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GMC Forum _ Absolute Beginners _ If You Could Go Back In Time.....
Posted by: Bear Rose Sep 29 2010, 03:44 AM
If you could go back in time to when you first started playing guitar and give yourself advice on what to learn and which direction to take with the guitar, what would it be?
I would go back in time and tell myself to learn the major scale all over the fretboard, and also to learn how the intervals in the major scale relate to the chords in major key tonality music. Also, I would tell myself to practice learning songs, riffs, melodies, etc by ear as much as possible.
What would you go back and tell yourself?
Posted by: Fran Sep 29 2010, 04:09 PM
I'd go back 16 years in time and tell myself not to quit playing! So many years lost in the gap... Oh well 
Internet, computers, modelling, affordable multi-effects and all that stuff really makes it much easier to learn these days though.
Posted by: MirkoSchmidt Sep 29 2010, 04:45 PM
i would tell myself:
Stop playing guitar and jump from a big builidung! your life will be horrbile in 3 years! ^^
only joking...
but i think i wouldnt give me some advice. i dont like advices. i love to play every day something different. some day i love to play blues stuff, next day jazz and a week later im depressed and im only practicing death metal stuff.
thats the way it works for me.
im not a good guitar player, im sure i could be better with more useful practice, but thats the way it is much fun to play every day!!!
Posted by: Captain Insaino Sep 29 2010, 05:07 PM
I would tell my self, to get a good instructor and practice every day. Teaching your self is the hard way to go about it.. Then when I get out of high school I would tell my self to apply to MTI in L.A. and get my Degree in Music.... Life would be so much different...
Posted by: NoSkill Sep 29 2010, 06:01 PM
I would have started with a better grounding in triads, major scales, arpeggios, and pentatonics right from the get go. I would spent time drilling technique and learning songs. I would have told myself to not quit playing and I would have adopted my guitar mantra sooner. "You don't have to be good at guitar, to still have fun playing it." I would have listened to more guitar players and tried to emulate them. I wouldn't have made it so hard.
Posted by: Bear Rose Sep 29 2010, 06:14 PM
I think I would do something similar to this also. I would have told myself to major in music/guitar in college. I had no clue what I wanted to major in, so I just picked something that I didn't dislike. I really wish I had majored in music/guitar instead now.
Posted by: Azzaboi Sep 29 2010, 06:39 PM
Get a webcam and try look so cute on youtube singing 'Baby, baby, baby, ohhh, baby, baby, baby, something, laa dee da dar dar'! That's how you make your millions. 
As for the guitar talent, nothing to change. However, also learn the drums.
I think the guitar is forever learning... your'll never stop developing even if you had 5 life times.
Posted by: Lian Gerbino Sep 29 2010, 08:08 PM
I would tell myself:
don't be worry about the future, here is everything going well, so keep doing what you love and things will work out soon
Posted by: JamesT Sep 29 2010, 08:44 PM
I do wish a great educational site like GMC existed back when I started out. Looking back, I should have worked with a teacher for longer periods of time. Hopefully that teacher would have been both a good player and a good teacher. A good player would have inspired me to realize what's possible on guitar and a good teacher would guide me to develop good practice habits, establish reachable ambitious goals, and keep me on track in my progress. GMC, and the instructors here have been able to fill that role for me for the last couple of years.
The music theory and ear training classes I took in college turned out to be extremely valuable. I wish I had studied theory much sooner though. Most of my playing and learning was by ear in the beginning. It's hard to figure out a tune without at least a tiny bit of background in harmony. (like knowing what a major and minor chord is, and why).
Posted by: Sollesnes Sep 29 2010, 08:47 PM
I would tell myself to learn more songs by ear
Posted by: Bogdan Radovic Sep 29 2010, 08:58 PM
I would recommend two things :
- for very start : guitar tuner
- for later practice : comfortable instrument
If I had a more comfortable instrument I would be much more motivated at the beginning...
Posted by: Bear Rose Sep 29 2010, 09:52 PM
- for very start : guitar tuner
- for later practice : comfortable instrument
If I had a more comfortable instrument I would be much more motivated at the beginning...
This is so true! So many of my absolute beginner students that I give private lessons to have very cheap guitars and it is very hard for them to learn on. I've come to realize that a first guitar should never be a cheap guitar!
Posted by: thefireball Sep 29 2010, 10:02 PM
I'd say, "Join GMC now!"
Posted by: Zsolt Galambos Sep 29 2010, 11:17 PM
+1 
I'd advise myself only one thing: PRACTICE WITH A METRONOME!!!!!
Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 30 2010, 01:25 AM
I'd tell myself, "Don't work so much that you can't play guitar every day! It makes life just lame" Sometimes I get distracted with working/making money/paying bills and then I have to step back and pick up the guitar and just play. I've never regretted a moment spent playing, ever. Can't say the same about working/paying bills/etc. You have to do what you have to do, but always carve time out for yourself and your guitar.
Todd
Posted by: Bogdan Radovic Sep 30 2010, 02:12 PM
Its ok not to have a high end guitar but it has to be playable. Everyone says that beginner should not spend much on a first instrument and I agree with that. But guitar has to be setup well and comfortable (it doesn't have to sound great though). Only later on when I had to chance to play better instrument I realized what I was missing and that problems I thought I had were not actually problems.
Posted by: Bear Rose Oct 20 2010, 06:03 PM
I agree with you on this, Bogdan. I guess I should have said "poor quality" instead of "cheap". A low quality guitar, or even a good guitar that is not set up properly makes playing and learning, much harder!
Posted by: Lian Gerbino Oct 20 2010, 06:11 PM
Posted by: Christophe Oct 20 2010, 07:09 PM
I'd tell to myself :
Don't buy that cheap guitar you won't use it ! Practice 2 hours a day with a comfortable guitar (ESP LTD for instance !) and join GMC ASAP !
Posted by: superize Oct 20 2010, 09:23 PM
I would say. Save money and buy a good guitar instead of many not so good
Posted by: MickeM Oct 20 2010, 09:36 PM
I'd go back and teach myself Beat it, Bark at the moon, Hallowed be thy name, Like a virgin plus a few others and then live happily ever after as a prominent song writer 
Posted by: Karl-ss Oct 20 2010, 11:43 PM
Id tell myself "learn the harmonic minor and diminished scales. And practice tasteless shredding and pedal note riffs" Oh and some tapping arpeggios. Oh and Id teach me songs from death metal albums released in late 08-present... Thus Id win the game.
Posted by: loundzilla Mar 15 2011, 09:39 PM
I would go back way before i started playing (to when i was like 8 or something) and tell myself to start playing !! I left it till i was like 25 till i started playing - in my eyes a big disadvantage 
Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Mar 31 2011, 08:36 PM
If I went back in time, I would definitely tell myself not to buy that much gear
jk, I would probably tell myself to practice more chords, arpeggios, and harmony theory
Posted by: MonkeyDAthos Apr 1 2011, 12:15 AM
i would tell myself to buy a extra kit of strings with the guitar ;D
Posted by: Todd Simpson Apr 1 2011, 03:24 AM
Well said I'd be of the same mind. I might add in to tell myself, "Spend as much time practicing as you can spare, you will never regret the time you spent with your guitar".
I would go back in time and tell myself to learn the major scale all over the fretboard, and also to learn how the intervals in the major scale relate to the chords in major key tonality music. Also, I would tell myself to practice learning songs, riffs, melodies, etc by ear as much as possible.
What would you go back and tell yourself?
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