Yeah it's a good site! Any pointers for the strumming pattern James? 
1 13-06-11 10:42:31
Re: Could someone please help me with the strumming pattern for this song? (3 replies, posted in Newbie Section)
2 13-06-11 02:35:13
Topic: Could someone please help me with the strumming pattern for this song? (3 replies, posted in Newbie Section)
This is an accoustic version of Dylan's knockin on heaven's door.
http://www.songsterr.com/a/wsa/bob-dyla … -tab-s67t0
I'm playing the g-d-a7-g-d-c which forms the meat of the song - down up down up and it sounds okay.
On the g - d parts I think that is exactly what's happening.
But the intro and outro and at some points during the a7 and c parts it sounds like the rythm is varied slightly.
Any pointers would be great.
Amazing how those 4 simples easy chords with just that slight variation of rythm and then using the 1st string 3rd fret towards the end of the bar of a7 and c - can create such damn feeling! Amazing.
3 13-06-11 02:29:40
Re: Hi from a new learner (14 replies, posted in Newbie Section)
Well the barre chords are not coming on at the same pace as the open chords did with regards to gaining strength. Man they are toughies. Both doing them so each string rings well and then moving them as well.
Ah well, do em every day and wait I guess... I think I haven't been doing them often enough and the increase in strenght you need as compared to the increase in strenght for open chords is much bigger! Righty-ho, ten minutes just barres in the morning and then same again in the evening.
5 09-06-11 04:40:27
Re: Hi from a new learner (14 replies, posted in Newbie Section)
Apache wrote:
Nice one - sounds like you are making good progress
Thanks!
Was surprised to find that the open chords really weren't that difficult as long as I kept at it and stopped once it felt dificult.
I find my figners and hands are strengthening at an alarmingly quick pace which if was replicated at the gym, I would be ripped to shreds!
3rd barre chords practice session and today I got them ringing out true for a few trimes.
Am finding just do them for as long as it is comfortable and then stop. Then magically the next day, you're better at them. Am thinkin 10 min a day of just forming and holding them, it should take me few weeks at most to be able to strum them.
6 08-06-11 07:37:04
Re: guitar strings ? (11 replies, posted in Guitars)
So in answer to the op (something I'd be eager to know too) - how often do you think one would change strings on average, based on a newbie practicing 5 hours or so a week?
Also - what can us newbs do (any sort of maintenance / cleaning etc) to keep our strings in tip top condition for as long as possible?
I have noticed mine (esp bottom e and b) get mucky sometimes.
7 08-06-11 06:57:14
Re: Hi from a new learner (14 replies, posted in Newbie Section)
Well I can play all the open chords perfectly now, even c and d which I found hard at first.
Can play all open major, minor, maj7, min7 and sus chords and make them ring out nice and clear. Chord changes are slow but coming along. Barre chords, I just learned the 6th and 5th string shapes for major and minor and I expect they will take up to a month to get ringing clear. Today was second time and they are muted and buzzy as heck.
Am having most fun with learning strumming patterns with open chords and figure once I get the most popular few strumming patterns down and get my open chord changes faster, I'll start my first song which will be Dylan's original version of Knockin on Heaven's Door.
Anyhow, am a month in so thought I'd update. Trying to do some every day, but tbh it seems to suit my style better to do several hour long session on sat and sun and a few half hour - hr long session during the week. A couple of weekends I've jus stayed home all weekend and done an hour session, watched a movie, another session, go for a walk, another session, eat dinner, then one more session etc.
Am finding music reading boring as hell though and I hate figures and graphs (which is what the notation looks like to me.) But I have learned where most of the notes are on the strings of the first few frets. And some open 5th chords and power chords, but they sound shyte on an acoustic.
Anyway I really just want to be able to get my strumming and chord changes really good, don't think lead style appeals to me at all yet.
Yeah I'm long winded I guess, but still....
8 11-05-11 05:04:10
Topic: Hi from a new learner (14 replies, posted in Newbie Section)
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....
