WR
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 3832
netherlands
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Posted on May 08 2008 03:43 PM
learning theory helps a lot with making music, but as far as playing goes, books are kind of pointless. you need skill, not knowledge.
would you get into a car with someone who instead of taking driving lessons has read 4 books about driving? 
what Ive done a lot lately is search youtube. there's a ton of amateurs doing instructionvideos and pros too, trying to sell some book or dvd. of course it's not systematic or a coherent course, but that's why it might get you going again. and it's free. otherwise Id always get a dvd instead of a book.
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wooza
Joined: Apr 24, 2006
Posts: 1618
Ithaca, NY
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Posted on May 08 2008 04:06 PM
WR
what Ive done a lot lately is search youtube. there's a ton of amateurs doing instructionvideos and pros too, trying to sell some book or dvd.
... and/or watch videos of live performances to see how the pros do it. I've done that plenty. Quite helpful.
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Abe
Joined: Mar 12, 2008
Posts: 1237
Bay Area
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Posted on May 08 2008 05:10 PM
All I can say is that Books never helped me out. All they did was Confuse the hell outta me. I would read and skim through them and would be like "what the hell is a Hammer-On or a Pull-off?". I would say books are good for people who know a little and want to advance ther skills. All I did was learn a couple of chords and learnd a Blues Scale and i was on my way. And if u wanna learn certain styles, learn by listening. Thats the only way. Plus It makes it a whole lot easier to figure out any song, its better to depend on ur own ability than some Gtr.Tab. Except I cant really figure out that 1st change in "Maelstrom"  But ill get it.
— The Deadbeats
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dp
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 3546
mojave desert, california
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Posted on May 09 2008 11:06 AM
WR
...what Ive done a lot lately is search youtube. there's a ton of amateurs doing instructionvideos and pros too, trying to sell some book or dvd. of course it's not systematic or a coherent course, but that's why it might get you going again. and it's free. otherwise Id always get a dvd instead of a book.
wr: I've been using the youtube fo exactly the same reason lately...not only can you view how the "original artist" performed a piece...you can also see 100 other people play the same tune...there are all kinds of "lessons" on the youtube...
good suggestion,
-dp
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dp
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 3546
mojave desert, california
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Posted on May 09 2008 11:12 AM
WR
learning theory helps a lot with making music, but as far as playing goes, books are kind of pointless. you need skill, not knowledge.
I'm not sure I'd completely agree with this one...I don't believe it's an either/or proposition...skill and knowledge work together to help shape one's "musical-ness"...if the point is that everyone learns in their own individual manner, and that ultimately it's the way one plays the strings and the sounds that count...well, I CAN buy that idea...
I guess I'm not sure what you mean here by "making music" and "playing"...
I don't really see much difference between these two ideas...
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ArtS
Joined: May 09, 2008
Posts: 1335
Isle of Kent, MD
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Posted on May 09 2008 02:55 PM
I'll tell you what really jump started my playing. One was going to live shows and watching the surf guitarist-everyone of them did things slightly different and made me want to practice til I couldn't sleep. Two, play with some other musicians, preferably at a higher skill level. Hope that helps.
Cap'n Nitro
— Surfcat
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seamoor
Joined: Apr 03, 2008
Posts: 122
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Posted on May 14 2008 07:57 PM
I think no matter how many years you play, you will always run into walls. How you circumvent them requires different strategies at different times. The development of musicality is partly physical skill, partly mental skill and partly having something to say--when you have a bit of physical skill and mental skill, it becomes much easier to say something--but by all means you need something to say, first.
There is no question that playing with other people is always great, and there are some great theory books around. Technique IS hard to get out of a book, you are really doing some transcoding to get from visual symbols to hearing a musical phrase.
One of the most useful exercises is to work out all the triads and all their inversions in every key all over the fretboard--on your own without looking at a book. Work through them in your head. Learning all the modes for every key is another useful drill. These kinds of skills are foundational for theory, and help to develop basic technique as well.
The big thing, and I think this is a Zen guitar point, is to follow paths that give you satisfying feedback. Abandon pathways that give you a sense of frustration, it means you are not ready for that path. Follow the Happy Path, and, in the end, at least you will be happy.
Seamoor Glas
The Iterators
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xbted
Joined: Oct 29, 2007
Posts: 98
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Posted on May 25 2008 11:53 PM
I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the great advice. I think a huge part of my problem was that I was student teaching this semester, so I really had a lot of stress. I've been trying to find some of those books here in the local stores, but I think that I'm going to have to check out amazon. Anyway, thanks to everyone who's replied, I really appreciate it!
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