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Few guitar questions
    #2297307 -

Hardware wise:
I've heard that if you don't take care of your guitar frets, then you'll have to have them replaced.. How can you avoid this?

soundwise, what's the difference between regular single coil pickups and trembuckers and piezo pickups?

How much does the bridge affect? I have the full tune ii bridge, came with this guitar:
http://ibanez.com/guitars/guitar.asp?model=AR250

I'm still a beginner so I don't want to go overboard outfitting my guitar with equipment that wouldn't matter very much, but I've heard that the bridge on the ar250 blows.

and technique wise:
I originally started learning from tabs from guitar pro, but I recently bought a few books- a chord book, scale book and development book. Getting completely through them will likely take a year or two ( at least? ) What would you reccomend? Is it just a personal choice as to which way I want to develop my playing skills?

Fingerpicking / pick use:
Is there any serious advantage to either? Fingerpicking seems like it would take alot more work and would be slower than using a pick, but more versatile. I've been using just a pick, but should I have started learning fingerpicking from the beginning?

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: ]
    #2297337 -

I'm not sure if piezo pickups make a HUGE difference, but what they do is pick up each individual string seperately so your sound not as muddy.
Chord books are pretty helpful, as are guitar method books. You could even get a teacher if you want to spend the extra money. If you're not too serious about guitar though, I think tabs and a few scale books would be fine.
As for fingerpicking or pics, learn both. There are some songs that you can play only with a pic and others that you can play only with your fingers.


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This post is protected under copyrite law.All above content is strictly the property of ?manna_man.Any infringement of copyright property is strictly prohibited.Any violators will be stretched, shot, and then vaporized into a state of anti-matter, where they will cease to exist.

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: manna_man]
    #2297354 -

yeah I've considered teachers.. and I could probably save up alot for a few lessons, but I feel I'm better off learning basically by myself. Yes, it'll be harder and likely take longer, but I'm prepared to spend a hell of alot of time

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: ]
    #2297486 -

I'm really high, but I'm still going to try to answer, even though it doesn't make sense to me. I've been playing for about a year and a half, completely self taught except for one lesson about one month ago (all I learned was how to read sheet music, but I never need to). And I'm really happy with how I'm progressing in playing, but for the past few months I've been playing at least 2 hours a day, normally upwards of 4 and sometimes as high as 7 hours a day. If you have the time and aspiration (not the right word) to learn the guitar, it's really not hard at all to do by yourself. Just decide early on if you want to learn music theory or not (I know basic theory, but only the tip of the iceberg).

I've never used Guitar Pro, but I use PowerTab, and I personally prefer it to books. I only use books when I'm out of town and away from my computer, but the computer is so helpful. I can use a metronome, play along with the tabs while not dealing with a big book, slow the tab down so it's easier to learn, and listen to the actual music without getting out of my chair =) But I did start out of a book (Guitar for Dummies) and it cost me accostumed to playing a guitar and it taught me the very basics in a way someone not familiar with the guitar can understand (I've read some of the internet ones and they're confusing). So my answer: Use the chord book to learn the basic chords (A, Am, E, Em, F, G, C and D, then the barre chords for minors, majors, 7ths), then use your scale book and learn the minor and major pentatonics and move onto some easy songs (I recommend the Beatles :thumbup:)

Unless you're planning to play folk music and classucal guitar, you'll probably be mainly using a pick, but finger picking is still useful to know. You can learn the Animals' House of the Rising Sun, which is just a song that goes: Am, C, D, F, Am, C, E, E, Am, C, D, F, Am, C, E, Am (I think, heh) with really simple fingerpicking using every finger except your pinky (you can try to learn how to fingerpick with your pinky, but my pinky is too retarded and a lot of classical guitarists dont even use it. Or you can learn the intro to Stairway to Heaven for fingerpicking.

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: ]
    #2297491 -

a teacher would help most in the very beginning, setting your technique straight, and giving you a basic understanding of guitar.

hardware-wise:
Your guitar will definitely last longer if you take care of it: every once in a while take off all the strings, polish the whole thing-esp the fretboard, and then restring it with new strings.  After time and playing a lot, the frets naturally wear down depending on the gauge of strings you use. 

Soundwise- not as familiar with this, but I think it just depends on desired tone, and what the guitar was carved for.  There's some tele's with single coils in them that sound amazing (Pearly Gates??) and then there's humbuckers in Les Pauls that sound gorgeous (JB's).

technique wise- those books are usually really helpful, especially if they come with a cd and you are just learning standard notation.  Learning by ear may help you a lot more.  Also, like I said, teachers are good and worth the money (if you find a good one). Usually they're around $15/half hour.

Fingerpicking is used most often in Classical guitar, or folk- anything with broken chords and polyphonic lines.  Picks can be used more for strumming chords, and also for broken chords and leads but is extremely hard to play 2 seperated strings at the same time.  Learn both, they each have their dis/advantages.


The bridge affects specific harmonic tuning, as well as if you want a tremolo system (bending with a wammy bar).  That's a nice guitar :smile: If it's new, or hasn't been set up, take it in and have it set up: this would adjust the string notches by the headstock so it won't buzz and it's as easy to play 1st position as at the 12th fret.  Also, they adjust the bridge so high frets are in tune and your harmonics are correct (that whole scientific phenomenon with strings and octaves).

Hope this helps man, come back with any more questions if ya got em. Good Luck!


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Blas'?trid (bl?s tr?d)
    n.  3rd generation derivitave of a combination of 'bastard' and 'blasted'.  Used as both an insult or an expletive.
    ex.  Blastrid!

Stereopattern  <--My music.

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: oneducktwoducks]
    #2297505 -

Nice post, I'd add tho that Music Theory is extremely helpful, because there's multiple ways to play 1 chord on the guitar.  Once you learn music theory, then you will know how to write, and how, specifically, you can play each chord.

hehe yea don't bother with the pinky--it's never used in classical guitar and really isn't worth much anyway. just chop it off! :nut:

Oh yeah and invest in a tuner/metrognome.

That SW mMerletto was talkin bout sounds Mad helpful


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Blas'?trid (bl?s tr?d)
    n.  3rd generation derivitave of a combination of 'bastard' and 'blasted'.  Used as both an insult or an expletive.
    ex.  Blastrid!

Stereopattern  <--My music.

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: Blastrid]
    #2297561 -

hmm where would I take it in to be set up then? I've noticed some minor buzzing on the E but figured it would be easy to fix quickly with the bridge.. How much would that cost?

I've been playing since august so I get some amount of basic stuff ( can't be sure how much until I know alot huh? )

One of my books has a CD, but I think it's fairly advanced ( all of my books are meant to be for any level player- a good reference for advanced and long guide to beginniners.. ) The two I'm sort of working on now are The Guitar Chord Guru and The Guitar Scale Guru.. supposedly very good even though they look reallly crappy. I'm on the chord one primarily- it's much more than a reference and covers stuff like cadences and some very odd chord theory stuff I'm nowhere close to learning yet.. You could likely play very well knowing just whats in this book.. Hrm.

I also look online when I need help .. but can't really do it by ear. I'm horrible at memory stuff and my guitar skill development is primarily making myself learn to play without knowing I'm playing- I hear the sound I want when I do, but if I close my eyes, thats all. If I have to convert external sound into what I'm doing.. well.. eep :x

MMerletto-
that's good advice from your own experience. Before, I tried learning songs without having established a firm foundation in playing and had to skip most of them when I came to something which would be too hard to do ( try figuring out chord progression like G-C-Gminor without knowing those are known chords and not knowing how to begin tackling them for one song you're learning :\ )

It's odd.. I only know how to play Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt ( minus one chord from part of it.. ), but I learned it 2-3 months ago.. Since then I've been learning chords and learning some scales

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: Blastrid]
    #2297569 -

yeah.. thats why I really want to know at least some music theory, and might not mind learning quite a bit of it..
How much is a metronome really worth though? I've heard that they're important for rhythm, but guitar pro has a built in metronome and I can't really use it. I have a tuner, but eh.. a metronome? Is there really a need for a machine which beeps every little bit? However, if it's essential to rhythm, I'll learn to use it

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: ]
    #2297612 -

yes, it most definitely is essential, especially if you plan on playing with anyone else. If you learn to play without it, you'll get in the habit of not staying in time, which makes it incredibly difficult for others to play along, and visa versa. A good metronome/tuner is like 20 bucks. But if there's one in your software, use it to help you figure out timing and rhythm (one of the biggest faults of tablature)


--------------------
Blas'?trid (bl?s tr?d)
    n.  3rd generation derivitave of a combination of 'bastard' and 'blasted'.  Used as both an insult or an expletive.
    ex.  Blastrid!

Stereopattern  <--My music.

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: Blastrid]
    #2297648 -

k

so where would I go to have my guitar set up?

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: ]
    #2297663 -

An online metronome: www.metronomeonline.com

You can use it when learning chord changes or learning a scale, play up and down the scale in time with the metronome (start with playing two notes per beat, but work up to four notes per beat when you have a better sense of timing). And as you get better at playing, you can turn the metronome up in small increments. Like start learning the major scale, and play it at 40 beats per minutes, then try to be able to play it at 45 next week, then 50 after, etc.

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: ]
    #2297688 -

any good local music store (stay away from guitar center... but that's just my opinion)


--------------------
Blas'?trid (bl?s tr?d)
    n.  3rd generation derivitave of a combination of 'bastard' and 'blasted'.  Used as both an insult or an expletive.
    ex.  Blastrid!

Stereopattern  <--My music.

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: Blastrid]
    #2297713 -

I loath guitar center, every time i went there i got absolutely no help at all. They just wanted me to spend all my money then leave right away :nonono:


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When chemistry is outlawed.. Only outlaws have chemistry:rainbowdrink:

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: Infrared]
    #2299479 -

i think music theory is very important. Alot of people say that you shouldnt structure an art form, and i agree to an extent.

Ive been playing for 7.5 years now, and i'm just starting formal lessons in theory. I can get around the fretboard pretty nicely, and i prefer to play lead and improvise on top of something thats already playing...but it'll be 100x easier when i know the fretboard and all the proper scales, modes, and forms.
I would suggest formal lessons, you dont have to have them, but i wish i had paid attention to them when i was younger.

Like, i find it useful to know how chord progressions are properly formatted in any key...sure i have a sense of it by ear (as i do play currently by ear), but i always have the regret that i dont know exactly what im doing.

--Kremlin


--------------------
"Human suffering has been caused because all too many of us cannot grasp that words are only tools for our use, and that the mere presence of a word in the dictionary does not mean it necessarily refers to something definitive in the real world"
--Richard Dawkins, "The Selfish Gene"

"It is the mind which creates the world about us, and even though we stand side by side in the same meadow, my eyes will never see what is beheld by yours."
-George Gissing

"Without a firm idea of himself and the purpose of his life, man cannot live, and would sooner destroy himself than remain on earth, even if he was surrounded by bread."
--Fyodor Dostoevsky

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: Kremlin]
    #2301259 -

Quote:
I loath guitar center, every time i went there i got absolutely no help at all. They just wanted me to spend all my money then leave right away


Yeah, only go there if you know exactly what you're looking for.


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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: abhi]
    #2302075 -

Regarding the piezo pickups. I currently have a custom Ibanez RG 2020x with Air Norton neck pickups and Steve special bridge pickups, as well as the piezo bridge pickups. The piezo makes a very big difference as it immitates an acoustic guitar. It will only sound decent if you have it on clean with a seperate line running to a PA or a acoustic amp. If you are planning on using the piezo for distortion then don't bother spending more money for it. It is strictly for clean acoustic sounds.
Hope I helped

Peace,
Ryan


EDIT- I forgot to include that neck pickups deliver a smoother, fuller tone, ideal for soloing. The bridge pickup gives a more rythmic tone. The piezo pickup is located on the bridge where the strings run over the saddle.

If you are interested I have a few clips myself here, http://www.zebox.com/crystalplanet68.

Thanks

Edited by YEMphish (02/04/04 06:40 PM)

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: Kremlin]
    #2304151 -

How can you have any form of art without structure? Music especially.


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let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: YEMphish]
    #2304209 -

YEMphish said:
EDIT- I forgot to include that neck pickups deliver a smoother, fuller tone, ideal for soloing. The bridge pickup gives a more rythmic tone. The piezo pickup is located on the bridge where the strings run over the saddle.
Thanks


i find the opposite to be true. if you even look at a les paul pickup selecter, the neck pickup is called the rhythem and the bridge is called the lead. when playing with another guitar, the bridge provides for a more piercing tone, so it cuts through for solos. maybe you just got it mixed up while typing.


to say the music theory isnt neccessary is like telling a painter that mixing basic colors isnt neccessary.... sure, you can still paint a picture, but you will never progress beyond intermediate.

also, as stated above, a metronome is one of the most overlooked tools that is available to musicians today. i sleep with one going. it took my fiance a while to get used to it, but even she loves it now. once you get an inate sense of time, you can play polyrhythems over basic structure with ease and without screwing everyone you are playing with up. you can also "fall deeper into the pocket"


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No, no, you're not thinking, you're just being logical. ~ Niels Bohr

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: mr_kite]
    #2304346 -

Quote:
How can you have any form of art without structure? Music especially


What is that regarding?

--
Quote:
i find the opposite to be true. if you even look at a les paul pickup selecter, the neck pickup is called the rhythem and the bridge is called the lead. when playing with another guitar, the bridge provides for a more piercing tone, so it cuts through for solos. maybe you just got it mixed up while typing.



Hmm, possibly the les paul, but every other guitar I've ever played was always set up the way I described. The bridge pickup maybe more piercing for solos but in a solo you want to have a nice tone. A bridge pickup solo will deliver a piercy almost annoying tone while the neck will be smoother and fuller. It's really all comes down to personal preference but I think that were the company's main intentions.
Also, not to insault your intelligence in any way, are you sure that the pickup selector didn't spin around because sometimes they become loose and do so.

Peace

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Re: Few guitar questions [Re: YEMphish]
    #2304509 -

i am a luthier. i build and repair guitars for a living.

here's my thread if you have any questions: http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat...;o=&fpart=1


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No, no, you're not thinking, you're just being logical. ~ Niels Bohr

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