How many D70 users can play the guitar?

[thehikingdude]

Interesting connection. I've played guitar almost as long as I've been walking.

-jeff

[Dargan]

Its interesting to return to this thread and see how the posts emulate the wide range of guitar styles in responses. My own interest is in classical guitar and occasionally flamenco but I still have time for Clapton, Richard Johnson, et al. If there a lesson from this to bring it back to the original post it is that a guitar has many outputs or uses and so does the D70 as a tool of trade. The range of output and growing sophistication of users posts (not my own unfortunately) show how far we have travelled. I joined in October last year and I like to think of this thread as a barometer of the group as it has been around as long as I have been a member. It just sort of lurks in the background, someone rediscovers it and its off again.

[jethro]

marcus is a mate of mine and he cranks at guitar. you guys gotta ask what type of strings he has. i know he has a 1974 les paul plus several others

[the foto fanatic]

I use ProShow Gold software from Photodex to put my images into slideshows for screensavers or to play as SVCDs on my DVD player.

On the Photodex website, they allow their users to showcase their presentations. One current show is from Gary Kramer, the maker of Kramer guitars (don't ask me; I'm just a photographer!). It is pix of some of his instruments, accompanied by a guitar track.

I think it's worth a look - here is the link:

http://www.photodex.com/sharing/spotlight/demoshows_kramer.html

You may have to upload some software in order to play the shows if you are not already a ProShow user.

[owen]

Sorry to bring up this old thread guys. Reason being, I got a guitar prior to xmas, and just got the string that was missing, so now it is complete.

I've got a learn to play guitar book for xmas which is good, and I'm slowly learning a few chords, but I'm having trouble moving my fingers between chords... is this something that takes a lot of practice or did you guys pick it up pretty quickly?

It's good fun, although my fingertips have lost all feeling in them!

[Nnnnsic]

This is one of the threads that I have no problems if people dig up.

Who wants a shovel?!

[losfp]

Guitar eh?!

Well, it's another one of my hobbies that I've unfortunately let slip... I do still have my Fender Tele by my desk for a bit of strumming, but I've been so slack that I've lost the callouses in my fingertips and it hurts to play too long

Got to get back into it soon...

[moggy]

You will find that you have to 'train' your fingers to remember the fret positions and that means lots of practise! Apart from the 12yr old virtuosos the rest of us keep plugging away until it starts to make sense(hopefully!). The finger tips will hurt less over time, just keep at it.

Bob.

.

[avkomp]

have to agree with bob here.

I have had guitars for years but never been much good. just had the guitars cos I could.

I taught myself how to pay 30 odd years ago but only melody stuff and couldnt play rhythm to save myself. I always found that after a while my fingers hurt and I put it down until my fingers got better but I was always going thru the same cycle never getting better.

early last year I took it up again in earnest. this time I decided a rethink of what I was doing was in order.
Firstly I based my renaissance on the bryan adams song where he claimed to play it til his fingers bled.
So I kept going and developed callouses and it stopped hurting and I found that I didnt need anywhere near as much pressure to fret notes either and my speed increased.
In the past I tried to play songs I had heard and struggled
a: because I have no talent
b: more importantly because I had no techniques to actually do the job

This time besides developing my fingers to do the job, I practice fundamentals only.
hours and hours of scales in different positions and modes.
now when I look at songs I find that I can see the scales it is played in and my fingers go to the right spots and what I couldnt do before now seems easier.

I had 2 guitars prior to my renaissance, a cheap acoustic gibson hummingbird copy which cost me about 40 bucks 20 odd years ago and a gibson vintage les paul which I have had for 30 odd years also. I run very light strings on the acoustic to mimic the action of the Les paul and I found that it didnt really sound like other guitars.
I always said that one day I wanted a real gibson hummingbird and last year I decided that I should just get one and I did.
I found that it had a required more effort to play than my cheap copy with the light strings but decided that this may be beneficial to developing power.
After the pain went away, I found that it no longer hurts to play and that I seem to require any pressure to play and I was happy.
I play every day now often for hours on end (whilst watching tv).
You find muscle memory develops with practice.

another thing I found made a difference is having guitar stand or more as necessary laying around so the guitar is right there.
I read that if you have to get the guitar out to use it, perhaps you wont use at as much, whereas if it is right there you may pick it up where only 5 minutes may be available. This proved to be true.

I found that when ever I use the les paul, I cant help but polish the pickups, bridgework etc to keep it in pristine condition. It still is after all these years but I dont enjoy playing it because it requires all that attention because it is more of a collectors piece to be looked at.
The hummingbird on the otherhand I tend not to polish up because there isnt pickups etc to get tarnished so it is easy to pick up and use for a few minutes so it gets used.

I always wanted a semi acoustic also and got a ES-335 this year also.
I leave this available to play and give it a little wipe on the metal work when finished but not as much as the les paul gets because it is just worth too much to neglect.

So to sum up this ramble I believe the keys to getting better are:

have a quality instrument to start with
keep it handy
practice
practice
practice
(and did I mention practice)
I guess the virtuosos may find this comes easier than us mortals.

Steve

[dooda]

Here's what I found made me get better. I figured out how to listen to songs and then play them back. I always hear people tell me about this guy they know that can do that. I think, yeah, so can I, so could anyone, it's a skill to learn, not a god given gift. This made it fun to pick up and play. At first it was tedious, constant trial and error, but after a while (read, one or two years) you start to pick up patterns. When you learn a language, your brain picks up patterns and laws that operate within the language and applies it. It's the same with learning how to play what you hear.
I honestly would never have had the patience to sit down and hammer out scales all the time unless they sounded like Led Zeppelin.

[Frankenstein]

I literally just got back from "Guitar World" - got my 14yo son his first electric guitar. I told him the amp volume knob mustn't go higher than 1 (and even then with the headphones on), but he just gave me one of those looks.

Frank

[avkomp]

the volume on my amps rarely get past 1 also. I would turn it up if I didnt sound like crap though!! dont want the neighbours to know.

mind you one on a valve amp still packs some punch!!

[avkomp]

frank:

I often browse guitarworld on the web, plan to have a look there next time I am in qld.

I use their prices as a guide and compare the prices with my local place and usually get them to match

Steve

[NikonUser]

Just picked up my girlfriend's guitar....

Definately can't play the guitar!!!

Paul

[avkomp]

never too late paul!!
Steve

[kenny12]

non d70 user but plays electric

[Dug]

D70 user I used to play on the linoleum when I was younger.

[Steffen]

I can neither claim to play the guitar nor to own a D70. How do I fit in?

Cheers
Steffen.

[avkomp]

Steffan, you could go out and buy either or both.


Actually this is a fairly old thread revisited for some reason.
it originated when this was the d70users rather than dslrusers.


Steve

[Steffen]

Actually this is a fairly old thread revisited for some reason. it originated when this was the d70users rather than dslrusers.

Oh, good. I've got a D2H! I've also got a pair of mightily musical loudspeakers. Does that count?

Apart from that I'm also a geek, a civil libertarian and a pipe smoker...

Cheers
Steffen.

[owen]

Lots of good stuff...

Thanks for the heads up Steve. I've had the guitar in the computer room and picking it up whilst browsing the web and whilst I should have been doing other work, so I definitely have been picking it up when having a spare moment. Also the fingers are hurting, but I know they'll get used to it sooner or later. It seems I have to press the strings quite hard in order to get a solid sound out of the guitar, otherwise the sound kind of rattles a bit.

Back to it now

Thanks very much.

[avkomp]

owen:

assuming the neck of the guitar isnt warped, the amount of pressure required will seem to go reduce with practice.
It sure did for me. With that will come speed and accuracy.

Steve

[embi]

Yes, and a few other instruments. Well, i did once.................. remember Redgum?

Lead singer of redgum was our wedding reception entertainment. He's bloody good. Everyone raves about it

[owen]

I've got another question guys. The chords are getting easier to play and I seem to be finding them easier, but in my book it's talking about Barre chords, and the diagram shows that your first finger needs to be in 2 places at once... how does this work?

Thanks very much

[losfp]

Owen, what's the chord in question? With barre chords, you DO have to hold down two or more strings at once, mostly with the index finger

[owen]

Google just answered my question...

http://www.acousticguitar.com/lessons/b ... ds/1.shtml

[owen]

Well the first couple in the book are F barre chord, Bm Barre chord, and G Barre chord... I'm a little confused still though, there's a line on the diagram that spreads across several strings, but with dots on only a few strings... does that mean you hold the finger down across all strings or just where the dots are? G Barre chord for example has the index finger dot on strings 1, 5 &6, but the line spreads from 1 - 6.

edit: just answered my own question again... by pressing the whole line of strings, the other fingers are playing different notes anyway... thanks.

[moggy]

One useful feature of barre chords is that you can retain the same fingering for different chords, you just move up and down the neck. And then there are power chords......

Bob.

.

[nodabs]

just found this thread. i stated playing guitar about 4 months ago after 6 years of cello (5 learning at school) picked up a strat with two single coils and a humbucker, also play friends jackson, and flying V. I'm mostly learning metal starting with Metallica (nice and easy to start with ) now moving on to megadeth etc. as well as random cool riffs and tunes, current project is yngwie malmsteen's arpeggios from hell.

[kamran]

I do like playing guitar a lot. Almost as much creative as photography sometimes!

[Aussie Dave]

I have been playing guitar for about 14 years now (on & off for the last few).
I have a Kramer electric 6 string (which they do not manufacture any longer) and a Marshall 100W Amp, which sings like a bird (though I rarely get to turn the volume past "1" these days - with the twins around

I also have a Daion acoustic that I keep at work. I have been teaching a colleague how to play....even though he has been slack at practising his homework !

[ozimax]

Haven't had a guitar for about 10 years until recently a friend just gave me one, handmade with 100% QLD timber, sounds great, but the fingers are a bit rusty.

Max

[Aussie Dave]

Haven't had a guitar for about 10 years until recently a friend just gave me one, handmade with 100% QLD timber, sounds great, but the fingers are a bit rusty.

Max

ahh, there's nothing like working those calluses back onto your fingers. That red-raw feeling you get when you pick up the guitar the day after is such pleasure...............NOT !

[Nosh]

Play the guitar, keyboards, flute and harmonica. Currently bought mysel an Yamaha acoustic with pickup and a horner puck harmonica. Also have the Yamaha S30 and PSR 740 Keyboards.

Nosh.

[ozimax]

My latest keyboard, and I am very impressed with Korg Italian quality.

http://www.korg.com/gear/info.asp?a_prod_no=SP200&category_id=1

Also my amp, a Behringer KX1200 keyboard amp.

http://www.behringer.com/KX1200/index.cfm?lang=ENG

[Potatis]

 LOL guitar lessons in the forum!

When you practice (whoever is trying to improve), work on very small sections at a time, and repeat as much as you can. It's easier to remember and improve on a small bit at a time, than to try to remember the whole piece from start to finish.

I say this, not as a violin teacher (which I am), but as a piano student who started from scratch at the start of last October and am now doing grade 5 music. (5 years worth of work). It's how you practice. Lots of repetition and follow it up again the next day to REMIND yourself. Learning is easy, but remembering is harder. Age and stiff hands don't matter much. There'll always be improvement with good practice methods.

*Getting off teacher's soapbox now.

[Matt. K]

It's interesting that you folk tend to stimulate your optic and aural senses more than the general population. I think it's a joy,...a delight... of living.....and that's what makes you all bloody good company.

[ozimax]

LOL guitar lessons in the forum!

When you practice (whoever is trying to improve), work on very small sections at a time, and repeat as much as you can. It's easier to remember and improve on a small bit at a time, than to try to remember the whole piece from start to finish.

I agree wholeheartedly Doug, and practice before you get a swag of kids! BTW, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, my favourite composer and virtuoso pianist, virtually never practiced, but he was a rare breed!

Now get back to those arpeggios and chromatics!

[Dargan]

Just a reminder to MattK who started this thread waaaaay back when.

Here is a view of my own, not entirely a quality shot but a quirky one!

[Jonesy]

Marshall 100W Amp, which sings like a bird (though I rarely get to turn the volume past "1" these days - with the twins around

is that the one that goes to 11?

I can play.... I havent for the last few years though. Might dust off a guitar after work!

[Aussie Dave]

Marshall 100W Amp, which sings like a bird (though I rarely get to turn the volume past "1" these days - with the twins around

is that the one that goes to 11?

I can play.... I havent for the last few years though. Might dust off a guitar after work!

- no - the one that goes to 11 is the next model up !
Mine only goes to 10.5 (though I've only ever had it to about 8, and it was so loud, I couldn't hear myself play over the noise......

[nodabs]

jeez you wouldn't like my friends house both he and his brother have 100W valvestates that are just about jammed on 8 sitting next to a drum kit operated by there little sister playing megadeth for a few hours a day.

[kenny12]

i use a 20D

and i'm learning how to play a guitar

[gstark]

Kenny,

Welcome to the world of musical cameras.

Has anyone told you about function CSM 42 on the 20D? It'll produce a Led Zeppelin tab on the rear LCD for you.

[Michael]

Hmmm this thread

Maybe I'll add my two cents this time, I play electric bass and upright bass.

[owen]

Since I replied to this thread a while back, I can play one song Jewel's you were meant for me.

I don't practice enough.

[gstark]

Hmmm this thread

Maybe I'll add my two cents this time, I play electric bass and upright bass.

As do I.

My electric is a 77 Fender P. Fretless, of course.

[avkomp]

this thread pops up again and again.

Since the original thread started I have another amp here so now have
2 marshalls, one is a practice amp the other is el84 20/20 valve
the original 100w I build around 27hrs ago
badcat mini cat 5w valve

got the mini cat a few months ago because it is all hand wired point to point and all valve so I get valve tone without seriously bothering the neighbours,
although 5w of valve power is surprisingly loud!! you cant get the marshalls above 1 before everyone knows about it.
wouldnt matter if I could play the guitar well cos I would want them to hear it

got a australian made fisonic (1966 vintage) 60w here which belongs to my neighbour, needs some repairs so will need to become motivated and sort that out for him too

Steve

[Michael]

Hmmm this thread

Maybe I'll add my two cents this time, I play electric bass and upright bass.

As do I.

My electric is a 77 Fender P. Fretless, of course.

Mine is a 04? fretted fender P bass.

[avkomp]

wonder when the dslrusers band will have its first jam?

steve