Glenn

How to Be a Guitar God
article ripped right off from the net....




Fancy yourself a fretboard wizard? To rise to the ranks of guitar god--that is, an exceptionally talented and charismatic guitarist, you must pay your dues. It isn't just about learning how to play guitar; it's about eating, breathing, and sleeping guitar. Read on to follow the lead of widely respected, guitar playing legends like Yngwie Malmsteen, Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads--maybe you've got it in you, maybe you don't, but there's only one way to find out.
Steps


1.
Emulate

Start playing now. The greatest of the great started becoming acquainted with their guitars at a very young age (usually before they were thirteen years old) so you've probably got a lot of catching up to do! But don't be discouraged by that, there are many great guitarists who didn't even touch a guitar till their teens (Clapton for example) or even older. Stop making excuses, stop saying you need the perfect guitar, stop waiting to be "inspired," and stop wasting another minute to learn how to develop your inner guitar god. There's no reason to wait.

* There's a very good chance that you will not be good at first. Everyone has to start out being bad, so they can improve from there. Think of it this way - babies are terrible at walking, little children struggle with talking. But they keep doing it, without feeling bad about themselves. Eventually those babies grow up to kick you in the face and insult your mother.
* Can't afford a nice guitar? For now, buy an inexpensive guitar when you first start. You only need to get comfortable with the new movements with your fingers. It's only a temporary measure (see Warnings) but it's better than nothing!



2.
Multitask

Practice till your fingers bleed. -- Okay, maybe bleeding fingers aren't the smartest way to go (see Tips), but you get the idea. Eddie Van Halen used to walk around his house with the guitar strapped on and unplugged, practicing incessantly; he'd sit on his bed for hours on end with a guitar while other people went to parties. Are you ready and willing to do the same? Get your priorities straight and learn to multitask. It's all about dedication and discipline.


3.
Concentrate

Be precise. Just because you're starting doesn't give you an excuse to be sloppy. Like in Tai Chi, if you practice very slowly with 100 percent concentration, you'll become five times faster and better; so when you practice, do it slowly and concentrate. You'll be amazed at the results.

* If you don't have an experienced instructor or high quality equipment, this may be difficult, but you have to be a stickler for technique. Do your homework and ask questions. Be persistent. If you know someone who's an excellent guitar player, don't be shy. Walk up to them with the guitar strapped on, politely request a moment of their time, and ask them if your finger placement for a particular chord or technique is correct. Most experts, when they see an error, are compelled to correct it out of their love of the art.
* Studying your idols. Listen to other guitarists' riffs and solos and learn them.
* Some techniques that are worth learning:

o Harmonics and pinch harmonics
o Palm muting
o Right hand tapping
o Hammer ons/pull offs.
* Scales you should be familiar with:

o Major and minor
o Be able to play scales forwards as well as backwards, moving from scale to scale in a given key
o Pentatonic major and minor.

4. Study classical music. It may seem worlds apart from the music you envision yourself playing, but practically all of the guitar geniuses that you look up to have studied classical technique at one point or another. Malmsteen, for example, was heavily influenced by 19th century violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini. In the process of adapting Paganini concerto pieces on guitar, he fostered a prodigious technical fluency that would later make jaws drop. Additionally, Eddie Van Halen began his musical aspirations with classical piano before he discovered the freedom of guitar.


5.
Read

Learn the ins and outs of reading music. Sure, Stevie Ray Vaughn was amazing and he didn't know how to read music, but if you just sit down and learn to read and transpose music, you will be much better off. Not only will you know what sounds good, you will know how to put it into writing and you will learn deeper elements of music. Music is not just the notes you are playing, but the pause between notes and the composition of good music.



6.
Feel

Play with emotion. Once you've developed proficiency, you can use the guitar for freedom of expression. You can feel the music in your blood, and make other people feel it, too. Remember, the greatest musicians of all time, the ones who are most deeply respected, are the ones who could move others, physically or emotionally, with their music. Believe you can become a breath-taking guitarist--it makes such a difference if you know you will be brilliant.

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My MYSPACE Page My Homepage: Glennmoller.com MWGC#2

Brad96StangGT

did you get that from your iGoogle how to of the day? I was just checking that out before....

Glenn

ahahaha


yep

cut and paste.

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My MYSPACE Page My Homepage: Glennmoller.com MWGC#2

JohnnyBlazed

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AZ- Importing Californians since 1992

" None are more hopelessly enslaved, than those who falsely believe they are free" -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Brad96StangGT

T.O. Snake

Pfffttt........like I have time to read all that. I'm busy perfecting my craft!! *unleashes vicious chainsaw solo until fingers look like hamburger meat*

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2004 Silver Cobra Vert - cowbell-equipped 497rwhp/481rwtq (before midpipe)
Cobra-KAI #008 FOVH #001

EXTREMEG

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™

JP7

SaleenPowr

I've been wanting to learn how to play for a while. I have a friend that is willing to give me lessons but want to pick up a guitar in the next couple of months. I want to get an electric guitar and my budget is about $400. Any ideas?


...and don't say Guitar Hero. I have it already

I was thinking getting this one:

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Greg
2007 Wrangler Unlimited X 4-Door, Metallic Red with 6spd manual
MW80's Crew #5

4me2have2

i need to get that game

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SaleenPowr

I give you lessons.

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Greg
2007 Wrangler Unlimited X 4-Door, Metallic Red with 6spd manual
MW80's Crew #5

cholland

Buckethead Rulz

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