Learning Guitar

Got a hard hard head wrote:

I've been learning on and off for a number of years but don't get the chance to practice as much as I'd like.

Does anyone know where I can find the chords for "Off He Goes" - the part I'm struggling with is when Eddie sings "like he's riding in on a motorbike, in the strongest wind" - there's a little three chord change there and again on "perfectly un-kept clothes". I've watched a few Youtube videos, but when I play them it just doesn't sound right.

I also can't decide if playing an open F or barre chord F works better.

I'd appreciate any help.

The ultimate guitar site usually has some good tabs. Not all are perfect but they have rating, so you can see which people think are worthy efforts.

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/p/p ... es_tab.htm

Got a hard hard head wrote:

I've been learning on and off for a number of years but don't get the chance to practice as much as I'd like.

Does anyone know where I can find the chords for "Off He Goes" - the part I'm struggling with is when Eddie sings "like he's riding in on a motorbike, in the strongest wind" - there's a little three chord change there and again on "perfectly un-kept clothes". I've watched a few Youtube videos, but when I play them it just doesn't sound right.

I also can't decide if playing an open F or barre chord F works better.

I'd appreciate any help.

Go halfway between the not-really-open F and the F barre with an F/C chord (the /C signifies a non-root bass note, even though this is technically a second-inversion triad, yadda yadda yadda ):

E--1--
B--1--
G--2--
D--3--
A--3--
E

---

It lends itself to a quick change to and from the C chord (just lift your pinky, shift your middle, and un-barre your index). With the same C bass note, it gives the illusion that you're in the "same place" as far as pitch goes. I'd have to do some research to determine if Ed, Stone, and/or Mike use the F/C chord for this song.

In any case, it's also useful for "Wishlist."

i shit and i stink wrote:

ties em off wrote:

which part is giving you trouble on i am mine? i've been learning it too

I've got the 'a' progression at the start not to sound too terrible and the chorus is easy but I struggle with that AFCG in the verse. To be honest, I just can't play the F well yet! The rest sounds okay. My mate suggested that it's because I'm using a fat necked classical guitar so it is difficult to play the bar chords because the neck is so wide. He recommended buying an acoustic steel stringed guitar as it has a thinner neck and bar chords are easier to play. Personally, I think he was just being kind regarding my lack of ability but it's nothing a couple of years playing around won't cure

Any non-capo/non-alterate tuning permutation of F is the bane of anyone who's learning how to play guitar. I definitely remember putting my fingertips through hell fretting the F! Definitely keep at it!

RE: Steel-string acoustic - be warned that on some guitars, the action might be a bit too high and the original strings a bit too thick for comfort. If you encounter that kind of acoustic guitar, you might want to replace the strings with some ball-end nylons, or a thinner gauge of acoustic strings, or even a set of electric strings - all for the sake of non-masochistic learning.

I hope any of this helps. Cheers!

i bought a cheap classical guitar for £25 before i decided if i really wanted to play.it hardened my fingers up and gave me a base by which to compare buying a steel stringed acoustic.it also meant when i went to buy a new one i knew how to tune a guitar.when i was shopping for a new one i found some guitars where impossible for me to tune.the best way to buy a guitar is to go into a shop and try them.there will be a guitar in the shop that just feels right in your hands.

i bought a £200 steel string in August,i had been playing my cheap classical for 9 months at that pont,and it just felt like the right time to progress.

ties em off wrote:

for the verse i use D, F, C, G.
but i keep the pinky down on the G note. 3rd fret of the high E string.
i could never find a good clip on youtube of ed playing it so i made sure to pay attention at ed's solo show in atlanta. lucky enough i was close enough to see and he played i am mine.
i'm not sure what it's called but he kept his pinky on the 3rd fret of the high E sting. the G note while playin a partial F and C

so it goes D

then the F type chord with the pinky
E--3--
B--1--
G--2--
D--3--
A----
E----
then the C with the pinky never movin
E--3--
B--1--
G----
D--2--
A--3--
E----
and then a G

after that the "i am mine" part he used a barred F into a regular G and then Am. i'm still workin on those barre chords as well. just takes time

Ah, I meant to write 'D' progression and DFCG!

Thanks for that, it's easier to play and sounds better, too.

I'll throw in my 2 cents on http://justinguitar.com here. A couple of people mentioned it two or three pages ago and I just read about a few weeks past and so far I think it has been great! I have picked up more these past few weeks than I have either of the other numerous times I've tried to learn guitar. I'm 36 and haven't played a guitar since I was 21, and I was plain rubbish then, but his lesson plan has me improving and making actual songs and not noise.

Meanwhile, I cannot get a B7 chord to work - any advice (aside from practice, practice, practice)?

PJ73

DeRamos wrote:

PJ73 wrote:

I'll throw in my 2 cents on http://justinguitar.com here. A couple of people mentioned it two or three pages ago and I just read about a few weeks past and so far I think it has been great! I have picked up more these past few weeks than I have either of the other numerous times I've tried to learn guitar. I'm 36 and haven't played a guitar since I was 21, and I was plain rubbish then, but his lesson plan has me improving and making actual songs and not noise.

Meanwhile, I cannot get a B7 chord to work - any advice (aside from practice, practice, practice)?

PJ73

If

E--2--
B--0--
G--2--
D--1--
A--2--
E

---

(the open B7) doesn't work for you, try these barre chord versions:

E--2--
B--4--
G--2--
D--4--
A--2--
E

---

or

E--7--
B--7--
G--8--
D--7--
A--9--
E--7--

All B7 chords. I hope that provides some help (other than 'practice!' ). Cheers!

Thanks DeRamos! That does help - I've never had too much problem with barre chords, so I'll work with those until I get my fingers a little stronger and can move them independent of one another!

PJ73

Just bought my first guitar, a cheap electric but am keen to learn. Always wanted to and at 36 years old I thought I'd better get cracking.

In a years time I want to be able to play along to the most basic PJ song, for the guru's out there am I kidding myself?

Thanks Stickmanjam, I've gone down the TAB path. I read somewhere it was easier and quicker to learn but I should be more disciplined and learn chords also.
Anyway having fun, can play bits and pieces, so it's going well so far

yea there is an A7 i believe..
but i just play the Cadd9, G for the chorus. keeps it simple. good for learning rythym

ties em off wrote:

yea there is an A7 i believe..
but i just play the Cadd9, G for the chorus. keeps it simple. good for learning rythym

I play...

For the most part...

D, Cadd9, G, Cadd9, G

And for the two changes... ("all these changes taking place, etc" and "I change by not changing at all, etc"

A7 and Cadd9 several times with Em at the end before going back into the basic pattern.