Originally Posted by
msteeln
Maybe the Holy Grail of noob questions.
#1 Quality time to practice.
#2 Dedication.
#3 Quality gear that is affordable.
#4 Learn properly.
www.guitarprinciples.com
Yours?
I may have been told some of these and not paid attention, but in any case:
1) Proper and efficient ergonomic techniques in fretting, ie, how to efficiently place and hold hand depending on what is going on, where to place thumb (not up the neck), how to hold the guitar , etc. Some additional feedback from my first instructor, who is basically a folk style acoustic strummer and finger picker, would have been nice.
2) Importance of practicing rhythm skills, and subdivisions of beat. I really wish I did not develop, and have to overcome, the habit of starting and stopping my right hand while strumming in order to match time. I jumped into learning songs (maybe forced my instructor to teach me some honestly), and tried just to match what was going on by ear and by starting and stopping my hand as my sense of time told me. Instead, I it would have been better to learn (and practice) how to move my hand constantly in time, subdivide time and strike the strings in accordance with the subdivisions, with the right hand moving in time the entire time.
Those are the main things I can think of right now.
Steve Thompson
Sun Valley, Idaho
Guitars: Fender 60th Anniversary Std. Strat, Squier CVC Tele Hagstrom Viking Semi-hollow, Joshua beach guitar, Martin SPD-16TR Dreadnought
Amphs: Peavey Classic 30, '61 Fender Concert
Effects and such: Boss: DS-1, CE-5, NS-2 and RC20XL looper, Digitech Bad Monkey, Korg AX1G Multi-effects, Berhinger: TU100 tuner, PB100 Clean Boost, Line 6 Toneport UX2, Electro Harmonix Little Big Muff Pi, DuhVoodooMan's Rabid Rodent Rat Clone, Zonkin Yellow Screamer Mk. II, MXR Carbon Copy Delay
love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart. . .
- j. johnson