How to learn guitar - Progressive Rock Music Forum

They are as intimately linked as bangers and mash. Best to have both at the same time.

^ I will get to that later in this post.

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I think it depends on how far you want to take the definition of "all-around". There could probably be different kinds, different degrees of being "all-around". Does this include being eclectic? Does this include having the knack for being a great experimenter?

For right now, I am going to make an assumption for us and say that being all-around just vaguely means being skillful.

Warning: I'm not an all-round player, nor do I know anything about how to become one, so I can't be a very proficient player.

I would have to imagine that the key is dedication. You should develop the ethic for working hard. Quitting is not an option. However, in my personal experience, that's the kind of discipline that has been keeping me from becoming a proficient player for years, because I wasn't having fun. You are either cut out for it or not.

Slartibartfast wrote:

My instruments on hand currently and in order of preference to picking or firing up are a classical acoustic, synthesizer, and electric guitar.
The best way to learn to play electric guitar is not to learn to play electric guitar. You should probably isolate yourself from others and just experiment. Go with the flow and improvise.

I would have to say that's a very good advice. But I don't think you can have fun unless you get the right sound.

I. What's the style that you'd like to become proficient at and have fun with? Jazz? Rock? Blues? Find the guitar and the amp that are right for you and your style of interest. Figure out how to get the sound you want because that's key in playing/hearing music. Ask the sales associates. Take notes on how the controls work. Then buy/rent the gear. If you do not get the right sound, do not wonder why you think you sound like crap.

II. Have fun with the gear. Internalize every bit of it. Get a feel for where and what notes are on the fretboard, what note range each of the EADGBE strings has. Note the difference between how the same note (C4, F5, Eb4, etc.) sounds on two-three different strings (654, 543, 432, or 321). Play around with the standard/open/alternate tunings (though I read that way your strings will get wear-and-tear quicker).

III. I would imagine that being resourceful is also important since it's a quality that should help you meet your demands. chopper is right: some sort of coaching will help you speed up the learning process, be that via YouTube, fretjam.com, or any other source.

1) Improvisation, like any other process, takes you from point A to point B. There's an alpha and an omega. You dictate what happens during that time. Form is the backbone to the flow from alpha to omega in any composition and improvisation. (I recommend you start with the all-time classic ABABCAB and later on play around with its variations.) Harmonies/chords are the backbone to the music itself at any time during your whole solo break, section, or the entire track as your improvisation. (I recommend you start with some popular progressions, like the ones that involve I, IV, V or i, iv, v.) Dynamics, rhythmic timing, and melody will define your attitude, your personal touch to improvising.

2) Music theory is important (you should know this by now), and I'm not afraid to be wrong if it isn't because it is. After you've learned a good deal of chords, you should learn the different kinds of scales/modes, primarily major/Ionian, minor/Aeolian, and the other five classical/jazz modes. Others, like Gregorian modes, the Byzantine scale, or the ones used in jazz (e.g., whole-tone, altered, symmetrical diminished, etc.) are a great bonus, but just a bonus. You will have to figure out how to use those scales and modes in certain harmonic contexts. I would have to say that a tutor will be a great help for you to figure out how to use scales. What scale or mode to use when you made a chord substitution is another story.

Learn the role of each scale degree and how you can weave out melodies. There are a few interesting YouTube videos featuring Larry Carlton giving some insight into how to be able to improvise (including weaving out motifs and finding the roots, the fifths, etc. of a chord on the fretboard.) Of course, arpeggios will be on the way.

3) Specialized training - training to play guitar : Learn the different chord shapes (CAGED system) and chord qualities (maj, min, sus2, sus4, etc.). You put the two together and you will be able to play a great number of open/floating chords/harmonic possibilities, ... 'cause that's how it works on a guitar in (standard) tuning.

I highly recommend that you cover (2) and (3) in the same time interval because it's the only way they can work - together.

4) Practice phrasing. Noodling is easy, but improvising true melodies that say something is a skill to be mastered. Learn call-and-response and how to link phrases together. Personally, I got stuck at guitar phrasing on spot. I can do it vocally, but I can't do it on the instrument.

5) Look for different exercises for scale fingering, speed-licking, weaving arpeggios, etc. Practice, practice, practice. Learn other people's compositions and solos because you can use their phrases like words in your sentences and alter them at will.

6) Learn about different musical styles and their history, how they evolved, who were the key figures and what they did for those styles, etc. Not sure if the world is looking for the next Michael Karoli, but I reckoned that's what you are aiming for.

You are looking at what may seem at first like a daunting, tall order. But discipline is key.

I've probably missed something, but as Ry Cooder said, you never stop learning.

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I'm going to post a link to this reply in my improv thread where you might learn something.

Edited by Dayvenkirq - January 25 2016 at 11:50

I have some thoughts on that. Give me an hour.

We seem to have a glut of "Guitar Soloists" at the moment.

Far better in my opinion, is to aspire to become a better all round musician.

It's not about how fast you can talk, but rather about what you have to say.

To all guitar players or people who know about it:
What is the best way to learn to play guitar?

I want to focus the most on electric guitar and making solos. I've got some musical knowledge because I play piano for about 8 years so that must help me I guess.

Any help will be appreciated!

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