Biggest Mistakes That Young Guitar Players Make

[Smitty]

Good point, I think alot of the solo guys do forget how to play a simple rhythm and can't pull it off.

Going back to the post about the FX pedals and amps, alot of the time it seems that they hear the bands using FX pedals and from there, they can't write anything, shoot sometimes even play anything, without the pedals cranked up. Its almost as if then, they worry more about tweaking their pedals to get such and such a sound, rather than learning how to play guitar. Alot of the time, I don't think those bands could even write on their acoustic guitar, which is something I think alot of younger guitarists are taking for granted. This may have already been discussed, but I have always thought that if it doesn't rock on an acoustic, then there's no way it will rock when you're in full gear. The guitarists forgetting the bare bones approach to learning really hurts them, in my opinion, because they're so caught up in the electronic and amplified aspect of it.

[brandondrury]

Good points.

I remember when I first got a guitar. I refused to play an acoustic. I was 16 and just didn't know any better. I didn't even realize that many of my favorite songs were based on the acoustic guitar. There is nothing wrong with a little teen angst. It can be effective tool if you can capture it in a song properly. Of course, over time you've got to grow up and learn that the fundamentals really hold true and the old guy down the street obsessed with Zepelin has knowledge that applies to modern music more than you might think.

Brandon

[Smitty]

I think that there's always going to be a sense of stubbornness when it first comes to learning guitar. I had two older cousins who had been playing music since the mid 70's who were trying to help me learn to play. They were full of the 70's stuff, when the badass musicians were writing amazing songs and learning their instruments without the help of tabs and videos and computer programs. Here I am, a big grunge fan just wanting to bang out power chords and there were alot of times where I was just basically saying "I don't need your help you're old school" something like that. And I think alot of younger kids are not willing to allow themselves to listen to the older musicians who may have a bit better idea about it. I think in a way its a pride thing, where the younger guitarists want to be able to say they did it on their own and their own way.

[brandondrury]

I agree 100%.

Part of being young is claiming your independence. I didn't want to be told what to do when I was 16 and I know kids today don't either. I think this is a healthy thing when it comes to music. There are supposed to be revolutions and change. Your music isn't supposed to be understood by your parents.

However, there are a certain amount of guidelines that apply to just about all music. Whether Skynard or Avenged Sevenfold is your main influence is irrelevant. Both bands have exceptional musicianship from the flashy side of things, but both bands have extreme fundamentals down. Really, I'm not a fan of either band, but they have extreme timing.

Back in guitar heyday I could impress just about anybody with how fast I could shred. I knew all kinds of flashy tricks to make myself sound better than I really was. The reality of it was I was very sloppy, my timing sucked, and in general my lead playing needed an enormous amount of work to sound like big guitar influences. This "work" is little more than working a metronome or playing along to groove tracks that are in time to begin with.

Brandon

[evilLordJuju]

Too many fx and too much volume. yes it can hide a multitude of sins but often it hides too much..

before you know it the wall of sound you are creating has deafened you to the rest of the band.

When we rehearse we occasionally do a quiet one in someones house - only bass amplified - guitarists use acooustic - drummers just uses a snare and brushes- that really helps tighten things up

[firefingers]

The biggest mistake? Not learning to play by ear or read music. Also buying a first act electric and tabbing Mettalica.

[brandondrury]

When we rehearse we occasionally do a quiet one in someones house - only bass amplified - guitarists use acooustic - drummers just uses a snare and brushes- that really helps tighten things up

Awesome idea that I highly recommend to everyone. All this really does is make sure that people can actually hear what is going on. Most bands simply can't hear each other.

Not learning to play by ear or read music. Also buying a first act electric and tabbing Mettalica.

I'm not sure that I agree. While it sucks starting with a horrid instrument (especially when there are kick ass alternatives now for mega cheap prices), I don't think there is anything wrong with grabbing the Metallica tab book.
Granted, if you are going for the quickest path to maximum potential (whatever that is), you are going to start by learning to read sheet music, learn real music terms, and play music that a school band would.
However, I think that physical dexterity is more important for metal than the abilty to read sheet music. The few metal bands that have inspired me, to my knowledge, knew nothing about reading sheet music. In fact, to take it a step further, I'm not sure if a person creates anything when they are just playing what's on a piece of paper. I respect the musicians to perform Hollywood scores, but they don't make near the impact on the world that a John Lennon or Tom Petty did (then again, maybe those guys were big on reading sheet music too).

Brandon

[Toadail]

I saw a few replies about buying a good starter guitar. I'm new to guitars (about a month and a half now) and I got what seems like a standard acoustic, that being an acoustic Fender Squier. It was around $90. I think it sounds good, but then again I don't have much to compare with.

[brandondrury]

The biggest issue is playability. I remember when I switched from a cheap Asian made Ibanez to an American made Jackson Kelly, I was blow away by how quickly I improved. Of course, at the time, I was learning to shred and that genre requires the best guitars that setup the best. Garage punk can get away with significantly less.

I wouldn't worry so much about sound. Sound is mostly in the hands of a player and that just takes time and hard work.

I would worry about tuning though. If you guitar stays in tune, consider yourself lucky. I don't recall too many Gibson Les Pauls that even stay in tune, so it seams that price has little to do with tuning.

You will get better at playing and as you play on more guitars you will see, feel, and hear things drastically different from guitar to guitar. You'll figure out what you like then. I recommend that you don't think much about guitar gear and focus all of your time on getting better at your instrument and writing songs.

Brandon

[Toadail]

Yeah right now I'm not worried about which guitar I have. I'm worried about learning like you said. As far as I know my guitar is staying in tune. I've had to fine tune it once or twice. Maybe as I learn more I'll realize it wasn't staying in tune haha. It seems to be good though.