Lamentations of a beginner

Wizard · 2009-02-01T15:38:00+00:00

I've got knives in my cupboard which are blunter than my high E string ...

Wizard

My first song is 'Heaven's Door' by Clapton.
(Note to self: Clapton seems to be a strong influence at the moment)

A long way from the stage, but if you tilt your head just right; squint your eyes and have a good imagination you can recognise it in some bars
But I'm delighted with it ?

Squonk

Wizard - You cant go wrong with Clapton. Isn't his "Knocking on Heavens door" a bit of a reggae Thing?

You might want to hear Bob's version, He does a good version with "The Band" on "Before the flood"

Another easy Clapton Song with your chords, "Wonderful Tonight" 8)

Bob-Dubery

Wizard wrote
Viccy wrote Sounds like you're getting there.
I'm certainly having a lot of fun.
Can now play G, D, Am and C chords ... but the changes are still too slow.

Well that's most of the Bob Dylan Songbook taken care of.

Wizard

Bob Dubery wrote Well that's most of the Bob Dylan Songbook taken care of.

Squonk wrote Another easy Clapton Song with your chords, "Wonderful Tonight" 8)

Interesting ...

I somehow think to earn my space in this forum I'd better learn some more chords though
?

I've heard a malicious rumour that F is a bit of a bitch

Riaan

I've heard a malicious rumour that F is a bit of a bitch

Can be as a bar chord on the first fret, but just throw your thumb over the top of the fretboard and finger the rest of the notes and don't play the high E which is now open...though playing the open E works in certain keys also...don't know what chord it is then.

Don't let the classical purists see you do that ? But I figured if it's good enough for David Gilmour, it's good enough for me!

[deleted]

Riaan wrote
Can be as a bar chord on the first fret, but just throw your thumb over the top of the fretboard and finger the rest of the notes and don't play the high E which is now open...though playing the open E works in certain keys also...don't know what chord it is then.

Don't let the classical purists see you do that ? But I figured if it's good enough for David Gilmour, it's good enough for me!

It's F7, That's acceptable in pure classical. Just don't use it too often.

Rudolf

Heeey Wizard seems you and me are facing some of the same troubles! Hahaha...trust me just when you think it can't get any worse, it does! But you'll realise soon enough that there's not much in the world of guitar playing IMHO now that's impossible, some things will just take a little longer to master than others and some things you'll never quite master but its not worth getting hung up on. Soon enough even those things will progress to an acceptable useable level and you'll be on top of the world!

After 2 months of struggeling with the dreaded F (Open version barring first fret 1st and 2nd strings, 2nd fret 3rd string, 3rd fret 4th string...play bottom 4 strings) I discovered barre chords. Ugh what a mess that is, a minor barre on 5th string still kicks my nooby behind (But ya, I just try and play it now as much as possible, it's helping). Now my lessons has me doing 7ths and I can tell you the B7 chord is another one of thooooose in open version. I think key is just to realise that some chords are going to take much longer than others to get a grip of and deal with it. I for instance still struggle alot to fret a normal open Dm and have to look at the fretboard everytime I try it on all my guitars but my newest addition Fender?!? Hehehehe

I've lately got this really spesialised technique, try it if you want. If you try to fret a funky chord you know you trouble on and do it without looking at the fret board like you should. If you mess it up, look at your hand...laugh as loud as you want and carry on playing the next! Nothing like being able to find humor in your own mistakes to help you keep going.

Riaan

I am blessed with a pair of hands that can do many things but unfortunately, they're not the biggest and my reach/stretch across the fretboard is not that great :'( I struggle with, for instance, bar chords that uses the C chord shape, or some of the blues power chords where a stretch over four or so frets are required, especially on the lower frets.

Now I've been told by a classical guitar teacher friend (who refuses to teach me, says it will spoil the friendship! ?) that hand size or finger length has nothing to do with it, anybody can learn and improve their reach/stretch over time. What do you guys think? And what are good exercises to improve this?

trust me just when you think it can't get any worse, it does!

I once read that when you feel you're not making progress, try to play left handed - that will show you how it was the first time you picked up a guitar, and make you realise how much you've improved...
Sounds a bit dodgy though...

Rudolf

Oooh the dreaded four fret stretch. Yeap I think it's one of the bigger obsticles all noobies are faced with. My lessons got me on a little streching excercise which I pull probably 30 times a day..lol. Just press your two hands together finger tip to finger tip all closed like you would make a talking shadow beak thingy? Now push together bring your palms into contact whilest using your stronger hand to force the fingers apart as wide as possible. Don't hurt yourself though, now keep the pressure and slowly move your hands apart again.

It's a silly excercise and while doing it it doesn't make any sense, but I can attest it has helped heaps reaching to the fourth fret without moving my hand when playing single notes in first position and having to get to that dreaded F# which is so common. I have what alot would probably call piano fingers and rather slim hands but even I found it impossible originally.

AlanRatcliffe

This guy used to have a video with Hot Licks called Finger Fitness:

If you do a search on YouTube for "Finger Fitness" or =http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=GregIrwin2008&view=videos, you'll find a ton of stuff.

Wizard

Thanks for the insights Rudolf and Alan.
I think definitely worth pursuing.

Wizard

My latest dilemma's:

a) The very simple looking A7 chord.
Fret 2 on D and B strings.
I cannot seem to find a way to play it with each finger touching the string its supposed to and not touching the strings its not supposed to.
grrrr ...

b) Since I've acquired some callouses on my fingers, they don't work so well on the touch screen of my GPS ?

Bob-Dubery

Wizard wrote My latest dilemma's:

a) The very simple looking A7 chord.
Fret 2 on D and B strings.
I cannot seem to find a way to play it with each finger touching the string its supposed to and not touching the strings its not supposed to.
grrrr ...

Where's your left hand thumb? Coming round the neck and hanging over the fret board like all those rock and roll players? Or braced and right in the middle of the neck like a classical player?

The latter position will usually ensure that the hand is more arched and thus your fingers come down on to the fret board more vertically. Thus you get a smaller portion of the finger depressing the string.

If you want to get really sick then get some footage of the great cello player Yo-yo Ma and watch how his left hand fingers come down so straight and perpendicular to the finger board.

But good that you're aware of these things. You can't fix it if you don't realise that it's happening.

Wizard

My left thumb is very correct and classical from my violin days.
Alas ... just practice and perseverance it would seem.

I'm a big fan of Yo Yo Ma's playing.

Squonk

@ Wizard

Are you learning on the Electric Guitar?
Might be a bit of a narrow neck

Wizard

Squonk wrote Are you learning on the Electric Guitar?
Might be a bit of a narrow neck

Is electric. Is a narrow neck.

Wizard

Two things I'm finding very useful:

a) Finger fitness
Especially getting separation between my 2nd and 3rd fingers.
Useful for G chord

b) Getting fingers properly perpendicular to the strings.
Helped greatly by finger fitness above

Squonk

I bought a gadget that strengthens your fingers a couple of years ago

http://store.daddario.com/category/148519

I didn't realy use it much ?

but have a go you never know

Bob-Dubery

Hi Wizard. I found your comments on "finger fitness" quite interesting. I am not trying to be critical of you here. You mentioned earlier your background in violin and the good left hand grip (thumb in the middle of the back of the neck etc) that came from that. So I am quite intrigued that you now run into "finger fitness" issues. Is it that a guitar, even an electric, is significantly physically more challenging than a violin?

OK... the scale length will be much greater than you are used to. Is that it or is there more to it?

As I said, not trying to criticise or poke fun.

Ray

When I was waaaay younger I played the cello. Plenty finger fitness. But it goes away. Also, hand position/posture is different. I find that playing acoustic works the hands and fingers plenty. My opinion: Boils down to exercises. Get a squash ball and squeeze away at that a bit each day. But if you look at staff, tab, chord diagrams, etc., you realize that you've got to do the exercises on a guitar as well. It's like mathematics and applied mathematics.

« Previous Page Next Page »