Query

Caesar_Bojangle

I am having an operation on my left hand (fretting hand) next week, which means i wont be able to play my geetar for about 5 weeks (at least) just wondering would 5 weeks without practise drastically affect my guitar playing, coordination, strength etc................................

Cos it would be a beeeeatch if i had to start from scratch after all the hours or practise and play i have put in.

Oeneus

I don't know if you've experienced this, but when I go for long periods of not playing guitar, I pick one up and I start playing like mad and really getting into it and most of the time playing really well. It's like an addiction...or sex.

If you stay off it for long periods of time, you go back to it and it feels better than ever.

Feckless Rogue

I'm an organ/piano player & I broke my left middle finger (between the knuckle & the wrist) last year. I was in a cast (from bout halfway down fingers to elbow) for at least 6 weeks. When they took it off I was Mr Burns weak & had trouble getting back into it. This wasn't for lack of enthusiasm cos I got some cool equipment round that time & really wanted to play!

Anyhoo my advice would be if you do find your hand weak RESIST trying to play the songs that build strength in your left hand when you normally practise. When you do that you're exercising muscles that are used to being exercised with the support of the muscles in the rest of your hand.

The point I'm trying to make is when you go back to playing, exercise it as many different ways as possible (eh not like that ya perv:D ). Since I'm a keys player I found it good to play guitar since it uses a few different muscles, so you might benefit from playing piano or something else. Also soft hand squeezy yokes & those jangly metal chinese balls are good. Tis important not to do it till it gets sore is all. I learned this the hard and frustrating way!

Due to laziness I'm only really getting my strength back now, & guitar is still helping. Don't worry about losing the theory though, 5 weeks won't make you forget the stuff you've learned.

Oeneus is right about the enthusiasm thing, after not being able to play for ages you'll be dying to get back to it!

Apologies for rambling…

Moses

Never mind, even if you can't play properly ever again, you can always audition for Nickleback...

Giblet

And that moses...is the tooth...I mean truth

Jaicster

You might be a bit rusty when you pick a guitar back up, but you'll soon get back into it,

On the same kind of topic
I started out on acoustic guitar and then moved on to eletric,
After a while of playing only electric guitar i noticed i've become lazy, i know i can play certain things the "right" way but i was wondering if any one had any good excersises / warm ups or just hard to play acoustic guitar songs.
I think they'd be good for me to learn.

On another note
I've been trying to learn stairway to heaven and i can play the intro like most ppl can, but theres loads of different bits and every time i try and learn it ppl come in making the joke "oh oh you can't play that" it was funney the first time, no wait it wasn't anywho
I'm having trouble with the solo
Any tips on playing solos?
Just learn the notes and pick them off as quickly as possible
Or is there some kind of chord shapes or something.
Any help is welcome

Caesar_Bojangle

cheers y'all. Off the topic Jaicster do you know were i can get the full tab for stairway to heaven on the net, cos i can only find the intro right up to the solo but no ending .

The solo aint that hard just play it a couple of times.

EL_Diablo

Theres a tab on www.midi-tab.com
I'm pretty sure its complete, I haven't had time to go through it all.

Giblet

Use a tab as a guide, dont worship it, there never exact. Just get the patterns on the fret board, that'll make it easier.

Paladin

For most solos one of the most important thing is to get the note that falls on the main beat correct. If its a fast solo you might be able to fake the notes in between, but if you go out of time you will end up fukin up the solo.

You will notice that the note in a solo that you hit is usually the same note as the chord that is just played on that beat. Most solos play off the note of the key, its relative minor, and the 4th and 5th (If you dont know what Im talking about then a little theory would help, certainly for any wannabe lead guitarist).

Caesar_Bojangle

i know its off the topic again but if you wanna play kick ass solos and understand why chords are called f# min 7 and know all the notes on the fret board you need to know theory.

if you are learning from guitar a teacher its boring and extremely long as you see them once or twice a week. You should really get these books on theory from http://www.uncletim.com/.

they are really detailed, theory is easy to learn and you can always look back at them as it explains everything, theres even an advanced theory book if you really want to become a kick ass lead player.

I got them and i'd recommend you do likewise if ya wanna know theory, it has really boosted my ability, its an american site but my books arrived in 3 or 4 days, i think they are about $10 each but its worth it in the long run.

Giblet

Bullshít, jimi and jimmy didn't learn theory, and they were great, stevie did and he sounds the same as every one else who bothered. eg: yngwie and randy rhodes. Sure a little bit of theory can help, but like, you dont really have to know how a f#m7 is done just to be able to play the fúcking thing. (oh btw I happen to know how it is formed, so maybe my argument is null and void)

Caesar_Bojangle

if you know theory you can work out chords names without having to look them up in a chord book which helps if you are jamming along at a party you ask what chords they were playing so you can join in and they say Bb 7, Eb major, A dim, F maj and G# min7.

As most songs are written in certain keys, its easier to piece them together and work them out, if you know the circle of fifths and know the scales.

Jaicster

Once again sorry for being off topic.

I've never taken a proper guitar lesson in my life
(LIES i had a few classes with a guitar teacher in school but he only taught us a few chords)

I'm better than most ppl i know who have taken lessons for about a year now in the sence i can play more songs and more modern songs because all their guitar teachers seem to teach them are regular chord songs and so, they probably understand more about theory and such but i just think playing is the best way to learn.

On that note i do want to get some lessons not on how to play as much as on theory i want to understand that crap and get some piece of paper to tell ppl i understands it, anyway since i know nothing of theory i write my own guitar music on what sounds good to me. Isn't that the whole point?

The thing about lessons is i don't wanna get on a bus with a guitar for some wide granny to sit on. I don't wanna have to bother myself really you can see how lazy i am. Anyway i'm looking onto music schools atm but all they seem to teach is beginner guitar nothing mentioned about theory and with my huge ego i think i'm a bit beyond that at this stage.

Caesar_Bojangle

if ya get the books i posted on the link above, you will know theory in a matter of two weeks as its simple with the books it explains all, its worth, you wont even need any lessons if you get the books then read/practise in your spare time.