Help anyone - I'm Stuck! (Page 1 of 2)

new to forums , but what you said about strumming rang  a bell,. played for a couple of years 20 years ago, then out the blue bought a guitar about a year ago, started to get tabs etc , but the lead was never my thing , but intros  and alike open up a whole new sound to your song, a simple intro about 6 notes, usually round about the first chord does the trick, little more melody  at the chorus and the song sounds a whole lot better.                                                   Any help with my problem? I can sit in front of my PC with lyrics, chords and sing away, but take my eye of the screen or try and play the song the next day, my memory goes a blank.Peter

Oh and Peter, same problem here. But the thing is that now we (?? I, at least) have to think too much about the playing. I believe that once i can play as blind as i can type, i can remember songs just because my *ears* tell my fingers what to do, and not my head. To give you an example, i can type very fast, and i don't have to think about that anymore. In reality, IF i think about it, i cannot type anymore <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_smile.gif" border=0 alt="Smile"> and i hear guitarplayers doing things i can never even analyze!!! but i believe it's the same thing, practice practice... blabla.. the dull stuff.. but it really helps. Play guitar in the dark some time and see how far you come. Try to get your head off of the playing.. or keep on practicing untill your head does not need to interfere anymore.. i'm a believer now haha <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_smile.gif" border=0 alt="Smile"> well, since one month of practicin dull stuff i'm really improving MUCHOS! also the remembering of chords (i can actually find out how the song really goes by listening).. <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_eek.gif" border=0 alt="Shocked">

While it is imperative that you come to know your guitar's neck intimately and which scales fit over which chords, the legendary guitar players play what they <b>feel</b>, and not what notes they know will fit over the chords.  That's why they're legends and we're not.  You need to listen to a progression and then hear in your head what notes you want to play to communicate a feeling.  This is impossible to do if you're still struggling with chord changes and/or scales, because you're still consumed by the mecahnics of guitar playing and unable to split your focus to let the music carry you.  Once your playing becomes second nature you'll be able to translate your knowlege into something that your audience will feel with you.

First of all, apologies in advance to anyone who will be offended by this post. You all who have responded are so off the mark. Let me begin by saying that i am a professional player with over 30 years of experience. I play every week, usually 3-4 nights, I have a crack band that performs over 600 songs. (www.theconvertiblesband.net). I also teach both classical violin and rock guitar. So here's the real deal:

First of all, those posters who suggested learning theory are absolutely right. Scales and arpeggios are the basic building blocks. Scale patterns and little fragments of melodies are advanced building blocks. You guys who claim to practice "improv" are full of crap. You cannot improvise if you don't know what you are playing. It is partially true that it "doesn't have to be in the scale to sound good"....but who is to say what sounds good? Some composers in the 20th century thought that if you sat down on the piano keyboard and simultaneously struck 30 adjacent keys that cacophony sounded "good".

The key is to play melodies, melodic content. Raw improv usually sounds like garbage...sorry if you spend 5 hours a day making up crap. I probably shouldn't say that because if you truly spend 30 -35 hours a week you are bound to come up with SOME good stuff. But it's like the analogy of 100 monkeys sitting at typewriters randomly typing...eventually they are going to type the Gettysburg address.

Melodies are made up of scales, arpeggios and other compositional techniques...inversions, reversals, elongations and truncations of little melodic ideas....

Scales are very useful in learning how notes function with regard to each other and how they fit over a chord progression, but don't over simplify the word "scale". You must remember (here'a a bit of theory): Each scale has 7 MODES affiliated with it, and each mode is a scale and a "key center" unto itself. Each mode has a "flavor"...each mode conveys a "mood".

The legendary players DO play what they "feel", and they are able to do this because their technique is superior and they DO know what notes will fit over a certain chord. Part of this is the result of hours of practicing, and part is connection with what we call "the muse"....the creative force of the universe that infiltrates those of us who call upon it. (Sounds goofy and corny..but it is true.) However, you can hum the most coolest melody, the most awesome riffs that you hear in your head and FEEL, but without the technique to bring them to life, you are dead in the water.

I encourage all my students (24 in all) to practice with records they like - learn other people's licks, learn the signature licks to your favorite songs, to practice with a metronome (time keeper) so they can start slowly and day by day crank up the speed.

Playing music is like telling a story. You have to have a good vocabulary to tell a good story. Imagine if you only knew 15 words. What kind of a story could you tell? NOT MUCH. And those of you who think you are "improvising" and making stuff up, try making up words that don't exist and see what kind of story you can tell....

There is only one way to get better....PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.

Good Luck to you.

I think I said exactly what JeffroFiddlemaster said... without the hostility.  I got my first guitar when the Beatles hit the scene and learned to play by ear.  After 40 years I have the theory and technical aspects of my playing style pretty well mastered.  But the improvised solos and fills my bandmate plays (and he's played as long as I have) often sound more melodic to me than my own. His "feel" is better than mine on average, but he envies my technical skill.  So we both have our strengths and weaknesses, and that makes our playing styles complement each other.  I can play Clapton's Cream solos note for note, but if I had to create them from scratch my phrasing and melody could never compete with his ability.

<table border="0" align="center" width="90%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td class="SmallText"><b>JeffroFiddlemaster wrote on Mon, 04 September 2006 03&#58;38</b></td></tr><tr><td class="quote">
First of all, apologies in advance to anyone who will be offended by this post. You all who have responded are so off the mark. Let me begin by saying that i am a professional player with over 30 years of experience. I play every week, usually 3-4 nights, I have a crack band that performs over 600 songs. (www.theconvertiblesband.net). I also teach both classical violin and rock guitar. So here's the real deal:

First of all, those posters who suggested learning theory are absolutely right. Scales and arpeggios are the basic building blocks. Scale patterns and little fragments of melodies are advanced building blocks. You guys who claim to practice "improv" are full of crap. You cannot improvise if you don't know what you are playing. It is partially true that it "doesn't have to be in the scale to sound good"....but who is to say what sounds good? Some composers in the 20th century thought that if you sat down on the piano keyboard and simultaneously struck 30 adjacent keys that cacophony sounded "good".

The key is to play melodies, melodic content. Raw improv usually sounds like garbage...sorry if you spend 5 hours a day making up crap. I probably shouldn't say that because if you truly spend 30 -35 hours a week you are bound to come up with SOME good stuff. But it's like the analogy of 100 monkeys sitting at typewriters randomly typing...eventually they are going to type the Gettysburg address.

Melodies are made up of scales, arpeggios and other compositional techniques...inversions, reversals, elongations and truncations of little melodic ideas....

Scales are very useful in learning how notes function with regard to each other and how they fit over a chord progression, but don't over simplify the word "scale". You must remember (here'a a bit of theory): Each scale has 7 MODES affiliated with it, and each mode is a scale and a "key center" unto itself. Each mode has a "flavor"...each mode conveys a "mood".

The legendary players DO play what they "feel", and they are able to do this because their technique is superior and they DO know what notes will fit over a certain chord. Part of this is the result of hours of practicing, and part is connection with what we call "the muse"....the creative force of the universe that infiltrates those of us who call upon it. (Sounds goofy and corny..but it is true.) However, you can hum the most coolest melody, the most awesome riffs that you hear in your head and FEEL, but without the technique to bring them to life, you are dead in the water.

I encourage all my students (24 in all) to practice with records they like - learn other people's licks, learn the signature licks to your favorite songs, to practice with a metronome (time keeper) so they can start slowly and day by day crank up the speed.

Playing music is like telling a story. You have to have a good vocabulary to tell a good story. Imagine if you only knew 15 words. What kind of a story could you tell? NOT MUCH. And those of you who think you are "improvising" and making stuff up, try making up words that don't exist and see what kind of story you can tell....

There is only one way to get better....PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.

Good Luck to you.

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when i was talking about playing notes that break the rules or dont fit in the scale i was talking about jsut using the scales as a base.

I mean look at EVH what are most of his songs

you got it minor pentatonic with a bunch of random accidentals thrown in that sound incredible

im not saying that he put them there randomly no but you got to remember EVH said often times hed sit on his bed and practice from 7pm till 3am instead of going and partying with his brother so maybe he was just playing a lot of shit that turned out sounding good but i doubt that.

i may have only been playing for oh idk 8 months but my teacher tought me before id been playing 2 months how to use the scales and how to use the notes outside the scales with them

in music rules are there to be broken

<table border="0" align="center" width="90%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td class="SmallText"><b>dada wrote on Mon, 04 September 2006 17&#58;01</b></td></tr><tr><td class="quote">
Hey folks..sorry about popping off earlier, but these type of posts just irk me.

    I'm on this site at least once a day ,usually more, and it's these "floater" post I'm talking about. These people who stumble across the web site, see some random post and feel the need to enlighten everyone. So they bestow their knowledge on us like some Red Cross food drop.
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Sorry, but I missed this post before I submitted my own.  I didn't realize that this site is for "regular members" only and that "floaters" could never have any information worth sharing.  Good luck to you all and adios.

I am puzzled as to why some folks seem to have been rankled by the insightful statements and observations made by JeffroFiddlemaster.  He simply points out that if you want to be a better musician, it is necessary to actually learn about Music. 

The fact is, augementing your own curiosity and creative urges with the collective wisdom from countless generations of past musicians will help you become a better player.  Yes - the information is technical and somewhat complex - but it is learnable and it is helpful.

Too many players are willfully (and proudly) ignorant of basic Musical knowledge.  If you truly want to be a better musician, then take the time to actually learn how to read real music.  There is a vast universe of useful knowledge beyond 'Tabs'. 

Learning to read and use real music is one very good way to stretch your mind and challenge your abilities.

Makes you wonder why someone with such knowledge and experience is on Chordie in the first place.

However, long may it continue. Guys like me(i.e. too miserable to pay for lessons) need guys like that popping in every now and then. Every little bit helps.

<table border="0" align="center" width="90%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td class="SmallText"><b>strocksb wrote on Fri, 15 September 2006 02&#58;57</b></td></tr><tr><td class="quote">
You are talking about playing scales that fit over specific chords.  How do you know which scales fit over which chords?  Is there somewhere I can go online to see this?  I would love to learn the scales and the circumstances under which the scales are applicable, but have no idea where to begin.  Any ideas?
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allright

learn the major scale

the major scale can be played over any major scale chord progressions

the minor scale can be played over any minor scale progression and can be used with the major scale for bluesy feal

use the Ionian(major scale),or Lydian over major 7th chords

use the dorian, phygarian, or aeloian(minor scale) over minor 7th chords

use the mixolydian over dominant 7th chords

use locrian over minor7th flat 5th chords

Thanks alot everyone...I found alot of useful tips aside from a few fustrated members....but hey over all I think learning these scales will open up a whole new world for me!!!  Thanks to all who posted.

If you learn a few popular scales then you can add fome flair at any point in the song with little licks here and there.

Eddie