How should I go about learning guitar?

[daniel1703]

I've been attending lessons (non graded) with a guitar teacher for a month and he's basically been teaching me some basic fingerpicking, tab reading, etc, but no chords. I've been practising on my bro's classical guitar.

Recently I've bought myself a steel string guitar and my guitar teacher sensed that my interest was more towards contemporary fingerstyle. As his specialization was in classical guitar, he decided to stop teaching and shared some knowledge instead because he's not too proficient in fingerstyle.

So now I'm on my own. I've been reading around trying to find some books but it seems that within fingerstyle there're a lot of different methods of playing. So far I've read a bit about the style of Chet Atkins, Tommy Emmanuel, Merle Travis. But I'm ultimately interested in playing something like what Justin King does.

What style does he actually play? Are there any books that I can buy which teaches that playing style?

Sorry if I sound like a noob.

Btw, I'm 21. Rather late to start so I'm trying to get as much info as possible so that I have a continuous flow of techniques to practise (as in, I won't be in a situation where I have nothing new to practise for a certain time period). Would this be a good approach?

[Malcolm]

Good luck finding a book on Justin King's style, as to Chet and Merle, good luck being able to duplicate their playing in the next five years. Yes there are a bunch of different ways to do finger picking if you ask three guys how you will get six different answers. Pick one of the basic patterns and stick with it till you know what you are doing.

This is a site I'm using for finger picking:
http://www.scenicnewengland.net/guitar/picking/intro.htm
Just good basic stuff.

If you need something on how to play songs from a fake book just ask. Someone will get you started.

Good luck.

[ljguitar]

Hi Daniel...
First of all, hello and welcome to the group! We are glad you joined and jumped in with a question or two.

We are glad you want to learn, and everybody here has a story of how we all started somewhere...many of us are self taught.

There are some great online resources.

Justin King plays a self-styled version of tapping. I'm sure he has heros who play that style. I'd recommend getting a good basic chord library built up before taking on tapping.

No rules say you have to, but it's easier to navigate the neck if you understand where the chords are located.

Hope this helps point you 'somewhere'. Go to YouTube and type into the search tool - ''guitar lessons''. Some Ausie named Justin has tons and they are good...

[David Hilyard]

Justin King is one of the tappers, slappers and percussive players that catch a lot of player's ears. Seems like you either like that style or you can't take it for very long. I find it interesting and depending on the player, it can be very cool. You might look into Candyrat Records. A good many of those players do the same kind of stuff and sell transcriptions of their tunes. Don Ross and Andy McKee will blow your socks off.

http://www.candyrat.com/Tabs.aspx

Preston Reed is another player who has music out. He started as a Leo Kottke clone in the 1970's and later shifted and took tapping and percussive playing to a whole new area. Michael Hedges was one that started it all and his music is out. Google these guys and you'll find their stuff. I can't recall any specific instructional material on the style but I'd start at Candyrat and follow the links.

It's not an easy place to start, on guitar. But if that's the sound that does it for you, why spend time learning something else.

Have fun!

[paul84]

Hi Daniel - welcome to the group.

Go to YouTube and type into the search tool - ''guitar lessons''. Some Ausie named Justin has tons and they are good...

Justin Sandercoe - he has all his lessons on his web site too - its a very very good resource for a beginner and will give you enough material to take you a long way.

Good luck
Paul.

[David Hilyard]

Hi Daniel - welcome to the group.



Justin Sandercoe - he has all his lessons on his web site too - its a very very good resource for a beginner and will give you enough material to take you a long way.

Good luck
Paul.

I hadn't heard of this guy. Just went to his website. Pretty cool stuff, and it's free. Boy, it's so easy to get information today.

I didn't see much on tapping on his website, which was the interest of the OP. But it sure is an easy way to learn the basics, and then some, of conventional playing in standard.

One note about learning a chord library. That's a good thing to do, to train your fingers chord shapes and locations, but it only works in one tuning. Tapping tunes tend to be all over the place in tunings. Time spent learning chord shapes in standard isn't going to help you in most tapping tunes. They'd have to be in standard and most aren't, just because of their nature.

[daniel1703]

Hi all, thanks for the feedback. Good info you've all got there. I'll be sure to check out Justin's videos.

One note about learning a chord library. That's a good thing to do, to train your fingers chord shapes and locations, but it only works in one tuning. Tapping tunes tend to be all over the place in tunings. Time spent learning chord shapes in standard isn't going to help you in most tapping tunes. They'd have to be in standard and most aren't, just because of their nature.

Regarding chords, my ex guitar teacher (now a friend) didn't put any emphasis on them. He told me that I could learn them on my own but it wasn't really necessary. My friend who studied classical guitar under him never did learn any chords and finished grade 8 that way. So naturally, I thought I didn't really need to learn them.

Then I talked to my other self learnt friends and they were all rather astonished that my friend passed grade 8 without any knowledge of chords and that I've been attending 1 month's worth of guitar lessons without being taught any chords. All they told me was that I HAD to learn chords even if I wasn't into strumming.

I'm rather confused but I've decided that I should learn a few chord progressions when I've the time.

So putting aside the fact that chords won't help me with learning tapping tunes, are there any reasons why I should learn chords?

[Fliss]

Welcome Daniel! I don't think 21 is late to start by the way, you can only start from where you are and many of us started much later than that!

Why learn chords? I suppose because they are a relatively easy, accessible way to make a nice sound with a guitar, and particularly to accompany singing or other instruments.

Learning dfiferent chord shapes and moving them around the neck will give you a good basis for picking out melody too. You can build lots of things around chords, so it's just a good overall basis.

Interestingly, there are a few threads around at the moment about learning and guitar teachers, and I think there are many different styles of learning and teaching as there are many different styles of playing. You just need to experiment and find something that works for you.

Fliss

[Brent Hutto]

I would imagine if you've gained some proficiency playing at various places on the fretboard in various keys then you "know" most of the frequently used chord shapes, you just don't call them by name. There are certain patterns that often occur when anyone plays the guitar in standard tuning. Many of those patterns form major, minor or seventh chords or slightly variations (names like "sus4" and "add9") but if all you've done is play songs in a solo style then you've never needed to say "Oh, that pattern is a Cmaj7" every time your fingers form the pattern that most of us would call "Cmaj7".

[Malcolm]

Coming from classic guitar and flamenco music I can understand your fixation on slap and tapping. And if that is what motivates you - have at it.

Guitar music consists of single note melody, chord harmony and rhythm. Sooner or later you will need to master all three.

Which ever way you decide to go, have fun.

[TBman]

Find Tommy Emmanuel's CD "Only" online and buy it. He sells the tab book for it on his website - find it and buy it. Its hard stuff for a beginner, but it will open your eyes to using chord fragments leading into another chord fragment, notes into a chord fragment, etc. Many times you'll see that the standard approach to playing a chord won't apply because of what is played before the chord and what comes after it. Good luck. BTW, check out Andy McKee and Don Ross on youtube. Alot of tapping going on there.

BTW - find the book "Pumping Nylon" - they sell it in tab versions and with a DVD. Buy it and use it. 10 years from now you'll be glad you did.

[ljguitar]

Hi Daniel...
As a guitar teacher, I start students with a strong chord knowledge, and start finger picking right on it's heels...the two work well together and serve players the rest of their playing lives.

I know most classical teaching places little or no emphasis on chords, which creates holes in the player's style down the line unless all one plans to do is play classical pieces from scores.

Pop music, country, blues, jazz and rock are all chord driven.

[daniel1703]

I would imagine if you've gained some proficiency playing at various places on the fretboard in various keys then you "know" most of the frequently used chord shapes, you just don't call them by name. There are certain patterns that often occur when anyone plays the guitar in standard tuning. Many of those patterns form major, minor or seventh chords or slightly variations (names like "sus4" and "add9") but if all you've done is play songs in a solo style then you've never needed to say "Oh, that pattern is a Cmaj7" every time your fingers form the pattern that most of us would call "Cmaj7".

Yes that's what I've been experiencing. I recognize the patterns that my fingers form when I play, and I kind of know that they must be part of a chord, just that I don't have a name for them.

ljguitar, can you elaborate a little bit more on the hole thing?

I'm sorry if I'm asking some silly questions. 1 month's worth of guitar exposure isn't much.

Ahh, I wish I lived in the states. I'm from an Asian country and over here we don't get much exposure to American fingerstyle. Most people either play classical or just strum. I'm eyeing at Mark Hanson's 'The Art of Contemporary Travis Picking' and am trying to get it from a book company in Singapore that imports books from the states.

[TBman]

Mark Hanson has two Travis picking books, I have them both. They are a good place to start.

[Bern]

Before even getting into a style you want to emulate, you must work hard on a foundation first. (can't build a house starting with the roof ;))
Find teachers in your area and select the one who you think can help you. Don't let your first teacher experience stop you from finding another.

[Jhengsman]

Yes that's what I've been experiencing. I recognize the patterns that my fingers form when I play, and I kind of know that they must be part of a chord, just that I don't have a name for them.

ljguitar, can you elaborate a little bit more on the hole thing?

I'm sorry if I'm asking some silly questions. 1 month's worth of guitar exposure isn't much.

Ahh, I wish I lived in the states. I'm from an Asian country and over here we don't get much exposure to American fingerstyle. Most people either play classical or just strum. I'm eyeing at Mark Hanson's 'The Art of Contemporary Travis Picking' and am trying to get it from a book company in Singapore that imports books from the states.
If I may. Pop music and musicians rarely get scores of music. If we are lucky we get a lead sheet. The melody line with the chord change associated to it. From there we "fake" it. Improvise along the basic chord given. We choose the exact voicing of the chord, that is where on the neck we play it and what note will be in the bass etc. because the exact instructions, full scores are not given the partial scores put together are called "fake books".

Many players who never read any sheet music or tab are able to "fake" their accompaniment, improvise if you like just by knowing the chord changes. In many situations all a player will get is the chords or just the interval between the chords. If a specific rhythm/phrasing pattern is needed a lead sheet may be provided our more likely the leader will just demonstrate the rhythm he wants. If guitar players are unable to make sense of it there are holes to their development. They will never gig in something like a wedding or church band nor be able to get studio work in the pop music field without those holes being filled.