I like playing guitar in a non-technical way!

I've never had the patience, though believe wholly I have the ability, to learn all the scales and play with super technical finesse. If it sounds good to me that's all I care about really.
www.cluthelee.com

Comments

  • I've never had the patience, though believe wholly I have the ability, to learn all the scales and play with super technical finesse. If it sounds good to me that's all I care about really.

    Can you give us a little background on how you learned to play guitar. Did you teach yourself, did you take lessons? What techniques did you find most helpful? Just curious, I have been teaching myself through youtube over the past few years and always like to pick the minds of guitarists.
  • I just play by ear
    Grand Rapids '04, Detroit '06
    JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
    "Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
  • 2-feign-reluctance2-feign-reluctance TigerTown, USA Posts: 23,090
    edited October 2014
    We didn't have YouTube when I started, so I sat in and watched and played with people that knew what they were doing. I learn better from watching and when I started college in 97' I'd been tinkering at best for about 3 years. I wasn't afraid or self-conscious to just try. Finger strengthening tools helped with dexterity. I took one with me to all my college courses for 3 years and when I wasn't writing, I was using that whilst listening. Totally made fretting much easier. Also, I didn't concern myself with learning how to play songs necessarily at the start. I just wanted to learn the basic chords like E,A,G,D, C Am, Em and then came strumming, then came picking, then came finding those chords on other places on the neck, then came learning how to play leads. By the time I got the basic chords down, strumming down, then I started learning songs. 'Cherub Rock' was the first song I learned to play. I remember seeing the Pumpkins live and being close enough I saw how it was played and because of all the work I'd done, it made sense! I was like, Oh, that's an E, that's a G chord barred. So, the short of it all was playing with others was the biggest, most effective learning for me at the start. Also having a very musically talented family didn't hurt (i.e. Grandpa and sister are amazing musicians).
    www.cluthelee.com
  • I learned by ear and by watching the greats as well. All great advice above!
    Wrigley 2013 Cinci 2014
  • steeler4lifesteeler4life Philadelphia area Posts: 405
    I learned in a sort of backwards way. I pretty much jumped straight into songs after I learned some basic chords. I taught myself / am still teaching myself with online guitar tabs (giventowail.com is great for PJ tabs). I started less than a year ago but I already feel pretty comfortable playing leads. Some of my first songs were Alive, Yellow Ledbetter, and Sirens. I have never taken a guitar lesson but I may start because taking them because I am really close to being able to play the Stairway to Heaven solo but can't quite get it.

    On a separate note... How long does it normally take you to learn a new song?
    I can normally learn a song in about an hour but it can take longer depending how long/complicated the solo is.
    Philly 10/21/13 Seattle 12/06/13 "No Code" 10/17/14
  • 2-feign-reluctance2-feign-reluctance TigerTown, USA Posts: 23,090
    I can read chord charts, tab so it doesn't take long, but I learn faster watching someone play the song first. Solos are different. If I'm really motivated to learn a solo note for note, I'll go to tab. I usually have the song memorized in my head that I don't need to hear it whilst learning it.
    www.cluthelee.com
  • i just improved over this a few hours ago! check it out its real sloppy, but i wasnt trying to achieve a note for note solo just improv
    Wrigley 2013 Cinci 2014
  • 2-feign-reluctance2-feign-reluctance TigerTown, USA Posts: 23,090

    i just improved over this a few hours ago! check it out its real sloppy, but i wasnt trying to achieve a note for note solo just improv

    Sounds like you had fun!
    www.cluthelee.com
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