Acoustic guitarist needs advice!

Subject: RE: Acoustic guitarist needs advice!
From: Ross
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 08:34 AM

Don't worry about breezy - he does that to everyone

If the sessions quite noisy I sometimes put my ear to the sound box of the guitar and run my finger up the E bass string until it resonates (sounds sympathetic) with the music

A lot of tunes are cominations of the 1,4,5 progression (ie E,A,B or G,C,D or D,G,A)

Try picking out the bass note of the bar cord before hurtling into open chords

And always wear a vest

Subject: RE: Acoustic guitarist needs advice!
From: webfolk
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 08:00 AM

I find this the most unfriendly place I have ever been, I offered what I thought, and still do, is some very practical advice, and get met with PISS OFF!
Please tell me what I said that was wrong, contradictory to anything else that has been said, or anything that justified beigntold to PISS OFF
I am very annoyed by people's attitudes!

Subject: RE: Acoustic guitarist needs advice!
From: breezy
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 07:56 AM

ask one of the players
'Oi what key is this in ?'

chances are it'll be D or G as thats the only keys most malodeons play in

try and recognise minor based tunes to major ones.

Just play the bass notes dont wory bout the whole chord

keep yor eyes on another guitarist.

Dont be afraid to ask and talk.

Most tune have 2 parts an A and B and the session may play the twicee each then again, and some times again, and again before changing the tune entirely, setting 2 or 3 tunes together

Some tunes have 3 parts

During some sets there maybe a change of key

now as for webfolk   PISS-OFF

Subject: RE: Acoustic guitarist needs advice!
From: webfolk
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 07:42 AM

He'a a chap who used to work down the pit, isn't he?

Subject: RE: Acoustic guitarist needs advice!
From: GUEST,jennifer
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 07:35 AM

I thought Aminor was a character out of Lord of the Rings?

Subject: RE: Acoustic guitarist needs advice!
From: greg stephens
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 07:28 AM

Practise is the only way to learn this, and of course that will annoy some people at sesssions. So the first essential is play quietly, and lean over your guitar so you can hear yourself. AS helpful background, get a tune book with chords and try them out(with a recording of the tune, or with a friend playing the tune). This way you will get useed to the sort of patterns that arise: most tunes only use two or three chords.(I said that the wrong way round. Tunes don't have chords, they are tunes. It's you who are using the chords, to accompany them. It's a well to remember this, f you get to arguing with another guitarists who uses different harmonies to yourself!)
    Ask whoever is kicking of the song or tune what key it's going to be in. That is good start, it will define at least one of the chords you need. And while it seems a complet incompreheible blur to start wit, things soon start emrging from the fog. There are, for example, a million Irish tunes in the key of Aminor. The vast majority of them only need two chords for a good accompaniment, Aminor and Gmajor. so play an Aminor, and when it starts sounding wrong, play G. When that start sounding wrong, revert to Aminor.
    Learn to fake. Use drones. If the tune is in D, and you can't make immerdiate sense of it, just bang away at a D and A drone. It'll probably sound just fine! When you've got that going, try the odd A chord wherever you think it might fit. Your ear9or other peoples' glares) will tell you how well you are doing.
   If you are thinking of playing along with people playing tunes, there is a golden rule you might think is worth considering. If there is already a guitarist backing the tunes, just sit and listen. Your time will come. It is a very rare guitarist who can add something appropriate to what the other guy is doing.

Subject: RE: Acoustic guitarist needs advice!
From: GUEST,jennifer
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 07:21 AM

Clever clogs, that's the last time I email our secretary a Mudcat link in her lunchbreak!

Jennifer

Subject: RE: Acoustic guitarist needs advice!
From: webfolk
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 07:20 AM

Firstly, and the most obvious is to know what the tune is [Title etc] and get the chords, tab etc and learn it. Secondly, follow what's being played, most tunes have similar parrerns, chord progressions etc so aren't too difficult to work out accompaniment. Thirdy, and this has perhaps to be the most important, if you don't know, you really shouldn't play.

Subject: RE: Acoustic guitarist needs advice!
From: GUEST,Nicky
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 07:19 AM

Hi there,
I have the same trouble but there is a very easy solution which I will find out on Thursday. In brief, you work out which key is being played and then strum 3rd fret / 4th fret alternatively and you can't goo wrong. A bit sketchy I know but I can tell you more on Friday!

Subject: Acoustic guitarist needs advice!
From: muppitz
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 07:14 AM

Please help!
I've been playing guitar for a number of years, I can throw quite a few songs out but I am completely clueless when it comes to contributing in sessions, i.e. when someone starts playing a tune and everyone else seems to know what chords are being played, I have NO idea and am left observing, I really want to join in, but I find it difficult to pick out the chords, any handy hints????

Thank you very much in advance!

Muppitz