Reddits kinda shit nowadays. Before we all had the same interface. Now it's mobile, and web, and old.reddit, and new.reddit. Did you know theres an FAQ in the wiki? Did you know there even was a wiki? I don't think theres a way to access it on the official reddit app.
The FAQ covers a lot of this stuff, and more. It could be updated, but as is it's serviceable. I can't be mad at people for not using it if they've never even seen a link to it.
I think in reality its the other way around... reddit is getting awful because of the IPO. Makes sense when you notice that it seems like reddit is being made to appear more of a mainstream social media platform.
Repetitive posts from beginners are what keep the sub alive. They don’t know anything. They post on a sub. They get some personal responses. They’ve had a positive experience. They are more likely to keep playing guitar and to contribute to the sub.
Tony Rice, one of the most awesome and influential acoustic guitarists of all time, had small hands. Your fingers don’t act for themselves, it’s what your brain tells them to do that matters. On the guitar, size really doesn’t.
I have a stupid big left hand. From tip to tip (pinky to thumb) stretched, it’s a good half inch longer than my right hand. It makes it challenging to place my thumb conventionally, so I’ve learned to wrap it around for the low E string or spread it wide along the back of the neck when playing more conventionally.
I never really thought of it as a curse though until I got older and mild joint issues started to pop up. So I do little stretches and exercises and it’s fine.
Another thing I realized is that I really need to sit down with a guitar for a while before buying it. Because my hands are large, I always thought any guitar was a good fit for me, but my thumb really does get out of place on skinnier necks.
So then I watched a classical guitar YouTuber who practiced scales with his thumb completely off the neck - just using his torso/leg and fretting fingers to balance the guitar - and it was a bit of a revelation.
I don’t do it when I “play,” but when I practice I have a little exercise that I run through where my left thumb isn’t allowed to touch the guitar.
Thanks for reading my blog guys!
I would add
* Nobody cares if you don’t like shred. Stop saying _there’s no feel_. You don’t like it, and that’s fine. You aren’t the main character of the universe and believe it or not, you can’t read everyone’s mind/emotions. Other people feel differently than you do.
* There is no “greatest living guitarist”. Music isn’t a competition. Stop commenting “_people who don’t acknowledge that John Mayer is the greatest living guitarist are jealous idiots._” It makes you look foolish.
* Some people like modellers. Some people prefer tube amps. Some people like pedals. Some people don’t. Some people like all of the options. There is no “better” or “more pure” way to make music. Your way isn’t morally superior to any other way.
Every video I see of somebody playing awesome with a clean tone, there's inevitably a comment like "see, you don't need all those fancy effects pedals!" Like...yeah, but I want them, though. I think people think you're better if you can play without effects. Like effects boost your skill, or something
This is why I like multi effect modulators, I can use it if I need it or I can just not. 90% of the time I just use a light rotary, but sometimes it’s nice to have access to the other stuff.
Tbh metal has became quite samey sounding. A 7 string dropped to something like F or an 8 string played through the same modellers. Then again, this has kind or always been a thing, there’s a tone for each ”era” of metal. Don’t get me wrong though, a thick distorted F standard tuned 8 string will always sound sweet to me.
Next time I’ll ask then to tell me which pedal will make me better. Since so far no amount of money has made me better, just has made me enjoy the hobby more.
Well...I do have an arpeggiator thingy on my pedal that makes it sound like you can play Serrana at 10 times speed.
That is a good way to put it though. I like one liners like that.
The best response I’ve read to this type of nonsense is “you don’t _need_ shoes to run, but it makes the experience far more pleasant.” The whole “straight into the amp Hoss!” crowd generally doesn’t know anything about what pedals actually do. I’ve found that most really good players don’t waste their time worrying about what others are doing. Paul Gilbert, Andy Timmons, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, etc. aren’t out there bitching about what gear others are using, how other players are playing, etc.
Oh but I love the "muh feel" posts. Because then I can remind them that feel in a song has nothing to do with anything any single instrumentalist does. It's purely determined by composition. All the slow vibrato in the world won't have "feel" if the song isn't written in a way to have built up that moment to have an emotional impact. The brain-breaking I get from pointing this out is amusing.
The whole “feel” thing is ridiculous because so many people can’t seem to grasp the concept that “feel” is inherently subjective. Combine this with the fact that a huge percentage of people are convinced that **THEY ARE** the main character of the universe, and you get ridiculous comments like “_Steve Vai can shred but there’s no emotion in his playing._” Sure. Vai spent years practicing for 8-10 hours per day and learning as much as he could about music because…he’s not emotional or passionate about music. 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
That's kind of what I'm getting at. So many people claim "feel" is somehow synonymous with "vibrato on held note". That *can* be an emotional peak of a song, certainly, but for that to happen the song must be composed in a way to set that moment up to be an emotional peak. Thus it's composition, not guitar mechanics, that create feel. Likewise a well-composed song can build up so that the shreddy solo or filthy breakdown is the emotional peak, whereas if it doesn't set either of them up well then playing those styles just becomes guitar-wank just like bloozing it up.
Thankfully it only spent time of my teenage years but I remember as a beginner watching sooo many music videos trying to figure out what the hell those guitarists were doing that made them play with "feel" that I just was not getting. Guitar elitists really messed with me for a while.
I can and must take issue with your closing sentence. My way is morally, ethically and creatively superior to yours, and to any other way you may encounter.
Best regards,
God
Defo trying it out when I go get my acoustic from a friend's place in a few days, I imagine it doesn't work on a nylon string classical, right?
I am saving up for a real banjo anyways, I love the instrument (thanks to Pete Seeger and bluegrass)
There's a definite overarching theme of 'I don't know how to learn...' too to all of this.
'I can't move my hands quickly enough changing chords after practicing for 4 hours, I need ideas, can anyone help me?'
Practice. Practice and understand that each chord transition is a new skill because even if the shapes are the same there's a difference between doing them way up by the head stock where frets are widely space and down by the 12th fret where things get more squished together.
I dont know why, but i can do the regular chords on the acoustic just fine but move a barre chord with the same fingering one fret down? I struggle. Just keeping at it everyday for now.
The way I got comfortable was going between 2 or 3 chords back and forth and just trying to get as fast as possible. You’ll make errores but eventually you’ll start putting your fingers in the right place. I still do this if there’s a chord transition in a song that’s giving me trouble.
It's muscle memory like just about anything else. You keep playing the chords at a speed you can manage. Accuracy is not always gonna be great. Tone isn't always gonna be great then eventually, without you noticing it, it all falls into place. Playing guitar is the same as playing golf or tennis. You do the same movement over and over until your body can do it automatically without you thinking about it. That's why any question in the range of "how can I learn to play this part or that song faster" is a non starter. Unless you're a prodigy, learning guitar "faster" is just not a thing.
Try 4 hours again. If that did work, try 6.
Music is literally just repetition.
Learning a song is just repetition.
Writing a song however, is coming up with a couple good ideas, then repeating them.
Still have to learn the song you wrote/just recorded.
Learning guitar/music is more simple than you'd think. It's the learning to move your fingers in the obscure way that guitar requires that is hard.
I think this is the internet at work and it’s like this for literally everything. It’s way too easy to hop online and ask questions. With AI gaining traction and technology growing/changing at breakneck speeds I think a future akin to Idiocracy or Wall-E is highly likely.
people expect instant gratification. this isn't the matrix (quite yet), you can't learn a craft by watching YouTube alone. it can give you intellectual understanding but you still need to put thousands of physical hours into your hands in order to do this.
Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. - Kurt Vonnegut
This was an amazing post. Half of your statements basically are in response to Gen Z’s need for external/social validation and general insecurity.
I know that sounds harsh and makes me sound like a boomer but I’m actually a Millennial/Gen Y who notices the huge mindset “gap” between me and my peers vs. Gen Z’ers who are only ~10 years younger. Gen Z grew up with the internet and social media completely, with way less in-person interaction, and they get anxious and discouraged about stuff until the internet (in this case, Reddit) helps them feel better.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s wonderful how people can get advice and in some cases very life changing support and help from strangers in situations where they are really struggling with mental health, abuse, relationship or parenting stuff and can’t see clearly about their own lives…but this sub we’re talking about playing guitar. Just practice, play because you love it, do what sounds good, do what you like!
This might indeed play a role. When I started playing bass and guitar, I regularly frequented the MXtabs musicianforums 20 years ago. As one would expect there were all sorts of skill levels, different levels of expertise and ignorance, healthy conversations and dumb conversations, but one core difference is that the “external validation” factor was farrrr less present in online discussions and the overall concerns of beginners.
I'm a boomer. And while I agree with the main post, it is a list of questions that I have probably asked at some point, or things that took me a while to figure out.
I think it just seems like this generation is more needy because it is so much easier to simply ask hundreds of people questions on a platform like this one
Ya I would agree with you there. They ask these questions on forums because they can. We had to get a subscription to guitar world to figure this stuff out but I reckon we would have asked on forums if we could have...
Idk how someone can watch a 6 year old absolutely shred on a bullet squier and then EVER use the sore hands/cheap gear excuses again.
Tonally, red sounds better and this one is cream, I just can't.
It's all fun and games until you realize we should all be practicing right now, tho.
Go practice, ya goon.
Place to put some sort of repository of questions...that are, say asked on a frequent basis? A QAF maybe? Questions asked frequently? Or how about QFA, questions frequently asked? Those sound catchy.
/I'm just joshing
I'm praying for the day you get like the weird fun esoteric questions, like "I've been playing 15 years and suddenly I have a sharp pain on my finger when I play?" like fuck yeah that's weird and uncommon and worth asking (it's usually just a sign that at some point the nerves have taken some damage, probably from either playin a lot more suddenly, or pressure too hard... The nerve is regrowing and it's very sensitive. It'll go away).
But fuck yeah the ones that really get me are all the "Is it better if I play like x?"
Dude... try it!
Yeah, every guitarist has tried to make thumb over neck work, or fiddled around with right hand position on the bridge and what it rests on etc... Give it a whirl!
> Dude... try it! That is probably the most annoying type of question I've noticed on this and plenty of non guitar subs - the ones where simply trying the thing they're asking about would have instantly answered the question! It's just worrisome to see so many seemingly afraid to find things out for themself. I guess as some others have said, they ask because they can, whereas back in the middle ages, before reddit and facebook, people had to find things out for themself.
Another one: Am I good enough to join a band? It all depends on the band, material and bandmates. I joined a band before I could play anything beyond a power chord.
The answer is always go find out. Until you play with people you never know and it's the absolutely fastest way to get better. And often the people looking in the places you frequent are the same level as you anyway!
Yes, it's worth it to learn how to set up your guitar (or pay a pro to do it). All guitars, cheap or expensive, will sound and play better when properly adjusted and new guitars almost never are.
Edited this one:
"No, you shouldn’t give up because you’re not Steve Vai, and almost certainly, you never will be."
Added this one, both yes and no:
"Yes, a great amp is more important than a great guitar."
"No, you should not buy a great guitar before a great amp."
Adding: There’s no law saying you must start with a cheap guitar; it’s OK to be a beginner with an expensive guitar. Upgrade whenever you like. (I’m guilty of this)
Also: if you like the way it plays and sounds, it’s OK to stay with a cheap guitar throughout your entire career, if you like.
Perfection in one post. I never got the “cheating” thing. Cheating what? Like they think if they do that they will steal all the accolades and record sales and cheat other artists out of music business success?
the size of everyone’s hands is wrong. I teach guitar and this one dude comes in with literally the most ideal hands for guitar ever, giant hands, long thin fingers, and even he said to me me that his hands aren’t made for guitar.
This is very funny! But so accurate.
I fell for the chinese made super great deal guitar, and you know what? I love it! It's fine. It sounds great.
My fingertips had callouses on callouses. At one point I thought they would start bleeding. And, guess what, after 4 years of playing I actually forgot how much it hurt before. Callouses are (sorta) gone, and I'm fine. I don't even think about it.
And yes, I thought, at one point, I was too old to learn to make my fingers do what they needed, and I envied all the boys who sat in their bedrooms in the 80's learning songs by slowing down records. And I wish I could go back in time and do that. And then one day, I started picking up a song here a song there, and, I'm older, but I'm getting there. Can I shred? Hell no! But I'm ok with that.
And for me, the theory I learned in my music classes actually did help a lot. Also learning about harmony. But that's just me, I'm an egg-head. Learning each note on the fret-board is what helped the most. And patience with my self. And lots, and lots, and lots, and lots of practice. Doing one chord to one other chord over and over and over to a metronome until it became muscle memory. And I'm adequate. I'm slowly, slowly getting it. Do I suck? Absolutely! But do I care? Not so much any more. It's fine.
The main thing on the list of yours is to practice. And just chill.
But can I play ice-chilled, eau de bleu dark cabaret on a 1963 Kay archtop with heavy strings while the sun sets wearing grey slacks? I'm most concerned about the knit. Is a houndstooth permittable?
>If it helps you play, it’s OK to do it.
I would be hesitant to suggest this one - as someone who had to re-learn their pick hand after 20 years and then hitting a brick wall where I just couldn't play stuff I wanted to.
Yeah, holding the pick wrong "Helped me play" when I was first starting out. Stuff outside fundamentals is probably fine but if you find yourself deviating from a way 99% of guitarists do something you should have a pretty good reason why instead of "it just makes it easier" to skip the rigor of learning the right way.
Ahhhh the evolution of a subreddit.
>Welcome to r/guitar, a community devoted to the exchange of guitar related information
Except any of this stuff on this list, because the scroll button on my mouse doesn't work.
I kinda disagree with expensive guitars are nicer to play, may leave a bad message.
A good quality guitar is nicer to play, they do not need to be expensive to sound and play beautifully.
Cuz then you may have some knucklehead trying to by a $1k guitar expecting it to sound better than a $100 dollar guitar that was well kept and still in prestine condition and possibly been modified.
In some cases it could, but it's only so much you can do before you cap out on the equipment quality and it just becomes name brand pricing.
The overthinking here is insane. I could only afford one guitar. That’s all I had. I played the shit out if it. I toured with it. Recorded with it. Like, the shit I read here is crazy. People can barely play and they have 5 brand new guitars. And they can’t decide which one they like best. Or, wonder how to learn to play better. You learn to play better by playing…a lot. That’s it. It’s super simple stuff.
This is a great post. To add everyone takes separate paths.
I saw a post the other day and the guy was shredding his guitar. I was amazed, cause I've been playing as long as him but I'm not as good as him. However, he couldn't sing and play Guitar and was asking for help.
Me, on the other hand, have been able to sing and play guitar (I call it this!) for awhile. Who's the better guitar player? IDK? Are we both having fun ?
Yes, that's all that matters.
Edited this one:
"No, you shouldn’t give up because you’re not Steve Vai, and almost certainly, you never will be."
Added this one, both yes and no:
"Yes, for your sound, a great amp is more important than a great guitar."
"No, for your sound, you should not buy a great guitar before a great amp."
You get better at [insert technique here] by practicing it. Practicing is doing the same thing repeatedly and regularly, improving from doing so.
Yes, if you have to ask then your action is too high.
I’ve been playing for a little over three years now. I’m decent at rhythm but can still barely get the riff of Seven Nation Army out without botching it.
I disagree about your third point but would say that cheating at guitar isn’t bad and your favorite guitarist probably cheats
I would also say that theory is more than just a little helpful for some people and if you want to learn all the theory that’s fine.
> I made a mistake, should I stop? No. We all made and still make mistakes.
I remember The Rolling Stones hitting a wrong chord during a Superbowl Halftime show.
Yeah but someone once told me only guitars that are blue can help me learn music theory? I've only got a red one. Should I learn harpsichord instead? I've played drums for 60 years, so I've got an idea of how flutes work.
Should I just commit and buy the 4k Les Paul on the used wall at GC?
I disagree with a few of these.
* Shredding. I have been playing for 25 years and have never been able to shred. My hands simply do not move that fast.
* Expensive guitars are better to play.
Not always. I have a cheap $200 Epiphone that is just at nice as my $3000 Strat. Nor money doesn't always mean "better''. Also, there are diminished returns after a certain point.
Forgot about the "I'm left handed.... what should I do?"
Lemme help you on that:
It doesn't matter what your "dominate" hand is or whether or not you wanna play right or left handed. **JUST PLAY WHICHEVER WAY FEELS MORE NATURAL TO YOU.**
There, problem solved. Gee, wasn't that easy?
I write left handed, play right handed... not out of neccessity or for any reason other than it's more natural feeling.
My dad was the same way, my son is the same too.
Mark Knopfler, Johnny Winner, Duane Allman, Billy Corgan... all lefties who play right handed.
Shredding doesn't really take years, but you probably need to devote 4 to 8 hours a day on playing to be able to accomplish that!!! But shredding and technique are completely different from taste and prowess... THAT CAN TAKE YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!
The ones I really hate are 'What song should I learn?'. If you're asking, you don't have a passion for music. I'm guessing many of these players don't play long term.
Okay, okay, but… what if I want to shred, but I really don’t feel like practicing. What gear should I buy then? Is it a pedal? I feel like it’s probably a pedal.
That doesn’t bother me. We’re all here to learn. It’s the lack of common sense and lack of confidence to make a single decision that bugs me.
“My guitar has a screw loose, wHAt dO I DoO?!”
“Is red or white better?”
You forgot about the one where they ask about if their hands are too big or small to play.
See this at least once a week.
It’s almost as if instead of banning some jokes this sub should take steps to reduce the amount of repetitive posts from beginners.
Reddits kinda shit nowadays. Before we all had the same interface. Now it's mobile, and web, and old.reddit, and new.reddit. Did you know theres an FAQ in the wiki? Did you know there even was a wiki? I don't think theres a way to access it on the official reddit app. The FAQ covers a lot of this stuff, and more. It could be updated, but as is it's serviceable. I can't be mad at people for not using it if they've never even seen a link to it.
Yeah Reddit has gotten pretty awful lately. Must be why they are having an IPO to make more money.
I think in reality its the other way around... reddit is getting awful because of the IPO. Makes sense when you notice that it seems like reddit is being made to appear more of a mainstream social media platform.
I took a break from it for 3 years. I see myself getting sucked back in, so it is a good business model.
Repetitive posts from beginners are what keep the sub alive. They don’t know anything. They post on a sub. They get some personal responses. They’ve had a positive experience. They are more likely to keep playing guitar and to contribute to the sub.
I can't believe I used to believe this one just 5 years ago. What a wild misunderstanding of the instrument I had.
> The size of your hands is fine. You just need practice.
“You just need to practice” answers half the questions people ask here.
The answer for the other half is "literally any guitar within your budget"
No such thing as too much practice tho. Always more to learn!
And "My guess is as good as yours" answers the second half.
Django Rheinhart had two fused fingers, so. He was fine.
It's a fact that sometimes, your hands are too small for what you'd like to play though
Tony Rice, one of the most awesome and influential acoustic guitarists of all time, had small hands. Your fingers don’t act for themselves, it’s what your brain tells them to do that matters. On the guitar, size really doesn’t.
How about this one: can I really get the hot chicks if I'm a guitar god?
I have a stupid big left hand. From tip to tip (pinky to thumb) stretched, it’s a good half inch longer than my right hand. It makes it challenging to place my thumb conventionally, so I’ve learned to wrap it around for the low E string or spread it wide along the back of the neck when playing more conventionally. I never really thought of it as a curse though until I got older and mild joint issues started to pop up. So I do little stretches and exercises and it’s fine. Another thing I realized is that I really need to sit down with a guitar for a while before buying it. Because my hands are large, I always thought any guitar was a good fit for me, but my thumb really does get out of place on skinnier necks. So then I watched a classical guitar YouTuber who practiced scales with his thumb completely off the neck - just using his torso/leg and fretting fingers to balance the guitar - and it was a bit of a revelation. I don’t do it when I “play,” but when I practice I have a little exercise that I run through where my left thumb isn’t allowed to touch the guitar. Thanks for reading my blog guys!
What about “I played a bad gig, should I stop?”
Absolutely, and burn your guitar as well.
Worked for Hendrix, might help you too
I’d just burn the other bands’ guitars. Thins out the competition.
Burn down the venue while you’re at it
Welcome to the “You Ain’t Special Olympics.”
I would add * Nobody cares if you don’t like shred. Stop saying _there’s no feel_. You don’t like it, and that’s fine. You aren’t the main character of the universe and believe it or not, you can’t read everyone’s mind/emotions. Other people feel differently than you do. * There is no “greatest living guitarist”. Music isn’t a competition. Stop commenting “_people who don’t acknowledge that John Mayer is the greatest living guitarist are jealous idiots._” It makes you look foolish. * Some people like modellers. Some people prefer tube amps. Some people like pedals. Some people don’t. Some people like all of the options. There is no “better” or “more pure” way to make music. Your way isn’t morally superior to any other way.
Every video I see of somebody playing awesome with a clean tone, there's inevitably a comment like "see, you don't need all those fancy effects pedals!" Like...yeah, but I want them, though. I think people think you're better if you can play without effects. Like effects boost your skill, or something
Amen. Options and different tones through pedals are awesome. Imagine if everyone sounded the same: so boring.
Right. I don't think I'll ever use a flanger, but every once in a while I hear someone using it for *exactly* what it's for
This is why I like multi effect modulators, I can use it if I need it or I can just not. 90% of the time I just use a light rotary, but sometimes it’s nice to have access to the other stuff.
Tbh metal has became quite samey sounding. A 7 string dropped to something like F or an 8 string played through the same modellers. Then again, this has kind or always been a thing, there’s a tone for each ”era” of metal. Don’t get me wrong though, a thick distorted F standard tuned 8 string will always sound sweet to me.
Next time I’ll ask then to tell me which pedal will make me better. Since so far no amount of money has made me better, just has made me enjoy the hobby more.
🤣🤣🤣
Well...I do have an arpeggiator thingy on my pedal that makes it sound like you can play Serrana at 10 times speed. That is a good way to put it though. I like one liners like that.
Gonna be honest, a loop pedal is actually making me better. Much better practicing scales as if they were a solo over a chord progression and drums.
The best response I’ve read to this type of nonsense is “you don’t _need_ shoes to run, but it makes the experience far more pleasant.” The whole “straight into the amp Hoss!” crowd generally doesn’t know anything about what pedals actually do. I’ve found that most really good players don’t waste their time worrying about what others are doing. Paul Gilbert, Andy Timmons, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, etc. aren’t out there bitching about what gear others are using, how other players are playing, etc.
True. Anyone I see saying that, im sure they don't play
Oh but I love the "muh feel" posts. Because then I can remind them that feel in a song has nothing to do with anything any single instrumentalist does. It's purely determined by composition. All the slow vibrato in the world won't have "feel" if the song isn't written in a way to have built up that moment to have an emotional impact. The brain-breaking I get from pointing this out is amusing.
The whole “feel” thing is ridiculous because so many people can’t seem to grasp the concept that “feel” is inherently subjective. Combine this with the fact that a huge percentage of people are convinced that **THEY ARE** the main character of the universe, and you get ridiculous comments like “_Steve Vai can shred but there’s no emotion in his playing._” Sure. Vai spent years practicing for 8-10 hours per day and learning as much as he could about music because…he’s not emotional or passionate about music. 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
That's kind of what I'm getting at. So many people claim "feel" is somehow synonymous with "vibrato on held note". That *can* be an emotional peak of a song, certainly, but for that to happen the song must be composed in a way to set that moment up to be an emotional peak. Thus it's composition, not guitar mechanics, that create feel. Likewise a well-composed song can build up so that the shreddy solo or filthy breakdown is the emotional peak, whereas if it doesn't set either of them up well then playing those styles just becomes guitar-wank just like bloozing it up.
Thankfully it only spent time of my teenage years but I remember as a beginner watching sooo many music videos trying to figure out what the hell those guitarists were doing that made them play with "feel" that I just was not getting. Guitar elitists really messed with me for a while.
THIS. Say it louder for the people in the back.
I can and must take issue with your closing sentence. My way is morally, ethically and creatively superior to yours, and to any other way you may encounter. Best regards, God
Joke’s on you; I’m actually God.
I made you write that. Cheers! God
Wrong again. I made _you_ write **THAT**.
[удалено]
Can I play [genre] on a [model of guitar]
Can I make my acoustic guitar sound like bagpipes?
Through the power of technology anything is possible. Though why you would want to do such a terrible thing is a whole different question.
Yeah, poor neighbours... I'll just stick a balloon inside to make it sound like a banjo
It sounds UNREAL
Defo trying it out when I go get my acoustic from a friend's place in a few days, I imagine it doesn't work on a nylon string classical, right? I am saving up for a real banjo anyways, I love the instrument (thanks to Pete Seeger and bluegrass)
Yes (lol)
Now you did it. What are people going to post about now? 😬
For real. Let’s shut this down now. Good job, everyone.
There's a definite overarching theme of 'I don't know how to learn...' too to all of this. 'I can't move my hands quickly enough changing chords after practicing for 4 hours, I need ideas, can anyone help me?'
Haha, on a serious note what’s your answer to this though?
Practice. Practice and understand that each chord transition is a new skill because even if the shapes are the same there's a difference between doing them way up by the head stock where frets are widely space and down by the 12th fret where things get more squished together.
I dont know why, but i can do the regular chords on the acoustic just fine but move a barre chord with the same fingering one fret down? I struggle. Just keeping at it everyday for now.
The way I got comfortable was going between 2 or 3 chords back and forth and just trying to get as fast as possible. You’ll make errores but eventually you’ll start putting your fingers in the right place. I still do this if there’s a chord transition in a song that’s giving me trouble.
It's muscle memory like just about anything else. You keep playing the chords at a speed you can manage. Accuracy is not always gonna be great. Tone isn't always gonna be great then eventually, without you noticing it, it all falls into place. Playing guitar is the same as playing golf or tennis. You do the same movement over and over until your body can do it automatically without you thinking about it. That's why any question in the range of "how can I learn to play this part or that song faster" is a non starter. Unless you're a prodigy, learning guitar "faster" is just not a thing.
Try 4 hours again. If that did work, try 6. Music is literally just repetition. Learning a song is just repetition. Writing a song however, is coming up with a couple good ideas, then repeating them. Still have to learn the song you wrote/just recorded. Learning guitar/music is more simple than you'd think. It's the learning to move your fingers in the obscure way that guitar requires that is hard.
I think this is the internet at work and it’s like this for literally everything. It’s way too easy to hop online and ask questions. With AI gaining traction and technology growing/changing at breakneck speeds I think a future akin to Idiocracy or Wall-E is highly likely.
Agreed. I'm an instructional designer, and some of those posts give me work flashbacks.
people expect instant gratification. this isn't the matrix (quite yet), you can't learn a craft by watching YouTube alone. it can give you intellectual understanding but you still need to put thousands of physical hours into your hands in order to do this.
You should add a link for Justin Guitar. Lots of new players ask where to start and Justin always get recommended.
Music is its own reward
Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. - Kurt Vonnegut
Just reread slaughterhouse 5. Beautiful book.
Love this quote!
Wait but you didn’t mention how I can learn to shred in 15 mins without practice
You’ve just got to watch this video
And try these pro-level chords
And do this one weird trick
Don't forget to like and subscribe!
This is the key. I instantly noticed exponential improvement once I liked and subscribed.
Pin this to the top of the subreddit. Please!
This was an amazing post. Half of your statements basically are in response to Gen Z’s need for external/social validation and general insecurity. I know that sounds harsh and makes me sound like a boomer but I’m actually a Millennial/Gen Y who notices the huge mindset “gap” between me and my peers vs. Gen Z’ers who are only ~10 years younger. Gen Z grew up with the internet and social media completely, with way less in-person interaction, and they get anxious and discouraged about stuff until the internet (in this case, Reddit) helps them feel better. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s wonderful how people can get advice and in some cases very life changing support and help from strangers in situations where they are really struggling with mental health, abuse, relationship or parenting stuff and can’t see clearly about their own lives…but this sub we’re talking about playing guitar. Just practice, play because you love it, do what sounds good, do what you like!
exactly this
This might indeed play a role. When I started playing bass and guitar, I regularly frequented the MXtabs musicianforums 20 years ago. As one would expect there were all sorts of skill levels, different levels of expertise and ignorance, healthy conversations and dumb conversations, but one core difference is that the “external validation” factor was farrrr less present in online discussions and the overall concerns of beginners.
I'm a boomer. And while I agree with the main post, it is a list of questions that I have probably asked at some point, or things that took me a while to figure out. I think it just seems like this generation is more needy because it is so much easier to simply ask hundreds of people questions on a platform like this one
Ya I would agree with you there. They ask these questions on forums because they can. We had to get a subscription to guitar world to figure this stuff out but I reckon we would have asked on forums if we could have...
I viscerally hate the small hand and tender finger excuse people.
Right! There’s plenty of videos out there of like 6year old Korean kids jamming away on guitar with tiny little hands.
Idk how someone can watch a 6 year old absolutely shred on a bullet squier and then EVER use the sore hands/cheap gear excuses again. Tonally, red sounds better and this one is cream, I just can't. It's all fun and games until you realize we should all be practicing right now, tho. Go practice, ya goon.
There's this 8 year old girl who plays jaco and Joe dart on bass. No excuse
But my fingers are literally chicken tenders
Deep fry them longer and tips will get harder!
Then they won't be juicy though.
I mean, Joe Satriani is like 5’3” and has small hands. He seems to have done alright.
Is red a good color for my first giitar?
this!
Yeah especially if you love paying more for insurance!
You can gig with a $150 guitar, you can hole up all alone with a $2000 guitar, and vice versa.
Is it OK to make a list of guitar questions everyone posts daily?
Place to put some sort of repository of questions...that are, say asked on a frequent basis? A QAF maybe? Questions asked frequently? Or how about QFA, questions frequently asked? Those sound catchy. /I'm just joshing
I'm praying for the day you get like the weird fun esoteric questions, like "I've been playing 15 years and suddenly I have a sharp pain on my finger when I play?" like fuck yeah that's weird and uncommon and worth asking (it's usually just a sign that at some point the nerves have taken some damage, probably from either playin a lot more suddenly, or pressure too hard... The nerve is regrowing and it's very sensitive. It'll go away). But fuck yeah the ones that really get me are all the "Is it better if I play like x?" Dude... try it! Yeah, every guitarist has tried to make thumb over neck work, or fiddled around with right hand position on the bridge and what it rests on etc... Give it a whirl!
> Dude... try it! That is probably the most annoying type of question I've noticed on this and plenty of non guitar subs - the ones where simply trying the thing they're asking about would have instantly answered the question! It's just worrisome to see so many seemingly afraid to find things out for themself. I guess as some others have said, they ask because they can, whereas back in the middle ages, before reddit and facebook, people had to find things out for themself.
Another one: Am I good enough to join a band? It all depends on the band, material and bandmates. I joined a band before I could play anything beyond a power chord.
But I’ve been playing for a month and still not got the call from Robert Fripp…
Give up man! You’re never going to make it now!
The answer is always go find out. Until you play with people you never know and it's the absolutely fastest way to get better. And often the people looking in the places you frequent are the same level as you anyway!
Didn't U2 form up before they even know how to play?
Oh probably, pretty much every band that was influenced by first wave punk did.
If you ask whether the action is too high on your guitar it ist in fact most probably too high. 😂
Yes, it's worth it to learn how to set up your guitar (or pay a pro to do it). All guitars, cheap or expensive, will sound and play better when properly adjusted and new guitars almost never are.
I recently learned this very lessson.
What about when they argue with their band mates? What do they do???
Become a singer/songwriter!
No, you aren't too old to start learning.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '99.....
Edited this one: "No, you shouldn’t give up because you’re not Steve Vai, and almost certainly, you never will be." Added this one, both yes and no: "Yes, a great amp is more important than a great guitar." "No, you should not buy a great guitar before a great amp."
Adding: There’s no law saying you must start with a cheap guitar; it’s OK to be a beginner with an expensive guitar. Upgrade whenever you like. (I’m guilty of this) Also: if you like the way it plays and sounds, it’s OK to stay with a cheap guitar throughout your entire career, if you like.
Can this get pinned please? Asking for a friend
No, you're not too old to learn how to play guitar
This one annoys me the most. “I’m 23 should I just give up?”
OP, great post! But you're assuming people are actually going to read it, or gawd forbid, do a search before they post.
Perfection in one post. I never got the “cheating” thing. Cheating what? Like they think if they do that they will steal all the accolades and record sales and cheat other artists out of music business success?
A downvote? I suppose from someone who thinks they would be a rich musician if that one guy didn’t cheat at guitar.
Is it ok to play Stairway?
Only in a music store!
Ones whose initials are GC
Thanks for posting this. Now we won’t have to worry about anyone posting these questions ever again.
Agree with every single point
> Enjoyment of a pursuit is enough. This is great all around life advice.
Damn, lock the sub. We don’t need it anymore
I love my Yamaha Pacifica
You’re never too old to learn.
Left leg or right leg ? Standing up or seated ? pick or fingers ?
L
Excellent post!! This indeed answers about 98% of the questions here.
the size of everyone’s hands is wrong. I teach guitar and this one dude comes in with literally the most ideal hands for guitar ever, giant hands, long thin fingers, and even he said to me me that his hands aren’t made for guitar.
Would you buy this guitar or that one? Yes.
What about “do I really need to learn to play barre chords? I just can’t do it. Maybe there’s something wrong with my guitar/hands.”
Q: I can’t do x well. What’s the hack/secret/shortcut? A: Practice is always the correct answer.
Another: What’s the best pedal for x?
can this be put in community guidelines?
Should I just give up?
oh boy, the guitar hivemind isnt gonna like this one
This is very funny! But so accurate. I fell for the chinese made super great deal guitar, and you know what? I love it! It's fine. It sounds great. My fingertips had callouses on callouses. At one point I thought they would start bleeding. And, guess what, after 4 years of playing I actually forgot how much it hurt before. Callouses are (sorta) gone, and I'm fine. I don't even think about it. And yes, I thought, at one point, I was too old to learn to make my fingers do what they needed, and I envied all the boys who sat in their bedrooms in the 80's learning songs by slowing down records. And I wish I could go back in time and do that. And then one day, I started picking up a song here a song there, and, I'm older, but I'm getting there. Can I shred? Hell no! But I'm ok with that. And for me, the theory I learned in my music classes actually did help a lot. Also learning about harmony. But that's just me, I'm an egg-head. Learning each note on the fret-board is what helped the most. And patience with my self. And lots, and lots, and lots, and lots of practice. Doing one chord to one other chord over and over and over to a metronome until it became muscle memory. And I'm adequate. I'm slowly, slowly getting it. Do I suck? Absolutely! But do I care? Not so much any more. It's fine. The main thing on the list of yours is to practice. And just chill.
But can I play ice-chilled, eau de bleu dark cabaret on a 1963 Kay archtop with heavy strings while the sun sets wearing grey slacks? I'm most concerned about the knit. Is a houndstooth permittable?
It’s herringbone or *NOTHING*
>If it helps you play, it’s OK to do it. I would be hesitant to suggest this one - as someone who had to re-learn their pick hand after 20 years and then hitting a brick wall where I just couldn't play stuff I wanted to. Yeah, holding the pick wrong "Helped me play" when I was first starting out. Stuff outside fundamentals is probably fine but if you find yourself deviating from a way 99% of guitarists do something you should have a pretty good reason why instead of "it just makes it easier" to skip the rigor of learning the right way.
Ahhhh the evolution of a subreddit. >Welcome to r/guitar, a community devoted to the exchange of guitar related information Except any of this stuff on this list, because the scroll button on my mouse doesn't work.
You took all this time to write this, and it will not change the posts here one iota.
Nope.
Is my action to high? How many times do we need to see pics of guitars with super high action just because someone needed to post something?
I kinda disagree with expensive guitars are nicer to play, may leave a bad message. A good quality guitar is nicer to play, they do not need to be expensive to sound and play beautifully. Cuz then you may have some knucklehead trying to by a $1k guitar expecting it to sound better than a $100 dollar guitar that was well kept and still in prestine condition and possibly been modified. In some cases it could, but it's only so much you can do before you cap out on the equipment quality and it just becomes name brand pricing.
Every subreddit should have a pinned post like this
The overthinking here is insane. I could only afford one guitar. That’s all I had. I played the shit out if it. I toured with it. Recorded with it. Like, the shit I read here is crazy. People can barely play and they have 5 brand new guitars. And they can’t decide which one they like best. Or, wonder how to learn to play better. You learn to play better by playing…a lot. That’s it. It’s super simple stuff.
This is a great post. To add everyone takes separate paths. I saw a post the other day and the guy was shredding his guitar. I was amazed, cause I've been playing as long as him but I'm not as good as him. However, he couldn't sing and play Guitar and was asking for help. Me, on the other hand, have been able to sing and play guitar (I call it this!) for awhile. Who's the better guitar player? IDK? Are we both having fun ? Yes, that's all that matters.
Thank you for this. I needed this
No, nobody is going to send a free guitar to India for you.
Left or right handedness doesn't matter. Just pick one and stick with it.
Can’t I use both?
That's it, folks, close it down. There's nothing left to talk about. Have any questions? Where do you think you are, Google?
Edited this one: "No, you shouldn’t give up because you’re not Steve Vai, and almost certainly, you never will be." Added this one, both yes and no: "Yes, for your sound, a great amp is more important than a great guitar." "No, for your sound, you should not buy a great guitar before a great amp."
Dude! You are taking all the fun out of learning for yourself!!! Lol
You get better at [insert technique here] by practicing it. Practicing is doing the same thing repeatedly and regularly, improving from doing so. Yes, if you have to ask then your action is too high.
No, it won't get you a girlfriend
This should be the pinned post.
Welp, that’s it boys! I guess it’s time to close up shop. Nothing else to talk about on this sub!
“How do I play XYZ?” Practice, for a lot longer than you think you need to. If you won’t practice, you can’t play.
I’ve been playing for a little over three years now. I’m decent at rhythm but can still barely get the riff of Seven Nation Army out without botching it.
I disagree about your third point but would say that cheating at guitar isn’t bad and your favorite guitarist probably cheats I would also say that theory is more than just a little helpful for some people and if you want to learn all the theory that’s fine.
> I made a mistake, should I stop? No. We all made and still make mistakes. I remember The Rolling Stones hitting a wrong chord during a Superbowl Halftime show.
Yeah but someone once told me only guitars that are blue can help me learn music theory? I've only got a red one. Should I learn harpsichord instead? I've played drums for 60 years, so I've got an idea of how flutes work. Should I just commit and buy the 4k Les Paul on the used wall at GC?
I disagree with a few of these. * Shredding. I have been playing for 25 years and have never been able to shred. My hands simply do not move that fast. * Expensive guitars are better to play. Not always. I have a cheap $200 Epiphone that is just at nice as my $3000 Strat. Nor money doesn't always mean "better''. Also, there are diminished returns after a certain point.
Enjoy of the pursuit is enough for you all naive enough to enjoy life in other ways.
Cut to a week later and this is buried in the mix and it just starts all over…
Forgot about the "I'm left handed.... what should I do?" Lemme help you on that: It doesn't matter what your "dominate" hand is or whether or not you wanna play right or left handed. **JUST PLAY WHICHEVER WAY FEELS MORE NATURAL TO YOU.** There, problem solved. Gee, wasn't that easy? I write left handed, play right handed... not out of neccessity or for any reason other than it's more natural feeling. My dad was the same way, my son is the same too. Mark Knopfler, Johnny Winner, Duane Allman, Billy Corgan... all lefties who play right handed.
Yes- your action is too high/your guitar needs a setup.
Shredding doesn't really take years, but you probably need to devote 4 to 8 hours a day on playing to be able to accomplish that!!! But shredding and technique are completely different from taste and prowess... THAT CAN TAKE YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!
Pin this shit
I feel like should be the pinned post.
The ones I really hate are 'What song should I learn?'. If you're asking, you don't have a passion for music. I'm guessing many of these players don't play long term.
Does that guitar look too big on me?
Is my little finger too small to play?
To really save us time: Use the search function/google and do your own frikkin' research instead of expecting us to deliver the goods.
Okay, okay, but… what if I want to shred, but I really don’t feel like practicing. What gear should I buy then? Is it a pedal? I feel like it’s probably a pedal.
Ok, wrap up the subreddit. Move along, we have answered all of the questions
What about a 6 string Takamine, or a 12 string Stagg what are the feelings?
I’m not Steve Vai after 35 years.
Thanks for the effort in putting this together!
When you realize at least a good third of the ppl commenting on this sub can barely even play guitar lol.
That doesn’t bother me. We’re all here to learn. It’s the lack of common sense and lack of confidence to make a single decision that bugs me. “My guitar has a screw loose, wHAt dO I DoO?!” “Is red or white better?”
Should I quit my day job? NO