question for the DU Guitarrists/ Guitar Teachers (im sure we have some)

[LastKnight]

im currently trying to teach myself guitar. i enjoy playing and can fake my way through most songs by doing it by ear or learning off tab. but i couldnt identify or name cords to save my life. my problem is studying theory kinda sucks and i find it boring compared to just playing. im not really interested in taking lessons, its something i wanna do myself. so uh, whats an easy way to teach myself cord/scale thoery and the like?

thanks

on edit: i shoulda said most painless way, not easy way. but anyway. i know about lesson programs offered in my area and i know that none of em will really work for me (i know cause i work at the largest music store in the area) so... im not lookin for a magic bullet here. just something a bit better than the standard lesson book, cause ive tried those and they dont do much for me, i tend to lose interest too quick.


-LK

[mr_hat]

1. Mel Bay.

[Beaverhausen]

2. no easy way

really.

I really suggest getting some lessons. You might want to go to a local music store that provides lessons and ask if there is a teacher there who can teach the kind of music you like to play. I think if you try to learn the music you really like you will pick up the theory easier that way.

There are also videos/CD that may help.

[H2O Man]

3. Buy some books

The Mel Bay books are okay. Depends on how advanced you are. The main thing is practice, practice, practice.

[Blue-Jay]

4. It's worth it to learn theory.

Learn all your scales, up and down; majors, minors, diminished, augmented, etc.
Learn all the chords, and how they "fit" into the framework of what you're playing.
Learn what inversions sound better in context to the rest of the passage.

Then....

Forget all that shit and just play your ass off!

Seriously, it might seem like a chore now, but the end result will be worth it, especially if you ever plan on improvising.

[griffi94]

5. try the nashville number system

it helps you keep up with where you are
if you're already playing with tab
it could help speed that up as well
it helped my chord theory a lot

[vi5]

6. You either want to go theory or you don't....

I took lessons when I was younger but today I don't even bother with music or theory. I just play by ear or by trial and error.

I remember very little of my lessons other than the short cuts/cheats that my teacher tought me along with the theory.

[Beware the Beast Man]

7. You can learn some basic music theory right off the internet.

You mainly want to concern yourself with keys, chord theory, and scales as others have noted. Also, having a good guitar chord book really helps out when you're just noodling around and can't figure out a chord for something.
Really, though, you pick up a lot just through experimentation and practice. Fortunately I have a background in music (I took band) so I know my way around music theory somewhat, even though I'm a novice guitar player myself.

Enjoy!

[reprehensor]

8. The Heavy Guitar Bible

Is a quick and dirty way to learn old-school rock style. Scales, chord progressions, etc.

Old book, but functional.

[OneBlueSky]

9. I'm not a guitarist (I just play one on tv) . . . but these may help . . .

Music Theory and History Online
http://www.dolmetsch.com/theoryintro.htm

Music Notes: An Interactive Online Musical Experience
http://library.thinkquest.org/15413/

[PVnRT]

10. Get a "chord dictionary"

Go to a music store, they have these for guitar. I have one that lists 7,488 chords, multiple ways of playing any chord you can imagine.

As for theory, eh, you don't really need it. Learn things like the pentatonic and blues scale, and basically just play what sounds good. If you want to get more technical, just learn how to play the various modes of key - learn the major scale for a key (C, Db, etc.), then learn which modes are what when you start on the next note higher in the sequence.

Do that and you should be fine.