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Hi

Feel free to move the post to a section where it belongs I found this to be appropriate. It is nearly three months that I have started learning Guitar. Here are some questions I have ( I don't have a teacher, using two books and youtube 'justin guitar lessons' ):

1) Two eight notes are combined in to the pi symbol but the first eighth note has a dot next to it. How do I play it?
I know that a dot just extends the length of x to become x+0.5x that would be the dotted eight note would become a sixth note. I don't know how to count to play it. Normally I do 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and If I am playing eight notes then I just play them when I say the and in my head. How should I do the above?

2) Similar to above two eighth notes combined in to a pi symbol but the first one is hollow. That would mean the first one is a quarter note and the second an eighth. So why combine them in the first place and not write them separately?

3) The same guitar music can be written in different ways. For example if I am playing Kumbaya and I get its music notation from different sites they could be different. Is this statement correct?

4) Is it realistic to hope to learn and play an accoustic, a classical and electric guitar. Or one has to specialise? I love specific tunes or songs in each case and just want to be able to play those. I am not thinking of being a pro, just be able to play by myself not in a band etc.

cheers guys

ali.franco wrote: 4) Is it realistic to hope to learn and play an accoustic, a classical and electric guitar. Or one has to specialise? I love specific tunes or songs in each case and just want to be able to play those. I am not thinking of being a pro, just be able to play by myself not in a band etc.

I think it's a bit like asking about driving a sportscar, a station wagon and a van. I'm pretty sure you can manage. HOWEVER, a lot depends on how far you want to go, doesn't it. If you wanted to play a proper classical repertoire that would take a lot more work than just playing a few songs.

ali.franco wrote: I know that a dot just extends the length of x to become x+0.5x that would be the dotted eight note would become a sixth note. I don't know how to count to play it. Normally I do 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and If I am playing eight notes then I just play them when I say the and in my head. How should I do the above?

I think it would be OONE two THREEEE four and so on. Assuming the 1st one is dotted, that would cover "one AND"

But reading is not my strong suit. I'm sure someone can explain it better.

are you talking about sixteenths ?

1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

ali.franco wrote:
2) Similar to above two eighth notes combined in to a pi symbol but the first one is hollow. That would mean the first one is a quarter note and the second an eighth. So why combine them in the first place and not write them separately?

That one doesn't make any sense in music notation, if a note has a hollow head and a vertical stem, it's a half note. It can't be combined into a "pi symbol" with another note because it doesn't have the horizontal "flag" at the end of the stem to form the line between the two notes. Maybe you're looking at a sloppily hand-written eighth note that's meant to have a solid head? Anyway, notes are usually joined together to group them into beats. E.g. a bar of 4/4 time all in eigth notes, the eighth notes will be written as four pairs (four "pi symbols"). If they were sixteenth notes, it would be four groups of four.

ali.franco wrote: 1) Two eight notes are combined in to the pi symbol

You're already doing better than I was. I called them Mickey Mouse feet.

ali.franco wrote:two eigth notes are combined in to the pi symbol but the first eighth note has a dot next to it. How do I play it?
I know that a dot just extends the length of x to become x+0.5x that would be the dotted eight note would become a sixth note. I don't know how to count to play it. Normally I do 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and If I am playing eight notes then I just play them when I say the and in my head. How should I do the

As someone else posted you should probably count in sixteenths, so you count

1, e, and, a, 2, e, and, a, 3, e, and, a, 4, e, and, a

For a whole bar, so your notes would be counted in a pure way as

1, e, and. (for the first note)
a (for the second note)

I think what you might be seeing there is the odd way that a shuffle seems to be written in music for guitar.

So your getting two notes per quarter note (ie per beat), so four pairs per bar, but the notes aren't even in length, the first one of each pair is longer and the second shorter.

Sort of...

Dum Te, dum Te, dum Te, dum Te

Dig out some simple twelve bar blues to hear this in action.

What an informative thread! I learned a lot from reading this thread

if are you talking about triplets? as they are sometimes written as dotted 8ths

1 and a 2 and a 3 and a 4 and a. = 1 bar of triplet 8th notes


so you count that dotted 8th as

1 (e) (and) A

you play the 1 and the A

but somone may have said that already

It may indicate a shuffle/swing feel. What is the song?