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Old 04-06-2019, 11:21 AM
ColColt ColColt is offline
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Having only just began less than two weeks ago my mind is whirling from all the information I've been given. There are two fellows on the Internet, Nate Savage and Mike Kennedy who send me lots of emails abouit certain lessons they provide and problem areas to be aware of, etc.

I don't which, if either, would be a better choice or if I should just do the lessons locally. If you get too many irons in the fire things can begin to get pretty confusing in short order, I've found. So, I guess what I want to ask is whether to get the advice from one of the aforementioned instructors and try to follow along or have someone help me locally.

I've been given a wonderful amount of comments and suggestions here-I'm just unsure which route would be best at this stage. I'm still learning chords and attempting to go from one to the other as efficiently and quickly as possible, trying to sing via the chords given either in a book I bought or the chords shown online with the lyrics. I found I may need a capo to be able to play in a key more akin to my own voice and so ordered one but, it won't be here as soon as I thought. I may go down today or Monday and just find one locally.

Put another way, if it were you, what would you be more inclined to do? BTW, I have the Martin 000.
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Old 04-06-2019, 12:11 PM
zmf zmf is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ColColt View Post
Put another way, if it were you, what would you be more inclined to do? BTW, I have the Martin 000.
A fine guitar. Should feel relatively easy to play.

I'd probably go with a local instructor that knows how to help you make sense of the fretboard, starting with do, re, mi, etc. up the bass string. How all chords in different keys relate to each other is something that goes faster with good one-on-one instruction.

Stuff like getting the chords down is just one of those things that has to be burned into your muscle memory, and you can do on your own, but it wouldn't hurt to have an instructor making sure you're using the right fingering.

But I started learning a long time ago without an instructor and no internet. I suspect others will suggest on-line is the way to go.
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Old 04-06-2019, 12:55 PM
jklotz jklotz is offline
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Awesome! We need more folks learning the instrument these days. Welcome to the club! For me, it's been a lifelong passion and learning adventure that I wouldn't trade for anything! I've met so many great people through music and guitar. It's been highly rewarding. I hope you find the same with it.

1st off, I'd try to avoid too many instructors. I find it better to focus on 1 method. The justinguitar.com is free and has a beginners section that may help you.

At the end of the day, I think private instruction is the way to go, even if it's just once every few weeks. 1) they/you can set goals with accountability (as in "ok, so let's play through what I taught you last week now that you've practiced it") and 2) to help keep you from starting off with bad habits. Trust me on this one, once a bad habit is ingrained into your muscle memory, it takes 4 times the effort to relearn it later. Ask me how I know.

Hope this helps, and feel free to ask questions. Lot's of really knowledgable folks here!
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Old 04-06-2019, 01:21 PM
mercy mercy is offline
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private lessons, the AGF= dinner and desert
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  #5  
Old 04-06-2019, 01:30 PM
ColColt ColColt is offline
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Quote:
The justinguitar.com is free and has a beginners section that may help you.
I've seen his recommendation several times and have watched a few of his videos.

Quote:
private lessons, the AGF= dinner and desert
It don't get any better than that.
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  #6  
Old 04-06-2019, 01:51 PM
jim1960 jim1960 is offline
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As a self-taught player, I can tell you that the biggest impediment to my own advancement was my lack of music theory. That hole in my education kept many songs out of reach if they were written in keys that were more difficult to play for a beginner (Eb, for example). It wasn't until I got to college and took a music theory course that things really started to come into focus. I realized I was, in essence, trying to learn a language without understanding the meaning of the language or how it all related to itself.

So here's my advice:
There are plenty of online lessons for guitar. Someone mentioned JustinGuitar and I think he's a very good source. Use his videos for your basic lessons. At the same time, try to find an adult ed or community college course in beginner music theory you can take. There may even be some good theory courses online, but if you can't ask questions and interact with the instructor, they may not be as helpful as taking an actual class.

I've no doubt some here will respond that understanding theory is not a prerequisite to playing guitar ...and they're right. There are plenty of people who play guitar and have no concept of musical theory and will swear it has not hindered them in the least. I'm sure they believe that. But as someone who spent his first six years of playing on the "don't know nuthin' 'bout no theory" side of the fence, I can tell you that a basic theory course lifted the veil for me and my playing made more sense and I progressed much more rapidly for having learned some theory.
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  #7  
Old 04-06-2019, 02:07 PM
Deliberate1 Deliberate1 is offline
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ColColt, as you may recall from my responses to your previous post, you and I are on parallel tracks in age and guitar "experience." I got my Larrivee 000 about six weeks ago. Glad you ended up with a similar size in the Martin. Having since handled a bunch of other guitars, I now realize how perfectly the 000 fits me. Like you, I have been learning basic chords, and have written a song after putting together a sequence of chords that work for me. Before the guitar, I would write all the lyrics and then figure the tune.
I had my first private lesson last week. It had been more than 45 years since my last lesson - on clarinet.
We discussed proper hand position and guitar ergonomics. He gave me home work to do to learn the fret board. Basically, find all the E's and play them forwards and back. And then to the next note. And for dexterity, just run through chromatic scale using all all four fingers. You know, I have lived with this left pinky for 63 years and never realized how stubborn it could be.
For me, personal lessons will keep me moving ahead. Nothing like performance expectations to sharpen motivation. As helpful as on-line lessons can be, it just seems to me that having someone actually watching you in real time is irreplaceable.
Best of luck.
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Old 04-06-2019, 02:58 PM
ColColt ColColt is offline
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I'm pretty happy with the Martin. It's a good size for me, quality instrument and has a good sound for my ears. I've bounced around a lot today still learning the chords going from C to D and D7, G, G7 and sometimes E. Those seem more prevalent in the songs I want to try and learn other than the dreaded F chord. I found another way, by the way, to play F without having to use the index finger to barre the first fret so that's a plus.

I had called about lessons several days ago and got one of the instructors but he told me to be sure and call to see if he was there. I did but found he was tied up in lessons so, I'll go back Monday and see if we can touch base on a time frame for me.

A little disappointed my G7th capo won't be here as soon as I thought so, I may pick one up Monday while at the store and see if that helps with the proper key. I did find out by listening to Hank and Anita sing yesterday evening that he and I are pretty much on the same key as for voice level. I don't know what key he was in but singing along sounded pretty natural.

Speaking of the pinky finger, mine is short and no way I could finger F-chord the way I've seen it. At a mere 2" long I'd have to add some material of a sort to get an extra half inch to it. I really have to stretch that ring finger to press the 4th string on the 3rd fret to do the modified version of F chord.

As for the music theory, I don't know if these instructors give you any of that or not and I'm not familiar with the local community colleges as to whether they offer that or not.
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Old 04-06-2019, 03:09 PM
Deliberate1 Deliberate1 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ColColt View Post

Speaking of the pinky finger, mine is short and no way I could finger F-chord the way I've seen it. At a mere 2" long I'd have to add some material of a sort to get an extra half inch to it.
As for the music theory, I don't know if these instructors give you any of that or not and I'm not familiar with the local community colleges as to whether they offer that or not.
Ah, the dreaded "pinky envy"....
I am not sure how my teacher will incorporate music theory into my lessons. As I said, I have been playing woodwinds for well over 50 years, and play lead tenor in a big band, and clarinet in smaller jazz ensembles. I never learned theory, and wish I had. I have developed a pretty good ear and can improvise as long as I can hear the changes, and can play off the root. But, it seems to me that with a visual board, like the guitar or piano, you can actually see how the chords are put together, unlike my woodwinds. Well, will just have to see how that plays out. But it would be cool if guitar playing enhanced my woodwind improv skills.
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Old 04-06-2019, 03:48 PM
ColColt ColColt is offline
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Me and woodwind instruments did not get along...hate them reeds. I never learned the proper "embouchure" I suppose. I tried the tenor sax but could not do it.
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Old 04-06-2019, 07:32 PM
Deliberate1 Deliberate1 is offline
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Originally Posted by ColColt View Post
Me and woodwind instruments did not get along...hate them reeds. I never learned the proper "embouchure" I suppose. I tried the tenor sax but could not do it.
I remember you posting that, and totally get it. I started with clarinet in the third grade and never put it down. Then sax and high school jazz band, youth orchestra, college symphony, etc. And then big band, small ensemble, klezmer gigs, and the like. Just a part of me now.
But those reed driven instruments now have to play second fiddle, so to speak, to my new musical passion. I can't seem to put that box with strings down.
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Old 04-06-2019, 08:19 PM
jschmitz54 jschmitz54 is offline
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Congrats on the 000 Martin, which model is it?
A personal instructor, one that has good reviews and credentials is my recommendation. I’ve been playing for 10 months and one thing I’ve discovered is it’s much easier to learn things the correct way to begin with than to do it wrong for a period of time and have to relearn and correct whatever it may be.
An instructor that’s sitting with you catches mistakes which helps keep you on the right track. I’m not convinced that an online course or even an online instructor can give you that. Plus having that lesson each week is very motivating which will help you progress.
No matter how odd trying to play a chord seems to you, I’d recommend to keep trying it. One thing I picked up was an exercise called one minute chord changes. Set a timer for one minute pick two chords you want to change back and forth between and count how many times you change between them in one minute, each chord gets one strum. Try to make quality changes don’t rush but change those chords so they sound correct and your finger placement is also correct. In a short time you’ll be amazed at how much better and faster you’ll get.
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Old 04-06-2019, 09:03 PM
tonyo tonyo is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jim1960 View Post
As a self-taught player, I can tell you that the biggest impediment to my own advancement was my lack of music theory. That hole in my education kept many songs out of reach if they were written in keys that were more difficult to play for a beginner (Eb, for example). It wasn't until I got to college and took a music theory course that things really started to come into focus. I realized I was, in essence, trying to learn a language without understanding the meaning of the language or how it all related to itself.

So here's my advice:
There are plenty of online lessons for guitar. Someone mentioned JustinGuitar and I think he's a very good source. Use his videos for your basic lessons. At the same time, try to find an adult ed or community college course in beginner music theory you can take. There may even be some good theory courses online, but if you can't ask questions and interact with the instructor, they may not be as helpful as taking an actual class.

I've no doubt some here will respond that understanding theory is not a prerequisite to playing guitar ...and they're right. There are plenty of people who play guitar and have no concept of musical theory and will swear it has not hindered them in the least. I'm sure they believe that. But as someone who spent his first six years of playing on the "don't know nuthin' 'bout no theory" side of the fence, I can tell you that a basic theory course lifted the veil for me and my playing made more sense and I progressed much more rapidly for having learned some theory.
I quite agree, the one qualification I would make is move to learning theory when it suits you. If theory sucks the passion / fun out of learning at the beginning, leave it for later. If theory really grabs you and keeps you motivated, it's always a good thing.

It's often said theory is important because it will make you a better player in the long run. While this is true it's, in my opinion, far too vague. Have clear, specific and short term goals especially when starting.
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  #14  
Old 04-07-2019, 09:19 AM
pianowillbebach pianowillbebach is offline
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Definitely get an instructor. I would try to find someone local, but there are a few catches to that. I would make sure to find someone who isn't too expensive, that is used to teaching beginners, and is willing to potentially offer you lessons every other week. In my experience (as someone who has both taken and given lessons), many beginners don't need lessons every week. It takes time to build up the skills you're learning each week, and you might as well save some money while you're at it.

Congrats to you for learning a new instrument!
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Old 04-07-2019, 09:29 AM
ColColt ColColt is offline
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The sheet they gave me showing the two basic lessons taught(Standard and Express Lessons) you get 4-30 minute lessons per month, one on one for $99. The standard lessons are for 4-60 minute lessons per month for $198. That's one lesson per week. Whatever you learn per session you have a week to practice until the next week.

There's also a "6-month bundle" where you can get 30 minute lessons for 6 months for $570. I suppose that's all fairly typical. I don't think I'd want to do that until I was sure me and the instructor could communicate and bond, so to speak.

jschmitz54-the model you ask about is the Martin 000X1AE.
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