Wisdom you'd pass on to newer guitarists.

What wisdom would you pass on to newer guitarists?

I'd tell them to invest money into lessons instead of gear. To value a good amp as much as a good guitar. And that talent has little to do with it, you only get out of it what you put into it.

What would you say?

Don't ever sell your Marshall JCM800 100w head and 4x12 cab that you scrimped and worked and bled to buy in order to fund a strat even though you love it and ultimately paint it green!

And don't sell your westone prestige 250

Wisdom, eh?

1) If you somehow manage to acquire a 1965/66 Marshall Model 1986 (JTM45) head (à la Duane Allman) for a tenner off a mate, don't then leave it at a different friend's house for the light-fingered amp fairies to collect;

2) If you scrimp & save to buy your dream Thunder III bass, don't under any circumstances lend it to a friend who would sell his own grandmother to fund his (unknown to you) drug habit.


I mean, honestly, you'd have to be an idiot to do either of those things...

have fun

Seriously consider the effect that kids will have on your guitar playing BEFORE you have them!

Learn to use your little finger.

Don't buy a 'rare' guitar from you know who.

This is fun to read guys, keep it coming!

Invest in a good tuner. Learn how to use it.

look away from the fretboard more

Best advice I ever got - RELAX. You won't be able to play it if you are too tense.

ACTUALLY practice!

Take up bass....it's easier

gittarasaurus got it for me, have fun.

IanO wrote:Take up bass....it's easier

yawn

Try to always play with a click/drum/recorded track to maintain your sense of timing.
Jam with as many musicians as you can.

Sorry Grogg, I s'pose the bass comment was a bit obvious....will try harder from now on.

ian

Practice. Practice. Practice. No matter how good you think you are.
Play at every opportunity. And yes, have fun!

Mother Nature's a beeatch, and Old man Arthritis is a cruel bugger and they can both take it all away in a heart beat!

Learn piano. Piano teaches harmony.

Learn drums. Drums teach rhythm.

Then learn guitar. Apply previous lessons!

But yeah, relax and enjoy!!

Don't pet flaming dogs.

1) Learn to play the old-fashioned way: slow down your hero's songs and learn them note for note.

The older guys had to slow down their record players. My generation was stuck with cassette tapes and no way to slow down.

Now you have .mp3s and a host of programs that can slow down a tape without changing the pitch. Download VLC and use its slowdown function.

2) Learn 1 new song a week

3) Sing. It doesn't matter if you can't sing worth a damn. That didn't stop Bob Dylan, which is how we got Jimi Hendrix.

4) Record yourself. Record songs. It doesn't matter how cheesy it sounds at first. If you wait until you have the equipment and know-how to record, you'll never do it, and you'll waste dozens, if not hundreds, of great songs.

Iceman wrote:Don't pet flaming dogs.

Especially whilst holding your guitar.

Learn scales and how to apply them. It can be fun nowadays with all the tuition DVDs and Youtube clips available. There wasn't much interesting instructional material about in the 70s when I first started playing and I never got past pentatonics until a few years ago. Then the doors started opening.
And I know it's difficult but keep away from effects pedals until you've gotten to grips with the guitar itself.

work at controlling a guitar at volume., eliminating feedback (unwanted type) and getting feedback (wanted type).