How to play the guitar

Chaps

Anyone want a Lowden F32C ?

Bloody thing

Mick

Dear Mick,

I avoided posting till now, as I know how much pain is involved learning a musical instrument as a post adolescent. I was 27 when I took up the bass, and 35 when I got my first paid classical gigs. Yes, I wanted to hurl the bloody instruemnt through the window sometimes! But I kept on, and I am sure you are at least as strong an old devil as me. Please don't pack in yet. It is horrid for a while. I am not even going to tell you it suddenly gets easy. In my experience it gets easier, incrementally, but eventually it becomes a pleasure like no other I know (or would happily describe on this, a familly show)!

Please hang in, chap, at least for a while longer. Give it a chance.

ATB from Fredrik

Fredrik

I shall give it another go tomorrow. My fingers seem slow and the sounds do not make much sense but I shall go on.

Regards

Mick

Dear Mick,

I really do hope you can push on till you see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then you will need no encouragement from me.

Slow fingers are normal. Think what it was like to press those bloody great heavy strings down onto the bass finger board, and you will suddenly think the guitar was made for playing!The fingers will get better and quicker with excercise.

All the best from Fredrik

Dear Fredrik,

I never realised you took up the bass so late - did you play an instrument before that?

Personally, I keep meaning to take up the piano (but I've been saying that for a good three or four years).


Dear Mick,

Hope you can stick with it - not really at all the same, but I know it what an absolute pain it was when I was teaching myself to type (it was damn slow and I kept screwing up, but now it's all second nature).


regards, Tam

Dear Tam,

I played the piano during my school years till 13 and oboe for a year, and was a more than competetent reader of scores, so the actually reading aspect was never an issue, but playing a string starting at 27 is not an easy option. I reckon Mick will crack the guitar because the physical stuff is nothing like so horrible as the bass!

Thinking about the analogy with typing, Tam, does not help me. I still shower things with typos!

But we must all sieze the day, for to consider my view (see the Pessimism Thread) I consider that tomorrow can only be worse in almost every way except the immediate people round us, and then I must add not all of them!

Ever not the optimist, Fredrik

Dear Fredrik,

Actually, I did play the trombone at school until I was about 15 or so (can't remember exactly when I stopped and made it to the middling grades by the skin of my teath, but my sight reading was always pretty terrible). That said, something must have stuck from something, because I can pretty happily follow along a Mahler symphony with the full score in front of me.

The only thing stopping me doing anything about the piano now is a lack of access to one/cash for the lessons.

regards, Tam

Dear Tam,

I own a respectable piano. Chappel pre-1914 Standard sized upright, which I have either to house or scrap. The cost would be moving it! It is happily housed in the short run at Worcester, but it must be moved sometime this year. I chose it from about six pianos in my old prep-school, and it is in good order.

If you are interested it is yours for nowt. I can't get it into my flat here.

Fredrik

Sadly I haven't the space either! But thankyou for such a terribly generous offer.

regards, Tam

Dear Mick,

I have been reading this thread with interest. I had a guitar for Christmas at age 12.
I had lessons at school and later lessons from a family friend. I have since tried a PC based teaching programme. I'm 43 this year and still can't play the fucking thing!

But believe it or not, I feel that being such a ham fisted, bumbling twat has allowed me to appreciate even more the structured beauty than can emanate from this most frustrating pieces of wood.

And it looks ever so good on it's stand in the corner of the room.

Regards,
Steve O.

quote:

Originally posted by Mick Parry:
Anyone want a Lowden F32C ?

Hee hee, Mick there's only you who'd buy a bloody Lowden as a first guitar!

I learnt the violin to an acceptable standard when I was 17, and that's a BASTARD! The guitar is a breeze by comparison. Just get to a stage where you know the basic chord shapes without having to think or fumble, learn some simple scales through 2 octaves, and then you're away. It takes about a month of daily practice to strengthen the fingers and lubricate the joints, so don't give up just yet. If you're still nowhere in 6 month's time, then I'll make you an offer on the Lowden...!

EW

EW

I am doing 10 minutes a day and have noticed a slight improvement in dexterity.

I still am about as much use as a chocolate teapot.

Regards

Mick

quote:

Originally posted by Mick Parry:
I am doing 10 minutes a day and have noticed a slight improvement in dexterity.

Go the whole hog and make it twenty! It takes ten minutes just to warm up...

Come on, it should be a walk in the park to a man of your talents! Like you say, any old shit-kicker can do it!

EW

Mick, a decent teacher will make sense of it all for you, and help with motivation. Ask for help, don't let pride get in the way. You bought a fine guitar so you must be serious about this.