The Old Man Band (Players Over 30)

[alfredc]

Hey polkanuns -

You have the Squier, correct? How is it? Did you play on a real guitar prior to the Squier?

I'm seriously considering learning guitar, and thought the Squier + RB3 pro mode might at least get me started, entertained and hopefully keep at it enough that I could then go on and maybe get real lessons. The ability to plug it into an amp and use it outside of RB3 is great as well.

I don't have any music background, and prior to RB3 last year I never played any "plastic" instruments... but in almost a year I went from easy level to confidently playing hard on guitar, keys, and pro drums. So I thought if I can stick with it using the Squier on RB3, I would at least get the basic fingering, then lessons would give me music background/reading, etc.

[polkanuns]

LOVE MY SQUIER!!!
about to hook it up now

Nope. Never played guitar before the Squier.

It is a PERFECT introductory learning tool. Perfect for what you want to do.

It has its faults & quirks, yes (and those b!+chings fill the forums), but the advantages FAR OUTWEIGH them.



Actually, I used the quirks as positives to teach me better technique.
I find that, as a beginner, the faults weren't obvious; experienced players complained about lack of bends, vibrato, jumpy tuning pegs ... whatever it was.
As a beginner, I didn't have the skills to understand any of that.

At six months into it, I am just starting to feel I understand enough to start recognizing the Squier's limitations. (maybe +1 year: Les Paul, Les Paul, Les Paul)
But it's a great tool to get you through that initial beginner/intermediate level.



The motivation with the game is AWESOME!

Harmonix did a GREAT job with the educational aspect of RB3.

They get so little cred for what they accomplished. The trainers and lessons are spectacular. They progress nicely, and build an understanding of the WHY behind the playing. (eg: the scales trainer really made me understand hand position for solos. After that, solos became SOOOO much easier.)

Granted, I've had some music experience prior (drums n piano), but I think that just gave me theory & accelerated concepts.
Guitar is a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BEAST. The physical aspect of learning is all the Squier.



If you're interested, I can point you to things which were helpful to me & warn you of hard parts to expect.

Actually, I started blogging for that reason - a record of my experience & proof of improvement.
Check that out. Guitar Journey at http://guitarjourney.tumblr.com/

And these online tutorials at justinguitar.com matched REALLY nicely with RB's trainers. Justin is a great teacher & his methods have carried me FAR BEYOND the game.

Oh, and they're FREE!
And he does live interactive training via Skype.
And he has a beginner songbook.

Did I mention they're FREE?!
They have a nice scalability.
And he has more advanced courses in technique & theory.
And, well, no, those aren't free.
But his online training is FREE.

[alfredc]

Polkanuns -

Great... thanks for the links. I will check out your blogs.

Yes, I read about not being able to do bending, etc... and I had no idea what they were either... so I figured those were above beginner level anyways, and if/when I do get to that level, I would have gotten another guitar or perhaps an acoustic one.

I just know that if I went the "traditional" route of lessons, I would get bored of practicing something over and over without the "rest of the band" playing in the background. So if I can go this route and stick with it for say 1 year, then at that time I would know for sure if I like it or not, then go get lessons if needed.

I know it won't teach me to read music, but if I could use RB3 and memorize a song and be able to play it off game and plugged into an amp, that would be a great motivator to continue on.

[polkanuns]

Totally agree - I am the same way for motivation. The "instant" playing a song aspect of RB helps. Playing w/ an "instant band" helps.
For me, I'm mildly competitive - so the % Complete, Scores and Leaderboards REALLY motivate me. And give me CONSTANT positive feedback about my progress.
Traditional learning - that's harder to see the progress.

(It's why I stopped traditional piano lessons. Boring. Comparitively, Pro Keys REALLY motivated me)

For reading music, justinguitar.com starts to get into some of that. But I've been using some AWESOME apps on my iPod to teach me to match charted notes to the right fret/tone.
Mini-games that you plug your guitar into and it shows you a note on a music staff & you have to pluck the right one. Or reverse; it shows you a fret and you have to name the note.

I'm sure a real guitar teacher would say I'm missing a lot doing it this way.
I agree, I'm missing the $$$$$ I would be spending on guitar teachers.

Someday ... I might be able to afford IRL lessons.

[JDKenada]

Thought I'd toss myself into the Old Man Band backup players. Another over 30 here just starting to enjoy the merits of online play.

FC: 2212 3289 7720 2843
Guitar: H-X / Bass: H / Drums: E / Keys: M-H

[polkanuns]

Welcome to the insanity!

Added you to my Wii @JDKenada
Hope to play with you!


Still waiting for reciprocal adds from:
Sally1er
EagleEye30
JC2003
Baroness
Captn Slow
Death by Abl
Crsdan2
Chimpfreq

[brookfieldworldorder]

Add me to the over-30 list as well.

Wii Friend Code: 3353-4343-7688-3911

Hard/Expert Guitar and Bass.

[ChubChubb]

Added brookfieldworldorder and JDKenada. Look forward to jammin' with you soon.

[ChubChubb]

Brookfieldworldorder and JDKenada:

If you haven't already, you should check out Skype. It's really handy when you are playing in a full band. Everyone can talk about what set they want to play. It helps when you're trying to work out connection issues. On top of that, it's free and easy to set up. Give it a try...

[EagleEye30]

Welcome to the insanity!

Added you to my Wii @JDKenada
Hope to play with you!


Still waiting for reciprocal adds from:
Sally1er
EagleEye30
JC2003
Baroness
Captn Slow
Death by Abl
Crsdan2
Chimpfreq

I am trying to add you on Skype but your name will not be recognized so you should check it out.
I am adding you to my Wii