Help!!!

OK a couple of things i need help on, how to get better rhythm, and how much do you think i should practise each day and should it be broken down into sections?

Originally Posted by: kyle59OK a couple of things i need help on, how to get better rhythm, and how much do you think i should practise each day and should it be broken down into sections?

Start out slow maybe 15min of bar cords then take a 1hour break and roll your wrist and shoulders. Then play for another 15 or 20 min and break again after a couple of weeks of this move up to playing about a hour then take a break so on and so on. The most important thing is try to RELAX!!!!!... Your Playing will be much smoother you know ! not so mecanicial. :cool:

Rhythm is obviously right hand control.
What can help is if you stop the strings from sounding with your left hand - you can strum with your right hand - concentrating on the angle of the pick as it strikes the strings - there is a lot of wrist movement between up and down strokes - I personally think that getting the right hand to strum nicely is one of the most difficult............Goals.

Originally Posted by: kyle59OK a couple of things i need help on, how to get better rhythm, and how much do you think i should practise each day and should it be broken down into sections?

Practice time depends really on how long you've been playing. At first you might go in with an seeming unstoppable practice attitude, but even if you practice 3 hours a day you're not going to get good at once. Practice length is not as important as practice presistency.

For rhythm, try just learning a lot of different tunes. Listen to CD's or MP3's and try to figure out what the guitar player is doing and keep trying to copy it.
After a coupla hundred songs you should be able to do just about any type of rhythm. If you can't figure out the chords to a song by just listening, get the chord charts or tabs.
As far as practice time goes, it all depends on yourself. How hungry are you to learn guitar, how good do you want to get, what are your goals for the future etc..
Basically, the more you practice, the faster you'll be able to get better... but you don't want to overdo it.

Personally, I never had a regular practice schedule. I just played when I got bored or wanted to learn a new song. I always figured if you don't enjoy what you're doing there's no point in forcing yourself.
However, there were several instances where I was forced to learn a lot of new stuff. ( like when joining a new band.) So, I had no choice but to practice every day. In the end I found that it was pretty beneficial cause it forced me to learn stuff I would have avoided otherwise.

Rhythm = Metronome
If you are rhythmically challenged like me, NEVER practice without one.

Simple practice
Warm up with-
Scales with metronome, gradually increase speed
Chords with metronome-
If you are just starting try playing
AA AB AC AD AE AF AG, BA BB BC BD BE BF BG, CA CB CC CD CE CF CG, etc...
Play two old songs
Break
practice/break-down areas to work on/practice til perfect on two new songs
break
practice technics (tapping, alternate picking, finger picking, whatever you are working on presently)
break
play you 3 best songs.
drink beer and listen to the tape you made of your 3 best songs to find out how it really sounded and how well you stayed on the beat.

Ryhthm -- Also (if you know basic chords to a favorite song, or just power chords to a favorite song/songs)
Play along with the recording. Also try to play with other guitarists, bassists and drummers.

Practice -- Quality vs. Quantity. I always sugesst 30 minutes at least per day. But the 30 minutes needs to be a focused preplanned practice. Anything after that could be just whaling away play your favorite song over and over and over, scales what ever.

2 peenies

Cheers for the help, its because ive tried playing before but i gave up because i get stressed, and i dunno if im doing something right because i can't afford lessons, another question is how to change chords smoothly, the books i have dont tell you how to really.

Originally Posted by: kyle59Cheers for the help, its because ive tried playing before but i gave up because i get stressed, and i dunno if im doing something right because i can't afford lessons, another question is how to change chords smoothly, the books i have dont tell you how to really.

Yeah, Just Practice it will come with time :cool:

ok let me rephrase it how doi change chords correctly, because i cant practise if i don't know what im doing.

What I have seeen posted repeatedly is an exercise suggestion.

1)You finger the chord (lets say C chord).

2) DO NOT play anything.

3) You would then finger the next chord (lets say D Chord)

4) Again DO NOT play anything

5) Go back to #1 and repeat 1-4 about a gajillion times.

This is something I have seen called "muscle memory" or some such thing.

Personally. I agree with the more common suggestion of Play over and over and over again. The same concept is involved but you are training your ear by playing the chords. You still have to finger them, It just takes self discipline to play them in time and repeatedly hear Chord, D Chord, C Hord, D Chord etc etc. to infinity and beyond.

I once had an instructor tell me that the reason guitarists need to play the basic chords over and over again is to acheive a level of proficiency that if someone were to come into your room at 3:00 AM, shake you awake, hand you a guitar and have you run through the basic chords you could do this without thinking about it. You just know how to do it and it becomes natural.

Sort of the concept in modern martial arts. If you do this certain defensive manauver 100,000,000 times and find yourself in a situation where you need to defend yourself you do it without though.--just action.

Bottom line. Chord changes will become smoother the more you play and utilize the chords you know.

Try to focus on songs that only have about 2-3 chord changes as a "focus" when you practice. Pick only about 2 songs and try to use only down strokes at first, then when you become good at JUST the down strokes then begin working on a down/up pattern.

"Twinkle twinkle little star" and "this old man" may be corny songs to learn to play and every person who has had intruction from a teacher on any instrument will remember these songs (hell my 7 month old has toys that play yhis over and over agin -- I just can't sem to escape it!!!!!! :mad: )

But because of the repitionion of the chords and the familiarity of the songs these are good practice songs to play and build your chord transitions.

When it comes to Chord playing "Correctly". What are you basing the fingerings of your chords from? Chord Book? Instruction book? Do you have any basic chord charts that show the common chords and the common fingerings?

Correctly is too general of a term.

I play a D chord differently (but the same) as a lot of guitarists but there are other ways to play the same chord. Who is to say who is correct?

Hope this helps.

Mel Bay has a good chord book -- like a chord dictionary.

My 2 pennies and off my soap box.