***The Official Guitar Thread***

uncle_rufus said:
Well really anything above an absolutely terrible guitar (e.g. the kind of extremely low end strat copies you get in those "packs" that come with a 5W amp) is completely fine and a great player will be able to get to sound very good... Far too much of the sound is purely in the fingers and the player, so sure an expensive guitar with better components and electrics may sound a bit better with everything else being equal, but it won't suddenly make someone who doesn't play cleanly and with good dynamics etc. suddenly leap ahead
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Exactly, this is why I told myself I must stop buying gear, it doesn’t make me better.

I have boutique amps that appeared in a Joe Bonnamassa video and The Pedal Show; pedals that Kevin Shields would love, guitars

I still suck.

In photography I am competent enough to know where I am, what I am doing, I don’t yearn for a better camera. I don’t actually have the best camera. In fact I never have the best camera from any manufacturer offers. Because I know where my skill level is and I know how to bridge that gap with my own technique. I am confident enough that give me any camera and I would know it’s limits and can use my own skill to maximise what the equipment can offer. And be at that level with a guitar is the ultimate goal I guess. To be able to pick up a guitar, plug in an amp, within about 2 mins I know what it can do and what kind of music it is good for, or how hard/light picking to get a good sound from it.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I still suck.
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I'm sure you're not that bad, another thing I've always found over the years is that you inevitably will compare yourself to other guitar players and feel like you aren't great, but if you ever find yourself playing in front of some regular non-guitar enthusiasts they will be massively impressed even by things that you'd think of as quite basic
 
I find I focus on the fret buzz when my fingerplacement's off, non smooth changing and rhythm slip-ups
but non-guitarists listening miss all that and think it sounds good, whereas I only hear the imperfections
 
Precisely... you can see it for yourself as well if you try to think back to your own view on things when first picking up the guitar... I have a really vivid memory of getting a guitar magazine (pre-internet days) and it had the tab for "The Boys are Back in Town" in it plus a practice CD to jam along to. I could not work out how to play it, like not even close - I couldn't even play any of it well enough to identify the familiar bits of the song to start from. And I remember being just so disheartened by it... Similar experience with a few tab books that I got for various Christmas/Birthdays...

Back then anyone being able to play any song I knew seemed absolutely amazing and unobtainable to me... But now some 20+ years later I reckon I could probably get through most of that song by ear without even access to the tab given half an hour or so. Perspective and practice, and time
 
Does anyone record their guitar playing using software? I would like to keep a record of my progress.

Is it a as simple as hooking your amp up to an interface and then playing? My amp instructions say if the line out is used nothing will come out of the speaker. How will i be able to hear what I am playing while recording?
 
Bassmansam said:
Does anyone record their guitar playing using software? I would like to keep a record of my progress.

Is it a as simple as hooking your amp up to an interface and then playing? My amp instructions say if the line out is used nothing will come out of the speaker. How will i be able to hear what I am playing while recording?
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What amp are you using?
 
Bassmansam said:
Does anyone record their guitar playing using software? I would like to keep a record of my progress.

Is it a as simple as hooking your amp up to an interface and then playing? My amp instructions say if the line out is used nothing will come out of the speaker. How will i be able to hear what I am playing while recording?
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Dedicated line out shouldn't mute the amp but a headphone output probably would.

Generally though, you could listen to the guitar through the PC. OK if you're doing processing/modelling on the sound, but a dry guitar signal might be a bit uninspiring.
 
Raymond Lin said:
What amp are you using?
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Boss Katana mini
UnLuckyBenski said:
Dedicated line out shouldn't mute the amp but a headphone output probably would.

Generally though, you could listen to the guitar through the PC. OK if you're doing processing/modelling on the sound, but a dry guitar signal might be a bit uninspiring.
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Thank you. Dry signal isn't idea, i think it does have a dedicated line out.
 
I would think you will need a USB out from the amp into the computer and into a DAW like Garageband or Audacity? Both of which are free, Garageband is mac only.

Otherwise you will need an interface like a Focusrite Pre-amp then still through a DAW.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I would think you will need a USB out from the amp into the computer and into a DAW like Garageband or Audacity? Both of which are free, Garageband is mac only.

Otherwise you will need an interface like a Focusrite Pre-amp then still through a DAW.
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The Mini doesn’t have a USB interface. He’ll have to from the cab/headphones output to an interface.
 
Do you follow any online guitar courses @Raymond Lin ?

I'm working on Justinguitar course and just recently started on Marty Music, for starting out with soloing.

I am a beginner but not a complete beginner. I can play all the main open chords and I have barre chords down well, mainly focusing on rhythm guitar. Have the penatonic shape 1 down and the major scale shape 1.

Progress has been steady, but the other week we decided to make a happy birthday video for family overseas, and I decided to play along. I followed this very basic version..

https://youtu.be/bYye5NkmY1c

Eating humble pie ... I struggled with the rhythm. Which completely stunned me, as I can play Wonderwall (ugh.. I know!), its pattern and chord change timings without issue. Totally took me by surprise to be honest. It took about half an hour for me to get it. It really highlighted that I need to continue working on strumming patterns and I have been focusing too much on the left hand.

I'm trying to steer clear of gear forums and focus on getting better.
 
2StepSteve said:
Do you follow any online guitar courses @Raymond Lin ?

I'm working on Justinguitar course and just recently started on Marty Music, for starting out with soloing.

I am a beginner but not a complete beginner. I can play all the main open chords and I have barre chords down well, mainly focusing on rhythm guitar. Have the penatonic shape 1 down and the major scale shape 1.

Progress has been steady, but the other week we decided to make a happy birthday video for family overseas, and I decided to play along. I followed this very basic version..

https://youtu.be/bYye5NkmY1c

Eating humble pie ... I struggled with the rhythm. Which completely stunned me, as I can play Wonderwall (ugh.. I know!), its pattern and chord change timings without issue. Totally took me by surprise to be honest. It took about half an hour for me to get it. It really highlighted that I need to continue working on strumming patterns and I have been focusing too much on the left hand.

I'm trying to steer clear of gear forums and focus on getting better.
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I am doing the Fender app at the moment, it's quite good, it is very methodical.

Re strumming....I hate it, I feel like "I got this" then I don't. I also find changes in chords in a song quite hard, time seems to speed up or something. If I am practicing and changing between chords I can do it, do it without looking, but in a song...nope!

I also bought Udemy guitar (and piano) lessons, it's cheap like £13 or something, so when the Fender app runs out i will move on to that. I heard JustinGuitar stuff, I even have his books, got it a few years ago but kinda forgot about them. I really should look at them.
 
Re: recording

I have an attenuator between my amp's head and cab that also provides an XLR out that I run into a Focusrite interface for simple recording, but it doesn't mute the amp (it can, but only if you want it to). If I want to get a "proper" recording sound I mic up my amp with a Shure SM57 into the same interface (but it's rare I can be bothered to do that as I also use that mic as my main mic when gaming, rather than a headset)

But when I want something quick and dirty for playing (not recording) I connect a short aux cable between the headphone jack of my Digitech Trio+ looper straight into the aux in of my monitor speakers - handy late at night when I want to play quieter or use headphones
 
Raymond Lin said:
I am doing the Fender app at the moment, it's quite good, it is very methodical.

Re strumming....I hate it, I feel like "I got this" then I don't. I also find changes in chords in a song quite hard, time seems to speed up or something. If I am practicing and changing between chords I can do it, do it without looking, but in a song...nope!

I also bought Udemy guitar (and piano) lessons, it's cheap like £13 or something, so when the Fender app runs out i will move on to that. I heard JustinGuitar stuff, I even have his books, got it a few years ago but kinda forgot about them. I really should look at them.
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I feel your pain. Strumming I’ve found the hardest thing to get right, and it’s on going with me especially when chord changes occur off the beat.

I’ve heard good things about Udemy. Justin guitar is excellent his beginner course really set me on the path and laid a good foundation.

I bought a course by Steve Stine (Guitar Zoom) and then realised that I just don’t connect with him or the way he teaches. Nothing personal against the guy, but I learnt that it’s really important to find an online platform or person you can connect with. I love Paul David’s YT channel, but his course is pricey and it put me off enough to continue with JustinGuitar and Marty Music, as I don’t think he will offer much more for the money.
 
2StepSteve said:
I feel your pain. Strumming I’ve found the hardest thing to get right, and it’s on going with me especially when chord changes occur off the beat.

I’ve heard good things about Udemy. Justin guitar is excellent his beginner course really set me on the path and laid a good foundation.

I bought a course by Steve Stine (Guitar Zoom) and then realised that I just don’t connect with him or the way he teaches. Nothing personal against the guy, but I learnt that it’s really important to find an online platform or person you can connect with. I love Paul David’s YT channel, but his course is pricey and it put me off enough to continue with JustinGuitar and Marty Music, as I don’t think he will offer much more for the money.
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I find Marty guitar too fast for my liking, the time given in his video between each changes are way too short, I literally have to pause the frame at times to see what he meant. I will give Justin Guitar a go once the Fender free trial ends. I have heard all nothing but good things about it.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I find Marty guitar too fast for my liking, the time given in his video between each changes are way too short, I literally have to pause the frame at times to see what he meant. I will give Justin Guitar a go once the Fender free trial ends. I have heard all nothing but good things about it.
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Marty is very quick on his YT channel, often goes over songs in less than 10mins. His paid for content is at a slower pace though. Justin is brilliant. The books follow his YT videos and it all comes together so well. I can’t believe that it’s completely free tbh, it’s a great resource.
 
The problem is (and this is not meant to disparage anyone) if they slow it down too much then they end up with the opposite problem - players who don't want the video to drag out for ages they just want a quick overview of the chords etc. and are familiar enough with playing already that they can fill in the blanks so to speak. A tricky balancing act!

My favourite youtube channel which I would say you guys should get onto once you get a bit further and into jamming/improvising is "Now you shred" as they just have hundreds of decent backing tracks for playing over - most nights I just grab one of those that takes my fancy and have a play to it for a while
 
uncle_rufus said:
The problem is (and this is not meant to disparage anyone) if they slow it down too much then they end up with the opposite problem - players who don't want the video to drag out for ages they just want a quick overview of the chords etc. and are familiar enough with playing already that they can fill in the blanks so to speak. A tricky balancing act!

My favourite youtube channel which I would say you guys should get onto once you get a bit further and into jamming/improvising is "Now you shred" as they just have hundreds of decent backing tracks for playing over - most nights I just grab one of those that takes my fancy and have a play to it for a while
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I understand that, you can't please everybody. It's just Marty's video is a bit too advance for me right now, personally.

Re - jamming to a backing track, this Positive Grid Spark amp keep popping up everywhere, I am tempted to order one because it has an auto generated backing tracking mode for practice where you play 8 bars of music and it will make up something to suit. Very clever stuff.
 
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