Guitarists out there

[Christophe von Carstein]

Hi
Basically i'm starting guitar lessons in a couple days and know absoloutly nothing and i was just wondering if any musicians out there had a way in which they remembered which note the strings are (E, B, G, D, A, E)
???

help please how do you remember them and I don't want to hear I just sat and learnt them, because that doesnt help me.

 

[123birds]

Just learn each string at a time. Their are basicaly 3 notes per string that you really need to know to start with the exception of the G string. Since their isn't really any pattern to the notes going down its hard just to memorize them. You will also memorize them pretty fast if you tune evertime you play. You can either use the tuner, or the fifth fret of everystring is the same note of the last string, with the exception of G which is the fourth fret. So fifth fret of B is the same note as the E string. Fourth string of G string is the same as B string. Basicaly just don't overwhelm yourself. Just sit down with your book and just learn the first string and play the songs. Just watch out for books that start with teaching you chords. I find that the books like that are not worth buying because of how much they skip around. You can also think of an acrostic to remember like this (i just made it up on the spot so bear with me):
E-Every
B-Bad
G-God
D-Destroys
A-An
E-Elephant
Main advice i can give you for playing the guitar though, is don't rush unless you understand music by playing another instrument. It will eventualy come to you.

 

[Disciple of Nagash]

Good luck Christophe, I keep on promising myself to learn the guitar but I just never get round to it, Keep us updated on how you do as it should give a good indication of whether I should go ahead or not.

 

[Crab Battle]

*waves hand*

Birds' anagram for EBGDAE is probably the most common way for people to memorise which string is which when starting out. If you're getting lessons, the first thing your teacher will probably do is guide you through getting familiar with your guitar, so don't fret if you struggle with remembering things until then. Having taught guitar myself to younger kids at my school, I found that people tend to pick this sort of stuff up really quickly when they have someone teaching them, so don't worry too much about having to teach yourself the fundamentals.


Just one thing I have to say though, if you're getting an electric guitar, DO NOT BUY BC RICH. Seriously, they are worthless floorboards with wires glued to them, carved into cool shapes so that little kids who don't know better will want them to look cool with. Just a heads up.

 

[Falahk]

Good luck Christophe, I keep on promising myself to learn the guitar but I just never get round to it, Keep us updated on how you do as it should give a good indication of whether I should go ahead or not.

hehe im siting in a similar situation

however for me its the other way around, im trying to figure out if i finaly should break my wove (very long back i promised myself to never became a musician, since its a shitty job, that more or less consume your full existence), and learn an instrument

 

[Crab Battle]

Good luck Christophe, I keep on promising myself to learn the guitar but I just never get round to it, Keep us updated on how you do as it should give a good indication of whether I should go ahead or not.

hehe im siting in a similar situation

however for me its the other way around, im trying to figure out if i finaly should break my wove (very long back i promised myself to never became a musician, since its a shitty job, that more or less consume your full existence), and learn an instrument

It doesn't need to. It just makes you much moar epic that way

Seriously though, as long as you're efficient, you needn't give up more than an hour a day at the most to still make good progress learning an instrument. It's a great feeling of accomplishment to be able to write your own music or play your favourite songs, and unless your favourite artist happens to be insanely skilled, it's generally easy to find a song by them that you can pick up quickly.

Granted, some people can no-life music a bit... I've been guilty of the 8-hours-a-day practice regime approach before... but generally it needn't take up any more time than you want it to. You're generally right about it sucking as a job though... to make a decent living as a performing musician these days you need to be a sellout whore...

Tutors make decent enough money though. 20-30K a year GBP working 8 hours a day 5 days a week, with over 2 months of holiday time, is easy enough to pull off if you can find enough students to have a full week of work...

 

[Disciple of Nagash]

Ah well, I'm moving to Leeds in a couple of months so if anyone wants to teach me how to play a guitar there let me know

 

[Christophe von Carstein]

Well i had my first lesson today, my fingures hurt a little but it was good my teacher got mr to play the beginning of Seven Nation Armies (or something like that by The White Stripes) and I'll be There For You by The Rembrants (thats the theme to Friends if your woundering) but it felt worth it and i hope to have another lesson soon

 

[Disciple of Nagash]

did you find it difficult? I take you you have prior knowledge if you was playing that straight off?

 

[Christophe von Carstein]

Its not the easiest thing I've ever done and no I dont have any prior knowledge, it was just the was my teacher prefered to teach through actually learning songs and learning to read them on paper so that I can play them rather than just sit and read music and it be about 3/4 months efore i started to play actual music

 

[Hammerthorn]

did you find it difficult? I take you you have prior knowledge if you was playing that straight off?

I don't know if you still care but, i've been playing guitar now for 2-3 years and am entirely self-taught.

No, i'm not really really bad before someone says it.

The best thing to do is spend a month hammering at Power Chords (Prefferably the 3 string kind that some would call Bar Chords... even though they arent). This generally helps you pick up alot. It'll do your esteem good too. You'll be able to strum along to anything, honestly. Even if it doesnt have a rhythm chords part for some reason, it's easy to write one

Then you can start working on your pentatonic scale, and playing along to songs. Then go back to 'basics' and look at "Classical" or "Full" chords and more scales. I'm playing in a band, write my own music, and am considered a talented muscian, and i'm only just going 'back' to these basics.

Honestly, guitar is a very worthwhile investment!

(If anyone cares, i'm also a semi-professional drummer )

 

[Falahk]

Good luck Christophe, I keep on promising myself to learn the guitar but I just never get round to it, Keep us updated on how you do as it should give a good indication of whether I should go ahead or not.

hehe im siting in a similar situation

however for me its the other way around, im trying to figure out if i finaly should break my wove (very long back i promised myself to never became a musician, since its a shitty job, that more or less consume your full existence), and learn an instrument

It doesn't need to. It just makes you much moar epic that way

Seriously though, as long as you're efficient, you needn't give up more than an hour a day at the most to still make good progress learning an instrument. It's a great feeling of accomplishment to be able to write your own music or play your favourite songs, and unless your favourite artist happens to be insanely skilled, it's generally easy to find a song by them that you can pick up quickly.

Granted, some people can no-life music a bit... I've been guilty of the 8-hours-a-day practice regime approach before... but generally it needn't take up any more time than you want it to. You're generally right about it sucking as a job though... to make a decent living as a performing musician these days you need to be a sellout whore...

Tutors make decent enough money though. 20-30K a year GBP working 8 hours a day 5 days a week, with over 2 months of holiday time, is easy enough to pull off if you can find enough students to have a full week of work...

I'm very obsessive when i do things, and if im to learn it, it would be with the objective to make music, I know very well what it takes and what i have to give up to do it, im just not sure the side effects are worth it (mostly the traveling part and how it screws over your family life), sure it can be done as a hobby to, but i somewhat dubt my abileties to limit it to that

 

[doombunny666]

id love to learn guitar so i can piss of my neighbours and have an excuse but im a clumsy dumb ass so its drums for me cartman style

"you dont just play a drum you beat the M***** F****** S*** out of it"

 

[darknesseternal]

Well i had my first lesson today, my fingures hurt a little but it was good my teacher got mr to play the beginning of Seven Nation Armies (or something like that by The White Stripes) and I'll be There For You by The Rembrants (thats the theme to Friends if your woundering) but it felt worth it and i hope to have another lesson soon

My how times have changed... Seven Nation Army and I'll Be There For you were part of your first lesson?

Back long ago when I was 15 and learning guitar (with a cheap ass black with white pickboard Dave Murray fender copy of course :devil: ), Greensleeves was one of the first songs my teacher asked me to learn. That, and Mull of Kintyre. What was it about that song? Back in those days, guitar teachers always wanted you to play Mull of Kintyre.

I just wish I had stuck with it. It's 21 odd years ago now, but while I was good at playing melodies and licks and the like, I sucked at playing chords. Well not so much playing them, moreso changing between them. And that is meant to be easier for most people than playing melody lines, so I was a little bit disheartened. And impatient. So after a couple of years, I switched to bass, thinking that would be easier, but still have the cool 'rock' factor. I should have factored in my lack of natural talent, and my lack of patience. Being able to play the bass lines to Nirvana's About a Girl, Metallica's Nothing Else Matters, and the slow quiet parts to Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner and Orion was as far as I got before I gave in and conceeded I didn't have the natural talent, but more importantly the patience to stick with it.

So don't make the mistake that I did. If you are enjoying it, then apply yourself and stay with it. It doesn't happen overnight, but you will see improvement over time, and the upside to being a musician is that you are always learning and improving. So best of luck with it. :thumb:

 

[Christophe von Carstein]

Well for anyone who is still interested I've been playing guitar for a month now. Its been hard work but its been fun as well in addition to the two songs i started practicing in my first lesson, with my teachers help i'm starting to pick up a really good, wide variety of songs although obviously I'm still having trouble at points.

But em the songs i've learnt or learning include:
Mission impossible theme, Eye of the Tiger, Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple, the intro to American Idiot - Green Day as well as intro to, Dance Dance - Fall Out Boy, Wonderwall - Oasis and Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana (intro) as well as my white stripes and friends and although some of them i can still mess up horribly i do know the chords that I should be playing so i'm like really pleased with myself for sticking with it. :mrgreen:

 

[Bug16]

I recommend http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Guitar-Player-Books-Omnibus/dp/082561936X

I also recommend at least an hour a day of guitar practice.

 

[Disciple of Nagash]

Great to hear how fast your coming along Christophe. It certainly seems your practise is paying off - so when will we see you on youtube?

After a long decision I have decided to pursue playing an instrument myself.... the piano. Not sure why but it feels right, moreso than a guitar. So I've asked the missus for some lessons for my upcoming bday.

 

[Christophe von Carstein]

Ha ha It'll will be a while yet before I find myself on youtube

and good for you disciple wanting to play an instrument and if piano feels right for you then so be it good look