Hello

Kevin-C

My name is Kevin Cook, recently moved to the Irene area and I've been playing for about 5 months now.

That sounds like an AA meeting...

When I bought my first guitar I had no idea what I was doing and no idea how addictive it would be.
My playing ability on a one to ten scale sits at about -47 so please don't ask for any recordings.

Music wise I like rock and metal mainly, and on the side I like folk, basically anything with good guitar will do nicely thanks.

My first question would have to be; how long before I progress from being absolutely awfully crap to , say, being a reasonabley plain bad guitarist?

Second question; Where can I get lessons in or around Centurion?

Later,

K

NorioDS

Kevin,

I've got 2 numbers for teachers in Centurion. I've never gone to either teacher so I can't recommend them but you could give each a go and see who you LIKE best?

How long does it take? Depends on what you learn. Focus on what you want to end up doing (rhythm, lead, whatever) and you'll feel happier sooner.

I wasted a lot of time playing classical guitar and playing rhythm only to discover, years later, that I only really wanna play lead. Focusing on what you love makes learning more much easier!

Kevin-C

Thanks Norio,

I would appreciate those numbers, I really want to move along now especially since I upgraded my stuff.
I now can spend more time practicing and playing instead of tuning and fiddling with knobs all the time.

Riaan

Howzit Kevin...welcome!

JoeyBones

I agree with Norio. Find what you enjoy playin and then go for that. I found that too much theory almost caused me to give up guitar. You should find a tutor who does a litlle of both, Practical and theory.

My buddy is teaching me at the moment and he's pretty good at balancing things out. If you want to travel for lessons, you could go to him or DirkV. They're both really good at keeping it simple and interesting.

JoeyBones

I agree with Norio. Find what you enjoy playing and then go for that. I found that too much theory almost caused me to give up guitar. You should find a tutor who does a little of both, Practical and theory. I love playing rhythm, but I'm challenging myself to learn to play lead. I might go back to some classical theory as well. The finger picking come in handy.

My buddy is teaching me at the moment and he's pretty good at balancing things out. If you want to travel to Alberton for lessons, you could go to him or DirkV. They're both really good at keeping it simple and interesting. Our church has started a music academy as well, so if your interested, let me know.

AlanRatcliffe

Hi Kevin. Welcome to the forum.

My first question would have to be; how long before I progress from being absolutely awfully crap to , say, being a reasonabley plain bad guitarist?

It's taken me 26 years so far ;D. Seriously though, that depends entirely on you and how much you put into it. Some folk learn quicker than others, most do better with a teacher and a structured lesson plan. Regardless of how quickly you learn, the more you practice, the quicker you'll progress.

Guitar is a nice instrument in that the basics are pretty easy to learn, you can be up and strumming away at basic songs in a few lessons. However, refining that will take you the rest of your life.

Gray

Hey Kevin,

Dont worry I've only been playing for 4 months and before I came here I was completely lost.
Thanks to this forum and its members I've gathered a better understanding of playing, maintaining and enjoying my guitar.

I rate if you practice consistently and properly you'll see results, you get what you put in.

Hope you enjoy the forum.

Kevin-C

Hey Norio, Riaan, Joeybones, Alan and Gray!

Thanks for the warm welcome guys, so far I have no idea of what style of playing to go for... I'm just gonna let nature take its course and see where I end up.
So far I put in at least 1 hour after work in the week and 9-2 on Saturdays, so i guess its just head down and focus.

AlanRatcliffe

Just let your own taste in music guide you. Above all, have fun doing it. Too much practice'll make you a boring technician, so spend some time just playing and enjoying yourself.

ConradP

Hi Kevin

Try Andre Liebenberg 0829239623. He is in Clubview. A very good teacher.

Conrad Pienaar

FatBoy

Welcome Kevin! This site will help you lots I can assure you, I wish it was available when I started about 2 years ago! And yes, I'd say decide on a style of music you want to play and don't go into to much theory (I still haven't done any theory lol).

You could be able to play a basic song in about a month I'd guess, but ya it will probably not sound all that great. Once you have that down though it is much more enjoyable because you are making music, not just mashing your fingers about. It is much easier to practice once you can play a couple of chords and use tme to play a song, even if it is just Mary had a little lamb or the like. Luckily there are quite a few good songs out there that uses very basic chords.

Good luck on the journey man!