Guitar Progress [Sigh]

By OurJud · Aug 23, 2020 · 1.6K · 18

Without wanting to blow my own trumpet I've always felt I could turn my hand to most things, not necessarily in a 'naturally gifted' manner, but in a way that means I can pick things up over a relatively short period and become half-decent at it... whatever 'it' might be. But I've watched other people try to do certain things, like dance, or kick a football, and see that something fundamental is missing which prevents them from being able to perform the task. Something in their genes, maybe. And I watch these people and feel kind of sorry for them. Usually God is merciful under such circumstances and it is those very things that a person has no natural ability for, that they have absolutely no interest in doing anyway. Nonetheless I observe and quickly reach the conclusion that no amount of practice or tutoring is going to help them improve. When I practice on my guitar I see one of these people. I thought I had good rhythm, natural time-keeping, relatively dextrous hands and fingers, but it seems I have none of these things, at least not when it comes to strumming or switching between chords. My body aches, I can't hold the pick consistently, my hips hurt, as do my fretting arm and elbow, and there's never been a point during my practice when I've felt even remotely comfortable in what I'm doing.

#whinersarewieners
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Homer Potvin and Friedrich Kugelschreiber like this.

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I think it's more a question of initial difficulty. For some people the initial difficulty of a certain task is too much to surmount, but I think it can almost always be surmounted with enough effort. If you're experiencing actual body-wide pain I can tell you that that's not normal-- it's probably an issue of technique. A lesson or two with a good teacher might help to straighten out whatever is causing pain.

Friedrich Kugelschreiber, Aug 24, 2020
#takelessonsdumbass

Homer Potvin, Aug 24, 2020
Yeah lessons are the way to go.

Friedrich Kugelschreiber, Aug 24, 2020
I found someone fairly close by. Lessons ‘start’ from £12 for 30 minute session, but until I speak to him later today I don’t know the details. Ideally I’ll take just enough lessons to see a marked improvement. If I do I can carry on, if not I might as well save my money and carry on as I am.

OurJud, Aug 24, 2020
You know I love you, bruh, but you have to stop minimizing the process. The guitar is a lifelong endeavor... it's like worshiping Jesus. I've spent 30 years praying at the altar and am still trying to see the Light. You ain't gonna learn it in an afternoon like backgammon. If you don't want to do the work you should pick another hobby. The Gods will not abide laziness.

Homer Potvin, Aug 24, 2020
I know what you say is sound but I watch these youtubers, still this side of 30, and what they can do is amazing. Maybe they’ve been playing since they were 5 but I doubt it in most cases. I don’t want to be a guitar god or be making it to ‘Top Ten Guitarist of all Time’ lists 30 years from now. I just want to play as well as your average youtuber.

OurJud, Aug 24, 2020
Which YouTuber is your favorite? Just curious.

Friedrich Kugelschreiber, Aug 24, 2020
https://www.justinguitar.com/

Best guitar teacher on the web and 100% free. Stick with it, learn your open chords first, do the 1 minute switches that Justin tells you about. It's very important to be able to move between open chord shapes quickly.

I remember when I started, it took me 20 seconds to switch between chords, the pick got stuck in the strings when I tried to strum, and the pain.. oh god, finger tips, fingers, wrists, arms... everything hurt at first.

Keep going, you'll be fine in a couple of weeks.

Murkie, Aug 24, 2020
Most people will never be as good as the average youtuber. Most youtubers are pretty good by definition.

Homer Potvin, Aug 24, 2020
@Friedrich Kugelschreiber - I’ve been using Justin Guitar as mentioned by @Murkie. He is very good. What I like about him the most is how he seems to instinctively know what you’ll struggle with and why. Very reassuring. Although it’s been a fair few weeks now and my limbs still ache. My fingertips have hardened but the rest of me still feels it.

@Homer Potvin your comment interests me. Are you saying most yourubers have something that can’t be taught/learned? Otherwise one has to ask if they can do it, why not anyone?

OurJud, Aug 25, 2020
What I suggest you do, if you're not already doing so, is finger stretch exercises. This will build up strength in the muscles of your fingers and hands. An immediate benefit would be better fretting of the chords.

Good advice above regarding a teacher. Remember, a good guitarist is self-taught with the aid of a teacher.

Rad Scribbler, Aug 25, 2020
There are two overlooked reasons why people have trouble with the guitar. 1. They really don't want to play. 2. They're trying to learn on a guitar that is complete s***. Check these out before you go any further.

exweedfarmer, Sep 19, 2020
Define 'complete s***'.

I think I probably fall under the former, as I haven't picked any of them up for weeks now.

OurJud, Sep 19, 2020
Piece of s*** means, is hard to play and sounds bad. you need someone who already plays to make that distinction for you.

exweedfarmer, Sep 19, 2020
Generally, guitars with higher action are harder to play, especially for new players. The action is the height of the strings from the fret board. Ideally, you want the string just high enough so that they don't buzz on the frets, but not s high that they are difficualt to fret, you'll notice this if you start playing higher up the fretboard and really need to press hard to get the string fretted.

If you're not sure, you can take the guitar to a local guitar tech and ask them to set it up for you with regualr action - tell them you're a new player and they should set it up right for you. It shouldn't cost much - in the UK you can get a basic set up for under £50.

One last thing to keep in mind - are you learning on an acoustic or electric? Electrics are generally easier to learn on, and you don't need to worry that you're not learning the correct techniques or anything like that by learning on an electric. Just make sure you practice without too much gain on the amp because that will cover up a lot of mistakes.

Murkie, Sep 20, 2020

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Guitar Progress [Sigh]

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