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Guitar difficulties
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| Rac |
Posted on January 19 2008 12:58 AM
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Member
Location: Manchester, England
Posts: 77
Joined: 2007-10-15
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I've just started learning the guitar (it seems we're all getting rather musical these days!) and I'm having problems learning the notes. It's specifically to do with the individual notes on the fretboard as I learn em, and 5 minutes later they're gone again. I end up having to count along and down- so for example the 3rd string would have to be identified as G, and then the 4th fret would have to be counted along 4 times to get to B. It's basically a musical version of counting with fingers!
I was wondering if anyone else had the same problem, and maybe if there was anyway of getting around it. Also, are there any things that I haven't encountered yet because they are more advanced (like scales or chords) which could be a problem? |
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| eoffg |
Posted on January 19 2008 10:34 AM
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 of clu[26].jpg)
Administrator
Location: Australia
Posts: 1262
Joined: 2005-03-20
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Hi RAC ,
Welcome to the Dyscalculic Musicians Club
The first question is whether you want to learn how to play chords, or classical guitar?
Geoff,
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| Toe_Nail |
Posted on January 19 2008 06:26 PM
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Member
Location: No value
Posts: 915
Joined: 2006-08-13
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---------------- deleted -----------------
Edited by Toe_Nail on November 27 2008 11:53 PM
It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer -- Albert Einstein |
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| Rac |
Posted on January 20 2008 01:25 AM
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Member
Location: Manchester, England
Posts: 77
Joined: 2007-10-15
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Well I want to play acoustic. So far, I've actually managed to learn the major and minor chords, simply based on the shapes and positions. It's mainly just the individual notes I have a problem with. I tried leaning classical originally, but couldn't read the sheet music at any useful speed. Also, simply finding the notes proved impossible.
I only really want to play songs just for a hobby. I can't ever see a time I'd be in a band or anything like that, but to just play pop songs and stuff would be fine for me- for the moment! |
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| not stupid |
Posted on January 20 2008 03:56 AM
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Member
Location: UK
Posts: 41
Joined: 2007-12-09
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Hi Rac
Glad to hear you have joined tha band 
Just wondered if you are familliar with what is called 'tab' ?
I don't know if you have a fav piece of music in mind but you can probably find it on a web site 'ultimate-guitar.com.'
The notes are broken down on the page to their individual position on the fret board, it does of course help if you can hear the piece in question, cos if you can hum it can help you can keep in time.
Do you know any one else who plays ? It can help to 'bounce' off someone else and play together and maintain your enthusiasm. Its not cheating but I've found it helps.
You can get used to note positions by just messing about,picking out scales or the notes of a song, even just picking out what you think sounds nice.
Have fun ! you'll know when you are getting good - people stop groaning when you pick up your guitar
Don't be late for rehearsals !
I HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE ! |
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| GaryR55 |
Posted on January 27 2008 07:15 AM
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Member
Location: Seattle
Posts: 95
Joined: 2008-01-16
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I've always played by ear, myself. But, I recommend getting a chord book with either diagrams or photos showing the position of the fingers. Once you've got the hang of a few basic chords, the rest is rather easy. I can't recommend learning to read tablature or classical notation, as I've never been able to do it, myself. That's not to say you shouldn't; just that you may be making the whole process of learning more difficult than it has to be. Of course, it all depends on where you want to go with your music. If you just want to play songs written by others, a fake book with chord symbols is all you really need. If, like me, you prefer to compose and maybe record your own music, you don't need any of this at all; just a good sense of rhythm and pitch. If, on the other hand, you wish to compose pieces that will be played by other musicians, it used to be the case that you had to learn notation. However, with the advent of notation software, it is now possible for any musician to use such software to translate his/her music into printed notation that any musician can use.
Gary |
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| Dulcy |
Posted on August 28 2008 04:25 PM
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Member
Location: American Southeast
Posts: 202
Joined: 2008-08-27
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I play, and I dont' have trouble with chords, but if you asked what fingers went on what strings, I wouldn't be able to tell you. I'd have to have the guitar in my lap. When I think of the chord, a "shape" pops into my head. The shape is the shape my fingers make on the fretboard.
While I can read music, my sight reading skill is so bad as to be just about useless to me. I can pick things out if I spend a lot of time and effort on it. I do much better just listen to someone else play it and then just figure it out on my own. I wouldn't worry too much about learning the sheet music. The absolute best musican I know can't read a lick of music. He just never bothered learning, he doesn't need it. So dont get hung up too much on the technical aspects of it. Music is to be felt, not worked out as math on paper. Use the technical aspects of it as a place to start, not a place to end. Use your books and written notations as a way to show you at first where the notes are and what they sound like, then work on just letting your fingers "learn" what they are doing. Takes practice, like anything, but it's doable. Don't worry you won't be able to do it. You might never be good at reading music, but that doesn't mean you can't be a good musician.
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?"
The Summer Day by Mary Oliver |
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| Dulcy |
Posted on August 28 2008 04:29 PM
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Member
Location: American Southeast
Posts: 202
Joined: 2008-08-27
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Sorry, I meant to re-iterate what Toe Nail said about the bass. Fewer strings, it's easier. And also, on a guitar, you can also play "power chords" somthing i do if I'm playing a particularly difficult chord that I am very clumsy with. Power chords is about half the chord.
I'm not a genius player by any stretch. I could be better if I practiced more, probably. I don't know if I'll ever be a great player, but right now I'm a good enough player. 
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?"
The Summer Day by Mary Oliver |
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| DanG |
Posted on November 08 2008 06:32 PM
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Member
Location: No value
Posts: 5
Joined: 2008-11-06
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Hello
Before I worked in IT, I was a professional guitarist, I just never made enough money, so here are my 2 cents… well 2p (I’m from UK)…
I agree with the other posts, I’d just add..
Playing guitar without having dyscalculia is difficult, I have been playing guitar for nearly longer that I can remember and I practice for more hours than I would care to admit. With this in mind, I’m not sure how dyscalculia has hindered my own development, playing is something that I have always done.
The guitar can be really puzzling; you have the same notes that are repeated on different strings on different frets. But, on the plus side you have patterns that can be remembered. Scales, arpeggios and chords – the fingerings are the same regardless of where you decide to place the root. So if you learn the A major scale on the 5th fret on the 6th string you can move it up one fret and you get the Bb flat scale..
All I would really say, is definitely play with others if you can, you learn so much more, and have as much fun as you can.
Here is a link to my youtube account with my playing http://uk.youtube...ngreenwood
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| twistedxkiss |
Posted on November 08 2008 06:59 PM
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Member
Location: Michigan
Posts: 555
Joined: 2008-09-19
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You may be able to learn by muscle memory if you just look and play them enough. I'm not sure how muscle memory works for dyscalculics, I would think we might not have that in terms of spatial coordination, but I can type without looking even though I don't have the keyboard memorized.
I took a music theory class in high school where we had to write our own music, and it was REALLY hard for me to count the beats right. I had a harder time than anyone else in the class, and I couldn't understand why because I was one of the few people who could sight read music.
Edited by twistedxkiss on November 08 2008 07:29 PM |
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| justfoundout |
Posted on November 09 2008 02:38 PM
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Member
Location: Texas USA
Posts: 6102
Joined: 2008-05-25
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11/9/08
Dear DanG,
You are very gifted. Thanks for sharing your beautiful music with us.
TwistedxKiss,
All of my piano keyboard memory is in my fingers. They don't just 'do the walking', they also do the thinking. The problem is that, when they forget, I can't reason with them, and the only thing I can do is find the old sheet music and painstakingly count the lines and spaces and figure out the notes again.
I took intro to music last semester in college. It's difficult for me, too, to figure out how to write down the 'timing' that I'm hearing. Numbers :-\ again. - justfoundout
Edited by justfoundout on November 09 2008 02:39 PM |
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| TimVS |
Posted on February 17 2009 07:53 AM
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Member
Location: No value
Posts: 3
Joined: 2009-02-14
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I've been playing acoustic guitar since I was about 16. I always found music puzzling so just learnt to play by ear. Tablature is easier but to be honest I get bored with the methodology! I'm basically happy as an amateur busker these days, strumming the old favourites after a few beers. I've always been weak on arpeggio, though that is improving as the years go on.These days I learn most of my new songs by watching others play them on youtube. I usually get them after a few views, although often my 'interpretations' leave something to be desired!
I think the guitar is a wonderful thing. Frustrating to learn at first like most musical instruments, but well worth the investment in time and effort. |
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| justfoundout |
Posted on February 17 2009 12:22 PM
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Member
Location: Texas USA
Posts: 6102
Joined: 2008-05-25
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2/16/09
I had private piano lessons from 5 to 15 years of age. My teacher strongly discouraged 'playing by ear', which is really sad in my case, since I might have had a chance to really enjoy playing if I'd been given some basics and allowed to improvise. As it is, I'm able to play the piano, but it's very tedious to learn any new pieces. - jus' |
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| HouseMDfan110 |
Posted on April 16 2009 08:15 AM
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Member
Location: No value
Posts: 88
Joined: 2009-04-13
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Rac,
Welcome to my world. I tried the guitar when I was about 10, then I stopped because I can't really strum and hold the frets at the same time. I have gone back to trying the guitar, but again I am having great difficulty. I can't read formal/ traditional music notes, but I can read basic tablature.
I can play what they call an 'e'. At least I think that's what it's called. |
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| Katie88 |
Posted on July 03 2009 08:48 PM
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Member
Location: Tampa, Florida
Posts: 5
Joined: 2009-07-03
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Ahh the guitar...I can actually read music pretty well (although sight reading is nasty business) if I can sit there and work threw it, my problems with the guitar lie in chords, they just don't make sense.
But if you're having problems learning the notes the only real way I know that works is to keep trying. 'Try again. Fail again. Fail better.' (Samuel Beckett) The thing with that is the more your do it the more you ingrain it in your memory which is a way to keep the notes in your brain.
I've found that really understand how to read music helps and I play other instruments so I've learned to make places in my memory for fingerings. Unfortunately music is sequential so if you have problems with sequences it will hinder your progress. (I.e. you have to start with reading music, then once you've mastered that go on to fingerings, then after that chords, etc...) It not something that your can really skip any steps on because they all build on one another.
But keep trying that is the most important thing, persistent will get you where you want to go.
'From childhoods hour I have not been as others were...' Edgar Allen Poe - Alone |
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| justfoundout |
Posted on July 03 2009 09:43 PM
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Member
Location: Texas USA
Posts: 6102
Joined: 2008-05-25
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7/3/09
I'll put this here, where the 'music' subject is being discussed. A few months ago I found a site called Vocaroo where you can make a recording online for free. I've only used it for voice recordings so far. The great thing about this site is that there's no time limit. After you are satisfied with the recording that you've made, you 'save' it to the Vocaroo website. You can 'send' it to your own email account, and from there, at your own convenience, you can forward that link to anyone's email you wish.
Here's one thing that I learned though, so let me pass this little 'gem' on to you, too. When you set up your Vocaroo account (which, as I've said, is free) please make up a new password, especially just for the Vocaroo account. Please don't use a password that you'll want to keep secret, as for example, the one you use for your student loan, or even for looging on to this forum. The reason is that you may need to give out your password to the Vocaroo site in order for other people to ve able to 'open' the link to your recording.
So, what I'm hoping to accomplish with this posting is to get to hear a few examples of everyone's music. If you paste the link here on the forum, we will be able to hear you play. The site where you can make the recording is www.vocaroo.com You will need a headset which has a microphone, or else a separate microphone, in order to record. - jus' |
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