Official Luthiers Forum!

So everyone knows that I build, but at one time I actually played... ALOT, then my hand started aching and for about the last 10 years I haven't really played all that much (in fact very little) simply because it hurt.

Well with drugs like celebrex and some major vitamins my joints don't really ache anymore, so now I want to start playing again, I've got 3 playable guitars that I built here plus my old strat and a couple others I've collected over the years.

The trick is that I want to start over and un-learn all the bad stuff and re-learn all the good stuff, what I'm looking for is advice on a good set of books or videos that will start out with the basics and move on. I'm not looking for a complete beginners guides, I know all the basics and at one time was a pretty good rhythm player.

I *LOVE* the blues, good solid rock and roll, and even some hair metal bands But what I really want to learn is finger style, when I was younger it held very little interest for me. But now I think it's the bomb, there's so much variety and finesse in good fingerstyle.

So suggestions?? advice??, I've started playing about 20 minutes a day to rebuild my hands strength, I run through all the major and minor chords until my hand starts aching and then I stop. It sucks it's been so long since I actually played something decent but I'm working on it

Thanks

-Paul-

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-Paul-

Patriot Guitars

Personally, I would try to find a good teacher and go for some good one on one. But I do have some fairly good dvd's from homespun. Also Doug Jones over on APM offers video blues fingerpicking lessons and some are free for the downloading.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Hi Paul

Have a look at Acoustic Guitar Workshop

They have some nice on line stuff, and publish a newsletter every month with links to bits and pieces especially blues stuff.

Thanks Russell that looks like a good site to dig through...

John I was heading that way actually but right now we aren't sure how long we will be staying here so I'm holding off until the dust settles down. Hopefully we will have an answer today or tomorrow and I can finally make some long term plans...

Cheers

-Paul-Sprockett38624.5754513889

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-Paul-

Patriot Guitars

Paul,
I'm sorta in the same situation, used to play a lot, not much anymore however, trying to change that.
I have a few of the tapes from Homespun ( www.homespuntapes.com ) and think those are pretty good if you don't have a real instructor.
Jorma Kaukonens' tapes are pretty good as are Happy Traums beginning aciustic blues. Lots-o milage for the money in my opinion.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Paul,

I will recommend the same thing John did. Find a good teacher who knows the techniques you want to learn. Ask the teacher if you can take occasional lessons if you're not sure of your schedule. I taught for many years, and I was always willing to accomodate folks whenever I could, especially if they were already knowledgeable players.

I recommend having a teacher for learning something new like fingerstyle specifically because you mention that you want to "un-learn" the bad stuff. Without a good teacher, you will be learning the bad stuff again. It's difficult acquiring proper technique when beginning a new   style of playing because you don't yet have the necessary perspective. That's where the teacher becomes very worthwhile. You can watch a video, but the video can't watch you, and point out when you're doing something wrong.

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

Im with John also. Here is a tip that worked for me many many years ago. To un-learn your bad habbits find a classical guitar instructor. I have yet to meet one that will tolerate short cutted chords, sloppy hand position and pour tech. I suppose you get what you pay for but it worked for me

Advice until you can find a teacher: Keep your wrist straight!!! As much as is physically possible, anyway, while doing an unnatural act such as playing a guitar. If you barre a chord, lift the neck so your forearm, wrist and hand remain in as straight a line as possible. Some lucky people can sling a guitar down at their knees and bend their wrists 'til they can tickle their forearms, and feel no ill effects; but you and I are not among them! A test to show you what I mean: grab something like a thick dowel or a broomstick and grip it while keeping your wrist straight--like you are about to chuck a spear--and note how it feels. Then bend your wrist either toward your body or away while maintaining your grip, and note how that feels. I think you'll understand immediately the benefits of a straight-line grip. It'll keep you in for the long haul.

I too recommend getting a teacher but that may not be practical. Go to Stafan Grossman's site. I've used a lot of his books and found them quite good. I've never used his videos but other players that I know have and seem to like them. At least they have bought more than one.

I'm in the camp with John. Find a good teacher. As much as I have relied on video instruction over the years, when it comes to relearning habits the correct way, the guy in the TV screen can't give you feedback. Plus, as a motivating factor, it is a the top right along with performing with others or getting ready for a public performance.

"He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master"
-Ben Johnson

"I put the relation of a fine teacher to a student just below the relation of a mother to a son"
-Thomas Wolfe

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Scott Thompson
Port Townsend,WA

"In a perfect world we'd all sing in tune
But this is reality so give me some room"
-Billy Bragg

Paul, I'm with the concensus, it's got to be a good teacher.

When I learned, too many years ago to remember, after my Bert Wheedon "Play in a Day" book I went to a local teacher who specialised in the folk finger-style (Bob Dylan plus the English Folk Revival were just starting). That took me so far and gave me the confidence to move on. The real quantum leap came by watching some of the great players, Bert Jansch, Martin Carthy, Davy Graham, and realising that I had to develop a style of my own.

I should add as well that my own technique improved enormously on the Steel string, when I started taking a few lessons with the classical guys, never be afraid of the cross over, we have a lot to teach each other.

Oh and I couldn't live (slight exaggeration) without my copy of Woody Mann's "The complete Robert Johnson" guitar tabs.

ColinColin S38625.2691319444

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

I just don't have the time to take lessons, I've got an hour in the evenings to either spend with my wife and 2 year old daughter or with a guitar teacher. No competition

I bought a book (well, I bought a lot of books, but we won't go there) called "beginning fingerstyle blues guitar" by Mark Galbo, it's a great book and I've made real progress (my wife no longer leaves the room when I play, and the dog doesn't howl so much anymore), the cd even covers what's in the book which doesn't seem to be the case sometimes. If you've already got the basics down and want to learn fingerstyle blues, this is probably the best book/cd out there.PaulB38625.3164236111

I've just been down the path you're setting foot on, Paul. I played a lot in high school and college (mainly strumming), then started spending my time dancing instead, then had a couple of kids. The first kid's off at college now, the second is in high school, and I find myself with a lot more time that I get to decide how to spend.

When my son started playing guitar, it rekindled my interest in the instrument and I decided to spend some of that time learning to play again. I went to a local music store and found a teacher. He's about as old as me, he plays a lot of fingerstyle guitar, and he's very open to teaching me things I'm interested in learning. And he's inexpensive (at least compared to the classical flute teacher my wife had).

When I played <mumble> years ago, I learned it all on my own. I find that I'm learning in much greater depth with a teacher. I'm playing a lot more challenging music than I did before, and I'm doing it after less than a year of lessons. Your mileage may vary, but taking lessons was absolutely the right thing for me.

Good luck. I'm sure you'll enjoy having callouses on your right fingertips and a guitar pick in your pocket with the spare change again.

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John Cavanaugh
Saint Paul, MN
"What could possibly go wrong?"

These have been great sugestionms for me as well. I am a guitar hack but I am the only guitar teacher in town here so taking lessons really isn't an option. I'll have to go over the resources sugested and see what I can come up with.

Paul,
Here's an email Address for Dirk ....dana@beyondchops.com <dana@beyondchops.com>

I believe the web site is:

http://www.dickgrove.com/wd/t/httpdocs/coursedesc/bcdesc11.h tm

I promise you you won't be sorry!

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

Thanks for all the resoucrces gang, as soon as we know about the move (we are in a holding pattern right now) I can make plans to find a good teacher, until then there are some good online resources I've found, Dave the material on that site looks good.

It's just a matter of settling on something now :)

Cheers

-Paul-

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-Paul-

Patriot Guitars

well,
even though i play mostly acoustic stuff ive found that i learned a great deal of "fingerstyle" from classical and flamenco players.
i strongly reccomend Oscar Herrero's "guitarra flamenca paso a paso", aspecially the first couple of dvd's, who are more about genral technique and conditioning of the hands/fingers .
and Tommy Emmanuel of course.
a friend once showed me a double DVD called Tommy Emmanuel - up close , where Tommy plays some of his better songs and then takes you step by step, technique by technique and show you how to play them.

Udi.

Here's a resource for fingerstyle players: John Stropes.

Stropes Editions

Hope this helps,

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia