Conference napalm::guitar

    many people are resorting to instructional videos to learn
    an instrument. Many good videos are available for guitar,
    ranging from beginners to advanced students. I would
    suggest you get a hold of a decent guitar (flattop
    acoustics are a good way to start, as they don't require
    an amp, and decent ones are available cheap) and start
    with a entry-level video tape. You may prefer to take
    a few lessons with an instructor, and then discontinue
    them once you learn the basics and use videos.
    
    Mark
    

    
    
    	As a resident newcomer and authentic "slow hand", I feel qualified
    to share some of the best advise that I've gotten right here in
    this notesfile... nice sentence structure, huh??
    
    1. If you have a question, ask here.  Folks here are helpful,
       non-judgemental and courteous to beginners.
    2. Get a good instructor, and tell him what you really want to
       accomplish.
    3. Learn something easy that you like first (instant gratification
       principle... I think)
    4. PRACTICE... they told me this about 10 times, but I'll write
       it once.
    5. Don't get frustrated, practice should include some hard stuff
       and some fun stuff... keeps one coming back.
    6. Play slowly (this is a gem) at first, things learned at slow
       speed, speed up easier than things learned at too fast a speed.
       This one little piece of advice is the difference for me playing
       note for note with Clapton on one of his best (slow) blues tunes,
       AND NOT.
    7. Play behind (while they are playing) tapes that you like, helps
       rythmn (however it's spelled).
    
    Good Luck,
    It's been worth the effort to me,
    Steve

    I can't reinforce point 3 in the previous reply enough.
    
    Music totally turned me off until my mid to late teens. Why? Because
    whenever I was taught anything (no matter what instrument) I had
    to learn Old MacDonald, Tom Dooley etc etc. I ask you, no wonder
    I got bored.
    
    When I got my first guitar at 21 I bought a basic guitar tutor and
    a compendium of Beatles songs for easy guitar. I learnt the theory
    from the book and then applied it to the Beatles stuff. That way
    my interest never waned.
    
    Also, I would strongly recommend playing regularly with someone
    else even its just an instructor. It really gives you an incentive
    to get things right.
    
    Richard
    Basingstoke, UK

    Also, start out with a half-way decent guitar.  Learning on a cheap
    guitar with action like a dobro doesn't inspire you much.  I was
    real lucky, 'cuz I started out on a Les Paul Custom and an Ampeg
    V4 stack.  I was playing drums in a band and my mother financed
    the rig for the guitar player.  I quit, so did the rig...  8^)

                                                             
    
    
    				Jerry

    If there's one thing I've learned about learning music (or ANYTHING)
    it's that practice is NOT just playing.  To accomplish things requires
    investment of mental energy as well.
    
    Lots of people think they can become great just by playing a lot.
    They will pick up the guitar and basically do things that don't
    require them to think like playing scales, or playing without
    analyzing what they are playing, or playing a hard like over and
    over without realizing what makes it hard, etc.
    
    If you play a lot and don't get anywhere, chances are you just aren't
    investing the mental effort.  You're not stopping and asking "why
    am I not getting anywhere and what can I do to change that".
    
    My experience is that improvement comes from using your practice
    time effectively which is a largely mental activity.
    
    The real trick is not to learn guitar, but to learn how to learn.
    
    I always feel extremely uncomfortable writing "advice" notes like this
    cause I read them and say "god, I sound like Joe Cool guitar player". 
    I'm not.  I'm mediocre to decent.
    
    The reason why I speak so strongly about this is because it's something I
    discovered awhile back and it IMMEDIATELY made dramatic improvements
    in my musical pursuits.  It's a "revelation" I've had that I only
    wish to share.
    
    	db

    Re: .5
    
    Interesting advice db!  I'm sure that train of thought will make
    you not only a well-rounded guitarist but an intelligent one.
    
    I didn't pick up the guitar until I was 25 and was good enough to
    strum along in church 3 months later.  Sure I was highly motivated
    but for the same reasons that others stated.  Play something that
    you're interested in.  Also, set goals for yourself to stay motivated.
    If you're motivated, I feel the practice part will come naturally.
    
    Anyone know of some decent acoustic guitar teaching videos?  I think
    I might be out-growing my teacher.
    
    Mike

    
    	Along the lines of Dave's reply, I can suggest the "do within
    while you have to do without" technique of learning.
    
    	Yes, you can improve not only your aptitude toward playing,
    but actually your ability as well, by simply imagining that you're
    playing guitar. It takes a rather open mind and a some development
    of the skill of visualization, but the technique has been proven
    valid. The "air guitarists" are _all_ ahead of you, so to speak,
    if you've "done nothing" so far along these lines.
    
    	So, while you're deciding what kind of instrument you want to
    buy, what teacher you want instruction from, and what style you
    wish to play and other "details" of your new hobby, spend some time
    "inside" just imagining that you're playing that majestic lead from
    "more than a feelin'" or that flat pickin' tune you always wanted
    to play. Imagine feeling where the string are, the layout of the
    neck in terms of where the sounds come from. Practice striking the
    strings in time to the sound, as if it was coming from you.
    
    	Good Luck!
    
    	Joe Jas
    

    
	Although its been mentioned several times in this conference
before, still good advice:  start subscribing to 'FRETS' or 'Guitar Player'
(both are GPI publications).  Dan Crary (regular colulmn in 'FRETS') 
is careful to provide a column for beginners from time to time.  My
subscription has been beneficial in keeping my interest up by providing
insight from great guitarists, new material on a monthly basis, and 
a general focus on the instrument of choice.  

	Another thing, listen critically to the style that you wish to
emulate.  If you want to be a flatpicker you should invest in some
Doc Watson, Tony Rice, Dan Crary and Mark O'Connor albums.  For fingerpickers
I'd sure be listening to Leo Kottke.  Get the vision in your head - then
plan out goals to achieve that vision.  

	A couple of good suggestions were listed earlier, I'd follow them
with this additional advice:  take your practice seriously.  Make it a formal
part of your day.  Each week establish a goal, then spend serious practice
time working on that goal.  Thanks to DREGS::Blickstein - same advice here
about mental preparation.  Larry Carlton said he used to walk around
junior high school hearing changes in his head and thinking about new
ways to use them.  Mental preparation makes the next practice session
more interesting and productive.

	Practice:

	I'm classically trained on trumpet, so I have a classical approach
to practice, and believe me, there is a right way to approach practice on
the instrument.  My practice sessions generally look like this:

	Warm up - run some scales, play Huckleberry Hornpipe a couple
	times, whatever you do, make it the same each time.  That way
	you get back 'in the groove' that much quicker.  You'll change
	what you do over time as you grow, but it still should be
	about the same on a daily basis.

	Work on that weeks goal - new changes, new tune, etude, new scales
	Set the goal realistically - if you're a beginner you may not
	wish to attempt a two octave scale, but advanced players need
	to be able to run it while carrying on a conversation.
	I set the metronome on the fastest speed that I can play the
	piece cleanly and smoothly, and let me tell you, on the first
	few days for some pieces that has been very slow indeed.

	Woodshed - really take apart that passage that has been
	giving you particular difficulty, whole tone scales
	or diminished runs, changes that give you trouble.

	Read new material - I've got an extensive library of music
	for guitar and trumpet.  Ever try to read trumpet etudes on	
	guitar?  (or vice versa? It's interesting how some of the cross
	picked passages from Beaumont Rag sound on trumpet.)

	What you've done is forced yourself to work on new material each	
	day.  The only way to grow is to stretch yourself and get out
	of that comfort zone.
	
	Re: question about video instruction.

	Check out homespun tapes.  COOKIE::FOLK_MUSIC note 441 - partially
included below has a discussion on this subject.  By the way, there is
a number to call for overseas orders.  If any of you folks from across
the pond want the number I'll look in the recent catalog when I get
home.

	Keep on pickin', the world needs more human beings.

         <<< COOKIE::DISK$SYSTEM_3:[NOTES$LIBRARY]FOLK_MUSIC.NOTE;1 >>>
                                -< FOLK MUSIC >-
================================================================================
Note 441.6                     Learning from tapes                       6 of 12
SNFFLS::MADDUX "no title yet blues"                  70 lines   3-DEC-1988 10:02
                         -< Homespun Address included >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is copied from one of Homespun's ad's in the Walnut Valley Occasional:

	AMERICA'S MUSIC IS TAUGHT ON HOMESPUN TAPES

	Now in our 21st year, we have over 400 lessons on audio and video
cassettes that teach and document folk, bluegrass, rock, jazz, and classical
music techniques.  Top musicians teach a wide variety of instruments at
all levels, from beginner to advanced.

[ Then follows a partial listing with pictures of the artists - I'll include
a couple here ]

VIDEO

You Can Play Guitar
taught by Happy Traum.  3 tapes, 60 min ea. $49.95 per tape or all three
for $139.95
Chords and Chord Progressions
This video show the beginner, UP CLOSE, the proper way to play chords on
the guitar, and how they fit together in creating music.  Includes songs,
exercises, and playing ideas and advice.

[ Goes on like that for a while.  The ones that I have are by noted and
well known artists, and are an examination of that artists style taught
personally by the artist.  Here is the blurb about the Tony Rice series.]

 An Intimate Lesson with Tony Rice, taught by Tony Rice
60 minutes, $49.95 

	Here is the fabulous Tony Rice picking style, slowed down and brought
up close so you can clearly see what he's doing and how he's doing it.
Tony demonstrates a variety of techniques through six songs and instrumentals
taken from his most recent albums.

AUDIO

 Country Guitar Styles

	taught by Merle Watson, 3 one hour tapes, $32.50
Merle's fingerpicking, flatpicking, and slide guitar styles are broken down
for the intermediate guitarist.  Doc joins Merle for some "twin guitar"
instruction featuring some of their most famous duets.

	etc.... 
	Other artist/instructors include:

		Banjo: Bela Fleck, Bill Keith, Ken Perlman
		Guitar: Dan Crary, Russ Berenberg, 
		Mandolin: Sam Bush

They also have a series on blues harmonica, jazz, rock guitar, ear training,
sight singing, blues guitar (Gatemouth Brown) etc...

	If you're serious about the modern American styles, this is one
of the best ways to get the style down.

	Call:1-800-33-TAPES (orders only)

	Box 694WV
	Woodstock, NY 12498


			[Mike_M]

PS - I don't work for these guys.  I use the tapes myself, plus every other
source that I can lay my hands on.  Pick up a copy of the trade journals
(Frets, Guitar Player, Bluegrass Unlimited magazines etc...) and you'll
see ads for dozens of instructional aids/materials.  Homespun has been
around the longest and does a good job.  It's nice to listen to the artist
talk about why and how they play the way they do.

    What kind of guitar and/or music would you like to play?
    My suggestion is to think about it and ask question(s).  For example:
    there are classical guitar, flamenco guitar, jazz guitar, country
    western, blues guitar, etc.
    
    

    If you're just startin out, (I'm surprised no ones mentioned this)
    Invest in a good book thats devoted to Chord Charts.  There's alot
    of them out there.  Look for some theory too, but the Chord Charts
    will help you in the early stages, to identify finger placement
    with the chord.  
    
    Also, Invest in a good piece.  I would steer away from anything
    thats bargain basement as the difficulty factor in playing a real
    dog of a guitar will slow you down.
    
    Decide which route is approrpiate for you, Electric or Acoustic,
    and put a reasonable amount of money into one (if you're serious)
    (somewhere starting at 250 to 400 dollars should get you something
    playable, and that will last.  If you have any friends that are
    guit. players, have them go with you when you're ready to purchase
    something.

    Just take it slow.  The dexterity involved in guitar is *much* harder
    than accomplished guitar players make it look.
    
    Good luck.