Am I learning properly...?

Hiya guys.
I started with an Acustic about a month and a half ago and learnt about tabs and some chords and was eager to play some tunes so i learnt, Mission impossible, Preaty woman, Angie the simple chord version, twinkle twinkle the single note melody and some others along these lines and have since bought guitar pro 5 to read tabs but they are very confusing as there arre so many instraments. anyway i sold my acustic in order to buy an electric and still plucking away like mad at least 2 hours a day 5 days a week to learn one song before i move onto another and everything ive learnt has been through this site i highly recomen it to anyone who is starting out.
This is my problem i think my minds abilaty out weighs my fingers abilaty and it doesnt make for a good combanation and im looking for a good way to try to get my fingering abilaties better as there is so many songs i wish to learn.
the other problem is finger placement with tabs its just seems impossible to get them at times especially with guitar pro some of the notes it says its just like the kamasutra for guitarists lol.
Im going on a bit now but my questions are.
Finger placement on tabs?
Get better dexteraty, acuracy then speed. with fingers and plec
any ideas for a good song to learn from this site?
Am i trying to go to fast?
Yours Hardrive

Yeah dude, I can't make some chords either - THE F CHORD

I have very small hands/fingers for my age (and I'm only 13).
It sucks. :(

Play whatever songs use those chords at half speed or slower if need be. Get all the changes where it easiest for you. There are songs with some complex chord stuff man. If you rerally really want to practice I suggest getting ahold of some Jim Croce tabs to start out with. With time your hgands will know where to go and what to do. It just takes a little time. You'll get there. :)

Keep practising guys and in 12 months you''l be surprised !, other guitarists to jam with can be very beneficial..

Don't get hung up on your progress. You will hit some times when you think things are going poorly, but everyone goes through this. Just do your best and practice a lot. Also, get a teacher. You willl advance much faster when you have an intructor to guide you.

Sounds like you are enthusiastic enough about it. Everything on guitar takes time, but if you but the time in it'll pay off. Just stick with it, and don't take really long breaks from playing (like a month off). The more you practice the better you will get.

Originally Posted by: GramboKeep practising guys and in 12 months you''l be surprised !, other guitarists to jam with can be very beneficial..

Couldn't agree more. It's not always easy to see progress when you're the one experiencing it every day. Also, when I was first learning, I found it helped to try and figure out songs on my own, without music. It helps to familiarize yourself with the notes, plus you are truly "learning" the song and the phrasing versus learning it by rote. Keep it up, and good luck!

hey man im 41 and been at it steady for 5 months and i still cant play a song, i can play about 7 chords and switch reasonably well, it takes alot of practrice and time
ive only missed 2 days since i started and my playing is getting better all the time and you wont notice as much as other pple will so keep on strumming

try some finger exercises there all over the web easy to find and stretch a few times a day i mean your fingers lol

and pick 3 chords and practice switching them while strumming slowly,then pick another 3 and so on

mabey start with a,d then e and when you get them down move to g,c and d and then work on the dreaded f but it will get better just practice every single day ok. slow at first then the speed will come, better to get right and then get it fast

keep at it every day and dont give up, my wife hears me once in a while and says holley s@$#@t ur playing and it sounds nice but its just out of my head i guess i should sit down and learn a song already lmao

knockin on heavens door isnt to bad try that one its only G,D,aM then G,D,C then ur on your way start with two strums on G then two strums on D then 4 strums on aminor then repeat with G and D and 4 strums on C then repeat
but just keep at it, time will do the job ok :)

Thanks dudes I really appriciate your comments and its like you say "other people notice a diffrence where we dont notice as much"
I have to say I did start with an acustic and did chords and the dreaded f chord god that frign f chord but now im like what was the hassle once ive got it lol...but anyway sold my acustic to get an electric only a cheap second hand one but hey. anyway ive found that the electric is a lot easier to play especialy when it comes to my pinky finger pressing on the strings and the neck isnt as wide...hope i havent commited a cardanal sin by going to electric and selling my acustic lol...One thing I have learned is that chord fingering and suggested fingering is only a suggestion and we should find what comes naturaly so long as its not one or two fingers doing all the work.I found preaty woman the begining part was excelent to get all the fingers into play and you get to play a song which is cool as there are only two chords and the rift part which is preaty simple and people are like wow you can play...

Heres poss a daft question but here goes sometimes when i pluck the bottom thick e string it does like a vibrating noice like its catching on one of the frets ive lowered the pickups to be 3mm away from the strings when pressed down, and my mate says my guitar sounds flat ive tuned it with a tuner and its spot on I tune it to standard E but havent a clue about the string length them things you adjust on the tem at the bottom could that be causing the prob or is my mate just winding me up.

im sorry to be a pain guys.

Yeah with your guitar you're getting what we call fret buzz. It can be helped with a truss rod adjustmentand/or raising of the action(height of strings off the fret board). What your friend is reffering to is what is called intonation. When you tune your guitar check the same string at the 12th fret. If your intonation is good this should also be spot on. If it isn't when you play down the fret board it'll sound like it is out of tune.

HELP!!!!
I had a look at the Intonation and it was out on the 12th fret it was sharp on all strings so ive adjusted the intonation screws so the thingy moves away to make string longer and still sharp its gone to its limit and still sharp...ahhhhhhhhh. but when i did adjust the intonation screw it nocked the whole tune out so i reset the tune via the knob at the top of the stock till its ok then 12th fret is sharp....and carried on till its gone to the end and still a big diffrence...oh god what have i started.
sorry guys

I think I have it sorted but what a pain in the ass Ive had to adjust height on all strings so it doesnt buzz on the frets and be able to get intonation right,its not 100% its 3% off but its the nearest I can get it. Wondered why I got the guitar so cheap off an online auction site lol. Ive had to sort out the neck, pickups, bridge hight, intonation screws. And for a beginer it was quite daunting but now its done it really makes a diffrence especially playing down the fret say 12th 15th fret it sounds so much better. I would say to any beginer if you buy a cheap guitar then it will probably need setting up the same problems as ive had and it might pay to get a better quality guitar from a shop if your scared of fiddeling with it or on the other hand get the cheapest you can then it doesnt matter if you stuff it up but what ever you do it can be reversed exept the neck I would say tread carefully with adjusting it only give a little turn and i mean tiny its maybe all thats needed and i found that the neck on mine wasnt 100% when i adjusted it but the next day it was spot on I think cos the wood mooves or adjusts I dont know.

How do you read tabs?? i dont know how to read them...
Mine is a classical guitar..can i change it to acoustic?? Maybe by changing the strings??

reading tabs just look on this site but they are simple to understand below you will see what a typical tab will look like

E||----------- <--- This is your thin string your High E
B||-----------
G||-----------
D||-----------
A||-----------
E||----------- <--- This is your bottom E which is the big fat string

Here is a simple tune to get you started all strings are played open so no need to press any strings just a good way to learn strings and there names. When you pluck the string say the note you are playing as you pluck it this will get you used to what the strings are called and help with your picking..


E||----------------0---0---------------|
B||-------------0---------0------------|
G||----------0--------------0----------| And repeat
D||--------0------------------0--------|
A||-----0------------------------0-----|
E||--0------------------------------0--|


Now how the numbers work on tabs. the numbers reprisent what fret to press and what string to pluck. Below you will see a simple tab which simpified means hold down your B string on the 3rd fret and pluck only the B string, then play the E string open dont press anything 0 = no frets pressed. but indicates that the E string needs to be plucked. then hold down the E string at the 1st fret and pluck the e string. then the E string play it open,then your B string Hold on the 1st fret and pluck the B string.

E||-----0--1--0--------------------|
B||--3-----------1-----------------|
G||--------------------------------| And repeat
D||--------------------------------|
A||--------------------------------|
E||--------------------------------|

Then there are chords which mean more than one note is used to make the chord. here ive done the G chord foy you to see it in tab format. As you can see you hold the High E string(the thin string) on the second fret with your ring finger, then hold the A string on the 3rd fret with your Index finger, and the E the big fat string with your middle finger. if your having problems streching put your thumb lower down the back of the neck so its opposit to your ring finger. now use your pick and strum downwards thats the G chord. Be carefull not to mute (touch other strings) other strings as this will alter the sound.

E||---2----------------------------|
B||--------------------------------|
G||--------------------------------|
D||--------------------------------|
A||---3----------------------------|
E||---2----------------------------|

here is a D chord to show what the x's mean on a Tab. This might look a bit scary but its rather simple one you have the general idea.
If you hold the E at the second fret with your middle finger then the B with your ring finger and then the G with your index. this time we only play 4 strings E,B,G and D as 0= play open sometimes tabs will have this blank which means the same play open. The x's mean dont play this string so the A and the E the fat string we dont play. so now strum downwards on the D G B and E strings and thats your D chord.

E||---2----------------------------|
B||---3----------------------------|
G||---2----------------------------|
D||---0----------------------------|
A||---x----------------------------|
E||---x----------------------------|

theres more involved as you progress like slides and bends and pull offs and so on but this should get you started in the right direction learn the name of the strings and how to read tabs.

Isnt a classical guitar an acusstic...

A good way to start learning is to start with the right foundations I would highly recomend this site to anyone and well worth the money to join god its less that a magazine from a newsagents and there is so much here to learn and from my own experiance ive learnt 95% of what i know from here and in 2 months I can play simple songs but they impress others.

Good luck dude hope it goes well for you and the info helped.
And the more experianced here if ive miss quoted something or explained wrong pls tell me so i can ammend it. Just trying to help.

Just as a note this post is compiled by my self with the knowlage from this site thats how good this site is for learning the basics as well as the more complex stuff. And the excercises made by myself and the little tune not bad for a beginer eh lol.

thanks dude.

but how about those tabs with big numbers like 10 or even 13??

So a classical is also an acoustic eh?? the strings of my classical guitar are different from those of my friend's. He said that his is an acoustic and mine is a classical. All his 6 strings are all wired-like...while as for mine...3 are wired-like and 3 are plastics... thats the difference. And if you know what i mean...can i change mine to an"acoustic"??

About the membership of 5 dollars...i dont have a credit card and i dont know what currency does this site uses.

thanks again for the great help.

you have a what they call an nylon acustic guitar what evr you do dont put steel strings on your guitar as the tenson will damage the neck and prob brake it stick with nylon strings if you need to change them your friend has a steel strung acustic guitar. In my opinion what you have a nylon strung acustic is better for new players easier on the finger tips.

Your friends guitar and yours are both acustic. there are diffrent types of acustics but in general there are classical,folk,beveld back and so on but i would imagine with out seeing it you have a classical nylon strung acustic and your mate have a steel strung acustic.

the 10 and 13 and so on you mentoned is quite simple here is a little tab with them in to show you. the numbers reprisent what fret to press.the tab below we will start with the bottom E (the fat one lol) press the fret on the 11th fret and pluck the E string then hold th 11th fret on the B string and pluck the B string.Then hold the E string on the 13th fret and pluck the E string and so on.

Top tip if you see a tab like the one below where two of the strings are on the same fret just bar them with your finger.put your index finger on the E and B string on the 11th fret and dont take it off then when you get to the part you have to press the 13th fret on the E string just use your middle finger to press it down while keeping your index fingers where they are.

E||---11--------13--------11---------------|
B||--------11--------11--------11----------|
G||-----------------------------------------| And repeat
D||-----------------------------------------|
A||-----------------------------------------|
E||-----------------------------------------|

I think you can pay via mail by sending a check to the site the info is on the site somewhere and there is a post on just the same thing somewhere. but if you do join via check or simmilar i think its $30 for 6 months as you have to join for 6 months due to admin and all of that but it will be worth it.

Currency is dollars.
hope this info helps ya

Originally Posted by: HardriveI think I have it sorted but what a pain in the ass Ive had to adjust height on all strings so it doesnt buzz on the frets and be able to get intonation right,its not 100% its 3% off but its the nearest I can get it. Wondered why I got the guitar so cheap off an online auction site lol. Ive had to sort out the neck, pickups, bridge hight, intonation screws. And for a beginer it was quite daunting but now its done it really makes a diffrence especially playing down the fret say 12th 15th fret it sounds so much better. I would say to any beginer if you buy a cheap guitar then it will probably need setting up the same problems as ive had and it might pay to get a better quality guitar from a shop if your scared of fiddeling with it or on the other hand get the cheapest you can then it doesnt matter if you stuff it up but what ever you do it can be reversed exept the neck I would say tread carefully with adjusting it only give a little turn and i mean tiny its maybe all thats needed and i found that the neck on mine wasnt 100% when i adjusted it but the next day it was spot on I think cos the wood mooves or adjusts I dont know.

Hey dude! U proably learned a lot. Now U can do it yourself. Sounds like u had a fruitful experience. by the way did U notice that a thicker string will sound sharper @ the 12 fret. ;)

it was a nightmare for a beginer searched the internet on how tos lol and with several diffrent how tos I managed to get it done. I think the most important thing I learnt is not to be scared to turn screws and fiddle. Dont be intimadated of your instrament show it whos boss lol.
Yea 12th a bit sharper but sounds good now its just my bad playing that letts it down lmao.

My tuning skill sucks!!! After all the winding and twisting i got myself an out-of-tune guitar... Im thinking of changing the strings... but before i do that, any tips on what to do to and what not to do??

Get the same size strings I take it your on about electric I think there is like the normal strings and then there are the slinky ones that are slightly thinner i think if you put a diffrent sized set on you will need to reset the inotaton but I would recomend fine tuning this anyway if your changing strings.If you have a digital tuner it makes life so much easier if you dont have a look around the internet you can download some that uses your pc mic to tune but its not 100% but close enough.
If its a new guitar and your changing your strings for the first time I would just ask your guitar shop for regular electric strings, But if your not sure take your guitar into them or a broken string preff the high e the thin one and they will be able to tell what strings you have on...

I know im only a beginer my self but if you have any probs setting up and tuning give us a shout or post on here. all the guys are great here and always willing to help...