Any guitar players ?

[Coley]

After years of listening to guitar music I finally accepted learning the keyboard as a kid was a bad idea.
Last weekend I picked up my first electro acoustic ( Johnny Cash black) and have so far managed 3 chords to hopefully one day play folsom prison blues.
it's so difficult trying to put fingers just on certain strings though ! With a keyboard you just pushed a note and didn't have to worry about touching other keys. Also my keyboard had a demo button which this guitar doesn't [emoji3]

This was my fingers after a few minutes of playing my customer turned friends guitar- it hurt, alot. It seems like the most unnatural position to hold my fingers, almost like the neck and strings should be tilted down to suit finger grip. Anyone else started guitar playing from scratch ? I'd love to be able to play it some time !

Coley

 

[TrimTheKing]

Not played proper guitar but I do know that playing hours of guitar hero before we had kids have me a sore wrist and real cramps in my left hand. Don't know whether that is because the guitars for the game are smaller or just what happens and you get used to it over time.

I agree though, feels totally unnatural.

I am often told that I have piano players hands though (long slender fingers) so not sure whether I'm maybe just not built for guitar playing...

Cheers
Mark

 

[DaveL]

Oh yes fingers need to get hard pads on them, takes time but it does get easier. I have not played in a long time, I moved over to bass, not so hard on the left hand but you can get a blister on your right thumb at times.
You need to talk to Philly, he has made some fine instruments and is very handy at playing them as well. [emoji122]

 

[Coley]

My workmate said he used to play bass guitar so I nagged at him to drag it down from the attic. He dropped it over so I could have a play and while he was there I told him to have a go. First thing I noticed was how little resistance he put up before he started , the second thing I noticed was how naturally he offered his leg up on his bass amp before plucking away like a pro. Emotions were jealously of his guitar skills followed by a real urge to kick him in the balls [emoji3] I think he might be a secret bass guitar superstar in hiding !

It's really the pushing on strings finger angle that doesn't seem right at the moment but I have to persist cause watching people play is mesmerising

 

[fred]

You need to play regularly so that your fingers get used to the strings and the skin harden.
Having light weight strings will help initially, even learning on a classical guitar better. And then move on to heavier gauge strings later.

Cheers
fred

 

[RogerS]

I'm pretty good on the air-guitar :lol:

 

[Bungle]

I used to play loads as a teenager gigging and messing about jamming with mates and great fun. Best way to learn is practise loads and try to play with someone who is better than you to show you the ropes shouldn't be hard if you've just started

I've just started playing regularly again and finding it really enjoyable plus being older you can buy all the gear you couldn't afford as a kid (well maybe not the collectors choice les Paul) Stay tuned to the projects forum my mate turns 40 later this year and I'm planning on making an electric for a present and one for myself.

Some of the current line up I really don't know why there is a pink dimarzio pickup in that strat I was young at the time :lol:

Cheers

Jonny

 

[fred]

Nice axes there dude!

Nice to see an Ibanez. A friend of mine had the same Ibanez as Eddie Van Halen when he was about 16, and dutifully decorated it with stripes using electrician's tape. By the age of 17 he could play Eruption. I'll never be that good!

I've got a couple of acoustics, 6 and 12 string, the 12 string tuned DADGAD which makes it a breeze to play, loads of one finger chords available, sounds great too. The 12 string was a skip find, only had to glue and screw the neck back to the body.

Also got a non-descript Fender copy bass from a charity shop for £10, all electrics were hanging out of the back and the back plate was missing. Easy to fix, and it plays well. Good thing about having a bass, is it's nice and easy to play along to songs, using tabs downloaded from the internet.

Speaking of tabs, that's something you might like to try Coley. It's a nice way of learning and keeping your fingers in check: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/

Cheers,
And keep on rockin' man!
fred

 

[stephen.wood125]

I played for quite a while and got to the point (in a band, not solo) of playing to a few hundred.

Then I drifted off.. Fortunately, recently a friend in Frodsham suggested we have a bit of a 'jam' so picked it up again, I must admit it's great fun to be back but without my calluses, my fingers were suffering! I use quite thick strings as I played more bluesy style stuff.

keep it up, you fingers get used to it quicker than you think.

I'm really glad I started again, didn't realise how much I missed it

 

[Coley]

Thanks for all the useful comments [emoji6] it sounds like if they hurt for a while then im doing something right [emoji3]
when I learned the keyboard I could read notes but not really figure out the timing. If I didn't have the sheet music to read I generally couldn't remember how to play it.
This is the other thing I need to decide before getting to into it. I guess now I'll only be playing music i like so will already know how it sounds. What are your thoughts on whether I should try to learn to read music ?
One more important thing, has anyone made there own guitar bracket to hang it on the wall ? Its only a matter of time before it gets knocked/damaged.

Ta
Coley

 

[Coley]

Fred, just opened that link and it looks like it definitely requires further investigation ! First song I noticed was wonderwall- I love wonderwall [emoji4]
Saturday night after a few bevvies I started watching some guitar playing on tv. I picked up the guitar and in a last ditched attempt to join in began tapping the scratch plate thingy with my thumb. Probably a little fuzzy from the alcohol but I thought my thumb tapping sounded great [emoji3]

 

[fred]

You can buy Y-shaped screw in things from B&Q type places, that work for hanging guitars on walls. Cheap as chips. I've used them before.

 

[Bungle]

I use these not as cheap as the b and q jobbies but works well http://www.amazon.co.uk/Konig-Meyer-162 ... tar+hanger

Online is great for learning the guitar. Back in the day you either had to buy expensive tab books or learn by ear which is a good way of learning as you actually have to listen and try and work it out. Youtube is great if you get past the showoffs there are some great lessons for all abilities.

Fred I had a mate with pretty much the same type of frankensteined guitar as well and he was annoyingly good as well.

Cheers

Jon

 

[mailee]

I have never been a guitar player but used to play the drums back in the day. My best friend's son does though and is very good. He has done a lot of gigs in the area with a band. He studied music at uni and then couldn't get a job as a music teacher in this area, (he won't move out of the area) now sadly he is working in Morrisons but still plays his guitar. Jammy little bu**er has a good singing voice too. :lol:

 

[Robert]

I've tried to learn but my middle finger tip on my left hand is much wider than the others after catching it in a power press tool many years ago (the die set was not on a power press at the time but still gave it a good squash when it slipped shut on me).

Try as I may I can't press the strings to the frets cleanly. Always something pressed that shouldn't be or a string deadened by a bit of finger damping it. I never got as far as producing a recognisable tune.