Advice Please

Been playing chords for a year and know about 40 songs but really want to learn how to play the guitar...I am going through the lessons.....should I master the C major scale and know it back and forth before I move on to the next lessons?

It depends what your goals are... are you talking about learning lead guitar? Acoustic or electric...

In general, there's nothing wrong with taking on multiple skills at once, for example, practicing the C major scale, learning some new chords or songs, and learning a technique like hammer-on's or pull-offs.

What you want to avoid it moving on in a subject before adequately understanding & practicing the necessary fundamentals. So for instance, you don't want to get into sequencing or arpeggios for the C major scale if you're still making a lot of mistakes when you just try to play the scale in a single position.

Mastering the Cmaj scale is a great goal, and while it will take some time, its well worth it. There are 5 different positions for the C maj scale across the fretboard. Learn them one or two at a time, until you can play all 5 positions without making any mistakes. Remember, you're not going for speed here. You're teaching your fingers where the right notes are, so go as slow as you need to, to keep your accuracy high. Try jamming a little bit on your own or with a backing track to help the scales sink in. Once you feel you know all 5 positions try moving from one position to another without making mistakes. If you lose your bearings and need to pause your soloing a little, that's fine. Its much better to pause, figure out where you are on the fretboard than it is to guess and randomly hit right or wrong notes. Eventually, you will start to see all 5 patterns across the entire fretboard.

Don't forget to try out different keys too. When you feel pretty comfortable with all that, you can start looking at modes, which will open up your note choices and probably influence your chord choices as well. It takes time, but its worth it.

will do on the cmajor scales....thanks for the advice sl

Yes, Slipin Lizard advice is very important. I may add only to go a bit ahead as well while mastering one topic. Just to make it less boring. In my opinion (and just mine) guitar has to be fun as well.

Carmine

I'd highly recommend seeking out a good guitar teacher. A good teacher will get you to your goals in the fastest time possible.

Very important to decide in which direction you want to go first, you will then be able to distinguish your goals and lessons better.

I totally agree with JonChorba and Jorgee - hook up with a good teacher and define your goals. It sounds like you've established a good foundation and that will make clarifying your goals much easier.

Here's a very cool link that may give you some good options as to how/when to move forward:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GORmlZg1Qk

Originally Posted by: Ty MorganI totally agree with JonChorba and Jorgee - hook up with a good teacher

Sometimes that's easier said than done though... there are ton of good guitar players out there who teach but it seems like not a lot of good teachers who play guitar...

Personally, I've progressed much faster with this site than I ever did with a teacher. The lessons are well laid out, I get the information in small, manageable doses, and I don't have to wait until next week's lesson to move on... not to mention if I forget something that was in the lesson, I can just watch the lesson over again. Plus, the cost is way cheaper.. private lesson's are expensive.

There's pro's and con's to any approach to learning, but I think the most important thing is getting good information. A good teacher is great, but there are also excellent instructional books out there, and then of course sites like this. So it really just comes down to finding what works for you, and going with that. Good information is good information, whether it comes from a teacher, a book, a video, or a website.

I have been playing the guitar for quite some time now, but have the hardest time memorizing the neck. I just doesn't sink in! Is there a holy grail neck memorization method out there that would be able to help me out?

Originally Posted by: Levi HogueIs there a holy grail neck memorization method out there that would be able to help me out?

There's this:

http://www.fretboardmaster.com/fretboardgame.html

Also, a very helpful book that will get you to understand the fretboard is the "Guitar Fretboard Workbook, A Complete System for Understanding the Fretboard" by Barrett Tagliarino. This is not a book about how to play the guitar. It is a book that teaches you how to understand the way the fretboard is laid out, and how scales and chords work specifically for guitar. Worth every penny. You can read a little review I wrote of it here: http://www.myguitarjournal.com/

Clicking the picture of the book will take you to the Amazon.com link where you can buy it.

My suggestion would be to learn the musical alphabet, and there are only a couple of things to remember. There's no sharp, or flat in between E and F, and there's no sharp or flat in between B and C. You already know what the string is tuned to, so you know the starting note on each string.

Originally Posted by: Levi HogueI have been playing the guitar for quite some time now, but have the hardest time memorizing the neck. I just doesn't sink in! Is there a holy grail neck memorization method out there that would be able to help me out?

Well what about a good old lesson from our favorite Guitartricks Channelteacher Neal Walter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH_5EywDauU

Perhaps this is a usefull lesson too, even though quite normally used, this one goes a bit deeper about using any octave shape you need from the 6th and 5th string to everywhere on the fretboard to figure out notes. Playing scales and finding roots I always found a good exercise to memorize the fretboard. But here's the ocatave lessons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wElX3v3POWU&feature=player_embedded

Originally Posted by: JJ90this one goes a bit deeper about using any octave shape you need from the 6th and 5th string to everywhere on the fretboard to figure out notes.

The book I recommended covers the octave shapes thoroughly, and on all strings, not just the 6th & 5th. There are five basic root shapes that repeat across the fretboard. The system used in the Guitar Fretboard Workbook is the same that is taught at MIT. The thing I really like about the book is that it takes a step back from the guitar, and uses diagrams to help you memorize the shapes that once memorized, you then apply to the guitar. But instead of just showing you a diagram and saying "there, now you know where the notes are.." the book is filled with a bunch of exercises where you draw the shapes out on paper, repeating as much as you need to until it sinks in. This is a really good idea because its proven fact that writing things out helps with memorization and comprehension of material. The book is an outstanding example of someone using highly effective teaching methods that are proven in all kinds of teaching, not just guitar. You guys should really check it out.

Originally Posted by: Slipin LizardSometimes that's easier said than done though... there are ton of good guitar players out there who teach but it seems like not a lot of good teachers who play guitar...

.

Unfortunately, you do have a point. There are guitar teachers out there who are not really effective teachers, but just guitar players looking to make some extra money. If you search your local area thoroughly though, and ask the right questions to prospective teachers, you will at least be able to weed out the ones who aren't going to help you.

There are a ton of good resources on the internet to learn guitar. The difficult part is organizing it in a effective manner. This is where a good teacher really helps. I agree it is hard to find a good teacher because I have experienced this problem. Once you find a good teacher it does really help!