Sanford
New member
For me, playing the guitar started in 9th grade as an elective class to fill a hole in my schedule. I walked in to find about 20 kids holding those cheap classical guitars with the super wide necks and mile high action. In retrospect it seems laughable, but at the time I thought I was on my way to becoming Hendrix reincarnated.
After I learned some chords (E, A, D, G, C-all first position), I felt the need to rip out a solo and shine like the bedroom guitar god I was destined to be. One problem: how do I do that? I didn't know what a scale was and I pretty much never moved my hand beyond the third fret. So I started just playing the notes of the chords I had learned one at a time...hey, is this an arpeggio?
After figuring out that chord shapes could be moved up and down the neck, and instantly multiplying how many chord I knew by about ten or so, I also found that when I felt like soloing I could simply play a lead by selecting a couple notes out of each chord in different orders and come up with something passable.
I did that for three years, joined the jazz band in high school, and managed to fool the guys I hung out with that I had my sh1t together when it came to jamming. It wasn't all just smoke and mirrors, however. The more I played chords, experimented with notes that both worked and sucked, the more I developed a "spidey sense" for soloing.
The bottom line for beginners: Don't worry about knowing all the theory up front. The knowledge helps, but in no way is a requirement to play. Learn some chords and then experiment with selective note playing to develop your own soloing/lead style.
After I learned some chords (E, A, D, G, C-all first position), I felt the need to rip out a solo and shine like the bedroom guitar god I was destined to be. One problem: how do I do that? I didn't know what a scale was and I pretty much never moved my hand beyond the third fret. So I started just playing the notes of the chords I had learned one at a time...hey, is this an arpeggio?
After figuring out that chord shapes could be moved up and down the neck, and instantly multiplying how many chord I knew by about ten or so, I also found that when I felt like soloing I could simply play a lead by selecting a couple notes out of each chord in different orders and come up with something passable.
I did that for three years, joined the jazz band in high school, and managed to fool the guys I hung out with that I had my sh1t together when it came to jamming. It wasn't all just smoke and mirrors, however. The more I played chords, experimented with notes that both worked and sucked, the more I developed a "spidey sense" for soloing.
The bottom line for beginners: Don't worry about knowing all the theory up front. The knowledge helps, but in no way is a requirement to play. Learn some chords and then experiment with selective note playing to develop your own soloing/lead style.
