Re-learning Guitar

I'm in my late 30's and learned to play when I was an early teenager. I played pretty regularly through my early 20's but gradually lost interest. I picked it up from time to time but never really got heavily into it. I was at best an average rhythm player and don't necessarily aspire to much more, but I have bad habits. Recently, I've started playing a little more, rewired and shielded the one electric I kept (late 70/early 80's Ovation Ultra GS, the one guitar I've owned that I've loved), upgraded the speaker in my amp, and got a pretty killer deal on an American Stratocaster to replace the one I sold many years ago (mid-90's Lone Star Strat, Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates humbucker in the bridge, Texas Specials in the mid and neck, beautiful guitar that sounded amazing but the neck would never stay straight).

I'd like to go about re-learning guitar as my kids are starting to ask and it would be nice to teach them at some point down the road, as well as for personal satisfaction.  I still remember the chords, scales, and modes; can passably read music in Treble clef; and have a fairly decent recollection of basic music theory from my days playing viola and taking theory courses. Does anyone out there use Fender Play or one of the other online lesson sites? Any good YouTube series for teaching/reinforcing fundamentals and technique?  My biggest issues are picking hand technique (specifically alternating picking and syncopated strumming) and melody/solo type stuff where I don't have something specific to play but need to noodle a little.

No advise, but watching as I am thinking about picking the sax back up.

I was going to offer some help but it sounds like you've forgotten more than I ever learned!

I will be watching as I love music but only recently found out about music theory.

Do it. That's my TL;DR. 

What David said :)

Search YouTube for strumming and picking exercises, pick a few easy songs to learn, and just play.

Get good at pentatonic scales and learn some blues licks, great for noodling.

Leave a guitar out in a place you can easily grab it and play for a few minutes. I forget to play when I keep mine in the case under the bed.

Don’t overthink it; It’s all just muscle memory and dexterity.

And, free plug, my teacher does lessons via Skype.

He picked tonight's song:

Got an Xbox 360 or Xbox One?

Rocksmith is on sale for $7 this week, 1/4" Jack to USB is $15 on Amazon. 

I used it years ago and seemed to learn ok, just bought it again, waiting on the cable to try to get back to practice again.

Just play. Find some stuff you like and learn it. Play along. Find stuff that challenges you. Pick a song and learn it. Once you've done that, pick another one. Then, pick a song you don't like, and learn that. Have someone else pick something. You get the idea.

The theory stuff is great, learn and practice scales and modes. learn different methods, "caged" is a good tool, and plenty of YouTube tutorials on learning and applying it. 
 

I'll always recommend getting a teacher, but that may be difficult right now. I'd look into Mr. Wallens' guy if he's already using Skype then you're just a step ahead. 
 

mostly just play. Then post something in this thread: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/post-videos-of-you-or-your-kids-playing-music/173268/page1/

I tried Rocksmith, tried a more traditional book/lesson approach, and recently have been doing Fender Play and really liking it. They had a promo where it was $45 for a year, so that felt worth it even if it fizzles out. I think it's a nice mix of stuff that's easy but actually sounds like you're playing a song and the slower grind of building skills. Rocksmith was fun but I felt like the difficulty jumped up a step that I couldn't climb, and the book is too much of a grind - I think I made it halfway through and was still only using 3 strings. 

I'm starting from nothing so your experience may be different, but it's been really useful for me. 

Definitely play, pre covid is had been, for years, dealing with significant neuropathy particularly in my right hand, due to previous surgeries and ulna nerve damage. Post covid there's been additional issues that are muddled by pre existing and I question if I'll manage to be able to play again. So just play, enjoy it for the imperfection that your playing is and work on improving. 

There's an app I'm constantly bombarded with ads for. "Usician" maybe?

Interested in what you all come up with. The OP sounds way better than I am at the moment and I still consider myself a "professional." Hey if you get paid from it, no matter how long ago, it counts right?

I use Fender Play. I'm in three months. I sound OK. It's fun, I highly recommend it.

Another vote for Rocksmith. It's fun and it got me to play again regularly for a while. 

Another vote for Fender Play.  We joked a lot at home that I have wall art, not musical instruments.  Like most people great ambitions, decent beginnings, but little time to follow through.  The wife had a uke that she messed around with here and there, but nothing special.

She signed up first for Fender Play and really liked it.  She had been playing almost daily since mid-march, and really made some great progress.

I've started back up with it in the past few weeks, and I think they do a good job.

bgkast (Forum Supporter) said:

No advise, but watching as I am thinking about picking the sax back up.

Just do it. I was involved in a few jazz meetup groups before Covid. Now I pull out my Selmer Mark 7 Alto just to annoy the dogs. I also have a Tenor I am learning that I bought for $150 at the pawn shop. Lots of rock solos to learn on tenor sax. 

My friend, who's new to guitar, is also using the Fender app. Sounds like she likes it. 

One thing I'll add is that working with a real teacher has exposed me to music/songs I never would have considered. Last week we did "Hush" by Deep Purple. My teacher picked it. It's got a cool bass riff that, when you get it, sounds good. I've nailed it two or three times so far. I like Deep Purple but would have never thought about learning that song. 

He knows what I like. Occasionally he'll pick something that I'm not into, but there's usually a lesson in there--like he wants to show me a technique. 

Other songs we have done lately: Three Little Birds (Bob Marley), So Lonely (Police), Kings and Queens bass solo (Aerosmith), Godzilla (BÖC), The Bed's Too Big Without You (Police), Gates of Steel (Devo), Rockaway Beach, (Ramones), Satisfaction (Devo), Freedom of Choice (Devo), For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica). So, it's been a mix of easy and challenging. (Also, I really need to go back and practice more.)

We'll also discuss the songs--like, who wrote it, what influenced it, etc. Basically, we'll dissect the songs a bit, which teaches me history and theory. 

So not for everyone, but I'm digging it. Big thing is just to play. I figure, if I screw up, no one gets hurt. 

Thanks for all the recommendations and advice. I've been watching quite a bit of YouTube stuff to learn old tunes that I like but never sat down to learn, grinding through arpeggios to work on right hand technique and am seeing some improvement. Left hand works great, the right hand wants to get ahead of things.

As I said in my original post, I was at best a decent rhythm player. My knowledge of theory did not necessarily go into practice. Would love to improve from my old high point and be an all around competent player.

I've ordered a bunch of parts to start upgrading the Strat (nut, string tree, better trem springs, next step will be saddles and a steel trem block) and will probably upgrade the pickups or at least the bridge pickup down the road. Being used to a humbucker in the bridge position, I feel limited by a single coil for the higher gain stuff. Anybody have experience with SD hot rails? 

In reply to bigbrainonbrad :

Hot rails are good but don't hold up to a side by side comparison. If you're set on getting "that tone" from a strat, your best bet is to switch out the pickguard for one that fits a traditional hum bucket in the bridge position. For the money and effort though, you can likely pick up a used Epiphone les Paul and not need to mod anything. 

In reply to barefootskater :

I inherently have to tinker with things. My other electric is a dual humbucker guitar so I already have something that can handle the high gain stuff. Really just want to expand on the versatility of the strat.  I like the look and sound of Gibsons, particularly the SG, but never actually liked playing them.  Couldn't come around to the weight and chunkiness of their guitars.

David S. Wallens said:

And, free plug, my teacher does lessons via Skype.

He picked tonight's song:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/eyCEexG9xjw?rel=0

 

How much does he charge for a lesson? How about time of day?

For you fellow sax players out there, just go for it.  I went back to playing after a 25 year layoff after college, then got involved with a community big band, which led to a country band, then after I retired to a concert band, jazz sax ensemble, and now a rock/blues band.  I've been back at it now for 32 years (I'm 74) and enjoying the heck out of it.  My collection has grown, too, I now have tenor, alto, baritone and sopranos, and probably play them 70 % tenor, 15 % alto, 15% bari and occasional soprano.  Getting back playing was one of the best things I have done, back when I was working, going to a weekly rehearsal was a great stress reliever, now that I'm retired, playing a variety of music with my friends can't be beat.

In reply to tuna55 :

Drop him a note regarding prices and times. I've been working with Randy for years and always learn something new. 

His contact info is here on the shop's FB page. Randy owns the store and is my teacher. It's a one-man show. Tell him I sent ya. 

I use songsterr for tabs. I learned to play when I was 15? I RARELY touch my guitar these days.

But I could probably still go pick up the Flying V and nail all the rhythm parts of Seek & Destroy (if I can remember all the changes, although the fast breakdown riff is pretty tough). I just don't really have the time to put it into anymore to get decent again, but I can't seem to sell my guitars and amp.

Never been wanted to put in the practice to play lead. There are some bands I really like, but geez even the lead parts are ridiculous, I present this as an example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1i2_pYCN88