The Student Room Group

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Original post by Tsunami2011
Thanks! what would you recommend, an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar?


I'd be tempted to say acoustic. I got an electric as my first one, and it was annoying as I had to wait ages for an amp etc. Acoustics are much more versatile, as quite a lot of electric guitars only sound really great with a great amp.
Original post by Alofleicester
depends on what sort of music you want to play really.


Just stuff like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuC2sc-1CMU and abit of pop/rnb?
Original post by Tsunami2011
Just stuff like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuC2sc-1CMU and abit of pop/rnb?

That sounds more like acoustic sort of music than electric.
Reply 9523
Any bass players about?

I've been playing normal electric for 5 years but just got into bass last year and really love it. What brands should I be looking at to buy a decent practice amp?

Also one of the machine heads is really loose and rattles when I play the E string. The big flat piece you actually twist is loose from the piece it sits in that attaches it to the gear part (Hope that makes sense), is there anyway I can fix that without having to buy new ones?
I posted this a long long time ago, but I just remembered it :sogood:

Original post by Alofleicester
depends on what sort of music you want to play really.


Bill Hicks, respect!
Original post by Tsunami2011
Just stuff like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuC2sc-1CMU and abit of pop/rnb?


Acoustics can be good for bashing out songs like this, they suit most styles of music. Electrics are pretty damn versatile if you know what you're doing...though I never find myself playing stuff like Mumford and Sons or Jack Johnson on my electric: that stuff is for acoustics!
I've bought an old Japanese-made classical guitar... should come tomorrow. If not, then Wednesday. Looking forward to it -- haven't properly owned one before.
Reply 9528
Original post by JordanR
I've bought an old Japanese-made classical guitar... should come tomorrow. If not, then Wednesday. Looking forward to it -- haven't properly owned one before.


Mate you got any e-book(s) you use for learning theory? Thinking I need to start "understanding" what it is my fingers are doing :colone:
Original post by Tobia_s
Mate you got any e-book(s) you use for learning theory? Thinking I need to start "understanding" what it is my fingers are doing :colone:


I don't I'm afraid. :frown: My theory's not amazing -- most of what I've learned I've just picked up from guitar videos and stuff. I think a few other people here will be a bit better so they might be able to help you!
Reply 9530
Original post by Tobia_s
Mate you got any e-book(s) you use for learning theory? Thinking I need to start "understanding" what it is my fingers are doing :colone:


I don't know any specific e-books but there are plenty of decent websites if you google something like 'basic music theory'. For example, this looks good.

As you progress, you might want to start thinking precisely what type of music theory you want to look into; for example the standard terminology, notation and theory of jazz diverges from classical after a while.

At first - you just want to learn the basics of music notation, the fundamentals of rythym, the diatonic scales, the basics of diatonic progressions and common voicings for diatonic chords and so forth.

Learning how to voice chords should be a big deal for most guitarists - it is one of the more versatile skills. You can have a lot of fun just taking a common progression and trying to find different ways to voice it using different inversions and octave displacements before even considering things like adding tensions, alterations and so on.

One thing that made me get into that is because I found that if I tried to play a chord progression just by shoving in the easiest (or only in some cases) grip for each chord - it generally sounded like total **** whereas by giving more consideration to voice leading and so forth, I found that with experimentation, I was able to get much better sounds. As an example, just take a ii-V7-I in Cmaj... if you play it using the seventh bar chords at frets 5 on the A string 3 on the E string and 3 on the A string - it will just sound like total un smooth ****e whereas, you could play something still simple like


e----------
B-5--4--3--
G-5--4--2--
D-3--3--2--
A-5-----3--
E----3-----


or


e----------
B-8---8---8--
G-10--10--9----
D-10--9---9---
A------------
E-10--9---8--


and you have descending voice or bass and it sounds smooth and properly outlines the progression.
Reply 9532


The notation is wierd there... the key sig is introduced after the first two bars but judging by the tab below - it is all just an ascending G major scale.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Jake22
The notation is wierd there... the key sig is introduced after the first two bars but judging by the tab below - it is all just an ascending G major scale.


Yep, that's all it is. The whole song's in G major (Eudaimonia Overture).
Reply 9534
Original post by JordanR
Yep, that's all it is. The whole song's in G major (Eudaimonia Overture).


The key sig should be at the start of the first bar. Otherwise, the music is different from the fingering/tab
Has anyone tried making their own guitar? I was thinking about it, but I have no experience whatsoever with any sort of carpentry tools. I did see kits which include a body, neck, pickups etc. but would these make a guitar that sounded any good?
Original post by jerseymackem
Has anyone tried making their own guitar? I was thinking about it, but I have no experience whatsoever with any sort of carpentry tools. I did see kits which include a body, neck, pickups etc. but would these make a guitar that sounded any good?


My friend is on a uni course where they get to make their own guitars! He's painted the inside of his to make it extra cool!
Original post by JordanR
I've bought an old Japanese-made classical guitar... should come tomorrow. If not, then Wednesday. Looking forward to it -- haven't properly owned one before.
Got any pics? :smile:

Warm welcome to: Di_mi_tris SophiaBarrett thetobbit
Reply 9538
Original post by Jake22
I don't know any specific e-books but there are plenty of decent websites if you google something like 'basic music theory'. For example, this looks good.

As you progress, you might want to start thinking precisely what type of music theory you want to look into; for example the standard terminology, notation and theory of jazz diverges from classical after a while.

At first - you just want to learn the basics of music notation, the fundamentals of rythym, the diatonic scales, the basics of diatonic progressions and common voicings for diatonic chords and so forth.

Learning how to voice chords should be a big deal for most guitarists - it is one of the more versatile skills. You can have a lot of fun just taking a common progression and trying to find different ways to voice it using different inversions and octave displacements before even considering things like adding tensions, alterations and so on.

One thing that made me get into that is because I found that if I tried to play a chord progression just by shoving in the easiest (or only in some cases) grip for each chord - it generally sounded like total **** whereas by giving more consideration to voice leading and so forth, I found that with experimentation, I was able to get much better sounds. As an example, just take a ii-V7-I in Cmaj... if you play it using the seventh bar chords at frets 5 on the A string 3 on the E string and 3 on the A string - it will just sound like total un smooth ****e whereas, you could play something still simple like


e----------
B-5--4--3--
G-5--4--2--
D-3--3--2--
A-5-----3--
E----3-----


or


e----------
B-8---8---8--
G-10--10--9----
D-10--9---9---
A------------
E-10--9---8--


and you have descending voice or bass and it sounds smooth and properly outlines the progression.


Cheers for the site :smile: can't exactly say i'm a beginner when it comes to theory (taught piano so sort of comes with the territory) but reckon i'll start right from the beginning all the same

Apart from that; most of everything else you said might as well have been a different language to me lol hopefully will understand with time :redface:
Would you say learning theory has "improved" your playing (i.e. technique; NOT knowledge) and how much? and in what way(s)?
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 9539
Original post by Tobia_s

Would you say learning theory has "improved" your playing (i.e. technique; NOT knowledge) and how much? and in what way(s)?


Definately. Learning to read music forces you to play a lot slower than most guitarists do and gives you the time to concentrate on the quality of your notes instead of doing the usual guitarist thing where you just belt through scales scratching each note, making a fast jumble of horrible quality sound.

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