his now fiance were at a green day concert, the lights went out as if the show was over and while people were about to get up, a single light shines on stage on billy joel and he is playing the acoustic version of good riddance, time of your life. it was awesome. well, next april, they are getting married and i'm to be the best man so i thought it would be some way a present from me to learn it secretly and re-enact the whole thing. a close friend of ours, who is also in the bridal party, is learning to play the violin part.

so with that said, does any one have any pointers or any sites to learn? i know i'm pressing myself and maybe learning in the wrong order, but i think it would be fuckin awesome to do this for them. thanks

guthmund · 08-30-2005, 12:57 PM

Very cool, slant, very cool.

Good Riddance was one of the first songs I learned to play. I was taught by a bunch of stoners at a local guitar shop.

If, however, that's not your thing (

), whenever I look for tab, I tend to visit Olga.net, guitartabs.cc, and guitarnotes.com. Olga has just about everything, guitartabs lets the users rate the tabs, so that helps in finding a decent one and guitarnotes has a lot of the older stuff. There are tons of pretty good tab sites out there, but if all else fails a quick google search usually turns up a pretty decent fan site that usually has pretty accurate work.

David Hodge also has some killer stuff to read through at guitarnoise.com. I don't think any of Green Day's stuff is there, but his articles are definately worth a read through and the forums are a veritable treasure trove of information.

As for power chords...whew. To play them 'right' there are so many things to consider: finger strength & length, the kind of strings, how much 'play' is in the strings themselves, how high (or low) the strings set above the fretboard, etc, etc... It took me a while to get them and I still have problems with them five years later. I have short fingers, so I tend to cheat them (play only the top 4 strings) when I can get away with it.

spectre · 08-30-2005, 03:47 PM

slant: definitely go with what guthmund recommending. I personally like going to taborama.

Charlatan · 08-31-2005, 06:07 AM

This is good to hear... I've been teaching myself to play and I just can't get the damn bar chords...

I'm just going to keep working on my open chords... more fun. Less stress.

Zephyr66 · 08-31-2005, 05:00 PM

I'm not much of a guitarist when it comes to playing chords, which is why I stick to bass. But my suggestion for anyone learning guitar is to check out the guitar pro 4 software, very, very useful. you can download a trial(which is all you need if you aren't writing) from www.guitar-pro.com and tabs for most songs are at www.mysongbook.com
I really hate to site plug, but I find it VERY helpful.

drainpipe · 08-31-2005, 06:02 PM

I like this thread as I'm just beginning to learn how to play.

What are some chords that you guys recommend learning? I know the first 8: E, Em, A, Am, D, B, G, C, and am working on open F, which I almost have. Any other really useful ones?

Also, I have an acoustic guitar (for the class at my school), but I hope to play metal. Is there anything you guys would recommend me learn on the accoustic that would help with playing metal?

Is there anything you guys might recommend to help with right hand mechanics? I don't have a pick, but I've substituted a paperclip for one. I'm also fingerpicking.

Is the learning progression basically just learning new songs and chords?

jujueye · 08-31-2005, 08:14 PM

Well, this is pretty far off, but this guy made me laugh so hard. I'm sure what he's doing is technically difficult, but...what a spaz! Pay extra attention to the super spazout at about 18 seconds...

http://www/metalmethod.com/audio-vid...-lesson-03.wmv

tspikes51 · 09-01-2005, 12:52 PM

Bar chords (or "barre" chords) are actually easy to learn once you get the finger strength down, but learning them before anything else will most definitely hinder your development. Learn all of your major and minor (you'll see quite a few bars in there, but just do what you can) and your major, minor, and pentatonic scales. Then move into the now easier power and bar chords.

slant eyes · 09-01-2005, 02:39 PM

thanks for the tips guys.

drainpipe: if you need a pick, i have lots. i work as a stage hand for concerts and have accumulated lots from various artists. some with duplicates and what not. but if you need one, pm me with your addy and i'll send you one. from one beginning guitarist to another.

good luck and have fun playing

drainpipe · 09-02-2005, 11:49 AM

Thanks for the offer slant eyes, but I'm going back to school in a few weeks, and I'm sure I can find a spare pick on a college campus.

08-16-2005, 10:57 AM	#1 (permalink)
CityOfAngels Oh shit it's Wayne Brady! Location: Passenger seat of Wayne Brady's car.	Learning guitar - need some tips. My first question: How the heck do I do those chords that require you to have all strings pressed down? I can't get my index finger to keep them all down. Some will be down, while others will either rattle or not produce any sound at all. Any tips regarding this?

08-16-2005, 11:36 AM	#2 (permalink)
AVoiceOfReason Psycho Location: Greenwood, Arkansas	It takes practice to get your index finger where it will keep all of the strings down. You MAY be able to cheat in the beginning and put your thumb on the top bass string --if you are playing an F formation, for example. The other thing that comes to mind is that your guitar may not have the easy action necessary to be able to do it; my first one wasn't, as the strings were set high above the fretboard. In such a case, you can play the chord, but don't hit the top string. __________________ AVOR A Voice Of Reason, not necessarily the ONLY one.

08-16-2005, 01:11 PM	#4 (permalink)
jmf1234 Insane Location: Steel City ( the 'Burgh)	Yeah, bar chords require little knowledge of how to do them, and hella practice. you just over time adapt and you can produce the sound. Like I recently changed the strings on my acoustic to Madd high gage and I kept getting harsh buzzing, but after afew days I got it, its like a habitat, you just gotta ease into it. and definitly agree on the whole open chord deal. I mean I dont know if you are doing any theory or whatever, but learning about what the chords are and stuff helps big time, cause there is alot of different shapes, its cool stuff man. Props for being a musician, musicians and artists get at least 50 more cool points than other people __________________ Let's go Pitt, we're set for victory Sex is like bridge: If you don't have a good partner, you better have a good hand. -- Charles Pierce

08-16-2005, 01:57 PM	#5 (permalink)
AVoiceOfReason Psycho Location: Greenwood, Arkansas	Reading this reminds me of when my nephew was learning to play. He had all the basic chords down, and I showed him how to play bar chords: "Here, you play the F chord at the fifth position and you have an A. Now, drop that fourth finger in there and you can switch the A to an E in the Bb position." Short pause. "You can DO that?" he asked, eyes getting wide. "Sure, and I'll show you the D positions, too." In that evening, I opened a new world for him. I wrote down which chords were on each fret, and he took it from there. I can't begin to play as well as he can now. He's been playing in a local band now for years, and when I hear him, I lean over to whoever is close and say: "I taught him everything I know." __________________ AVOR A Voice Of Reason, not necessarily the ONLY one. Last edited by AVoiceOfReason; 08-16-2005 at 02:02 PM..

08-30-2005, 11:54 AM	#6 (permalink)
slant eyes Psycho Location: cali	raises hand ooh ooh, can someone teach me? so inside scoop and i hope this doesn't get out. i've been picking up the guitar on and off mostly not learning a thing and not long enough to develop calouses. but i really want to learn to play. a while back, my brother and his now fiance were at a green day concert, the lights went out as if the show was over and while people were about to get up, a single light shines on stage on billy joel and he is playing the acoustic version of good riddance, time of your life. it was awesome. well, next april, they are getting married and i'm to be the best man so i thought it would be some way a present from me to learn it secretly and re-enact the whole thing. a close friend of ours, who is also in the bridal party, is learning to play the violin part. so with that said, does any one have any pointers or any sites to learn? i know i'm pressing myself and maybe learning in the wrong order, but i think it would be fuckin awesome to do this for them. thanks __________________ no man or woman is worth your tears - and the one who is, won't make you cry question authority, don't ask why, just do it!

08-16-2005, 11:48 AM	#3 (permalink)
ratbastid Darth Papa Location: Yonder	It sounds to me like you're talking about bar chords. I wouldn't start out there. Learn the complete set of open chords for all the naturals. It'll make a big difference for you to understand the relationships of the open chords when you start putting them on top of bars, and you'll have built up the hand strength by then to do bar chords. My rule, when I teach people to play guitar, is: once you can play an open F, THEN you can start doing bar chords.

08-30-2005, 12:57 PM	#7 (permalink)
guthmund big damn hero	Very cool, slant, very cool. Good Riddance was one of the first songs I learned to play. I was taught by a bunch of stoners at a local guitar shop. If, however, that's not your thing ( ), whenever I look for tab, I tend to visit Olga.net, guitartabs.cc, and guitarnotes.com. Olga has just about everything, guitartabs lets the users rate the tabs, so that helps in finding a decent one and guitarnotes has a lot of the older stuff. There are tons of pretty good tab sites out there, but if all else fails a quick google search usually turns up a pretty decent fan site that usually has pretty accurate work. David Hodge also has some killer stuff to read through at guitarnoise.com. I don't think any of Green Day's stuff is there, but his articles are definately worth a read through and the forums are a veritable treasure trove of information. As for power chords...whew. To play them 'right' there are so many things to consider: finger strength & length, the kind of strings, how much 'play' is in the strings themselves, how high (or low) the strings set above the fretboard, etc, etc... It took me a while to get them and I still have problems with them five years later. I have short fingers, so I tend to cheat them (play only the top 4 strings) when I can get away with it. __________________ No signature. None. Seriously.

08-30-2005, 03:47 PM	#8 (permalink)
spectre Junkie	slant: definitely go with what guthmund recommending. I personally like going to taborama. __________________ "Fuck these chains No goddamn slave I will be different" ~ Machine Head

08-31-2005, 06:07 AM	#9 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	This is good to hear... I've been teaching myself to play and I just can't get the damn bar chords... I'm just going to keep working on my open chords... more fun. Less stress. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

08-31-2005, 05:00 PM	#10 (permalink)
Zephyr66 My custom title's the shit! Location: Canada	I'm not much of a guitarist when it comes to playing chords, which is why I stick to bass. But my suggestion for anyone learning guitar is to check out the guitar pro 4 software, very, very useful. you can download a trial(which is all you need if you aren't writing) from www.guitar-pro.com and tabs for most songs are at www.mysongbook.com I really hate to site plug, but I find it VERY helpful.

08-31-2005, 06:02 PM	#11 (permalink)
drainpipe Tilted	I like this thread as I'm just beginning to learn how to play. What are some chords that you guys recommend learning? I know the first 8: E, Em, A, Am, D, B, G, C, and am working on open F, which I almost have. Any other really useful ones? Also, I have an acoustic guitar (for the class at my school), but I hope to play metal. Is there anything you guys would recommend me learn on the accoustic that would help with playing metal? Is there anything you guys might recommend to help with right hand mechanics? I don't have a pick, but I've substituted a paperclip for one. I'm also fingerpicking. Is the learning progression basically just learning new songs and chords?

08-31-2005, 08:14 PM	#12 (permalink)
jujueye alpaca lunch for the trip Location: in my computer	Well, this is pretty far off, but this guy made me laugh so hard. I'm sure what he's doing is technically difficult, but...what a spaz! Pay extra attention to the super spazout at about 18 seconds... http://www/metalmethod.com/audio-vid...-lesson-03.wmv

09-01-2005, 12:52 PM	#13 (permalink)
tspikes51 Fuckin' A Location: Lex Vegas	Bar chords (or "barre" chords) are actually easy to learn once you get the finger strength down, but learning them before anything else will most definitely hinder your development. Learn all of your major and minor (you'll see quite a few bars in there, but just do what you can) and your major, minor, and pentatonic scales. Then move into the now easier power and bar chords. __________________ "I'm telling you, we need to get rid of a few people or a million." -Maddox

09-01-2005, 02:39 PM	#14 (permalink)
slant eyes Psycho Location: cali	thanks for the tips guys. drainpipe: if you need a pick, i have lots. i work as a stage hand for concerts and have accumulated lots from various artists. some with duplicates and what not. but if you need one, pm me with your addy and i'll send you one. from one beginning guitarist to another. good luck and have fun playing __________________ no man or woman is worth your tears - and the one who is, won't make you cry question authority, don't ask why, just do it!

09-02-2005, 11:49 AM	#15 (permalink)
drainpipe Tilted	Thanks for the offer slant eyes, but I'm going back to school in a few weeks, and I'm sure I can find a spare pick on a college campus.