Hey everybody!
To start off with, thanks to all the instructors (Ben, Cosmin, Sinisa, Gabriel, Ivan,..hope I didn't leave anybody out!) and also to the other members for their responses to my previous posts! Most helpful and most appreciated!
I have been going over all the lessons this week starting with the Absolute Beginner series by Andrew Cockburn. I am now on Beginners Corner 9 by Bear Rose and (if I remember correctly) I think Ivan's Pentatonic workshops are next on the list. I have printed over 95% of all the lessons (and if this material is copyright and I am breaking the law, someone PLEASE let me know!) for quick reference, no matter where I am.
I am a little overwhelmed at the prospect of memorizing everything, so I will ask if it is absolutely necessary.
1. Example: A "D" chord is made up of D, F#, and A. Do I need to remember the notes that are in each chord? Are there only certain chords that I should know all the notes to or do I need to know the notes to them all. So far, Bear Rose has gone over about 20 chords and, while I can find them on the neck and play them, I can't remember the notes (except the root) of any of them.
2. Andrew went over the five positions of the A Minor Pentatonic Scale. Do I need to go back and memorize all the positions now, or does anyone know if that is covered again in a future lesson (I have a feeling that Ivan may address this in his lessons but am not that far along yet.)
3. Do I need to memorize every note from the 1 - 12 frets? I actually used color codes on one of my guitars and it helps a lot but I do not want to be dependent on it (looks like something in a toy store at this point )!
I have more questions but I will stop for now. Again, thanks to all for their insightful advice! Jon Taylor

1. This depends on what you want to play and how good you want to become. I recommend learning all the notes because if you want to learn music theory it is a necessity. It also helps you memorise the fret board faster if you take those notes and make D chords all over the fret board. This will make it so your playing can have different dynamics, and you won't sound as limited. I would say this, however. When you are first starting, it may not be the most important thing. That is for you to decide.

2. I think this will help answer that question. If the answer is still unclear, ask it again

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...c=41709&hl=

3. This has the same answer as number one. My answer for all these questions is yes, but there is no need to rush through this. Take it at whatever pace is necessary for you to absorb all the information. You can't expect to master the guitar over night!

General Tips:

1. Don't tense up.
2. When in doubt, ask in the GMC forum.
3. Always stretch your hands and fingers a little bit before you play
4. Remember this! If an instructor has published a video here. Do whatever they tell you. They are always(at least in my experience) correct. It is impossible to cut corners in guitar. Skill on this instrument is something you have to earn. Only practice, determination, patience and good mentors are going to get you there. I myself have tried taking shortcuts at learning his instrument, and after six and a half years I can't find any. It is safe to say that no one else here can. Even if it sounds painstaking, you should do as instructed! It will only save you time from having to correct all the bad habits and sloppiness you will otherwise develop(like I am doing)!

Regarding the notes on the fretboard, I think it's better first to understand where the notes come from, and that is from the C major scale, understand how it works and then it'll be much easy to find the notes on the neck

Hey Jon! We are here to help out and I am happy that we can do it I regard things in this way - the notes on the fretboard could be looked upon as being letters which make up different words -> chords, arpeggios, phrases.

If you learn them all, you will know the alphabet so you will know how to 'utter' every 'word' by using your guitar of course, Daniel's advice is a very good one - learn the scales so that you will know the relationships between notes. This will help you even more along the way and as Nihilist1 said, patience is essential! You won't fly overnight but in some time your wings will grow if you practice, that is

I really appreciate it guys! Good advice from all three of you and it will be heeded! Thanks again!

Hey man, welcome aboard

Yes, you should learn all these things, but take your time, you have plenty of it. Start with pentatonic scales and go from position to position. Pentatonic workshop will help you learn the patterns too!

As for chords, it's not that hard. First go through a bit of theory about chords. Each chord is made from a scale notes, stacked third intervals. Learn the scales, and you will know the chords within easily. Start with chords from C major key, and go from there.

Thanks Ivan! I've already glanced at a couple of your lessons (I didn't spend much time on it because I am still in the Beginners Corner). I love the humor you put in and am looking forward to them! Thanks again!

"3. Do I need to memorize every note from the 1 - 12 frets I actually used color codes on one of my guitars and it helps a lot but I do not want to be dependent on it (looks like something in a toy store at this point huh.gif)!
"

The easiest way to start is to memorize all the notes on the E6 string.Then you will be able to make shortcuts for the other strings (e.g. C below G , D below A, E below B, and so on,only beware to the relationship between G and B strings)..

Cheers mate

Hey! I think I may be onto something here! I was sitting down and writing the notes of the major chords, starting with "A" when I started noticing a pattern. For "A", I had A,C#,E. For "B", I saw that everything was just moving up one letter, so I tried it with C, D, and E ,bearing in mind that for C it was C,E (not E# because there is no such thing) and G. Everything just raises one letter! Am I wrong here? This is way too easy!
I know everybody is probably laughing right now but man, I am happy! Next, I will see what patterns I can find (if any) for minors and 7th's!



Thanks Sinisa! By the way, my wife and I have watched a few of your videos and we really like them (my favorites are the Serbian dance and the Scottish bagpipes songs)! Nowhere near those levels yet but we'll see!



Thanks Sinisa! By the way, my wife and I have watched a few of your videos and we really like them (my favorites are the Serbian dance and the Scottish bagpipes songs)! Nowhere near those levels yet but we'll see!

Ooooops! Just realized my "chord formula" is not going to work! Back to the drawing board!

The guys are telling you straight. You will need to know quite a bit of info to really be able to understand what is going on with the guitar neck and notes and such. But the good news is, you don't have to learn it all at once! I see this quite often with students actually. It's easy to get crushed under the mountain of information, even when the information is great! So slow down a bit, absorb things at a rate that is comfortable for you.

Trying to force feed yourself information sets up a adverse reaction to learning. Your brain will rebel against it and you'll find yourself playing xbox instead! So don't force it so much. It will happen as you play. You will learn as you go, let it happen naturally and you'll be shocked how much you pick up.

When learning new stuff, it's always a good idea to try to tie it to something you like. So if you are trying to learn the notes in a given scale, pick a solo that you like that uses that scale. It makes things much easier

Todd

I know it seems overwhelming, but don't be afraid of learning. You will memorize all the notes in all of the chords eventually if you understand intervals. If you know that a major triad has a root, major 3rd and 5th you can figure out the notes to any major triad and the same with all of the other chords. After a while you will just know them without having to think. It does take time and work though. Just learn to enjoy the process.

Thanks Alex! Yeah, this is definitely teaching me patience! I know it will come though as long as I work at it. Thanks again! Jon

It's very cool to learn these things, but as you guys already mentioned, take your time and keep the learning process both fun and educational at the same time.