Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Now how the hell do I play this thing? LOL!

Seriously,

I'm venturing into the realm of 6 strings! I picked up a 1995 360 MG. I have plans for it in the future, but I have to say, this thing is amazing. The action is SO LOW, fretting is almost effortless! The strings don't cut into my fingers like every previous guitar I've tried to play. The strings are almost like flats! Is that possible?

The poor thing had a horrible past, it appears some sat on the thing, the neck was repaired but the signs of the damage are easy to see, up and down the neck, but it was repaired very nicely.

My QUESTION is, WHERE DO I START? Which book or video is good for a TOTAL beginner? I can't do the lesson thing, so I have to do this on my own. I stumbled and struggled with bass for years, I'd like to try to get this right from the start...

Thanks!

I could send you my chord table. What kind of guitar is this? Mean model and such...
Oh, and congrats.

Congrats. Tony. Welcome to the world of Rickenbacker six strings. I suggest that you get someone to show you a few chords, then just work on chord changes and strumming. Find a couple of easy songs to play along with.

Think of it as a very small six string piccolo bass!

Hey Kris, what were you "belting out" in those pics at the confluence? I didn't know you were a singer!

Congrats again, Tony!

Tony, what kind of music are you interested in playing?

BTW, they do have flats for guitar (I use them), so the strings you've got most certainly could be.

It was probably A Hard Day's Night. Dale Fortune had been playing and singing almost nonstop, and his voice finally gave out.

I think Tony needs to learn the easy riffs for "Wurm" (from "Starship Trooper") and "And You and I"... Always fun for a Yes-freak to play. And from what I read, Tony appears to be a Yes-freak.

The beginning melody lines from "To Be Over" are not to difficult.

Thanks everyone,

I felt sorry for this old girl. She was a BIN for $799.00.

Let me try to do this in order....

Sheena, it is a 1996 360 MG. Here is a shot.


Thanks Kris,

It really is a sweet thing. It had a rough life. Check out the neck repair....whatever hit it, left NO mark anywhere on the guitar, but it even caused a problem with the binding on the body and up on the neck by the headstock. BUT, she plays like a dream! It is like brand new (other than the neck repair, that is)


Jeff: Hmmmm, now there's an idea!

John:

"Tony, what kind of music are you interested in playing?" Um, CHORDS?

I REALLY have no idea where to begin. I started bass with trying to learn YES, ELP, and RUSH....I DON'T WANT to start guitar like that. How about, "It's A Small World"...only kidding, I guess whatever is EASY! And, ANYTHING other than MEL BAY BOOK 1 & 2!!!!!

Mark:

Yes freak, ME? What on Earth EVER gave you THAT idea?


OOPS, upside down, I HATE THAT!

Tony: These are all the basic "open" guitar chords -
http://www.guitaralliance.com/images/openchords.gif

In case you've never read a chart like this before, the numbers on the dots represent your fingers: 1 = index, 2 = middle, 3 = ring, 4 = pinky.

So, for example, the first chord listed is an E. Play it with your 2nd (middle) finger on the 2nd fret of the A string, your 3rd (ring) finger on the 2nd fret of the D string, and your 1st (index) finger on the 1st fret of the G string.

The X's mean you don't play those strings. For example, on an open D chord, only the bottom four strings are played - leave out the low E and the A.

I don't know if you're into The Beatles, but I would say learning the chords to a few Beatles tunes would be a great way to start. As for your prog-rock stuff, maybe you can start with "Working Man" and go from there.

Since I could read music, and I was impatient to play something that sounded decent, I just played melodies off of sheet music to get started. I practiced my chords privately for quite a while before busting them out!

PS, playing the guitar will help using a pick on the bass. That strumming limbers up the wrist.

You may also try to start with, say, "Green River". It's just E7 and... E7.

Tony, I had the exact same experience the first time I bought a guitar - "what do I do with this thing?"

I thought chord fingerings were the most bizarre things I had ever seen.

But why do you say "I can't do the lesson thing?"

Having a human show you things will be a thousand times more efficient than trying to get it from a book.

The first song I learned how to play, btw, was "She'll Be Coming 'Round The Mountain." Boy, was I proud.

Congrats Tony! FWIW, I used to teach at a private music and dance studio as a sub. All my students were kids from the age of 5 through 14. If they could do it, so can you; plus you've already a leg up on them by being a bass player!

The method that John has provided is the easiest and most logical way to go about it. Also, get one of you guitar pals to just sit and jam with you - even if it's just a two or three chord progression. Start with the "cowboy chords" and then move from there. Best of luck and enjoy the challenge!