[ouchiefingers]

got my guitar a week ago.
OUCHES is all i have to say!
does it get easier?

[ouchiefingers]

Thanks Johnny..tell you what, honestly, you are a life saver...ive got 'guitar for dummies' & that Chappell geezer...honestly i want to ring his neck!
hehe...i'm joking, of course!

woohoo real music!

[ouchiefingers]

Thanks starsailor, yeah my poor dog, especially with a heightened hearing, he really picks out those dud notes...god knows he is used to my bad singing!...so in a year he will love me again?
Are you good after a year? Do you practive every day?

[starsailor]

Originally Posted by ouchiefingers

Thanks starsailor, yeah my poor dog, especially with a heightened hearing, he really picks out those dud notes...god knows he is used to my bad singing!...so in a year he will love me again?
Are you good after a year? Do you practive every day?

Mine got used to it after a while ouchiefingers, I kind of used her as a gauge of my improvement, when she didn't walk off so quickly I felt like I was getting somewhere I didn't really realise how bad I was until I'd learnt a few chords and started improving, I think my family was pretty patient as well, I learnt on a nylon classical, not the best to strum on, then I switched to a steel string, I use the classical to practice fingerstyle on now.
It took me ages to get the hang of strumming, I was really bad and it took me a long time before I could up strum, I'm not too bad now, I've learnt a few chords and I know the fretboard fairly well now but I've still got a lot to learn, I still struggle with Barre Chords.
I practice a bit every day, I also just mess about on the guitar and somedays I just play songs, I have a few guitars, one in the hallway, one in my bedroom and one downstairs, this seems to encourage me to play more, they're only cheap guitars though, I have my best guitar downstairs and play that the most I also, have the guitar with me when I'm on here, and I use the lessons online to learn so I do play quite a lot.
Practice is the bottom line with the guitar but I like to have a good time as well as it's my hobby so I don't beat myself up too much if things aren't going my, when you're learning you have good days and bad days, If I have a really bad day I just put the guitar down and go and do something else, everything seems better with a bit of a break.
Hope you're getting on ok ouchiefingers, and that you're enjoying playing.

Best Wishes

Chris

[ouchiefingers]

Thanks Chris, so practice, practice practice!
I bought an ibanez electro acoustic talman guitar because it is small & i thought it would be easier to begin with.
Yes, i read somewhere that nylon strngs are better to learn on & I considered changing the steel strings because by the 2nd day my fingers where really sore....they are much better now.
...I am definately hooked though & hope to have many guitars too!

I know what you mean about strumming...i'm ok with my fingers but when i use a pick it sounds pretty bad!
..its only been a couple of weeks but i am impatient!
Thanks for the kind welcome

[starsailor]

Originally Posted by ouchiefingers

Thanks Chris, so practice, practice practice!
I bought an ibanez electro acoustic talman guitar because it is small & i thought it would be easier to begin with.
Yes, i read somewhere that nylon strngs are better to learn on & I considered changing the steel strings because by the 2nd day my fingers where really sore....they are much better now.
...I am definately hooked though & hope to have many guitars too!

I know what you mean about strumming...i'm ok with my fingers but when i use a pick it sounds pretty bad!
..its only been a couple of weeks but i am impatient!
Thanks for the kind welcome

Hi ouchiefingers, Nylons are great for practicing fingerpicking or for someone who wants to get into Spanish, flamenco guitar, but I actually improved more once I got on the steel string, it was painful but as you know it does get better the Talman's a nice guitar, probably cost more than all mine put together, my friends that play keep having a go at me for buying cheap guitars so I've promised to save up for a really good one, I reward myself with a new bit of equipment if I think I've improved enough.
I'm not very good with a pick, I practice with one but I'm much better without it so I just play with my fingers and keep my nails a tiny bit longer on my playing hand, playing with fingers or a pick is a personal preference really in my opinion a player should choose the way that feels most comfortable so I use my fingers and practice with a pick, a bit of variety's good.
It is uphill for a while but once you get the hang of a few chords and get some changes down it gets better, I personally felt I was going nowhere for ages but the change to being able to play a few tunes comes out of nowhere, with the strumming I really was rubbish but one day I just got it, sometimes I make a lot of progress and sometimes I run up and down on the spot for a while, I'm learning scales at the moment just to make things more interesting and I do a bit of songwriting which also gives me a challenge as I have to find a tune to go with the song, with varying degrees of success.
You have to be a bit patient I'm afraid, if you're getting a bit fed up just come on here, the members here are a great bunch of people.

Cheers

Chris

ps. One of my faults is I tend to go on a bit so sorry for the long post

[ouchiefingers]

the long post is most welcome chris..thank you.
songwriting! wow i'm impressed..must be so satisfying.
Ive had a look in threechordguitar.com & have found some really easy songs to play along to..(no kumbaya in sight!)..& sing along to...my dog is giving me the dirtiest look ive ever seen from him...hehe
thanks again chris

[starsailor]

The first guitar book I got had Kumbaya, Michael rowed the boat ashore etc. it wasn't really where I wanted to be musically so it's keeping my wardrobe level now, the first song I played was This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie, it's a pretty straightforward song and it is quite satisfying getting that first song under your belt, I don't listen to Woody Guthrie much but he pointed me in the right direction and he was a great singer.
You could always resort to bribery with your dog, every time you play give him a treat he'll associate the guitar with a pleasant experience or you could learn How Much Is That Doggy in The Window and he could join in on the barking bits, my dog looked extremely depressed when I played I was kind of worried that the RSPCA would come round