• From: Jacksonville, FL
  • Registered: 2009-08-31
  • Posts: 10

Topic: Need help...

Hey guys... I guess all I really need is words of encouragement. I was given my first guitar when I was... 16 I believe. I'm 23 now and cannot play any of my three guitars. That's right. I bought two more. The first one I was given was a gift, and it's actually a pretty rare guitar (or so i'm told.) It's a b.c. rich warlock but it's a really uncommon one. I haven't been able to find the same one anywhere... Anyways. A few years later I bought a cheap acoustic to learn on, and then a cheap electric to learn on, but the problem is... I play for about a month and make a little improvement, but nothing drastic, then I get discouraged and quit. A year later I do the same thing. Six months later same pattern. I've been playing pretty consistently for the last two weeks or so now, and I've noticed more improvement than I ever did before. I just don't want to fall into the same pattern. I think if I could just master one song I would be able to lift my spirits and it would give me the drive i need to keep going. Does anybody know any good songs for someone like me? Right now I'm learning Broken by Seether which is very easy because it's just Em C and D. I've gotten a LOT better at switching between the chords, right now I'm really working on the strumming(which is killing me). Any help would be awesome guys! Thanks alot!

I am deeply in love with a girl named Sarah and she is my inspiration to learn/play guitar.
  • From: Renfrewshire, Scotland
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 1,359

Re: Need help...

It's a hard road isn't it? Sometime we get distracted very easily when things start to get a little more complex. Try and substitute complex for... interesting.

Sounds like you're doing ok just now. Keep practicing your chord changes, even if it's just the same two or three chords over and over. Try not to get ahead of yourself (I'm very guilty of this) and move on to new things before you really have the current things sorted out.

There are loads of tuition websites now that offer good video lessons for all abilities. I always advise having a look at www.justinguitar.com which is free and has loads of good videos on topics like strumming, chords, picking, reading tab, finger exercises, song lessons and ohhhh so much more.

Most of all, don't give up. Always leave a guitar out, in easy reach, so that you don't get out the habbit of picking it up. Pick a song and play it every time you pick up. Play it as often as possible.

I wish I could follow my own advice.

Welcome to chordie - the biggest group hug around.

Is anything really made up of zeros and ones??

alvee33's Website

  • From: Tooele Ut
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 4,049

Re: Need help...

I did the same thing most of my life. Played a month or two, then quit for a few years and started the same thing all over again.  It's hard to learn that way for sure.  You just have to find a way to stay interested and keep at it.  It takes almost daily practice to keep it together and really get better.  Once you notice yourself getting better, you may remain interested for longer periods.  I know there are a lot of other things in our life that get in the way of learning guitar, but you have to set some goals.  Good luck.

You can see all my video covers on [url]http://www.youtube.com/bensonp1000[/url]
I have finally found happiness in my life.  Guitars, singing, beer and camping.  And they all intertwine wonderfully.
  • From: Jacksonville, FL
  • Registered: 2009-08-31
  • Posts: 10

Re: Need help...

Thanks guys, and will do. I've been practicing every day for about an hour for the last two weeks. My only real problem is that I'll play one song (such as Broken by Seether) and then I start to practice other songs (like I'll Be by Edwin McCain). Is this a good thing, switching it up some, or is it better to stick to one until you have it down?

I am deeply in love with a girl named Sarah and she is my inspiration to learn/play guitar.
  • From: Renfrewshire, Scotland
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 1,359

Re: Need help...

SongsForSarah wrote:

Thanks guys, and will do. I've been practicing every day for about an hour for the last two weeks. My only real problem is that I'll play one song (such as Broken by Seether) and then I start to practice other songs (like I'll Be by Edwin McCain). Is this a good thing, switching it up some, or is it better to stick to one until you have it down?

I do this all the time. It's the main reason I still have a lot of difficulty in playing even 1 song from memory. Or maybe I just have a really bad memory. There's nothing wrong with this, it's all about having fun. A friend told me to carry on as I was doing but to keep coming back to the same song over and over. Then at least I'll be able to play 1 song. But I have too much fun and get distracted with other songs all the time. I suppose sticking to the one song til it's perfect could drive you very quickly mad.

Is anything really made up of zeros and ones??

alvee33's Website

  • From: Jacksonville, FL
  • Registered: 2009-08-31
  • Posts: 10

Re: Need help...

You're probably right and that's probably why I haven't been able to stick with it in the past. I would try to play one song and get no where(or not where I wanted to be) and I would quit. Maybe if I mix it up some and atleast show a little improvement in a couple songs maybe I'll have the motivation to stick with it... Crossing my fingers...

I am deeply in love with a girl named Sarah and she is my inspiration to learn/play guitar.
  • Zurf
  • Zurf
  • Blunt but well meaning moderator
  • Offline
  • From: Virginia, USA
  • Registered: 2007-06-27
  • Posts: 7,522

Re: Need help...

SongsforSarah - That's just the way I did it!  Between 18 years old and 40 years old, I picked up guitar and put it away I can't tell you how many times.  I can't tell you how many videos and books and instructional CD's I bought over the years, but I've got more money spent on those than I have on guitars (how sad is that - and I have four guitars now and have given at least that many away over the years when others expressed an interest during my not so interested periods). 

So, yeah, I know right where you're coming from. 

I can't say whether it will help you or not, but what helped me is having a goal.  When we were dating, my girlfriend asked me to serenade her.  Back then I played tuba and trombone.  So, um, I didn't actually know any lyrics.  At all.  Well, last year we celebrated our 20th anniversary.  So, at about 18 years into it I started to learn a song to play for her as a serenade on our 20th anniversary.  I identified each chord change D to G, G to D, G to A, A to D, E7 to E, E to A, A to A7, A7 to D.  I started by learning those chords so that I could go straight to them from my fingers off the strings and relaxed.  D!  Relax.  D!  Relax.  D!  Relax.  Do this about 100 times in a row.  Then G!  Relax.  G!  Relax.  Of course at the start it was more like, well OK the middle finger goes here and then, no wait, I think, hmmmmm, where's the picture, ok, here, then g.  Soon it was G!  So and so forth for each chord.  Then I worked on the transitions.  Then I worked on the transitions with a steady 1, 2, 3, 4 strumming just down strokes.  Then I worked on singing the song while just doing downstrokes on 1, 2, 3, 4 and going smoothly to the chords.  Then finally I started learning bass note and alternating bass notes strumming and including upstrokes. 

This way, by knocking it down into the very smallest pieces, I could hear and feel progress on a day to day basis.  Because each day, all I worked on was a very, very small thing.  By the time of our anniversary, I was playing the song so often and confidently that my wife had heard it a million times and so I had to pick a different song to play.  By then, it was easy to play almost any Country song in G or D or A.  I like Country music.  I had also learned some finger picking patterns to make things bouncy and fun. 

Then, after two years of preparations, on our 20th anniversary I had laryngitis and couldn't sing a note or speak a word. 

- Zurf

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude
  • From: T.O.
  • Registered: 2009-08-16
  • Posts: 57

Re: Need help...

Zurf makes a good point - often when learning a new song, the hardest part is teaching your fingers (small motor skills) to switch between new or different chords.  Sometimes I will just work on switching between and forget about the song for a while (much to the chagrin of my wife!) - exercises like this really help you progress and strenghthen your hands.
Keep playing, everyday, any time.  When ever you are watching TV - play the guitar. Throw in new songs for variety - and soon you will be playing more than you bargained for!

Now I work down at the car wash where all it ever does is rain.

'99 Gibson Les Paul Special DC, '99 Epiphone Dot, '06 Norman B50, '03 Yamaha FG-433S, Fender Performer 650

ckphoto's Website

  • From: Georgia
  • Registered: 2007-07-09
  • Posts: 381

Re: Need help...

There's lots of good advice here. The only thing i can offer you is that a chord chart hanging up in your practice area helps alot. Practice every chord on the chart and like Zurf said plan out the song you want to learn and practice the chords to it. Then after you've learned the chords and can change to and from each one try getting the strum pattern and rhythm of the song which is very important. I would keep it at a three song max to learn at one time just to keep from getting them confused with one another. Just hang in there with plenty of practice and you'll be playing good enough to perform in no time. Another thing to remember to keep from being discouraged is if you compare your playing with the recording while you are learning it  it will almost always sound different because you are hearing yourself live while the recording is tweaked and sharpened. Good Luck with everything.