Talk to me today!
I really want to help you to grow your skills in playing guitar. Sometimes you just have to ask your questions so that you can find your learning path.
Keep in mind that we all start at the same place with learning to play guitar. Everyone was a beginner once. So don’t let that bother or scare you. There are so many resources available online now to help you learn. But sometimes we don’t know where to start or how to continue learning as we grow.
Here in the Music Room, you get to decide what you want to learn next. When you ask a question I will answer you by email. Plus I will write a blog to help you and others to be clear on the answer.
Let’s Keep it simple
Some questions are complicated so they need to be broken down into bite-size pieces. Once you are clear on the small information you can start to build it into the foundation of your musical knowledge.
Most people know that they need to learn chords on a guitar but how do you learn melodies on a guitar? How do the song melodies work with scales and keys?
Rome wasn’t built in a day. So you tell me what you know and understand and I will take you step by step on this fun journey to becoming the guitarist of your dreams.
Skills Take Time to Grow
Any journey starts with the first step and any skill takes time to grow. The trick is to have a clear idea of the path that you need to take to gain the skills you need. Plus you need to make it a heap of fun too.
I know that when I started playing about 40 years ago, I just wanted to play songs so that I could sing along and play in restaurants. Because I learned simple 3-chord songs this happened quickly and I was soon performing. But this may not be the path that you want. Perhaps you want to play rock and roll or learn classical guitar. Maybe strumming suits your taste or you really want to learn finger-picking.
Music is about Personal Taste
Whatever music you like is your personal taste and it is the right one for you. Don’t ever let anyone tell you your taste is wrong, it’s personal. So whether you love rock or country, pop or classical it’s the right choice.
Now sometimes you need to start with simple songs, just for a while until you understand the basics. And then when you are ready you can move on to harder and more complicated music.
A Whole New Language
With every music style, there is a musical language to explain what you are playing, this is called musical theory. Imagine for the moment that you want to speak to someone in another language. Perhaps you speak Italian but you want to speak in English. So you will need to learn new words in English to explain simple objects that you would usually name in Italian.
Notes, scales, and chords are all new forms of describing the notes we sing, that we play on a guitar. So if you can sing, Do, Reh, Me ……… then you can learn to play a tune on a guitar.
Not Just for Singers
Learning to play guitar is not just for those people who want to sing along. Many people who can’t sing a note love to play guitar, as they can play the melodies that others sing. This is a whole exciting avenue for non-singers.
When you hear a lead riff on the guitar, that is someone playing what they hear in their heads, instead of singing it. You probably have noticed that lead guitar players seem to be mumbling along to what they are playing. That is their way of singing the notes of the melody in their heads that they are playing on their guitars.
Neat huh!
The Difference in Riffs
I can hear you asking. “Then why do some riffs sound like the melody and some sound great but are only similar to the melody?” That’s a good question!
When we listen to a song we know we have already learned the melody line. Sometimes during the instrumental part of the song, the guitarists will play that melody note for note. But that can be a bit boring as it will just sound like all the verses. The solution to this is to play a clever counter (made-up) tune that is in the same key, over the same chords.
Some people are really good at this, so good that we learn by copying what they play. This then gets us used to the idea of creating our own counter tunes. Remember that not all lead riffs are fast and furious. In fact, being a fast player can mean that people get bored with your playing. When you play a riff you need to have something to say and put some emotion into it.
Become a Rhythm Guitarist
Every lead guitarist leads a framework to play their melody lines in. These are the chords and the place where most of us start learning. Most new guitarists learn the basic chords of C, D, G, Am, and E. From these basic chords thousands of songs can be played.
A rhythm guitarist strums or picks these chords so that a singer or lead guitarist can play the melody. A really good rhythm guitarist can make these chords very interesting, whilst also creating a really stable and predictable base for the lead guitarist to work over. It’s a real talent.
Both are important parts of being a team in a band or a duo. I’ve played both parts of my life and it’s a joy to be able to blend in with other musicians. This is where you need to have learned the language of music so that you are all playing from the same musical knowledge base.
Create a Balanced Journey
So my advice to you is to learn a little of both skills as you take your guitar-learning journey. Learn some chords and learn about melody notes and keys. Take it all one step at a time.
Choose some songs that you really want to learn as this will inspire you to keep going and play along with the YouTube originals to see how much fun it is to jam with others.
You are in control of how fast or slow you learn but doing a little practice each day will get you there faster than you can imagine.
Fill in this form today and I will answer your burning questions and write blogs to fill your learning desires.
Guitar Questions Answered Today
Have fun.
Warm Regards,
Lily Munday