Newbie with a million Q's

Hi there!

Just joined this site and expect to really get some help with it! It looks like there are good lesson videos! After searching a lot around and even trying out a couple tutorials I think I am somewhat stuck and need some real help. Don't have time/money for lessons. So my only option is online. I have attempted to self learn but I don't feel like I am coming along like I should. And what I have learned has left me with - questions.

[br]I consider myself a beginner at the guitar even after 4 months of having a guitar but don't have all that much time to work with it... :(

So I have learned; [br]Features on the guitar.[br]Can play some chords: G, G7, C, D, D7, Am, E - maybe 1 or 2 more. [br]Can play a couple basic song by ear.[br]I thought I could tune it.

My Questions:

In tuning - with an electric tuner- I think I have messed up something while tuning it (watched a tutorial) as now every time I play it twangs/buzzes and just recently began to rattle - annoying! Seems like the strings are too loose, but according to the electric tuner they need loosened more..?! So How to tune the 'right' way?

Strumming - I understand there are several strumming patterns. But with a simple acoustic guitar what is the best pattern to use for classical songs? I am not into blues, jazz or anything like that right now.

Timing/Beat - I don’t understand anything here. I know there is suppose to be a timing to the strumming and some places rec. a little gadget for that. But I don’t think that is necessary to purchase one...

Humidity - funny question :P But I think it has something to do with the care of an instrument. In the winter here it gets super dry whereas the summer it is super humid with a capital! Anyway the guitar I have now is real basic and a second hand one want to keep it nice anyway. (Until I can save enough for a better one :)

Chords - How many chords are there and how many do I need to learn?

Read notes - Is there a way to learn to read music with a guitar? - Yes, but how?

How are there Notes and Chords for a guitar? Can play the piano with sheet music and am certain there must be a way to do that with a guitar.

Why are there little baby ‘dents’ in the metal fret bar of my guitar?

What is that thing that’s called a ‘circle of fifths’?

What are scales and how do you use them?

What are bar chords and what are they for?

For finger strumming - how do you do that?

What is the quietest method to play?

Why does it sound really good when I hear someone else play and my playing sounds so ‘plain’?

What else do I need to know?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know this is a lot of questions - a lot! But they are real questions that I have had and tried to look around and find out about so I would really appreciate any help given. Even if not all these can be answered at once that is fine. I can wait too!

Thank you! :)

Hey & welcome to GT!

Originally Posted by: poshgirl

I consider myself a beginner at the guitar even after 4 months of having a guitar but don't have all that much time to work with it... [/quote][p]I'm going to reply to all you questions. But I'm going to start with some advice.

1. You need to work through the Guitar Fundamentals courses 1 & 2.

https://www.guitartricks.com/beginner.php

The core learning system is a step-by-step course that will guide you through the beginner stages of learning to play guitar. You'll get answers to your questions, and all the right material in the right order. :)

2. The only way to get better at playing guitar is a lot repetitious practice. There is no substitute.

You say you've been playing for 4 months & don't have a lot of time. From your post, it seems like you've learned quite a bit of beginner content! Congrats! But the only way to get better is to be patient with yourself & make time to practice.

Answer to questions!

Originally Posted by: poshgirl

In tuning - with an electric tuner- I think I have messed up something while tuning it (watched a tutorial) as now every time I play it twangs/buzzes and just recently began to rattle - annoying! Seems like the strings are too loose, but according to the electric tuner they need loosened more..?! So How to tune the 'right' way?

[/quote]

This is covered in detail in Guitar Fundamentals 1 (GF1).

Originally Posted by: poshgirl

Strumming - I understand there are several strumming patterns. But with a simple acoustic guitar what is the best pattern to use for classical songs? I am not into blues, jazz or anything like that right now.

[/quote]

This is covered in detail in GF 1.

Originally Posted by: poshgirl

Timing/Beat - I don’t understand anything here. I know there is suppose to be a timing to the strumming and some places rec. a little gadget for that. But I don’t think that is necessary to purchase one...

[/quote]

This is covered in detail in GF 1. You are referring to a metronome. We have an online one you can use. But it's more important to understand the concepts & build some basic playing skills before you worry about a metronome.

Originally Posted by: poshgirl

Humidity - funny question :P But I think it has something to do with the care of an instrument. In the winter here it gets super dry whereas the summer it is super humid with a capital! Anyway the guitar I have now is real basic and a second hand one want to keep it nice anyway. (Until I can save enough for a better one :)

[/quote]

We have a wonderful & knowledgeable guitar tech that answers these kind of questions. Here's a thread from his forum on that topic.

https://www.guitartricks.com/forum/thread.php?f=30&t=41933

Originally Posted by: poshgirl

Chords - How many chords are there and how many do I need to learn?

[/quote]

There are 12 major chords & 12 minor chords for all 12 possible musical alphabet letters. And you can play them in a million different ways. Also, there are a whole lot more chords once you get into extended harmony chords & ornamentation (7th, 9ths, sus4th, etc.)

You only need to learn as many of them as you will actually use when you play music. The point is: learn them one at a time & use them. When you need to know another one, that's the time to learn it.

Originally Posted by: poshgirl

Read notes - Is there a way to learn to read music with a guitar? - Yes, but how?

[/quote]

This is covered in detail in GF 1.

Originally Posted by: poshgirl

How are there Notes and Chords for a guitar? Can play the piano with sheet music and am certain there must be a way to do that with a guitar.

[/quote]

This is covered in detail in GF 1.

[quote=poshgirl]

Why are there little baby ‘dents’ in the metal fret bar of my guitar?

That's caused by the strings pressing down into the fret wire. Happens after a guitar has been played a whole lot. Sometimes there's a little more life left in them. Sometimes it means the frets need to be filed down & recrowned. Sometimes it means the frets need to be replaced! Take it to a reputable lical music store & have them assess it.

I'm guessing this is your older guitar?

[quote=poshgirl]

What is that thing that’s called a ‘circle of fifths’?

A system to conceptually organize all 12 possible major & minor keys.

[quote=poshgirl]

What are scales and how do you use them?

This is covered in detail in GF 1.

[quote=poshgirl]

What are bar chords and what are they for?

This is covered in detail in GF 1.

[quote=poshgirl]

For finger strumming - how do you do that?

Use the tips of your fingernails to graze the strings. Caren does that here.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1408

[quote=poshgirl]

What is the quietest method to play?

Probably a classical guitar with nylon strings and your fingers (no picking or strumming).

[quote=poshgirl]

Why does it sound really good when I hear someone else play and my playing sounds so ‘plain’?

Compared to beginner or medicore playing, good playing is more refined. It has a better sense of rhythm, more precise physical technique, and often has ornamentation that fleshes out an otherwise simple playing arrangment.

[quote=poshgirl]

What else do I need to know?

That you need to practice a lot in order to get better. There's no magic bullet. There's no way around it. You can practice smarter & harder. But you have to put the time in. Try to enjoy the process. Work through GF 1 & 2!

Hope this helps! Please ask more if necessary. Best of success!

Originally Posted by: poshgirl

In tuning - with an electric tuner- I think I have messed up something while tuning it (watched a tutorial) as now every time I play it twangs/buzzes and just recently began to rattle - annoying! Seems like the strings are too loose, but according to the electric tuner they need loosened more..?! So How to tune the 'right' way?

Just adding to Chris' excellent post; also learn to 'hear' the pitch you're tuning is in. You could be tuning to the right note but the wrong pitch based on what you said. A good way to get to the right pitch is using the GT Reference Tuner in the GT Toolbox. Being able to hear when you are close to being in tune in the right pitch.

Here's a little bit of music mumbo-jumbo to chew on. You may have heard it said on a piano something called 'middle C'. So, as a starting point, how do a group of musical instruments all tune to the same pitch? Recalling that 'middle C' on a piano, instruments all tune to what called 'concert pitch. This is know longform as 'A440 above Middle C' or just A440. If you click the link, it will give you a visual. It shows you where the middle C is and the A just above it. The '440' is the hertz, or vibration frequency, of that A note. How fast that note vibrates. that vibration makes the soundwave you hear and changes with every different note you strike on the guitar.

This is how pitch applies to guitar. Some other instruments like wind instuments need to be transposed.

So, lots of music-y mumbo jumbo. What it means is that instruments somewhat need a common pitch. To you, even though you might have a string in the right 'note' when you've tuned, but do you have it at the right pitch? Like the Three Bears, is it too high, too low or just right?

That Toolbox tuner lets you get close to the right pitch by ear. This is VERY important to be able to do. Get your ear to hear it.

[br]Funny sidenote...When I was in a band, we were trying out bass players. It was a demoralizing process. One dude comes in, had 'the look' so he seemed promising. In the end, he kept arguing what keys of many common songs. We were all like, 'No, the Immigrant Song is not in E'. He says, 'But my teacher told me.......' ...he needed a new teacher. But, he gifted us this gem: You know how I talked about A440 above, it's can be called the Stuttgart tuning. This dude is how I learned it was called that. Dude tuned up, looked at all of us and went 'STUTTGART!'. I guess he was signifying he was tuned. We all guessed his teacheer told him it was calleds that. We all looked at each other and busted out. It went downhill from there that night. However, before all subsequent practices, after when each of us was tuned, we'd yelp 'STUTTGART!'...hehe

Hi Christopher!

[br]Thanks for the welcome and answering all the questions - honestly, I didn't think someone would answer them all! So I really appreciate the time and help you have[br]given!

[br]{I'm going to reply to all you questions. But I'm going to start with some advice.

[br]1. You need to work through the Guitar Fundamentals courses 1 & 2.

[br]https://www.guitartricks.com/beginner.php

[br]The core learning system is a step-by-step course that will guide you through the beginner stages of learning to play guitar. You'll get answers to your questions, and all the right material in the right order. :)

[br]2. The only way to get better at playing guitar is a lot repetitious practice. There is no substitute.

[br]You say you've been playing for 4 months & don't have a lot of time. From your post, it seems like you've learned quite a bit of beginner content! Congrats! But the only way to get better is to be patient with yourself & make time to practice.}

[br]Ok, awesome - I have started the 1st Fundamental course and am surprised at how much I actually know here. But am still gonna go through to make sure I can learn all that I can. Thanks for the complement - I guess I knew more then I though, lol!

Practice is really what I need to work on…so making time for it now!

[br]{We have a wonderful & knowledgeable guitar tech that answers these kind of questions. Here's a thread from his forum on that topic.

[br]https://www.guitartricks.com/forum/thread.php?f=30&t=41933}

[br]Checking this out![br] [br]{There are 12 major chords & 12 minor chords for all 12 possible musical alphabet letters. And you can play them in a million different ways. Also, there are a whole lot more chords once you get into extended harmony chords & ornamentation (7th, 9ths, sus4th, etc.)

[br]You only need to learn as many of them as you will actually use when you play music. The point is: learn them one at a time & use them. When you need to know another one, that's the time to learn it.}

[br]Wow!

[br]{That's caused by the strings pressing down into the fret wire. Happens after a guitar has been played a whole lot. Sometimes there's a little more life left in them. Sometimes it means the frets need to be filed down & recrowned. Sometimes it means the frets need to be replaced! Take it to a reputable lical music store & have them assess it.

[br]I'm guessing this is your older guitar?}

[br]I think they must need recrowned ‘cause the more I play the worse the buzzing/twanging gets! So I will be taking it in soon.

[br]No, it is my only guitar. I bought a well used one to learn on!

[br]{Originally Posted by: poshgirl[br]What is that thing that’s called a ‘circle of fifths’?

[br]A system to conceptually organize all 12 possible major & minor keys.}

[br]Ok, learning this later :)

[br]{Use the tips of your fingernails to graze the strings. Caren does that here.

[br]https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1408}

[br]Cool! Thanks![br] [br]{Probably a classical guitar with nylon strings and your fingers (no picking or strumming).}

[br]Ok.

[br]{Compared to beginner or medicore playing, good playing is more refined. It has a better sense of rhythm, more precise physical technique, and often has ornamentation that fleshes out an otherwise simple playing arrangment.}

[br]That means ‘keep practicing’ :)

[br]{That you need to practice a lot in order to get better. There's no magic bullet. There's no way around it. You can practice smarter & harder. But you have to put the time in. Try to enjoy the process. Work through GF 1 & 2!

[br]Hope this helps! Please ask more if necessary. Best of success!}

[br]Right! No way around it, I want to learn all that I can and can all I do.

[br]I am enjoying the process, not that hard as I was anticipating so this course has been clear and fun. I am so glad I found this site!

[br]Thanks again for answering all these questions.

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for the helpful tips about this! I really appreicate the time you guys took to respond to my post!