Electric guitar?

[Molly]

When I was in the UK last year (without an amp) I bought a Tone Works device (Line6 I believe) for about fifty quid that works between the guitar and PC. It 'models' different setups and, by god, this thing is a bloody great piece of kit. I haven't even started to scratch the surface of what it'll do and it's the cheapest in the range.

Well worth considering.

[raftn]

Intersting read all this, So just to add my 2 cents worth, i have 2 acoustics a Martin D35 and a martin Jumbo J16, i have a marshall acoustic amp soliost which is a PA in it self, i play my 57 reissue strat thriougt a fender Blues junior which is a great little amp, and does not need to be wound up to get the full effect. Wat ever you play enjoy it and have fun........

I also recommend learning some music theory, you will be amazed how much it will help youunderstand wat you are doing.

[Usarka]

I also recommend learning some music theory, you will be amazed how much it will help youunderstand wat you are doing.

Thanks & yeah I'm into understanding the theory when i do something. Any recommendations for how/where. Lessons may be a bit impractical.

BTW - for any others thinking about guitar, make sure you add nail clippers to your list (or start biting away)

[Molly]

Theory wise I'd just get a handle on basic chord structure (not as complicated as it might seem) and pentatonic, and diatonic scales. Learn what it is to play in key. Put a few patterns together and you'll be away. Just jam along to your favourite records, solo over the top, etc. etc. and you'll be surprised how soon it all comes together.

I bought The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer about twenty years ago and I notice that book's still going strong. Worth a look.

[raftn]

Theory wise I'd just get a handle on basic chord structure (not as complicated as it might seem) and pentatonic, and diatonic scales. Learn what it is to play in key. Put a few patterns together and you'll be away. Just jam along to your favourite records, solo over the top, etc. etc. and you'll be surprised how soon it all comes together.

I bought The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer about twenty years ago and I notice that book's still going strong. Worth a look.

Same book as me...........it is a great book ....still refere to it often.

[Usarka]

Theory wise I'd just get a handle on basic chord structure (not as complicated as it might seem) and pentatonic, and diatonic scales. Learn what it is to play in key. Put a few patterns together and you'll be away. Just jam along to your favourite records, solo over the top, etc. etc. and you'll be surprised how soon it all comes together.

I bought The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer about twenty years ago and I notice that book's still going strong. Worth a look.

Nice one thanks.

Already got the basic open's learned so looking forward to actually understanding what I'm doing and building on it.

The whole "in key" thing is where I had problems when I was 15. So much easier now that I have an appreciation for good music AND that I want to learn.

BTW - pentatonic sounds very death metal.....

[naphazoline]

BTW - pentatonic sounds very death metal.....

Nah.....You're thinking of satanistic
Pentatonic is a basic scale group.
(not that i can play lead for shit.I'm just a rythym guitarist.)

[Molly]

Y'see, if you 'learn' a solo note-for-note you don't actually learn much at all. But, for example, if you learn a few pentatonic patterns, shift them into position for (from memory) Gm and stick on Pink Floyd's 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' your fingers will all but fall onto the notes.

I remember teaching students to take the scale route and solos like G&R's 'November Rain' would work themselves out rather than the student having to spend days and days hunting for each and every note (and at the end not really understanding what led Slash to those notes in the first place).

Don't make it a chore though. It's always good when a mate just shows you a few riffs etc. and you have fun with them.

Good luck.

[MentalFacility]

Just get a desent electric with a cool amp. Will make it fun and entertaining to learn. I myself got a Epiphone SG 400 and a Fender G-Dec30 amp. Cool toy. If you are loaded with cash go for Line 6 - Spider Jam, thats the best practice amp available, but it is pricy.

Ull need a good new guitar when u start noteicing how crap ur pick ups sound. But thats gonna take a while.=)

If you want the best guitar i know of (all comes down to the taste ofcourse) click here. http://www.espguitars.co.jp/original/forestgt/index.htm

Costs almost 8 grand and is only available in Japan. Cant affort it, but gives me a boner just looking at it.

[Usarka]

Found this awesome instructional video on youtube. Well it's actually a mashup of instructional videos on youtube

[bully]

Google 'Audacity' A great multi channel recording programme and it's free. If your guitar has a pre amp all you need is an adapter to plug the guitar lead into the 'line in' socket. You can also voice record from a microphone at the same time or use the mic' to record from an accoustic guitar. Haven't tried it with the Telecaster yet but I know it can be done, might need a seperate pre amp
Recordings can be saved and exported as mp3
Many more things you can do, channel mixing, backing track downloading etc, too much to list but the whole thing is so simple that even I could figure it out in a few minutes.

ok so i got this programe and started recording some stuff, was all good but...
can you tell me why there is big gaps in the recording, like as you see on the screen its a green/jade colour then there is black gaps which are gaps in my music. do you know why im getting that, i just used a lineout from my amp into my laptop via the microphone input, it sounds a bit rough but ok for now, its just the gaps that kinda make it pointless. is it maybe my pc cant keep up.
any help would be good??

[discotex]

is it maybe my pc cant keep up.

Highly likely being a laptop and on-board sound. But it's impossible to diagnose without having a look.

Could be your virus checker so disable that while you're recording (and anything that might cut in else like screen savers etc).

You might have to set the recording buffers higher in the application as well.

[eliot-ness]

ok so i got this programe and started recording some stuff, was all good but...
can you tell me why there is big gaps in the recording, like as you see on the screen its a green/jade colour then there is black gaps which are gaps in my music. do you know why im getting that, i just used a lineout from my amp into my laptop via the microphone input, it sounds a bit rough but ok for now, its just the gaps that kinda make it pointless. is it maybe my pc cant keep up.
any help would be good??

I've never tried recording from a guitar amplifier, just from the classical with pre amp, and even with that I turn all the cotrols down to almost minimum so I suspect the output might be too high and the sound card can't handle it. Continued use of high input levels may fry the sound card so keep it as low as possible. Try turning the amp volume right down then adjust the recording level on the programme until it's showing up to about half way up the scale with no spikes. You can also adjust the treble, middle and bass controls on the amp to get the correct balance. I always use the 'line in' socket as it seems to handle the higher input levels better.
Any gaps in the recording due to playing errors can be edited out, bits can be added to correct mistakes etc. A whole list of possibilities so I would recommend you download the instruction manual to get the best out of the programme. I also use the "guitar for beginners and beyond "forum for advice, they have a specific section for recording help with some very experienced guys to help you out. Well worth looking at. Hope this helps.

[bully]

thanks,iv since used another programe, no gaps, but distorted sound, im not sure i have a input plug will check again, yer the recording is peaking hard tho, i need to try and tone that down too. thanks for your help.

[Manxman]

Possibly might be sans licenso over winter (don't ask I can't remember head injury not booze!), thinking about buying an electric guitar to do something creative.

Want to learn the basics then spend some time playing around with some famous songs like I wanted to do when I was oh so much younger.

Anyone got any hints, tips etc? Equipment, best ways to learn, do's and don'ts etc.

Chur.

Good luck dude.

One of my 'things to do before I die', is to do exactly this, and learn the guitar solo at the end of Another Brick in The Wall, by Pink Floyd. Awesome.