F**k Eric Clapton

February 2, 2009 9:11 AM

Can you learn guitar in 10 minutes (pt. 1, pt. 2)?

Sure you can, Blaine and Ruyter of Nashville Pussy explain how in the above links. The essence? Just take your cues from Chuck Berry and The Ramones.

posted by 445supermag (49 comments total)

yes, 10 minutes after you practice for six months to build up the finger strength, callouses and muscle dexterity to do all the things that come easy to the experienced. Learning chords is not the hard part it's getting your fingers to do it with precision and alacrity. I'm still trying to learn that.
posted by any major dude at 9:18 AM on February 2 [3 favorites has favorites]

no

you asked, I answered
posted by Salvor Hardin at 9:19 AM on February 2

No.
posted by resurrexit at 9:20 AM on February 2

Silly Rabbit: Licks is for kids..

er, wait.
posted by edgeways at 9:27 AM on February 2

You can do anything badly in 10 minutes.
posted by swift at 9:30 AM on February 2 [1 favorite has favorites]

If all you wanna play is Ramones songs, sure. Knock yourself out.
posted by jbickers at 9:31 AM on February 2

define "learn"
posted by 2sheets at 9:32 AM on February 2

My motto has often been "fake it till you make it". It works particularly well w/ guitar playing.
posted by hellboundforcheddar at 9:35 AM on February 2 [1 favorite has favorites]

I want to be in a band, when I get to heaven
Anyone can play guitar
And they won't be a nothing anymore
posted by filthy light thief at 9:35 AM on February 2

any major dude: "yes, 10 minutes after you practice for six months to build up the finger strength, callouses and muscle dexterity to do all the things that come easy to the experienced."

Despite being double-joined enough to bend my elbow backwards by 30 degrees or so, the first joint of my left ring finger simply will not bend backwards far enough to play, among others, a B chord. Thus were my dreams of guitar heroism shattered by the whims of fate.
posted by Joe Beese at 9:36 AM on February 2

"You're a punk rocker, already"

Pretty much that's it.
posted by Ironmouth at 9:36 AM on February 2

Despite being double-joined enough to bend my elbow backwards by 30 degrees or so, the first joint of my left ring finger simply will not bend backwards far enough to play, among others, a B chord. Thus were my dreams of guitar heroism shattered by the whims of fate.

there are other ways to play a B chord other than that first position one.
posted by Ironmouth at 9:38 AM on February 2

Ironmouth: "there are other ways to play a B chord other than that first position one."

Look, I've been using that excuse for 20 years now. Do you really want to force me to admit that the real reason is a complete lack of talent or discipline?
posted by Joe Beese at 9:41 AM on February 2 [4 favorites has favorites]

Yes, har-dee-har-har, you obviously can't play well after 10 minutes. The point of videos like this, like the ...For Dummies books, is to give a brief sketch that gives basic vocabulary and an overview enough that lets the complete n00b ask coherent questions to learn more.

But all that won't make a snappy title. Also, you want to make it sound easy to do....because it is. It just takes a lot of grunt work, which is to say practice.
posted by DU at 9:41 AM on February 2

Also: "This is a chord, this is another, this is a third. Now form a band."
posted by filthy light thief at 9:43 AM on February 2 [1 favorite has favorites]

Well, I can see I made a terrible mistake in the wording of the post. I asked a retorical question in hopes that people would watch the fucking video, instead, I've apparently just created a snark magnet. I don't see any real remedy here, so, to those of you who posted without watching, well, fuck off (but if you watched to the end, hey, snark away).
posted by 445supermag at 9:45 AM on February 2

DU: "But all that won't make a snappy title."

Perhaps the record holder in that vein is The Millennial Project: Colonizing the Galaxy in 8 Easy Steps.
posted by Joe Beese at 9:46 AM on February 2 [2 favorites has favorites]

Yes. Can you learn to play well? No. Do you want to play well? Not necessarily. Do you want to crank the volume up? Yes. Then you don't need chords. Good! Take your index finger and press down on the thick string in between two of the lines. Got it! Now turn the volume knob up. Like this? YES!! Now strum all the strings, while moving your index finger up and down the fretboard. (That's the stick part of thew guitar with the lines on it. The lines are called frets.) Wow that sounds awesome! Great! You are now Sonic Youth. Feel free to make up stuff to shout along with it. Try pressing down on another string and sliding it up and down while you strum the bottom half of the guitar. Here is your diploma.
posted by not_on_display at 9:48 AM on February 2

I was gonna snark but I saw Nashville Pussy last year. Verdict: They fucking KILLED it.

But god those videos sucked.
posted by paddysat at 9:49 AM on February 2

Metafilter: I've apparently just created a snark magnet
posted by Joe Beese at 9:53 AM on February 2 [1 favorite has favorites]

I'd like to party with Nashville Pussy. Anyone who has a front porch covered with Marshall amps, empty kegs, and a motorcycle is someone I want to take guitar lessons from. Also, they are a good live show.
posted by peeedro at 9:55 AM on February 2

Sure! If by "learn" you mean "bludgeon," and by "guitar," you mean "my loud upstairs neighbors," and by "in 10 minutes," you mean "and bury them under the stairs."
posted by katillathehun at 9:55 AM on February 2 [3 favorites has favorites]

sadly, most people can't play a power chord when they first pick up a guitar, because it shreds the hell our of your fingers if you haven't built up callouses.
posted by es_de_bah at 9:58 AM on February 2

Open 3 5
Open 3 6 5
Open 3 5
3 Open
posted by bondcliff at 10:00 AM on February 2 [6 favorites has favorites]

Looks like metafilter's got a case of the mondays.
posted by hellojed at 10:02 AM on February 2

Looks like metafilter's got a case of the mondays.

nahman. nah. shit, no.
I believe you'd get your ass kicked sayin' somethin' like 'at, man.
posted by revmitcz at 10:05 AM on February 2 [2 favorites has favorites]

I haven't paid attention to NP for a very long time but their bass player used to be this Amazon woman who looked like a Tim Burton creation and her ill fitting bustier would be like falling off and shit. She spit fire at me. She was pretty good.
posted by hellboundforcheddar at 10:07 AM on February 2

Well you could certainly tackle Status Quo's songbook... then do something else in the remaining 9mins. (Rimshot)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 10:16 AM on February 2

The Millennial Project: Colonizing the Galaxy in 8 Easy Steps

This goes immediately onto my wishlist. See ya, suckers!
posted by DU at 10:26 AM on February 2

Here are 11 Resources For Learning Guitar On The Web.
posted by netbros at 10:28 AM on February 2 [3 favorites has favorites]

Django Reinhardt does not accept your excuses.
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:34 AM on February 2 [3 favorites has favorites]

If you want to a balls out, beer-drenched, lesbian-tinged, ear-bleeding rock show, you should go see Nashville Pussy next time they come through town.
posted by chillmost at 10:46 AM on February 2

All you need to know to play electric guitar right here.
posted by dbiedny at 10:47 AM on February 2

Wait. We have Songsmith now. Why do you have to learn to play an old-fashioned guitar?
posted by orme at 10:52 AM on February 2

Of course you can. Harry Nilsson's song "Coconut" song is one chord. Tune your guitar to that chords and just strum.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:03 AM on February 2

I asked a retorical question in hopes that people would watch the fucking video, instead, I've apparently just created a snark magnet

This isn't a shot at you, but myself and other guitar players (who are above my level of mediocre playing) put a lot of time into learning how to play, so when something comes along and sounds like "learn guitar in 10 minutes" people will get their backs up about it.

Wait. We have Songsmith now. Why do you have to learn to play an old-fashioned guitar?

To save the future of humankind....
posted by Dark Messiah at 11:29 AM on February 2

Also, if you want to have some fun, try Open D tunning. Sounds nice and lets you have fun messing around with a slide (I have a metal one and a sawed-off beer-bottle-top). Good times.
posted by Dark Messiah at 11:31 AM on February 2

Hm. I think I could learn to play the guitar in, like, a minute. Just watch.

START THE GUITAR LEARNING MONTAGE!

"... And that's how I learned to play the guitar."
posted by Pronoiac at 12:31 PM on February 2

after you practice for six months to build up the finger strength, callouses

It's really not so much finger strength and callouses as it is learning the touch needed to push the strings hard enough to get a solid sound but not hard enough to hurt your fingers.

Which also takes more than ten minutes.

When in doubt, relax your hand.
posted by straight at 1:24 PM on February 2

Which also takes more than ten minutes

And what takes even longer than that is learning how to become competent with your strumming/picking hand, varying your attack, getting your timing and phrasing to be solid, and so on.
posted by psmealey at 1:30 PM on February 2

2232 02-02-2009
The extend of my guitar knowledge is which way is up. Starting now...
posted by Z1LCH at 1:33 PM on February 2

Z1LCH: Here you go - read this.
posted by Pronoiac at 2:00 PM on February 2

Wow, this is like those threads about obesity - except without the defenders and justifiers. Music learning related fpp are a snark only zone it seems.
posted by Jeremy at 2:17 PM on February 2

Nuts, I was aiming for silly instead of snarky.

Except in this comment, maybe?

I don't even know any more.
posted by Pronoiac at 2:36 PM on February 2

The Millennial Project: Colonizing the Galaxy in 8 Easy Steps. Don't bother DU. Floating islands made from concrete accretion from ammonia vapor pumps using cold deep water as a heat pipe. Growing algae, laser driven ships. Interesting, but hokey.
(still want my own floating island). (wish guys upstairs could actually play).
posted by zengargoyle at 2:58 PM on February 2

Start with the intro riff to Johnny B Goode. Actually learn the whole song. Remember, it's a blues riff in b, watch for the changes, and try to keep up...
posted by stenseng at 3:31 PM on February 2

Yeah, not sure why all the snark, but I thought that was clever. It was minorly instructional and tongue in cheek. If I were 14 and feeling burnt out on my lessons, like all the picking my way through scales wasn't ever going to get me to where I could play the stuff I liked to listen to, I'd be motivated by that.
posted by Amanojaku at 3:49 PM on February 2

I actually quite liked that video - that would have been quite handy when I was 13 and trying to work out what to do to play rock n'roll. Of course it's not "learning to play guitar" but actually you'd learn something about playing rock guitar. I remember that working out how to play was like fitting pieces of a puzzle together. The first piece was playing the walking bassline I'd worked out on the viola onto the guitar. Piece number two was copying down on my arm the fret positions for the blues scale from an AC/DC songbook that I didn't want to buy. Piece number 3 was a mate's brother showing me the opening lick of Jimi Hendrix' "Hey Joe". And it went on like that to the point where I feel quite comfortable in saying "Yes I can play the guitar". Just putting pieces together. The way the three chords fit together that the guy shows would have been incredibly useful to me at one point.
posted by awfurby at 8:13 PM on February 2

You can do anything badly in 10 minutes.

...for twenty minutes, you pay extra.
posted by rokusan at 8:22 PM on February 2