Where Do I Begin? Options

[Eskey]

Hello,

I'm hoping someone can help me get on the right track. I had a membership before, but found myself overwhelmed by the massive amount of material and I always have the same problem when I decide I'm going to pick my guitar back up and start learning: I don't know where to start! I am probably capable of playing things at the upper Beginner/lower Intermediate level, however, I never learned the basics. I only learned a few songs and riffs here and there. Because of this, the beginner stuff seems too easy and boring, and I COULD play intermediate level things, but I don't know basic guitar terminology, scales, notes, any of that. Instead I just mimic what the video tells me, I don't actually UNDERSTAND what I'm doing, which I feel is probably a pretty important part of guitar. So my question is... where should I begin? I don't want to be bored by overly easy lessons, but I also don't want to skip learning the fundamentals.

Thanks in advance for any responses!

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[Cosmin Lupu]

Hello Eskey

I am Cosmin and I would like to give you a hand - first of all, you are on the right track just because you have made the statement above - mimicking without understanding is not a solution!

What you need is to understand theory and then you can learn the lessons here and see how the principles you have learned are being applied That's one good way to start. So, would you be up for some mentoring in this direction? If yes, we can start working together right away

Cosmin

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[Cosmin Lupu]

On he other hand, you could always try to tackle beginner lessons and see what the theory behind them really wants to teach you

Or, you can throw an eye here and start exploring: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...hp?showforum=25

The first thing that you should know would be the understanding of the major scale - that's actually the starting point of everything, so my suggestion would be start here: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/instructor/Andrew-Cockburn/

And also here: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Triads..._Series_Part_1/ understanding the major scale and how chords are formed by harmonizing it is very important

let me know if there's anything else i can do for you mate

Cosmin

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[mroberts70]

I can back up Cosmin's statement....

I was once the epitome of that person of which you speak, the one who picks up the guitar and has no idea what to do next.

I have taught myself to play by ear which is all well and good, and by doing so, one can even come up with some cool ideas using that process, or even mimic songs that you like, but I have learned that with out the theory side of it now, it makes it difficult for me to really dig in and know what I should be working on to improve my ability.

So for me, I am at a point where I would like to know more about maybe why or how a particular scale works with a song, what is that particular scale being used, what key is it in in relation to where all I can play on the fretboard, how does it work with the chord progression and so forth, and if all I know is how to listen and mimic, then it can be frustrating.

So anyhow, not sure if that is the point you are getting at, but I personally have reached a level now where I want to actually break down songs and understand how and why they work. The funny thing is, I didn't really understand that I was looking for that until recently. It's my personal opinion that one should be creative AND know the mechanics of how something works to truly be well rounded in their ability to do anything... guitar or otherwise.

Heh, I guess in short.... I want to be the race car driver and mechanic...

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[Eskey]

Thanks so much for the response, Cosmin! That is very helpful. I'd totally be up for some mentoring, and I'll most definitely check out the links you posted as well. There's a LOT of material on this website, which is great, but it's so hard to sort through it all and figure out the best order in which to learn things. Especially when you don't know what you're looking for. Glad you guys have such a responsive and helpful staff. Any other help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

@mroberts70 - That is EXACTLY what I'm talking about haha, although I think you're probably a little farther along that I am because I still can't learn things by ear yet either

Thanks again!

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[Gabriel Leopardi]

Hi Eskey! Welcome back to the site! Your feeling is VERY common and that's why having a mentor is very important. There is a lot of stuff out there, and you can feel confused. Both Cosmin and me can be your mentor, so you just have to send me a message and I'll be ready to help you!

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Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

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[Cosmin Lupu]

Thanks so much for the response, Cosmin! That is very helpful. I'd totally be up for some mentoring, and I'll most definitely check out the links you posted as well. There's a LOT of material on this website, which is great, but it's so hard to sort through it all and figure out the best order in which to learn things. Especially when you don't know what you're looking for. Glad you guys have such a responsive and helpful staff. Any other help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

@mroberts70 - That is EXACTLY what I'm talking about haha, although I think you're probably a little farther along that I am because I still can't learn things by ear yet either

Thanks again!

My pleasure mate Check out your inbox, as i think you might have a message there

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