Best way to learn

Hi all,

I just joined the site and think the videos are great. I had a question about the best way to learn. I just watched last night the videos about the notes on the strings and at the end of each lesson the instructor gave us a little song (i.e. Jingle Bells for strings 1 & 2).

My question is: is the best way to learn guitar to memorize these little songs. I can play them by looking at the tab but I didn't memorize them.

Your input is greatly appreciated. I wonder what everyone else does.

Thanks,

Bobby

Hey Bobby,

That's a great question. In my opinion, it all depends on what your goal is with learning guitar. There are so many ways to use the guitar that your practice should reflect your goal...

If you wanna be the "Bob Dylan" who uses the guitar to accompany yourself when singing, there's not the same need to be able to play melodies. But if don't sing, you may wanna play melodies and ultimately play both melody and chords down the road...

If you don't have a specific goal, it's always good to practice a little bit of everything! Learn some melodies (it's always best to memorize them!), some chords, a scale or two, some strumming patterns and maybe some finger picking... It's always good to be working on more than one thing at a time, so you don't burn out on one particular thing. Then you can always work on something else and come back to it!

Let me know how it goes,
Anders

Depends what you are trying to learn:

In the example you gave and for anything that goes along with learning how to read notes, you DON'T want to memorize the tune. I don't know the lesson you're talking about, but I'm talking about reading standard notation. Memorizing the tunes defeats the purpose of you having to look at and recognize what notes you are reading. Always try practicing new pieces. If you know the song by heart, you are cheating in a way because your brain automatically plays the note that is supposed to be played, even if you may not know the note on the staff.

For technique I would say memorizing would be helpful. This would allow you to be able to look at your hands and concentrate on proper form and all that, rather than having to look up and follow along.

Thanks for the responses. My goals are to be able to play songs based on my mood and relax and hang out. I'm not going to be a rock star and I don't sing. I want to learn enough to be able to teach my kids as well.

I want to be able to jam to Santana and Hendrix and be able to crank out some blues. I understand I need to start smaller. I am just wondering if memorizing melodies that I really don't want to play (i.e. Jingle Bells) helps me out. I'm not against learning them if that is how one goes about learning guitar and build your way up to the good stuff.

Thanks,

Bobby

The purpose of the simple songs like Jingle Bells is to get your hands used to moving the way they should. Like you said, you need to start small first. People who make lessons use those easy bits because they know everyone knows them and they are simple to start with. You could technically just play any random notes, but familiar songs make it at least a little more interesting.

Once you are comfortable holding the pick, hitting/fretting notes, strumming chords, and all that basic stuff, feel free to branch out of the extremely simple stuff. That's all they are trying to teach you.

By the way, since I can't view that lesson, what is it teaching you. Standard notation, tabs, or something else?

He's just teaching the notes on the strings. First lesson is for the 1st and 2nd strings. 2nd lesson is for the 3rd and 4th strings and the 3rd lesson is for the 5th and 6th string. At the end of each of those lessons there is a little melody that uses just those 2 strings. Jingle Bell is used for the 1st and 2nd strings.

So the note names then I'm guessing. If he is having you read from a staff then memorizing is not what you want to do. If he is teaching just by telling you what the notes are then memorizing wouldn't be bad. Like I mentioned, the problem with memorizing when you have to read is that it defeats the purpose since you already know what the note is.

Originally Posted by: Bobby_V
My question is: is the best way to learn guitar to memorize these little songs. I can play them by looking at the tab but I didn't memorize them.

Hi, Bobby_V. Just thought I'd throw in my 2-cents :) Personally, I don't think you are expected to memorize every demonstration song you encounter in the courses. These are a vehicle to illustrate what the lesson is about, and you can us them any way you see fit. It's your dime after all.

Unless you want to play Jingle Bells on 2 strings....? Then go for it! :D

The beauty of this site is being able to go at your own pace and return to things you want to cover in more detail. If you feel comfortable with what you are supposed to be learning from the Jingle Bells lesson, then move on. All this stuff adds up and if some later lesson makes you feel like you might have missed some important fundamental, you can go back for whatever you need.

The most important thing is to have fun. (Or why bother?!?) If you are enjoying getting that JB tune down, then that's what you should do. Otherwise, move along at a pace that keeps you challenged and interested.

Also, be sure and post to the Instructor's Forum when you have any questions like that about a specific lesson. They are very helpful and patient and never expect you to know more than you know.

If I can suggest something is that you should memorize the name of the notes on the strings, not the melody. It will really help you a lot later on in your learning. Just think of the name of the note while you play a little melody or a scale. After a while (well maybe a long while) it will be natural and your finger will go by itself on the correct note.

Regards
Carmine