Learning Guitar

[Blackvault]

Still no piccies

Here's mine

Left to Right
2002 Fender 12 String Acoustic
2006 Danelectro DC-59
1977 Fender Strat
1980 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe
Rockwood strat copy

Blackvault

 

[aslco]

Are 12 strings just the same but give a richer sound? Because the strings are placed in 2's right?

 

[aslco]

Bass : Ibanez GSR200

I've forgotten what the acoustic is. I will try and find out

 

[Blackvault]

Are 12 strings just the same but give a richer sound? Because the strings are placed in 2's right?

Essentially yes, they often give a chorusy effect due to the extra six strings. I've just had a deal fall through on purchasing a Gibson EDS 1275, apparently the 12 string on that is godly

Blackvault

 

[Raymond Lin]

Back to basics reply coming up - apologies if it's too basic!

I think you're confusing scales with chords.

A scale is the traditional <singing voice>"do re mi fa so la ti do"</singing voice>.

There are indeed 7 separate notes in it, played one after the other. You play one note, then adjust your finger position to the next note, then play that one. Same for the piano.

If you could play all 7 notes of the scale at once on a guitar, it would sound horrible, just like somebody had sat on a piano keyboard, and pressed all the notes at once.

A chord however is the "important" notes of the scale picked out of the scale and played at the same time. In it's most basic form, a 3 note chord uses the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the scale (so C, E and G in your case).

You'd then fret every string on the guitar to give you either a C, an E or a G, then strum across the strings.

On a piano, you simpy use your thumb, middle and little fingers on the 3 notes, and press them together.

I know what the difference are

What i didn't get is the 6 strings, 7 notes bit.

 

[Marky]

Grab a three chord song book before you buy anything else. You will be playing a mean Mr. Tambourine Man in no time.

This is the sort of book I was talking about.

http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/0404180/details.html

That book has an excellent collection of songs.

Thanks for the recommendation, I've been considering grabbing a chord book

Still no piccies

Haha sorry buddy I'm having too much fun rocking!!
I'll take some pics now

For anyone who is unaware of what a humbucker is, it is a larger pickup which creates a 'thicker' guitar sound. Essential for distorted rock at this price bracket.

My one has a humbucker \o/

 

[Marky]

Apologies for the bad quality - using my phone

Washburn X7 - The Guitar!

A Close Up

The head! (Is that the proper term? )

You get three picks

 

[m3csl2004]

I know what the difference are

What i didn't get is the 6 strings, 7 notes bit.

to change pitch on a guitar you simply press the string against the fret board.


On a piano every single note is laid out in ascending order, 1 string on a guitar works the same way.


So 22 frets on a guitar string is 22 semi tones - just like a piano. The different strings on a guitar are just tuned higher so you can attain higher notes.

 

[Johno please?]

Apologies for the bad quality - using my phone

You get three picks

Looks alright that!

Get rid of those picks tho, Dunlop Tortex > *

 

[Nitefly]

The head! (Is that the proper term? )

It's the 'headstock'. The white line that the strings run over between the headstock and the fretboard is called the 'nut', whilst the metal twisty things that the strings are fastened onto on the headstock are called 'machineheads'.

I'm glad you are considering buying a chord book. Some people insist that you should learn all the notes and 'train your ear', which I think is rubbish advice when you are literally just starting to play. You bought a guitar to have fun, so have fun. You will learn a lot in the process too.

 

[Dave]

I know what the difference are

What i didn't get is the 6 strings, 7 notes bit.

Simple answer is that it's not a full chord. Usually a triad, or a variant of a triad. For example on an open E chord, the individual notes played are E, B, E, G#, B, E - it's an E major triad stretching over a couple of octaves. My piano playing is rubbish, so when I play an E major chord on keyboard I will essentially copy what I do with guitar, and play an EGB triad in 2 octaves, rather than doing it "properly."

 

[Blackvault]

I actually had a Squire Strat which I would also nod my head to, but I think the Pacifica plays stupidly well for it's price bracket. Plus it has a humbucker, which is makes a huge difference in tone at this price range for those who are interested in rock.

For anyone who is unaware of what a humbucker is, it is a larger pickup which creates a 'thicker' guitar sound. Essential for distorted rock at this price bracket.

A humbucker is two single coils wired together to cancel out the "hum" that are produced by single coils. If you had a Strat you can get a similar effect by using positions 4 and 2 (neck/middle, middle/bridge) however the effect isn't as effective as a humbucker.

Blackvault

 

[Nitefly]

just wondering, there are only 6 strings in the guitar, how do you hit the 7 notes you need on the scale ?

I don't think this has been answered in a way which will be easy for you to understand, so I will have a go.

On a 6 string guitar, it will be impossible to play any 7 individual notes at the same time, you are right.

However, to play an E major chord, you do not need to play all 7 of the notes in the E major scale. Instead, you simply play the most important notes of the E major scale.

Think of an E major chord as it like a 'E major' curry. A curry has many ingredients (a major scale has 7 notes), but you only need three basic spices (three notes, E, B and G#) to get the essential flavour of the curry (the sound of E major).

Most chords only use a fraction of the the notes used in their corresponding scale, and will often include an individual note played on two or more strings at the same time. For example, when you are playing an open E major chord, you are playing the note E three times, on three different strings. However, it the sound is 'flavoured' since you are also playing the other important notes of the E major scale (B and G#).

I hope that helps, it really isn't worth getting bogged down in the ins and outs of music at first. I remember my own bafflement when I was told you can play the same chord in different possitions on the guitar

A humbucker is two single coils wired together to cancel out the "hum" that are produced by single coils. If you had a Strat you can get a similar effect by using positions 4 and 2 (neck/middle, middle/bridge) however the effect isn't as effective as a humbucker.

Blackvault

I know, but it really isn't necessary to go into such detail when explaining it to a begginner.

 

[timbob]

Everyone seems to be forgetting that E major has a G# in it....!

I shall have to use the curry reference when teaching kids at work about triads!

 

[MidnightLamp]

haha

i compare spirits to spirit & mixer with arpegs and scales

im the trendy guitar teacher whos down with the kids and their alcopops!

 

[Nitefly]

Everyone seems to be forgetting that E major has a G# in it....!

Right you are

I was using Dave's post as a reference without thinking.

 

[Blackvault]

I know, but it really isn't necessary to go into such detail when explaining it to a beginner.

Sorry I know you know. I didn't think it was that much detail for a beginner tbh, though I've been playing 7 years now and forget how hard it was to learn in the beginning.

I'm not going to go into the mechanics of it or additional info like coil tapping, out of phase switches etc lol.

Blackvault

 

[taz488]

what guitar would you guys recommend when moving on from a starter pack? is the pacifica the best for like <£200? whats the best for <£300 ? or does it depend on what you want from a guitar?

 

[Nitefly]

what guitar would you guys recommend when moving on from a starter pack? is the pacifica the best for like <£200? whats the best for <£300 ? or does it depend on what you want from a guitar?

The best guitar for under £300 is... a Pacifica. I don't think anything under £400 is necessarily an upgrade from a Pacifica, personally.

New players are drawn to the guitars of their heroes. I'm sure most of us have lusted a JS1000 (or similar) at some point in our lives. There is nothing wrong with that, but here are a few words of caution:

Don't be tempted to buy a cheap 'metal' guitar. Yes, they look spikey and cool, but they are a one trick pony that will, by itself at least, sound nothing like your Metallica CD. Plus their playability is rarely inspiring.

Avoid a locking tremelo like the plague if you are a novice. Nothing says 'I don't want to play anymore' than a guitar which is (relatively) incredibly difficult to tune.

Don't be snobby. I have played a few guitars to which others might stick up their noses, but not being a Fender, a Gibson, an Ibanez or any other 'major brand' doesn't mean it is bad. However, it doesn't mean it is good either, so make sure you have a good play first.

There are a few rules for 'test driving'. If you are spending big money, prepare for potentially 'offish' treatment from the person 'helping you' at the guitar shop. This can include setting you up on the loudest amp in the shop, or playing the 1337 sw33pz before handing it over and saying 'now you go', with the hint of a smirk. This can be intimidating, but it isn't always the case. To minimise stress, go to a shop with someone else who knows their stuff and can see through salesman 'bull'. Don't bother playing something overly complicated either - just get the feel of the guitar and bang of a few chords. When I was 'testing' a guitar with a price tag of £1000, I raised some eyebrows since I was merely strumming away and seeing how easy it was to play F. I hate F.

Finally, check the intonation of the guitar! Just because something is in tune when playing an open string doesn't mean the string will be in tune the whole way up the neck. Past the twelth fret, things can get very out of tune, and this isn't something which people notice when buying. Sure you can adjust this yourself, but its much better to ask the shop to sort the intonation out for you before you buy it. After all, if you are forking out the cash, you expect it to be in damn good condition!

I hope that helps

 

[taz488]

will be a while before i upgrade as i want to get better before laying out that sort of cash, but still usefull info, thanks!