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So ... You Wanna Play Guitar, Huh?
(12 Apr 02)
Where Do I Begin, Alan?
First of all, learn how to tune your guitar will ya? Most of the guitars I pick up that belong to "beginners" are so far out of tune, I'm sure they've made NO progress. You absolutely can not enjoy playing chords that aren't chords! Learn to know when the pitch is sharp or flat ... take some time to twist a tuning peg and listen to a note move to the flat or sharp zone so you become familiar with which is which. Do this by fretting the D (4th) string at the 5th fret and playing a G note, while you twist the G (3rd) string above proper pitch ... then down to match the exact pitch ... then below it ... and back up again -- constantly comparing the two; listening to the "true" G note and how it sounds when it's distorted in either direction. Do this a million times. And, THEN ask me questions about tuning your guitar.
Choosing the Right Guitar...
My advice is: Forget what you think you know, and what you think you don't know; make a written list of every music store within a 30-mile radius of your home; don't bring any money with you; visit each and every guitar retailer you found; play everything you see that represents the kind of axe you want (probably 2-5 guitars per shop); center yourself as you play each one; notice how you feel ... physically; notice how you feel ... emotionally; LISTEN to the instrument! Is it happy? Is it gutsy? Does it have the "voice" you thought it would? If it doesn't, then move on. Use your head ... and use your heart. When you have finished taking your inventory, there will be one guitar that you just can't get out of your head. That's the one! Problem now is, you also know how much it's gonna cost you. Don't be fooled though - the last time I did it, I found my Washburn ... and it was literally half the price I would've willingly paid for it! Stuff like that always happens to me. I think if you go out there LOOKING for a hidden treasure, you're likely to find one.
Okay? Okay. Here's lesson number one -- It's a very crucial part of your kick ... I know - you just want to fly off with big, beautiful wings and have your way with the sky! Man! What else is there?! And you feel that way because you KNOW that sky is yours! But the funny part is, before you can be so free, you've got to wear some chains ... in order to understand something of the weight and the laws of gravity. Tame the flesh ... free the Spirit.
I've discovered that it is through discipline itself, that freedom is born.
The early basics -- like, "learning to tune your guitar" ... or, the evil twin, "learning to play in time" (don't worry about the "evil twin" right now; that comes after you begin switching chords and playing progressions) -- can require what seems to be an overwhelming amount of discipline! These excercises can become monumentally boring in a very short span of time! So rather than beat yourself into the ground, creating a negative experience out of what should be an enjoyable one, I suggest you pace yourself.
Break your sessions up into three or four 45-minute workouts a day ... broken up by 30-minute (minimum) respites ... do something else, and do it in a different place; go out for an hour or two and come back refreshed, and you'll more than double your learning curve! You should become a proficient guitar tuner in a few days ... displaying an intermediate ability in a few months ... and as good as you'll ever be in a year or so.
One final note: Learn to play one song at a time. Pick a song that is very, very important to you, and play it over and over again - until you've ironed out every kink you can find. I'd much rather hear someone who can only play one song, but make me go, "Wo!! Way to go!!!" ... than to hear someone who knows a kazillion songs, and it's like, "er, well, kinda, but not really! ... thanks for wasting my time." You know what I mean.
Remember that bit (above) about "Flesh & Spirit"? Well, it's the flesh that requires the discipline ... mostly so that "it" will perform it's task without further supervision ... THEN the spirit may fly! For example, I write a new song and in the first 48 hours I'm entrenched with it. I play it and sing it probably sixty to a hundred times a day - the first day or two, anyway. I'm getting to know how it moves ... from the first measure to the last ... memorizing ... familiarizing ... falling in love with it's movements ... moving it into my being, until I'm not thinking OF it ... but FROM it. Then -- when I know that song so well that I don't need to be conscious of it's movements anymore, I am suddenly able to find it's "perfect performance" ... effortlessly!
Now, that having been said, let's see you get to work!
I'll see ya later,
Alan
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Alan Horvath | Acoustic Rock ... for real. You can check out Alan's background info at his site's INFO link ... over 45 free mp3s to his original songs - inc'l. lyrics & stories behind the songs - at his SONGS link ... and don't miss his cool articles about playing ... plus links for acoustic guitarists, dulcimerists, autoharpists and artists ... all at his JAM! link: www.AlanHorvath.com
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