Jump to content

The Guitar Pron Thread


Celery Man

Recommended Posts

Interesting stuff from Reverb's "The Gear of Instagram"

Sea Foam Green Les Paul

uys30h7nr5sk58zfl63t.jpg

Inspired by Jack Bruce's "Fool" bass

nraoyi701da7tips15fc.jpg

From "Giungi Guitars"

jrxkw0xjmtv3zwwhxvou.jpg

Cool little Magnatone lap steel and practice amp. Only $595.

pvl6dp1thoccvkmqerju.jpg

Psychedelic Jazzmaster

tkmkv4unctd4erxljr19.jpg

BADASS refinished Les Paul

ryqrqtmtnpgcuaz13fxi.jpg

Bend the Knee

bdxvvbbmylzwhdklxhfn.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I continue to improve.  My chords continue to get cleaner and changing from chord to chord is slowly improving.  I have to think it through and mostly have to place my fingers one at a time.  Baby steps.

I'm also working on some finger picking drills for my right hand which reduces boredom from just fretting the same chord over and over and over.  It's also starting to make me think and act with two hands instead of one to develop some independence between hands.  I think this is where my piano background comes into play.  Without that I don't think I could try some of these things without immense frustration at this point.  Some scale work is in my near future.  

As I type this I notice how much stronger and quicker my fingers are at typing this post.  I've been fortunate that I've had very little fingertip soreness past the first few days which is helping me to spend more time on the guitar than most beginners can probably handle at first.  At this point they barely hurt if at all.  The abrasion on my right thumb quickly turned into hardened skin so I can use it for finger picking practice with no worries.

Any and all tips are appreciated.  I'm trying to keep my thump flat and behind the fretboard.  Flat isn't a problem but it wants to creep up behind the top of the fret board.  Most of my chords are actually cleaner in this position.  Maybe it has to do with my hand size and the size of the neck width (1 3/4")? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

IMO, hand size doesn't matter much except in extreme situations.  It's all about hand strength and dexterity, which you build up over time.  Just keep doing it the right way and eventually it will be second nature and you won't even remember how it was ever difficult. 

Are you still on open major chords or have you moved on to power chords or beyond? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everything I’ve seen stresses keeping the thumb behind the fret board.  I just don’t want to pick up bad habits early in the game. 

That’s good to be aware of, but play it however it’s comfortable and you can make it sound good.

 

Most player’s thumbs are all over the place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, VABuckeye said:

Everything I’ve seen stresses keeping the thumb behind the fret board.  I just don’t want to pick up bad habits early in the game. 

Anyone who says that is flat-out wrong.   The answer to where to put your thumb is where it feels comfortable and gives you appropriate leverage to play what you are trying to play.   And that varies depending on the situation and the person.  Sometimes it's in the middle of the back of the neck, sometimes not. 

The thumb position thing comes from the world of classical guitar, and some people treat it as definitive in all contexts because classical guitar seems official or something.  But classical guitar is a different style with a much wider and flatter fretboard.

For open chords, put your thumb where it feels most comfortable.  You don't need much leverage for them.   For barre chords, there are actually two ways of playing them, and you'll want to learn both for different purposes.   One way involves holding your index finger down across 5 or all 6 strings.   For this, the thumb firmly in the middle of the back of the neck is indeed, generally, the way to go to give you the most leverage.   The other way involves shifting your wrist so that your thumb goes over the top of the fretboard and actually frets the low E string.   This way frees your fingers to do quick lead work right out of the chord. 

But don't take it from me.  Take it from these guys. 

Jimi-Hendrix-001.jpg?width=605&quality=8

doctormooney-music-duaneallman.jpg

garciaGibson.jpg

Screen%20Shot%202014-06-30%20at%203.34.0

g215142_u61171_Untitled.jpg

tumblr_oo21w6oWhw1s9tnm6o1_400.jpg

Edited by Mojo Hand
  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys.  It's nice to be able to get input from those that are much further down the road than I.

Strings.  The Taylor came with medium strings.  Should I get a set of light strings put on or just tough it out at this point.  The first fret can be a bit difficult to press.

Edited by VABuckeye
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah I remember the direction to keep the thumb behind the neck, but my thumb is all over the place.  It's not something I recall ever making it a point to do, but I use it to mute the E string on chords where I don't want it to ring.  I'd also be curious about the wisdom of thumb placement for people with normal thumbs vs hitchhiker folks like me whose thumbs bend backwards 90 degrees.  It halves the length of my thumb if I have it pressed against the neck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have no idea where my fret han d thumb is when I'm playing. I think thinking about it constantly would probably present more of a problem than actually violating the approved technique. But then I'm not exactly any kind of guitar wizard, either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So that green Tele I posted I got for 50 bucks. The body is stunning. Have a new neck on the way, and electronics. I have some pickups laying around, but may get a set of Fat Lions from Rob DiStefano. Or may pull one of the Nocaster pups from the triple Tele for the bridge.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So that green Tele I posted I got for 50 bucks. The body is stunning. Have a new neck on the way, and electronics. I have some pickups laying around, but may get a set of Fat Lions from Rob DiStefano. Or may pull one of the Nocaster pups from the triple Tele for the bridge.

I have a set of lindy fralin tele blues specials if you are interested.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Checking in.  I hope you guys don't mind the updates.

Things are clicking a little better.  I can raise my hand up to the fret board and hit a couple of chords the majority of the time.  Transitions between chords are definitely improving.  I hit a high switching between D and E of 34 chord changes in a minute today and I know I'll get much quicker.  Thanks for the Justin Guitar suggestions.  I was rushing ahead a bit and I've gone back to make sure I do the practices daily that he suggested and they've helped a ton.  Shocking, I know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe it's normal, but those estimates look low to me. Gilmour is a true legend. I can't imagine a verified owned-and-played Gilmour guitar going for less than $10K, no matter what it is. And it will be really interesting to see what The Black Strat goes for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...