My First Guitar Lesson!

[Olly]

Hey guys,

Yesterday i had my first lesson for 30 mins, and the teacher taught me a few basics liek the main root chords and he showed me a little spanish tune (mite be Granada, but not sure) which i have been practicing.
I have cracked the tune and can now play it!!! but i am still not too great with changing the chords quickly. So do i just keep practicing or am i doin sumit wrong? :?:
He also sed that my left hand was too close to the neck of the guitar, and told me to lower my hand while i was holding the strings... However, this puts stain on my hand and really hurts after a few minutes of playing. Will this pain go away or wot? Now i need tot ake breaks betwem playing.

Anyway, i am definitely carrying on the lessons, cus it is a lot easier to learn from a teacher than from a book!

Any replies wud be helpfull,
thx

Olly

[edwardcav]

dont squeeze the neck, keep your left thumb straight, and attack the frets from above - not the side. use the very tip of your fingers to fret the notes.


but im sure ur teacher said that in the lesson, right?

[snetzley]

Hi Olly,

Sounds like you had a good first lesson. A couple of things to keep in mind. You had a lesson yesterday and today you "cracked" the tune and can play it, but you "still" can't change chords quickly. I had to smile when I read that sentence. (How old are you again?) Your instructor does not expect you to master a piece in 24 hours, nor does anyone else. So you might as well lighten up on your expectations and enjoy the process of learning, not just the end goal of playing a piece.

Having said that, I agree with edward. His point, and it backs up what your instructor said, is very important to you playing. It takes time and patient practice to master. Practice for short amounts of time working on your left hand position. Then take a break and rest your hand and your brain. Then go back to it. You should not be squeezing so hard that you strain your left hand after only a few minutes of playing.

The stronger your left hand position becomes, the better you will be able to change your hand position smoothly and quickly. "Strong" does not mean choking the neck of the guitar. It means being able to move your left hand lightly, like a cat walking on piano keys, and accurately over the fretboard.

Keep practicing, but practice as correctly as you can.

[Olly]

Thx for the info edward and snetzley. :D

The piece of music is only like 4 bars long (I think) so it isnt too hard, and i can change my hand positioning on this song quite well now. This is because its from E :arrow: Am then i release my hand and hold 3rd string at 3rd fret, then i just keep repeating that... So the hand change isnt hard at all, but i am finding it a bit more tricky to switch from E :arrow: B7
Any suggestions? I will now attack the frets from above.

Anyway, thx a lot u 2, it has really helped me.

The lesson was more theory yesterday because i had to learn the different keys and stuff like that, and because the lesson is only 30 mins long time flies by, so all comments on how i can better myself are well appreciated.

Olly

[Olly]

For Snetzley's information, I am 16 (Am i a little too old to start playing an instrument?)

[stubthumbs]

hello olly
about changing from E :arrow: B7....id suggest you practice holding B7 for a couple seconds so u can get a hang of holding it a couple times. and after that, try changing to E. changing from E :arrow: B7 is easier than changing some chords because all u have to do is move some fingers a string over to change from E to B7.

if u hold your E[string(fret)(finger)] 6(0)(0) 5(2)(2) 4(2)(3) 3(1)(1) 2(0)(0) 1(0)(0), all u need to do if keep your second finger hammered on the 5th string, and move third finger down to the 3rd string and your 1st finger up to the 4th string, and your pinky on the 2nd fret of the 1st string. youll probably notice that your pinky naturally hovers over the trebles, so itll be less work getting your pinky there.

keep this in mind....if theres something you cant play on your guitar, play it SLOWLY, (what snetzley mentioned) and technically. its the only way to improve what you are working on. even if it takes you a long time to get a hang off, its better than struggling to rush to get it down. working on something slowly, even making transitions from chord to chord, will help you in the long run, esp. on improvements. if youre working on a scale, use a metronome and set it at a tempo where youre not struggling to get the notes, but able to play them comfortably. or a certain section in a piece you need to work on. keep this in mind! :lol:

i used to just try to play what i wanted to play at fast tempos, which hindered my performances. metronome helps alot! now, i can solo faster without sounding horrible.

and one more thing, make sure that whatever you are playing, every note speaks out. keep this in mind as well! :lol:

hope this helps!

oh yea, i dont think 16 is too old to start. i used to think that too because there are people who started playing when they were 4 or 5! i think it depends on the player and how much he/she enjoys playing the instrument. thats all it matters. :lol:

[edwardcav]

I agree with stubthumbs - every note has a purpose, and an equal potential to add the the story that your fingers are trying to tell. Don't ever forget this!!!

I am 17 years old, and although I started playing guitar at 13, I have been practicing classical and flamenco solidly for less than a year. If you want it bad, just go and get it dude. DEVISE your practice sessions, as these are to have a point. They sort out your problems, and are VITAL in progressing, especially when you are new to the instrument.

Every piece of advice I offer ha affected the way I play the guitar - some of which I forgot about and am paying for it now!!!

[Olly]

Thx a lot guys,

I am still trying to underdstand stubthumbs' 2nd paragraph, but i will get it eventually.

But thanks all the same,

Olly