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It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

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Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#121

Post by vkjv »

fhood wrote: post #87
DanHulton wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is involved in getting your guitar "set up" anyway? I'm looking to get back into learning the guitar I bought a few years ago, and I mean it sounded fine to me when I brought it out to check on it, after a tuning, of course.

Honestly, it is worth it to have a professional set it up for you. Last time I had mt fender dialed in it only cost about 50 bucks.

Yep. And a lot of [non-chain] shops will do this for free when you buy a guitar, regardless of the cost of that guitar. They treat it as part of the cost of acquiring a lifelong customer.

Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#122

Post by SwellJoe »

SyneRyder wrote: post #103
devwastaken wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The big thing that's been driving me away from learning is the necessary hardware/Software to create the tones I want. Rather than folk/rock, I'd like something like the ghostly effect of https://youtu.be/mP194XwD2Wc . But audio hardware is expensive and isn't something I can directly research. I made a little jump a month ago and got a condensor mic and a Scarlett Solo mixer, which can do both XLR mic and 1/4 Jack f…

I looked through the YouTube comments on that one, and someone tracked down an interview where he describes his setup: http://www.metalsucks.net/2011/10/07/rigged-devin-townsends-... Though at the very end, he says: "At home, I use a Blues Jr. and a delay pedal. :)" In terms of software, I'm not sure if reverb VSTs will help for that sound, but I've heard rave reviews for the Valhalla Vintage Verb (and Room Verb). Th…

FWIW even several free (or those included with popular audio programs) reverbs are on par with professional units of just a few years ago. The quality:cost ratio of audio recording and mixing has experienced a revolutionary change in the past decade.

Watch some YouTube videos about working with reverb, delay, and other time domain effects, as well as general EQ and mixing techniques, and you can get great results without spending a dime. (Training your ear to recognize good results and getting familiar enough with the tools to achieve the sounds you want can take a lot of practice, though. No YouTube video can hone your taste...you have to listen critically to a lot of great recordings and learn to discern how they were made, by ear.)

Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#123

Post by flavio81 »

beat wrote: post #41

As someone who has been playing for 35 years or so, here are some observations... First and foremost, guitar is a pretty straightforward instrument for beginners. There's a reason it's the most popular instrument in the world. If you put in the effort, you can be playing something musical in a few months, and proficient in basic folk/rock music in a couple of years. It doesn't take "talent". It just takes effort. Som…

> First and foremost, guitar is a pretty straightforward instrument for beginners.

I agree with your assessment and comments! I play drums, guitar, keyboard and some bass. Guitar is the easiest by far. From the list, drums is the hardest. With regards to technique, bass is straightforward if you know how to play guitar; however the mindset or approach to bass playing within a band is way different than guitar's.

> There's a reason it's the most popular instrument in the world.

... also because it was way cheaper (and portable) than a piano or a drumset. It is cheaper than even a trumpet or sax.

Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#124

Post by mcrad »

lightedman wrote: post #19
cjjuice wrote: post #7

As someone who learned guitar recently in my late 20s, I can say don't overlook basic theory and the value of soloing/coming up with melodies. For me, the creation aspect helped keep me interested. A lot of the beauty of programming is creating new stuff. If that's what you love about programming, try to create your own music as soon as possible. You may want to start on ukulele first (4 strings/requires less pressur…

I'd have to argue against starting with a ukulele. You miss out on the unusual tuning quirk present 6-stringed instruments tuned to thirds, where every string but one can match the tuning of the string above it by phrasing at the 5th fret, that string being the 3rd string (G) and the one above it (B,) you have to phrase at the 4th fret of the 3rd string to get the matching B of the string above instead of at the 5th…

You can think of the ukulele as a way to get more comfortable with alternate chord voicings for guitar (from 5th fret up). There's not much more to it than that. Play a "D shape", get a G chord; play a "G shape", get a C chord etc.

Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#125

Post by k__ »

Like with many things, to get really good you need to put in the time.

I'm playing for 14 years now, started with 18, and I'm a pretty mediocre player.

I know people who also started with 18 and got really good in under 4 years.

Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#126

Post by flavio81 »

s_kilk wrote: post #56
beat wrote: post #41

As someone who has been playing for 35 years or so, here are some observations... First and foremost, guitar is a pretty straightforward instrument for beginners. There's a reason it's the most popular instrument in the world. If you put in the effort, you can be playing something musical in a few months, and proficient in basic folk/rock music in a couple of years. It doesn't take "talent". It just takes effort. Som…

> Don't try to learn on a crap guitar! If it has high action and truly hurts to play, or if it has bad tone, it'll drive you away. Learn on a good instrument. This x1000 Far too often I've seen people try to learn on a ghastly cheap acoustic because they were "building up to" an electric, the thing they wanted to play in the first place. There's a weird kind of asceticism around the notion of paying-ones-dues on an a…

> There's a weird kind of asceticism around the notion of paying-ones-dues on an acoustic first

So true. They are really two different instruments due to the avaliability of much more sustain on the electric, and the dimensions of the neck and frets. Also on the electric the use of a pick is pretty much a given if you want the most speed.

I started on the electric and can play acoustic correctly, however if somebody wants to play electric, should start with electric, and viceversa.

Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#127

Post by lambdas »

Tycho wrote: post #35

Here's something I wish I'd realized when I first started playing. If you know the right set of chords you can play them in basically any order and they'll sound nice. If you take scale like C major, there's a chord that goes with every note of the scale. On a piano this would be mean playing three note chords on the white keys only, all the way up. So for the key of C that gives you C_major D_minor E_minor F_major G…

Tycho as in the Scott Hansen Tycho? If it is then I would like to say four years ago I listened to your music in a depressed slump, a week later I picked up the guitar and never looked back.

Either which way, that's some good advice and as a beginner it's hard to realise these things if you're self learning. Scales can feel like a practice routine rather than a palette.

Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#128

Post by 21 »

beat wrote: post #41

As someone who has been playing for 35 years or so, here are some observations... First and foremost, guitar is a pretty straightforward instrument for beginners. There's a reason it's the most popular instrument in the world. If you put in the effort, you can be playing something musical in a few months, and proficient in basic folk/rock music in a couple of years. It doesn't take "talent". It just takes effort. Som…

Not sure how many kids in high-school would spend 200 on a guitar. Not saying that they don't spend more on phones or clothes, but those are easy to see the immediate benefit for (even if that analysis is flawed).

Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#129

Post by hood_syntax »

beobab wrote: post #36
StevePerkins wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're middle-aged, and still all that "motivated by popularity", then you're not doing middle-age right. A 50-year old playing guitar is 1,000x cooler than a 50-year old mixing EDM tracks on Ableton, because he thinks it'll help him score 20-year old chicks or impress HN. No matter what age you are, "adulthood" is pretty much another word for finally having enough self-confidence to do your own thing. It's pretty…

Agreed. My dad (70) says he's too old to be "young at heart" any more. He says he's going to try "immature at heart" for a bit.

Hah, your dad sounds like a cool guy. Taking everything dead serious and weighing it on the outcome and effort required is a quick way to a boring existence.

Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#130

Post by SwellJoe »

fastbeef wrote: post #86
beat wrote: post #41

As someone who has been playing for 35 years or so, here are some observations... First and foremost, guitar is a pretty straightforward instrument for beginners. There's a reason it's the most popular instrument in the world. If you put in the effort, you can be playing something musical in a few months, and proficient in basic folk/rock music in a couple of years. It doesn't take "talent". It just takes effort. Som…

+1 on getting good gear from day 1. Being a "guitar guy" people always ask me to recommend a starting kit when their kids are starting to play. I always tell them, look, spend twice as much as a crappy beginner set on a decent used Fender + decent amp. This will make playing much more fun and the chance that they will continue to play is much higher and if they don't catch the bug? No biggie, sell it for the same amo…

To add to this: If you have a friend that plays guitar (preferably one who plays well), ask them to go to the music store with you to pick out a low cost, high quality, instrument.

I've gladly done this for several friends over the years. And, it's surprising what you can find on the very low end of the market these days. Yamaha has some fantastic cheap guitars, for example. $200-$300 will get you a new, entirely playable, acoustic or electric guitar. I have a $2000+ Gibson J45, and I often play my girlfriend's $250 Yamaha...it's really not a bad guitar, at all. I have no real complaints about it; it obviously isn't as nice as my J45, but hell, it cost a 9th as much (she actually got it free...someone who moved out of an apartment left it behind).

Having an experienced friend with you will help make sure the instrument is setup correctly (that can be an issue, and you shouldn't buy a new instrument that isn't), that it sounds nice and plays comfortably, etc. There is some variability in quality across instruments, and they're made of natural materials with variable densities and characteristics, so even if you read a bunch of reviews and go buy the best reviewed one, an experienced friend can help pick the best one of that model in the store.

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