68 And I'm Taking Up The Guitar

[mudwhistle]

I bought a $300 Yamaha 6 string and I'm learning to play a guitar.



I started playing an instrument when I was 7 years old and I played thru high school.

I remember telling my parents I wanted to take up the guitar or the drums and instead they had me learn the Trombone.

I've played several concerts when I was in school, but when I went into the military I didn't want to keep playing a brass instrument.

Now that I have a lot of time on my hands.....I'm gonna take up the guitar.

I played one years ago, but never took any lessons.

I barely learned how to tune it......but today I got my guitar and used a tuner to get it in tune.

I started taking lessons from this guy.

Right now I'm just trying to build up some calluses on my fingers.

 

[sparky]

Marty is the man Muddy.......~S~

 

[Woodznutz]

I bought a $300 Yamaha 6 string and I'm learning to play a guitar.

View attachment 1098025

I started playing an instrument when I was 7 years old and I played thru high school.

I remember telling my parents I wanted to take up the guitar or the drums and instead they had me learn the Trombone.

I've played several concerts when I was in school, but when I went into the military I didn't want to keep playing a brass instrument.

Now that I have a lot of time on my hands.....I'm gonna take up the guitar.

I played one years ago, but never took any lessons.

I barely learned how to tune it......but today I got my guitar and used a tuner to get it in tune.

I started taking lessons from this guy.

Right now I'm just trying to build up some calluses on my fingers.

My late sister gave me that same guitar (FG700S) as a gift. I love it and play every day. Great guitar for the money. I've played since I was a teen, not an expert, just a strummer with a few fingerstyle patterns down. Great fun. I'm 85. (Shopping for a 12-string now that I can afford one.)

Lots of good tutorials online. I use them all the time. I Also print off lyrics, chords, tabs for songs I want to learn for free.

 

[TroglocratsRdumb]

good luck mud

 

[buttercup]

Cool. I've been wanting to learn guitar too...for a while now. I just need a guitar.

I play the piano, and I'm pretty good at learning musical instruments, so I really want to learn guitar too.

 

[DGS49]

Best of luck. Keep this crew posted on how you progress.

SOme forms of learning become nearly impossible as you age. I used to work for a company that often needed its people to learn foreign languages (most started with four), and they concluded after many years that it was not possible after age 35.

Maybe music is different.

 

[shockedcanadian]

I bought a $300 Yamaha 6 string and I'm learning to play a guitar.

View attachment 1098025

I started playing an instrument when I was 7 years old and I played thru high school.

I remember telling my parents I wanted to take up the guitar or the drums and instead they had me learn the Trombone.

I've played several concerts when I was in school, but when I went into the military I didn't want to keep playing a brass instrument.

Now that I have a lot of time on my hands.....I'm gonna take up the guitar.

I played one years ago, but never took any lessons.

I barely learned how to tune it......but today I got my guitar and used a tuner to get it in tune.

I started taking lessons from this guy.

Right now I'm just trying to build up some calluses on my fingers.

Congrats, it's great for the brain, open up new pathways and expresses from the soul. The best way is to get an ear for it and just play fluidly. Jimi Hendrix taught himself, the best way

I used to be a pretty good player, did alot of strumming in university, wrote some songs, nice solos, even have them recorded.

Maybe one day I will put an album out as a sort of Bucket List. First I need my freedom and retirement which the Creepy Ones have stolen from me. I still have a couple of guitars collecting dust. I wonder if my fingers can even work the same way anymore lol

 

[mudwhistle]

Best of luck. Keep this crew posted on how you progress.

SOme forms of learning become nearly impossible as you age. I used to work for a company that often needed its people to learn foreign languages (most started with four), and they concluded after many years that it was not possible after age 35.

Maybe music is different.

I've always had little difficulty learning foreign languages.
I learned Spanish in college, German, Persian Farsi, and Arabic in the military.
I became fluent in Morse Code in my 30s. Took me 6 months.
Since I left the military I haven't used any of these languages.
I learned typing in high school, which I put to good use every day.
I type somewhere between 50-75 wpm.
It's been years since I've been tested...and I was typing slower then (50 wpm) then I do now.

As with anything else, how much you practice will dictate how you progress.

 

[mudwhistle]

Congrats, it's great for the brain, open up new pathways and expresses from the soul. The best way is to get an ear for it and just play fluidly. Jimi Hendrix taught himself, the best way

I used to be a pretty good player, did alot of strumming in university, wrote some songs, nice solos, even have them recorded.

Maybe one day I will put an album out as a sort of Bucket List. First I need my freedom and retirement which the Creepy Ones have stolen from me. I still have a couple of guitars collecting dust. I wonder if my fingers can even work the same way anymore lol

Jimmy Hendrix used to be stationed here at Ft Campbell KY, way back when I was in grade school.
Back then they had the wooden WWII barracks and started building the Korean War era brick barracks.
He wasn't in the Army for long.

 

[IM2]

I bought a $300 Yamaha 6 string and I'm learning to play a guitar.

View attachment 1098025

I started playing an instrument when I was 7 years old and I played thru high school.

I remember telling my parents I wanted to take up the guitar or the drums and instead they had me learn the Trombone.

I've played several concerts when I was in school, but when I went into the military I didn't want to keep playing a brass instrument.

Now that I have a lot of time on my hands.....I'm gonna take up the guitar.

I played one years ago, but never took any lessons.

I barely learned how to tune it......but today I got my guitar and used a tuner to get it in tune.

I started taking lessons from this guy.

Right now I'm just trying to build up some calluses on my fingers.

Awesome!

 

[Woodznutz]

Cool. I've been wanting to learn guitar too...for a while now. I just need a guitar.

I play the piano, and I'm pretty good at learning musical instruments, so I really want to learn guitar too.

My advice for beginners.

Learn to tune by ear, or with a tuner. A well-tuned guitar is sweet. One sting out of tune...sour.

Trim your nails close on your fretting hand.

Use a capo right away (second fret is ok). You can play longer without getting sore fingers. Build those callouses. Once you do you can play for hours with no pain.

The most versatile and used key is the key of C, or the same fingering up the neck when using capo. This is the foundational key/fingering pattern for nearly any tunes/songs you will play. Also, most songs written in a different key can be transposed to the key of C , chord by chord. So, when you want to change keys for your singing preference you can capo up the neck and use the same C key fingering. Easy peasy.

There three styles of playing; chording (strumming), picking out melodies on single strings, or fingerstyle pattern picking. I recommend focusing on learning chords/strumming. It is the foundation of guitar playing.

Finally, buy the best guitar you can afford, one that you can hold comfortably (some guitars are really big). If you can comfortably 'cradle' the guitar in your arms, you have the right one. Also, haunt the best music store near you. You can play guitars free and even rent them before buying. The guys at these stores are a rich resource even for beginners, so take advantage of this.

From the first chord you strum, pure joy. Good luck.

 

[Concerned American]

I bought a $300 Yamaha 6 string and I'm learning to play a guitar.

View attachment 1098025

I started playing an instrument when I was 7 years old and I played thru high school.

I remember telling my parents I wanted to take up the guitar or the drums and instead they had me learn the Trombone.

I've played several concerts when I was in school, but when I went into the military I didn't want to keep playing a brass instrument.

Now that I have a lot of time on my hands.....I'm gonna take up the guitar.

I played one years ago, but never took any lessons.

I barely learned how to tune it......but today I got my guitar and used a tuner to get it in tune.

I started taking lessons from this guy.

Right now I'm just trying to build up some calluses on my fingers.

Congratulations and good luck. LOL, I tried when I was a teen and quickly learned that I don't have any musical talent.

 

[JGalt]

I bought a $300 Yamaha 6 string and I'm learning to play a guitar.

View attachment 1098025

I started playing an instrument when I was 7 years old and I played thru high school.

I remember telling my parents I wanted to take up the guitar or the drums and instead they had me learn the Trombone.

I've played several concerts when I was in school, but when I went into the military I didn't want to keep playing a brass instrument.

Now that I have a lot of time on my hands.....I'm gonna take up the guitar.

I played one years ago, but never took any lessons.

I barely learned how to tune it......but today I got my guitar and used a tuner to get it in tune.

I started taking lessons from this guy.

Right now I'm just trying to build up some calluses on my fingers.

Good for you, man. I played guitar for 30 years until one day I just said "fuckit." The main thing is to enjoy what you're doing and practice every day. When you get to the point where your fingernails start separating from your fingers, a little Super Glue under the nail works wonders.

 

[mudwhistle]

Congratulations and good luck. LOL, I tried when I was a teen and quickly learned that I don't have any musical talent.

I found out that I had talent....but it's limited because of lack of practice.

We'll see if I can get any good at this.

First thing I have to master is getting my fingertips in shape.

 

[Concerned American]

I found out that I had talent....but it's limited because of lack of practice.

We'll see if I can get any good at this.

First thing I have to master is getting my fingertips in shape.

That is what stands out in my memory--very sore fingertips.

 

[The Duke]

Have fun!

 

[mudwhistle]

That is what stands out in my memory--very sore fingertips.

Marty says if your fingers get sore, quit for awhile and come back later.
Also, don't press too hard on the strings.

 

[mudwhistle]

Best of luck. Keep this crew posted on how you progress.

SOme forms of learning become nearly impossible as you age. I used to work for a company that often needed its people to learn foreign languages (most started with four), and they concluded after many years that it was not possible after age 35.

Maybe music is different.

Learning a new language is harder when you're older, but it's not impossible.

I learned that if I wanted to get any good at anything I had to do it over and over.

That's how I learned code and learned how to shoot.

I also used to play football and I learned how to place kick and punt.

Took me a couple of years to get accurate at kicking.

If I had spent that much time learning the guitar I would be pretty good years ago.

The trick to learning a new language is get to the point that you don't have to listen to every word and convert it to English. You learn to understand foreign languages in your mind without thinking of translations.

You notice patterns and you learn to anticipate words you know that are coming next instead of trying to transpose every single word. It makes your understanding of what the person is saying more automatic and faster. But you can only get that way when you practice a lot and eventually something clicks and you start going into high speed. Mainly because you're not trying to see the word. You're understanding the meaning of the word.

 

[Woodznutz]

Learning a new language is harder when you're older, but it's not impossible.

I learned that if I wanted to get any good at anything I had to do it over and over.

That's how I learned code and learned how to shoot.

I also used to play football and I learned how to place kick and punt.

Took me a couple of years to get accurate at kicking.

If I had spent that much time learning the guitar I would be pretty good years ago.

The trick to learning a new language is get to the point that you don't have to listen to every word and convert it to English. You learn to understand foreign languages in your mind without thinking of translations.

You notice patterns and you learn to anticipate words you know that are coming next instead of trying to transpose every single word. It makes your understanding of what the person is saying more automatic and faster. But you can only get that way when you practice a lot and eventually something clicks and you start going into high speed. Mainly because you're not trying to see the word. You're understanding the meaning of the word.

You can build muscle memory at any age if your hand/finger joints are still flexible. I only recently learned some fingerstyle patterns, but it takes thousands of repetitions to get it down.

 

[Woodznutz]

Good for you, man. I played guitar for 30 years until one day I just said "fuckit." The main thing is to enjoy what you're doing and practice every day. When you get to the point where your fingernails start separating from your fingers, a little Super Glue under the nail works wonders.

I quit playing 5-string banjo because I didn't have the time to devote to it, but I have always played and loved guitar. Have recently learned some great fingerpicking patterns. It is said it will change your playing forever and they were right. I should have learned these years ago.