Calling all Guitar players

[fenderpfunk]

getting one today....everyone recos it, including my instructor

It's a great choice for a rock player. It's basically a overdrive that maintains tonal clarity. Comparing that to a lot of fuzz and distortion where it's easy to lose that clarity and it can get muddy.

 

[modo]

I also am grabbing an MXR Bass Compressor for myself......I picked up a Fender 1950s Vintera Bass.

 

[Nail Polish]

I also am grabbing an MXR Bass Compressor for myself......I picked up a Fender 1950s Vintera Bass.

Man, be careful with that vintage stuff..I had a drunk in a bar walk on stage and start playing my guitar while we were on break..I would hate to hear that someone damaged your fine vintage instrument..It would make me sick in fact!

 

[modo]

Man, be careful with that vintage stuff..I had a drunk in a bar walk on stage and start playing my guitar while we were on break..I would hate to hear that someone damaged your fine vintage instrument..It would make me sick in fact!

The Vintera Bass is a MIM exact reproduction of the 1950s P Bass. Its about $1000. I would never bring an actual 1950s P Bass unless I was actually making a living at music.

 

[modo]

We have a Tele in the case and I have a PJ Bass and Rogue Fretless bass in my office...not pictured

 

[Nail Polish]

The Vintera Bass is a MIM exact reproduction of the 1950s P Bass. Its about $1000. I would never bring an actual 1950s P Bass unless I was actually making a living at music.

Ever hear of a guy "Nathan East"?.(Clapton)...I love his playing..Also, another fine bass player is "Bob Lizik"who plays with Brain Wilson's band

 

[didshereallysaythat]

So I have a question.

I started playing guitar a decade ago but never got serious. Would just play tabs off ultimateguitar and not play them well. Then I stopped playing for years because I sucked.

Now I am getting into it again and have been practicing for a month or 2 and getting to the point that I was at before I stopped. I have a few guitars... Jackson 24 stringer (I like metal), Epiphone Les Paul, Yamaha acoustic. All good but not great guitars... like 500. Have a middle of the road boss amp that was like 400 or so.

My question is, should I buy all this fancy equipment now or wait until I am better? I want to play heavy stuff like Slayer but I don't think anything matters unless I can play fast enough without missing notes.

Advice?

 

[modo]

So I have a question.

I started playing guitar a decade ago but never got serious. Would just play tabs off ultimateguitar and not play them well. Then I stopped playing for years because I sucked.

Now I am getting into it again and have been practicing for a month or 2 and getting to the point that I was at before I stopped. I have a few guitars... Jackson 24 stringer (I like metal), Epiphone Les Paul, Yamaha acoustic. All good but not great guitars... like 500. Have a middle of the road boss amp that was like 400 or so.

My question is, should I buy all this fancy equipment now or wait until I am better? I want to play heavy stuff like Slayer but I don't think anything matters unless I can play fast enough without missing notes.

Advice?

I can only speak from my point of view....

I found that you really don't need a whole lot to learn guitar/bass. What I did need was a teacher. I could not do this on my own. I am learning through the Fender App and I am seeing a teacher 1 on 1 on a weekly basis. Youtube was pointless to try and learn.

As far as equipment goes. You just need an amp and a guitar. All the other stuff is window dressing. It won't help you learn to play faster or better. I am getting this addon equipment because my skill is growing and I want to learn more about the other stuff that goes with it. The equipment is just a natural extension of me wanting to get better, not out of need.

 

[didshereallysaythat]

I can only speak from my point of view....

I found that you really don't need a whole lot to learn guitar/bass. What I did need was a teacher. I could not do this on my own. I am learning through the Fender App and I am seeing a teacher 1 on 1 on a weekly basis. Youtube was pointless to try and learn.

As far as equipment goes. You just need an amp and a guitar. All the other stuff is window dressing. It won't help you learn to play faster or better. I am getting this addon equipment because my skill is growing and I want to learn more about the other stuff that goes with it. The equipment is just a natural extension of me wanting to get better, not out of need.

I tend to agree and that was what I was thinking.

Definitely, seems like just practicing helps a lot with the muscle memory and hitting the right notes. Although it becomes frustrating how slow I have to play to not make mistakes. And some notes I can't even play at all. Even just alt strumming the low E open I can't do fast at all. Sigh. Probably need 1 on 1 lessons.

 

[modo]

I tend to agree and that was what I was thinking.

Definitely, seems like just practicing helps a lot with the muscle memory and hitting the right notes. Although it becomes frustrating how slow I have to play to not make mistakes. And some notes I can't even play at all. Even just alt strumming the low E open I can't do fast at all. Sigh. Probably need 1 on 1 lessons.

That's where 1 on 1 lessons come in....

I learned that you don't strike the string when you are speed strumming. You just brush the pick at an angle. It worked like a charm..that's what you get with 1 on 1.

 

[Nail Polish]

So I have a question.

I started playing guitar a decade ago but never got serious. Would just play tabs off ultimateguitar and not play them well. Then I stopped playing for years because I sucked.

Now I am getting into it again and have been practicing for a month or 2 and getting to the point that I was at before I stopped. I have a few guitars... Jackson 24 stringer (I like metal), Epiphone Les Paul, Yamaha acoustic. All good but not great guitars... like 500. Have a middle of the road boss amp that was like 400 or so.

My question is, should I buy all this fancy equipment now or wait until I am better? I want to play heavy stuff like Slayer but I don't think anything matters unless I can play fast enough without missing notes.

Advice?

I wouldn't go out and spend a lot of money all at once and buy a lot of equipment..I would buy one piece at a time, and get to know that piece well before adding to it..Getting a lot of stuff at the same time can be incredibly confusing and trying to get it all set up at once can be frustrating..Start out with something simple like a distortion device or a delay, and add as you need

 

[Tater]

I tend to agree and that was what I was thinking.

Definitely, seems like just practicing helps a lot with the muscle memory and hitting the right notes. Although it becomes frustrating how slow I have to play to not make mistakes. And some notes I can't even play at all. Even just alt strumming the low E open I can't do fast at all. Sigh. Probably need 1 on 1 lessons.

It sounds like you're learning the right way. As long as you can play it clean, even if really slow, just keep at it until you build up speed.
I took lessons for only a couple of months and was in a band for 20 years. One thing I never forgot from my guitar teacher regarding learning a song by ear: All you need to do is find the first note. The next note is either higher or lower. Go from there.
It sounds stupid when I type it out, but it helped me starting out. You just have to be determined.

 

[airtime143]

Man, my band days are long past. I wish they had some of this stuff 20 years ago.

I went years and years without touching any of my gear, and picked it back up as a hobby in about 2010.
The amp I used back in the day was an Ampeg with nothing other than an eq.. decided to update.

I picked up a Line 6 spider jam amp and was friggin stunned at the preset selection alone.

The technology sure has come a long way- sounds we would have had to spend thousands of dollars for can be had for less than 600 bucks- and you can get everything across the board, not just 1 copycat setup.

With the technology they have now, it is depressing there are not more shredders out there.

 

[airtime143]

I tend to agree and that was what I was thinking.

Definitely, seems like just practicing helps a lot with the muscle memory and hitting the right notes. Although it becomes frustrating how slow I have to play to not make mistakes. And some notes I can't even play at all. Even just alt strumming the low E open I can't do fast at all. Sigh. Probably need 1 on 1 lessons.

It comes fast if you do it right. Set a metronome, run some scales up the neck, and speed up 5 or 10 bpm per week and you will get there.

Work on your picking while watching tv, no amp or left hand needed- if you are running a scale that has 3 notes per string up, shift up and 3 more on the high e, and 3 more back down, just mute with your palm and do 123 123 123 123 123 123456 and then back down.

 

[airtime143]

That's where 1 on 1 lessons come in....

I learned that you don't strike the string when you are speed strumming. You just brush the pick at an angle. It worked like a charm..that's what you get with 1 on 1.

Many years ago, a friend set me up with guitar lessons from David Schenkel, the guitar player of Manowar. I was pretty excited to take the first few before I realized aside from technique he didnt know a hell of a lot about music theory.
Turns out his dad(that he lived with) was the musical brains of the family. Wound up taking lessons from him.
David really added a lot to my speed though. just a few lessons and it went through the roof.

It was pretty sobering to see that whole situation. A semi-famous band, yet the guy had to live with his parents and work at Jel Sert when he wasnt touring.
Great guy, nice as hell, and for all I know he may have parlayed his experience in to a really good life.

 

[BearFanJohn]

Ever hear of a guy "Nathan East"?.(Clapton)...I love his playing..Also, another fine bass player is "Bob Lizik"who plays with Brain Wilson's band

Yes, occasionally Nathan East will come on one of the Sirius/XM jazz stations. He's been with Clapton for quite some time.

 

[KittiesKorner]

my guitar teacher in 7th grade told me to teach myself a song over Christmas break. I was learning on an Epiphone acoustic that my sister had discarded that had the highest action you have ever felt and 11-gauge strings. I taught myself Stairway to Heaven, but in B flat. All the cliches, bleeding fingers, calluses.

I was really stoked to show it off for him at my first lesson of the new year. He listened and nodded and said 'you know you could have done that with open chords if you knew how to tune your guitar'.

I quit the lessons and just taught myself after that.

I stopped playing for about a decade until last year and now I find that I can't even play songs that I wrote myself. It makes me want to die.

 

[airtime143]

So I have a question.

I started playing guitar a decade ago but never got serious. Would just play tabs off ultimateguitar and not play them well. Then I stopped playing for years because I sucked.

Now I am getting into it again and have been practicing for a month or 2 and getting to the point that I was at before I stopped. I have a few guitars... Jackson 24 stringer (I like metal), Epiphone Les Paul, Yamaha acoustic. All good but not great guitars... like 500. Have a middle of the road boss amp that was like 400 or so.

My question is, should I buy all this fancy equipment now or wait until I am better? I want to play heavy stuff like Slayer but I don't think anything matters unless I can play fast enough without missing notes.

Advice?

To the bolded-Guitar has got to come first- doesnt have to be a high priced PRS or anything, but given you like the heavy stuff (good stuff) You gotta have some good action and good intonation. anything that can get the strings as close to the frets without buzzing anywhere. Low bridge and nut=faster and easier playing.
I am a big fan of the floyd rose trem, but it needs all the springs to stay in tune if you are hammering at it.

I made the error of buying guitars based on what my favorites played, and wound up with a couple dogs. when I put performance front and center I found a reasonably priced washburn that played like a dream.

 

[didshereallysaythat]

So to give an example of where I am at progress wise...

You know the intro to "What's My Age Again?" by Blink 182? I am at the point where I can almost get down the 8th notes at 158. If I slow it down slightly, no mistakes. Otherwise, I miss a note like every 10 notes or so. Always liked that song..

https://www.songsterr.com/a/wsa/blink-182-whats-my-age-again-tab-s741t3

I know, it's pretty pathetic.

How long will it take me to go from that to this:

https://www.songsterr.com/a/wsa/metallica-master-of-puppets-tab-s455118t1

 

[KittiesKorner]

have you tried hammer-ons?