Anyone play guitar?

I love playing guitar. Super fun. I just started this last summer and cant stop playing. I fucked up though and only learned little bits and pieces to songs so i have to go back and relearn a bunch of them all the way through..
 
then I feel bad for you. I do agree, they could use a lot less open chugging and breakdowns, however, I feel like they use them more properly than a lot of bands these days do. The Contortionist will build up for like 2 and a half minutes then have an enormous crushing breakdown, unlike with a lot of hardcore or metalcore bands that will just throw in breakdowns and chugging where there is no business for it.

I see where you're coming from, but if you really give their albums some deep listening they might grow on you. It took me about 3 or 4 listens through Exoplanet before I started to really enjoy it, and it took a couple more for Intrinsic. Exoplanet is a much more well put together album though so if you feel like giving them another chance just mellow out with some really good stereo headphones and play through it.

I feel a similar way about BTBAM albums at first too. They're really hectic and hard to follow at first but then I like them later on.
 
Thanks a lot. And just a lot of practice i guess. I play classical guitar as well which helped a lot with learning good clean left hand technique.
 
Yeah nice playing. So far I have not had much trouble with left hand technique (though maybe that is due to hours of chromatic exercises), but my right hand technique is pissing me off right now. Every time I start getting somewhere, I feel that my technique is a bit off in my alt. picking, so I go back down to ultra slow speeds just to make sure all the mechanics are alright. At the moment I have gone back down to 100bpm 16ths, moving up to 104 this week. I'm just trying to concentrate on minimal movement and complete relaxation for up to 5 mins. Hopefully my goal of 180 will be achieved soon enough.
 
a big breakthrough for me with right hand technique and sweep picking was of course the realization of how small the strings were and how little you actually have to move your wrist to pick the string. I would sit and practice moving my pick across a string back and forth without having the pick leave the string once. It was very effective in allowing me to get fast runs down clean with minimal movement.

Also pick positioning too, i almost point my pick out a little more while doing fast runs. it helps some.

 
Yeah, that is what I have to do. Sweep picking is fine for me actually. At the moment it is just alt picking, especially 2 note/string stuff.

This is one of the solos I want to learn, but the double picking technique is just nuts. (0:27 if you want to skip the intro bit).

 
contortionist sound good, but they look like fucking nerds, guitars covering their tits.

im not a man about looks, cept for laydays

but how can you rock with your guitar that high

maybe im judging too fdast but from the vid im watching, its, too. much.

 
Dude, watch Animals as Leaders, or Scale the Summit. Their guitars are by their chins. If you want to play technical stuff playing with your guitar higher up is soo much easier on the wrists.

And the Contortionist kick ass live; i say that from experience (i've seen them twice). They don't move much, but they hit the right notes and put on a good show nonetheless.
 
I suck at guitar. I did however, just learn to play don't fear the reaper in about 15 minutes.
 
Yeah i was just watching this video the other day haha. Check this dude out i think he is the best cover guitar player on youtube and for 20 bucks he will transcribe any solo you want into tab or make a private video of him playing it slowly. i learned a lot from watching him alternate pick and sweep.

he does mostly 80s stuff which is what im in to haha.
 
Dude has some chops. I wouldn't say the best youtube cover player though - I have seen a lot of damn impressive ones. They seem to be a dime a dozen lately (one of the reasons I actually dislike guitar; too many damn bedroom guitarists who can shred like nothing else). Unfortunately I do not like 80's "metal" or glam rock. I do appreciate good guitar playing whatever the style is though.
 
agreed. technical ability means nothing if you can't make music, i hate the youtube shredder generation. get an audience and rock their faces off. there is no substitute for live music imo. sorry, just had a couple double IPAs
 
Bar chords really arent that hard. When I was first learning them i had trouble with some of the notes not coming out but eventually i got it down. The guitar is awesome, but I cant play for another two week because I broke my thumb and i have a cast on it.
 
^ Yeah iv made a lot of progress with them. Iv been doing a bunch of simple bill withers/hendrix/pearljam inspired chords and its helped. Definitely getting some hand strength.
 
word i actually don't have any headphones right now so i haven't been able to really listen to anything for 2 weeks :( i've actually been meaning to start composing some prog metal stuff so maybe this will give me some more ideas haha
 
learn to use your thumb on the e string. i have really small hands too and it's weird at first but then makes it soooo easy and you can do way more interesting things improvising when you can switch between both ways of playing bar chords. watch john mayer play for reference
 
plus k for this post-- I will try it. My hands so far have kept me from being able to play-- so small.
 
Barre chords are a must learn! They literally changed the instrument for me. I'd say that learning barre chords is one of the major steps in progression of the guitar. Literally from just the basic shapes, you can make simple finger changes and play any chord you could ever dream of. 7's 9's minor variations 6's 6/9's. The list goes on and on and on and on.

Right now I'm practicing right hand technique for sweep picking. As a Jazz and Blues player mainly, I haven't had to ever use it much but I've put it off far too long. I'm hoping that in 4 months i'll be able to have it down at least decently well so on the songs where I do have to play runs, I can play them much more efficiently.

I also am working on Hybrid Picking. Its cool stuff and Steve Stevens does it in Rebel Yell which inspired me.

And an Amadeus, you're one hell of a classic rock player! I wish I could find people like you at my university and make a band...
 
I hated barre chords until somebody showed me that they are easier if you use the side of your index finger instead of laying it flat on the strings.
 
I have tiny hands as well, and I rarely play open chords because I prefer bar chords. For me it was easier to learn them if you put down the difficult fingers first. It forces you to get into position on time.
 
I'd rather look like a nerd who sounds great than sacrifice that comfort and sound like crap for the sake of looking "cool." Although I guess half of a guitar's purpose is to serve as a fashion accessory, so never mind.
 
I have fat chubby hands and when I actually put time into doing this correctly it helped me soooo much.
 
okay learning to read music is irrelevant if you want to sit in your basement and play gorillaz tabs all day, and yeah sure lots of famous guitarists couldnt read music. but knowing how to read it and understanding basic musical theory will help SO FUCKING MUCH when it comes to playing with multiple other musicians. I know lots of people that shred alone but cannot collaborate worth shit. pretty much everyone I know who can read music or has any musical training are capable of making music with other people. not saying its impossible if you have no training but it helps so much. there is definitely benefit in it. and 90% of people who have a musical career have training. sure there are rockstar anomalies but if youre comparing yourself to Jimi on the basis that neither of you can read sheet music, your head is in the clouds. i cant read sheet music very quickly, especially not on guitar, but after roughly twelve years of taking some sort of music lessons (piano, guitar, string bass etc), i can safely say that my general understanding of music helps me at least have some sort of direction when writing/jamming.

practice is more important than musical training and reading abilities, obviously. but your practicing becomes much more efficient when you really understand what you are doing.

/rant
 
i found getting my hands as spidery as possible also helped because it made sure i was more precise with each string, playing only with my finger tips, but once you can actually play them your hand can get more mushy and less fingertipy
 
having your guitar high makes it way easier to play because you don't have to force your wrist into position. the first time I saw this video I thought they looked pretty funny

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it's true though, the contortionist is a pretty soft looking band. their guitarist who wears glasses cut his hair short too so now he looks like an 17 year old who is good at math.
 
Bumping this thread because I'm probably going to be buying a new gee-tar tomorrow. I'm currently playing a Fender American Fat Strat, but I've always loved Gibson Les Pauls and want to give one a try. Anyone have experience/opinions on a LP Studio Deluxe vs LP Traditional Pro? The Traditional Pro would only be about $200 more because it's on clearance, and both include a hard case. Both have coil tapping and a 60s neck, but from what I understand there are various differences in the build quality and such. I played both today and liked the way both felt and sounded (Used a few different Marshall and Vox amps - I use Vox at home), so I'm just wondering if I didn't notice much of a difference, will the Traditional Pro be worth the extra cash? I should also note that the Studio Deluxe was available in a few different finishes because it's a newer model and there was only one Traditional Pro at the reduced price because it is the last one left. All the rest were the Traditional Pro II, which are significantly more expensive.

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VS

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I'd go with the traditional. The Humbuckers will give you more of that unique LP "tone" and the finish is much more quality. The Flamed Maple top is very nice looking and overall the quality will probably be a little nicer. The 60's neck is pretty standard and will be thicker than the neck on your strat. Coil taps are nice and since both have them its nothing to compare other than I find myself using mine on my homemade guitar more than not.

As for looks, the pickguard looks better imo. (Ironic since my Les Paul Robot 1st Edition is essentially a Studio LP.)

And I figured I'd post pics of my newest baby.

1969 Gibson ES-335 (NOT a re-issue, the real fucking deal here)

Pickguard is signed by Chet Atkins in 1998 and he passed away in 2001

Its got all of the cracks on the nitrocellulose paint all of the goodies and has been authenticated as a true 1969 by my local luthier buddy.

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Traditional, no question. I would pay extra just for the flamed maple top alone. If you can't tell the difference between playing either model, at least get the one with the nicer, more aesthetic wood top, especially if it's only $200 more. Did you check the serial number to see exactly when it was finished at the factory?
 
Alright I got my real camera out.

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The bigsby was added in 1975 by an authorized gibson shop and I have the receipt for it. I need to find another pick guard and put this one away but I'm having issues finding one that will fit this guitar since it is 43 years old.
 
That thing is gorgeous!

What repair/maintenance has been done to it? Refret at all? Any touchups on the finish or anything?

Regarding the pickguard, I did some searching this morning and there seems to be some "vintage" ones supposedly fitting the late 60's models on Ebay, but I am not too fond of Ebay for anything. I will see if I am able to find anything else out there for you.
 
Could I try to recommend you to go with a PRS instead? They look sooooooooo much better (in my opinion), are more versatile, and (again in my opinion) feel much more comfortable.

Even the SE series has some solid guitars.
 
Possibly a refret but it wouldve been done a long time ago as well because theyre pretty worn down. The paint is original and is cracked all over the place (which is one of my favorite things about old guitars) the ones ive looked at so far have the wrong types of screws and mounting hardware on them. I need to call gibson one of these days and aska guy who knows his shit about vintage guitars.
 
Check the fingerboard binding, Gibson's are typically some of the most pain in the ass guitars to refret as the original binding usually covers the edges of the frets slightly. This extra material has to be removed when refretting Gibson's, very carefully I might add. If it has in fact had a refret, it wouldn't surprise me to see tiny cracks, and/or tool marks around the binding near the edges of the frets.

Is the finish damaged/cracked enough that it could potentially make the guitar more vulnerable to moisture or temperature changes? Is the finish surrounding the neck and body joint still intact?

I would definitely get as much information from Gibson about that beauty as possible. If you have a high-end vintage shop around you, start there, they might also be able to help supply a replacement pickguard.

 
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