need some help

[Sin Nombre]

Originally Posted by dennistruckdriver

Heck, even I get a 'yellow card' once in a while!

I have learned a lot from this thread and am glad to see the increase in activity of the Lessons Forum. But I still have a question: What is a 'yellow card' and how can I get one? Thanks.

[dennistruckdriver]

Originally Posted by Sin Nombre

....But I still have a question: What is a 'yellow card' and how can I get one? Thanks.

Just do what I do and you will soon find out.

[Captain Zap]

Originally Posted by dennistruckdriver

Just do what I do and you will soon find out.

I got a red card for asking off subjective questions… You can have it if you like….Zap....

[X–Ray]

i am going to give a real answer (although there are many real answers already in this thread) to someone who seems un-real to me.

first of all - private lessons at not essential - nice and all with advantages but not necessary if you are highly motivated, not tone deaf, can keep a beat, and have good enough gross and fine motor skills.

i would guess most fair, good, great, and/or other-worldly guitarists are/were self-taught. or, learned by observing. (please spare me the randy rhoads exception to the rule lecture - r.i.p.)

nonetheless, this is what worked for me (i have been "learning" for the past 45 years) - in the beginning:

buy, beg, or borrow a mel bay basic chord book (or its equivalent) -
you do not need to learn a thousand chords - most of them you will never play unless you want to play jazz.

that is, a book with photos where you learn open chords, barre chords, majors, minors, diminished, thirds, fifths, sevenths, and ninths. the basics.

practice until you want to puke and there are deep crevices on your fretting fingers as well as callused like the bottom of your leather soled shoes.

if you want to get fancy later on and impress your friends, buy a beatles song book where the chords have not been dumbed down. the complexity of chords they used will put some hair on your chest.

regarding learning riffage - forget about what you like for now and try to learn as many riffs and/or parts of riffs as you can from the below albums (in no particular order):

led zeppelin's first album
the jeff beck group's "truth"
the jimi hendrix experience's "are you experienced"
jethro tull's "stand up"
deep purple's "machine head" (which has "smoke on the water")
the yardbirds' "roger the engineer" (great beck riffage on it)
santana's "abraxis"
zz top's "tres hombres"
van halen's first album
the cream's greatest hits compilation
a creedence clearwater revival greatest hits compilation (a good source of chords and riffs)

i am sure there are some classic rock albums i am overlooking.

if you get stuck on a song or riff, or cannot afford to buy it (use "lime wire" for free downloads which are legal) or download it from "www.ultimate-guitar.com" (or its equivalent.)

once you get a handle on the above, you now have the "foundation" to learn and play the stuff you are into because it is probably derivative of this already (which is derivative of the blues, etc.)

and very importantly, play with as many other players as you can and/or who will let you sit-in with them.

my guess this was a waste of my time - at least it was fun remembering how i got started...