Hi,
I just started playing guitar.
Bought my first electric guitar (no amp yet) and I'm practicing 'unplugged' along with the DVD
Quick-Start Course.
As a complete beginner, I am facing some
problems YOU might have overcome by now, so that's why I've made this topic.
I'm sure there are alot of players over here who could give me - and other beginnners - advice.
The problems I'm facing at the moment:
[list]
1. Fingerstyle: Example chord progression
2. Scratching and strumming
[list]
Fingerstyle: As a beginner, I
personally have the feeling that the example chord progression is too hard for me. Actually, the DVD quickly starts with fingerpicking. It's not the fingerpicking itself that causes me problems, but the fact that chords are involved as well as different patterns.
As a beginner, I've only just practiced two days on the guitar. I've learned the A, E, C, D, Am, Dm, F, G chords. I still have to train them much harder to be able to immediately grab the correct chord, but now I know the finger positioning for those chords...
What happens is that I launch the DVD with alot of enthousiasm but get stuck quiet fast. For the fingerstyle, the picking with the right hand goes well (not as fast as on the dvd, but that's a matter of training) but the left hand is not good at the moment. The result is that I can't really train the patterns Kris provided in the Fingestyle chapter, because I feel I need more practice on the chords first.
My question for all of you is: Can you give beginners like me advice to break down such an exercise in little bits so I first practice part A, then B, then C to be finally able to play the exercise?
Wouldn't it be better for me to train the most used chords first? And to train fingerstyle eg on a scale, using two fingers at first to train fingerpicking and then three etc? Instead of immediately starting off with AND fingerpicking AND chords AND chord changes AND patterns?
If you're motivated, there's nothing as irritating as being stuck at the start, knowing that there's alot of nice stuff on the DVD you should really train hard.
@ Kris: What's your goal regarding the fingerstyle exercises? What do you want us - beginners - to learn by trying out those patterns etc?
Scratching:
In the example where you explain what scratching is about, you say you use a A major chord and the tab looks like this:
E| 5 x
B| 5 x
G| 6 x
D| 7 x etc
A| 7 x
E| 5 x
The A major I learnt looks like this:
Now, I think the exercises are to hard for a total beginner. The stretch seems to hurt my wrist. It would be better for me to train the same thing (fingerstyle) with an easier chord. These exercises seem to hard for me at the moment. And not because the picking itself is so hard, but just because there's too much other stuff involved that you have to know or look up yourself to put it together.
I'm one of those guys that wants to play everything perfect. When I would skip the fingerstyle, I would feel bad. It feels like giving up and that's just not me. So I'm looking at the fingerstyle and everytime i try it my fingers, hands and brain says: it's to hard for a beginner. I want to play all the exercises, without skipping any. Just the full DVD, knowing that I've managed to play them all.
To be absolutely honest, for me the Quick-Start Course is still hard. Too hard at the moment. I feel like I'm stuck with Fingerstyle, not really knowing why it's important to really get good at it. It must be important for a reason, or you wouldn't have included it in the DVD. I can see why Chords are important, why strumming is important etc, but with fingerstyle
I just have to feeling that I should let the DVD rest a bit and first train chords, strumming, strumming patterns, changing chords smoothly before actually start with the Quick Start DVD.
Is there anyone who has the same feeling or did the DVD totally get you on track ?
I'm convinced that the DVD covers alot of interesting items for beginners, but as I see it, it's to complex for me.
So that's why I wonder is the Quick-Start Course is a good way to
really START just right away. I have the feeling I need more basic skills to be able to play the fingerstyle and scratching. The scratching itself isn't hard (once again) but for ME the chord used causes problems. I'm not sure about correct fingering for the chord etc.
This thread is in no way a negative review for the DVD. On the contrary, I'm really positive about the contents of the DVD. The question is, does it suit me at the stage I'm currently in?
Your thoughts are welcome guys