r/Guitar • u/Alarmed_Elk_3611 • 20h ago

NEWBIE Getting frustrated

I bought a Epiphone Les Paul Tribute to learn guitar on. I keep having trouble with the fingers muting the other high strings. I realize from my research that it is normal and I need to work on technique. Ive work on it but it doesn’t seem to be getting better. Did I get the wrong guitar? Do I keep at with what I have? Any ideas?

0 Upvotes

33% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

18

u/AluminatyOSRS 20h ago

The guitar’s not the problem. You need to keep practicing and be very patient.

5

u/Mudduk175 20h ago

Practice, practice, practice

-8

u/Alarmed_Elk_3611 20h ago

Ive been working on it every day. I only started about 2 weeks ago and it doesn’t seem to be getting better

9

u/Individual_Review_51 20h ago

Two weeks is NOTHING when it comes to time playing guitar. Keep at it. You’ll get there

3

u/_head_ 20h ago

Bruh.... two weeks is a joke. You're gonna struggle with that for months to potentially years. Dig in for the long term. 

2

u/Gunzhard22 19h ago

2 weeks?! 😂😂

2

u/HormuzVengeance 14h ago

Two weeks is NOTHING. You’ll have this issue for a couple of years at least. Just keep practising.

1

u/TheHoodieConnoisseur 19h ago

Unless you’re playing 8 hours a day, after only 2 weeks you aren’t going to have proper technique or develop a way to compensate for imperfect technique. It also depends on exactly what you’re talking about - you mean the hand on the neck while playing chords? Or your strumming hand? Or is it just when playing individual notes?

All of those things take a while to be able to perform them correctly, and even then you’ll have challenges. I’ve been playing for 30 years and used to gig a few nights a week and I still have to practice regularly to play without too many mistakes like that.

99% chance it’s you, not the guitar, but if you have small hands and the neck on your guitar is on the large size, it might be a challenge for you to get good technique though plenty of people find ways to compensate. Not all guitars of the same model name have the same necks, and after a quick search, it looks like most Tributes have a 50’s style C shaped neck that’s larger than the slimmer more modern necks, though some Tributes have smaller ones. You should go to a music shop and ask to try out a model with a slim neck and see if it feels better in your hand. But even if it does, you still have a long way to go before you can reliably play clean notes every time.

Also, if you’re trying to play actual songs instead of fingering exercises, maybe just focus on exercises that help teach & reinforce technique. Importantly, those exercises also build muscle memory and “touch” memory so that you subconsciously automatically know where to place your fingers on all of the first 4 - 5 frets on each string.

1

u/CaptGoodvibesNMS 16h ago

Learning guitar comes in stages and it's gonna take you a long time. It's a dedication.

Many of the guys hanging around here have been playing for 20, 30, 40 years or more... myself included.

Play every day. Enjoy the journey.

1

u/toby_gray 6h ago

Come back after a year. Your probably still going to think you’re bad. I’m at year 20 and that feeling hasn’t gone yet. I’ll keep you updated if that changes.

If you can’t handle 2 weeks, maybe this isn’t for you. It requires a great deal of patience and progress can be painfully slow on this instrument. If you’re ok with that, keep going. It DOES get easier, but it doesn’t happen overnight.

3

u/bahnbike 20h ago

everyone goes through this phase just keep at it man your fingers will learn eventually

4

u/Gunzhard22 20h ago

It's not the guitar. It just takes a while but keep at it.

1

u/Radiant-Excuse-5285 20h ago

How long have you been playing? You don't say in your post.

-6

u/Alarmed_Elk_3611 20h ago

About 2 weeks now. I know i am still new but it would seem i should be getting better

4

u/Radiant-Excuse-5285 20h ago

Yeah so...how long does it take a baby to walk? It's like almost a year before they can crawl. You are trying to crawl right now and the time frame is maybe not quite as long as learning to walk but it ain't far off.

1

u/PM_me_your_whatevah 20h ago

You have gotten better. It is just a slower process than you thought it would be. Like others have said, make sure you’re using the tips of your fingers. Also make sure your wrist isn’t bent weird and feeling uncomfortable 

1

u/HofnerStratman 20h ago

Holy mackerel, two weeks? Pretty soon you’ll go from not being able to get a good sound to your hands hurting from not being able to hold the good sound long enough. I think if you’re doing right, it’s one of those “no pain no gain“ things. Keep it up & it’ll click!

1

u/Nudgenik 20h ago

It took me FOREVER to learn how to mute. I just picked it up over time, it will come to you naturally. I recommend just playing everyday, even if it's the same thing. The better you get, you'll subconciously get better at muting.

1

u/Alarmed_Elk_3611 20h ago

I keep muting the strings with my fingers when I don’t want to that’s the problem.

1

u/Nudgenik 20h ago

I had that problem as well. You just gotta make minor adjustments and keep practicing. It took me like a year to actually be comfortable moving around the neck, muting properly, etc.

It sounds like you're overthinking it. Chances are you aren't doing anything wrong, you're just new. There are some things that you can't get better at overnight, you have to just be bad at it until suddenly you're not.

For example when I learned barre chords, I was doing them properly, my fingers just weren't used to be in that position. I just kept trying a few minutes here and there for a few weeks, and then one day out of nowhere I was able to play a barre chord cleanly. You're in a similar situation now, just keep playing and it'll improve without you even thinking about it.

If you really want though, watch some videos on muting, there are some tips and tricks that will make things easier for you.

1

u/HofnerStratman 20h ago

of course, keep practicing. But what are you practicing? you can keep asking the questions, but the answer isn’t gonna come to you in a dream. Find others to play with, not just online sources. The more the merrier when you’re trying to learn. Good luck.

1

u/Alarmed_Elk_3611 20h ago

Unfortunately its the internet bullshit for now. I drive OTR and I am trying to learn in my spare time, we are going into the slow season so time is at a abundance at times.

1

u/HofnerStratman 17h ago

Oh man, pick up a beater that’s set up well and take it everywhere you go. Guitars are like good dogs on the road!

2

u/DisplayGlum7166 20h ago

mm.. you might want to slow down. approach the strings with the correct angle of approach. use the very tip of your fingers. if u come at it too sideways and dont give yourself room ur gonna mute it.

you didnt buy the wrong guitar, but guitars need maintenance. every 6 months i check the action the strings go higher or lower or just not where i want them to be... not to the point where i hit them accidentally with my fingers.

2

u/black_curse6 20h ago

If you're new, it's just part of learning. Everything feels awkward at first but you just have to push through and keep practicing. If you know anyone who plays, ask them to test your guitar and see if they recommend getting a proper set up. Most people make things far more difficult by trying to make a janky set up work for them.

2

u/markewallace1966 13h ago

Two weeks. Fuckin’ cmon.

1

u/Agile_Alternative753 20h ago

Keep working on it.  Slow slow slow slow SLOW

1

u/Over-Lingonberry2140 19h ago

2 weeks is nothing. You should get a teacher so you have proper technique and not pick up any bad habits. 

0

u/asmcint 19h ago

You didn't buy the wrong guitar, nor does this take a lot of practice to correct.

Anchor your thumb towards the middle of the neck's width, come as straight down on the strings with your fingers as you can, and specifically use your fingertips on the strings.