Learning To Play Guitar

[Moo2K4]

Hmm....perhaps, I'll go down this path. They're right down the road from my place of employment.

http://portlandclassicguitar.com/lessons.html

Does $30 per 1/2 hour ($120 per month) seem reasonable? I see people are learning classical guitar there. Is that a good way to break-in to learning to play the instrument?

Lessons are fine and all, but I'd wait before starting them, otherwise you're going to be paying someone to teach you basic chords, how to strum properly, etc., and you can learn all that for much cheaper using either books or online resources.

 

[DaRizzle]

Lessons are fine and all, but I'd wait before starting them, otherwise you're going to be paying someone to teach you basic chords, how to strum properly, etc., and you can learn all that for much cheaper using either books or online resources.

good technique is VERY important....gotta have good technique to progress in the future

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Hmm....perhaps, I'll go down this path. They're right down the road from my place of employment.

http://portlandclassicguitar.com/lessons.html

Does $30 per 1/2 hour ($120 per month) seem reasonable? I see people are learning classical guitar there. Is that a good way to break-in to learning to play the instrument?

Take a group class through the Clackamas County community ed, http://www.clackamas.edu/documents/CESchedule.pdf

Gladstone has guitar classes.

 

[BlayZa]

ive played for about 20yrs and most of the basics have been discussed already.

1. get a cheapie to start, a lot of people dont go thru with it and can be a waste of $ to deepend straight away. also, then if you do stick with it, the upgrade is going to feel AMAZING!
2. if there are some free classes to teach you some of the essentials, ie tuning, fretboard layout, scales, even alternative tunings - go check em out.
3. play some things you recognise and like - the buzz of being able to hear yourself play something that sounds right and that you dig goes a loooong way to keeping your attention.
4. practice to get your finger strength up.
5. hit up ultimate-guitar.com and check some tabs of classic songs out. just about everyone has rocked smoke on the water, smells like teen spirit and sunshine of your love - it's part of the institution

 

[Moo2K4]

good technique is VERY important....gotta have good technique to progress in the future

I'm well aware, but you can learn good technique on your own, I find no point in paying $30 for half an hour of lessons to be taught something that is easily learned by repetition and practice on your own.

Don't get me wrong, lessons are a great thing, but I find no point in taking them until you've got a basic understanding of the guitar.

 

[DaRizzle]

Group class....very good idea. Cheap and you will get the basics.

Check the local community college, they offer beginning guitar classes usually

 

[BlayZa]

so what gear is everyone rocking?

 

[Moo2K4]

I currently have a Ibanez ART2EX1, that I love given that it wasn't a huge price tag for how good of a guitar it has been for me. I have a crappy Line 6 amp that I'm going to get rid of for some type of tube amp next year (I've got my eye on a nice Fender one at Guitar Center), and then I have a few pedals - the Jekyll and Hyde distortion pedal, the Boss DD-7 Delay pedal, the Way Huge WHE401 Swollen Pickle for fuzz, and then a Morley Bad Horsee II for my wah. I also have a Digitech RP355 multi-effects pedal which I no longer use since I have the other pedals that sound exponentially better.

 

[MARIS61]

Classical guitar is a whole different beast with a whole different way of playing. Unless you want to specialize in only classical music I'd stay away from that until you're very comfortable with playing.

 

[Moo2K4]

Classical guitar is a whole different beast with a whole different way of playing. Unless you want to specialize in only classical music I'd stay away from that until you're very comfortable with playing.

To further what he said, classical guitar is basically all about finger picking, and it can be a giant pain in the ass to learn how to play. If that's what you're looking to do, go for it, but otherwise, I'd stray away from it if you're looking to play more modern stuff.

 

[MARIS61]

I believe Robbie Laws still teaches privately. He's a monster of a player and a really great guy besides. Plus, he lives about 3 miles from you on the eastside. Plays at the Trail's End in OC, Cascade Tavern and most of the other blues venues.

[video=youtube;EZeGiG7Chpc]
[video=youtube;LN9ZBMWdsX0]
[video=youtube;fCbBAO4U9wM]

 

[BlayZa]

ive got a few atm, i love epiphones though

electric

epiphone - black beauty
epiphone - LP Studio Silverburst
ibanez - GIO 7 string
cort - EVL -Z4
washburn - RX20

acoustic

art and lutherie - CW Cedar Black
takamine - D Series 213
some yamaha thing

Amps & Effects

marshall 15w practice amp
AXL 50w practice amp
Sovtek MIG 100 head
tubeworks 4x12 quad
Peavey 1x 15" Black Widow cab
have a bass rig too, peavey 400w head with 2x 4x10" cabs - in storage

effects.

sheesh....
electoharmonix - metal muff with top boost
digitech EX-7 (awesome!)
then a phase or delay of some kind, usually a mxr phase 90
ive got tons of other random pedals, turbo rat, dunlops wahs, boss metal zone II etc, tuners, pandora, zooms etc

RIG
Silverburst

INTO Sabine Tuner

INTO Digitech EX-7 Expression Factory

INTO Electorharmonix Metal Muff

INTO Sovtek MIG 100 + Cabs

 

[Moo2K4]

Your Epiphone looks almost exactly like my Ibanez, just has one extra knot and the toggle is in a different place. Otherwise, it's the exact same body shape with the exact same sunburst that's on my Ibanez,

 

[BlayZa]

yeah ive seen your ibanez ones in the shop, not a bad bang for buck guitar

 

[MARIS61]

Your Epiphone looks almost exactly like my Ibanez, just has one extra knot and the toggle is in a different place. Otherwise, it's the exact same body shape with the exact same sunburst that's on my Ibanez,

Originally, Ibanez became popular through selling illegally made copies of the most popular models of American guitars, and was eventually sued in 1977 by Gibson for copyright infringement. In 1978 they stopped copying and created their own designs.

 

[DaRizzle]

Ive always heard that metal muff pedal was good...

I have a Ibanez RG520QS in a brown quilted top, also replaced the bridge humbucker with a Seymour Duncan (forget model at the moment, think metal)
Boss GT-3 effect board
Crate Halfstack with solid state head & celestion speaker upgrade

Also have a Conn Acoustic guitar I bout used semi-recently...was made in 1970 and has very nice sound

 

[MARIS61]

Thinking of getting a Boss GT-10. How do you like your GT-3?

 

[BlayZa]

ive had a few boards in the past but what i ultimately found is the sound i ended up liking the most on the boards i could recreate better with individual stomp boxes. that's moreso for gigging, playing around at home the boards a fun tho

 

[Moo2K4]

Personally, I'd recommend just staying away from the multi-effects pedals. They're not bad given that you can get them for relatively inexpensive in comparison to what you'll shell out for individual pedals, but you'll get a much better sound out of individual pedals. Obviously, this is just my opinion, but most anyone that I've ever talked to has shared the same thing. If you're a serious guitar player, I'd definitely get away from the multi-effects at some point and start getting individual pedals to help create the sounds that you're looking for. Trust me, you won't regret doing so.

 

[ABM]

Went to check out guitars today at the Guitar Center with the worship leader from my church. After it was all said and done, I went with this one. It felt and sounded very good to me. In fact, he commented that it was just as nice as a $400 guitar he owns. (He owns a number of guitars, including a $4,000 custom made jobbie.)

Thanks everyone!!

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Mitchel...-Guitar-100176981-i1166436.gc?source=4WWRWXGB

 

[MARIS61]

Here's a little exercise to loosen your fingers up:

http://www.virtualsheetmusic.com/LookInside/BumbleeGuitar.html

 

[ABM]

Here's a little exercise to loosen your fingers up:

http://www.virtualsheetmusic.com/LookInside/BumbleeGuitar.html

Ya gotta love tunes in 2/4 time.

 

[BlayZa]

ive played one of those mitchells, not a bad guitar for the price - a good starting gat

enjoy!

 

[Denny Crane]

This is my 6 string acoustic:

 

[ABM]

This is my 6 string acoustic:

I just learned yesterday that the type of guitar your showing has a "cutaway" - designed so the player can handle high notes more easily.

 

[Denny Crane]

I just learned yesterday that the type of guitar your showing has a "cutaway" - designed so the player can handle high notes more easily.

It has a quarter inch jack so you can plug it into an amp, and volume, bass, treble, and brightness slider controls to adjust the sound.

I saw Kenny Loggins in concert about 10 years ago, and this is the guitar he played.

I bought it about 15 years ago for $1500.

Guild has always made great acoustic guitars. This one has steel strings and a thin neck and close action. A lot like an electric guitar. But it plays very much like an acoustic, and I haven't plugged it into an amp in probably 10 years.

 

[maxiep]

It has a quarter inch jack so you can plug it into an amp, and volume, bass, treble, and brightness slider controls to adjust the sound.

I saw Kenny Loggins in concert about 10 years ago, and this is the guitar he played.

I bought it about 15 years ago for $1500.

Guild has always made great acoustic guitars. This one has steel strings and a thin neck and close action. A lot like an electric guitar. But it plays very much like an acoustic, and I haven't plugged it into an amp in probably 10 years.

Interesting. I bought this Guild when I was playing a lot of acoustic slide

The neck is huge and the action is pretty high. I use 13-56 string gauges, which adds to the difficulty of playing. However, for slide playing and acoustic blues, it's terrific. Tons of bottom and terrific sustain. Not great for bluegrass, however.

 

[ABM]

When I was out looking around with my worship leader buddy, he told me that the sound actually comes (reverberates) from the the wood itself. That's why wood type is so important. All this time, I had thought the sound was echoing back out from the inside of the box. He also told me that acoustic guitars will "season" over time. Therefore, prices on some older guitars can be staggering.

 

[Denny Crane]

I have one of these. It's incredible to play. It's lightweight and feels small, but has all the frets. Great action, tremolo bar, 3 switchable pickups.

 

[GriLtCheeZ]

I have one of these. It's incredible to play. It's lightweight and feels small, but has all the frets. Great action, tremolo bar, 3 switchable pickups.