If you play guitar (or an instrument) get your BUTT in this thread!!!

[SunnyDRE]

True story.

So a few weeks back, I went to a concert of a somewhat famous indie band with a friend and his gf.

After the concert I chatted up the one of the girls selling shirts and it turns out she was dating one of the band members.

I chilled with her for a minute and I ended up getting an invite to the after party.

Friend doesn't come, he wants to go have sex with his GF back at the hotel room (don't blame him.)

I go.

So I'm just chilling, having a blast, but I manage to get a few minutes with the lead singer, who is also the lead guitarist.

Obviously, I tell him how much I like his band, how I love certain albums, and I get him to sign a few items.

Anyway, the conversation turned, and I was telling him how I had recently bought a guitar and how I was trying to learn to play.

He told me if i really wanted to be a good guitar player, I should put it down and pick up the Violin first.

What did he mean by this? Been on my mind for a few weeks now.

Learning to play the guitar is on my "bucket list" and one the few things on there that I'm trying to do right now.

If there is something to this, I would like to know. I can play trumpet (i'm not great), and I have heard other trumpet players say that if your good at it, you'd be great at the clarinet; so I do know, sometimes, there is somewhat of a compatibility between two instruments.

Thoughts?

[The Glow Inc.]

Played violin for 8 years then picked up the guitar and been playing it for the last twelve years now.

What he means is that violin will teach you to be rigorous and precise. A violin doesn't allow sloppiness...at all.

That being said, learning both will take you a long ass time and provide you with more frustration than you can even imagine so unless you want to become the next Steve Vai ( which I'm not either, after all these years lol ) and just want to have fun with the instrument, don't listen to him...

[T.wa.T]

After wanting to play guitar since I was a kid, I finally did take lessons. It took me about six months of lessons, once a week for about 1/2 hour to 45 mins before I was able to kinda of do my own thing. On my own I was practicing for about 3~4 hours a day. Different scales and chords, etc...Whenever I watched tv I had my guitar in hand or when I was bored I would just start playing. Its good therapy to, I always feel better after playing. Even when I couldn't do what I wanted, I always felt better after at least trying. Good luck playing.

[SunnyDRE]

Played violin for 8 years then picked up the guitar and been playing it for the last twelve years now.

What he means is that violin will teach you to be rigorous and precise. A violin doesn't allow sloppiness...at all.

That being said, learning both will take you a long ass time and provide you with more frustration than you can even imagine so unless you want to become the next Steve Vai ( which I'm not either, after all these years lol ) and just want to have fun with the instrument, don't listen to him...

Thank you for your answer.

Curious. How different is the guitar from the violin?

After wanting to play guitar since I was a kid, I finally did take lessons. It took me about six months of lessons, once a week for about 1/2 hour to 45 mins before I was able to kinda of do my own thing. On my own I was practicing for about 3~4 hours a day. Different scales and chords, etc...Whenever I watched tv I had my guitar in hand or when I was bored I would just start playing. Its good therapy to, I always feel better after playing. Even when I couldn't do what I wanted, I always felt better after at least trying. Good luck playing.

How hard was it for you find a decent teacher?

I live in a small town...well its not really a small town, but more of a suburb.

Having some difficulty.

[T.wa.T]

Played violin for 8 years then picked up the guitar and been playing it for the last twelve years now.

What he means is that violin will teach you to be rigorous and precise. A violin doesn't allow sloppiness...at all.

That being said, learning both will take you a long ass time and provide you with more frustration than you can even imagine sop unless you want to become the next Steve Vai ( which I'm not either, after all these years lol ) and just want to have fun with the instrument, don't listen to him...

Thank you for your answer.

Curious. How different is the guitar from the violin?

After wanting to play guitar since I was a kid, I finally did take lessons. It took me about six months of lessons, once a week for about 1/2 hour to 45 mins before I was able to kinda of do my own thing. On my own I was practicing for about 3~4 hours a day. Different scales and chords, etc...Whenever I watched tv I had my guitar in hand or when I was bored I would just start playing. Its good therapy to, I always feel better after playing. Even when I couldn't do what I wanted, I always felt better after at least trying. Good luck playing.

How hard was it for you find a decent teacher?

I live in a small town...well its not really a small town, but more of a suburb.

Having some difficulty.

Good question.

I honestly believe in my case, the kid I hooked up with was just meant to be my teacher. I had little to no experience playing, but I (for some reason), was able to pick up what he was teaching me relatively easy. The little experience I had was only from picking up a guitar or bass guitar at a friends house once in a blue moon, but my teacher was keen enough to see that I could already do simple scales.What I mean by that is, playing say, pointer finger, middle, ring, pinky one at a time but seqeuntially, while picking. So I at least had that going for me, lol.

So he started me with pentatonic scales, which is similar to what Slash plays. And thats exactly what I was looking for. So we clicked right away as far as the direction in which he taught me.

My advice would be, find a few teachers, check newspapers or music stores and talk to whoever would be your teacher, not the counter person. Tell him/her the style you want to learn, who your favorite players are and find out the same about them. It helps alot when you and him are on the same page, I couldn't wait to go to my next lesson because things were going so good.

It might be the first guy or the fourth, just feel comfortable with him and you'll be off to a good start.

Also check anywhere where people would offer their services, like pizza joints, delis etc.

Your teacher doesn't have to be older mine was like 7 years younger than I.

Check online for local music stores etc, theres definatly someone close to you who can teach you.

Edited August 30, 2013 by T.wa.T

[Jackie Moon]

here's my butt, please be gentle.

[Snake-Pit]

Played since 1999, gigged since 2003, wrote music offically since 2004, recorded guitar (not vocals) since 2008.

This was recorded the week I decided to learn Rocket Queen earlier this year... My understanding of this song has changed a little bit since this video was recorded but; same basic notes apply.

Oh yeah, been customising my own gear with the good people of Feline Guitars since 2003 too. First went there in 2002 though; great place.

This was one of my first jobs, when I was 16 in 2003. - This photo shoot.

(I was fat). Local newspaper.

Edited October 15, 2013 by Snake-Pit