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[–]wiznrdKramer 19 points20 points ago

I wish I knew how important the pinkie is. I just practiced being shredtacular with my pointer, middle and ring fingers and neglected my tiniest of friends. Now he grows strong and his pride returns and soon I shall shred with the force of not 3, but 4 finger pals. And there shall be great might.

[–]ltlevim 7 points8 points ago

I didn't know it was possible to play without the pinky. Couldn't imagine doing it.

[–]shrivel 7 points8 points ago

There are a bunch of pretty famous guitarists that generally don't use the pinkie much.

[–]rufusdog 8 points9 points ago

Django... but not by choice.

[–]sextc 4 points5 points ago

Yngwie....

[–]slypenguin0 0 points1 point ago

Gary Moore. Middle fingah powah!

[–]RadioUnfriendly 1 point2 points ago

I love using my pinky. I used to be proud of my pinky skills when I first started, and then I injured it playing basketball. It got all swollen up, and I couldn't use it for a couple weeks.

I have noticed my favorite guitarist, Marty Friedman, tends to avoid using his pinky unless he has to. Paul Gilbert has freaky long fingers and will sometimes do mega stretches with his pinky. I guess it's all a matter of preference and sometimes necessity.

[–]erikpotter82 -1 points0 points ago

Yeah, Mr. Big, FTW.

[–]yokaishinigami 0 points1 point ago

This is one of the reasons I didn't start playing with my pinky until recently. Except my injury lasted about 2 years. I couldn't apply the kind of pressure to it that is applied when playing guitar etc. By the time it was healed I was already too comfortable with my other three fingers that switching over was ardeous. I have recently started putting my pinky through it's own training regiment at the end of every practice session.

[–]f_zzyslippers 19 points20 points ago

"This is going to have to be your entire life."

[–]imagineyouarebusyRickenbacker360/Martin/Gibson/Fender 12 points13 points ago

How to tune it. When I started in the late 1960's, I lived in a small farming community in the midwest. No one I knew could play guitar. I owned one for two years before i found out how to tune it. Till then, all I did was play single string licks.

I had a couple of serious strokes in late 2004, and was told to get my affairs in order. I'm still kicking, but just back into playing the past couple of months, and loving it.

It's great to be alive!

[–]hcregular 12 points13 points ago

That there are 10 guitar players for every drummer out there.

[–]yakka2 11 points12 points ago*

Why the strings (in standard tuning) are tuned the way they are.

EDIT:

Reason: Like Moonrabit, RadioUnfriendly said, and...

Because it's tuned in 4ths/5ths (discard the top or bottom note for a moment because they are the same) and because of the B string it means the circle of 4ths and 5ths spirals along the fretboard.

[–]Alsandr 10 points11 points ago

What is the why?

[–]MoonRabbit 6 points7 points ago

It's the most versatile tuning you can have unless you can grow a sixth finger.

It's a compromise between a good system for playing melody and a good system for playing chords.

[–]RadioUnfriendly 1 point2 points ago

Basically, it makes all the standard major chords easy to hold down (A, C, D, E, F, G). Am, Dm, and Em are easy as well, and then you can barre those minor chords as well as A, D, and E and slide them all over the neck. It makes a lot of the 7's and M7's easy as well, which seem to be the next step into chord complexity after learning the triads.

Tune your guitar with nothing but 2.5 steps (5 notes) and see how miserable it is to play those basic chords when your strings are EADGCF.

[–]ConnieShmac 3 points4 points ago

Why is this? 5 semitones higher than eachother?

[–]hailmasch 5 points6 points ago

That's the how, not the why.

[–]Buoie 12 points13 points ago

How to read music fluently.

[–]adenrules 2 points3 points ago*

I still can't do it. All I read was music for the first few months that I played, then I stopped and switched to tablature. Four years later, I got into jazz and started playing in my school's jazz ensemble, and I have to relearn it.

[–]jesselikesfood 6 points7 points ago

That you cant expect to get good by ignoring barre chords just because theyre difficult. (I prefer them now to standard, first position chords!)

[–]vortex222222 0 points1 point ago

Mine was the opposite. I barred everything, and neglected open chords. Now I play open whenever possible.

[–]nedak 7 points8 points ago

How important tuning is

[–]Sam_the_scholar 6 points7 points ago

If you want to get better.. Get a practice routine, work out how much time you can afford on a daily basis to play guitar properly and build in some proper warm up exercises into this..

[–]goose666 5 points6 points ago

That the slower you go, the faster you get there, and that if your hands aren't both in sync with each other, you'll always be plateaued.

[–]theripper5150 5 points6 points ago

That learning songs by ear is extremely beneficial

[–]RadioUnfriendly 3 points4 points ago

Another way to put it, "Use the tab books, chord websites, etc. after you try figuring something out."

[–]meetmybryson 5 points6 points ago

how to play the guitar.

[–]ultrantoday 8 points9 points ago

That I don't need all these pedals

[–]meatspun 2 points3 points ago

Or all these picks.

[–]ultrantoday 14 points15 points ago

All my picks evaporate after a day

[–]anotherphotocopy 0 points1 point ago

I became attached to a specific pick I found in the studio one day, and have been playing it exclusively since. I still haven't got around to checking guitar shops for them so I can buy more, or whatever, so as a result I'm just closing in on one year of playing the same, individual pick, for everything. It's nerve wracking to lose it, actually, but somehow it has always turned up again.

[–]cratermoonFlinthill 1 point2 points ago

Picks are pretty cheap, for the most part. So you have a handful or two, so what? Better than not having one when you need it.

[–]yuesor 4 points5 points ago

You can buy dunlop picks in 70-100 bulk bags for like $15...

[–]r0kk0n 5 points6 points ago

proper picking technique, left hand finesse, and music theory

[–]hexapus 1 point2 points ago

How to play Cliffs of Dover. Still don't :-(

[–]cratermoonFlinthill 2 points3 points ago

That acoustic and electric are not interchangeable styles. Each takes unique skill, knowledge, and practice. My appreciation for the musicians that can go "unplugged" and still impress borders on hero worship.

[–]justsomeguy75 1 point2 points ago

I've found that playing exclusively on an acoustic does seem to promote some good habits. It also forces you to experiment with new techniques (especially for your right hand) since you can't rely on pedals or technology to change your sound. Hopefully some day I'll be able to afford an electric, but for right now my acoustic is my baby.

[–]AnthraxxLULZ 0 points1 point ago

It was the same way for me. Once you get the electric guitar you will realize that having worked through all the techniques on the acoustic (barre chords, etc.) it will give you a certain advantage playing the electric. The problem for me was that I plucked the strings with my fingers so I had to get used to a pick, it wasn't too hard.

[–]freeTrial 6 points7 points ago

That all you'd have to do to get slutty women in this decade was DJ.

"One of the dark secrets of the guitar: guitars don't play perfectly in tune. Actually, all fixed tuning instruments, such as piano, play slightly out of tune." (http://timberens.com/essays/tuning.htm)

[–]pubic_membrane 2 points3 points ago

Tempered tunning

[–]superpowerface 1 point2 points ago

Current mainstream society has killed off most live music from what I can tell. It's DJs all the way down now.

[–]MoonRabbit 1 point2 points ago

Lots of live music in my country.

[–]superpowerface 0 points1 point ago

Sure, shit look I was just making a shitty throwaway comment based on my bad experiences in the cities I've lived.

[–]technicallynottrue 1 point2 points ago

There's always live music where I am. (Phoenix)

[–]superpowerface 0 points1 point ago

Fuck yeah, Andrew Jackson Jihad hail from Phoenix. You've got a great music scene.

[–]gordonjay2 0 points1 point ago

where do you live, a chain record store?

[–]superpowerface 0 points1 point ago

No, I live in one of the most famous student towns in the UK which I expected would foster an excellent live-music and amateur band scene. Boy was I wrong.

Eg. There's an acoustic folk night here every weekend at a little, family-owned restaurant. The council is raising the price of their music license and they can't afford to renew this year. Unless there's some heavy fundraising this music night will die.

[–]Elonine 9 points10 points ago

I wish someone would have told me that I will never sound good in my own head.

[–]LoveKebabLarrivée OM-03R Deluxe 3 points4 points ago

Wait this is true? Fuck, I always think I sound awful (which I probably do) while others don't think this

[–]Elonine 2 points3 points ago*

I've been playing for almost 5 years now, and gained quite a bit of skill, yet I still think I sound awful. Other tell me I'm good, but...

I also figure that other people only hear about 20% of your mistakes.

[–]RainbowGoddamnDash 0 points1 point ago

I'm the same way. I'm my own worst critic.

[–]achilles_last 3 points4 points ago

I wish I'd started experimenting with alternate tunings earlier, and spent a whole lot more time working on my bar chords

[–]funkymonkey144 8 points9 points ago

Wish I had known that it's not what you play, but how you play it. This applies to the instrument and the actual music you play. A good guitarist can make a simple solo sound good on a cheap guitar.

[–]JerBear5352 3 points4 points ago

How much my fingers would actually hurt at first.

[–]darkyouth 2 points3 points ago

I wish I had known how fucking hard learning to play guitar would actually be. I hate it when people say "oh this song is easy to play or "that song is not too difficult to learn" IMO, BULLSHIT!!! learning to play most songs perfectly note for note on guitar is very difficult, and takes ALOT of patience and dedication. And I totally agree with the negleted aspect of the pinky, beginners should learn to use it very early on as it will serve them very well in the future..

[–]mig-san 2 points3 points ago

Usually 'anchoring' limits your speed.

Non-playing related: Guitars have limits and i don't think there is one guitar that can cover everything, not without a huge stack of effects anyway.

[–]technicallynottrue 0 points1 point ago

I dunno man roland is doing some pretty crazy stuff with their weird little midi pickup cant remember what its called but I'm too tired to look it up now.

[–]gtwglenn 2 points3 points ago

How to read music.

[–]greym84 2 points3 points ago

On a gear level: whoever said the thing about pedals was right! But gear in general. I had a PRS Santana SE for a while and sold it to buy a high end Epiphone Les Paul. I could have saved myself some time and money and frustration just trading out the pickups for something more Gibson-y. I also which I had known that I the thing I was missing every time I changed pickups was alnico (I kept gravitating toward ceramic and had no idea what I was buying).

On a playing level: How much lessons matter. Here I am 10 years later. I know a lot of chords and some scales and can improv and play kinda fast. But I'm sloppy and I don't know half as much as a kid who took lessons learns in the first two years.

[–]yokaishinigami 0 points1 point ago

I agree. After about 6 years of playing mostly by myself, (Well, I had a highschool class in guitar, but it was not much better than online/reading based lessons)

I took lessons for about 10 weeks during my summer break last year, and I have improved a ridiculous amount... My skill literally doubled, and it helps me get over my plateau and fear of tackling electric lead.

[–]RadioUnfriendly 2 points3 points ago

Melody is what matters, and you don't have to play heavy metal.

[–]music_user 2 points3 points ago

The difference between practice & play.

[–]FuckChrisColinsworth 2 points3 points ago

How scales work and the difference between scales and modes. and how learning that lets you learn any song you want easily.

[–]wekiva 2 points3 points ago

C A G E D

[–]clockworkdiamond 0 points1 point ago

As a new player, I have never seen this. I'm now going to try this out for a while. Thanks!

[–]cyancynic 1 point2 points ago

That the hot lead singers always sleep with the drummer.

[–]RainbowGoddamnDash 5 points6 points ago

That there's other chords out there besides power chords

[–]McBlumpkin 5 points6 points ago

That guitarists are some of the dumbest, most narcissistic people on earth.

[–]adenrules 12 points13 points ago

Don't be silly, I'm too great to be narcissistic.

[–]RadioUnfriendly 1 point2 points ago

Actually, it seems lot of dorky guys are picking up guitar these days cause they think it'll make'em cool. Since most dorky guys have no girlfriend and not much of a social life, they tend to have plenty of time to dedicate to learning to play an instrument so they often succeed at picking up basic guitar skills.

[–]McBlumpkin 0 points1 point ago

Well, that's not who posts here.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

How important it is to keep your thumb planted smack in the middle of the back of the neck.

[–]RadioUnfriendly 2 points3 points ago

I've been playing 18 years, and I don't think about my thumb. I just put it where it's comfortable. In rare cases you actually use it to play a chord. I prefer to thumb this simple inversion: 200232 D/F#

[–]gtwglenn 1 point2 points ago

I still don't do this... it's a bad habit.

[–]Mr_Cutestory 0 points1 point ago

I always use my thumb on the low E and A strings.

[–]mig-san 0 points1 point ago

I would agree to an extent, but there are times when playing that having the thumb to mute, or even fret on the E string is beneficial.

[–]BitsOHam 1 point2 points ago

The first year of my playing (Been playing for three) I didn't know how to tune it. Then it took another year to learn the notes. I feel like I've only been a year into my amateur playing. I wish I knew those.

[–]Theophagist 1 point2 points ago

Well I started at like 17 then put it down after 2 years of never getting past power chords. Picked it back up at 33, and 3 years later, skilled axemen think I've been playing for 6.

I wish I knew back then just how capable I was.

[–]wooly_bully░▒▓█ garage rock █▓▒░ 1 point2 points ago

Don't stress about it...this shit is really fun.

[–]WilhelmSchmitt 0 points1 point ago

How much fucking time I would end up putting into it. And how much all that time paid off in the end.

[–]gordonjay2 0 points1 point ago

there's a huge difference between what sounds good on its own and what sounds good in a band context. bass, treble, gain and notes all follow the same rule - less is more. the midrange is where the important stuff is going on, so crank it.

[–]the_jules 1 point2 points ago

There was a post on r/guitar about proper left hand positioning a couple weeks ago. OP complained about a weak left thump, that it started hurting when he played barred chords for a while, a problem I have been having for years now.

Someone suggested that it's less about applying pressure with the left thumb, but more about using the left hand to pull the neck towards you body and the right arm to apply counter-pressure. This has been absolutely eye-opening, barred chords have becomeso much easier to play. I wished I'd've known that earlier.

[–]anotherphotocopy 0 points1 point ago

Careful with that method though. It sounds effective and comfortable but I think depending on your guitar it may be a pretty easy way to pull everything a little bit sharp.

It doesn't take much pressure to use the neck almost like a whammy bar. You can hold your body still and pull it back or forth and hear the pitch rise or fall. Of course, the truss rod will do an awesome job of letting that neck return right back where you left it. That's it's job and you won't harm your guitar doing it. You just wouldn't want to always be sharp despite all your tuning and intonation work.

Good luck and happy playing!

[–]mainsoda 0 points1 point ago

I wish I had trained myself to circular pick from the start.

[–]MitchsLoveSmilyFaces 0 points1 point ago

Stop worrying about your hands+eyes, concentrate on your ears.

[–]orangesalamanderGibson Explorer 0 points1 point ago

Once I learned the blues box, I didn't memorize all the positions & the Major boxes. Partially because of the thrash invasion in the 90s made the blues box seem outdated, but now I wish I had memorized them and become as comfortable as I am with the blues (minor) box.

[–]orangesalamanderGibson Explorer 0 points1 point ago

Here's a pro-tip: Raise the action and get heavier strings! I see new players with the strings resting on the frets and thin assed strings and I remember when I did that too. Thicken up the strings and raise the strings off the buzzing frets and you'll increase tone 200%.

[–]LC0728 0 points1 point ago

String gauge depends on the music genre as well.

[–]ShahpEleven 0 points1 point ago

Pinkie, for sure. My pinkie playing has fully recovered though through practice. Also, It's super important for a new guitarist to practice picking down AND up. That was a big hurdle to leap early on in my playing, but it's the most important thing I've learned.

[–]joshuajonah 0 points1 point ago

How to play with a band, less is more.