Guitar Theory...

[mikey41]

so ive been playing guitar for about 2 1/2 years and i seem to be stuck in a rut. i can play most songs based around power chords or open chords, but practically no lead (or stuff like tremolo picking, bends, etc.). I was just wandering if any guitar players on here know scales and chord families and shit like that and if they would greatly improve one's playing. Thanks!

[Jake-41]

I know scale.. And that's it, haha.

I dunno what helps, i was forced to learn it. But if you'll take Brownsound for example, then it's hard to believe it does. He couldn't even read tab. So i dunno, do what's fun, and if it's not, then don;t do it. :D

[Jeremy Kill]

I once had learned the pentatonic scale (is that the one?) but I kind of forgot it. Tried learning chords, but it got boring. In theory, I find guitar theory boring. I just got good by playing other people's songs and noticing patterns on the notes (which are probably the scales that I say I don't know).

[Boni]

I have never picked up a "How To Learn Guitar" books or anything like that. I've always improvised when I started playing and I got from a stage where I was shite and could barely call what I play music then to a stage where I could create a 3 minute solo Jack Black style.

I think it also helped because I played Piano before guitar and had a good understanding of how to read sheet music and what symbols meant.

[mikey41]

I dunno what helps, i was forced to learn it. But if you'll take Brownsound for example, then it's hard to believe it does. He couldn't even read tab. So i dunno, do what's fun, and if it's not, then don;t do it. :D

im pretty sure dave can read tabs... where did you hear that?
he might have been referring to sheet music...???

[Jeremy Kill]

I dunno what helps, i was forced to learn it. But if you'll take Brownsound for example, then it's hard to believe it does. He couldn't even read tab. So i dunno, do what's fun, and if it's not, then don;t do it. :D

im pretty sure dave can read tabs... where did you hear that?
he might have been referring to sheet music...???

I think it was in the Total Guitar interview. He talks about how he learns songs by ear rather than using tab. I'm pretty sure he can read tab, but when it comes to learning songs, he doesn't touch on tabs at all.

[Emil]

Well, to write lead stuff you really only have to mess around on the strings until you find something that sounds good.

[Jeremy Kill]

Well, to write lead stuff you really only have to mess around on the strings until you find something that sounds good.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I do. I sometimes record a rhythm I like and then play octaves to it or come up with a riff that sounds good with it.

[Jake-41]

I dunno what helps, i was forced to learn it. But if you'll take Brownsound for example, then it's hard to believe it does. He couldn't even read tab. So i dunno, do what's fun, and if it's not, then don;t do it. :D

im pretty sure dave can read tabs... where did you hear that?
he might have been referring to sheet music...???

I think it was in the Total Guitar interview. He talks about how he learns songs by ear rather than using tab. I'm pretty sure he can read tab, but when it comes to learning songs, he doesn't touch on tabs at all.

I dunno, i read it somewhere.. He was like, "I tried to play a song by tab, and i actually couldn't do it."

[Jeremy Kill]

I dunno what helps, i was forced to learn it. But if you'll take Brownsound for example, then it's hard to believe it does. He couldn't even read tab. So i dunno, do what's fun, and if it's not, then don;t do it. :D

im pretty sure dave can read tabs... where did you hear that?
he might have been referring to sheet music...???

I think it was in the Total Guitar interview. He talks about how he learns songs by ear rather than using tab. I'm pretty sure he can read tab, but when it comes to learning songs, he doesn't touch on tabs at all.

I dunno, i read it somewhere.. He was like, "I tried to play a song by tab, and i actually couldn't do it."

Go to 1:00

In the context that it's in, it just sounds like he's so used to learning by ear that it's just easier than learning by tab rather than not actually being able to read tab.

[Jesse254]

hmm..that's very interesting to know this^^....yeah i look what sounds good,too and write it down and then i look for a suitable chord,like powerchord or something for rythem part.

[Tyler.]

learn the pentatonic scales. that's what every rock solo is based around, like ACDC etc. and from there you can basically improvise and mess around and that's how for example sum 41 would've written their solos. dave would've just messed around the pentatonic scale adding minor or major notes in etc and he'd get to a good solo after that. don't bother learning like...the normal major and minor scales or anything