How I Taught Myself Guitar; What NOT To Do

Поделиться
HTML-код
  • Опубликовано: 6 фев 2025
  • Most people who learn guitar, do it by teaching themselves how to play. I was a self taught guitar player for over 6 years and there are a few things I would recommend you do, and don't do when teaching yourself guitar.
    ------------
    MY VIDEO COURSES:
    The Complete Nashville Number System video course
    rhettshullguit...
    Check Out My Guitar Tone Course Here!
    rhettshullguit...
    ------------
    MY PRESETS & PROFILES:
    Line 6 HX Stomp Presets
    www.rhettshull...
    Line 6 Helix & Helix LT Presets
    www.rhettshull...
    Kemper Profiles
    www.rhettshull...
    Impulse Responses (Helix, Kemper, Iridium & AxeFx)
    www.rhettshull...
    ------------
    MY SECOND CHANNEL:
    Rhett Shull Studio
    / @rhettshulltwo
    MY DISCORD SERVER:
    / discord
    DEACON KNIGHT (my band):
    / @deaconknight1939
    ------------
    THE BACKSTAGE JOURNAL PODCAST:
    (apple) podcasts.apple...
    (spotify) open.spotify.c...
    ------------
    SHIPPING ADDRESS:
    5805 State Bridge Road
    Suite G90
    Johns Creek Ga
    30097
    ------------
    My Video Rig (affiliate links)
    CAMERA:
    -Sony A7III
    amzn.to/2NDqJW2
    LENSES:
    -Sony 24-105mm f4
    amzn.to/3svZuLZ
    -Sigma 35mm f1.4
    amzn.to/37M01S6
    -Sigma 50mm f1.4
    amzn.to/3dM4FDm
    LIGHTS:
    -Neewer LED Panel Bi Color
    amzn.to/3kzkb73
    SOUND:
    -Sennheiser MKH 416 Shotgun Mic
    imp.i114863.ne...
    -Universal Audio Apollo X4
    imp.i114863.ne...
    -Zoom H6 Handy Recorder
    imp.i114863.ne...

Комментарии • 2,8 тыс.

  • @rawgabbit3514
    @rawgabbit3514 4 года назад +22143

    The hardest part of learning guitar is getting used to sounding like garbage.

    • @Tuliomurillo
      @Tuliomurillo 4 года назад +159

      🤣

    • @cdmnchwrl2920
      @cdmnchwrl2920 4 года назад +324

      I think the Hardest is when ur A good guitar player and u dont know what genre ur going to and u just pick with All and u dint actually Learn a thing and it lead u to be confuse and stuck at not learn any

    • @Stream_2680
      @Stream_2680 4 года назад +172

      The hardest part about guitar is bar codes

    • @rawgabbit3514
      @rawgabbit3514 4 года назад +152

      Stream I had a really hard time with barre chords too, but this is what made it click for me:
      First, I got comfortable playing an open E chord with my second, third, and fourth fingers, rather than using my index finger.
      Then I just slid that up the neck, and laid my first finger across the next fret down; I’m only having to hold down a few strings so it doesn’t take much. Another thing is, make sure you’re not gripping the neck super hard; instead, think of it like a pulling motion against the fretboard.
      Here’s the important part! Once you get that shape in place, just start strumming, and remember that it’s okay if a string kinda buzzes or doesn’t sound off right. The only part more important than the getting a feel for the hand shape is rhythm! Don’t be afraid of hitting wrong notes, just keep that rhythm steady no matter what! You’ll be able to refine your technique as you go, and I promise you that if you practice for at least 10 minutes a day, you’ll have barre chords down in a few weeks max.
      Practice for 10 minutes, play for an hour! 😎
      Edit: Wrong account lmao my bad

    • @Stream_2680
      @Stream_2680 4 года назад +32

      @@rawgabbit3514 Thanks dude it really helps I've been playing for a year and learning on RUclips and using tabs. I don't really play guitar but it's a little hard since I play violin as my primary instrument and I only been playing that for three years so in my spare I gave my guitar. Thx

  • @bowdenmcallister993
    @bowdenmcallister993 4 года назад +7385

    One of my favourite quotes is “practice for 5 minutes then PLAY for 1 hour” and I live by that!

    • @SilverParatrooper
      @SilverParatrooper 4 года назад +178

      That’s solid advice man

    • @gm836
      @gm836 4 года назад +205

      What does that mean? Sorry if I sound stupid.

    • @jakevoss7885
      @jakevoss7885 4 года назад +1023

      @@gm836 you don't sound stupid at all. Practice techniques, scales, modes, licks etc for a little bit and spend the majority of your time playing the instrument: songs, solos. Even if that's just strumming a few chords put together. We all picked up the instrument to play music, not just playing scales

    • @gregbaker6215
      @gregbaker6215 4 года назад +98

      J Voss
      And that allows the journey to continue, aha moments always come when you let go. You should always try to push your self above your known internal ability. If that makes sense. When the time comes to step up to the plate, you will be glad you challenged what was once beyond what you thought your abilities where. The ZONE... It's where MAJIK happens. Bliss beyond explaination. I think it makes God smile. At least I hope he smiles at all of us. We express our true heart and soul through an instrument that brings inner peace and tranquillity. Along with a lot of other things. It's a life style and that's how it should live it's life.
      🎸🤓🎸🇺🇸☮

    • @joeb3590
      @joeb3590 4 года назад +88

      For me, this is like, okay, you hear this really badass song on the radio, and your like" imma play it!!!!!" So you look up chords and such and spend about 10 minutes or so doing something I like to call "phunking offt." Then you toss on a backing track ( please check out Dopez Tracks and Elevated Jam Tracks) and you play with yourself for an hour ( not that way kids. With guitar!!) And dude, have fun. It's not a life/death type thing. Have fun!!!

  • @jericowithouth2527
    @jericowithouth2527 4 года назад +5859

    Ad: Want to learn guitar? Wait don't click ski-
    Me: Skip

    • @Red38357
      @Red38357 4 года назад +26

      F

    • @xxxanxiety69xxx73
      @xxxanxiety69xxx73 4 года назад +238

      I have gotten that fucking ad so many times

    • @MultiCugel
      @MultiCugel 4 года назад +59

      I hate those damn people

    • @hassanlamidi1546
      @hassanlamidi1546 4 года назад +2

      🤣🤣

    • @billy1858
      @billy1858 4 года назад +8

      im learning with guitar tricks! to be honest ,its pretty good.cost me about £90 for one year on special offer.ive already learnt a bit and it makes me pick up the guitar more often.i dont regret starting it.

  • @paulxaviercyr
    @paulxaviercyr 4 года назад +4515

    My advice, especially the teenagers...
    "Go for it!!"
    Don't be shy, don't let others knock you down and take unconstructive criticism with an "F'em" attitude.
    It's ok to make mistakes, it's ok to suck, it's ok to be a beginner.
    Keep practicing, keep playing and just go for it. Let your inspiration run wild.

    • @ilikewoodwithstrings5896
      @ilikewoodwithstrings5896 3 года назад +46

      Thank you

    • @srvmotoman
      @srvmotoman 3 года назад +37

      This should really be one of the top3 comments on here. Kudos to you good sir!

    • @jazzram_
      @jazzram_ 3 года назад +7

      Thanks :o

    • @heyimred2745
      @heyimred2745 3 года назад +6

      Thank you!

    • @vampyrcia
      @vampyrcia 3 года назад +4

      Is it worth it buying a guitar tho, or should u learn it by someone else

  • @arnoikke
    @arnoikke 3 года назад +1412

    Timestamps:
    2:02 Instrument ready to play
    3:54 On use of tabs
    7:38 Vibrato and bending
    11:35 Learn you some music theory
    13:42 Set goals
    (somewhat based on post by Air conditioning unit)
    You're welcome

    • @flightnavigator8999
      @flightnavigator8999 2 года назад +9

      Thank you 🙏🏼!!!

    • @rosewurkz
      @rosewurkz 2 года назад +3

      Thaaaaaanks🌹

    • @shouryuuken4147
      @shouryuuken4147 11 месяцев назад +3

      Wow. What a nothingburger of a video. How do these people get millions of views with this crap? Anyway, thanks for saving me some time.

  • @airconditioningunit9777
    @airconditioningunit9777 4 года назад +12874

    1. Don’t keep your guitar in your case. Leave it in the open. Adds motivation
    2. Don’t use tabs. Use your ear.
    3. Practice bends and vibrato
    4. Don’t skip music theory
    5. Set goals and milestones

    • @airconditioningunit9777
      @airconditioningunit9777 4 года назад +144

      Igo Further no problem

    • @applesyo
      @applesyo 4 года назад +196

      Air conditioning unit a/c go buuuuurrrr do you go burrrr?

    • @WeeFreeMan78
      @WeeFreeMan78 4 года назад +39

      Awww, that's so cool of you man \m/

    • @gcar5214
      @gcar5214 4 года назад +143

      I use tabs and ear, like if i know a little bit of the song I can figure it out myself, idk about musical theorey but I have played many other instruments

    • @gerryattrik4410
      @gerryattrik4410 4 года назад +314

      I don’t know how people play by ear... at what level does this become possible?

  • @Alexios_CV
    @Alexios_CV 4 года назад +3570

    Dont obsess over learning the guitar. Play something you love on it and the rest follow

    • @practicerepobarrie
      @practicerepobarrie 4 года назад +80

      I agree for sure. 110%

    • @yobrethren
      @yobrethren 4 года назад +46

      Mfw the best i can play is Pink Matter(Frank Ocean) and a few stupid melodies;_;
      It's just so hard to play something more than one and a half strumming pattern on a couple o' chords progression, i can't even consistently switch barres and sum chords😪

    • @katherineespinozamontoya7567
      @katherineespinozamontoya7567 4 года назад +27

      @@yobrethren don’t worry you will get there! Don’t give up

    • @FoxenPiano
      @FoxenPiano 4 года назад +64

      I would say that this is bad advice that would lead to a lot of people hamstringing their progression.

    • @xenixpro
      @xenixpro 3 года назад +3

      So true. I started learning Eagles songs, which made me better.

  • @ahabrawgaming1289
    @ahabrawgaming1289 4 года назад +4562

    Here is a little challenge for beginners, try to play "happy birthday" song without looking it up online on how to play it
    just try to figure it out by yourself by experminating on your guitar, if you manage to do it...then think about it what else can you play? I know this sound silly but this will train your brain, ears and your left hand fingers on how to start playing songs by just listening to them.

    • @chillynilly7046
      @chillynilly7046 4 года назад +116

      I'm finna do that

    • @eklecticskeptic
      @eklecticskeptic 4 года назад +242

      This is not a lie! I actually managed to do this just trying to hear it out. Thanks for the pick me up.

    • @not.valentina
      @not.valentina 4 года назад +154

      or the spongebob closing theme song once you’ve figured out the hbd song :) when i was barely starting out, i tried it and it was a fun challenge. plus it’s also a cool tune to play/showoff💀

    • @soup7917
      @soup7917 4 года назад +53

      Genuinely some really good advice, not just for the guitar but for any instrument too

    • @heyyouthere551
      @heyyouthere551 4 года назад +88

      I didn’t realize I could even do this, I sold myself so short. I’ve been playing guitar for 3 weeks now and my niece’s 4th birthday was last week so I decided to learn it for her. It took me about an hour but I was shocked that my ear was actually okay enough to know what sounded right and what didn’t. This was HUGE for me, my confidence skyrocketed.

  • @RolandsDad
    @RolandsDad 2 года назад +685

    Self taught for over 20 years, a lot of what is mentioned here is rock solid advice. I will add my own for those who care. Those who sort by "new" I love you. : )
    I began with trash gear and getting ripped off as a kid, took a long time to learn my way around things. Tabs were a godsend, especially once I learned that you actually have a tuning! I trusted my ear and used (and still use) tabs as a great framework and let my ear do the rest. The hardest part was direction. What, when and how should I learn? Good habits and good technique aren't things you know if you are doing until much later down the line. A video or seven might really set you up well, but without a buddy or teacher it can feel a bit weird. If you have a chance to jam with friends, always take it, I've rarely had a bad time and I knew my limits were pretty easy to achieve.
    Absolutely positively use every tool at your disposal like RUclips, tabs, whatever you stumble across if it's something you're serious about. There's no real "right" way to learn, and self teaching introduces you to all the hard parts faster, I believe. You find the parts that come naturally and the ones that stump you every time. Those are the ones that should be babied in the beginning but really hammered on as you genuinely progress. I had a penchant for things like pinch harmonics and triplets. I really struggled with getting my pinky involved and accurate picking in the early years. I got to a point where that had to be adjusted and focused on that exclusively.
    As for your gear: sometimes you gotta piss with the cock you got. I did for a looooong time, and you will feel like a new amp, guitar or pedal is what you need. In the early stages it absolutely likely isn't so. It might prevent you from a sound you want i.e. a Floyd Rose on an axe or maybe some delay from a pedal, but it becomes very easy to think a new sound will fix or change you. It gives a lot of inspiration but a month later you'll be in the same rut. I hid behind distortion for YEARS until I stuck with acoustic for an extended period. Then I got a tube amp which is unforgiving for mistakes, ditto delay. That screw up will replay until that delay fades out, baby. As you progress you will begin to know without a doubt what it is you want, then you'll reach the plateau of "gear queer" where you will want all the shiney's. It happens to all of us, inevitably. Play with your knobs and tunings and find how you can get a sound you enjoy with what you have.
    Theory, learning your roots and chords will pay dividends as you progress. You'll hear a dude talk about some weird "Dsus7b add3# extra cheese" or whatever and when that makes sense, you're really ahead of us in the game. That's where I am, 20 years later. Don't follow my footsteps and you'll be better.
    The ever so cliché, have fun. If it isn't fun, you'll quit. You're going to suck when you start. Those exciting moments of "I got it!" are key, even if they suck. If you mean it, you'll get over the learning hump quicker than you think. We all sucked in the beginning and played "smoke on the water" on one string. We all hated it. Our fingers hurt and always hit a wall where we wanted to quit. It passes, it gets easier and sometimes a fat break helps. A new tuning, a different location, whatever. I've got some faith. If I can learn, I promise you can. I went almost two years before I knew how to tune a guitar.

    • @KirbySaysBweo
      @KirbySaysBweo 2 года назад +15

      Didn't sort by new, just scrolled and read through some comments. I took a beginner guitar class (used classicals w/ nylon strings) in Senior year of high school, dropped guitar after graduating, and picked it up a few months later. Now I've been playing for almost a month (steel string acoustic), and while I remembered a lot from class, I needed to put in extra work to refresh my memory as well as playing on a whole new guitar. This has been some very sound advice, so thank you for the motivation and brief lessons! And goodluck on your journey now that you're on the right track!

    • @RolandsDad
      @RolandsDad 2 года назад +2

      @Todo Bien Hell yeah man, glad to help.

    • @aidab7258
      @aidab7258 2 года назад

      Ok. So, suggesting a guitar player to focus on not reading music....so, how is that helpful for anyone who wants to be a professional. You guys have it so wrong.

    • @aidab7258
      @aidab7258 2 года назад +1

      Lol, and, if you have to explain for 2 paragraphs on how to achieve this, I'm turning around. What the fuck??

    • @aidab7258
      @aidab7258 2 года назад

      No.

  • @Metallizombie
    @Metallizombie 3 года назад +625

    I agree/disagree with tab. If you trust people to pick things up by ear they might not ever get started and give up. Learning that first song or even first thing that sounds like something can be addictive

    • @Feverm00n
      @Feverm00n 2 года назад +58

      Yeah, if I hadn’t used tabs (well, lyrics with the chord names written above them) I absolutely never would have continued learning the ukulele. I definitely wouldn’t have managed to learn a whole song that way.
      The instruction to only play by ear as a beginner would have destined me to frustrated failure as someone with a lot of auditory processing issues and who has no natural ability to discern one note from another or understanding of even the most basic musical theory (for instance, I needed to show one set of chords to a friend and have him tell me if they seemed even close to the original song because I had literally no idea whether what I was playing even loosely resembled the original song).
      Unless they’re very different, I basically can’t tell the sounds apart, let alone identify them. I’m only juuuuuuuuust starting to make very slow progress on changing that. Since having some songs under my belt, I’ve stumbled upon parts of songs by ear. I never could have done that at the beginning.
      Some people are starting with strengths in different areas. I guess it just goes to show there’s no one-size fits all approach. I ended up just pausing it after that piece of advice cause figured these tips are probably geared toward a certain kind of player who is very different from me lol. More power to the beginners who can just learn songs by ear, though. That’s incredible.

    • @dickvalentinesillegitimate1059
      @dickvalentinesillegitimate1059 2 года назад +5

      Tabs on help me if it’s a song I REALLY know and love.

    • @vicenteb531
      @vicenteb531 2 года назад +12

      I learned to play guitar when I was 15 years old (I'm 37 now), and I was lucky to have these official guitar tablature + music sheet books, like all the Hal Leonard, Cherry Lane, etc. Those books are not just tabs like the ones you find in websites, since they have things like the proper names of each music section (chorus, pre chorus, bridge, outro, interlude, etc), chord notation, music sheet for the vocals, and so on. I think you can really learn a lot with that kind of books, but that is not exactly the case when just looking at tabs on the internet.

    • @ohheyemmi
      @ohheyemmi 2 года назад +13

      I don't think he's saying "don't ever use tabs" but rather "don't RELY on tabs." So yeah use tab to learn your favorite songs when you start, but if something sounds wrong trust your ear. The goal there being to train your ear so that eventually you CAN pick things up by ear. It would be like an engineering major not learning any real math formulas or theorems because their calculator can get the answer for them. Later on when they are in upper level physics, quantum mechanics, robotics or whatever (I'm not an engineering major idk) or even once they get an engineering job and actually have to solve real world problems, they will be totally lost because they skipped learning the formulas and applications of the formulas and such in favor of just using a fancy calculator for the answers.
      Kind of a long winded metaphor, but I think it mostly tracks. Mostly. Like getting to the point where you've played the song a dozen times but you still have to look at the tab every time before you play it because you used tabs as a crutch. Thats what I got from what he said, but you definitely aren't the only one who commented something similar so I'm probably wrong.
      I hope some of that made sense.

    • @thamrew676
      @thamrew676 2 года назад +5

      @@ohheyemmi Bad example since engineering majors dont have to learn quantum physics and the like, thats for physicists to worry about.
      Engineers still have to have problem solving skills to do their jobs right.
      Source: Uncle's an engineer, brother's an engineer and my classmate's doing engineering.

  • @parabellum_1049
    @parabellum_1049 4 года назад +1157

    Best quote: "plus, guitars are COOL. Why wouldn't you wanna have one in your room"
    That's gold

    • @nehemiahzo_
      @nehemiahzo_ 4 года назад +3

      What’s cool about guitar to guys and girls:
      Guys: Sick shreds, sick rhythm, music memes
      Girls: Acoustic strumming, ambient, indie, dream pop, *callused fingers*

    • @卩丨尺卂卂-d8u
      @卩丨尺卂卂-d8u 4 года назад +52

      @@nehemiahzo_ that's nonsense

    • @turockoelysiumtank9790
      @turockoelysiumtank9790 4 года назад

      @@卩丨尺卂卂-d8u I DISAGREE

    • @brqe
      @brqe 4 года назад

      Nehemiah Zo bro I have calloused fingers... and I’ve been trying to play my favorite songs for me and my family ;-;

    • @andyjc9535
      @andyjc9535 4 года назад +4

      @@nehemiahzo_ girls just like attractive dudes who can hold a guitar. of course im generalizing here

  • @k4z2K
    @k4z2K 4 года назад +5022

    "leave your guitar out"
    me being extremely lazy: way ahead of you😏

  • @frit6646
    @frit6646 4 года назад +1201

    him: "don‘t skip music theory"
    the ad under the video: "skip guitar theory - do THIS instead"

    • @wididididididi8693
      @wididididididi8693 4 года назад +36

      Omg I thought I was the only one. It's really confusing when you hear the one thing and then hear the opposite of said thing.

    • @MetalMarauder
      @MetalMarauder 3 года назад +50

      @@wididididididi8693 pro tip: “guitar teacher” apps you see ads for on RUclips don’t have any vested interest in you getting any good at guitar. there’s no incentive. What they want is more app downloads, so their way of accomplishing that is telling you what you wanna hear: “guitar is easy! you don’t need theory! you can be a rock star by next week!”
      they want you to download it impulsively but the reality is guitar’s not something you can learn impulsively. It IS hard, you SHOULD learn theory, and getting good takes a LONG time, but it’s all worth doing IF and only IF you’re passionate enough to see it through.

    • @villusive
      @villusive 3 года назад

      😂

    • @paradiddle5150
      @paradiddle5150 3 года назад

      😆 😂

    • @teriakamoto
      @teriakamoto 2 года назад +4

      @@wididididididi8693 Don't believe everything you hear, and only half of what you see.

  • @cw3149
    @cw3149 4 года назад +379

    *leaves guitar open*
    my cats : “ make sure you pass the tickets to our neighbors .. we’re gonna rockk tonightttt”

    • @shinko1211
      @shinko1211 4 года назад +17

      god my cats would use it as a litter box

    • @nadiamarie613
      @nadiamarie613 4 года назад +19

      my kitten literally tries to play mine with his teeth-

    • @giselle5596
      @giselle5596 4 года назад +7

      You can hang it on your wall

    • @jazzram_
      @jazzram_ 3 года назад +3

      Wtf 😂

    • @dahliafiend
      @dahliafiend 3 года назад +5

      My cat learned to play the low E string to get me to feed him. My other cat peed in my guitar case so…this rule is hard for me.

  • @M66GUS
    @M66GUS 3 года назад +611

    I’ve been teaching guitar for many years, and I’m also self taught, and I agree with every single point you made.
    I would only add that as a beginner, one shouldn’t force oneself to practice, there is such a thing as bad practice.

    • @gusman412
      @gusman412 3 года назад +61

      When I started and it was going bad I would put it down and come back. Sometimes we need to reflect and chill. It seemed easy after the break !

    • @Bryt25
      @Bryt25 2 года назад +15

      There is a point for most people whereby practice becomes aversion therapy I think, unless it;'s a piece that really grabs you. My buddy could practice for hours tho and he got very good.

    • @ethanthorpee
      @ethanthorpee 2 года назад +1

      how long did it take you to play comfortably?

    • @M66GUS
      @M66GUS 2 года назад +16

      @@ethanthorpee About a year, if memory serves. I started aged 13 in 1976, started with Bert Weedon's 'Play In A Day' book, but learned to use my ears.
      Two live albums helped me immensely, Status Quo's Quo Live and Thin Lizzy's Live & Dangerous. On both those albums, the two guitars were panned left and right, so I would turn say the left channel down and figure out what the right-sided guitar was playing, then turn him down and play with the band!

    • @damagedgoods143
      @damagedgoods143 2 года назад +1

      i wanted to learn how to play a guitar, is it good to start with a stratocaster as my first guitar or should i start with a regular acoustic guitar?
      ps. sorry for my stupid question i’m just scared to spend a lot on my money😭

  • @nehemiahzo_
    @nehemiahzo_ 4 года назад +3043

    1. Pick a genre
    2. Study that genre
    3. Practice guitar concepts of that genre.

    • @kiri4186
      @kiri4186 4 года назад +41

      Metal! I want to djent but my strings aren't for low tones.

    • @flamecrew9atroblox958
      @flamecrew9atroblox958 4 года назад +9

      I do all

    • @supernoah71
      @supernoah71 4 года назад +63

      Number 1. reminds me of this: "Put me in the Eagles and I wouldn't know what to do." - Tony Iommi

    • @cron6435
      @cron6435 4 года назад +62

      it's better to not stick with one genre

    • @nehemiahzo_
      @nehemiahzo_ 4 года назад +2

      soup I never said you had to pick just one 🗿

  • @chzzyg2698
    @chzzyg2698 4 года назад +848

    When learning how to play, don't get overwhelmed(take one lesson at a time), and don't let peers pressure you into thinking you have to be a natural Hendrix right out of the starting gate.

    • @TheNinnyfee
      @TheNinnyfee 4 года назад +48

      Usually people who don't play guitar put on way more pressure, e.g. parents or people who want free music from you. But you are right, nobody should put on pressure. Guitar is an instrument you should choose because you love it.

    • @johnharvey4448
      @johnharvey4448 4 года назад +14

      This reminds of people who go to do weight training and think It's about about how much weight one can lift in relation to others. It Isn't.

    • @suicidalloafofbread2009
      @suicidalloafofbread2009 3 года назад +8

      I don't even own a guitar and I'm overwhelmed. The more I look into it, the more stressful everything relating to guitars seems, especially when compared to the instruments that I do play.

    • @chzzyg2698
      @chzzyg2698 3 года назад +6

      @@suicidalloafofbread2009 Think of it as a game like Magic The Gathering. You can dabble with it, be pretty good playing it, or you can be the divisional champ at it. No matter how good you are it's always played for fun. Okay, that metaphor kinda sucks, it's just a play thing that you mess with for fun like any instrument.

  • @DalisYn
    @DalisYn 4 года назад +3636

    Learning by ear is so hard when songs have pedal effects.

    • @whisperscribe
      @whisperscribe 4 года назад +251

      Its just a ear training obstacle but can be done! Try to focus on the notes being played!

    • @soultheory8441
      @soultheory8441 4 года назад +51

      Learn theory

    • @masteraxe9238
      @masteraxe9238 4 года назад +215

      @@soultheory8441 that can only get you so far, you can't change bad ears unfortunately

    • @grigno97
      @grigno97 4 года назад +125

      What i can recommend and was a game changer for me is this: learn how to recognize a unison interval (two same notes) and sing what you play. Simple single note lines. Then try to recognise intervals as visual and finger shapes (example: the power chord shape, is always a perfect fifth) and sing those intervals. This way you start to naturally recognize the intervals when you hear them, and your fingers will go automatically where they have to when you're learning a song. It's slower than looking at tabs but way more useful in the long run

    • @soultheory8441
      @soultheory8441 4 года назад +8

      Master Axe92 true, but if you have a little bit of a better understanding of music you can pick things up easier

  • @jimboilard1764
    @jimboilard1764 3 года назад +53

    I'm 59 and started playing in '76. There wasn't much tab in the 70s at all and it was mostly wrong. Everyone learned songs by ear. We wore out LPs and tapes trying to figure out stuff. One way we developed the skill for figuring out songs was to play along with the radio. You had 3 minutes to figure it out and then you were off to the next song. After a while you get pretty good at it. Now we have all of these great tools at our disposal, RUclips, Spotify, PCs, lots of tabs, etc. I still try to learn songs by ear first, tab second, RUclips third, if I'm having a hard time. Also, play with other people. This is very important. Another trick is to play a note and then sing it while playing it. Provides major reinforcement.

    • @pakyu8077
      @pakyu8077 2 года назад

      Thank you for this

  • @thedevine1628
    @thedevine1628 3 года назад +50

    This is fantastic advice. Practice is everything. I’ve spent the past 3ish years just trying to get better by learning songs and solos. In this I’ve completely neglected my technique. I’m now focusing on a rigorous practice routine, focusing on speed, dexterity, and overall cleanliness, and rewarding myself with playing songs afterwards. It’s made learning easier, and playing much more sarisfying

    • @teriakamoto
      @teriakamoto 2 года назад

      Amen. I definitely relate. You're on the right track. I totally get the reward thing.Dollars to Donuts that your laying is improving greatly.

    • @CarlYota
      @CarlYota 22 дня назад +1

      Absolutely. This is what I preach because every single beginner guitarist friend I’ve had does this. Most quit and others are not much better decades later. This is just not how instruments are learned. And the reason why guitar has such a higher quit rate than other instruments is because people have a more classical training approach when they play something like the violin.
      People who pick up a guitar, do so because they like Pink Floyd or Metallica or Periphery. Well, sweet summer child, it’s gonna be decades before your good enough to hang with Misha so you better have more motivation that just wanting to play those songs.
      Technique and theory is everything. Songs are just the expression/ application of that. It would be like going to school and only taking tests. Never studying, never hearing lectures, never actually being taught anything, just trying to take tests. Maybe if I take the test slower I’ll be label to do it right?
      People need to learn thier instrument first and foremost. The way a violin player would. Tom morello said technique is how you get your hands to go where you want them to. And theory is how you know where they can go. In other words knowledge and ability.
      Beginners need to practice playing guitar, not songs.

  • @romaholcomb7768
    @romaholcomb7768 4 года назад +743

    My problem is I can't put my guitar down, lol. I've been practicing for 4 months, and I'm always happy. Love y'all.

    • @Cris18Martinez
      @Cris18Martinez 4 года назад +56

      lol haha yeah Ive been playing for about 2 and a half months, the first month it was annoying cause my fingers were horrible unconditioned for chord shapes and pressing the strings down but now it’s getting fun.

    • @nehemiahzo_
      @nehemiahzo_ 4 года назад +6

      Love you too lmao 💕💝

    • @chandraabudiman
      @chandraabudiman 4 года назад +16

      @@Cris18Martinez i just bought my first guitar today. How do u learn to play? Tutorials? I really don't know where to start and the step by step on how to learn

    • @andrewlankarge1966
      @andrewlankarge1966 4 года назад +13

      @@chandraabudiman Check out Justin Guitar!

    • @stevescuba1978
      @stevescuba1978 4 года назад +18

      @@chandraabudiman I just got a friend started...
      Learn 3 chords (I suggest D, A, G) and then start trying different strumming patterns. At the same time, learn a scale or two (most seem to start with the A minor pentatonic). Practice those for AT LEAST 5-10 minutes EVERY DAY. Once you can nail those chords and that scale, add a chord (C, E) and a new scale (major scale) and practice those for AT LEAST 5-10 minutes EVERY DAY. Then learn F and B (and the other Barre chords)...AT LEAST 5-10 minutes EVERY DAY.

  • @5-sf
    @5-sf 4 года назад +2132

    "Try that bend on your first finger" *acoustic players start crying*

    • @lily_rose_
      @lily_rose_ 4 года назад +116

      I got calluses so fast though lol

    • @fitchyyboi
      @fitchyyboi 4 года назад +33

      lily bruh same im 5 days in

    • @lily_rose_
      @lily_rose_ 4 года назад +80

      Andrew F. hahaha good luck with it. I lost feeling in my fingertips on day 3 lol but I was literally playing for a solid 8 hours at a time.

    • @ronaldoJJK
      @ronaldoJJK 4 года назад +44

      @@lily_rose_ how? this is my third day and my fingers are sore and they hurt so bad so i can't even play my guitar anymore. :( ... any advise?

    • @lily_rose_
      @lily_rose_ 4 года назад +103

      Roomisa Abid just keep playing the pain goes away in like 2 weeks u get used to it. Play for like 15 minutes and take a break for like 30 minutes. I just obsessively played for hours and I’m pretty sure I screwed up my nerve endings or something lol. Just keep playing it’s worth it.

  • @ge45gecalled39
    @ge45gecalled39 4 года назад +206

    being 74 and just starting out and knowing nothing, just got my Epiphone Limited Edition Peter Frampton Les Paul Custom PRO Electric Guitar today and that has given me the wanting to succeed, where would you have me to start, plus want to read music, was listening to Peter Frampton and it's the first time of hearing a guitar axially sing, couldn't believe my ears, not a word was sung all guitar, Wow, how sweet it was, that's my inspiration, in 30 years or so, Lol well head me off in the right direction, take care, have fun and be happy, George

    • @graphicartdude
      @graphicartdude 4 года назад +8

      That's inspiring George. Frampton could make his guitar sing, I agree.

  • @martinwise9705
    @martinwise9705 3 года назад +9

    Rhett I've been playing over 50 years and I love listening to you because you know what you are talking about. Thank you for all of the great advice.

  • @nateballfr
    @nateballfr 4 года назад +129

    1. Leave guitar out to play - you practice more and want to play it. Also guitars look sick.
    2. Don’t rely on guitar tabs - use your ears.
    3. Use RUclips to your advantage - watch great artists to find the emotion and story around what they are playing.
    4. Practice your bends and vibrato.
    5. Don’t skip over music theory - major scales, notes of fretboard, triads, and caged system.
    6. Set goals and milestones.

  • @mikeaustin4138
    @mikeaustin4138 4 года назад +707

    Scales are important; so are arpeggios. Arpeggios, combined with "short" scale phrases, are extremely useful for introducing variety into your playing.

    • @JMartinDA
      @JMartinDA 4 года назад +7

      any video recommendations on how this would sound like or this method being taught?

    • @LordBokito
      @LordBokito 4 года назад +3

      @@JMartinDA Rick Beato mentioned this in his videos for example (and also in his book).

    • @mathlfr
      @mathlfr 4 года назад

      short scale phases do you mean like pocket octaves?

    • @idontwant2beasoldiermama241
      @idontwant2beasoldiermama241 4 года назад

      @George Sander
      I don't know man, hope it helped ;)

    • @animonke5481
      @animonke5481 4 года назад

      @Peter Martins The first, third and fifth notes in a scale. This is why theory is so important

  • @xallisanchezcomedy
    @xallisanchezcomedy 4 года назад +319

    Hey I’m 14 and I’m teaching myself with tabs too! And I’m sitting on my bed with my guitar on my lap!

    • @timscarrow9151
      @timscarrow9151 4 года назад +56

      I'm 54 and have been playing since I was 10 and I ain't famous But I love having a guitar to hold I could never give them up.

    • @icephonex
      @icephonex 4 года назад +7

      How does it go? What tools are you using to learn?

    • @paulcooper5748
      @paulcooper5748 4 года назад +6

      @@timscarrow9151 Same.

    • @suhanichatterjee6740
      @suhanichatterjee6740 4 года назад +11

      lol im 14 too and same thing

    • @kieliton-vh6rx
      @kieliton-vh6rx 4 года назад +4

      Same man execpt ive got no experience

  • @davidnuckols8151
    @davidnuckols8151 4 года назад +115

    I wish I could have heard this when in was 21. I'm 68 now. Between You and Rick Beato I've learned more about music in the last year than I've ever had.

  • @princessbeauty7989
    @princessbeauty7989 4 года назад +9

    This is some of the best advice i have heard on RUclips. My dad is a musician and he has been playing since he was 18, he is now 52 and he learned by ear. Learning by ear is the best way you can possibly learn guitar, because you can understand your instrument alot better if you learn it, instead of looking up tabs and just looking at sheet music. So thank you for giving out this advice.

  • @rickybgoode9078
    @rickybgoode9078 3 года назад +4

    New fan, 65yo beginner, and you hit the nail on the head right out of the box. Leave your guitar out and visible!!! I could NOT agree more. This one thing has made a huge difference for me. I still suck due to physical limitations but, I have learned so much. Because of people like you, I pick up my guitar several times a day and learn something new. Thanks Rhett

  • @druwk
    @druwk 4 года назад +348

    Concentrate on playing accurately, in time. Not necessarily with a metronome, but tapping out steady time. If a part hangs you up, slow down the whole piece/part/line until you can play it smoothly. Playing smoothly, without anxiety about weather you have “enough time” to make a change, play a line, etc. allows you to work up tempo while concentrating on accuracy. Practice makes permanent, not perfect. Practicing a part accurately builds muscle memory, which then allows you to play forget about form (because it’s already locked into your hands), and work on expression.

    • @nonaaame550
      @nonaaame550 4 года назад +2

      Well said

    • @Lamo2100
      @Lamo2100 4 года назад

      Excellent Point!

    • @rangerdoc1029
      @rangerdoc1029 4 года назад +1

      I had no idea how bad my timing was until I first tried to play along with a backing track. The beat is everything.

    • @phillippickett6540
      @phillippickett6540 4 года назад

      Thanks for that advice!

    • @soultheory8441
      @soultheory8441 4 года назад +2

      I think a metronome is definitely perfect for improving tempo

  • @EduardoLopez-bl6gj
    @EduardoLopez-bl6gj 4 года назад +428

    practicing guitar standing up is also really helpful

    • @kerrykroger7323
      @kerrykroger7323 4 года назад +30

      I can honestly not play well sitting down... I started playing sitting, then performing Standing now I can't play seated anymore... I also never had You Tube or any other videos to learn, I had books and Fake Books and Tablature and Score, I can't read "Score" as it pertains to the notes on the guitar... But I can read them for TIMING I never could read tab unless I had the song to hear...

    • @paparuffy406
      @paparuffy406 4 года назад +63

      As I never plan to perform, I’ve always played sitting. Also I didn’t start playing until after I had been injured by an IED. I don’t stand well for periods of time now so even if I wanted to, it’s out of the question.
      Not meant for pity, playing guitar has helped me move on in life past thinking about life pre-injury. Helped with PTSD immensely as well.

    • @phillippickett6540
      @phillippickett6540 4 года назад +13

      Papa Ruffy Cool Papa. Play how you like and how you can. Just play! Thanks for your service.

    • @dancalifone4557
      @dancalifone4557 4 года назад +6

      If you adjust your strap to the same height sitting as it is when you’re standing, playing either way feels the exact same 👍

    • @msenecal
      @msenecal 4 года назад +11

      I learned this the hard way. I had a complicated solo nailed while I practiced sitting down. I was shocked when I was standing on stage and couldn't reach the notes as fast. This threw off my timing and ruined the solo. Stand up for what's important to you.

  • @august9855
    @august9855 4 года назад +425

    I can confirm that having your guitar on the wall or on a stand will make you play more. I have mine on the wall by my bed and whenever I can't sleep I pick it up and play something, it doesn't matter if it's 2am and I have school the next day or if I'm just going to bed and have a lot of energy.

    • @willixm2520
      @willixm2520 4 года назад +3

      I learnt to play the violin for 6 years and bcuz of the humidity in the air it's bad to leave it exposed and having to take it out of the case every time really killed my motivation. I'm getting into guitar and I'm gonna buy my first one in a week so yeah I'm not gonna leave it in a case unless I need to take it somewhere else, a friend of mine who plays guitar lended me one that he doesn't use and I've been practicing on it since then (like 2 days ago) and I'm pretty stoked to get my own :D

    • @fitchyyboi
      @fitchyyboi 4 года назад +1

      Joseph Oakwood more like puppy eyes 🥺🥺🥺

    • @fitchyyboi
      @fitchyyboi 4 года назад +1

      Guilherme Gaspar yoo how you doing??

    • @willixm2520
      @willixm2520 4 года назад

      @@fitchyyboi I ve been doing pretty well i think, I've had my own guitar for a month now and have been learning a lot of stuff. I can tell you a lot of skill translates from the violin to the guitar so it was not hard for me to get the hang of it. I've got a teacher who I've met before and has been helping a lot, not only on the technical part of playing guitar but also a lot of music theory I didn't really need before (on the classical scene) but which is very useful now which is good so yeah it's been fun.

    • @fitchyyboi
      @fitchyyboi 4 года назад

      Guilherme Gaspar Nice mate!

  • @sapphavoc8626
    @sapphavoc8626 3 года назад +39

    I’ve been teaching myself how to play guitar, I began in may this year, and I finally, FINALLY, learnt how to do barre chords. I’m still rusty on transitioning in and out of those chords but I CAN do them :)

    • @stephr5914
      @stephr5914 2 года назад +2

      Just started weeks ago and barre chords are like witchcraft to me 😅💀 I can't even reach them.... Just see them and go nope

    • @Hyberi0n
      @Hyberi0n 2 года назад

      I've been learning for almost 2 months now and I've already got the Barre chord down , the transition isn't that smooth but all you gotta do is play play and play even if you sound like garbage , what I do sometimes is I play some guitar pieces on headphones ( pink Floyd , plini , snowy white ) and imagine myself playing those while I'm hammering my barre chords 😂 worked for me. Most important thing is not to let your ego get the best of you, play for yourself not thinking about impressing others. Good day y'all

  • @Plug_Art
    @Plug_Art 4 года назад +97

    8:01 gollyyyyy. Brought a tear to ny eyes 😩

  • @julieeee898
    @julieeee898 4 года назад +325

    I just started teaching myself to play guitar and I must say it's really overwhelming and hard... but watching your videos for beginners really do give me a good feeling I can achieve it and also kind of take away the fear. Thanks, Rhett !

    • @wmgreen00
      @wmgreen00 4 года назад +14

      You got this! I started playing 3 years ago and its one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! I’ve been playing drums since I was 11 but something about playing guitar is special! Good luck in your journey!

    • @jperryfan
      @jperryfan 4 года назад +5

      Devote some time to trying to learn by ear. Devote a lot of time having fun and writing your own stuff.

    • @stephenabshire1960
      @stephenabshire1960 4 года назад +9

      picking up my guitar again at 62 was the best decision i ever made. i barely knew how to play before. after 21/2 years of playing i now have 4 guitars ( and love all but 1) and went from playing 40 min. a day to playing as much as i possibly can every day. and loving it. just don't quit it only gets better and better steve abshire ps i have also written a number of songs already don't quit

    • @dankay7982
      @dankay7982 4 года назад +5

      One step at a time. One day it clicks and it all falls in place. You got this!

    • @chandraabudiman
      @chandraabudiman 4 года назад +5

      I just bought my first guitar today. How do u learn? Tutorials? I really dont know where to start. If u can share ur learning source that would be amazing

  • @animonke5481
    @animonke5481 4 года назад +467

    Once you have learnt one instrument, regardless of how related they are, it's a lot easier to learn another. I'm an alto saxophonist and learning guitar is going a lot quicker than my first instrument. Learning also gets a lot smoother (not necessarily quicker but a lot less laborious) the further you get with any instrument.

    • @spaghettieata
      @spaghettieata 3 года назад +16

      i agree! guitar helped me a lot with piano, it felt like the exact same thing

    • @Bryt25
      @Bryt25 2 года назад +2

      True and all the woodwind have the same main 6 finger positions and reed pressures, even double reeds.

    • @Derayv2
      @Derayv2 2 года назад +2

      Same but I play trumpet :)

    • @Gxafnmmgvgg
      @Gxafnmmgvgg 2 года назад +1

      Same here I played alto sax for a while and it's def helped me learn guitar faster

    • @SonMigel
      @SonMigel 2 года назад +3

      I play the drums...

  • @johnk7093
    @johnk7093 4 года назад +70

    in 86 when I started learning I tried to pick out notes on songs. found a note and everytime it was played I would play it... next time, would add another note, soon I was hitting 7-8 notes in row.. then like you said, find out what that note was then I would write them down, and learn it.... later when I was in Music Theory class in College I went back to my "notebook" and figured out what scale they were in. really helped in leaning what was where.... and always did finger exercises... 1,2,3,4 then skip a string and play 4,3,2,1 so on.. then would skip fingers and strings 1,3 next string 2,4 and so on.then move up one fret and do the same thing. Training my fingers to go places I wanted them to.
    Great Vid Rhett, will be checking out your live stream for sure.
    Cheers from Montana

  • @kc_sunshine
    @kc_sunshine Год назад +3

    been a teacher on and off for twenty years, and this is the best advice i've seen in one place. well thought out and well put.

  • @geraldaugustus739
    @geraldaugustus739 2 года назад +193

    These are all great tips for someone who is starting out incredibly dedicated to the craft of learning guitar. But I taught guitar for many years (also after many years of being self taught), and the biggest hurdle for most starting guitar players is managing that commitment. Keeping the guitar out is a great nod to this, but some of this advice is actually terrible for that. The biggest one is, beginners should ABSOLUTELY use tabs if it helps them learn a song that they'll WANT to practice. Most people starting out wont have the ears to just "pick stuff up", so when you reinforce the idea that that's something beginners SHOULD be able to do, then when someone can't it immediately sends the message "well I guess I'm not talented enough/good enough/musical enough to play guitar", and 9 times out of 10 they quit. To any beginners, THAT'S NOT TRUE. If you can't learn your current favourite song by just listening and plucking around, OF FUCKING COURSE YOU CANT. Get a tab, get a friend who kinda knows it, watch youtube (which rhett does suggest). Do whatever it takes to learn the thing that you'll ENJOY practicing. Should you also try plucking things out by ear? Of course! And as you develop your ears and that skill you'll likely find it super rewarding and may end up writing some tab corrections yourself! But the messaging that if you don't do that you're learning guitar wrong is terrible. Also, forget about theory and vibrato when you're starting. I learned theory 2-3 years into playing and tbh, it was perfect timing. I understood enough about playing that the theory mapped onto the guitar in a way that had so many "oooooh, that's why" moments and made learning it really rewarding. I'm not arguing the relevance and benefits of working on vibrato and theory, rather saying, if you're here trying to get tips on how to get started out teaching yourself guitar, those things are not where you start.

    • @ohheyemmi
      @ohheyemmi 2 года назад +4

      Thats literally what he said....
      He said don't *RELY* on tabs, not "dont ever use tabs." So if you're reading a tab but it *sounds* wrong to you, trust your ear. Yes that is going to take time, thats why he said its "something thats worth starting to work on early in your guitar playing career." He goes on to say that some people get to the point where they can't play a song without looking at tabs first, even if you know the song or how it goes or whatever. He is correct in that learning to read music early on in your guitar career is going to be massively beneficial, especially if you plan on playing with anyone else because tabs are guitar specific. No other instrument uses tabs. He never, EVER said "if you use tab you're learning guitar wrong." Its really bizarre to me that THAT is the message you got from this seeing as you're both saying the same thing regarding tabs. Idk why you seem so angry.
      He also didn't say "YOU CAN ONLY USE MUSIC THEORY FOR LEARNING AND YOU MUST KNOW EVERYTHING RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING." He said, "don't IGNORE theory." Immediately after he says you should learn a couple scales. Then he talked about triads, which is basically just learning chords. Those are the only two music theory bits he suggested you "don't skip."
      Anyway, hope you feel better.

    • @geraldaugustus739
      @geraldaugustus739 2 года назад +12

      @@ohheyemmi Weirdest white knighting I've ever seen. Thank god you're here. You saved the channel. From my counterpoints. Great work.

    • @geraldaugustus739
      @geraldaugustus739 2 года назад +3

      @@ohheyemmi While also completely misunderstanding the dichotomy I was drawing.

    • @TheCptMojo
      @TheCptMojo 2 года назад +5

      @@geraldaugustus739 I'm a month late and I completely agree with you

    • @dracodaym715
      @dracodaym715 Год назад +2

      Completely agree with u on using tabs. He’s really overestimating a beginners ability to listen to a song and hear the different chords being played. Some beginners don’t even know what an A minor chord is, so how r they supposed to improvise a song when they don’t know the basics. Nd like u said, when they can’t do it, it’ll discourage them and cause them to quit before they really even give it a shot.

  • @Rustyjamesman
    @Rustyjamesman 4 года назад +53

    that first tip is such a good one, I literally just pick up my guitar all the time and play it even for just a few minutes

  • @lilyskindasilly
    @lilyskindasilly 4 года назад +95

    This video helped me a ton. When you start off with the guitar, you should start where you feel most comfortable. People can’t tell you what to do, they can only tell you what’s best. I’ve been playing the guitar for less than a month now (3 weeks and 5 days). Some things I did for myself was making goals for myself, watching RUclips to help me, and having fun. NEVER feel like your pressured to learn it quick because somebody told you that they did. I learned some chords, learned a few string songs, and just kinda did my own thing. Just by doing what made me comfortable is what made me into a not so bad guitar player. It doesn’t matter how long you practice for each day, it’s about if your having fun and learning new things while your practicing :) hope this helped anybody who is having a hard time with guitar or just wanted some inspiration.

  • @Mylifeandfriends101
    @Mylifeandfriends101 4 года назад +7

    Been learning in quarantine n the best thing that's keeping me motivated is having one of my friends giving me tips and sending videos of him playing too, as well as looking at tutorials on RUclips and playing in front of my family, its nice to see them smile even in these hard times

  • @SteinerFab1357
    @SteinerFab1357 2 года назад +1

    I've had my guitars for about 20 years. When I started buying them the internet didn't exist yet, cell phones were at the flip phone stage. Learning to play was frustrating because I also have A.D.D. and I do so many things ( job & business ) that my mind constantly wonders, so concentration is in and out. I agree that RUclips is a huge help. People like yourself, Rick Beato, Mary Spender & your other friends that have channels on here I watch have taught me a lot. I understand what has been explained ( theory), it's getting it from the head to the hands that's hard for me.

  • @SamanthaGusman
    @SamanthaGusman 2 года назад +8

    I am 17 and I just got a guitar yesterday which I plan to teach myself how to play. Thank you for this video! I learned a lot.

    • @ric2854
      @ric2854 Год назад +1

      can you play now

    • @eggbass
      @eggbass 11 месяцев назад

      Enjoy the journey!

  • @aristeas
    @aristeas 4 года назад +51

    I had 5 bass lessons when I was 17. That taught me scales and fingering and memorising every note on the neck. I taught myself guitar from there aged 30. That was 30 years ago. I'm retired, ownm 20+ guitars and write and record in my music room. It puts joy, absolute pleasure at the centre of my life.
    The biggest problem is not knowing what you dont know, and therefore not looking for ways to learn them. My one tip that isn't covered often is this.
    Get recordings of the songs and solos you really love, that's why you became a guitarist in the first place. Put them into software that slows down and speds up and learn the bits that make you feel great. First slow down as much as possible to get the chops, then speed up a bit at a time until you reach normal.THEN play the recording faster, about 110% is good. Then when you play at normal speed it will be easy.

  • @sundialmusicproductions2346
    @sundialmusicproductions2346 4 года назад +70

    Agree: learning "by ear" has served me well over for almost 50 years, now. Learning The Beatles catalog was my building-blocks for future song learning.

    • @Adam-mv4nz
      @Adam-mv4nz 4 года назад +2

      Hello there so i've been playing for like 4 days now and i find the A chord very hard to play mainly because my fingers can't all fit and my question is the following: is it normal in the beginning or am i just not doing it right i would really appreciate your help since you've been playing for so long.

    • @sundialmusicproductions2346
      @sundialmusicproductions2346 4 года назад +5

      @@Adam-mv4nz Hello: for only 4 days, you are doing great! I think that I could only play maybe an abbreviated G-C-D in my first week. So don't worry too much about A-chord (or Bb or B) for now, it will come eventually. Also try your three smallest fingers, which will come in handy for easier transitions to either Bb or B chord. Rock n' roll songs in the key of A- (there are MANY), if you look in videos at the way the guitar players 'cheat' (me included - LOL), we usually just 'bar' our first finger across the 2nd fret (4th-3rd-2rd strings, deaden the 1st string). Then when you move from A (root) to D (5th or dominant), you can again either leave out the 1st string or let it ring open (D9), which is used in countless songs, even though they will write 'D' chord in those popular online chord-song sites: don't believe everything you read there. Watch the artist in their videos to see HOW they play the chords...that will show you the true way to do it, IMO.

    • @timscarrow9151
      @timscarrow9151 4 года назад +1

      WORD! That was my inspiration to play in the first place .Johnny and his "all my loving" guitar part.

    • @johnharvey4448
      @johnharvey4448 4 года назад +1

      @@Adam-mv4nz I think it is normal to find the A chord very hard to play for the reason you stated that your fingers can't all fit. I remember being the same regards that chord. Spaces between frets are not particularly wide really. Mr.P's suggestion seems good - giving the using of your three smallest fingers, instead of the more standard way A is played. I'm not even sure my fingers all fit when it comes to the A chord after 30 years yet somehow it sounds ok.

    • @Adam-mv4nz
      @Adam-mv4nz 4 года назад

      @@johnharvey4448 thank you that's what i figured after practicing for so long

  • @jrenaud22
    @jrenaud22 4 года назад +66

    Additional tip: Get your guitar set up by a professional luthier. I always thought that was for "good" guitar players of which I certainly am not one. After 10 years of being stuck in the beginner stage, I've recently decided I'm going to follow an online course from the very beginning and stick to it. While learning scales, my cheap guitar's high action was becoming very frustrating so I decided to take it to a small guitar shop for a professional setup. WOW, for $49 I feel like I now own a much higher end guitar. And the dude spent so much time explaining guitar stuff to me. I have so much more confidence now when I practice. I can't believe I didn't do that 10 years ago.

    • @timscarrow9151
      @timscarrow9151 4 года назад +7

      Pro TIP Learn to work on your own fuckin guitar guys.

    • @RimshotKiller
      @RimshotKiller 4 года назад +3

      I'd have to agree for a complete beginner picking up guitar for the first time. If you are in that position, then get it set up by somebody who knows what they are doing, and if possible have them explain it to you. However, setting up your guitar, i.e. changing strings, adjusting action, neck curvature and intonation is something every guitar player should be able to do on their own after a while. It is really easy (if a bit tedious at times) but working on your instrument really gives you a better feeling for what it does for you and how you can finetune it to meet your personal taste/style of play. Also, saves money in the long run :p

  • @davidfarmer657
    @davidfarmer657 7 месяцев назад

    So nice to see someone who out to really help and not clickbait . today i have found the most info that seems more of a structure than jus , hey do this trick and you dont have to do all the work because that info is wrong 6 years with my little progess is getting ready to explode . ive learned more today fron you and Kevin than i did in 2 years of trying . and the last year i have had 1 of my guitars in my hand every single day ! So thanks man !!!!!

  • @leedutfield964
    @leedutfield964 2 месяца назад

    im finding the best thing is playing short cool riffs keeps you in. like the idea of learning a full song at the begining is overwhelming. but cool well known riffs. make you feel awesome.

  • @aidanhill690
    @aidanhill690 4 года назад +21

    I've been playing nearly for 2 years, I genuinely can't put it down anymore
    it's always in my sight, I just sit and play all day. Ive tried most genres, rock, metal, shred, blues
    but I feel like shred/rock is where I'm going most often. I like playing fast
    I'm obviously not the best, but I enjoy it! I'm completely self taught and now I'm teaching myself theory

  • @RC32Smiths01
    @RC32Smiths01 4 года назад +28

    Learning guitar inside now is a real help given how we are in this uncertain times. Grateful to see you giving experience and advice on this

  • @mate53
    @mate53 4 года назад +165

    14:59 Learning what fingers should go where and not getting into a bad finger placing habits was something I struggled with early on. I would use my index and pinky alone to create a 3 string power chord, not realizing it would hurt me down the road when it came to making more complicated chord shapes or even making power chords sound more clean, etc.

    • @hunterprice3320
      @hunterprice3320 2 года назад +6

      I'm actually just now trying using three fingers for power chords. They sound much cleaner that way and I think it helps down the road too. But I still enjoy doing just 2 fingers sometimes like Kurt Cobain tho lol.

    • @dickvalentinesillegitimate1059
      @dickvalentinesillegitimate1059 2 года назад +2

      This is the road I am going down and I need to practice more finger exercises. I am currently only using my index and pinky and I know that’s wrong

  • @georgehowell5877
    @georgehowell5877 2 года назад

    Rhettt....I just saw this Viddy,,,,,,,I am just nobody, but I am here to tell everybody that you are so RIGHT,,,,,,,,I am 70 yrs, started in 1965, played clarinet in school band, and then the BEATLES!!!!.....I can't express myself any more...The future of guitar will be better for your efforts.....THANKS........................G

  • @monicasangre5847
    @monicasangre5847 2 года назад +3

    I've been playing piano for around 6 yrs (I'm 17yrs old) and this would be my 6th day learning electric guitar. I'm atm discovering riffs for different songs i love, working on my spider walk, and a routine down picking with a metronome that goes 70-95 beats per min. For practice.
    It has been amazing in the past few days and also surprising. I set my hands on an acoustic a few yrs ago and said no to it. As a classical pianist, In the past days, I still can't believe what my fingers can do with strings. The strings are a whole new world from keys and I'm all here for it!

  • @-uniqueamari
    @-uniqueamari 4 года назад +49

    Shoutout to all my beginners for guitar we got this keep goinggg❤️

    • @cdubb2k
      @cdubb2k 2 года назад

      I wonder if you still play lol

  • @supadumi5489
    @supadumi5489 4 года назад +78

    I still remember trying to learn the Skyrim theme on guitar by ear, another classmate learnt from tabs and would complain that how i did it was wrong. Learning by ear is fun, even if you aren't fully replicating what you're hearing. don't let perfectionists and elitists ruin your fun.

    • @teriakamoto
      @teriakamoto 2 года назад +4

      Tell your classmate to do him (or her), and just do you. There is no perfect formula for learning as everyone is different and have different agendas.Take the positives and the obvious and apply them. Practice as much as you feel necessary. It's a process. Have fun. It's not a competition sport. Enjoy-

  • @nickl2883
    @nickl2883 4 года назад +19

    I big DO for me is don’t forget to work on your timing . Play along to a metronome, drum tack or a backing track. You can have all the chops in the world and know everything about the fretboard but if you’re timing sucks . Well you’re in real trouble when it comes time to record or play with other people. Another thing is get to know your guitar. Learn some very basic things about how it works. Learn How to do some very basic guitar maintenance. Changing strings , adjusting your truss rod and setting your action.

  • @NHfiddle
    @NHfiddle 3 года назад

    Hi Rhett, I am into my 59th year of playing. I started way back in 1963 and all I had was records(vinyl), and the radio. I started with an old Stella acoustic and an Alfred's chord book. Through my career I learned stuff as it came out so, there was no RUclips or internet to help me along. I can't read a single not of music but I can tell you note names, chord names. I know theory without reading music. Just a lot of mileage over the years and I have NO regrets whatsoever.

  • @JaySmith-t5z
    @JaySmith-t5z 27 дней назад

    I found this to be very good advice; I grew up in the sixty's and still play electric guitar. small jobs with other older musicians etc., ( people Love rock & roll music or anything with a strong beat to dance to.) their was no u-tube etc. we all had to learn by ear or watch our guitarist play on American Band Stand. I enjoy and appreciate all of your videos and teachings. and, just like they say "your never too old to learn something new!"

  • @mikeokeefe9396
    @mikeokeefe9396 4 года назад +9

    Damn, this so cool. I was a garage band kind of guy for many years- 72 years old so lots of history for me. Learning songs from Vinyl and no tuners was how we did it.

  • @deadvolume
    @deadvolume 4 года назад +13

    #1 Yes, yes, yes. My guitar is on a stand right next to my couch, it gets played every day. I even get itchy watching tv and rarely can sit through a whole movie without picking it up (been working on my ear training!).
    Now if only I could build my studio around my couch....

  • @camarotrash
    @camarotrash 4 года назад +46

    There’s a part in Jamie’s Cryin’ by Van Halen where the end of the chorus jumps into a C Minor chord for the bridge and my fingers just would not land on the C Minor properly, but I persisted until it became second nature. And I still practice tedious shit like that to this day.

  • @grene1955
    @grene1955 3 года назад +5

    another of the best videos you have ever produced! I have been playing guitar for a lot of years, and I benefited from this. Not only good for beginners, but a good reminder for all of us! Keep up the great work!

  • @jamiethomas6430
    @jamiethomas6430 Год назад +1

    He hits some really solid points… when I started I was basically scared of string bending and thought vibrato is for pros but those two techniques alone really do make the instrument sing.

  • @coreydavison4971
    @coreydavison4971 4 года назад +54

    Jam with people that are farther along than yourself. You can possibly learn months of different things in a much shorter time frame.

    • @sc3ku
      @sc3ku 4 года назад +1

      Agreed - this has been so true in other areas for me (rock climbing, for instance). In any activity - working with more experienced people will get you to improve so SO much faster

    • @babwaffles
      @babwaffles 4 года назад

      This can apply to any skill really

    • @kerrykroger7323
      @kerrykroger7323 4 года назад

      "Sitting in" is a great way to learn, if you don't have anyone to jam with try getting some backing tracks (lots on you tube or Jam Kazam) and "Sit in" with those...

    • @joeb3590
      @joeb3590 4 года назад

      @@kerrykroger7323 to piggyback off you kind human, look up Elevated Jam Tracks and dopez tracks. Also learn slide.

  • @riffratt
    @riffratt 4 года назад +75

    When I learned to play there wasn’t even tabs online, you had to learn everything by ear and occasionally get some tabs from music shops, RUclips is a wonderful helper but you still need to learn to use your ear when you can

    • @superrookie-1
      @superrookie-1 4 года назад

      can you give us steps on how to do it, plz

    • @patricksebire7953
      @patricksebire7953 4 года назад +2

      I’ve tried to do it by ear but I find it impossible. What’d you do to help you?

    • @BeyTM
      @BeyTM 4 года назад +4

      @@patricksebire7953 don't know if that helps but, when trying to play by ear, try to take it slowly, don't just go to a dragonforce song and say "hey im gonna learn it just by ear!", start with super simple melodies, and stick with it, and from time to time try to learn a melody thats just sightly above your ear skills, if you keep going, at the end you can learn everything by ear

    • @timscarrow9151
      @timscarrow9151 4 года назад

      Frickin wore out tape decks, but I will use the parts for the tube screamer win win.

    • @riffratt
      @riffratt 4 года назад +1

      SUPER ROOKIE don’t choose anything complicated to start, something fairly simple, try and find the first note- go up the whole fretboard I’d you have to- it’ll get easier as you learn to recognise notes, it depends if you’re trying to learn the chords to a songs or a lead melody etc, for chords try and pick them out by notes eg if it’s a G chord you’d try the greys until you hit on the G on the 3rd fret on the E string and so you know it’s a G chord, then basically do the same for each chord, it gets easier as you recognise chords, chords have different voicings too which again is just experience, sorry but there’s no easy way until your ear gets used to it, you can also train your ear by playing chords and notes until you start recognising them, it gets easier as you get a bit of confidence

  • @bobdaniel282
    @bobdaniel282 4 года назад +52

    Rhett, I agree wholeheartedly about using your ears to figure out the music in a song. I grew up in the 60s I’d never even heard of tabs. I’m 67 now and started playing and singing when I was 12. I ordered my first guitar from Sears. We lived out in the country were there wasn’t much else to do but spin vinyl and play my guitar at night. Learning that way was really hard at first, but finally my ears got smarter and it’s benefited me greatly over the years!

    • @davidmurphy4844
      @davidmurphy4844 4 года назад +4

      I'm 65 and from Liverpool. I started playing in 1970 and playing by ear was my method. It developed your ear to tune up using a record that you knew what key it was in. I think the first riff I learned was Love Like A Man by Ten Years After.

    • @VictorTarela
      @VictorTarela 4 года назад +6

      I'm 20. I've been playing since 10, but took guitar seriously at 16. I've been figuring stuff out by ear for the past 2 years and I feel like I improved a lot more in those 2 years than in the previous 8 :)

    • @pczYT
      @pczYT 4 года назад

      Same here. I started in the 80s and my teacher was the rewind button of my dad's shoebox cassette player

  • @BradAndLex
    @BradAndLex 2 года назад +1

    I like this video! I’m just learning and these are solid pieces of advice that i haven’t heard anywhere specifically.

  • @bitterrsweet1616
    @bitterrsweet1616 3 года назад

    i wanna say that the leaving your guitar on display at all times really works. i fell out of playing my electric because i was super unmotivated (due to lack of progress for a lot of reasons) but when i got that stand and left it out-it was like a whole new world for me. the guitar itself is just beautiful so i loved to look at it, but it _made_ me pick it up because i was able to admire it everytime i walked in the room.

  • @redmed10
    @redmed10 4 года назад +168

    Learn a bit of piano at the same time. When you see a chord or scale on the piano it makes more sense straight away with keyboard layout than a guitar fretboard which shall we say is not so linear.

    • @Spongebob-lf5dn
      @Spongebob-lf5dn 4 года назад +14

      I'm glad I bought a keyboard. It helps with referencing pitch and rhythm. Its like a loop pedal too so I can accompany myself.

    • @nternetrat
      @nternetrat 4 года назад +6

      oh shit that's a really good tip! I always turned my nose up to piano but i might give it a shot lol

  • @mr.groove5352
    @mr.groove5352 4 года назад +8

    After playing bass for several decades, Im learning guitar and having a blast. As for tips, using a metronome is valuable. Also being able to use RUclips to slow down the clips helps me a lot. Thanks Rhett.

  • @MyOwnSummer_
    @MyOwnSummer_ 4 года назад +712

    How dafuq do you people learn songs by ear i would never be able to hear an exact note from listening are my ears just broke or somethin

    • @christophertolosa7142
      @christophertolosa7142 4 года назад +161

      It’s just practice. Start out with kids songs and try to figure those out. Do it 20 times and once it starts getting easy, move to pop songs. Do it a bunch then move to harder funk or jazz songs and it’ll get easier I promise.

    • @BoredZodiac
      @BoredZodiac 4 года назад +38

      @@christophertolosa7142 It gets easier but not by much. The best thing to do initially is to check tabs / sheet music if you're having a hard time to get some hints.

    • @christophertolosa7142
      @christophertolosa7142 4 года назад +27

      Justice it does get easier slowly. However if you want to be good at anything you have to take the time to practice it and get better just like bodybuilding. It’s a slow process but when you get to the end it’s so worth it. I’ve done it for a year and I didn’t even dedicate time to practicing it I just did it sometimes and now I can do stuff by ear

    • @danielcarter6894
      @danielcarter6894 4 года назад +10

      You just start memorizing some basic chords, and then you work on simple songs, like Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan or other songs by him, once you've confidently gotten that down, you can start to transition to more complex songs.

    • @oskarkawulicz3956
      @oskarkawulicz3956 4 года назад +11

      in 90s after few years of play one of my friends cam to me and say - do play from tabs? and i said....from what?.....hehe I ONLY play from my ears, later I realize that I play the same sounds but not everytime on the same fret or string as officially version cause most times my guitar was tuned diferently anyway . but...generaly it doesnt matter. Now I can play improvisations and from tabs:)

  • @fallsarian5371
    @fallsarian5371 4 года назад +1

    The point of always having your guitar, stand-in-front was spot on. Accessibility is crucial, right on man!

  • @willpennington5479
    @willpennington5479 2 года назад

    1. My guitar always out by my chair; 2. No Tabs? Makes sense. I find myself playing by ear more and more as I gain confidence in my abilities. 3. I've watched a few guitarists play on RUclips, but I need to watch more and concentrate on what they do; 4. Working on it! 5. My immediate goal is to play and sing Jingle Bells by next Christmas. My longer term goal is to get Barre chords down. Mine are clear without buzz from the 7th fret down, but I need to get faster so I can use them in a song or chord progression.
    Great video!

  • @davetheunshaved4552
    @davetheunshaved4552 4 года назад +46

    I wasn't self taught. I had formal lessons that my parents paid for, god bless them. But.... I did have to learn alot of things by my self. Eventually everyone reaches the point where any further education will be self taught. The two bands that I basically learned how to play on were: Van Halen, and Metallica. No it's probably not the easiest for someone who is litterally a beginner, but you learn so much from those two. Or pick a band that you love and buy a TAB BOOK of one of their albums. Then just listen to the song and follow along in the tab. That will get you half of the way to being a pro. The rest of the way comes from really digging into music theory and watching youtube videos. Most importantly, never stop being passionate!

  • @pen9103
    @pen9103 3 года назад +160

    I tried playing with my ear, but found it much easier to use my hands.

  • @ashleyjordan8869
    @ashleyjordan8869 4 года назад +6

    Good video Rhett. I’ve been paying for 20 years now, and lead playing has definitely been neglected in that time. I’d not thought about vibrato before, but will be focussing on that.
    My tip: put on an album you enjoy and learn every song by ear/play along. It’s helped me a few times to get into the mindset of those players, and crucially it’s fun, so keeps you playing.

  • @bbrotherton6345
    @bbrotherton6345 3 года назад +1

    One of the best I have seen for beginners!

  • @brucenadeau5920
    @brucenadeau5920 4 года назад

    How ironic that IMO at least one of the two BEST channels to learn from happens to be a musicians in a famous rock band and keeps it so SIMPLE!!! I've noticed that some musicians from bands on here tend to showcase their talent MORE than their knowledge, and when they do share knowledge, they do NOT simplify it down enough.
    Rhett your channel kicks ass and for those guitarists stuck progression from one stage to the next, you ARE the guy to take them there! Again, you BROKE my rut of being stuck transitioning to the next level! thank you!

  • @frankiechan9651
    @frankiechan9651 4 года назад +5

    Yep - leaving mine out has been huge in getting me to just pick it up.
    Then picking it up for a quick strum turns into an hour.
    I'll look at tab, then also look at an instructional on RUclips, but trust my ears if neither sound "right". I'll also look a few sources as some will play that chord differently and an alternate fingering may suit me better for a particular passage.
    Some basic theory has also helped immensely and I keep a picture of an annotated fretboard next to me and I use it to deconstruct any new chord so I can try and understand it.

  • @HeyLiem
    @HeyLiem 4 года назад +9

    Your best tip for me was to leave my guitar out and ready to easily start playing! I learned songs by ear on vinyl albums, at 33 rpm, sometimes I would play them at 16 rpm, at half speed and about an octave lower. You can easily do that with RUclips videos at .5 speed.

  • @paulypoobrain2929
    @paulypoobrain2929 4 года назад +9

    Keeping the guitar on a stand. That’s exactly what I did for my daughter. She wanted a bass so we got her one and I don’t think it’s been in her gig bag since. It warms my heart when I hear her pluck away trying to play some tabs with music with out my intervention. I offer help when she asks or sometime when she doesn’t but mostly let her do her thing.
    My guitar was out of sight and out of mind for 15 years. Lost time. My daughter asking for a bass is what got me to dig it out again.
    My Ultimate Guitar was Online Guitar Archive (O.L.G.A).
    Agreed! RUclips is amazing. In the 80s when I got my first we didn’t even have the internet so I had to sit close to a speaker and hit stop rewind stop play rinse repeat.

    • @yuvalh4519
      @yuvalh4519 4 года назад +1

      You are an awesome dad. Wish my parents cared about my interests like that, it makes such a huge difference. I hope you know that! :)

    • @paulypoobrain2929
      @paulypoobrain2929 4 года назад

      Yuval l thanks for that.

  • @srvmotoman
    @srvmotoman 3 года назад +1

    Dayum, the "don't" with regards to tabs is spot on!!! I did not pick up on tab that was off for a long long time.
    As I got older (20-something) theory was a way to take away from the purity of the idea. Boy was I foolishly wrong. Now in my 40s, I wish that I would have had basic theory. Major chords/scales(all positions), Minor chords/scales (all positions), the key you are in, triads, CAGED system, and a metronome. I think these are fundamental music theory skills that will greatly improve your ability to play music.

  • @brandonirving5014
    @brandonirving5014 3 года назад

    Finally found an experienced guitarist who's honest and truly teaches the audience what main factors lead to success when playing the guitar, thank you sir.

  • @silverwest174
    @silverwest174 4 года назад +90

    "try to play by ear"
    well, i've been playing the guitar for 3 years and i'm so bad at playing by ear...

    • @_kqcper_332
      @_kqcper_332 4 года назад +8

      You'll get better, 3 years is nothing :)

    • @BoredZodiac
      @BoredZodiac 4 года назад +16

      @@_kqcper_332 That's the painful part.

    • @timscarrow9151
      @timscarrow9151 4 года назад +6

      My teacher gave my a tape and sent me home and said learn this, figure it out, "Broadway" Live George Benson. I got the chord pitches right and I was off to learn every song I could.And you will start to understand that many songs follow the same rules.

  • @popogejo7245
    @popogejo7245 3 года назад +3

    Rhett going back to these older vidios you've done is NEVER a disappointment! You are a master for the ages, this sh-t is timeless, and so point on.
    I came in the back door, (so to speak) got interested in playing building guitars for my kids! You and Billy Sheehan have been my motivators. Yes, I know, two totally different styles, but both class acts as motivators and teachers

  • @v0rteks644
    @v0rteks644 4 года назад +6

    Just started truly learning last week. Learned a few chords in music class when I was a kid, but never really went anywhere with it. Luckily got hooked up with the full set of old instructional videos from John Petrucci. For those whose fingers are in pain and are frustrated, know that you won't be alone. I'll also be here making my fingers bleed until the thing sings right. Stay motivated everyone!

    • @practicerepobarrie
      @practicerepobarrie 4 года назад

      my free channel will help you. I don't make a penny from it. I just wanna have people enjoy it and help me stay motivated.

  • @nicholasmota592
    @nicholasmota592 Год назад

    This video helped me understand a few different aspects I didn’t keep in mind for teaching myself how to play, originally I had a friend willing to teach me then I got my guitar and amp and everything else I needed to start learning and he told me to resort to youtube videos so here I am now on your channel adding your channel to my subs I watch and most likely will be watching your videos everyday Thank you very much for your supportive words 🤘🏾🎸😎🙏🏾

  • @tuma8093
    @tuma8093 Год назад +1

    Man my history with my guitar will just like yours , i also started self learning when i was 13 , now i'm 15 and i still a beginner just like how i started , thx sooo much i was in a huge need for this

  • @internalmethods
    @internalmethods 4 года назад +4

    One of the best decisions as a musician I ever made was to learn music theory on the piano. I already played multiple instruments by ear, but I really took off after taking music theory courses while studying with a jazz pianist at the same time who made everything very easy to memorize.

  • @knutefenstad
    @knutefenstad 2 года назад +4

    Very well articulated. Hard to find a guitarist that can verbalize what he's doing as well. I've been looking for awhile. You hit the high note! 🎶 Thanx.

  • @jasong4879
    @jasong4879 3 года назад +11

    Love this list! I only wish I started bends and vibrato earlier in my playing journey. Also, I remember the confidence I got after admitting to myself that tabs are often wrong and my ear was often right! Train your ear! Trust your ear!!

  • @stevanrose7439
    @stevanrose7439 5 месяцев назад

    I so agree with you on having your guitar 🎸 out where you can see it and grab it anytime just to play it even for a few minutes or more if you have the time. I bought three wall hangers and now I need another one. I have three in my bedroom and one in the living room and I give them some time several times a day.

  • @ElectricalEcho
    @ElectricalEcho 2 года назад +1

    The most important lesson I possibly learned ever on guitar, was to stop when you practiced a long time to climb the skill ladder again and take the skills I had to simply just use the set to play hours, days, weeks over random backing tracks that I didn´t fully understand but liked alot. This method frequently makes me explode on various things until this day.

  • @k_dog_9756
    @k_dog_9756 4 года назад +4

    I'm a music educator who has taught private music lessons for over 15 years that includes the guitar, my primary instrument. I have also taught at the university level instructing undergrads on sight-singing and ear training. I agree with everything in this video, especially with the section that emphasized the importance of developing one's musical ear. I would recommend to any starting musician, not just guitar players, to try to learn by ear early on...Hearing music is such an important part of understanding music.

  • @Markstun
    @Markstun 4 года назад +41

    As a full time guitar teacher (now online) for many years I have taught lots of people that originally tried to teach themselves with tab and RUclips videos. They all had picked up tons of weird an inefficient habits. Problem is teaching yourself you get no feedback at all. Having a good teacher watch and listen to you play can save you years of messed up left and right hand habits. (There usually is no 1 “right” way but several options) I taught myself just like you did for years, no tab no RUclips just listening to records. I really wish that I had a good teacher for the first 5 years I would have saved hundreds of practice hours. I did try a teacher but he gave me Mel Bay book 1 and I wanted to learn Clapton Hendrix and Zeppelin. Your videos are great Rhett!

    • @PaulWilliamsIE
      @PaulWilliamsIE 4 года назад

      What...no Bert Weedon books ? Good enough for Jimmy Page to learned to play ;)

  • @larrybailey711
    @larrybailey711 4 года назад +5

    In the early seventies, when I was about eight my oldest sister went off to college. She left behind a Silvertone acoustic, a chord book and a couple song books or sheets. Carly Simon, maybe Joni Mitchell. The music in those books had chords above the staff that sorta gave you an idea what the sound was but I had no idea what to do otherwise. There was no TAB, no internet and I didn’t have any records only an AM radio. The chord book was really confusing as I had no idea what any of it was about, but it had photos of an actual hand forming the chords. I think it took me over a year to change chords in what I can only describe as throwing my hand at the fretboard in the shape of the chord and hoping it landed in the right shape and place. I have never forgotten the feeling of being able to change chords, easy open chords but I was making somewhat pleasing noise. I have many books now, scales, modes, you name it. The Silvertone is long gone, but I still have that first chord book and still refer to it fifty years later. Oh yeah almost forgot, still have all the bad habits, but I’m working on that.

  • @beetastik8219
    @beetastik8219 Год назад

    Thank you for specifying the tabs thing. When I started as a young teen I was obsessed with tabs and eventually gave up because of what you said, it didn’t sound the same as the song. 15 years later and I’m starting again and this is super helpful

  • @jeanlucdecoster
    @jeanlucdecoster 2 года назад

    bro that tone when you were showing us the bends is GOLD