How long did it take

[mattgatten]

for you to consistently stop buzzing strings, etc?

I've been with this guitar for about 3 weeks. About 2 hours per night. Sometimes more. I love it. I don't expect this to turn into a 'be patient' type thread as I have no delusions that I'll be, what I would call, a decent player in the next year.

I'm just curious as to how you started when you began, how long did you practice each day or each week, etc.

I started with a nice acoustic guitar, then I joined this site. I've now been doing lots of finger exercises (no sense in trying to play allot of music, until my hands are strong, flexible, and tough enough). I've also been doing pentatonic scales, (blues scales), arpeggios, etc. Just started learning some chords this week. When my fingers or hands are too sore to practice, I'm reading lots of theory on chord construction/progression, circle of fifths, etc.

Am I'm doing the right stuff? I really don't want to go and get lessons just yet if I can get all my fundamentals done through books and the web. :)

[rockonn91]

wow, you are much farther along then where i was just 3 weeks into playing.

i didnt have the patience you had, so it took me about 3 years to get good. it probably took me about a year to get as far as you are.

so right on, man. keep it up. great progress.

you teaching yourself? or do you have a teacher?

[Kevin Taylor]

yeah, same here.
All I could play for the first year was a D chord. :rolleyes:

[Akira]

You're sure as hell shifting some ground for 3 weeks!

I started on some worn out acoustic, had 2 lessons a week for the first month, then for a year after that I had 1 a week. I played maybe 3 times a week. After I finished the lessons, I realised I had to start relying on myself to learn new things, so I started playing more often. The end result being that it's taken over my life. :p

[alucard0941]

yea dude im to lazy to calulate, but I started to play guitar a December a few years back and by febuary, I memorized the 15 critical open chords as well as some cool pentatonic licks. So just hang in there...

The first think I could play on guitar were the E maj and A maj chords. Their a cool pair of blues chords if you make up a nice melody for them. That was the only thing inspiring me to play at that time. I was really discouraged cause I couldnt play anything, but I kept practicing those two chords and eventually, in about a month or so, I felt like Eric Clapton. :rolleyes:

[earthman buck]

All I could play for the first year was a D chord. :rolleyes:

When I was starting out, my dad taught me G, C, and D7. He's into bluegrass, you see, and he figured those were the only chords I'd ever need.

[sailorjim]

I took lessons as a kid, ( 40 years ago) Back then they would teach you to read music. So I would say at the 3rd week I was playing twinkle twinkle little star. on the E,B G strings. ( I can tab it out if any one wants it. Nice lick !!HA HA!!) the up side of reading music was that you learned from the begining timing was very very very important.. So what ever you do, at least do it with a metronome.. Ok let me rephrase that, don't really do it with a metronome just use one while you are playing..

[strat-man]

Ya doin well for only three weeks of playin dude, i've been playin for just about a year now and i'm totally addicted, every spare minute i'm playin, i'm self taught cos i can't afford lessons but i'm still buzzin strings and my fingers still wont work as fast as i'd like!! but i got about 8 songs nailed now which is better than i ever expected!

[ericthecableguy]

Like everyone else said, you're definately on the right track. One thing I would definitaly reccomend you learn in the next bit is to learn all the notes on the fretboard. It sounds like a big task, and it sort of is, but I've been playing for 3 years, and it's probably the most useful thing I've done. You will eventually discover a bunch of patterns, which will ultimately make playing easier. Scales and chords will make more sense.

But Maybe wait a bit first. One thing about guitar is that you have to take it slow. I'm not saying be patient, because not too many of us are.I just mean don't do too many things you can't do before learning the simple things.

But like I, and everyone else has said, great work. It's great that another devoted guitarist has entered this world. :cool:

[Akira]

Like everyone else said, you're definately on the right track. One thing I would definitaly reccomend you learn in the next bit is to learn all the notes on the fretboard. It sounds like a big task, and it sort of is, but I've been playing for 3 years, and it's probably the most useful thing I've done. You will eventually discover a bunch of patterns, which will ultimately make playing easier. Scales and chords will make more sense

+1

It opens up a whole new window for your playing.

[mattgatten]

Started memorizing the fretboard about a week ago. I draw it all the time and look at the chords to see how they constructed them and also the scales that go along with them. haha

I should have prefaced things with (I played the horn for 8 years in school) so I know about timing 4/4 3/4 bars, staff, reading music, every good boy does fine, etc. Sorry. The toes are always keeping time inside my shoe. I never was a big 'foot tapper'. haha

Like I said, I know this thing will take practice but I wanted to get folks talking about how long they were playing before they really felt like the fundamentals were nailed, i.e. not buzzing the strings, not missing a string on the picking hand etc. You guys rock and thanks for the comments.

I'm loving playing something again, loving this site, and loving my solid top Alvarez. Them Elixirs are pricey tho! hahaha

Thanks guys,