| Re: What Are The Best Resources for Improving Your Guitar Skills? [message #65378 is a reply to message #65372] |
Mon, 20 December 2010 13:35  |
Adveser
Messages: 434
Registered: July 2009
Location: USA
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Illuminati (1st Degree) |
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Learn scales. Start with E minor and don't even think about anything else until you can play up and down the neck with ease. This is probably going to take a while. I would say at least half of the guitarists out there only learn this one scale and if they need to play in A, they "pretend" the A string is the E string and avoid the E entirely.
Practice "rolling" your fingers up and down (like you are tapping them on a desk) in both directions. It took me a year to do it fast at all (starting with the index finger, the "hard" direction for most people.
I like to play along, in scale, to records. I never learn other people's material, but whatever I am playing always sound great along to it since every note is on key. I think learning that way helps you naturally choose the notes you like best. I'm a big fan of pop music.
Study music theory and call anyone on their BS if they claim it hurts anyone's playing. Music is a language. Learn it's vowels, consonants, rhythmic pattern, et al. and you can say whatever you want. I always tell people, as adults, we don't read a book written for a toddler because it is fundamentally a good story. Since we are more or less forced into becoming extremely good at our speaking language, we move on to other things.
I'm not saying abandon any form of music, just get where you can understand it, not just "it sounds to my liking." Find out why.
Start listening to the tonality of a note. Do not confuse Tonality with Timbre, which people call "tone." Tonality is, according to my theory at least, the result of every pitch except A being slightly flat or sharp to fit into an even scale.
In any event each note has a distinct sound to it that is ALWAYS there, regardless of instrument, timbre or the player. It is fairly subtle and you might have to listen to music a certain way mentally to hear it clearly. It is going to be almost elusive on a recording, but easy to find on a real instrument.
Good singers hear the tonality and sing "that" sound and do not worry about pitch and guess what? they are on key 100% of the time when they hit hat they hear in their head.
That should keep you busy for the next year 
Please don't hesitate to ask follow up questions if something doesn't make sense. I forget what it is like to not have everything so hardwired to memory by now.
http://adveser.webs.com/
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