I think i moved onto playing lead stuff too early now that i look back, i had ony been playing a few months. As a result i'm sure i missed out on lots of basic stuff not only with rythm but i feel i have missed out on lots of lead stuff too as i'm really not happy with my playing ability.

I have been playing since september of '07 so what are the things that i should know? Is there anything specific should know by now?

Chords, scales, modes and Arps. You need to be looking at different rhythms and how to solo over chord progressions. You can learn to make great melodies using the notes from arpeggios.

Another thing, i don't think my teacher is that useful either to be honest. I once asked him to teach me theory and he said that it's not something that need to be taught, and then he gave me a book on theory to learn from myself, i thought this was fine at the time but when i told this other guy who is a guitar teacher (He gives lessons at my school, which the school pay for) he burst out laughing.

Do you think i should find another teacher?

He doesn't know theory if he's dodging teaching it. Theory will open up the whole instrument for you. Ya gotta have a decent understanding of it.

I didn't learn anything from the book he gave me as the way it was worded was really hard for me. It was first published in like 1940's lol.

Ask him about theory again and if he declines again, time to find a new tutor. Or you could just learn theory by yourself, because the internet really is one hell of a tutor.

Yeah you should definitely work on the theory part, it definitely helps you understand WHY certain things work, and some don't.

Basic arpeggio shapes, 3 note per string scales, harmonic minor... diminished scales/arps.


I mean I definitely still have a lot to learn as well (theory-wise) but even after my 3.5 years of playing I have gotten a good understanding of the instrument

I don't think any guitarist is ever happy with where they're at..it's the nature of the beast...there's always room for improvement in a myriad of techniques and applications...I know I personally am always striving to improve my playing.

A good teacher can definitely help out, and if he's not receptive of your wants and desires, it's time to find a teacher that will listen to you...it's your $$ your putting up for the lessons...he's serving you is how I would think of it...but that's me.

Unlike when I and many other of the older guys started playing, you have a TON of resources at your fingertips via the internet, and also many great instructional materials on DVD, CD, and in books to learn from...much more than when I started.

It sounds like your teacher is a shitty one. There are a lot of people out there teaching guitar that can't actually play, but get away with it, because the students don't know any better. I think you should ditch him and post an add on craigslist looking for a teacher that has a degree in music.

I did just that... I have a strictly theory teacher that I go to twice a week, who has several music degrees... every lesson I learn loads.

It can be hard finding someone who knows there shit, but once you do its well worth it. Try out several teachers before choosing one.

yeah, craigslist is a great place to look, I found my teacher there

he actually graduated from GIT! I lucked out

I just don't know ...I've never had a " teacher " to show me execution. Basic theory I did learn in school , and took it from there on my own. Now with that being said , I had to imagine alot...on how some things were actually performed. At times this involved exploring any reasonable hand position that was possible . Was this a waste of time...at times , perhaps.

Spending time on the instrument is the only way to gain proficiency of that instrument. Forget about speed , forget about what anyone thinks...just play the guitar. Learn to play "TNT " from AC/DC ( basic chords or single root notes ) by ear. If your not able at least you have a point to start from to communicate with an instructor. But it is important to sit by yourself and try to match notes with recordings.

Ok , so you can play that...try some Priest ..Headin Out to the Highway or Green Manolishi...root notes only if that's all your able. A teacher can show you the chords and how some other stuff works.

Get things figured out to a point that you don't know and work the problem . I can't see any instructor being able to teach a student with no feedback from the student ( and yeah , I've tried ). And I agree that at least basic music theory needs to be taught in a formal setting, being handed a book will possibly result in nothing , as will not providing questions to the instructor. IMO , the student needs to drive the format of one on one instruction.

Oh , and learn to read traditional music , numbers on lines representing strings only serve for the short term ( opinion ).

Damn , I didn't mean to end the discussion...the guy may be a crap bag teacher , but I've been one of those too. Just trying to provide some insight from the other side...it's ok to disagree with me. I'm a freaking ac mechanic , not the end all to music. lol

If he's a moral person he'll tell you to get a more skilled teacher when he can't teach you anything more.

I'v recently gone through a period of extreme lack of motivation but i think i have become motivated again and decided to expand my knowledge of scales.

I know the pentatonic in all 5 positions, the harmonic minor in the A position and what i think is called the natural minor in two positions. Would anyone here be willing to post tab for the harmonic minor and natural minor in all 5 positions or any other scales that may be useful for me?

You'll get them all here Steve, vertical and horizontal patterns in all positions:

http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/guitar_scales.php

Thanks dude!

How about this one.

C major scale (Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half) starting on the low E and ending on the C on the eighth fret of the high E string. The notes with R's over them are root notes. Making shapes is easy, just start on a note that will become the root note and progress as put in parenthesis above (in steps, of course). The steps won't change as you change keys, I picked C because it doesn't have sharps or flats, the notes progress C, D, E, F, G, A, B, etc. It sounds boring, and it's not as fun to play as the harmonic minor, but it'll be the most important scale you learn.

Or you can cheat and find the positions at ID's link :)

Anywhere with scales that i can download tab or copy and paste it into a text document? My internet only works downstairs so i cant' have access to the tab unless i save it on my computer.

I'd go for the interval approach, it'll help you more in the long run (especially since you've applied to go to a music college). These scales aren't bound to positions, so learning individual tabs of each position is going to limit the amount of ways you can play the scale, and the keys you can play the scale in. Yes, it's not as fun as memorizing a tab and letting it rip, but as someone playing guitar just about as long as you, I recommend it highly.

The other solution is pen and paper, and that's not fun either, I guess.

What do you mean by the interval approach?

The major scale is, ascending, a root note, a whole step up, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, half step, which in the key of C, would be a root C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. You can piece together a major scale in any key by starting at a root note and ascending by those intervals, thus effectively eliminating the need for tabs of the scale. Eventually, you can learn the notes on the fretboard, which is very useful. But for now, learning the major scale is the most important scale you can learn, because everything is directly related to it.