Rocksmith

ravey

ravey

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Any musicians here? I recently discovered that the video "game" Rocksmith was more than just another guitar hero clone and actually teaches you to play guitar or bass. Even proficient players can have fun, so it's not just for beginners.

I had a guitar when I was a teen but never really learned how to play, just got some chord books and some Stranglers and Clash sheet music, then pretty much failed at guitar on and off for a few years. Then some time in the last 10 years I decided it was time to treat myself to a new guitar and bought myself a Cort and then proceeded to again not learn to play and then quickly store it away.

So this week just passed I've dug out my Cort and started learning. First thing I noticed was my hands sure do struggle a lot more than when I was young to contort into the shape required for chords. Second thing I noticed was that the tips of my fingers soon hurt like crazy. As I type it's 2 days since my last proper session and my finger tips are tingling, but I can also feel them hardening up a bit which is good. I just hope my left hand starts to become more flexible, and stronger, as the third thing I noticed was my hand/forearm starting to ache after a bit.

Aside from the frailty of me, I started off on the suggested song for beginners and it started off real easy, even for me, by just playing on one string. Then out of nowhere it threw in a curve ball and I was trying to find the second string. I struggled for a few mins and then suddenly I was getting it. Since then it's thrown in a few more curve balls and sometimes I get it after a bit of perseverence, and sometimes it's gone just a little bit too far, like when it suddenly went from play on 2 strings to 5. I fell apart completely.

So after 3 or 4 days playing with it I really feel I'm making progress, and I don't see why I wont continue to improve gradually if I stick with it. I just wish I had this tool to teach me back in the 80s.

Anyway, yesterday I noticed I had my old guitar from the 80s stuffed away in the cupboard as well. I dragged it out and looked it up on the internet. It's a really rare vintage Music Man Sabre I, which was made by Leo Fender before he sold Music Man to Ernie Ball. I might pop it on BST soon if anyone here is into their guitars as it's wasted on me.
 
Been playing guitar for about 17 years now, and everyone has to start somewhere, which involves the gradual progress of fretting strength for chords and the callouses in the fingers!

I'm now a tutor and see this thing all the time but the key thing is patience, persistence and practice. Also I would say this but the best way to learn is to get a tutor, I know many people will say stuff about self-taught and learning off YouTube vids and all that but in my experience alot of my private students tried that route in the past and didn't get anywhere fast. These Rocksmith games and all sorts are ruining my custom haha, and I actually find Guitar Hero really really hard for me as the pressing of the buttons is a constant action with no variation of shape movements.

Now they have an hour session with me a week and the progress is amazing to see, they now have a clear, structured route in where they want to go and constant feedback on where they're going wrong. I've got people playing their favourite tunes within 3 months which is a really good feeling.

If you need any tips or want to know anything about the 6-stringed ask feel free to quiz me!
 
I've been playing bass for 10 years now, I can see how Rocksmith would work for some people but I don't think there is any substitute for learning the old fashioned way.

Having taught myself and I now teach children, they all want to run before than can walk (myself included) but as DPTC says it requires a lot of patience, persistence and practice.

To me Rocksmith is more of a gimic to make more money for Microsoft/Sony/Game developers..
 
Indeed, I tried teaching myself for about 3-4 months and didn't get anywhere. Its very very hard to motivate yourself to practice without a set goal, or short term realistic targets. Also you can't ask a book or a computer game if what you're doing sounds good or "right".

It is possible to play a tune in short time but I think the fundamentals required need to be in place before that, i.e. chord shapes, changing between them and holding down a rhythm.
 
Any tips on position of fret hand? I seem to recall from back in the day that it's correct to have the thumb on the middle of the neck, but wherever I place my thumb I find placing my fingers difficult and the back of my hand at the wrist hurts. I'm hoping with practice that my hand will strengthen up and become more flexible.
 
Yeah thumb behind the neck pointing upwards preferably. As you get more experienced it might go over to mute the bottom strings on some chords, say D's and A's. Make sure you use the tips of your fingers, keep them close together and angle the hand too at a 45 degree slant, so its more natural. At this early stage its all about strengthening the fretting hand and muscle memory.
 
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