Advice To Beginner Options

[cistec]

I am over 45 and always wanted to play in a band playing rock ..I invested in a Gibson Las Paul and Marshall stack….sounds easy! Now I have joined your fan club and hope you can give me a program of where to start please and what’s important from your point of view. I have a little guitar experience simple chords And barre chords are no problem and a few scales under my belt. Would you advise on learning music at the same time Kris? I have started late I know, but before I depart this planet I would like to reach a goal which has always been a dream, getting married and having kids sort of put it on hold if you know what I mean. or any body who has been in the same position, i would like to here from you.

FM

[chainsbroken]

Welcome Cistec.
I started here at GMC at the first of the year. I was kinda in the same place you are. then and I began in the beginners lessons with scales. and then went through all the beginner lessons ( how to pratice metronome ect..) Then I moved to the speed picking lessons and so on. I have seen amazing progress in my playing since the first of the year. The main thing is to have fun. Always make time during pratice to learn something new. And be sure to check out the How to pratice lesson. This will give you some good tips. Also I found playing around with the backing tracks to be extremley helpful.. Good luck

This post has been edited by chainsbroken: Mar 7 2007, 10:35 PM

[stratman33]

Ya, I know how you feel.I was the suckiest player ever before i joined.you should just take a look at member videos and play along with the exercises.I play rock, so i watched speed picking and tapping videos.I already know how to do them both, so you should just look at videos and play along.good luck!

[cistec]

Thanks for the imput..how about the music reading and theory bit? How much and how far should it go?

FM

[browq]

Since you are a rock player, I would suggest you learn the minor pentatonic scale first. Take a look at the pentatonic scale one on one lessons in the 101 lesson section and start with the first. Learn this scale well, For it will be one of your most powerfull tools. Also the major and minor scale are good to start with to. In the beginning you don't have to know a whole lot of theory. But if you want to improvise and whrite your own music then theory is your ultimate weapon

[Steelkonsum]

Thanks for the imput..how about the music reading and theory bit? How much and how far should it go?

FM

Check out the theory board for some cool stuff

[MickeM]

I am over 45 and always wanted to play in a band playing rock

Just gather a band together, ask around and advertise. There must be plenty of people in your situation that are not all age 14.
Playing in a band is the best school ever and then catching up on the details and new stuff here at the same time, you'll learn quickly.

[Kristofer Dahl]

Great progress report and advices in this thread!

[cistec]

Great progress report and advices in this thread!

Thanks Guys really helpful..but what about the music reading..how important? and how far should i take it?

[Andrew Cockburn]

Thanks Guys really helpful..but what about the music reading..how important? and how far should i take it?

Its up to your own preference - the theory I would say is important if you want to write your own songs and progress to writing more inventive solos and licks, but you can get by with TABs - music reading is probably more important if you want to be a session musician. I learnt how to read music at school, I just never use it in a guitar context (and consequently my abilities have atrophied over the years!).

[moorkop]

at music theory i spent a lot of time on the net looking for stuff
not that i needed it that much, and i never really brought it into practice yet

talking about rock... well, you need pentatonic, powerchords, distortion and eh distortion

you don't really need to understand all of the theory of how to build up chords... unless your interested ofcourse and want to write songs beyond the average rock song

i play bass aswel and there it is important so now i'm trying to learn to read notes and such, it takes some time but it makes you understand other stuff (and other instruments like piano) a lot better and to play with them together

i only use tab for a quick reference to how to play stuff, but they are wrong pretty often and have no timing so you gotta listen to the music anyway

conclusion: you only need some (which can be found in theory section)

[cistec]

at music theory i spent a lot of time on the net looking for stuff
not that i needed it that much, and i never really brought it into practice yet

talking about rock... well, you need pentatonic, powerchords, distortion and eh distortion

you don't really need to understand all of the theory of how to build up chords... unless your interested ofcourse and want to write songs beyond the average rock song

i play bass aswel and there it is important so now i'm trying to learn to read notes and such, it takes some time but it makes you understand other stuff (and other instruments like piano) a lot better and to play with them together

i only use tab for a quick reference to how to play stuff, but they are wrong pretty often and have no timing so you gotta listen to the music anyway

conclusion: you only need some (which can be found in theory section)

Well that seems to answer my question guys, thanks for your advice. Looks like i am am going to pick a bit of this and some of that and a little of the other stuff but a bucket load of PRACTICE! oh! I almost forgot !and a little music theory.

[Andrew Cockburn]

talking about rock... well, you need pentatonic, powerchords, distortion and eh distortion

And THEORY of distortion