The Guitar Thread

[lithiumkc]

So I figure a lot of you probably play geetar or bass outside of GH. I personally am pretty much self taught.. been playing for about 2 years or so. I don't use picks and I either learn by ear or tab.

What are you guys working on.. Any songs you're having troubles with? What are your favorite songs to play, or to try to impress people

Basically.. Lets try and get a big guitar thread going with song suggestions or if you have any questions regarding brands, where to start, good songs to learn and the like.

As of an hour ago I'm trying to teach myself Already Dead by Beck. I've got most of it down now, just one change I should work on. Some of my standbys would be.. The intro to little wing, almost everything Nirvana, RHCP, More Than A Feeling, some sabbath... Im good at fingerpicking but I can't do much in the way of metal. Hard to do sweeps when you use your thumb to pick.

Discuss guitar.

[The_Wurm]

Ive been playing for almost a year now, im not too good, Im self taught as well.


Im one of those people who don't like to bring up guitar playing because I know Im not that good at it, so ill stop here.

[Akaymay]

I've been playing since I was about 5 or 6. So I've been playing for 10 years. I really hate to brag, but any song you ask me to learn, I'll get it within a week, the whole thing. I just always was attracted to the guitar. Sure, when I was a kid, I was all around with music, I listened to everything from Elvis to the Baha Men (They were cool back then, Back off!). But once I heard Guns N Roses for the first time. I was all over the guitar. I started off using my dad's old guitar when he was a kid, a nameless Hondo brand. It was heavy and ancient. I went through a ton of guitars. About 5 to be exact. But when I was 13, I got by first awesome guitar. A Gibson SG standard. Set my dad back 1,500 dollars. But it was worth every penny. After playing for a longer time, I got a job and bought myself some Angus Young signature pickups, and a Marshall JCM 800. Been using these ever since.

I used to have teachers who taught me, my old music teacher from elementary school, who sadly passed away. And my godfather, but I only got to see him once every few months. So I really taught myself just by playing all the basic chords over and over and using finger practices, all that.

I practice about 2 to 3 hours a day for gigs and shows me and the band do, and just jam with my friends/band afterwards. All-in-all, my life is based around my guitar

[howsh_]

leading up to last christmas i started to tell people that i wanted to learn to play the guitar so one of my friends gave me a stratocaster that he quit playing and an old, marshall amp and i've been playing everyday since.
i don't a "teacher" but i do have people that give me tips and things.
mostly i play alot of weezer, (say it ain't so is the most fun to me) thrice, brand new, and chiodos songs are fun even with just one guitar. i can play other stuff that is just to name a few. i've been working on trying play stairway.

[Rev0lver]

i've been playing bass for about 2 1/2 years now(i also play guitar, but i dont tell people, because i suck at it. i cant use picks).

i play in a band at my youth group(i know, contradictory, i've been known to be an outward atheist on these boards, but i have alot of friends there) and might be getting a real band together soon. for now i mostly play along to fall of troy and pearl jam songs.

[lithiumkc]

The guitar I prefer to use is a Godin Signature LG. I put a picture up of it some time ago. I started with an acoustic but I didn't like it, and I started with lessons but I didn't like those either. I like to learn things myself and try things myself, and I didn't like the direction the teacher was going [sum41, crap popular music he thought I would like]

So I stopped playing for a good year or two but I've taken it up on and off for the past few. I'm not spectacular but I can usually pick songs up very quickly if I put my mind to it. Last hard one I taught myself was Bach's Bouree in E, aka that song Tenacious D does in rock your socks off [that is bach, and it rocks, its a rock block of bach] which uses some interesting finger picking and fingering. I really like fingerpicking.. Dust in the Wind, Julia by the Beatles is one of my favorite songs to play. I try to come up with stuff and I do alright. Dm seems to be my key, if everyone has a favorite.

I reeeeally want to start up a band and sing as well. But I have yet to find somebody with similar taste in music around here. After RB hits and I start to try singing in that, if I turn out to do OK [and my friends will seriously bust my ass if i suck or give me props if i dont] then I'm honestly going to put in a lot of effort into making music. In the same way akaymays life is guitar, mine is just music in general, and I find any way I can to fool around with it be it on guitar, or messing around on the computer.

Anybody in a band?