Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

What training have you had?
A friend of mine loaned me his spare guitar, showed me a barred A & barred E shape.
6 weeks later I was in a band. 25 years later, I still can't read music or finger pick and I play an open E chord with middle, ring and pinky fingers!

I'm a 'by ear' musician. While a can read music, it's more akin to the 'hunt-and-peck' approach to typing. As a kid, I took a couple of months of guitar lessons, which really didn't teach me any more than I already knew (I'd been fooling around with guitar for almost a year by then).

I'm with you, Greg! I play E the same way unless I need to use the pinky for a 7th or a G bass, in which case I can easily change. Same goes for Am......

I had a few months of lessons when I was 14 and pretty much went my own way from there. I now regret that I didn't pursue more formal and extended training, but when you're that age you want to be an instant hero...... failed miserably in that department!!

There are only 7 major chords. I wish someone had told me that from the git go.

My training was twofold. Five years of music theory and composition without the benefit of an instrument followed by seat of your pants, overnight immersion in rock and roll and blues with the help of a Hofner Gold Top LP look alike guitar and a Vox AC30.

Talk about opposite sides of the spectrum.

What about them thar sharps and flats? I keep coming up with twelve...

My only training has been 6 years of piano. I switched to bass to join a local band. I have a terrible ear. Can't tell an "E" note from an "A" tone. Kind of frustrates the other band members. However, I can read music very quickly and pick up the song. If we're learning something new w/o music - I have to have someone tell me what note to start on - then I'm off and running.

I studied with two great players in the area, Al Ferrante and Paul Gabriel. I learned a bit of theory here and there and have a fairly good idea of what I'm doing most of the time.

Perhaps my greatest training though came from playing in the host band for an open mic for 3 years. You learn to pick up songs on the fly, cover the flubs of the "talent" and lay down a bulletproof groove that makes everyone who comes up to play sound good. I learned so much from that experience, I can't even say!

quote:
"There are only 7 major chords. I wish someone had told me that from the git go."

quote:
"What about them thar sharps and flats? I keep coming up with twelve..."

Well, we could debate this one all day. Here's my way of looking at it: There is only ONE major chord, but it can be played in all twelve keys. Notice every major chord is a major third* on bottom and a minor third* on top.

Example: C major chord: C-E-G.
C-E: Major third.
E-G: Minor third.

2nd Example: Db major chord: Db-F-Ab.
Db-F: M3.
F-Ab: m3.

(*Major 3rd = four half steps; minor 3rd = three half steps.)

Well, we could debate this one all day. Here's my way of looking at it: There is only ONE major chord, but it can be played in all twelve keys. Notice every major chord is a major third* on bottom and a minor third* on top.

A better way to say that would be thar there is one Major shape, but that's not quite accurate either. While it's not so much prevalent on guitar, there are several different inversions for every major chord - but then we'd be getting into figured bass and the like, and I still have another week not to think about music theory until school starts, so let's hold off eh?

I'll keep that in mind the next time there's a problem in rehearsal...

"For godsake, would ya play the major chord in Bb this time???"

John - just remember 7 - 65 - 43 - 2

(IIRC of course... it's been about nine years since theory class)

John - just remember 7 - 65 - 43 - 2

What? I feel like my plane just crashed on a desert island somewhere!!

OOps! Wrong thread!

Training-wise, I've got a bachelor's degree in music.