"where do we go from here

and should we really care
the end is finally here
god have mercy"

megadeth aside im looking for a little advice.

i finally got an amp im 'should' be happy with for a while, i got my fender and my les pauls (wanna do the pick ups on my epi now but thats for later), and i think its finally time i put my nose to the grindstone and start becomeing a much better player.

what im looking for advice on is where do i start? ive taken a few lessons and some were easy some were way too hard. i think what i would like to learn is the blues jazz rock metal and classical. i would also very much like to be able to speak the language of music.

as for practicing this is what i have but its not nearly enough:
guitar grimorie exercise book do a scale exercise and a chromatic exercise (youd have to see the book to understand why i chose this book). then if there is time (i work and go to bed very earily) a lesson or two from this site.

as for lessons on this site should i start at the very begining or jump around to the eaiser ones? i have been playing since i was 13 (23 now) but did stop for a few years. do i need to get anything else to pave my way?

thats alot to ask to start but i still have more i would like to know.

Originally Posted by: BrokenJerawhat im looking for advice on is where do i start? .

You should put your guitar in it's case and put it some where you can't see it. Then after studying theory for 2-3 years, find your guitar and start learning the fretboard. Just kidding! That is where we should have all started, but nobody ever does.

I'm not a professional musician, but like you, have been playing guitar since I was 13 and I'm looking at retirement now.

If I were you, I would find a good instructor that will teach you theory while playing the guitar. There are a lot of instructors out there that are really good guitarists, but there are only a few good teachers. If you have a good instructor, he will know what you can do and will always challenge you. You will never have nothing to do.

Start with playing chords. Work on progessions from one chord to another. Purposely work on barred chords and those using your pinky. Start slowly and when you can play the chords correctly, then add a new chord.

Meanwhile, learn to play the scales and learn the fretboard. Learn where each note is and how to change key without thinking about. Learn one mode perfectly before continuing to the next.

Don't neglect exercise. Do the exercises correctly. This will loosen up your fingers and allow you to continue to play long into your retirement. Pick exercises that force you to use your pinky and stretch your finger span.

Find someone to play with. Not necessarily a band, but at least 2 people. One that is better than you and one that is worse than you. You will be surprised how much you will learn by helping others.

I would not take online lessons. It's OK to learn a lick, but one on one, face to face instruction will always be best.

Practice every day without acception. Even if for only 15 mins. If you are like me, you sit down planning to practice an hour and next thing you know, it's been 3.

Start slow and increase the tempo only if you are doing everything correctly.

Keep a schedule. Try to pick a time to practice every day. Log what you want to cover during your session (exercises, scales, training your ear, chords, picking out melodies, etc.) and try to cover it all. Log what you did do and record the beginning and the end of each session. You can always fine time to practice. I go to bed between 9 and 10pm Sunday thru Thrusday and get up every morining at 3:45am. The problem is not fining time to practice. The problem is fining the time to practice after you did all the things you wanted to do instead of practice.

The guitar grimorie exercise book is an excellent book, but awful dry. I can't believe it's not challenging for you. There are at least three volume of that series if you need more to work on.

I'm sure others will say I am out of my gorde and some will have additional ideas, but you just wanted a start.

thanks for all the great tips.

i do know of two good guitar teachers around here, one was actually recommend to me by a guitar player ive know since i was a very little kid (his wife used to baby sit me) the other was in the same class as my uncle in high school. i have been considering lessons for a very long time. but price always seems to get me.

the guitar grimorie books are very challeging to me but like you said very very dry. trying to stick to them is difficult because they are so blunt.

i can play a few chords some majors some minors barres and can swithch between them but i do lack accuracy and speed in ddoing it. scales are proving harder to learn because it seems to be the same one over and over just in a different place.


thanks again for the advice

Sorry, I don't know any guitar teachers around you. Have you tried www.craigslist.com ? They have postings for about anything anywhere and it's free to use the website.

Now days lessons are very expensive, but if you really want to learn, you find a way to do it. You don't have to start with a lesson 3 times a week. Start with one once or twice a month.

Work on your accurracy and timing (use a metrodome). Don't worry about speed right now. The speed will come as you get better. When you get something down good, add a new chord or lick or song, etc.

Good luck! :)

The best thing to do is find a teacher who really cares about your goals and your progress. You don't want someone who just "goes through the motions" of teaching, but only sees you in terms of the money your paying.

Other than that, focus and goal setting is key. Why do you want to play guitar? What is your ultimate aspiration? Once you figure THAT out, work backwards, trying to figure out the steps towards that goal. A good teacher can help you with that also.

Remember, always stay focused on the goal.

Take care.