[gcd23]

I'm new to this site and have just only played guitar for 3 months on and off. I have decided to fully committ myself to practicing everyday and to get better. My question is how long did it take you guys to get better or when did you realize you were getting better? I have been getting frustrated with myself trying to play John Mayer stuff but I guess I have to learn how to play before I can play stuff like that. Answer on.

[annoying_2001]

no offense gcd, but i'd have to agree w/ voodoo, john mayer tunes are difficult. but, the more power to you. right now, u being frustrated, means you've hit a plateau. all you have to do is keep going, but there will be more in the future. playing the guitar really is a love/hate relationship. but to answer your question, i'm not sure how long it took for me to realize when or how i was getting "good." i've been playing the guitar for 7 years, but i still don't consider myself "good," "average" at best. there's so much to learn w/ it. good luck, and i hope you get those mayer tunes down.

[Liam68]

Ive been playing since January 04, I got my guitar at christmas but never really started playing till january, then my brother showed me some chords for wonderwall, then i just learned of the internet and made up random chord changes from a G to a D, and Am to a C just simple stuff and eventually i got faster when i realized i started getting to it was about 5 or 6 months into my playing with NO lessons, just basic internet stuff... Guitar is my passion, i play it so much, i started bringing it to school to play it and Yeah...so my advice to u is, u cant commit urself to playing everyday you have to want to play u have to love to play...like i started lessons now i couldnt before cause they were almost over anyways...my mom never has to say go practice ur guitar, i just go and play...You have to want to play... to get better thats what i think

[gcd23]

I want to play, I pick up the guitar everyday and try to play and somedays I play well and others I play like crap. I am just not consistent but I know it will be with given time. What are good artist to learn playing guitar? Obviously John Mayer is tough to play when you have no skill but what is a good artist to start with? I am getting faster on my chord changes but sometimes I think about it too much and I mess up the chord. Thanks for the comments so far keep them coming.

[dadfad]

I've been playing since 1965 and I've noticed I'm definately becoming better. A few words of advice. Three months isn't a long time. If you've learned to make your open chords (chords near-the-nut chords, like A, C, D, G, E, etc) well and solidly and can make basic changes reasonbly quickly, you aren't doing bad at all. Choose a few easier tunes to work with (but don't give up on the harder ones, work on those too). Choose a couple with simple chords, un-complex rhythms, not too fast for you to work with. Sing along with them. I don't know if you do sing or have tried to sing yet, but you should. (And trying to add singing after you've already learned to play is much harder than learning both together.) A tune that's relatively simple I often recommend to students is an acoustic version of the Hendrix tune "Hey Joe". Not too hard. Just a progression of C, G, D, A, E. That's it. It's a good "starter tune" because first of all it uses all of the "open" major chords in a single progression. Good for practicing. It's easy to sing with. Lots of people know the tune (it's not some lame beginner tune like "On Top Of Old Smokey" or something! ). And it's the kind of tune that can "grow" with your skills. Simple chords at first, and it sounds okay. Play it with a little fingerstyle instead of simple strumming.... better still. As you get better, add more licks and techniques to it. It can become an extremely challenging acoustic tune if you want it to be, yet still sounds nice when played well using nothing but the simple chords. Anyway, just keep practicing. It'll all come. Remember, every guitarist, no matter how good or how experienced, has been at exactly the same place you are right now. And welcome to GTU.

[halfmoonbay]

I've been playing since the mid-90's and I'm still crap.

Some people progress faster than others, but odds are most folk aren't going to be that hot after three months. Start off with the basics, get down things like open chords, barre chords, basic scales, learn a few songs..... keep practicing and push yourself, but don't neglect to consolodate skills as well. Most folk take a couple of years before they get to a stage where they're a reasonably proficient well-rounded guitarist..... 'getting good' can take longer (although that largely depends on your definition of 'good' really. ) As long as you're improving and are happy doing what you do then it's all good.

[annoying_2001]

I've been playing since the mid-90's and I'm still crap. 

AMEN!!!

but anyway, gcd, your best bet, like someone stated before, is "you have to want to get better." judging by your posts, you're into it. but don't get discouraged on "off days" and do ask dadfad an ass ton of questions when you've got guitar problems, because he knows everthing there is to know about guitars. he'll tell you differently, but he's just a modest guy.

[cheguevara_007]

I've been playing for 5 years, and I've progressed pretty rapidly. I would say I'm a competent guitarist, and John Mayer is tough for me. Go with the classics at first like Zeppelin and Clapton and whatnot. Most classic rock is fairly simple and well remembered. Dadfad nailed it on the head with "Hey Joe". You want to learn stuff you can build off of in the future. Just think, in 10 years, you'll have 10 year's experience. Until then-crawl before you run. And good luck.

[jammin man]

I've been playing since the mid-90's and I'm still crap. 

Some people progress faster than others, but odds are most folk aren't going to be that hot after three months. Start off with the basics, get down things like open chords, barre chords, basic scales, learn a few songs..... keep practicing and push yourself, but don't neglect to consolodate skills as well. Most folk take a couple of years before they get to a stage where they're a reasonably proficient well-rounded guitarist..... 'getting good' can take longer (although that largely depends on your definition of 'good' really. ) As long as you're improving and are happy doing what you do then it's all good.

20 years and still learning. You never actually stop. Theres always something to learn.

[SRVfan2004]

it took me about a year and a half to finally get good and play decent songs. my naturally very fast fingers have always been there though.

[Irishcocacola]

Yeah I agree with Dadfad here.

I started a lot like you, i've only been playing about a year, but I picked up on Guitar REAL quick. I play at least 30 minutes a day, but some days I play 4 hours, so it varies.


Heres one things you should do though. Print out your tabs and organize them into a folder and once you have mastered a tab check it off. That doesn't mean stop practicing, just give it a rest for a while and bring in more challenging stuff.

One of the things I struggle with is getting material that challenges me but also inspires me to play hard and well. It's excellent that you are playing John Mayer. The plus side to that of course is that, if you like the music your going to want to play it. I never played the REAL easy beginners stuff cause I hated it. So, thats a slower start, but an easier one if you enjoy it.

Oh yeah, and it took me 3 months to play a descent song, and 5 months before my friends asked me to pick up my guitar and play. Nowadays, they'll pick it up and shove it in my arms and ask me to play cause they want to hear it. It's really cool.

Sounds like your doing good, keep at it. Eventually you will begin to like it.

[gcd23]

Thanks guys for all your replies. So far I have learned the A,Am,A7,B,B7,C,C7,D,Dm,D7,E,Em,E7,F,G,and G7. The problem is obviously getting to them without thinking and fast enough without screwing up. I have another question, I've been wanting to get another guitar (don't ask me why, I guess its inspirational). I have been looking at the Martin D-15, D-15 Limited, D-15 Spruce/rosewood and the Takamine EG-523SC. I'm wanting to get a good second guitar that will play just as good if not better than my Takamine EG334SBC (or anything in the $600-$1000 range). What do you guys think I should get?

This post has been edited by gcd23: 04 October 2004 - 07:46 PM

[annoying_2001]

Thanks guys for all your replies.  So far I have learned the A,Am,A7,B,B7,C,C7,D,Dm,D7,E,Em,E7,F,G,and G7.  The problem is obviously getting to them without thinking and fast enough without screwing up.  I have another question, I've been wanting to get another guitar (don't ask me why, I guess its inspirational).  I have been looking at the Martin D-15, D-15 Limited, D-15 Spruce/rosewood and the Takamine EG-523SC.  I'm wanting to get a good second guitar that will play just as good if not better than my Takamine EG334SBC (or anything in the $600-$1000 range).  What do you guys think I should get?

i think you should wait before you spend that kind of money. keep it in a savings account and add to it as you wait. then if you are serious after about 1 year see how much you have. the guitar you have is a good guitar so i dont think you need to get another just yet.

ditto.



does this count as a spam post?

[stratomaster313]

Well if you can play any power chord at all, you can start on your basic rythm excercises. Try any G C D A combos and try to get not so much faster, but cleaner. Make sure your not getting a bunch of buzz. As your fingers take form you can develop speed. As far as your chords, (not power chords) for a while, play those slow. and make sure it's clean. a few songs that might be helpful to you are:

All I Can Do : Lynyrd Skynyrd
Who'll Stop the Rain : Credence Clearwater Revival
Basket Case : Greenday ( Not very difficult song, but good P.C. practice)



These are all good songs for you to practice, remember play them slow, (and don't just play these songs, keep an eye out for others.) and work on form and precision. Speed will come to you. And always remember to play from the heart and play with your head.....

Happy Playing......

[sixgunsound]

I agree with the above. I've been at it since like 1991, and it takes time. You don't learn to play well overnight.

[Beachgirl]

I will agree with all of you in saying, John Mayer isn't starter material! I'm having trouble with his stuff, and I've been at it for a few years now... You know a good amount of chords, now just work on your changes by practicing simple chord progressions and getting your fingers used to the fretboards.... and wait on the guitar definitely.... a better guitar isn't essential right now, save your money.....

Acoustic Songs:
(here's some easy John Mayer)
Clarity
Why Georgia (try just chords first off)

Jason Mraz- You and I both

Jack Johnson's stuff.... (trying just chords for starters)

Good luck

[trothsey]

Only advice I can give is take your time. Don't rush ahead madly by picking up bad habits and short cuts like I did, only to have to go back and relearn stuff.

[Zep-Bowie-Young Freak]

Well, After I had been playing for like 2 months and I had down all my open chords and pentatonic soloing and some riffs I thought I was hot ###### but the more you learn (at least this is the way it seems to work for me) the more you realize you don't know.

My suggestion to get good is make every single day count. Get a teacher and make it clear it him/ her what you know and that you are willing to practice a lot. Then just practice (besides just playing) for like an hour a day. That means like an hour of exercises to strengthen your fingers, work on speed, run scales, work on accuracy etc etc. Doing this can really help you get a lot better fast. There was a book (probably a lot of books actually) based on this principle of making every day count. Its called 30 Day Guitar Work Out by Jody Fisher. It gives you a serious day to day regiment of stuff to practice (different each day) plus like 4 or so warm ups to do everyday. This book is no joke, its atleast a solid hour of practicing to do daily but its worth it.

Basically, just make every single day count and push your self a little more every day and you'll learn fast.

[Silver68]

I want to play, I pick up the guitar everyday and try to play and somedays I play well and others I play like crap.  I am just not consistent but I know it will be with given time.  What are good artist to learn playing guitar?  Obviously John Mayer is tough to play when you have no skill but what is a good artist to start with?  I am getting faster on my chord changes but sometimes I think about it too much and I mess up the chord.  Thanks for the comments so far keep them coming.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

oasis is a good band to learn by most of there songs are simple, like morning glory, talk tonight most of there songs you can play with the common chords

[XXFENDERXX]

[COLOR=purple]DUDE! JUST STICK WITH IT EVERY THING THEY HAVE SAID IS TRUE! Just remember these few things....
playing guitar is a journey not a destination!
just be sure to put time in everyday
be patient everyone improves at a different rate
(however in my opinion that rate is directly proportional
to the amount of playing time)
: wacko: