I'm new...a Few Questions!

Hey guys,
So I m considering buying a membership here... however, I have a few questions first! I hope you guys can help me out with the proper info so I know if this site is for me =D

1. How active is the community here? This question will be relatively easy enough based on the response time I see from this thread! I love forums, and hope this i active!

2: I know NOTHING about music, will I learn the basics here?

3: My end goal is to learn Spanish Guitar (I.E Flamenco Guitar) is there such lessons on this site? If not, will what I learn here be worth learning before trying my hand at the Flamenco?

4: What is available on this site to help me judge my progress? I am very self conscience and need to know that I am improving!

Thanks for your help guys!

To answer your questions in order.......

1. Very! Many of the teachers are active on the forum and there are individual forums where you can contact the teachers directly. On top of that, there is a community of guitar players and students like yourself that use this forum every day. You can also chat on here (ala FACEBOOK, AIM, etc.), and ask as many questions as you want. You are in great company I can assure you! :eek:

2. You will learn the basics, but when you say you know nothing about music, can you be more descriptive? Are you brand new to guitar or just the idea of reading music and theory? From what point are you starting? :confused:

3. There are some lessons on Flamenco style on the site and the site is always growing with new instructors and lessons all the time. Once your signed up, check out this lesson on Flamenco style strumming. :D

4. The best way to gage this is to assess how well you move from lesson to lesson. Almost all the lessons on Guitar Tricks are set up in a "start to finish" format that guides you step by step through the lessons. You don't just get one lesson on a subject, you get a whole tutorial that starts from point A and ends at point B. You can also submit videos of your playing on the forum (as many people do), as well as ask as many questions as you want to users and teachers. :p

Best of luck and hope to see you on the forum in the future.

I am brand new to guitar and to music theory. I can't read music, and have never taken any music classes. I want to learn Scales, keys, and things that will help me outside of the realm of guitar. Like a music primer, is what I am looking for on top of learning the guitar =D

Originally Posted by: ChristGuardI am brand new to guitar and to music theory. I can't read music, and have never taken any music classes. I want to learn Scales, keys, and things that will help me outside of the realm of guitar. Like a music primer, is what I am looking for on top of learning the guitar =D

And that is exactly where i was when i picked up a guitar two and a half years ago, no knowledge of music, chords, scales etc, just wanted to learn, and that is exactly what i am still doing with the help of this great site.

Oh and i am also having a lot of fun as well.

Mike

You sound much like me. My only music education came from many years ago in school, which I didn't do well in. I've only had a few brief guitar lessons, those also many years ago. I came here with essentially no knowledge of music. I didn't even know what music theory was, and scales, keys, and chords were totally alien to me.

I've been with this site for less a little than a year, and I've gained incredible knowledge and skills. The instructors are excellent, as is their instruction and teaching techniques. This is one case that's actually better than a "live" instructor. You'll be able to go back and study the lessons repeatedly for as many times as you need. That's something that you really can't do with a local instructor.

The beginner lessons that you learn here you'll be able to adapt to any style of guitar playing. Christopher Schlegel and Anders Mouridsen are excellent teachers, and I'm glad they don't get paid by the visit, or they'd be rich and I'd be poor. The poor guys, if they knew how many times they were here teaching me, they'd be totally worn out. Stick with this site. Follow the instructions in the lessons, and move on to the next lesson when you're ready, but don't forget to go back to the beginning and review often. Where can you get that from a "live" instructor.

In less than a year I've gone from barely knowing how to hold a guitar to playing some fairly decent basic blues. If I can do it; anybody can. Just think positive.

So... I just signed up, and I am thrilled! I was using some youtube "Tutorial" videos to try to teach myself (obviously not working out!). I went throught the first few lessons come to find out I was making some huge mistakes!

1:I was holding the pick wrong (Too lose and with to much pick exposed, I would drag the pig across the strings in a way)

2:I was not using mu thumb on my left hand to apply reverse pressure when holding down frets!

Needless to say, after the first three lessons I have increased my guitar skill tenfold! I still don't know much, but I can actually now constantly make that crisp sound I was looking for instead of the half muted sound I would get most of the time before...everyone just kept telling me "It will come with practice"! Yes it will, but you have to be practicing the right technique!

In summation: Thanks GuitarTricks for starting at the bare basics and not assuming anything! I am glad I chose you guys!

-A very happy customer!
Christian S.

It is a great place, and a really good way to learn. But, as good as the videos are, the thing that I like BEST is that they are not static videos. The Instructors are HERE and responsive.

If you post in an Instructor's forum, and say, "Hey, in xxx video, why were you doing such-and-such", you'll get an ANSWER. Usually within a day. And, in fact, in Lisa's forum, someone posted that they were having trouble doing something in one of her tutorials, and it wasn't coming out right. Her response was, "can you send me a recording or video of what you're doing so I can review it to try to help you?"

You can't get THAT from youtube videos :)

Well Christguard, I,m happy that you joined because I have just had some of my questions answered on your thread, thanx, by the way this is one of the most active guitar forums around...

I just returned home from a Robert Michaels concert. I know that name doesn't sound like it should belong to a flamenco guitarist, but he is great. I now understand why you want to play that style. If you get a chance to attend one of his concerts, don't pass it up.