Spazination

Hey yal
Recently i started playing my acoustic guitar (playing for 2 weeks so far) and currently my schedule for each of the 7 days of the week includes the following things:
* Chromatic scale: 10 mins ( I mix up the pattern a fair bit... but really im just using this to improve my speed)
* Practice Chord changes and learn new chords: 10 mins (so far i can change decently between A,B,C,D,E,F,G,Am,Bm,Cm,Dm,Em,Fm,Gm)
* Play through two of my brothers old music books: 40 mins These books teach pretty much all the theory on playing single notes - from counting rests to playing sixteenth notes etc. - and they have about 200 songs total (in the two books combined)
Unfortunately these books do not teach to play with chords... so i will need to get my hands on a book that does

so yeah, ill repeat that 3 times throughout the day (So 3 hrs total for each day...) unfortunately i cant currently do anymore, because i am in my final year of school and so studying takes up the majority of my time.

Now... My problem is that i am not entirely sure where to go from here? because i am about to reach the end of the second book that my brother gave me. Basically i'm wondering about the following things:

1. Firstly does any one perhaps have some drills that they found really helped them to improve aspects of their playing and that would be appropriate to my skill level (maybe even a bit ahead of my skill level, simply so that i can use them for a longer period of time)
2. Secondly could someone recommend a good guitar book to purchase. Preferably one that doesn't go through all the very basics, but rather goes through the stuff that comes just after the very basics
3. And lastly could anyone give me their personal email or an instant messaging address so that i may have a proper in-depth discussion with them?

BTW i'm looking to invest most of my time in playing rock/metal music, however i understand that playing and understanding jazz, blues etc. can help you to develop a unique playing style and so i am open to any advice from any playing style.

I REALLY DO appreciate any help/advice that i can get, Thank you all so much ^-^
And if you need any additional information just say

Zaphod_Beeblebr

Have you tried actually playing music? That's usually a good place to start.

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Bazz22

Indeed. It's a cliche, but theory and exercise's are nothing, if you can't create "music".

It's good that you're running through exercise's, but I'd recommend learning some songs, as I've found nothing helps me become a better all-around player more than learning a new song.

SP1N3SPL1TT3R

The fastest ways to learn chord shifts are learning barre chords or use an open or drop tuning. I suggest learning barre chords, if you think of ever playing electric guitar. Open chords create a lot of unwanted noise and feedback, when using an amplifier.

GaryBillington

Seriously - 2 weeks & you're already switching fluently between all the major & minor chords, including the barre chords? I don't want to put you off, but I suspect you'll realise you aren't as fluent as you think when you start playing some actual songs. Try learning the chords to some songs you like & playing along with them.

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Spazination

Nah by fluent i mean that i can remember all the chords and switch between them
Nicely, however i know that if i was given a
Song i would find it a lot more challenging haha.

But yeah ive been playing heaps
Of songs tht incorporate
Single notes, but you guys are obviously talking about
Moving onto songs that use chords ey!?
Any recomendations for books that focus on chords etc?? Or perhaps
You know a good site??
Thanks for the help guys, nice to have found
Such an active and friendly community

Bazz22

Well, you are on a tab website.

You should try:
House of the Rising Sun-Animals

I'm sure you can find a good tab on here.

Spazination

not trying to find individual tabs, trying to find collections of songs e.g. books etcs so that i can learn to play the notes, rather than just memorize a single song

bigfyt

do some easy songs with say 3 or 4 chords in the song.

play them till you know those chords and can change "fluently" E,C,G are a good start.

then find some other songs that have 1 different chord in it and learn that song.

this way you can play most parts of the song ebfore you enevitably miss the chord, much better than playing random chords that don't make up the song.


seems you have a better theory knowledge than most that take up a instrument (looking at myself)

steven seagull

then just download more than one tab/chord sheets?

It doesn't matter how you accquire the material, you're still only going to be learning one song at a time.

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Actually called Mark!


...it's a seagull



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Spazination

Thanks man! that sounds like a solid idea, i'll go find some songs now >

david.lazzarini

Give Time of Your life a go...basic open chords (G, Cadd9, D) can be strummed or picked. Great intro song, relatively easy.