I wish I did, I think I'd like to play saxophone or some eastern string instrument.
The good Lord fulfilled one of my consistent, aching dreams and now I have an electric guitar *u*I really like writing stuff since I was a kid, but I have confusion adding harmony and melody to it because I think all chords have already been used and my music is gonna sound the same and that frustrates me. Can any fellow artist give me a new perspective and/or tips? =D
Buy an electronic guitar tuner if you don't already have one.
There are many on the market.
Eb registers as D# (E flat registers as D sharp), got it?
So...
Standard E from big to small, top to bottom; E, A, D, G, B, E
Eb; is Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, Eb... but on an electronic guitar tuner will register as; D# G# C# F# A# D#, so when a song is recorded in E flat, and you're using your guitar tuner, you'd get E flat but it'll call it D sharp/ but it's the same thing.
E flat (Eb) is a semitone lower from Standard E.
Guns N' Roses recorded in Eb...
This is Guns N' Roses sped up (speed also alters frequency) to E standard, so if your guitar's tuned to E standard and you don't know Guns N' Roses were tuned in Eb and you try and play along, it's going to suck; it's always best to be in tune with what you want to play.
E standard tuning.
Original (Eb)
Listen to the differences between these two too.
Now depending on whose music you want to play and who you perform/jam with also should decide how you tune your guitar.
Hey, man, I did not understand your advice XD Do you mean I should change my tuner so I can have more original melodies?
It's like this...
I would use
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An exisiting song can be recorded in a tuning.
There are a bunch without using a capo alone... So never mind what a band plays live in... Because I've heard bands like Metallica, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, record in E standard tuning but be tuned to E flat playing live..
Then there are bands like Guns N' Roses, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and System of a Down who recorded in E flat.
Then you've got bands who play in Dropped D.
Where E Standard is: E, A, D, G, B, E... (From big string to little string/top string to bottom string)... Dropped D is: D, A, D, G, B, E.
Bringing the lower E string to be a lower D string instead. - This is Rage Against the Machine, Velvet Revolver, Papa Roach, Marilyn Manson, The South Park Album...
Then you've got Dropped C#, which is to Dropped D as Eb is to E Standard being a semitone lower; So to tune to Dropped C# (a.k.a Db) it's:
Db, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, Eb... but on an electronic guitar tuner will register as; C# G# C# F# A# D#... This is for Linkin Park...
Now...
Let's go beyond what I'd tune a guitar with using a regular gauged set of guitar strings.
I'd use
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to stop the strings from breaking for Dropped C and beyond; Dropped C you can play Toxicity album from System of a Down.
and beyond... I don't know what tuned Black Sabbath played in due to Tony Iommi's custom guitar due to him losing his finger tips... and I don't know what tuning Slipknot play in, I know it's lower than Dropped C for Slipknot, like 'Dropped G' IDK!.. (just guessing) but I know it's 'something like that, I know they're tuned lower...'
Do the chord shapes remain when you change the tune? That's a whole new world for me
In case it is useful for you, I have messaged you the links to my fifteen online theory lectures I use in my online college courses. Music theory is explained at the piano, so it isn't focused on piano technique, but will be useful for understanding music. The lectures cover: simple and compound meter, major and minor scales and key signatures, triads, basic types of chord progressions, harmonizing a melody, and musical form. I am happy to provide individual consultation to support this information and to move to the next levels.Necro-ing this thread so I can add my novice nonsense to it. And hopefully engage members (new & old) to contribute their own!
You can upload audio through vocaroo.com or use stuff like youtube.
I sing (posted that around the forum in the past), but now I'm trying to learn piano. Just for personal enrichment. I can't afford actual lessons, so I've just been putzing around for awhile on my own.
Below is a clip of my (very informal) 'practicing.' Just right handed stuff. Learned by ear, but I've picked up some materials to learn in a more structured way, eventually. If anyone knows of any free resources that would be of use (particularly to an old lady beginner), by all means, share.
Anyway, I'm just playing chunks of the opening theme to Game of Thrones. Tempo is off, dont mind that. Feel free to adjust the playback speed, ha. There are other errors- I usually do those parts over again. I do attempt to incorporate my left hand at one point in the middle, but it's super slow/awkward. All in good time, I guess.
My finger technique is probably wrong, I tend to spider my fingers across the keys. I imagine there are 'home' keys for specific finger, much like learning to type- which I never picked up, either, actually. Gotta start learning properly before I establish any more bad habits.
As it stands, I’m essentially music-illiterate. I can't read music/don't know music theory, but play something once for me & I can sing it back to you. I've had some formal voice lessons/done musical theater, but that too was all by ear. That's the extent of my music knowledge. For now. I'm hoping to fill in all those blanks in the future.
Hoping after I recover from the hip surgery I'm having in September, I'll be able to sit in one position for longer periods of time w/out pain distracting me/making me stop sooner than I'd like. I think creating more structure will be a bit easier, then.
In case it is useful for you, I have messaged you the links to my fifteen online theory lectures I use in my online college courses. Music theory is explained at the piano, so it isn't focused on piano technique, but will be useful for understanding music. The lectures cover: simple and compound meter, major and minor scales and key signatures, triads, basic types of chord progressions, harmonizing a melody, and musical form. I am happy to provide individual consultation to support this information and to move to the next levels.
For adult piano method books I recommend the Alfred Adult Piano course, although the Bastien and others are also good.