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Hello all, My name is Alastair from Scotland and I’m rubbish at guitar. However I’ve got really involved in the essential theory course which I’m working my way through really interesting how chords are made up etc and I’m hoping with some hard work and practice and getting the fingers to work a bit faster I can play stuff for my own amusement. Is it really possible?? Cheers!
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Hi Alastair,
Welcome to Active Melody. It’s really possible!
There is no particular sequence to Brian’s lessons but each lesson gives a nod to a little bit of essential theory and very practical fret board knowledge. Over time it starts to come together.
Brian has put together some of the “easier” lessons in the “Beginner Guitar Lessons (Easy)(100)” sub section.
Some of the sub 100 EP’s can be a little more basic but lack the advantage of the Soundslice tablature.
The fastest way to improve is to record yourself and even post videos where you can get encouragement and support from the community.
Members are only too happy to help with any questions.
Looking forward to your posts.
John -
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Hello all, My name is Alastair from Scotland and I’m rubbish at guitar. However I’ve got really involved in the essential theory course which I’m working my way through really interesting how chords are made up etc and I’m hoping with some hard work and practice and getting the fingers to work a bit faster I can play stuff for my own amusement. Is it really possible?? Cheers!
You bet it is, Alastair. It won’t happen over night, but if you simply work on one aspect of your playing on a consistent basis, all of the mystery is replaced with confident playing skills. Having fun along the way is important, otherwise you might give up too early in the process. The secret is to always have some fun and keep adding in new skills or learning some new aspect every time you pick up the guitar. No need to learn it all at once.
If you have gone through the theory course, or are going through it. You are way ahead of the vast majority of beginners out there. Nothing is more important to learn any instrument than learning the language of music as early as you can. Then you apply what you learn to your instrument and can grasp what other musicians talk about when they say things like “the major 3rd”, “the 5th”, etc..
An absolute beginner has a lot of room to grow and there are always going to be doubts at first. But trust me, you will get better and better and understand more and more as you stick with uncovering and connecting with your instrument. Right now, it probably looks lot a lot to take in, but there are some clear goals that you can focus in on that will help you to start making music right away. It will be somewhat painful at first if you do not yet have callouses formed on your fingertips yet. So don’t over do it. When your fingers have had enough, you can always watch a lesson or learn more theory while recovering. I recommend focusing on a healthy dose of rhythm skills (no chord version). Just muting the guitar strings and strumming various rhythms that you learn, is well worth the time you put into it and it won’t hurt your fingertips one bit.
1. Learn basic open chords (both major and minor versions). This is going to take months to develop.
2. Take what you learned about the major scale and reduce the number of notes down to just five notes (major pentatonic scale). Start making music with these notes. Even if you have to use just one finger, start playing notes by mixing up the notes in creative ways and playing rhythms or melodies that are in key. Look for lessons on playing the Box Shape.
3. The most popular key to start with is the major key of C. This is also the key of Am as well, but don’t worry about why that is just yet. You can play your notes from the scale to any backing track that is in C or Am. There are many lessons on here that will provide you with those backing tracks.
4. Work on your rhythm skills with a metronome or backing track. You can play quarter note chord rhythms, half note rhythms, and holding a chord for a full four beats. Playing rhythm well is not about what notes you play, it’s more about how well you strum or individually play single notes in time with a metronome.Brian’s lessons are incredible in the way they work. You need only watch the lessons and work on learning some of the compositions that you would like to play. It should be something simple to start with that is at a slower tempo. Every lesson has takeaway’s that you can start using right away.
You will notice that he plays in perfect time with perfect articulation and phrasing skills. Articulation is just how a single note or chord is played musically. You likely will not be able to do this very well at first, and some things like vibrato take years to even begin to master, so don’t worry about that one for now. Phrasing is how notes are put together to create musical phrases complete with all those articulations.
For example (not a complete list):
1. Sliding up into a note or chord (both quick and slow slides). Articulation
2. Sliding down into a note or chord (both quick and slow slides). Articulation
3. Hammer-on to a higher note. Articulation
4. Pull-off to a lower note. Articulation
5. Adding space or silence between musical phrases. This is fairly easy to do but is often overlooked.
6. Call and response (Brian has many lessons on this). A sequence of notes that is unresolved is said to be like a question. Then the next phrase answers the question by having a definite sound of resolving the musical tension created by the question phrase.
7. One of my favorites is starting with a very simple phrase (could be just two notes), then from that simple phrase, play it in two different octaves. Then your ear will suddenly want to add a little something to it either rhythmically or adding extra note or two. This is the creative process at work and you will get better and better at it over time.
8. Sing your phrases out loud. I did not do this in the beginning, but I wish I had. There is some magical mojo that happens when you can vocalize musical phrases and do it during practice sessions. A good musical phrase will have a beginning, middle and definite ending that sounds resolved.
9. Dynamics. This is how loud or soft you play. Accenting certain chords or notes in a musical phrase almost always sounds better than just all loud notes. Dynamic control will improve your rhythm automatically. This skill comes later down the line, but now you know what it is.All of us want to bend notes and play vibrato well on the guitar, but these particular skills are not easy to do well at first and will likely require a lot of work to master. So go easy on yourself with obtaining these skills early on, it likely won’t happen anytime soon. Eventually, once your fingers build up some coordination and strength, you will begin to learn how to bend notes to pitches in the scale.
All of Brian’s lessons are designed to just jump right in and start learning, so it doesn’t matter where you start, but I’m sure some of us will give you some suggestions along the way.
Root note patterns >>> CAGED shapes >>> TRIAD'S. Just put in the work and watch your guitar skills soar.
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Many thanks for that in depth reply, I appreciate that. I will follow the advice you have given and take it steady and I will let you know how I get on, as I said I have made a good start with understanding a lot of the theory which is actually exciting for me because just with that I have made progress. Thanks again to both you guys for your replies. Cheers!
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