NationStates Jolt Archive


Guitar types out there, I need a little help.

Zarakon
25-06-2007, 21:44
I'm just starting to play guitar, and was wondering something. How do you tell if you're supposed to strum an entire chord, certain strings, or just one?

Suppose this:

2-5-9
-----
-----
-----
-----
-----

Do you only play the top string?

What about:

2-5-9
0-3-7
-----
-----
-----
-----

Do you play all the strings, or just the top two?

What about:

2-5-9
0-3-7
-----
-----
--1-5
-----


Thanks in advance for helping me. And try to keep the mockery to a minimum please.
Hydesland
25-06-2007, 21:48
Any string with a number on you strum, or do any other action you are required to do indicated by the sign.

with this:

--2-5-9
-------
-------
-------
-------
-------

you only play the top string.

If you were to strum them all it would look like this

--2-5-9
--0-0-0
--0-0-0
--0-0-0
--0-0-0
--0-0-0
Nadkor
25-06-2007, 21:49
You play strings with numbers only.
Pure Metal
25-06-2007, 21:52
I'm just starting to play guitar, and was wondering something. How do you tell if you're supposed to strum an entire chord, certain strings, or just one?

Suppose this:

2-5-9
-----
-----
-----
-----
-----

Do you only play the top string?
you play fret 2, then fret 5, then fret 9 on the sixth string

What about:

2-5-9
0-3-7
-----
-----
-----
-----
Do you play all the strings, or just the top two?

you play both fret 2 on the sixth string and fret 0 on the fifth string, then 5 and 3 together, then 9 and 7 together




What about:

2-5-9
0-3-7
-----
-----
--1-5
-----


Thanks in advance for helping me. And try to keep the mockery to a minimum please.
you play 2 and 0 on the 6th and 5th string respectively, then 5 and 3 respectively, mute the 4th and 3rd strings with clever positioning of fingers, and play fret one on the 2nd string at the same time as the 5 and 3.


short answer: yes, in tabs play them all at the same time. if you're supposed to pick them sequentially it'd look like this

-1------
---2----
------3-
--------
--------
--------

for example
Kinda Sensible people
25-06-2007, 21:56
I
What about:

2-5-9
0-3-7
-----
-----
--1-5
-----


Am I the only one who looks at this and winces at how dissonant it would sound?

And, yeah, what they said, only play a string if there is a number marked there. I suggest a tab program for when you start learning songs, since they can make rhythms more clear.
Hunter S Thompsonia
25-06-2007, 22:21
Don't learn from tabs, though. You end up having to unlearn it if you get serious and take classes. It's not really playing guitar; It's just like being a parrot.
Kinda Sensible people
25-06-2007, 23:29
Don't learn from tabs, though. You end up having to unlearn it if you get serious and take classes. It's not really playing guitar; It's just like being a parrot.

Not really. All musicians learning by playing someone else's music. It's how you learn. Composing is a completely seperate skill that is totally unrelated to learning how to play an instrument. Even composers learn by listening to other people's music.
Hunter S Thompsonia
25-06-2007, 23:32
Not really. All musicians learning by playing someone else's music. It's how you learn. Composing is a completely seperate skill that is totally unrelated to learning how to play an instrument. Even composers learn by listening to other people's music.

Yeah, but learning from tabs isn't learning the theory or how it's put together. It's simple, 1-2-3-4 learning, rather than "two follows one because of reason x, which is in itself a cause of y". If your method of learning is tabs, then good for you. But I need to know why something is to truly learn.
Kinda Sensible people
25-06-2007, 23:37
Yeah, but learning from tabs isn't learning the theory or how it's put together. It's simple, 1-2-3-4 learning, rather than "two follows one because of reason x, which is in itself a cause of y". If your method of learning is tabs, then good for you. But I need to know why something is to truly learn.

What I'll tell you is that theory has little to do with being able to play. Theory is great if you wanna know how to write something. At college, music majors and minors learn theory in theory classes, and improve on their instrument in lessons (and practice), by playing music.

Yeah, theory is nice, but you don't really need it to play music written by someone else. It's if you write your own music that it's important.
Bodies Without Organs
25-06-2007, 23:40
Am I the only one who looks at this and winces at how dissonant it would sound?

The world don't stop at EADGBe or DADGBe, y'know?
Kinda Sensible people
25-06-2007, 23:43
The world don't stop at EADGBe or DADGBe, y'know?

Yeah, but one can safely assume that most tabs one will see are probably EADGBe or DADGBe (or DGCFAd or CGCFAd or one of the 1/2 dropped sets), and any one of those would be dissonant in that pattern.
Hydesland
25-06-2007, 23:46
What I'll tell you is that theory has little to do with being able to play. Theory is great if you wanna know how to write something. At college, music majors and minors learn theory in theory classes, and improve on their instrument in lessons (and practice), by playing music.

Yeah, theory is nice, but you don't really need it to play music written by someone else. It's if you write your own music that it's important.

But your going to have to learn the theory somehow if you want to play in a band that demands difficult playing. You may need to be able to play along to a complex set of chords straight away, and play solos over the chords or whatever without trouble.
Bodies Without Organs
25-06-2007, 23:52
Yeah, but one can safely assume that most tabs one will see are probably EADGBe or DADGBe (or DGCFAd or CGCFAd or one of the 1/2 dropped sets), and any one of those would be dissonant in that pattern.

Sounds quite nice in DADF#AD*, but then I always was a sucker for open D and open G.


* or, for that matter DADGAD, I guess.
Kinda Sensible people
26-06-2007, 00:27
Sounds quite nice in DADF#AD*, but then I always was a sucker for open D and open G.


* or, for that matter DADGAD, I guess.

In DADF#AD it is:

A-E - A perfect 5th which sounds fine

Bb-C-G - The C and the Bb are a minor9th, with a 5th stacked on. If Bb where above the G, it would be a 7 chord, and sound fine, but the minor 9th is icky.

C#-D-A - Same as above.
Zarakon
26-06-2007, 00:48
Am I the only one who looks at this and winces at how dissonant it would sound?


Sorry. It was just an example.

Anyway, thanks guys. Any advice on how to mute strings?
Pure Metal
26-06-2007, 01:01
What I'll tell you is that theory has little to do with being able to play. Theory is great if you wanna know how to write something. At college, music majors and minors learn theory in theory classes, and improve on their instrument in lessons (and practice), by playing music.

Yeah, theory is nice, but you don't really need it to play music written by someone else. It's if you write your own music that it's important.

i strongly disagree. after playing the guitar myself for 5 years, my technique was pretty good. especially my picking/shredding hand (yeah i played metal, whaddya expect? ;))

but the thing was, without a basic understanding of music theory, my fretting hand never knew what to do. i could play a few simple things by ear, and i could play from experience what i thought sounded good, but as for actually knowing where to put my fingers in a scale or something... no clue. its one of the reasons i stuck to rythm guitar and coming up with riffs, not lead.

i did try to learn but its like learning a whole new damn language :(

point is, at least a basic grasp of music theory is quite important. you can kinda play without it, but after a while the chances are you'll come unstuck. but then, of course, everybody's different ;)
Kinda Sensible people
26-06-2007, 01:07
Sorry. It was just an example.

Anyway, thanks guys. Any advice on how to mute strings?

You mean mute as in palm mute or mute as in keep them from ringing?

If the first, use the base of your hand to mute the strings while you pick with the pick. At first it is a bit tough, but start slow and practice while speeding up.

If the second, normally you can use your fingers to mute strings by laying them across the string without pushing down. If you have free fingers, use those, if you don't, you can hold your fingers down so that you can mute strings while keeping the strings you want to be fretting on down.

And no problem. I was just teasing.
Kinda Sensible people
26-06-2007, 01:10
but the thing was, without a basic understanding of music theory, my fretting hand never knew what to do. i could play a few simple things by ear, and i could play from experience what i thought sounded good, but as for actually knowing where to put my fingers in a scale or something... no clue. its one of the reasons i stuck to rythm guitar and coming up with riffs, not lead.

i did try to learn but its like learning a whole new damn language :(

point is, at least a basic grasp of music theory is quite important. you can kinda play without it, but after a while the chances are you'll come unstuck. but then, of course, everybody's different ;)

This is less an issue of theory than it is of practice. If you practice your scales and get to know your frettboard very well you shouldn't have a problem knowing where you can put your fingers. Then, playing other people's solos and really getting to know them will help you figure out what tricks sound good. I'm pretty damn good with theory, but it doesn't help me a whit with soloing.
Bodies Without Organs
26-06-2007, 01:14
In DADF#AD it is:

A-E - A perfect 5th which sounds fine

Bb-C-G - The C and the Bb are a minor9th, with a 5th stacked on. If Bb where above the G, it would be a 7 chord, and sound fine, but the minor 9th is icky.

C#-D-A - Same as above.

Last one should be D-E-B, no?
Kinda Sensible people
26-06-2007, 01:20
Last one should be D-E-B, no?

Yes. I counted wrong. At any rate, the same intervals.
Potarius
26-06-2007, 01:24
This is less an issue of theory than it is of practice. If you practice your scales and get to know your frettboard very well you shouldn't have a problem knowing where you can put your fingers. Then, playing other people's solos and really getting to know them will help you figure out what tricks sound good. I'm pretty damn good with theory, but it doesn't help me a whit with soloing.

I've learned very little music theory, and I'm progressing at a nice, fast pace with my playing. Not only rhythm, but lead as well. I'm learning scales and modes sans music theory lessons, not to mention different picking and plucking techniques. I'm on my way to learning where I need to put my fingers when I get a melody in my head. I already know the lower frets pretty well, but the higher ones are a ways off.

I can read music along with that, too... I guess all I'd need theory for is knowing the correct names for what I'm doing. Other than that, I really don't see much need for it.