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It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

adamharkus.com

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Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#231

Post by francisofascii »

flavio81 wrote: post #215
francisofascii wrote: post #10

I tried picking up a guitar this past week, and was overwhelmed. Just playing a basic chord was a struggle. How do you get your figure to press down just right on the string and not interfere with another. Amazed by people who can play effortlessly. The post encouraged me to try again. 15 min a day sounds like a reasonable practicing goal.

> How do you get your figure to press down just right on the string and not interfere with another. The main secret is: Press just behind the fret. This will give the cleanest sound with the less amount of pressure. Also, you need good ergonomics. Your wrist should never feel ackward; it should be as straight and relaxed as possible. This often needs wearing the guitar with a strap, and with the guitar hanging high (…

Thanks for those quick tips.

Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#232

Post by lightedman »

lightedman wrote: post #23
squozzer wrote: post #2

I say do it for fun. There are plenty of hobbies available to the middle-aged, and let's face it, one can spend a lot of money being mediocre (i.e., not dominating) at any of them - e.g. racing cars. Those who have sore backs from time to time might want to avoid "traditional" Les Pauls.

Les Pauls are light. Here, hold my Steinberger Spirit headless 5-string bass. Let's see if you can even remain upright!

Guess nobody here knows the weights of either guitar. Here: Les Paul weighs generally 9 pounds. Steinberger XT-25 (the model I'm talking about) is 13 pounds. It will give you back problems playing it standing up for too long, this is why it comes with a built-in lap bar.

Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#233

Post by lightedman »

bench_soup wrote: post #58
lightedman wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

" miss out on the unusual tuning quirk present 6-stringed instruments tuned to thirds " A ukulele is tuned to thirds as well. It is basically the same as a four string guitar with a capo on 5th fret (with the typical quirk of having the lowest string being an octave higher) " I'd also say go with 6 strings because the typical chords can have more than 4 notes. " Typical chords for a beginner are minor and major chord…

"It is basically the same as a four string guitar with a capo on 5th fret (with the typical quirk of having the lowest string being an octave higher)"

5th fret represents going up at most 3 whole notes, not 8.

"Typical chords for a beginner are minor and major chords which uses only 3 notes."

Those are 'power chords' and not your full basic A-G chords. Your basic base E-chord is E-B-E-G#/Ab-B-E on a regular guitar and on a uke it's E-B-E-G#/Ab. Not even a major or minor, just the basic full chord itself runs at least four notes.

"I think a ukulele can be fine to start as you'll get some very quick progress, but its limitations will come very quick as well."

The limitations become apparent around day two when you realize the E you're playing on a uke doesn't sound as full or bright as an E played on a guitar. I put mine down after a week and never looked back. That was... 23 years ago.

Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#234

Post by bench_soup »

lightedman wrote: post #233
bench_soup wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

" miss out on the unusual tuning quirk present 6-stringed instruments tuned to thirds " A ukulele is tuned to thirds as well. It is basically the same as a four string guitar with a capo on 5th fret (with the typical quirk of having the lowest string being an octave higher) " I'd also say go with 6 strings because the typical chords can have more than 4 notes. " Typical chords for a beginner are minor and major chord…

"It is basically the same as a four string guitar with a capo on 5th fret (with the typical quirk of having the lowest string being an octave higher)" 5th fret represents going up at most 3 whole notes, not 8. "Typical chords for a beginner are minor and major chords which uses only 3 notes." Those are 'power chords' and not your full basic A-G chords. Your basic base E-chord is E-B-E-G#/Ab-B-E on a regular guitar an…

Powerchords are usually only fundamental + fifth. you can play those on 2 strings only.

As long as you have 3 notes available you can make a full major or minor chord as it only involved a fundamental, third and fifth.

It will sound different on a ukulele especially because of the bourdon and wont sound as rich as it will hold less harmonics (no additional higher/lower strings to repeat the note) but that's still plenty of possibilities.

Too bad you had a bad experience with it but it still is a full fledged instrument capable of playing decent music. Of course trying to play guitar songs on it will sound disappointing most of the time.

Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#235

Post by flavio81 »

ralmeida wrote: post #218
flavio81 wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great post, just to add some info: The 'screw' that counterbalances the pulling force on the neck exerted by the strings is the "truss rod" which sits inside the neck (on an electric guitar and some acoustics); this rod is adjustable. This adjustment influences the 'action'. But the 'action' is also set by the bridge saddles' height, which is adjustable. Most often this height is adjustable independently for each str…

Good point, forgot to mention the name of the truss rod and the saddle height - which is arguably the most influential parameter in overall action. I also second the opinion that it's quite approachable if you're patient and methodical. Another tip (to _keep_ the setup working) would be to have the guitar professionally set up, then carefully measuring and writing down the parameters, so they can be reproduced later.…

Tip: Picks can work as a substitute feeler gauge. Pick thicknesses are often indicated on the pick (i.e. "2mm")

Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#236

Post by jodrellblank »

Mediterraneo10 wrote: post #112
jodrellblank wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

multiple foreign languages - yes you do Benny the Irish Polyglot didn't. ( http://fluentinthreemonths.com )

Like many of the personalities in the internet's polyglot scene, Benny is a self-promoter who hypes his skills but lacks third-party verification that he is truly "fluent" in those languages. Furthermore, “in three months” assumes that he was banging away at picking up that particular language during that time, so even his method assumes more dedication than a lot of random HN people with stressful jobs can devote. T…

I accept your definition of 'fluent' as valid, and your discussion as interesting.

(Benny has stated "When I learn a new language, I aim to reach a level where I speak confidently and comfortably in the language. I call this “social equivalency”. For me, that’s fluency. [..] not an academic pursuit; it’s a practical one. I aim to be able to use the language effectively in everyday conversation [..] I generally don't place much importance on my writing skills or ability to analyse and discuss printed text in a foreign language")

So it is completely fair to say he's not fluent to any near-native level - particularly after three months - but it's not entirely fair to say he has no third-party verification - from what I can tell on his rather hyped blog, he has passed CEFR C2 level Spanish, C1 level French and narrowly missed passing C2 level German exams.

It's a matter of where to draw a line, but in a comment "win the lottery and learn multiple foreign languages", I'd expect someone saying that to consider "passing advanced formal exams in French, German and Spanish" to count, rather than meaning "can read classic plays without reaching for a dictionary".

But maybe not.

It's hard enough to get people to agree on whether a good programmer can work in 'any language quickly', or whether it requires spending a good chunk of time to become familiar with idioms, warts, surrounding ecosystem and famous works and references.

TBF, as a native English speaker, you could hand me classic Shakespeare or works of poetry I actually did read in school, and there's a good chance I'd still be reaching for a dictionary on page 1.

I have learned most of the languages of Europe to a degree where I can comfortably converse with local people when traveling or in international meetups.

How do you even keep that much in your head?

Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#237

Post by gmarx »

criddell wrote: post #118
gmarx wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I started playing a few years ago, not serious, mostly in support of singing. When I began I thought the A Major chord was witchcraft. How could my three gigantic fingers fit there? I don't know but somehow trying a lot made it work and now it's pretty easy. Muscle memory I guess?

Barre chords are the magic that I can't comprehend. I see people barre those three strings and I can't figure out how to do that and play the chord cleanly.

I can barre some chords but barring in the A major pattern is rough. Then my guitarist said "no one does it that way" and he showed me you press the three strings with your third finger while kind of hyperextending the joint...but my finger doesn't work that way!

Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#238

Post by zwieback »

pcsanwald wrote: post #217
zwieback wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Straight to upright or did you play bass guitar first? I started playing upright in addition to bass guitar and it's a lot of fun but a lot of relearning as well.

I played electric bass for 6 months or so, then rented an upright for 6 months, and then bought an upright. I've been playing about 3.5 years, there's a recording of me here: http://paulsanwald.com/music Definitely a lot of learning for me, particularly regarding the bow. I went through the George Vance books and they were helpful with the basics. I was able to start playing professionally on it pretty quickly, thoug…

I love the song you linked, thanks! Awesome recording, too.

Re: It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar

#239

Post by pcsanwald »

zwieback wrote: post #238
pcsanwald wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I played electric bass for 6 months or so, then rented an upright for 6 months, and then bought an upright. I've been playing about 3.5 years, there's a recording of me here: http://paulsanwald.com/music Definitely a lot of learning for me, particularly regarding the bow. I went through the George Vance books and they were helpful with the basics. I was able to start playing professionally on it pretty quickly, thoug…

I love the song you linked, thanks! Awesome recording, too.

thank you very much for listening! it's from an album I'm releasing in the fall.
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