Ask a Guitarist

Yeah, like Face's Ask a Pianist thread..

I can safely say that in this area i have more knowledge than ability, so i can answer almost any Q's..

I Play Melodic Heavy Metal, some Old School Rock and Shred alot.. For those who don't know Shredding is basically Soloing for an insanely long time using different modes, scales, and possibly even key-changes, so when done right its the epitome of playing metal and related styles, i haven't perfected that but im on my way, been playing for around 3 years which is not a long time, but like i said i know my way around the instrument better than i can play it..

Ask away..

Jam it back in, in the dark.

uhm....how do i play chords? i dont know how to and need help. i also suck a power chords, they sound all nasty, what can i do to make them better

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Bredow

uhm....how do i play chords? i dont know how to and need help. i also suck a power chords, they sound all nasty, what can i do to make them better

Are you sure your guitar is in tune when you play it? Power chords aren't supposed to sound nasty, unless you're doing root-third or root-second chords. What do you mean by sounding nasty? Not enough distortion for you? Are you pressing down on the strings hard enough?

Playing chords is simple enough. Playing barre chords (Where your finger presses down on the entire width of the fretboard) are basically extensions of power chords. Just place your first finger over the note you want, then put your ring finger three frets up (towards the body) on the fifth string (A), while your pinky is adjacent to the ring finger on the next string. Strum the entire thing, making sure you have enough pressure down with your first finger.

I know this is your thread Zato-1, hope you don't mind if I help you out a bit.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

sure dude no problem, and well said, but i'll elaborate :

Assuming you've perfectly tuned your guitar (Ask if u dunno how to do it the best way)

Im also assuming ur a right handed guy which means u strum with your right and fret with your left,..

As to playing regular chords :

-Make sure u have the finger pattern right (duh?)
-Make Sure every single note rings Clearly, here's how: form the chord, pluck every single note in the chord alone, yes pluck, if the note goes dead too fast and doesn't ring then you know which finger you have a problem in..Work on that finger , like change the angle between it and the neck, increase the pressure, or :
-Make sure you have the fingers assigned correctly, in other words, make sure you place the right finger in the right place, for example to Hold a C chord (tab Figure below) on a Standard tuned guitar you use your index on the B string, your Middle on the D string, and your Ring on the A string, this not only is the optimum way, but also will get u ready to do more stuff with chords later on..

-Make sure you're only Strumming the Nessecery strings, which means that in the case of the C chord mentioned, u dont touch the top E string, at all, a good guide to know which strings you shouldn't strum is that generally you dont want to strum anything before the Root note (The main note in the chord, which is what gives the chord its name) and look for the X's either at the name of the String or in the chord's tab , those mean that u have to Mute those strings by either not strumming them or (if they're in the middle) or using a left hand finger to lightly touch it so it doesnt ring..

- After you done all that right, you should try to work individually on exactly how much pressure you need to hold a chord, i cant stress this enough, you MUST find the MINIMUM pressure and apply JUST THAT, that way you'll save your energy to be able to play longer without feeling like your hands just came out of a meet grinder..

Here's the C chord's Figure

E --0--
B --1-- INDEX finger
G --0--
D --2-- MIDDLE finger
A --3-- RING finger
E --x--


Now as to power chords :

- If you're finding it hard to barre any chords, Dont barre the Power chords, YES im not a subscriber to the "You have to do it" school, EVERYTHING comes eventually, so long as nothing becomes a complete barrier you dont go past until you've totally conquered.. In other words; if u find anything too hard, work around it, cheat, if you will, you'll get better later then come back to trying it again (And believe me , you'll succeed).

So not barring any chords means u wont play them, right? Wrong, you can always fret the Root (Usually On 1 of the 3 bass strings) and fret the rest and avoid strumming the bottom part of the chord (Which will be like 2 strings max, not a total loss for starters, but keep trying to barre it.. Remember : Start low on the nech, preferably on the 8th Fret, there barring is easy and the spaces arent too big or too small..

-Again, dont barre power chords, and start with 3 note power chords, because those are easier to control for beginners, just fret each of the 3 notes..

- Noise, is what's making your PC's sound horrible, most probably.. To work on that use 2 things.. avoid Running the pick all over the guitar, learn to stop your pick at the Third or fourth string when strumming, wether strumming up or up down (not likely with PC's but who knows, maybe you wanna play some Testament :P) And the second thing is to move your right hand's palm very slightly over the bridge, just a tip of the right edge of your right hand's palm over the tip of the bridge, where the strings enter the bridge..
An extreme of this is called Palm muting and it gives a badass churning effect to riffs, but this is very slight..

Why, you ask..Well that helps mute some of the excessive noise that's associated with Power Chords (PCs) i suggest always using slight palm muting, unless you want the PC to ring out for a long time (Please dont play any emo or Punk) if you dont play those horrors, you wont need to do otherwise (Mostly) .. (I know, too general, but bear with me :P )


Thats all the insane amount of talk i have about this , dont despair, all my friends have your same problem, i had it for a long time, it goes away with time and practice, this is an important issue since the basics are something i rarely see people who've mastered, even though they're quite advanced in terms of techniques..

Rock on \m/

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

My silly questions:
Why are electric and acoustic different (other than sound obviously)?
Can't you play both if you know one or the other?

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Summonmaster

My silly questions:
Why are electric and acoustic different (other than sound obviously)?
Can't you play both if you know one or the other?

Yes you can. There is no fundamental difference between acoustics and electrics. Whatever you play on one can be done on the other. An acoustic may feel different from an electric because of the acoustic's heavier strings and it may be hard to reach the higher frets, though some acoustics allow you reach up there.


Otherwise, no they are not that different. It's not like you have to relearn the instrument.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

True, But some stuff is only possible on Electric Guitars, so you won't have to relearn, but rather "Overlearn" ..

These are the things unique to the electric guitar : Whammies and whammy vibratos, Screams and Pinch Harmonics, Fret Harmonics (both VERY faint on acoustic guitars) .. Of course the sustain is much better in electric guitars due to the amplification and the method of detecting the string vibration process..

Take it easy guyinrubbersuit.. heheheh..

How ya doing, buddy?

How long did it take from when you first started playing to do insane solos and all that shredding shizzle.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

While i still can't do those cleanly and well, i take pride in musical knowledge (!!) .. Meaning: i can improvise Correctly all over the neck, rather than improvise speed patterns, which i can do, but i'd recommend learning musical stuff, Scales and Keys, those will take a variable amount of time, took me about 1.5 years to go into speed picking but 2.5 years to master full keys (Overlapping, of course)

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I'm still just starting with the guitar (started in march), I got a couple of questions.

1) What are your tips for avoiding sore fingers? Most of the times I would stop playing because my fingertips hurt and are all cracked, and not because I can't play anymore.

2) I'm really interested in learning to solo properly on the guitar. I already have a pretty good knowledge of scales and keys (from prior instruments), so I was wondering if you knew any sites/books that I should visit for finding the scales and whatnot.

3) I've seen many different ways to bend, and currently I arch my fingers and my fingernails will push against the other strings. I can get it bend to the right tone (i hear this is the most important for beginners), but just wondering if this method would be bad for the future and more advance techniques.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Newbie1234

1) What are your tips for avoiding sore fingers? Most of the times I would stop playing because my fingertips hurt and are all cracked, and not because I can't play anymore.

I haven't found this to be a problem to me, because my finger tips are VERY meaty and my skin is very weird (almost elastic) But some necks did hurt my fingertips.. This will sound weird but you have to do it, find some baby oil or oil-based moisturizer (AVOID water-based stuff, it will ruin ur strings) use it on ur tips and let them "Soak" for a while, they'll generally be more flexible ..
Also, if you're playing a Natural wood fretboard you can use Lemon oil or Linseed oil on the neck itself to make it slide and handle better..

Also, avoid doing horizontal (ie classical) Vibratto (you must know the term) on a steel-stringed guitar, that would be practically asking for an injury, until your fingertips harden or your grip loosens and u get to the "minimum touch" feel, where u wont strain your skin so much.. Which leads me to:

-Try to apply as little pressure as is nessecery to fret a note, that reduces the tension and pressure on your fingertip, which is always a good thing..

Tell me what type of guitar you play and ur neck wood type and your race & Complexion(Yes that matters) so i can tell u whats the best mix..

Originally Posted by Newbie1234

2) I'm really interested in learning to solo properly on the guitar. I already have a pretty good knowledge of scales and keys (from prior instruments), so I was wondering if you knew any sites/books that I should visit for finding the scales and whatnot.

Cyberfret.com .. But in all honesty its much better if you avoid patterns, instead , since you must have a musical ear by now
plot your way on the guitar by Discovering the note placements in a certain (given) Key.. Like use Metallica's Nothing Else Matters and solo over it to get a feel for the key of E minor.. etc.. If you want i can detail you on most popular songs' keys..
If you need a full reference for Scales and Modes, use a program called "Guitar Pro" , go to Tools > Scales and select whatever u want, it will be slapped on the on-screen fretboard, you cant miss it.. :P

Originally Posted by Newbie1234

3) I've seen many different ways to bend, and currently I arch my fingers and my fingernails will push against the other strings. I can get it bend to the right tone (i hear this is the most important for beginners), but just wondering if this method would be bad for the future and more advance techniques.

I Actually dont understand what you're doing at all !! But i'll give you the optimum way to bend and u go from there:

Say u wanted to bend a note on the 8th fret on any string, one whole step up (It will sound like a 10th fret note when u reach the peak of your bend), what you do is, you put your index on the 6th fret, your middle on the 7th, and your Ring finger on the 8th fret.. Use all three fingers to apply the nessecery pressure to bend the string, that way much less strain is applied to each fingertip, and you can bend so hard that only the string's potential is your limit.. (I've bent up to 3 steps up on Good guitars and broke a string trying to get to 4 steps, which was silly of me, but u get my point, String's the limit :P )

You will feel weird at first, im sure, but believe me once you get used to it you'll never fear a bend.. ever
Rock on dude..

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

What guitar do you play, and also what pedals/amp do you favor?

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Where are there so many emo guitarists? I've noticed that amonst teenagers, guitars are the instruments they all play. Why is that?

I've seen some of those fretless guitar. Can fretless do extra stuff that a regular guitar can't? Or is it boasting that you are good?

Oh, and do you know where I can get some music by Django? *torrentsitesplz*

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Trigunnerz

Where are there so many emo guitarists? I've noticed that amonst teenagers, guitars are the instruments they all play. Why is that?

I've seen some of those fretless guitar. Can fretless do extra stuff that a regular guitar can't? Or is it boasting that you are good?

Oh, and do you know where I can get some music by Django? *torrentsitesplz*

Because guitar is a relatively cheap and easy instrument to play?

I don't know much about fretless though I think the sustain is less as there are no frets for the strings to buzz against. It gives off interesting slides though because of the lack of frets. I guess if you are used to fretless instruments (violins, cellos, etc) it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Django Reinhardt is quite a gifted guitarist, especially with his deformed fretting hand. I have some albums. Perhaps we could trade.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Fretless guitars (and basses in particular) have a distinctly different tone. I'm not too sure how it would sound with a guitar but basses have more 'growl' and a more pizzicato sound to them. Some fretless guitars have markers to indicate where the frets would normally be but you still have to learn to play by ear rather than sight (looking at what you're doing.)

A slight note on the finger pain thing. If it really starts to hurt - stop. Cut down your playing time until it becomes less painful. Also, wash your hands before you play, this way you get less greasy and sticky crap on your strings making playing easier (and making your strings last longer.)
And about not using too much pressure when fretting - again, if you feel pain - stop. Not only does it hurt your fingers, you're also putting more strain on your arm & shoulders and RSI hurts like hell. If you are feeling pain in odd places, check your posture and your left & right hand positions.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by gukarma

What guitar do you play, and also what pedals/amp do you favor?

I Play a Yamaha Pacifica, a Russian Stella (VERY old shit), and a Fender-Squier Strat.. I Favor the Squier since its the best of the shitpile i have, but it still is a sub-par guitar, as for my next guitar i'll get either an Ibanez RG370 or a Jackson Soloist..

I Favor multi-effects pedals, when i play Clean i use Flanger+reverb+slight delay+mixed Pitch shift to get a 12-string guitar effect
when i play distortion i favor using Crunch or V-Ditortion+Reverb+Open Wah (Its doesnt add a Wah effect, but makes Harmonics Squeal out Real loud)

Originally Posted by Trigunnerz

Where are there so many emo guitarists? I've noticed that amonst teenagers, guitars are the instruments they all play. Why is that?

2 reasons: 1-Ease.. Emo, punk and all that sort require nothing more than knowing how to bang on a power chord and shout like an idiot ('Cept Sum41)
2- The mood it creates, if Sad it fits the teenage "fad", if its happy it fits even better, i'll admit happy jumpy music that comes on in Teen movies (i dont watch em my sis does) is kinda catchy and make ya feel everything is Great (!) ..

Originally Posted by Trigunnerz

I've seen some of those fretless guitar. Can fretless do extra stuff that a regular guitar can't? Or is it boasting that you are good?

Fretless guitars aren't like Fretless Basses, they have lines to show where the frets should be (Usually), and unlike Basses they tend to sound more soft and mellow (Or slimy, depends on how u hear them)

They're used to create a continuous flow of "legato-isque" sound.. Watch Steve Vai use it to get an idea, on G3 live in Denver, the one b4 tokyo..


[And the pain thingy, i dont agree that u must Stop, it's not a muscle so the damage will Always be superficial (He said the pain is in his fingertips, i'll assume its the skin) .. Trust me, if u can go on (and WANT TO go on) just do it, the extra damage will provoke the dermis to produce much thicker and harder skin (Which is how most guitarists with soft skin adapt to that problem, go see an old guitarist's fingertips, u'll see what i mean)

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I have a japanese squier strat from 1982 that kicks so much ass everyone thinks it is American.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Sal

A slight note on the finger pain thing. If it really starts to hurt - stop. Cut down your playing time until it becomes less painful. Also, wash your hands before you play, this way you get less greasy and sticky crap on your strings making playing easier (and making your strings last longer.)
And about not using too much pressure when fretting - again, if you feel pain - stop. Not only does it hurt your fingers, you're also putting more strain on your arm & shoulders and RSI hurts like hell. If you are feeling pain in odd places, check your posture and your left & right hand positions.

I am a sufferer of RSI and it's been a long time since I played the guitar. However Newbie 1234 I don't know exactly how long you have been playing, but initially your fretting fingers will be a bit sore after playing, but they toughen up. Make sure to warm up before playing and know that pain occurs because something is wrong.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Pain occurs because something is wrong, but that shouldn't nessecerily mean stopping, there's pain and there's acceptable pain, like when weight lifting, discomfort and pain in ur muscle after training is normal, a little soreness is something that the body will cope with in order to avoid in the future, usually by toughening up.. So no, i stand firm by my experience and askin many others, Not until the pain gets silly, dont stop because it "hurts" a lil..

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Zato-1

Cyberfret.com .. But in all honesty its much better if you avoid patterns, instead , since you must have a musical ear by now plot your way on the guitar by Discovering the note placements in a certain (given) Key.. Like use Metallica's Nothing Else Matters and solo over it to get a feel for the key of E minor.. etc.. If you want i can detail you on most popular songs' keys..
If you need a full reference for Scales and Modes, use a program called "Guitar Pro" , go to Tools > Scales and select whatever u want, it will be slapped on the on-screen fretboard, you cant miss it.. :P

Nice, I already had Guitar Pro, but never really thought of using for scales.

Originally Posted by electric_eye

I am a sufferer of RSI and it's been a long time since I played the guitar. However Newbie 1234 I don't know exactly how long you have been playing, but initially your fretting fingers will be a bit sore after playing, but they toughen up. Make sure to warm up before playing and know that pain occurs because something is wrong.

Started playing in march, so only about 3 months now. It's mainly just the fingertips that will get all cracked up after playing for long periods of time.

I've started making it a habit to wash my hands in warm water before and after playing, I'll see how it goes.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Im looking to buy a flamenco guitar, or a classical one. I'd play mostly flamenco music, but I don't think the difference between a classical and a flamenco is great at all. I only want to spend a few hundred dollars... and I'm kind of against buying a guitar off of ebay, because I'd like to play it first. So what brand would you recommend? or place to get it? Thanks.

I was speaking idiomatically.