Need Help Getting Started

[420Floydman]

Hi, first time here. I'm having a little trouble getting started.

I've been playing guitar for about 3 years. Off and on, you know. I'll pick it up and strum around on it, nothing serious. I finally moved up to getting an Epiphone LP. I have very fast and limber fingers, I know how to strum and sweep and palm mute and all that type of stuff. I have equipment that will suffice. I have learned a good little bit of solos and riffs and such, about 20 different songs, including the STH solo, Iron Man solo, One intro solo, and can play them to speed and accuracy.

However, I've never actually taken the time to try to learn the real music to it. Things like scales and octaves and more chords. I've just gotten by with looking at tabs and when I make up my own stuff, just play random crap really.

I don't know what to start with first.

So, could anyone point me in the right direction, I'd like to actually learn guitar, not just play by tabs.

Edited July 23, 2011 by 420Floydman

[Workingman]

Hi, first time here. I'm having a little trouble getting started.

I've been playing guitar for about 3 years. Off and on, you know. I'll pick it up and strum around on it, nothing serious. I finally moved up to getting an Epiphone LP. I have very fast and limber fingers, I know how to strum and sweep and palm mute and all that type of stuff. I have equipment that will suffice. I have learned a good little bit of solos and riffs and such, about 20 different songs, including the STH solo, Iron Man solo, One intro solo, and can play them to speed and accuracy.

However, I've never actually taken the time to try to learn the real music to it. Things like scales and octaves and more chords. I've just gotten by with looking at tabs and when I make up my own stuff, just play random crap really.

I don't know what to start with first.

So, could anyone point me in the right direction, I'd like to actually learn guitar, not just play by tabs.

Looks liek you could use a teacher. Talk to a few about what you want and go from there.

[Muzz]

Hi, first time here. I'm having a little trouble getting started.

I've been playing guitar for about 3 years. Off and on, you know. I'll pick it up and strum around on it, nothing serious. I finally moved up to getting an Epiphone LP. I have very fast and limber fingers, I know how to strum and sweep and palm mute and all that type of stuff. I have equipment that will suffice. I have learned a good little bit of solos and riffs and such, about 20 different songs, including the STH solo, Iron Man solo, One intro solo, and can play them to speed and accuracy.

However, I've never actually taken the time to try to learn the real music to it. Things like scales and octaves and more chords. I've just gotten by with looking at tabs and when I make up my own stuff, just play random crap really.

I don't know what to start with first.

So, could anyone point me in the right direction, I'd like to actually learn guitar, not just play by tabs.

Lots of good beginner books out there that teach music theory, scales, chords etc, here's an example, http://www.guitarteachingbooks.co.uk/gfe1.html

[Bjorn.LaSanche]

Hi, first time here. I'm having a little trouble getting started.

I've been playing guitar for about 3 years. Off and on, you know. I'll pick it up and strum around on it, nothing serious. I finally moved up to getting an Epiphone LP. I have very fast and limber fingers, I know how to strum and sweep and palm mute and all that type of stuff. I have equipment that will suffice. I have learned a good little bit of solos and riffs and such, about 20 different songs, including the STH solo, Iron Man solo, One intro solo, and can play them to speed and accuracy.

However, I've never actually taken the time to try to learn the real music to it. Things like scales and octaves and more chords. I've just gotten by with looking at tabs and when I make up my own stuff, just play random crap really.

I don't know what to start with first.

So, could anyone point me in the right direction, I'd like to actually learn guitar, not just play by tabs.

Have you tried mapping out your fretboard? When I was first learning I would take a piece of graph paper and draw a rectangle 6 squares tall by 13 squares wide. In between the first and second column(up and down) make another line. This represents your nut. now in that first column starting from the top write e, B, G, D, A, E. Now to the right of the darkened line write the note in each square up to the 12th column. Each square represents the string/fret relation on your fretboard. Its easy to look at a picture and find the notes on your fretboard, but actually starting with a blank canvas such as the paper and having to figure out each fret's note value helped me learn the fretboard. You only need to go up to the 12th fret as the whole pattern starts again on the 12th fret higher up the neck. Just smaller frets.

Do you know any scales? Learn the Major scale first as all others in Western music is derived from it.

You can use graph paper again for this. You will need to have enough room to make a 7 x 24 square block running horizontally. Leave some room to the left of the block to write a title for each row. now in the squares above the block write these numbers. 1, skip a block, 2, skip a block, 3, 4, skip a block, 5, skip a block, 6, skip a block, 7,1, skip a block,(just repeat the pattern and you should wing up writing 7 over the last block on the right.

Now, to the left of the first block on first row(top row) write Ionian and copy the numbers into the row just like you wrote across the top of the rectangle in the same positions.

Ionian is the first mode of the Major scale. There are a total of seven modes for the Major scale. I won't explain the others right now as it can get overwhelming right off the bat. Just know that the names for each mode in order are: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolodian, Aeolian, Locrian.

Now take your fretboard map and Major scale diagram and set them in front of you. Pick up your guitar, and figure out the C Major,1st mode scale. Use only 3 notes per string. Start on the 6th string, 8th fret. The notes of the scale are: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, then the note pattern repeats.

Remember, Follow the Scale diagram you made, 3 notes per string, figure out the pattern on your guitar from the 6th string across all the strings.

Once you have that box pattern down, it is exactly the same for each Key you happen to be playing in. If you want to play G major Ionian, you just shift the pattern down so the first note starts on 6th string, 3rd fret. D flat(Db) start the scale on the 9th fret on 6th string.

I'm not going to give visual reference as I explained it fairly well(I had my non guitar playing Wife read my instructions and she understood how to figure out how to create the basic diagrams). The key to understanding theory is not just reading about it and finding out where on the guitar a certain note or scale is, but reading an example then recreating said example on paper as well as on your guitar. What I wrote out should be enough for a few days unless you are a shut in and all you do is play guitar

As far as books go, The best theory books I have found specifically relating to guitar are the Guitar Grimoire series. This is where I picked up the box(graph paper) scale formulation to figure out how each note is laid out in relation to the next and how the different modes relate to each other.

DISCLAIMER

In regards to what I posted.... Theory is realistically applied only when used in terms of having to relate ideas to other fellow musicians. ***SOMETIMES*** Theory and scales do not exist. Theory and scales are only ways on how others are trying to map out frequencies. When you are learning theory, you are parroting what others have done before you. Use your ears and create your own frequency maps that appeal to your ears.

As one famous guitarist stated "If it sounds good, it is good".