Thread: I've decided to buy...

Originally Posted by somtamslap

Start with your pentatonic scales, Betsy, and you'll sound like old slowhand himself after a week.

We're away and running; doable even for me...

Please feel free to add any more vids/ideas. I'm going through the basic course on guitar.about.com although I'll be change the practice tunes more often than not... It's a tad bland, so linking in other stuff is nice.

As suggested earlier in the thread (was it Bangyai?) I'll be practicing songs I like...

Originally Posted by Neo

Here mate... there's a lot of stuff on YT which is a great help, Justin Sandercoe and Marty Shwartz probably the best two teachers on there, but this one video was probably the biggest help to me... you know scales, you know chords.. but putting them together for some great sounding blues is quite challenging, this guy is a geetar nerd, but the lesson is invaluable, don't be put off by how complicated it looks at the beginning or his music theory... the bit in the middle is where it's at, just take it slow. I hope it helps.

I like this, just watched it - he breaks it down very nicely. To tricky for me at the moment because I haven't done anything for 15 years, but I hope to attempt this in around 6 weeks (he said...).

Please add any more vids/advice you think would be of interest - I really am a complete beginner.

I've been through the 24 amp presets on the Fender and left it on the classic Fender 65 twin reverb amp setting (it's clean and pleasant - good for basic practicing). I noticed 2 problems:

1) Too much noise on many of the amps - I think the strings are sitting too high; not sure I wanna adjust it meself...

2) I have a 5 toggle switch, and on around half of my amp simulator settings the neck humbucker doesn't work (i.e. the 1st switch position). If I turn up the gain then I can get it working on most amp settings. I suspect this is linked to the first problem...

Any thoughts, expert folks? How would you go about lowering the strings? Take it back to the shop or have a go yerself?

It's not a major issue as the guitar plays nicely, I'm only practicing for a clean sound at the moment and its perfect on the amp settings I have left it on.

Try a Pete Townsend tuning trick. Smash it!!!

Fuck all the technical bollocks off, Betsy.

1. Learn open chords

2. Learn bar chords

3. Learn pentatonic scales

4. Pick-up all the bitches

^we're on the way, Slaps.

Tried a couple of websites, seemed a bit bland and boringish.Going with this one mentioned earlier on the thread.

BC-000 ? Justin's Beginners Guitar Course | free guitar lesson from justinguitar.com

If all goes well, I'll have these sorted by the end of the fortnight...

Three Little Birds (Bob Marley & The Wailers)
Feelin' Alright (Traffic)
Hound Dog (Elvis Presley)
Walk Of Life (Dire Straits)
I Walk The Line (Johnny Cash)
The Gambler (Kenny Rogers)
Blowin' In The Wind (Bob Dylan)
Love Me Do (The Beatles)
How Bizarre (OMC)
Common People (Pulp)

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Originally Posted by Neo

Are you on Android? I use Gstrings

Great, just downloaded it, many thanks.

Originally Posted by Morden

I bought a hand made PRS type guitar from Atlas Guitars

Just spent an hour or so checking them out - look really nice. An Ibanez RG with the beauty of a PRS quilted sunburst top would suit me perfectly - if my playing improves to justify it. Do you reckon they'd whack a nice one up for 25,000 baht? They look expensive...

I bought mine for less than that bur it was a few years ago.

This is a nice little vid, for a right raving beginner such as meself...



I don't really listen to blues music, but when playing the guiiiiiiitar, the blues becomes much more interesting... Funnily enough, the kinda Indie Punk stuff that I listen to becomes less interesting to me when I try to play a bit. Thus, I've bought the perfect guitar really.

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

If all goes well, I'll have these sorted by the end of the fortnight...

I demand evidence. The medium of youtube will suffice...

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Anyways, Slaps, having a good time back in Thailand?

Same old, same old. Same people, sitting in the same pubs, doing the same thing.

Hang on...

^I know what you mean; I got very very bored of that after 10+ years in Bangkok... Nice to get away fro a bit. Gotta keep up interests and do stuff rather than vegetate...

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

^I know what you mean; I got very very bored of that after 10+ years in Bangkok... Nice to get away fro a bit. Gotta keep up interests and do stuff rather than vegetate...

I get bored in Bankok after about two days... Isaan is far more interesting and a man who can play a few guitar licks will never be bored for long anywhere. Next to working on a sailboat, it has to be the best thing ever for avoiding boredom.....and you can drink doing either, but of course that's optional..

Mmmm, not sure, might be interesting. Just had a basic look, II'll check again a bit more thoroughly.

I'm coming a long... Might get a digitech RP90; it has a built in drum machine, a compressor and a wah that I can play with, so for the money its good.



Costs about 3,150 baht. Could be fun.

I'm mostly using the justinguitar.com site, and going through Youtube to find songs I like.

The guitar is good, but I need to learn more about setup. The amp is nice, the modelling functions help - just use a bit of delay of reverb; keeping clean sounds to make sure my chord changes are good - so just working on technique and adding a few songs. That's it. Very basic for now...

^ Have you learnt Kumbaya yet?

^nothing complex yet!

Wild Thing is coming along...

Under the Bridge before too long... ...

Right then, enough of this bollocks...

Fukin around as a beginner, chords, gentle strumming to a 4/4 beat, etc - bolloks!

My fingers are fine, pads are there, time to play! Get a bit drunk, not pissed; I had 5 or 6 bottles of Corona then headed home. Found a song I liked on Youtube, with some Geekish bloke doing a decent tutorial:



Find the tab:

Pixies - ( Here Comes Your Man tab )

Listen to the song repeatedly:



& you're playin... The technique stuff is probably very useful and all that, but I've been getting stuck up in it and it's boring; changing chords, counting how many changes in a minute, plucking out each string to make sure it's clean, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, fukin boring...

Play, that's what it's about. I am Pixie-ing - Here comes your man; takes a few hours, but it's possible, just get t clean and slow then speed it up and play along with the song.

In like Flynn. That's my advice. Fuk the basic strumming of the Troggs or boring shit... Chords are fuking boring. Plucking is where it's at. Playing actually songs is where its at!

I've started...

^ Gouge Away is easy and fun to play.

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Chords are fuking boring.

Master bar chords. Buy a Marshall stack and a distortion pedal. Chords are kewl.

Originally Posted by somtamslap

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Chords are fuking boring.

Master bar chords. Buy a Marshall stack and a distortion pedal. Chords are kewl.

I think you mean power chords.

Yeah, I'll work on it all. But I won't just be pussyfooting around on technique - that will also come with song playing.

I will be gouging away today...

I'll also be fuking around trying to make sure 5 or 6 chords and changing between them is ok... I'll also be doing some strumming technique practice, but I find that really really boring, and it always sounds crap if it's not part of a song...

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

I think you mean power chords.

Yes, I do.

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

I'll also be doing some strumming technique practice

Is no corner of this fucking forum sacred. Keep your wanking strategies to yourself, Betsy.