Looking for tips for beginners

[Thundernaut]

Hello, I'm looking to really get into this game I've been playing sporadically but never gotten quite into it.

I really want to be good at playing guitar, more for my own amusement than anything else.

I'm not very skilled, I can only play some beatles songs and most Ramones songs but I wanna be able to play stuff like Def Leppard, Rush and such.

I get really bored and tired with practice (Specially on my right shoulder)


Do you have any tips for me like, whichs songs should I attempt first, how to sit and hold the guitar so my shoulder wont kill me (Usually I sit with the guitar on my inner left thigh and the neck pointing up in a 45 degree angle and I get so tired)

[Boris the Animal]

Check out this site. https://www.justinguitar.com/categories/1-beginner-guitar-course

That's just the beginners site on the link above, but you'll see there's lessons all the way to advanced. Take your time learning and be sure to warm up. You don't need to injure yourself as it will decrease or possibly hault your progress. There may be days that you wish you could be better more quickly, but remember it's a marathon and not a sprint. If you have questions, feel free to ask here. Have fun learning and best of luck with your music progress.

[Boris the Animal]

In regards to your shoulder pain, here's some links. You can find more by searching "guitar playing shoulder pain" or something similar. There's a ton out there, but this should shed some light on your issue...likely being a posture problem. You're likely tensing up when you play. The name of the game is to stay relaxed. Keep that in mind while you practice. I hope this info helps you. Best of luck.

https://www.libertyparkmusic.com/guitar-posture-pain/

https://thesession.org/discussions/8304

https://tomhess.net/Articles/PrinciplesOfGoodPracticeHygiene.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L-7rTOqEYk

[Barabajagal]

@ Thundernaut: Do NOT play in pain! Listen to what your body is telling you and heed the warnings. I naively jumped into RS and injured myself. Right tennis elbow = 4 weeks of physical therapy. Right rotator cuff surgery = 6 weeks of arm in a sling and just starting 6 more weeks of physical therapy. Left hand trigger finger - knock on wood - that worked itself out on its own. I wish I had discovered justin's site BEFORE embarking in RS, but that's my bad . My recommendation, start the beginner course with Justin, get a good sound foundation on which to build, then start slowly with Rocksmtih. Otherwise I hope you've got good medical insurance.

[Funk]

You should take a few lessons with a professional guitar instructor just to avoid learning some bad habits: they are really hard to get rid off once you have them.

[Humpty Dance]

Try to find a nice padded folding chair to sit on while you play.

[Thundernaut]

Thank you all for your comments and advice, I'll make sure to view those lessons also to ensure I dont pick up bad habits that will hurt my shoulder on the long run.

Thank you all again.

[Boris the Animal]

Originally posted by Thundernaut:

Thank you all for your comments and advice, I'll make sure to view those lessons also to ensure I dont pick up bad habits that will hurt my shoulder on the long run.

Thank you all again.

Anytime. I'm a bit concerned about your shoulder. As Barabajagal mentioned, you can easily make a physical issue worse, if not corrected. I agree with Funk about getting a teacher. You had said that you have wanted to play guitar, so the cost of a teacher would be an investment in yourself. It shouldn't be that expensive and he/she should teach you guitar maintenace to do yourself, which saves you time and money in the long run.

Getting that feedback from a good teacher could advance your playing a bit more quickly, as well as helping to avoid seriously injuring yourself. Just ask around from others that take lessons which teacher they like and why. I prefer a teacher that is actively playing as well. There are teachers that teach on the internet, however, since you have an aggravated shoulder, my advice would be one you can sit and ask questions to, specifically about how your shoulder has been hurting so that it can be corrected.

I hope you have a long and enjoyable journey in music.

[Barabajagal]

Originally posted by Thundernaut:

Thank you all for your comments and advice, I'll make sure to view those lessons also to ensure I dont pick up bad habits that will hurt my shoulder on the long run.

Thank you all again.

You're welcome. I don't want to leave you with the impression that RS caused my injuries. It didn't. Fact is, I'm older and already had some physical issues. Ingrained bad habits and playing tense didn't help. After discovering Justin's beginner course, I started over from scratch and now apply what I have learned to Rocksmith. I'm commited to playing the guitar well with the ultimate goal of gigging with a very good friend of mine. Good luck to you and take care of yourself.

[Spiderman4000]

Originally posted by Thundernaut:

Hello, I'm looking to really get into this game I've been playing sporadically but never gotten quite into it.

I really want to be good at playing guitar, more for my own amusement than anything else.

I'm not very skilled, I can only play some beatles songs and most Ramones songs but I wanna be able to play stuff like Def Leppard, Rush and such.

I get really bored and tired with practice (Specially on my right shoulder)


Do you have any tips for me like, whichs songs should I attempt first, how to sit and hold the guitar so my shoulder wont kill me (Usually I sit with the guitar on my inner left thigh and the neck pointing up in a 45 degree angle and I get so tired)

Hi as a game do not rely on it to teach you play,. It teachers you to hit the strings to get points and that is all. It does not depend on sound quality or what you are doing, so your get false feed back. I would use it still as a form of pratice, in that it shows how the songs are constructed and performed. It s terrible on strumming patterns, so forget that as well. I am not trying to put you off but go to other places to learn guitar.

If you can get a good teacher that is the best option, if not, go to u tube and see whats on offer I use munson on utube. get a song you like an just pratice. What i mean is pratice that song and keep on it till you know it or hate it lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHlPHOprV2A.

I fear i might be getting a head of myself here so r before you do that you need to know basic chords, ie G D C A for example and how to strum, Do down strums for starters and and get to to know the chord shapes like the back of your hand. Pratice slowly contantly even if its 5 mins a day. Do not do 3 hours one day then nothing for a week, that is a waste of time. Befoe you know you can strum along with any song. Just do not use rocksmith to do it, it is terrible for it .

If you do not want to learn to strum then go to utube and pick one that suits you . I would go and pick a video that teaches you basci licks such as this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdJ2JwYc3pg&t=1162s. Learn tab as well, iits pretty easy. The numbers are the frets and where they are on the tab is the string. Do not do too much. Little steps makes baby run faster.

As guitar get an acoustic one, not a cheap one but a decent one. I have a yamaha, not too expensive about £100s or so. If you get a cheap one like i did it will be terrible to play and put you off. Get decent strings as well, what i do also after pratice is i clean the strings with string cleaner and then wipe the body.

As for the guitar- the electric is very easy to play, i have an encore one. Yes people say they are terrible but mine is not or get a fender squire. Electric guitars are easy on the fingers and sound great with a good amp. Warning do not put stronger tension strings on electric guitar it was not made for. I did that and broke my guitar which i loved I hae the one in the video but it not works now lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yni-J0Lhhls