getting frustrated

[TheBrush]

okay, i hope this is normal. i guess picked up guitar. Saying i suck would be speaking highly of myself. i am trying to play a simple D chord. is it normal for a new player to not be able to touch only one string. not sure if you guys will get what i mean

 

[sligo U2 fan]

yeah,course!! youll get it after a while!!

 

[TheBrush]

i mean i know i got fat fingers, but they aint snausages oranything. its the 1st string that keeps getting in my way on the D chord, they gut showing me how to play was like try switching from an D to An A. its easy, im determined, but i was just curious. he said strumming was hard and fretting was easier, im finding the opposite to be true. He showed me an A minor power chord, think its minor, i got my work cut out for me

 

[the rockin edge]

hang in there, you'll get it eventually. It's always hard at first.

 

[TheBrush]

i guess i have to train my hand to stay in the right position. i have nothing but time. Did all of you have the problem i described. you know one finger rubbing against the other string so when you try to play a chord a string sounds like muffled dick

 

[theedgefan]

at the very beginning i had this problem with a C - dunno why. but the hardest thing for me was to switch from an A minor to an F major . well, with time it gets easier - believe !

 

[Kiwi]

Actually my probs started when trying the Bm, because its not a natural stance for the fingers. C is much more in the line of your fingers. and than the barre stuff is quite nice to hahaha. I must admit i have long thin fingers that worked quite good.

I also thought it was a hell to change to electric with the sharp strings omg!! anyway i am still a live and its still getting easier to play just keep going!

 

[theedgefan]

Bm is easy . Well, I have thin and short fingers... .

Anyway, I like to play on steel strings more than on nylon strings...

 

[TheBrush]

i practiced for a half an hour yesterday an another half today. I talked to a guy where i work hes been playing for forty something years. I motioned the chord to him and he suggested right away to hold it another way. I had my thumb around the neck instead of behind it. now when i play play d chord i don't hit the 1st string with my third finger and fuck up. i still fuck up just not that way. i still am slow at changing chords. Baby steps people, baby steps

 

[theedgefan]

you really have to be patient. many gave up just because of your problem - but that's no reason - just keep on tryin!

 

[gragravar]

I've been playing for about 30 years now but can still well recall the excruciating first six months when any chord that involved more than two fingers was close to impossble and it seemed as if I was never going to make any headway. The only thing that kept me at it that first year was the (mistaken) hope that it would make me more attractive to girls.

 

[ZeroDude]

I find picking up your guitar and arsing about is the best way to go btw plain old G was my devil cord

 

[stoven]

I really need to take some lessons. I've been playing for 4 years or so, with no lessons. I am really good at playing chords and all... something I used to have a hard time with were power chords that slid up and down the neck like on Vertigo. It was hard to keep the pinky and ring finger together, because I don't like to bar my chords with just the one finger. You will find that the pinky is the hardest finger to control, it's a little wussy finger lol.

The problem I still have is that I have small hands Like a carny... only I don't smell like cabbage.

 

[TheBrush]

okay, note to keep bugging you guys but i tried recordoing a couple chords on my shitty cell phone just to see how i sound. I am playing the guitar without the amp, i have company, and the sound the pick makes while strumming is overpoweringly loud. what gives? The pick says .73 mm. is this a shitty pick. shitty strumming, shitty the brush, all of the above?

feeling less frustrated though. I have seen progress over these three days. And i have nothing but time.

 

[stoven]

I can tell you what. First day I got my guitar, it was Christmas... a Fender Strat, and I sat there on the couch with my pick, and didn't know any songs. I popped in a video that I got for Christmas on how to play the guitar....

Now, I am one of those people who gets really really frustrated with things, and tends to throw them through the wall. I was so upset at first because I couldn't do exactly what the guy was doing on the tape and it seemed so hard. I put it down and thought it was worthless to learn. It seemed that everyone else had an easy time. But, after a while, I somehow learned how to do it after practicing a ton. All I did to learn was look at tabs, because they're straightforward. Play this fret on this string.... and all that.

So, I played tabs and learned the chords from them and after a while, I was able to play. It takes some time and commitment, I'll tell ya that much. I would recommend taking lessons if you have the money though.

 

[MattM]

D is not and easy chord. F is the hardest for most people. you can also make a D with two fingers. just lay the first one down over the bottom 3 strings,2nd fret then put the middle finger on 2nd string,3rd fret.

 

[RedShark92]

I still remember the first time I successfully played an Open chord, I think it was an A... wooohoo!

But relax - it just takes time and being willing to stick to it.

I get frustrated with where I am sometimes - but then I remember where I started...

 

[Mucca]

I've been playing on and off for about a year now and I still can't play the D nicely but after awhile you get the hang of it...and yeah the F is pretty hard

 

[U2DMfan]

ANyone who can play a moderately decent guitar has spent hours and hours and hours and has been frustrated and frustrated and frustrated.

But the thing is, once you see progress, you get exicted and then you realize that you pretty much suck, so you spend more hours with more frustration and you get more progress, and then you realize you still pretty much suck.

And repeat this process for a couple of years, and as long as you get better, that's all that matters.

As far as chords, I have short stubby fingers, it's ALL been hard for me, besides E major. F is murder. I can play it well enough, but not perfect even to this day.

It's hard to say how long I've been playing because I went from bass to guitar back and forth, stopped playing, picked it back up, then eventually, I got an acoustic at a pawn shop and played it everyday (as it doesnt make enough noise to disturb the neighbors) and I got pretty good.

Now, I am average, I can play any U2 song with a decent tab and even some by ear. But I didn't get here because I was naturally gifted, I played the fuck out of that guitar and got better.

And once you get over those humps, like the basic major chords and then you learn the minors, or at least some of them, it becomes so much fun.

But it will most CERTAINLY not happen overnight. If my short stubby fingers can play certain songs, then ANYBODY can. I am not saying I am really good, probably just decent, but I am much better than I used to be, and that's all that really matters, right?

 

[-macphisto-]

Just some advice, dont do what I did and just learn songs right off the bat. Start from the basics, and learn chord progressions, and how to read music. and in strengthening your fingers and make them faster and more controlable and then you will have no problem with learnign any song. I went straight to learning songs and now I wish I regret it, because I would have been such a better player if i would have started with the basics.

 

[TheBrush]

allright i am know officially less than frustrated....i know D A and G chords, G is the only i can play where i don't want to kill myself, d isn't bad and i buzz a little on A. I bought a guitar about two weeks ago. i bought an acoustic gibson J45. it cost a bit but i love it and it motivates me when i am struggling. i suck pretty bad but for the two minutes out of the half hour i practice a day when i get it right, man its a beautiful thing.

 

[OnFire]

How are the fingertip callouses comming along? It'll help once those come in, in the meantime string your J45 up with extra-lights. Even though I also have a Gibson acoustic that I love, I'm kinda jealous. J45's are sweet guitars w/tons of mojo.

If you had a mint J55 from the '50s,

 

[TheBrush]

really don't have them, its not that hard to fret for me. in fact G is now pretty easy and im quite happy with my progress. I am decent at 3 chords now D A and G . Strumming is the thing that now frustrates me because it seems as if im not getting any better, in fact its time to practice right now.

 

[MooMoo!]

hey, learn an E and ya can play desire!

 

[TheBrush]

e is not in my "beginner book" hows it go?

 

[discothequeLP]

E goes something like this:

   E      Em

|-0-----0--|
|-0-----0--|
|-1-----0--|
|-2-----2--|
|-2-----2--|
|-0-----0--|

 

[MooMoo!]

if there isnt an E in your begginer book, proceed to lob the begginer book though the nearest window.


E is THE chord! even Edge says theres no feeling like when you play the E on a electric for the first time!

 

[beau2ifulday]

if there isnt an E in your begginer book, proceed to lob the begginer book though the nearest window.


E is THE chord! even Edge says theres no feeling like when you play the E on a electric for the first time!

 

[TheBrush]

E isnt that bad at all.

why would i lob the book when i could go outside set it on fire and dance around it like an idiot?

 

[discothequeLP]

E isnt that bad at all.

why would i lob the book when i could go outside set it on fire and dance around it like an idiot?

and play guitar while it's burning