Guitar Newbie

[chapo]

You guys are awesome and inspiring. Thanks for all of the advice so far. Will keep you posted ...

[T77911S]

my brother was around 50 when he took up bass.

[stuartj]

Originally Posted by ckissick

It's never too late, so push that idea right out of your mind.

Buy an acoustic guitar and play it righty. Just because you write and throw left doesn't mean your have to play left. You are required to use both hands dexterously, so I've never thought that it mattered much which way you learn. Either way will feel equally awkward at first.

Get a steel string guitar and learn all the basic chords until you can switch from chord to chord quickly. Get a guitar with easy, low action. Find some good three-chord songs and learn them. There are a lot of nice songs that use just E, A, and G chords.

The internet is a great resource. When I was learning I relied on my buddies and song books. Speaking of which, find someone to jam with. That's the best part.

This is good advice. If you can play right handed, go that way. Much easier to find guitars. Acoustic guitars require skills that transfer to electric, not so the other way so much. The fast start is to get some lessons, and go for it. A reasonably priced Yamaha, Takamine, Kort- if you have a friend who plays who can help you find a good one, you don't need to spend much.

But be warned, after that, its all....down....hill.....

[wdfifteen]

Trying to pick up guitar again after nearly 45 years. I'm using Garageband, which I'm enjoying.
I've never used these newfangled electronic tuners before, and now that I'm using them I'm wondering if there is something wrong with my guitar ( Seagull S6 slim - supposed to be a good one).
Anyhow, when I pluck the E strings the meter waves back and forth from -5 to -8 cents to +5 to +8 cents. I cannot get it dead on, as i can with the other strings. Is this right?

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Trying to pick up guitar again after nearly 45 years. I'm using Garageband, which I'm enjoying.
I've never used these newfangled electronic tuners before, and now that I'm using them I'm wondering if there is something wrong with my guitar ( Seagull S6 slim - supposed to be a good one).
Anyhow, when I pluck the E strings the meter waves back and forth from -5 to -8 cents to +5 to +8 cents. I cannot get it dead on, as i can with the other strings. Is this right?

?
Are you plucking both e strings at the same time?

[HardDrive]

Typically wavering tone is cause by poor setup, or old strings.

Is this a vintage guitar?

[wdfifteen]

No, not plucking them at the same time. It's just that these are the two that behave this way. The guitar and strings are both new 5 years ago. It has basically sat since it was give to me 5 years ago.
What would "poor setup" be?

[HardDrive]

Poor setup meaning that something is out of wack

The neck may be curved from poor tensioning, the strings may be too high or low, could be a problem with the bridge. It's worth taking it to a competent shop and having them set it up. Set you back $40-50. I can recommend a shop in C-bus if you can't find someone locally.

[craigster59]

If you want to give it a shot setting it up yourself take a look at the "troubleshooting and repair" section here: FRETS.COM

[stuartj]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Trying to pick up guitar again after nearly 45 years. I'm using Garageband, which I'm enjoying.
I've never used these newfangled electronic tuners before, and now that I'm using them I'm wondering if there is something wrong with my guitar ( Seagull S6 slim - supposed to be a good one).
Anyhow, when I pluck the E strings the meter waves back and forth from -5 to -8 cents to +5 to +8 cents. I cannot get it dead on, as i can with the other strings. Is this right?

Seagull, indeed nice guitar. Don't worry about the tuner. Old strings are the most likely problem. Five years, theyre well shot. For acoustics guitars that sit around (like mine do) recommend Elixirs. Not the best sounding strings, but the best sounding over a long time. They last forever.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Get a new set of strings.

As for the tuning- do the E strings sound "right" to you?
If so, then don't sweat what the tuner says.

I've had several brands of tuners and some are more finicky than others in terms of finding/confirming notes. I've got one that locks right in on a note. The other is always stating something is off. If it is a clip on tuner, make sure it has new batteries and try clipping it on different parts of the guitar/ headstock/ etc to experiment.

Also, the fact that you get the ADGB strings to ring dead on is good. Some guitars can't hold tune, so all the strings waver. The fact you can get most to hold is good. Make sure when you are testing the E strings, either high or low, to dampen the other one lightly while you pluck the other to rule out sympathetic harmonics/ etc. In fact, I'd put my palm over all the strings (except perhaps the low E) to see if that makes a difference. Basically, only the low E will be sounding. Then mute the lower strings and test the high E separately. Experiment the same way with dampening notes you know work (such as plucking the A and dampening the others) to see if that affects the A staying in tune.


BTW- when you change the strings. Change the Low E first. Only change that one string. Retest. Then change High E. Retest. Then change rest of strings one at a time. That should also help hone in one which one is the culprit.
The new strings should really fix it. If not, get back to us.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

In the first 40 seconds Leo Kottke explains everything you need to know about electronic guitar tuners:


https://youtu.be/CJ-_qd161iM

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951

The new strings should really fix it. If not, get back to us.

This is the first thing I thought of.

I'm no where as knowledgeable as Leaky but my next guess would be the intonation is off and I'm not sure how/if that can be adjusted on an acoustical guitar.

[HardDrive]

I use a free app for iphone called GuiTune Lite. Works like a champ.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951

In the first 40 seconds Leo Kottke explains everything you need to know about electronic guitar tuners:


https://youtu.be/CJ-_qd161iM

Sorry for the sidetrack/name drop but I saw John Fahey at McCabe's in Santa Monica.
Had no idea he was a friend of Leo Kottke, just had to say something because most people are "who the heck is John Fahey?"

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Sorry for the sidetrack/name drop but I saw John Fahey at McCabe's in Santa Monica.
Had no idea he was a friend of Leo Kottke, just had to say something because most people are "who the heck is John Fahey?"

LOL- I just read your post and thought it said "I JUST saw John Fahey at McCabes..."
I've always wanted to go to McCabes, seeing people rise from the dead there would be a added bonus.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951

LOL- I just read your post and thought it said "I JUST saw John Fahey at McCabes..."
I've always wanted to go to McCabes, seeing people rise from the dead there would be a added bonus.

Oh yeah this was back when dinosaurs roamed the earth... and I had hair.
Funny, he brought a beer with him, set it down next to his chair and took sips between songs.
I have a DVD interview of him where he smokes a cigarette and tips the ashes into the sound hole.

[Superman]

I started on a six string acoustic at about 11 or 12 years of age, and then moved to bass, which I love. I am in gigging bands. Here are some thoughts:

I have rarely, if ever, played or practiced when I didn't want to. For me, practicing has never been work. It has always been fun. Music is a very engaging puzzle with immediate rewards as I figure songs out. Unlock the secrets in the song and in the music structure of the song. From my perspective, wanting to be a musician and struggling through the hard work of achieving that goal will not work unless the thrill of the chase....the hard work of becoming proficient....is not work but rather, is fun. I guess I am suggesting that wanting to be a musician and enjoying the tough job of learning music and learning an instrument can be two different things. Show me a gigging musician today and I will show you someone who sat in their room as a teenager and learned an instrument because it was fun. The learning was a hobby, as opposed to sacrificing your time toward a goal in the future. It takes a LOT of time to learn an instrument.

As far as the instrument you use, there are plusses and minuses. Electric guitars slung with slinky strings are easy schmeezy to play. Less of a physical barrier. Steel string acoustic guitars take a lot more work to master, and your fingers will hurt for a while, but they will get strong and you will be a better player if you learn on one of these. Plus....acoustic guitars can be played by themselves, no electric power needed, transportable, etc. You can take an acoustic guitar to a park and play, or to an Open Mike event.

Back to advice #1: Have fun. If you enjoy practicing, then you will practice. And then you will become proficient. If it is not fun, then you will likely not invest the time necessary. Music is not a destination. The fun part is the journey.

[wdfifteen]

Lots of helpful advice here, thank you so much.
Garageband has a feature that evaluates chords you strum. It shows you which strings are being played true and which aren't. Every chord that includes low E shows an error on that string. No problem with the other strings.
I found a Seagull dealer 8 miles from here. They've been in business there forever, right next door the the camera shop I used to frequent. Never thought I would be in the music store. The guitar is there now, getting new strings and whatever else it needs.
It kind of sucks, since I just got back into this after lots of starts and stops. I got some good advice from a friend. I said something like I don't see the point since I'll never get good enough to play in front of anyone. He knows me, knows I play chess, backgammon, solitaire, checkers with my computer. He said, "Do it for the same reason you play games. Enjoy it just for the fun of doing it." I can't wait to get going on it again with a new attitude. I'll probably take lessons once I get my fingers going again and relearn some chords.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

If it is your low E
and IF you can hear it as annoying
or IF other devices register it as wrong
and IF after changing strings, it still is out of whack,

Then you might have a nut problem. It's okay to talk about these things as we get older.

or Saddle.

But it's probably your nut.

BUT- if it sounds okay to you, then as Kottke says- don't put too much faith in the tuner. It can lead to the third reicht.

If you cannot personally hear the problem. Don't sweat it. Also- try some other tuner apps as mentioned above to confirm the problem.