As i was just surfing online for Guitar-related resources, i found that the internet ITSELF provides SO much information and access to tips on guitar-playing. Some sites offer FREE guitar tips and lessons on their sites, while for the better "claimed" ones, they charge a fixed 1 time fee to teach you the musical instruments online if you sign up for their programs. It's pretty amazing how convenient and useful the internet can be to learning NEW stuff these days. Anyhow, after browsing through various sites, i thought it would be good to provide my own views for the QnAs for you guys out there to read and understand about.
1. "I'm new to guitar playing and so what kind of guitar (i.e Classical, Acoustic, Electric) should i start off with?"
* Well, some guitarists would tell you that it would be better that beginners ought to start out using a Classical Guitar to learn the fundamentals. The reason being because since the Classical Guitar uses nylon strings, it makes it easier for beginners to press the various chords patterns and get the right note strummed. Its wider neck structure also trains the fingers to get used to stretching so that you wouldnt awkward when you have to do more complicated stretched chord patterns in future. In any case, the Classical Guitar is suitable for people who are into the Classic, Folk kind of songs.
* However, the counter argument for starting off with an Acoustic would be that, firstly, because of the fact that you are pressing on steel strings, you are training your fingers to get used to the "pain" and discomfort while pressing on the various keys on the fretboard. In time to come, the skin portion on your finger tips would harden and thus making it easier to learn Barring(Pressing all 6 strings on same fret) for your bar chord playing. Its narrow neck also saves you the trouble of having to stretch when playing Open Chord notes. The 3rd reason would be that since steel strings are used, the sound produced by the guitar would be clearer,brighter and distinct. This makes it more pleasant and closer to guitar playing for modern pop genres. With that, you are also able to train up your ears to "play by ears", i.e to say that the clearer tones allows you to train your ears to listen and distinguish the differences in the different keys and chord patterns. Some guitarists do believe that this is an important aspect of guitar-learning. 
* As for Electric guitars, I've always thought this is the most versatile of all. Prior to the fact that it's easier to press the strings compared to Acoustic guitars, it can be used to play a wide range of genres from Blues,Jazz,Pop,Rock,Metal,Instrumental etc... The best thing is, you can also learn all your fundamentals on the electric as well!* All in all, i never thought the type of guitar really matters SO MUCH when it comes to the intial for guitar learning, the more important thing is having the PASSION and INTEREST to keep you going, to inspire you to be hungry for more guitar knowledge, so choose the right instrument according to what you need and wanna play.
2. " Guitar is not a very difficult instrument, It can be self-taught. "
* To a small extent, this statement is pretty true. I learnt my first guitar song myself, but of course with the help of gettting those chord patterns online and then following it through. The truth is, learning any instrument WELL is NEVER EASY in the first place. Yes, you might argue that all it takes is to memorise all the chord patterns and then learning how to strum and pick them, and that's all it takes,full stop.
* Well, it isnt as easy as you thought. I tried learning it MYSELF for a while initially, but i found it futile because i did not know WHERE and HOW to begin from, so the next thing i did was to consult friends that knew how to play guitar. Well, things got slightly better but i realised that it was difficult consulting friends in the long run because their knowledge were also limited, and they couldnt provide accurate answers and advices. It was then that i decided to get a professional music teacher to teach me right from the basics.
*Although the price was abit steep for some to do the same(i'm paying SGD$40/hr to my guitar mentor), i felt it was totally worth it. The 1st reason being, the teacher knows almost everything about guitar and thus able to explain and teach you stuff which you are confused and unclear about. 2nd reason is, he can customise the lessons according to your needs, like helping to highlight and brush up on certain weaknesses (eg scales,chord progressions, picking) which you might occur, and then progressing on to the genres of music which you are interested in learning.
*Therefore i believe that it's always good to have a mentor/friend to guide and see you through your learning journey, so that you wouldnt be lost along the way. Online resources or even books could be useful to you to learn along the way, but sometimes these information are often too dis-organised and complexed that you would tend to be LOST at where and how to go about doing it.
3. " I do not need to learn the scales and theory aspect in order to play Guitar "
* As I have mentioned earlier, it's important to learn the theory aspect of music IF you want to go beyond the basic, because the theory aspect explains to you the WHYs of the songs composed and HOW to go about doing it. Take for example for myself, i never thought learning scales was really important, because it was just a range of notes in a certain pattern to follow, and the notes playing does not make much musical sense to the hears.
*However, it was only after my teacher's EMPHASIS on it that i realised it's TRUE importance. Scales not only allows you to understand why certain songs/solos are composed by guitarists in that particular way, it also trains up your finger running on the fretboard, which is really important if you wanna learn to be a lead guitarist. So guys! Go train up on your fundamentals and no notes/keys will put you down in future!
4. " How do i maintain my Guitar? Does Rusting of strings matter? "
* Just like any other equipment or instrument, Guitars also need some basic maintenance in order to keep it in tip-top condition. The basic thing would be to clean your exterior parts using a dry smooth cloth, to prevent dust and dirt from accumulating on the corners and surfaces, especially on the humbuckles as it might effect the clarity and tone of the sound generated. If you are feeling rich or because your guitar is your "baby", you could purchase the guitar-cleaning solution which is specially for cleaning the exterior parts and maintaining its looks.
* I used to think that whenever my strings rust, it does not really matter much as long as the strings can be pressed and able to produce the sounds i want. However, this is a very MISCONCEPTION that rusting is okay. The truth is, rusting of strings does affect the output of the sound! IF you are able to notice the difference, rusted strings in actual fact produce a very "dead" tone and becomes less distinct and clear as compared to new strings. Moreover, it would be more difficult to do slidings and bendings on the rusted strings because of its rough surfaces.
* Therefore, one of the ways would be to wipe your guitar strings with a smooth, dry cloth before and after use, so as to prevent sweat and moisture from retaining on the guitar strings after use. Alternatively, you can buy the"oil" solution specially for the guitar strings and then applying it on the strings before and after usage. This would help to keep a layer of oil on your strings and thus preventing your strings from rusting upon contact with moisture. The last method would be to purchase nickel STEEL or coated steel strings, as these strings are designed to last longer,because of its steel coating(anti-rusting) property.
5. " Does using a hard/soft pick make a difference to my playing? "
* Definitely! The pick which you use matters more than what you would think! Firstly, there are many different types of picks available in the market, thickness ranging as low as .4mm all the way to 1mm thick! Well, it really depends on the kind of music that you are playing. For more comfortable strumming on a classical/acoustic guitar, you might prefer using thinner picks so that it would be easier to do repeated strumming up and down patterns. The reason for thicker picks is usually for solo patterns, where u wanna do fast yet definite pickings on the guitar. A thicker pick would give a less "flaky" yet sharper and clearer sound on the guitar. Thus, choose a pick which you are comfortable and able to play with on a guitar! * In fact, the size of the pick also matters! U might have noticed that picks do come in different shapes and sizes. The bigger kind of picks are usually accustomed for the Caucasian People( because their body physique is usually bigger than Asians and thus their fingers would be longer and bigger) and so for most Asians, they usually prefer using the slightly smaller sized kind of picks. Avoid getting too big picks as they would become a hindrance more than a help when it comes to solo picking and you would not want having too much excess uncovered spaces on the pick itself.
* Finger picking is another alternative to using a pick. It saves you some time and inconvenience because you can position your 5 fingers permanently on each strings without having to move here and there while changing string positions during the song. However, the down side of finger picking is that the sound produced by the guitar would never be as clear and sharp as compared to using a pick.
6. " Do i need a Tuner or Metronome for guitar practice? "
* Well, unless you're good enough to be able to tune the guitar strings by ear, a tuner is more or less a necessity to most guitarists! Develop the habit of tuning your guitar strings everytime you wanna use the guitar, so that this ensures you are playing the correct sounds and not sounds that are out-of-tuned.
* There are many types of Tuners available in the market. The most basic being the tuning fork, which i think is a good tool for training to "tune by ears". However, this might be time-consuming and not 100% accurate (provided you have been using it for long time until you're seasoned with it). The inventions of Chromatic Tuners have brought much convenience as it is able to detect the sound waves and tell you immediately how close/far are you away from the actual Notes quickly. However, by doing so, it would be difficult for you to learn the "tune by ears" method because you become too dependent on the gadget.
* Therefore, what I would usually do is; I would first use the tuner system( works like a tuning fork kind where they play the actual note and i have to listen and tune my guitar strings as close as to the sound) in my computer for training up my "tune by ear" method, and then i would use the chromatic tuner to re-confirm if the "tuned" strings are accurate and correct. In this way, though the process is time consuming, but i'll be able to train up my ears!
* As for the metronome, which is basically a device to provide you the beats and tempo patterns, is useful if you realise you always have a poor sense of rhythm when playing songs. The metronome would help to keep you in track in the correct tempo and time based on the adjustments made. It's therefore not a MUST have equipment, but useful for practice!
* Wow, are you now worried about spending more money on a Tuner and Metronome? Fret not! The internet provides you with FREE resources for download. Enjoy these for FREE.
= Free Guitar Tuner = = Free Metronome =
7. " Some web sites claim that IF i sign up for their Guitar-learning programs NOW, I'll be able to learn the guitar in XXX mins/hrs or even in 1 week! Is that for real? "
* Be cautious of such web sites! Self-proclaiming sites that provide you a "Fast-and- Easy" solution to learning guitar is not always as ACCURATE as you might think it would be. Don't get me wrong, Im not saying that ALL such similar sites are scams or are bull-shitting, but rather, my point is that there is no short cut to learning of guitars. It is only through PASSION and SHEER HARD PRACTICE that you are able to learn and play the instrument WELL. You might have the best guitar resources or even a teacher to guide you, but you lack the drive and disipline to practice, what good use would that be?
* Therefore, my conclusion would be that it's pretty safe and okay to sign up for online learning programs, but do check for the person's credibility, the lessons and guitar resources which he/she has to offer, as well as you yourself having the DETERMINATION and DISIPLINE to follow strictly to what the teacher has got to teach and ask you to do. Remember, there is no Easy way out to learning MUSIC , or even anything else.
Have fun exploring and I will provide more tips and insights the next time round again. Till then! =)
Monday, June 25, 2007 at 10:25:00 AM