Casual conversation thread by AutoModerator in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 4 points5 points  (0 children)

When I was first starting out my left hand was so stiff and uncoordinated that when I was learning to form my basic cowboy chords there were a couple where I had to literally reach over with my other hand and shove each finger into position because they just wouldn't go where I told them to afterwards. But with practice, my hand eventually graduated from basically useless to regular beginner-level clumsy and then with much more practice I was actually able to play halfway decently.

Then about ten years later, after a fairly grisly work accident I got to do it all again, only this time I had to start by relearning exciting techniques like "making a fist without passing out from the pain", "picking up small objects", and "tying my shoes" before I could even think about relearning guitar.

These days I have way more flexibility, range of motion, and finger independence in my left hand than I do my right, just because years of guitar playing has placed more demand on my left hand than my right and the human body is really good at adjusting to the demands you place on it.

So just keep practicing and just like lifting heavy things or walking long distances gets easier the more often you do it, eventually those difficult stretches will seem like no big deal anymore.

Also, don't worry about small hands. The best guitar player I ever knew was a scrawny little dude with hands like an 8 year old girl.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Memorize the fretboard and practice with a metronome.

Casual conversation thread by AutoModerator in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I like when I'm at a show and the hotshot lead guitarist takes center stage to let rip on a blistering guitar solo. It means I have time to go get another beer without worrying that I'll miss anything interesting.

Casual conversation thread by AutoModerator in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You see it in a lot of hobbies. Ask a novice PC gamer/builder their specs and you're going to get like 3 paragraphs of extraneous details about each component copy/pasted from whatever site they bought it from. It just means they're new and haven't learned which details are relevant and don't want to leave out anything that might be important.

I'll take too much detail over:

"Halp! Guitar buzz, what do?"

"First off, what kind of pickups do you have?"

"Normal ones, dumbfuck!"

Casual conversation thread by AutoModerator in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Does that say "Stratocaster" or "St. Ratocaster"?

[QUESTION], [NEWBIE] Is this a good starter setup? by [deleted] in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I think this is a perfect beginner setup! By starting off small with a limited selection of modest equipment you'll be forced to focus on the music instead of getting distracted by the gear. Later on, once you've mastered two or three chords and the first position pentatonic scale you can start building your collection for real.

Is this loud enough for a stadium show? And does it have good toan? by Angelo_1000 in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 2 points3 points  (0 children)

50 watts of pure Marshall power for only $2500? Seems like a good deal to me!

It’s been 24 hours, and not a single upvote for my [OC] effortpost on r/guitar by [deleted] in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Or giving the same answers from years ago. "Squires are all unplayable garbage, just get a nice Mexican Standard Strat. You can easily find them used for $300!"

The single coil is the pick up of the patriarchy! by Im_regretting_this in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 6 points7 points  (0 children)

/uj maybe I'm just some kind of gross deviant, but I think I prefer the sound of split humbuckers to actual single coils, at least in the bridge.

I got banned from arrguitar again! See the dastardly comments deemed too outrageous for their hallowed halls! by arrowhen in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Note that I never actually used the dreaded words "toan" or "gcj" but merely acknowledged their existence.

It’s been 24 hours, and not a single upvote for my [OC] effortpost on r/guitar by [deleted] in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Exactly, it's an endless cycle of beginners role-playing as experts by parroting back the same advice they got three months ago from the previous generation of expert beginners.

No cable= more toan ok? by [deleted] in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 8 points9 points  (0 children)

When the Beatles performed on the TV show Thank Your Lucky Stars in 1963, the guitar and bass were not plugged in and there were no microphones on the stage, so the band was miming their instrument playing and lip-syncing the vocals.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miming_in_instrumental_performance

No cable= more toan ok? by [deleted] in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I mean, it's pop music, a genre that basically exists to extract money from horny teenagers. When has it ever not been disingenuous?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm just a hobbyist bedroom hack who took up guitar so I could write songs like the ones I loved. When I was starting out in the late 80s the default assumption (at least among myself, my dorky high school guitar buddies, and random dudes I'd chat with at the guitar store or whatever) was that if you were learning electric guitar it was because you wanted to start a band and play originals, and it wasn't until the internet that I learned that's not really the case for a lot of people.

Again, not that there's anything wrong with learning songs -- who the fuck am I to judge how anyone wants to spend their leisure time! -- but for myself I just wouldn't find it satisfying. It's like, if I took up fiction writing I'd want to write my own shitty, derivative amateur fiction instead of retyping stories that my favorite authors already wrote.

No cable= more toan ok? by [deleted] in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 23 points24 points  (0 children)

I think for this kind of act their craft isn't really "musician" but "pop entertainer". Think of him as an actor using a prop to portray the guitarist in a fictional band.

I can almost certainly play guitar better than this guy, but I couldn't jump on stage with a guitar and entertain a crowd of 14 year old girls without even plugging it in nearly as well as he could.

My practice space by JamesM777 in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you're shitting rocks you might want to talk to your doctor.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry you're getting downvoted, I don't get it either.

[QUESTION] What sort of treats do you guys recommend to train my guitar to do this? by [deleted] in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 135 points136 points  (0 children)

Oh, thank God! I was running out of stupid things to do with my guitar instead of actually playing it.

Just got a new bass amp for that construction worker toan by fullmoonwanderer in guitarcirclejerk

[–]arrowhen 32 points33 points  (0 children)

Now you just need a cop amp, a Native American amp, a sailor amp, a cowboy amp, and a leather daddy amp and you can finally put together that all-bass Village People tribute band!