The OS Guitarists thread

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: The OS Guitarists thread

For those of you who know how to read sheet music, how did you go about it when you first started? My music theory book starts with learning the staffs and the different notes. Did you guys learn by studying, by reading sheet music, both?

Also, where do you guys get sheet music from? Any good sites?

[WDOgF0reL1fe]

Re: The OS Guitarists thread

Ive been jamming a lot with my 2 friends lately (2 guitars 1 drums) and its been awesome.
Weve been playing a lot of As I Lay Dying and Parkway Drive.
Weve mixed in some System of a Down and Thrice as well and I havent had this much fun in a while.

[Guffers]

For those of you who know how to read sheet music, how did you go about it when you first started? My music theory book starts with learning the staffs and the different notes. Did you guys learn by studying, by reading sheet music, both?

Also, where do you guys get sheet music from? Any good sites?

You'll be fine if you do it everyday. I used to sit down with a book of music and just name the notes until it became second nature. But the most important factor in reading music is rhythmic fluency and understanding how to subdivide rhythms into smaller parts.

The best practise is to count the beats with a metronome and vocalise the rhythms, you don't even need a guitar to practise this kind of stuff. At school we were forced to learn how to conduct and speak rhythms. I hated it at the time but it was of HUGE benefit to me so you might want to give it a shot.

Its really great that your taking the time to learn how to read Tendrils, its literally the language of music, relating to all types of instruments and not just guitarists. You will find that as you get better you will begin to learn new music faster, imagine new possibilities and just have a greater appreciation for the whole beautiful thing!

As for sheet music I always buy a lot of stuff from www.gspguitar.com in San Fransisco but I'm not sure what style of music your after. You might just want to try something like www.sheetmusicplus.com

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: The OS Guitarists thread

Have you tried any of the downloadable/printable sites?

[Guffers]

Re: The OS Guitarists thread

Not really but I'm sure they are perfectly ok. If your going to buy sheet music for guitar I would try to make sure that it doesn't include TAB, as its way too easy to look at the TAB and not read the actual score. I find myself doing it and then remove the TAB with a black marker.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: The OS Guitarists thread

Eventually (or soon) I would love to learn how to play the piano, but in the meantime, how would I relate sheet music to the guitar that isn't necessarily scored for the guitar? I can't really find sheet music that is for guitar that doesn't use tab. Like this example. Its scored for "piano/vocal/chords." I know how to play the song and riff, so I'm just trying to learn how to read kind off of what I know what to play.



Maybe I'm just rushing things.

[Guffers]

Re: The OS Guitarists thread

That's tricky as you can only really read the chords and play along that way. You could read the right hand of the piano (treble clef) but it will sound strangely incomplete as they usually fill out the lower bass notes in the left hand. If you already know the riff then it might seem wierd as the piano arrangement will usually approach it in a different way to the guitar part and the original recording. It could be confusing.

Honestly I would find a dedicated guitar score then remove the TAB. Then you can work from the music and know that your playing music designed for the guitar. With stuff like Led Zeppelin it shouldn't be that hard to track down. I'm sure there are dedicated guitar editions. Then I would do some photocopying and cutting and pasting to create my own edition that is free from TAB. It might seem like a hassle but it should be worth it.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: The OS Guitarists thread

Yeah, the site I have bookmarked lists their guitar scores just as tabs, though all of them (as far as I can tell anyway) has the staff above the tab. I will definitely block out the tab though.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: The OS Guitarists thread

Any of you guys know anything about piano? Any good places to start?

[Hooe]

Re: The OS Guitarists thread

Any of you guys know anything about piano? Any good places to start?

Honestly, for strictly a starting point, Rock Band 3 pro keys isn't a bad investment at all, IMO.

The keyboard peripheral, while not top-of-the-line, is pretty solid for the price, IMO. The game itself won't teach you a thing about sheet music, but you can at least pantomime the motions regarding chords / etc. and see if you enjoy the feel of it. The software does have a whole bunch of useful trainers on it regarding scales, progressions, arpeggios, and whatnot, however. Further, you can buy a MIDI cable and hook up the Rock Band keyboard to your computer if you decide you like it.

For a more serious opinion, I'll happily defer to a more experienced keyboard player.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: The OS Guitarists thread

I actually already have (easy access to) a keyboard.

[Hooe]

Re: The OS Guitarists thread

Any recommendations on acoustic guitars / acoustic-electric guitars? I have a fair amount of birthday income at my disposal and I think that I'd like to pick one up.

What sort of differences should I be looking / listening for when trying out different acoustic / acoustic-electric guitars?

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: The OS Guitarists thread

I've been wondering the same things as well, because I would like for my next "music purchase" to be an acoustic. Whenever that may be.

Anyway, I've been looking online and this is what I've concluded/found:

I think the acoustic vs. acoustic-electric is personal preference. Obviously the acoustic-electric gives you more to toy around with sonically since you can modify your tone with different effects. If you're not worried about that then I guess regular acoustic is okay. Personally I would like that option of the electric capability, but not for every acoustic.

As far as the brands, I would love to be able to afford a Gibson but their prices are really ridiculous for a beginner. Martin's can be expensive, but they have some (relatively) affordable models. Personally, I love the tone of Martin's for an overall acoustic guitar and they seem reasonably priced. Ovation's are good, too. I haven't had much experience with them, but a friend of mine has one and it is very nice (its acoustic-electric with a built-in tuner, very nice and very cool looking). Epiphones are essentially the "affordable" arm of Gibson guitars since Gibson is allowing them to use their model names (my electric is an Epiphone Les Paul and its wonderful). If you have your heart set on a Gibson (ie: Hummingbird, 00, etc), but don't have the bank for it then Epiphone would be the way to go. I haven't had any experience or heard much from Fender acoustics, but they seem to generally get good reviews.

For picking one out, though, all I can suggest is to simply go and try some out. The fun thing about acoustic guitars is that a great deal of the sound and tone relies upon the player. An acoustic player has to use a combination of their talent and personality to, in a sense, create a personality for an acoustic. Electric guitars come with personality, but acoustic guitars have to be given one.

If you want some direction, what kind of acoustic music do you either like to listen to or want to play?

[Hooe]

Re: The OS Guitarists thread

I've been wondering the same things as well, because I would like for my next "music purchase" to be an acoustic. Whenever that may be.

Anyway, I've been looking online and this is what I've concluded/found:

I think the acoustic vs. acoustic-electric is personal preference. Obviously the acoustic-electric gives you more to toy around with sonically since you can modify your tone with different effects. If you're not worried about that then I guess regular acoustic is okay. Personally I would like that option of the electric capability, but not for every acoustic.

As far as the brands, I would love to be able to afford a Gibson but their prices are really ridiculous for a beginner. Martin's can be expensive, but they have some (relatively) affordable models. Personally, I love the tone of Martin's for an overall acoustic guitar and they seem reasonably priced. Ovation's are good, too. I haven't had much experience with them, but a friend of mine has one and it is very nice (its acoustic-electric with a built-in tuner, very nice and very cool looking). Epiphones are essentially the "affordable" arm of Gibson guitars since Gibson is allowing them to use their model names (my electric is an Epiphone Les Paul and its wonderful). If you have your heart set on a Gibson (ie: Hummingbird, 00, etc), but don't have the bank for it then Epiphone would be the way to go. I haven't had any experience or heard much from Fender acoustics, but they seem to generally get good reviews.

For picking one out, though, all I can suggest is to simply go and try some out. The fun thing about acoustic guitars is that a great deal of the sound and tone relies upon the player. An acoustic player has to use a combination of their talent and personality to, in a sense, create a personality for an acoustic. Electric guitars come with personality, but acoustic guitars have to be given one.

If you want some direction, what kind of acoustic music do you either like to listen to or want to play?

To answer the last question first, I really don't quite know. I'm predominantly an electric guitar player, but I want something a bit more portable than my Strat + amp + required power source; thus the appeal of any sort of acoustic guitar. If it gives any direction at all, the bit of acoustic music I have on my iPod includes Elliot Smith, Coldplay, the "Skin and Bones" album by Foo Fighters (which I think is fantastic), and some other acoustic stuff by more bands that more traditionally fall under the alternative rock label such as Jimmy Eat World, Lostprophets, Straylight Run, and Yellowcard.

Like you, I have played an Ovation acoustic-electric (my friend has one) and I thought it was a pretty nice guitar. I did like that the body of the guitar wasn't as deep as a standard acoustic, which made it easier to hold for me. Part of the reason I started with an electric guitar when I first decided I wanted to learn to play four years ago was that I found a standard acoustic guitar to be a bit unwieldy. I could probably get past that now, however, now that I have a clue what I am doing.

And I had no intention of getting a Gibson outright. That's way out of my price range right now, haha.

I do plan on hopping around to a couple of places tomorrow to investigate and try a few out, though if anything I said helps narrow down what you think I might like a bit, then by all means.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: The OS Guitarists thread

Hmm, it seems like you could just "get by" on a Dreadnought or something similar. There's a bunch of different models/brands that make that body shape. It is a very common guitar and from my experience it is pretty versatile.

For my acoustic, I've been using my Dad's old Yamaha FG-335. It is a dreadnought body shape. I mostly play country/easy-rock songs on it (ie: CCR, Eagles, etc), but more and more I've working on my finger picking and its fun and sounds good. I use medium gauge strings (.13 - 56), which gives it a louder, clearer tone IMO. Its not the best, but for being 30-34 years old, its not bad. The only thing that bothers me is the action is too high and if I wasn't planning on using it for a slide guitar in the future, I would fix it.

Also, since you mentioned the size, dreadnought is pretty large, even when compared to other acoustics (Ovations for example). I wouldn't call it a "traveling" guitar, though its easier to haul around than a electric set-up for sure. Not necessarily something I would take camping/hiking, but that's probably not what you had in mind. Plus, as you said, it probably wouldn't be nearly as unwieldy since you have some years of experience under your belt. When I first started learning on the Yamaha the thing seemed massive. It felt like I could barely get my arms around it. Now, after almost a year(!), it seems like it has shrunk.