Numb fingers
Oh, hello there.
Those of you who know me personally know that I've recently been trying/struggling to learn how to play the guitar. I've been pretty deeply into it for a month or so, and I wanted to write about it, so here goes.
I picked up an acoustic guitar about a year and a half ago after a bad breakup. I can't possibly see how anything could be more cliche than that, but in all seriousness I'd wanted to learn how to play for the longest time. Breakups are unusual times in that you often find the courage to attempt something that seemed out or reach before. This wasn't my first guitar though, I begged my mom to buy me a guitar off of eBay in my early teens, wary of my excitement about such things in the beginning tending to wane over time, she consented to buy a cheap learner's guitar. I learned absolutely nothing on it and promptly gave up playing altogether. Aric 0, Guitar 1
Guitar and I again crossed paths near the end of high school. I started hanging out with some of the local punk rock kids and suddenly had access to a whole lot of instruments which were foreign and confusing to me. At about that time my best friend started learning to play and I'm convinced I would have had an 8-year head start if he had been right handed. Unfortunately playing lefty was out of the question. I never asked any of my other friends to teach me; I was too shy to ask. Aric 0, Guitar 2
Then, as I said above, I went and bought myself a nice acoustic guitar, determined to learn how to play it. My friend and roommate at the time, Justin, was just picking up the instrument again after a hiatus and another friend, Amber, was nurturing a budding interest as well. It seemed like the perfect storm for me to learn. Able to make mistakes in front of Amber, who was at the same level I was, while also learning from someone who knew considerably more than myself, Justin.
So I sat down and, over the course of a few weeks, I awkwardly grasped the basics of how to play. Justin showed me new chords, and I watched a series of videos on YouTube by Justin Sandercoe, which I cannot recommend enough. I learned how to play a song or two and a handful of chords. Then, due to the start of a new relationship, problems at work, and life in general, I didn't play guitar for about 8 months. I would stroll past my Epiphone, pick it up maybe and strum a few notes on occasion, but nothing more than that from March through the end of last year. Aric 0, Guitar 3
So now, I'm sitting here wondering why I've started on this quest again. I'm struggling to pay bills, which doesn't leave me a lot of money to spend on leisure activities. Guitar only really required an initial cash investment (which I had already paid) and also time to sit and practice (which is free). I think another big reason is that I've really truly fallen in love with the Mountain Goats discography over the past year or so. I've always been a huge fan, but never felt like I had the grasp on his library the way I do now. John Darnielle performs with such intensity that I kinda want that moment, if only it's ever by myself in this room. Learning songs that I know/love has been a huge help in my current practice.
The real reason for this post is that I practiced for about 45 minutes tonight. Well, that's not really a big deal, but I'm sick and home from work tonight, very tired and a little depressed and I didn't want to play. I walked past the Epiphone and sort of scowled at it. I picked it up and reluctantly played a D chord (the first chord I learned and the automatic one I form when I pick up a guitar). Then I halfheartedly strummed out the tune to "Weekend in Western Illinois" and hummed the lyrics quietly.
By the end of the song I was full throat into it and banging on my guitar the way that Darnielle often does. I'm going to go ahead and pat myself on the back. I had had a miserable night, play-wise, the night before. I couldn't get strumming right, strings were buzzing, and it was overall just very nonproductive and disappointing. So practicing at all tonight was a major step for me, in terms of the big picture of LEARNING TO PLAY GUITAR™.
I don't know if I'll be able to update as I keep learning, but it's entirely possible I can feel bad about not updating, so you have that to look forward to.
posted by Badfish @ 6:51 PM
6 Comments
6 Comments:
1) Please keep updating
2) I can't recommend www.guitarnoise.com enough. The lessons are all pretty good but check out David Hodge's articles especially. Typically they follow the same scheme where he teaches you to play a well known song part-by-part, but along the way expands upon some of the theory and techniques in the song so you come away having learned more than just how to play a certain song.
3) One of the most overlooked aspects of learning to play guitar is that your hands will get stronger as you go on. Barre chords that seem impossible now (F major?) aren't just hard because they use four fingers and require precision, they also require strength and are just plain hard to play. Not getting a "clear" sound when you play chords is a big discouragement to a lot of people but know that you'll get a lot better as your finger strength and dexterity increases.
4) You know this page, right? http://www.themountaingoats.net/wiki/doku.php?id=tabs:home
Oh, and practice every day, even if it's just for 15 minutes. It's a lot easier to pick up a guitar and feel comfortable if you played the day before. Once you get a little rusty, you use that as an excuse and it snowballs.
And if that doesn't work, you can always consider a career in geology.
I regret never really getting into an instrument. My hands are small and my fingers are stubby so playing the piano or guitar at a competition level was never going to happen.
I had the baritone thrust upon me in middle school and hated brass ever since.
Percussion is out since I cannot coordinate my hands and feet together if my life depended on it.
The harmonica and other wind instruments are always open however.
But keep at it Aric.
It's never too late to pick up music, dude. And stubby fingers are no excuse, anyone can play a string instrument once they get used to stretching their hands and curling
Andres Segovia had fat fingers and he's the father of 20th century classical guitar, he's even got a series of complicated scale fingerings I have to learn for school.
If you have specific concerns, though, it can be helpful to try out different guitars to find a neck that feels right. They are all built a bit differently.
Oh oh also Seth, how about tuned percussion? Xylophone, vibraphone, steel drum, etc. Percussion instruments with different pitches laid out in front of you are a great way to learn music as well. Composer/music educator Carl Orff used glockenspiels as a simple, straightforward instrument on which to demonstrate basic music theory to children and also help kids improvise easily and get started playing simple melodies early before they get "good".
I really would recommend to anyone remotely interested in taking up a fun, easy instrument this student glockenspiel:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/LMI-25-Note-Bell-Set-with-Case-GG?sku=470063
Ever since I got mine, I've been seeing them a lot on youtube, Demitri Martin even played one on Comedy Central
It's small, only two octaves, but it's fun and it's got the notes printed on the bells. You can look up some scales and chords and have fun improvising. Maybe work your way up to a full sized xylophone!
Make yourself a shaker out of a half-full oatmeal container, get out your glockenspiel, pour some water in a crystal glass, and arrange some jugs for blowing. Then all you need is a four-track tape recorder and you've got a one-man band!
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