Search options (Page 2 of 3)

If you are a beginner like me or a seasoned pro like some, I was just wondering what tunes you are working on right now? Or what songs do you really like to play?

I have been practicing the beginners "F" chord. You know, the "C" shaped, non-barred variation.
Been working through a few Old 97's songs like "The New Kid", "The Magician" and "Curtain Calls".

Ever since I learned my open chords I have been trying to nail this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcR4Y1ik6rg

I know the chords well enough and can make the changes from Am to C to G to D to Em but at my own speed. In the inro of this video he is playing G, D , Em, C ..at NASCAR speed. What kind of srumming pattern is this? It looks like he is using more of his wrist than the up and down arm pendullum motion I was taught.

Another problem I am having is the singing. I can't match the speed of my words to the speed or rhythmn of the playing. Is this song too difficult for a beginner? I picked it because it has the chords I know but it doesn't seem to be as easy as something like "Who'll Stop the Rain".

Any help, tips, tricks and advice would be appreciated.

Is it possible to learn how to play or improve your playing by by trying to play what you hear on the radio?

There are times when I am driving and I hear a song and I think of the strum pattern or the rhythmn of the song and try to duplicate the sound on my guitar.

Sometimes I feel like I use the same old strum pattern all the time. I guess at the very least listening to songs on the radio or iPod playlist can get me to think about different rythmns or harmonies.

After seeing Rhett Miller of the Old 97's play solo acoustic live I was amazed that one person could produce the same type of high energy that the entire band does.

Rhett Miller is my guitar inspiration. I have only been learning for about a little over a year and a half and I have a long way to go.

I come to this forum seeking advice and help(a lot). I do not know any other guitar players to bounce things off so it is helpful to toss a question or two out here and read the kind words of reply.

If you could please, watch this video and help me break down what he is doing. His strumming pattern is crazy to me but to more advanced players it may not seem so. Are there any little tricks he is doing to get that sound besides playing like a madman? Your thoughts and experienced guitar playing advice is appreciated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYvctTRoutg

The place I bought my guitar from will restring it for free. The only cost is the price of the strings. The other day I dropped it off and asked them to put Martin Lights on it. When I picked it up I discovered it had Extra Lights put on(he gave me my old strings back in the Extra Lights package).

Comparing the Light and Extra Light packaging here is the difference on each set:

Lights
E- 1st .012
B- 2nd .016
G- 3rd .025
D- 4th .032
A- 5th .042
E- 6th .054

Extra Lights
E- 1st .010
B- 2nd .014
G- 3rd .023
D- 4th .030
A- 5th .039
E- 6th .047

What do these sizes actually mean? Does it matter? Should I just shut up and play?

Hi all,

I have been learning to play acoustic guitar since January 2009. I own a Johnson JG-100. It was $70 and was meant to be a beginner (student) guitar. Yesterday I went to Guitar Center and played with some of the more expensive Gibsons and Martins. They sounded amazing! My playing is not good but the more expensive guitars produce such an incredible sound. Why is that? Is it the strings or the overall construction of the guitar? Its kind of a let down when I get home and can not get the same sound out of my cheaper guitar. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Hello!

Is anyone familiar with the song "Misirlou" popularized by Dick Dale and his Del-Tones. It is also know as the theme to "Pulp Fiction" You can see how amazing Dick Dale was here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIU0RMV_II8

I would like to learn this type of stuff but I have only been at the acoustic steel string for nine months. It is kind of fun to mess around and play with new things though.

There is an Old 97's song called "Dance with Me". Please give a listen to it here:

http://www.myspace.com/theold97s

Ken Bethea is the Old 97's lead guitar and he is incredible. "Dance with Me" has a sound very similar to"Misirlou". The intro and main chords are Am and E. I pretty much have this down (yes, I am that good..just kidding).

"Dance with Me" chords:
http://chordie.com/chord.pere/www.guita … 70542.html

I found chords to "Misirlue" here:
http://www.emuzeki.com/Tablature/MisirluChords.htm

I also found that if I strum E then slide down a fret then another it produces a kind of Johnny Rivers "Secret Agent Man" sound. This is the stuff I am jazzed up about right now and if anyone knows any others I could try please let me know.

I am having trouble reading TABs. Chords are a lot easier for me to figure out. Are there any secrets to reading TABs and playing them fast? I know I have a long way to go before I even come close to sounding like Dick Dale, The Ventures or even Agent Orange or The Dead Kennedys ...but I am having fun just trying to make a sound.

There is a question at the end of this rant. Thank you for your patience.

As I have mentioned before I was taking lessons from January until July of this year. My main intention was to learn enough about the guitar to be able to pick it up and play at the campfire this summer. My lessons stated out by learning the strings and how to read notes by plucking out little tunes like "Jingle Bells" and "Aura Lee".  That was all well and good. What kind of fool would I be if I didn't take advantage of a little "music theory" while learning how to play. The thing is I wanted to learn chords so I could play the songs I wanted to play. I picked songs like "Leaving on a Jet Plane", "I Fought the Law" and "Ring of Fire" so I could learn basic chords. I really wanted to learn "Won't Be Home" by The Old 97's and practiced that along with the others. I got the A chord down for songs like "The Bucket" by Kings of Leon and "Stumble In" by Sleepercar. During that time I was doing the basic down strum when one day it clicked and I began to experiment with a faster up and down strum. At this point I knew the chords and could make my changes fast enough. By July I was strumming out more Old 97's tunes for my family at the campfire. I have been adding more Old 97's songs to my list. Now I can play "Weightless", "Victoria", Designs on You" and "Our Love" by Rhett Miller(lead singer of the Old 97's). By the way, if you have never heard of any of these songs, you should check them out.

I decided to have a look at Justin’s Beginner guitar course for structured way of learning instead of the sort of backwards way I learned. I am a little embarrassed to say that I did not know the E chord and I like that he suggests keeping your first finger on the 3rd string to help you change chords faster. After going over D, A and E he gives you two easy songs to learn. With the song “Peggy Sue" he has you do all down strums.

Here comes the question, can I play this strumming up and down?