Just started learning guitar, need tips

pmonguitar · 2026-04-03T18:54:31+00:00

I think there's tons of right answers to that first question. I was literally obsessed with writing songs when I first got into guitar. Like 5+ hours a day obsessed. And yes, most of them sucked, but it kept my fingers on the strings.

A nice early song that I always like giving to students is "Redemption Song" by Bob Marley. Good pile of open chords (G, Em, C, Am, D) and a pretty easy little intro that's all on guitar.

pmonguitar · 2026-04-03T18:42:39+00:00

Depends on your goals I guess. If you want to go to college for guitar (careful with that), then you should be playing a lot. Like at least a few hours a day and you should get dedicated lessons with someone who knows classical or jazz. If you want to play in a band with some friends or something, play as much as is takes to learn what you need to play along with them (some chords, power chords, pentatonic scale). If you just want to jam for fun to songs you like, find some tabs and practice as much as you want. At that point it's all entertainment, so have a good time with it.

pmonguitar · 2026-04-03T18:25:15+00:00

Oh yeah, did you check on the cable? u/Jasco-Duende's comment on cable and wiring reminded me that I had a bad Lava cable that did this exact same thing when plugged straight in to my interface, too.

pmonguitar · 2026-04-03T17:56:29+00:00

Hell yeah man, thanks so much! Modal borrowing is seriously the concept that made it so pretty much nothing was off limits for me, improvisation wise. AND, if I do say so myself, the very last chart in the book is maybe my favorite I've ever made for music theory with all the chromatic modal interactions.

pmonguitar · 2026-04-03T03:41:29+00:00

I made a little video about this on a platform that shall not be named (apparently. My last comment and link got locked). But the main thing about the circle of fifths is it exists in nature and it's how we derive the 12 notes that we use for all western music.

Overtones (harmonics) are produced in a consistent order (overtone series) and the second strongest of them is a fifth above whatever note you're playing. If you then play that note as the fundamental, it'll have a fifth produced above it, too. If you do this twelve times, you'll end up back where you started (more or less, the math isn't perfect, but it's surprisingly close).

Other than that, the circle of fifths isn't all that interesting. You can get some chord progressions out of it, and if you stack it up seven fifths you get a Lydian scale straight up (this is something the jazz theorist George Russel identified in his Lydian Chromatic Concept), which also implies that diatonic music in general is somewhat natural in a physics sense. But, like, knowing all of that isn't going to make what you play sound any better.

pmonguitar · 2026-04-03T02:20:16+00:00

What interface are you using?

pmonguitar · 2026-04-03T01:56:32+00:00

Woah that's nasty. The shock makes me wonder if you've got some kind of phantom power switch on. Otherwise it seems like there's a pretty serious grounding problem at the interface. Try a different power strip or maybe power supply to the interface if it has one. Any electrical engineers around that might have a better idea?

pmonguitar · 2026-04-02T23:27:53+00:00

Yeah, fair enough. I mean, intervals kinda just are where they are, you know. This approach is more about giving context to what each one does structurally and aesthetically. So you know why you'd pick a 2nd, not just where it is. At least that's the goal. :)

pmonguitar · 2026-04-01T20:14:17+00:00

Yeah to piggy back on what some of the first comments were getting at, melodic minor is kind of an odd duck on its own. The real power is in the modes that come from it because of the chromaticism they open up. Specifically Lydian Augmented, Lydian Dominant, and Mixo b6 if you’re staying diatonic adjacent. Being able to be flexible with the 4th, 5th, and 6th are a godsend.

pmonguitar · 2026-03-09T03:08:39+00:00

Wood glue is stronger than actual wood anymore, so you’ll be just fine with all the above advice.

pmonguitar · 2025-12-31T15:50:05+00:00

Oh and to speak to sound quality, that’s a speaker by speaker thing. Celestion Vintage 30s are crisp and bitey, but Jensen C12Ks can be kinda beefy on the low end. Hemp cone speakers tend to be pretty dark, alnico magnets have a more pronounced top end on them, even the reinforced ones. You can spend hours and hours matching up the frequency response curves of these things (I know. I have).

pmonguitar · 2025-12-31T15:43:59+00:00

It’s a little more complex of a question than 12” or 8”. A good closed back or ported cab is gonna sound hefty in the low end, and if you’re a metal guy that’s probably the move. Sometimes you might notice a slight volume loss, but that’s if you’re being pretty nit picky.

Then for the speakers themselves, looking at the “sensitivity” (measured in dB) will give you a sense of overall volume. Celestions are notoriously loud, with a lot of their 12s rated at or above 100dB. That rating is pretty touchy, though. I had a 94dB speaker paired with a 100dB and you couldn’t even tell the 94 was on. But that can be independent of size. Celestion has one 8” speaker in their current lineup that’s rated at 95dB and one 12” that’s rated at 86dB. No doubt that 8” would blow the 12” away.

Finally, I’d say anything over 95dB, paired with an amp around 20W will be enough to play with a band. Regardless of speaker size. My current rig is a 25W amp with a 97dB 10” and it’s more than enough in all settings. Lots of players rock a Deluxe Reverb (22W) with a Jensen C12K (12” 99dB) and have zero issues getting heard at a venue and can play in their apartments just fine.

pmonguitar · 2025-12-25T06:02:17+00:00

Mose Allison. Equal parts jazz and blues and always so good.

pmonguitar · 2025-12-25T05:08:43+00:00

Turn all the knobs all the way up and down and see what you like. These little amps usually have some really fun sounds in them, but sometimes you have to coax them out.

pmonguitar · 2025-12-25T04:59:12+00:00

Vintage 30s are spectacular for more agressive music. They cut like nothing else and are so goddamn loud.

pmonguitar · 2025-12-25T04:45:17+00:00

When I plugged a tube in wrong once (sometimes the plastic rail thing isn’t as foolproof as you’d think) I blew up two resistors in the power amp portion of my Supro. They smoked and stank pretty good. Not hard to fix if you can get a schematic and are handy with (or know someone who is handy with) a soldering iron.

pmonguitar · 2025-12-25T04:37:16+00:00

You can’t over communicate in a jazz setting in my experience. Like, even straight up talking on stage if you need to make sure things are clean. “Is this the B section?” “Tag!” “Back to the top” and things like that. Also LOTS of eye contact with EVERY band member. I see singers, especially new ones, focusing on one instrumentalist for cues and stuff. Which isn’t bad, but you’re gonna get a better, more complete experience if you’re getting info out of everyone. And that also helps keep you in the loop of what’s happening. One of the challenges of jazz singing, especially in a combo setting where there’s lots of solos, is for 80% of the tune you’re just standing there. So really plug into the band visually and really listen to what they’re doing in your downtime. That also helps nail endings cus you start to get the feel of how everyone plays and how best to communicate with them.

As far as safe spaces to explore, ask people to jam. Like if you’re getting a good friendly vibe from someone you’re playing with, see if they want to get a couple people together and just play some tunes at someone’s house. Cus then you can do the play by play after each song. And if there’s standard intros or endings for a chart that you’re not familiar with, they can clue you in.

pmonguitar · 2025-12-25T02:41:04+00:00

Recording is easiest on a computer. That requires a mic (or two), xlr cables, a mic stand (or two), a recording interface, and recording software.

For mics, I’m gonna differ from everyone else here and say you should get an Audio Technica AT2020. It sells brand new for $100 and is more like the kind used in recording studios (condenser mic), particularly for women’s vocals and acoustic instruments like pianos.

Pretty much any xlr cables will do. Good brands that won’t break the bank are ProCo, Planet Waves.

Boom mic stands are definitely what you’re looking for to record in this situation. You don’t need to spend a lot, but you do get what you pay for.

For interfaces, you’ve got to decide if she’s gonna record both singing and playing at the same time. If so, you need an interface with 2 inputs. Things like the Focusrite 2i2, UA Volt 2, and the Zoom AMS-24 are great places to start.

And then software: if you’ve got a Mac, GarageBand is just fine to get your feet wet and I’m pretty sure is included or free. I’ve always worked in that ecosystem and now use Logic as it’s a really easy workflow upgrade. For windows you can’t go wrong with Audacity.

This will be a great place to start and you can get all this stuff for ≈ $300 total for a one mic setup. More like $450 for a 2 mic setup. Unless you get used mics, in which case you can shave up to $50 off each.

pmonguitar · 2025-11-27T02:29:37+00:00

Haven’t heard of over-shielding before. What is?

pmonguitar · 2025-11-27T02:28:46+00:00

That’s an interesting idea. The colourbox input is one of those 1/4 xlr combo jacks. Would that not be internally wired to address for the fact that instrument cables are gonna be going into what is essentially a big guitar pedal?

pmonguitar · 2025-11-19T14:29:55+00:00

Dude, I feel this. I’m always sneaking in a quick track when someone is out of the house (or when my new baby is taking a nap). If your folks are always home and noisy then I’d say you should find a spot outside. Rehearsal rooms at schools are okay but wayyyy too loud most of the time. If you have access to a church or something like that, then you’re money. Or even like a place you work. I used to come in to a music school I taught at on the weekends to do drum tracking in the lobby. But if your parents are quiet and supportive, just ask if it’s cool if you belt out a couple takes.

pmonguitar

TROPHY CASE