Answers to Everyday Questions : can i learn guitar just by pressing random frets and struming?

can i learn guitar just by pressing random frets and struming?

5 Responses to “can i learn guitar just by pressing random frets and struming?”

1. Jada S said :
   November 23rd, 2010 at 9:39 am

   no.you cant play guitar by purely “feeling the music.” you have to learn some type of technique, whether you find how to produce different chords on your own, or learn from someone else.
2. hesca_a4 said :
   November 23rd, 2010 at 10:21 am

   Sorry, but no.

   You have to learn at least some basics in order to make music with it.

   Now, if by random, you mean “play by ear”, then, it IS possible. Its just very limiting because you run out of ideas if you dont know what to do, or where to go to make a tune sound on the guitar.

   I recommend you start learning some songs you like and get acquainted with your instrument. Then when you get to know it, you can just do random stuff and it WILL sound good.
3. bluefeet said :
   November 23rd, 2010 at 11:01 am

   It’s great that you feel music inside you and you want to express it.
   But having it inside you, and being able to pick up a guitar to play it as you feel it, are two very different things.

   Strumming might be fairly easy to begin, but learning it never really stops. There’s always something different to get a different sound.

   When I started guitar, I pretty much taught myself, but later had a few lessons which opened my eyes. In the beginning I had to use one hand to put the fingers of the other hand on the strings in the correct positions. My pinkie never would go where I wanted it to. My fingers got blisters and my wrist ached. Now, its years down the line and I still practice but there are no blisters and no aches.

   I picked up a clarinet after playing guitar for a few years …. once I found out how to make sounds come out of it, I taught myself how to play by finding where the notes were and taking it from there. But I later took some lessons which, like guitar, opened my eyes to things I hadn’t thought of.

   But in both cases, I already knew music. I was taught piano from a very young age.

   So, it’s not impossible to learn it how you described. But it’s highly unlikely unless you already know how to play a musical instrument.

   Assuming that you don’t, it might take much longer to learn before you could express what you feel.

   I’m not sure what you mean by saying “feel the music not just play it”, but let me tell you about times when I play for relaxation and you can see if it’s the same. Here’s a rundown:
   I don’t play predetermined pieces, but what I feel. I don’t usually know what will come next and certainly have no idea what I will play a few seconds later than Now.
   Most often, it’s at night in the dark. I reach for a particular acoustic guitar, switch the light out, close my eyes and sit back. Where my hand lands is where I start to play. I might go for an hour or so, just improvising with no plans. What I play is what I feel.

   If THAT’S what you mean, then I believe you have to understand the instrument you are playing before you can use it as a way of expressing what is inside you, whether the lights are on or not.

   I’ve had that guitar for 7 years, and it’s the one I relax with. I have played for a long time, and I have other guitars that are a lot older than 7. But in that 7 yrs I have grown to know it and how to get different sounds when I play like this or like that. I know my way around it, where the notes are, and what intervals there will be if I go from one place to another place on any string.
   But, as I said, I already knew how to play guitar. I wasn’t starting from zero.

   Best of luck, and don’t give up.
4. Brad said :
   November 23rd, 2010 at 11:05 am

   You have probably already developed bad habits that will hold you back. How you use your hand and fingers is critical. Only a good player or a good teacher can show you how to do it right. More knowledge will NOT limit your creativity. The more you know, the more likely you will be able to actually express your ideas and feelings. Like with language, the better your vocabulary, the more precisely you can communicate your thoughts. There is no way to make music that anyone would want to listen to without having at least some rudimentary learning. The guitar has been around for 400 years, and there is a lot to know. If you love music, get a teacher and do the work. If not, it’s a toy.
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   December 2nd, 2010 at 12:40 pm

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