dogstile said:
Yeah sorry if the post was too long! Playing the guitar is something that I love to do, so when some one is showing interest I try to do the best I can to share my passion and hobby with others.
To answer your question for the other guy, in case he hadn't already.
what are the basic things a guitar teacher expects you to have when you go? I know a guitar and that are likely obvious but i may be missing something.
Most likely just your guitar and amp (if you're using one,) and a pick. It never hurts to ask the teacher when you call as well just to make sure there isn't anything specific he wants you to bring.
Never be afraid to ask questions, for there is no such thing as a stupid question, evar!
Lately i've been just trying to learn parts from songs, but that might possibly be because i'm trying to improve my switching of chords.
That is totally fine and a good way to learn. What I would do is learn part of a song at a time. Get yourself comfortable with that and then when you get that down, move on to the next. Once you're able to learn the entirety of the song, figure out where you might have had some trouble and go back and practice that part until you're fluent with it.
What got me started in playing the guitar was, I used to hang out with a friend of mine all the time, and as we were hanging out, he would constantly play a piece of a song over and over again. One day I was sitting at home by myself and bored out of my mind, so I picked up my dads acoustic guitar and was able to recall the song he played by ear.
I then started looking some of my favorite songs that sounded really easy to play, and did the same thing you did. I would learn small parts of each song and then try to work my way through the rest of it once I became more comfortable.
Switching between chords fluently is going to take some time, because you're going to have to get used to placing your fingers in what will feel like extremely awkward positions at first, but as you keep playing, your hand muscles will strengthen and it will become more and more easier as time goes by.
Which is why the majority of people who responded to this thread said that the most important thing you can do is practice, practice, practice. If you don't practice, you won't build that hand strength up and it will be continuously hard to switch between chords.
I could be part of some shitty garage band but of course, it doesn't matter. It'd be a good time XD
Playing in a shitty garage band, or any band for that matter is a very rewarding experience. For the longest time back when I was first starting off, I would hop over to my friends house and I would jam on the guitar while she played the drums.
It's really damn cool to hear some one else play along with what you're playing, no matter what instrument. It really motivates you into playing a lot more and learning new things so you can go back and try it out with others!
If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask, and have fun!
worked for me.
