About to turn 47 here and learning guitar for the first time ever. I don’t feel I’m too old, in fact I feel if I tried this when I was younger and so much more active I wouldn’t have stuck with it. It’s fun to come home after work, have some dinner, and sit down and do some beginner practicing. I’m not expecting to be in a band or anything but maybe one day I can serenade my girlfriend or play some of that classic rock and 80s metal I still love to this day.
I have an ESP LTD MH-301 currently that’s a lot of fun but that licensed floyd rose bridge is intimidating. I will be attempting to change the strings on it some time this week but am nervous.
Hi Ron I know what you mean, I had an on off relationship for years as life got in the way and lots of other interest outside work. Kick starting after retiring was what I needed, plus this website. Your objective are laudable. Welcome onboard !
Hello Ron,
Good luck with that, if even Justins says it’s “a pain in the …”…when I’m looking for a guitar, I make sure it doesn’t have such a bridge on it
I want a Les Paul for my next guitar. I can’t do an acoustic as I won’t be able to control humidity and temperature like it would require.
I’ll either be successful with the re-string or I’ll have to take it to Guitar Center down the street and have it professionally set up again. Looking to avoid that but I didn’t realize how tricky floyd roses were when I bought this.
Thanks. You know you get a little older, you slow down a bit, you want to kick back and relax with a new hobby or something. Plus my girl plays piano and I think it would be great to be able to play alongside her. Maybe Smoke on the Water lol.
As long as you are not going to measure your success by trying to play it like Kasper or Mike would ie just like Steve Morse now or Richie Blackmore from back in the day
Yes @DavidP I guess it’s all about “how” you want to play it…but I’m finding that playing a song doesn’t ALWAYS need to be exactly like the original to be like the original That iconic rhythm intro is not too hard…and the rest of the rhythm can be approximated to sound good…I’m obviously NOT talking about the lead/solo elements. Most of the rhythm is just three chords played on a nice HB guitar with some nice distortion/dirt I’d guess.
I was just pulling your leg, Jason. I’m with you and I think all my playing is something like the original, usually not as alike as I’d like
I think the first trick with the iconic Smoke on the Water riff is to figure out where to play it. Like many of us, I’ve played it as simple 2 finger power chords, root note on the low E string, but I gather that is not really how it’s done.
But we digress and if we carry on Richard will swoop in and delete these posts
I’m more interested in being able to play something for her. A little serenading. Mostly I’m doing it for me. I know music has a powerful effect on me and just like my love of good food inspired me to learn to cook, my love of music that affects me emotionally has inspired me recently to learn guitar.
Plus it’s just fun. I’m a newbie beginner still practicing those cowboy chord changes in one minute, along with some barre chords, but it’s fun and satisfying to watch myself slowly progress. I’m in no hurry and will not be frustrated if I hit roadblocks. This is being done for me. Not to join a band, not as a career, not to perform live, but just for me.
I also have a Peavey Vypyr VIP 3 modeling amp which I’m loving. My one and only guitar is a heavy metal guitar and so I can get a lot of different tones. It’s a fun amp.
I just did that the other night. I was in my car and a song inspiration came to mind based on a phrase from my old roommate days. As soon as possible I pulled into a parking lot and spent the next 15 minutes jotting down lyrics on my phone’s notepad to a song I hope to be able to compose music for someday.
@oldhead49 Dave your music is a gift. You’ve given us superbly transcribed and played songs, glorious singing, music that lifts the spirits and inspires the mind and a ‘work’ ethic that your oldhead makes well worth emulating.
My life is richer for knowing you and your music. Thankyou
When I first started, the barre F was quite a challenge, yet I was determined to stick with it. It sounded pretty awful for the first few months and then got a lot tidier. Now, some years later, I’m so glad I stuck with it because it’s such a gateway to other barre chord goodness.
They are a pain, but really just need finagling. Both my electrics have floating bridges, only one actual Floyd rose. I have blocked them and put a normal nut on the FR one (removed the locking nut part) and they are much easier to deal with now now.
If at some point I need to rock out with a whammy or something, I can reverse the process, but I lean towards classic and softer music anyway.
@batwoman Maggie, thank you for those kind words, and right back at you. Your encouragement over the years has meant a lot and at times kept me going. I often think about ‘Kansas City’ -“Oh yeah” - the one that got me going, and the encouragement you gave me to post it.
I really should do a re-do. Oh yeah!!
Don’t give up. Take this as advice from someone older, well a couple of years older.
I started learning four months ago and have currently hit a wall/plateau-give it name- same as you.
It’s just ‘one of those things’ that go with any learning process.
Just look back and think about what you’ve learned and achieved since starting.
Age has nothing to do with it.
Stick with it and you will get there.
As Justin says, always make sure it’s fun. Bad patch? Shrug it off. Practice what you’ve learned so far but do not make it a toil of a pleasure.
That iconic rhythm intro is not too hard…and the rest of the rhythm can be approximated to sound good…I’m obviously NOT talking about the lead/solo elements. Most of the rhythm is just three chords played on a nice HB guitar with some nice distortion/dirt I’d guess.
