Topic: Hi from a new learner
Hi there. Felt a strong urge recently to learn gutiar and how to sing along. I love music (some faves, Leonard Cohen, Niel Young, Cure, Smiths, Nick Cave, old Smashing Pumpkins, The stones etc) and just really feel I'd love to sit before or with a few people and play some good acoustic songs well one day. I'd love to be able to play some of my fave songs from Leonard Cohen's first album.
I learned 11 years ago at college but my ego wasn't patient enough to master the basics and foundation as I wanted to be off playing my favorite songs etc, which of course I never was able to do as I had crappy techniques and never got them down!
This time around I'm goig slow, learning from the absolute bottom up and doing it thoroughly, not moving on from any one stage until I have it down good and clean. Am using the 'Learn and Master Guitar' programe which seems to be a completely solid resource, as well as Justinguitar.com's beginner's course. I even want to learn how to learn notes by ear rather than relying on an electric tuner. Same with cords, I'll play them again and again until I can commit to meory exactly how they sound. I will follow the course to the t, learn music theory, tab, how to recognise by ear, the whole shebang.
Already, 2 days in, those two resources have got me thinking abut posture, how I'm handling the guitar and trying to get each string of each chord to ring true and clear and not moving on from each one until I have buit up the finger strength and technique to do that.
Been doing finger and strumming exercises yesterday and today and some open chords.
A, E, G are fine, can get them good and clean. in minor and 7th too. C and D are hard though to get really clean. Hard.
D I find just hard to get the bottom E string to ring clearly and with no buzziness, very hard for some reason for me that bottom string, 2nd fret. Hurts like heck and seems no matter how hard I press it any distance from the fret; it still buzzes! I'll get it though.
C I find hard because of the distance your fingers have to stretch on the fretboard. I can finger it okay, but when fingers are spread out like that, hard to put a lot of pressure. Also my 2nd finger touches the string below it muting it slightly.
Still, only 2 days, so to be expected for at least the 1st few months.
Am enjoying though.
Also practiced 'anchoring' with 1st finger. Changing from A, D, E using the first finger as the anchor. Yeah, makes it so much easier than lifting your fingers up and then pressing the next chord. Just lift up 2 and 3 and slide 1 over and replace 2 and 3 on the new chord.
Anyway I'm sure this is all very boring, so I'll shut up.
Will practice at least an hour every morning mon - fri (I work 1.30pm - 9pm) and several hour long sessions with breaks between at weekends as I'm trying to save money and quit gambling, so I'll do this instead of going to Seoul every weekend (I live in South Korea.)
Am liking this. Nice to have someting my mind is focused on, and to persevere with. Feels good. My mantra of sorts at the moment is 'I have to adapt myself to the guitar, it doesn't work the other way round, you don't just pick it up and it works for you immediately. You have to get used to using your hands etc in new ways.'
When I feel I can play the caged chords true and clean, and can transition between them with controll, smoothness as well as speed, I'll find a four chord song to try and get down.
Untli then, building up that finger strength....