I announced some time ago my intention to teach myself guitar using online and computer based resources. I even got as far as posting some video to show my progress so far (see Teach Yourself Guitar: Progress So Far...). That was in October 2009 and the more astute among you will have noticed a deafening silence from me about my progress since then.
The main reason is that I was pushed for time around Christmas and then I kind of lost heart. I am still finding the lesson in GarageBand on barre chords too tricky. I decided that part of the problem is that I am trying to get motivated but with no real goal in sight. I had decided that using some of the things I've already been practising but applying them to learning a tune might help.
The idea is that Justin Sandercoe will teach you how to play AC/DC's Shoot To Thrill using video, guitar tabs and a specially recorded backing track. You video yourself playing the track and then submit your performance to YouTube. The winner receives a customised Gibson SG. Very Cool!
Now, I don't think I have any hope of winning. But. learning a tune, a recognisable tune, could be the incentive I need.
I'll keep you posted.
P.S. I don't know why I haven't been spending more time at Justin's site as it is a fantastic resource for guitarists of all levels.
One of the immediate side effects of winning the guitar was it re-kindled my desire to learn to play (as I've mentioned before Teach Yourself Guitar: Progress So Far...). The desire is still there and half-hearted attempt to learn continues - another post about my progress (or lack thereof) is long overdue. As part of the learning process, I visited a number of online/tech based teaching schemes - one of which was LickLibrary. There is a staggering amount of stuff and a fairly active online community on the LickLibrary site. It has: video lessons; tracks to jam to; discussion forums; books; DVDs; competitions; ... I haven't purchased anything from there yet but I think, if I get better, I will eventually download some jamtrax and/or some lessons.
Although I didn't download anything, I did start following their Twitter feed and a couple of weeks ago I noticed a message from them asking people to send a tweet about their favourite guitar. The idea was, they would choose their favourite tweet and the winner would get "goodies worth over £100". So I sent the following:
Congrats to @DavidDMuir you win tonight's Twitter Goodie Pack. Direct Message me your name and address and we'll get it sent out to! 0:10 AM Mar 12thvia web
Result!
To be honest, I'm not sure what a Pod is or why I'd need a bible for it and the books all look a bit to tricky for me at the moment. However, the Blues and the Nineties Rock books have stuff that I'm just about able to have a go at, so I'm looking forward to stretching myself and (hopefully) rising to the challenge.
Question: What's the best competition win you have ever had?
Back in the middle of August, I said I was going to try and teach myself guitar using computer based and online tutorials. Initially, I said I'd report back in a month.
Unfortunately, progress has been slow. If I had been trying to match Ortis's achievement, I think I would have failed miserably! However, I thought I'd better show you where I am... prepare to be disappointed!
Mostly I've been using the Learn To Play feature in GarageBand. I think it's really good. Each lesson starts with the tutor taking you through the stuff you need to know (chords, strumming patterns, guitar tabs etc.) before giving you a backing track to play along to. So here are three videos, with some commentary. All constructive criticism gratefully received.
As I listened back to this video, I became aware of the way I was strumming. It was a chunka-chunka-chunka-pause, chunka-chunka-chunka-pause, chunka-chunka-chunka-pause,... style. The pause happened every time I changed chord. Clearly this isn't good. Yet I was completely unaware that I was doing it until I heard this video. I guess this is one place a where a face to face tutor would score over a virtual tutor as this would have been picked up much earlier.
A few weeks ago, I was browsing the Guitar Savvy site and I realise that when forming the D minor chord, my thumb was slipping down and lying along the neck instead of staying at right angles to it. Again, not good and again, probably would have been spotted by a face-to-face tutor. Another bad habit that has to be unlearned. And again, the pause in the strumming pattern just about every chord change. :-(
Disastrous! Constant, driving strum - fail! Muted strings to give cool, percussive sound in verse part - fail! Elbow not tucked in to avoid awkward wrist position - fail! Add to that my inability to play at anything like the full speed and the extreme pain caused by trying to play these power chords and we are talking unbelievably pathetic fail. Sigh!
So, am I learning anything? Am I getting better? I think so. I do like the GarageBand lessons. I especially like the way you can slow the playback speed down until you learn what you're doing. You can also put sections on repeat to practise them over and over again. It works. I'm enjoying myself. I think I'm getting better.
A feature that I haven't used yet, which may help me improve, is that GarageBand can record you playing along to the backing track. Given how much I learned listening to these videos, I think this is a feature I will have to use from now on.
Finally, I want to mention the guitar I'm playing. It's the one Daughter Number 2 built at Bailey Guitars - the one I won from Rock Radio. It is gorgeous to look at, sounds great (when played by someone that knows what they are doing) and easy to play - much easier to play that the Squire Stratocaster that I practise on. I cannot recommend Bailey Guitars highly enough.
I would like to be able to play the guitar but thus far I have failed to master much beyond the ability to form a few chords. As long as there is a reasonable gap between chord changes, I can just about manage to sound vaguely musical.
I have made a number of half hearted attempts to learn to play. Probably the first time was when I was a teenager but the most recent attempt was connected with a competition win (I won the chance to build my own guitar). In the event, my daughter built it and I inherited her old Squire Stratocaster.
I hoped that combining a geek's love for gadgets with a desire to learn guitar might help, so I looked for online guitar lessons and tutor programmes that might help. Currently, I think my favourite is the Learn to Play feature that is built into Garageband. Brilliant! However I still haven't got very far because I spend too little time practising.
However, this summer (along with DIY projects, family holidays, reading some of the backlog of novels that I've built up, typing up some research stuff, etc...) I thought I'd have a go at ten minutes a day on guitar. Does anyone have any suggestions for (free) geeky guitar tools/sites that will help? All suggestions gratefully received.
I got an email from one of the sites that I signed up for while trying to learn to play guitar... The chap sending the email says:
...you'd be surprised how easy it can be to play this way. All it takes is...
1. A little bit of "Blues in E" (lesson 8-1) 2. A little bit of minor blues scale (lesson 15) 3. A little bit of major blues scale (lesson 23) 4. A little bit of secret sauce (lesson 24)
Hmm! This is clearly a definition of "easy" that has thus far escaped me as I fail to learn to play. :-)
However, as Griff says, "it's Clapton... who doesn't have a minute to go watch Clapton do his thing?"
Enjoy... and then check out Blues Guitar Unleashed. Oh, and any suggestions of good online (preferably free) sources of guitar tutorials will be gratefully received.
to be precise) when I saw a Tweet about an Iron Man 2 competition.
