Has everyone got the talent?

Ok lads. Here's the story. I took up PIANO (ok.. ok... guitar'll come in a sec) 8 years ago. After about 3 years I was playing concerts and playing in shows and all stuff like that. Performing all seemed to come naturally you know, despite the fact that I didnt know a whole lot about the theory. I'm not going to be modest just to prove a point. After a year of solid practise (I'm talking 4-5 hours a day) I was **** hot. REALLY ****ing quick, playing stuff like Rachmaninov and the psychotic classical studies of his etc.

So now for guitar. It's been about a year and a half. I've been practising about as much as I did on piano. If not more. I REALLY love my guitar, and love playing it. But it just doesnt seem to be coming as quickly as the piano. I listen to Satriani, and Vai, and Petrucci and all that shred stuff, and would love it so much if I might even be able to start on that stuff... but **** man - I look at the tab and my brain just goes COMPLETELY dead. I cant work it out, let alone play it?!

This question goes out to the best guitarists in here. If you're crap - take a hike:

DOES IT COME WITH SOLID PRACTISE? HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO BE AS FAST AS YOU ARE? AM I WASTING MY TIME?

Take it easy everyone.

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Music. It models your soul like putty.

What you do when you practice is probably more important that how long you practice. Your experience with the rigours of piano practice should serve to guide you on this. Also, you must get some one-on-one instruction. Just as a talented runner needs a coach to help shave vital seconds off their times, you will need guidance in refining your technique.

I've found that my technique will plateu for a while, then all of a sudden I'll find myself on a higher level. I think it's more a matter of letting go and just doing what makes you happy. Excersies are important, but if you aren't happy with what you're doing then what's the point?

Try and find new ways to push yourself, try and do things you've never thought of before, make up little riffs that are just a tad over your head and practice them until you can do them fluidly. You'll find that the overall speed will happen without you realizing it.

Also, since you're talking about shred, I assume you have a guitar with light strings... if so get a second guitar that may be cheap, but plays well. String it with .011s or .012s and practice on it. Go back to your main intrument and you'll find yourself significantly faster and that you dance across the fretboard effortlessly. Hand strength is very critical to guitar, especially as you do more technical playing.

Originally posted by paddybodenham
If you're crap - take a hike . . .

LOL. That's just extremely funny to me . . . one would think that if you're looking for advice you'd be a bit more polite.

But anyway, I'm taking a hike . . . anyone want to join me?

hell, why .012's, if you wanna supershred get .009's! lol. personally, if you had an acoustic guitar and practiced your ass off ( and i do mean practice ) then when you went tot he electric you could fly on that thing. because acoustic strings are (generally, normally) a bit heavier than most electric strings. I noticed this right away, after setting down my acoustic for a few seconds, picked up my electric, and they were real light!

Originally posted by Incidents Happen
hell, why .012's, if you wanna supershred get .009's

That's my point: .012s to practice on (to build hand strength, make you work harder), .009s on the main axe (so you can fly).

This is half the reason I want a 12 string acoustic, but first I'm saving up for my Sunn 1200s head.

I used to do that (thin stings on concert axe) and I broke them 12 times by songs. I bent notes out of tune, and it was quite awful...

Originally posted by Christoph

Originally posted by paddybodenham
If you're crap - take a hike . . .

LOL. That's just extremely funny to me . . . one would think that if you're looking for advice you'd be a bit more polite.

But anyway, I'm taking a hike . . . anyone want to join me?

i think i'll join you :)
paddybodenham: i dont shredd because i dont want to...
you think that a person must be a genious or super talented to shredd and if i dont then im crap?

and about strings: i think that its actualy possible to shredd with .12 strings. SRV was realy fast in few of his solos, and he did play on .12 strings...
its all depends on whether you are used to the strings or not. it took me 2 months to get used to .10, but now i cant even understand how did i play the .9 ones.

SRV actually played .013s. Hence the reason one writer described his strings as "bridge cables."

As a bassist playing .045-.105 (and .130s on my five string) I think you're all wimps.

As for my guitar playing, I started using heavier strings so I'd break them less often, I now use them because I like the tone better. I don't have problems switching to lighter strung guitars in guitar shops or whatever; you get used to swapping back and forth if you do it enough. It's important that you practice on both though. Heavier strings to build strength and speed, lighter so you aren't out of control when you play it live.

Christoph...

This aint Guitar.com you know..

Christoph and James... Didn't really mean for any of you to get offended. By saying that, I

a.) Wasnt suggesting that I am anything other than crap.

b.) Wasnt suggesting that if you can't shred you're crap. Fine. You dont shred because you dont want to. I want to because playing fast makes me satisfied. Making sound that you cant believe you're making is my type of thing, and I love that type of music. Simple really isn't it.

Cheers for all the advice lads. I'm not so clued up as to widths of strings etc etc - what width are the standard Super Slinky's?! That's what I'm using. Find I tend to break the top E and B strings. It's kind of annoying.

Does tuning your guitar really low help anything? (Apart from piss you off cos it's so hard to tune...)

Heh, no problems man. I wasn't offended. I just thought it was funny.

BTW, the main reason people tune their guitars down is to make it easier to sing along with open position chords. That, and you get a balls-ier sound. It might make the strings a little looser, but I don't think it would make any difference when shredding.

The key to shredding, in my opinion, is to develop an insane, controlled twitch in your picking hand. Sooner or later, you'll learn to turn it on and off when you need to.

No!

Only because everyone hasn't got (doesn't have) the desire. If you want to you will eventually. Some people develop a natural tendancy towards certain abiblities and certain things may come faster to them. Knowing piano as you do your right/left hand co-ordination must be intense. (Jealous here) Keep at it and it will come. As a previous post said you will encounter peaks and valleys of intensity and therefore proficiency.

Best advice I can give is start slow and play clean. As you progress clean notes will ring true as you go to the next no matter how fast or slow you play.

Steve Vai and the boys were not made in a day, year, decade........

All the best!!!!!!! :cool:

Originally posted by Raskolnikov


Try and find new ways to push yourself...

We all get asked that question every now and then, as to how long it took us to become real guitar maniacs. But the thing is, if we ever intend to accomplish something truly great as musicians, we must realize how important it is for us to move at our own pace. Of course everything seems like one big competition (and to some extent it is,) but we have to try and put these feelings aside, that is if we ever want to feel comfortable creating, writing and playing music.

Over the past several years, I've taken many different approaches. However, the one thing I try not to do is practice too many things at once, because everything can become too overwhelming. Just never give up, keep finding new ways to raise your enthusiasm with this instrument, and in no time, believe me, you'll be right on top. Of course scales are very important, but give yourself enough of a variety when it comes to learning new things.

Create the perfect practice shedule, based onhpow you feel, an pay close attention to your week spots. What attracted me to the guitar is that there are so many endless possiblities. And when my mom told me I couldn't use her violin bow to strum the strings, I found other ways to be creative. :D

JiMmY PaGe RuLeS!!!!!

Try concentrating more on finger excercises and classical violin studies to build your technique, speed and endurance. By the way, what are you practicing when you play? What technique are you using to play fast: picking, legato? We need a little more info if you want us to help you out. I think guitar requires a lot more attention to technique then piano.

It's a little presumptuous to expect to be able to shred overnight having just picked up a guitar for the first time. You gotta learn all the basics first. Shredding combines a bunch of techniques that most people aren't born with (and that don't apply to piano).. picking is obviously important, then you gotta know scales and positions. And then theres the speed... the only way to work up your speed is lots of repatition.

Good luck with it tho, it sure is fun once you get there.=)

Yeah that's definately true for one - there are so many different playing styles in Guitar whereas Piano is almost all about just the music and the emotion displayed with it. Try learning the thory about Piano however, and you're in trouble!

In reply to the question about my speed techniques Chris, I cant play legato just yet, so I focus on Alternative picking. Legato's just so far out fo my reach it's not even worth thining about!

I really need to learn all the scales. Mixylodian, Lydian, Aeolian, Trochian etc etc, but I've got no idea where to get them from. Never having been taught, most of my guitar playing is simply by ear, or jamming along one or two pentatonic scales I know. (dont even know the key of them!) As you can see - my theory's a shambles! Does anyone have a couple of links I might be able to get those scales off?

Ok. I also dont understand how to figure out the key of a song I've written. BIG disadvantage. Mode's confuse me. **** man - it all confuses me! I think I'm asking too much at once here... I'll back down!

By the way - has anyone ever sat down with a video camera, and filmed there fretting hand whilst playing fast... or simply playing anything? SERIOULSY, IT'S DEFINATELY WORTH IT - because watching your hand working from perspective shows up all the different faults in your playing... I never use my Pinky enough, so I'm working on that now.

Try it - it's worth it!

I've written too much!

Cheers lads.

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"Music Moulds your soul like Putty."

I should have taken a hike but here goes...

As you have classical background I suggest taking some Yngwie Malmsteen tabs.

The reason being that his licks are mostly classical stuff. Baroque I think. You probably know all the runs he's doing cause you probably did them on the piano.

That way you'll have an advantage. And if you wanted speed, well his not too bad.... faster than a lot of guitar player around.

Just watch out for something. You won't be as good on guitar as you are on piano. At least not for a while. Never forget that it's another instrument. Even if you have all the talent in the world, it's going to take some time. Just don't loose your motivation and you should be fine.

Satriani, and Vai, and Petrucci after a year and half. No kidding you feel lost. I picked up Satriani after 4 years and I'm not going to talk about Petrucci. Your trying on the major league after only a year and half at the bat. :)

True Benoit. True. I'll check out the Malmsteen stuff. Thanks for that.

As I said before - the hike thing was a joke.

Cheers.

ya dude, hiking is fun though.

next time i go i'll buy a martin backpacker before i leave:)