By: Jake Hanson
In this helpful article, you will get guitar playing tips
designed to help you improve your playing skills. So let's get
started...
1) The first guitar playing tip is to use good posture while
playing the guitar
You should sit up straight in an armless chair. If the chair has
arms, you will not be able to hold the guitar properly for
playing. Sit up straight to protect your back.
If you get a backache after a bit of playing, you will realize
how having good posture while playing the guitar is so important.
2) The next guitar playing tip is to hold the pick firmly but
not too firmly.
If you do not grip the pick firmly enough, you may lose it
during a vigorous bout of strumming! But if you grip it too
tightly, you may find your whole arm getting tired. Middle of
the road is the best guitar playing tip I can give you where
pick grip is concerned.
3) Choosing the right pick is another guitar tip that is
important.
Picks come in finger and flat styles. Most guitarists use a flat
one. They also come in three different levels of flexibility.
Several professional guitarists have given me the advice of
getting the softest, flabbiest pick I can find for learning to
keep up with fast strumming. It's easier on the arm. Flabby
picks are harder to use, however, if you are trying to pick out
individual strings, as in adding a bass line, or flat-picking.
After some practice with a soft pick, you will probably want to
move on to a firmer one. A final guitar playing tip about picks
is that the firmest picks make the richest sounds.
4) Here is a guitar playing tip - learn to play arpeggios.
It's fun, great for old folk songs, and sounds beautiful! You
won't be able to use a pick, though. Finger the chord. Now, pick
the bass note of the chord with your thumb. You can use a thumb
pick for this, however, it works just fine to use your thumb.
You will grow a little callus there which will make it easier.
Now use your index finger to pluck the third string. Next, pluck
the second string with your middle finger. And then pluck the
top string with your ring finger. You've picked four notes.
If you repeat the sequence, giving each note the timing of an
eighth note, you will fill a measure of a song written in
four/four time. This guitar playing tip will make people sit up
and take notice, but it does require practice, and calluses, to
play this way. Try playing the strings in different order, and
alternate bass strings.
5) A final guitar playing tip involves the chord D.
While playing the D chord, try adding your pinkie finger to the
chord at the third fret. This new chord is often called
"D-suspended" or "D-sus." Then play D again. Now try lifting
your middle finger so that the top string of the chord is open.
And back to D again.
You can do the same thing with the A-chord, but have to do the
change on the second string. Up one fret to the third makes
A-sus, and you can also lift that finger to go down a step on
that second string. C-suspended requires you to go up a half
step on the fourth string. G-suspended requires you to do it on
the fifth string. Learning suspended chords is a guitar playing
tip you'll find yourself using when you play contemporary songs.
I hope you've found these guitar playing tips helpful. It's
important to remember that the best way to improve your guitar
playing skills is to practice, practice, practice. Good luck!
About the author:
Article by Jake Hanson. Please visit his guitar
lesson site to get an online free guitar lesson course that details how to play guitar with
amazing free chord and tab lessons.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Saturday, May 27, 2006
How to Read Guitar Tab - Free Guitar Tablature Sites
By: Jake Hanson
Guitar tab is a method of diagramming the fretboard of a
guitar for the purpose of showing how songs, riffs, scales, and
other musical portions are played.
Guitar tab, also known as tablature, is really a method
guitar players have invented for sharing music without having to
learn to read music in the traditional sense. Knowing how to
read guitar tablature is an important part of learning how to
play the guitar, especially if you wish to emulate the style of
your favorite performer.
Learning how to read guitar tablature will help the most if you
have already heard the song or riff. It is not a very good way
to learn a new song, because there are no indicators about
timing. Basically it is just a diagram of fingering. It looks
similar to a traditional staff, but the similarity ends there.
Instead of 5 lines, guitar tab has 6 lines, which correspond to
the six strings of a guitar.
When you are learning how to read guitar tab, you will notice
numbers on the lines. Those numbers do not refer to your
fingers, but to the fret your finger needs to be on. However,
you should read all the information given with any guitar
tablature, because sometimes the notations refer to different
things. Guitar tab is not a standardized method of writing music
and varies with styles and guitarists.
One of the biggest drawbacks with guitar tab is that it doesn't
give you much input about the timing of the notes, and for this
reason, you really should know the song. In fact, if you are
learning how to read guitar tab, you should read the tablature
while listening to the song or riff.
Unlike beginning books for teaching yourself to play guitar,
guitar tab will not tell you which finger to use on a string. If
you are a very new beginner, you may want to know the basics of
chords and such before venturing into learning how to read
guitar tablature.
The website "Guitar Tab Universe" (www.guitartabs.cc)
gives tabs for many familiar songs. In fact, it advertises
itself as the Internet's largest collection of guitar and bass
tabs. One warning - you'll have to scroll through a lot of band
names to get to the artist you want, and some of those names are
obscene. If obscenities bug you, try a different site.
Christian.totaltabs.com gives you access to tabs or chords for
631 songs by 111 contemporary Christian bands and artists.
Cowboylyrics.com provides you with tabs, lyrics, and/or guitar
chords for many country songs.
In general, if you are searching for online guitar tabs, you
need to specify the type of music you desire or you will
probably get a lot of listings for rock tabs. Fortunately, you
are sure to find just the songs to use to teach yourself how to
read guitar tab.
About the author:
Article by Jake Hanson. Please visit his guitar
lesson site to get an online free guitar lesson course that details how to play guitar with
amazing free chord and tab lessons.
Guitar tab is a method of diagramming the fretboard of a
guitar for the purpose of showing how songs, riffs, scales, and
other musical portions are played.
Guitar tab, also known as tablature, is really a method
guitar players have invented for sharing music without having to
learn to read music in the traditional sense. Knowing how to
read guitar tablature is an important part of learning how to
play the guitar, especially if you wish to emulate the style of
your favorite performer.
Learning how to read guitar tablature will help the most if you
have already heard the song or riff. It is not a very good way
to learn a new song, because there are no indicators about
timing. Basically it is just a diagram of fingering. It looks
similar to a traditional staff, but the similarity ends there.
Instead of 5 lines, guitar tab has 6 lines, which correspond to
the six strings of a guitar.
When you are learning how to read guitar tab, you will notice
numbers on the lines. Those numbers do not refer to your
fingers, but to the fret your finger needs to be on. However,
you should read all the information given with any guitar
tablature, because sometimes the notations refer to different
things. Guitar tab is not a standardized method of writing music
and varies with styles and guitarists.
One of the biggest drawbacks with guitar tab is that it doesn't
give you much input about the timing of the notes, and for this
reason, you really should know the song. In fact, if you are
learning how to read guitar tab, you should read the tablature
while listening to the song or riff.
Unlike beginning books for teaching yourself to play guitar,
guitar tab will not tell you which finger to use on a string. If
you are a very new beginner, you may want to know the basics of
chords and such before venturing into learning how to read
guitar tablature.
The website "Guitar Tab Universe" (www.guitartabs.cc)
gives tabs for many familiar songs. In fact, it advertises
itself as the Internet's largest collection of guitar and bass
tabs. One warning - you'll have to scroll through a lot of band
names to get to the artist you want, and some of those names are
obscene. If obscenities bug you, try a different site.
Christian.totaltabs.com gives you access to tabs or chords for
631 songs by 111 contemporary Christian bands and artists.
Cowboylyrics.com provides you with tabs, lyrics, and/or guitar
chords for many country songs.
In general, if you are searching for online guitar tabs, you
need to specify the type of music you desire or you will
probably get a lot of listings for rock tabs. Fortunately, you
are sure to find just the songs to use to teach yourself how to
read guitar tab.
About the author:
Article by Jake Hanson. Please visit his guitar
lesson site to get an online free guitar lesson course that details how to play guitar with
amazing free chord and tab lessons.
Friday, May 26, 2006
The Beatles and Epiphone Guitars
By: Shanzuguitars
The Beatles may well be arguably the worlds biggest ever band.
Musically from the early 1960's to the end of their career they
covered an array of different music styles from the jangly pop
of their early days to the psychedelia of their latter albums.
To cover all these different sounds they needed a broad range of
instruments.
Throughout their career they used a variety of guitars and you
can see many photographs of the Beatles with Rickenbacker's
(325's in particular) various Gretch, Fender and Hofner. However
they are also linked with Epiphone Guitars and often choose
Epiphone guitars over all other guitars for recordings and live
performances.
The first Beatle to own an Epiphone guitar was Paul McCartney
who bought his first, an Epiphone Casino,during 1964. Influenced
by the sound of this guitar John and George bought theirs soon
after. The Epiphone Casino is a hollow-body double cutaway
electric guitar. Although available in a variety of colors,
George Harrison stripped his down to bare wood saying that he
liked the sound of the guitar being able to breathe.
John Lennon favored the Epiphone E230TD Casino and used a
variety of these guitars from 1966 onwards. Lennon painted this
guitar and it appeared during the White Album sessions and in
the Film "Let it Be". During that film Lennon can be seen
playing his Casino while rehearsing new material. Lennon's
Casino also features during the celebrated performance on the
London roof top of their office building. Lennon is synonymous
with the Casino, so much so that Epiphone recently re-released a
John Lennon signature Casino. This faithful reproduction is of
the guitar as John originally purchased it with the vintage
sunburst finish and stock hardware.
The Beatles also used Epiphone's acoustic guitars. Paul
McCartney favored the Epiphone Texan acoustic guitar and it was
used to record the epic track Yesterday. McCartney still uses
Texan's to this day.
Clearly the Beatles have been one of the (if not the) biggest
influences in popular music over the last 50 years. Their sound
was distinct and this was bought about both by their playing and
their selection of instruments. Thier Epiphone guitars
contributed to their sound and a number of guitars have become
iconic in their association with arguably the worlds biggest
band.
About the author:
ShanzuGuitars.com is
a reference site for guitarists everywhere. The site features
guitar news, resources, guitar gear reviews, online lessons and
free tools.
The Beatles may well be arguably the worlds biggest ever band.
Musically from the early 1960's to the end of their career they
covered an array of different music styles from the jangly pop
of their early days to the psychedelia of their latter albums.
To cover all these different sounds they needed a broad range of
instruments.
Throughout their career they used a variety of guitars and you
can see many photographs of the Beatles with Rickenbacker's
(325's in particular) various Gretch, Fender and Hofner. However
they are also linked with Epiphone Guitars and often choose
Epiphone guitars over all other guitars for recordings and live
performances.
The first Beatle to own an Epiphone guitar was Paul McCartney
who bought his first, an Epiphone Casino,during 1964. Influenced
by the sound of this guitar John and George bought theirs soon
after. The Epiphone Casino is a hollow-body double cutaway
electric guitar. Although available in a variety of colors,
George Harrison stripped his down to bare wood saying that he
liked the sound of the guitar being able to breathe.
John Lennon favored the Epiphone E230TD Casino and used a
variety of these guitars from 1966 onwards. Lennon painted this
guitar and it appeared during the White Album sessions and in
the Film "Let it Be". During that film Lennon can be seen
playing his Casino while rehearsing new material. Lennon's
Casino also features during the celebrated performance on the
London roof top of their office building. Lennon is synonymous
with the Casino, so much so that Epiphone recently re-released a
John Lennon signature Casino. This faithful reproduction is of
the guitar as John originally purchased it with the vintage
sunburst finish and stock hardware.
The Beatles also used Epiphone's acoustic guitars. Paul
McCartney favored the Epiphone Texan acoustic guitar and it was
used to record the epic track Yesterday. McCartney still uses
Texan's to this day.
Clearly the Beatles have been one of the (if not the) biggest
influences in popular music over the last 50 years. Their sound
was distinct and this was bought about both by their playing and
their selection of instruments. Thier Epiphone guitars
contributed to their sound and a number of guitars have become
iconic in their association with arguably the worlds biggest
band.
About the author:
ShanzuGuitars.com is
a reference site for guitarists everywhere. The site features
guitar news, resources, guitar gear reviews, online lessons and
free tools.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
The Gibson Explorer Guitar
By: ShanzuGuitars
With its angular body, and sharp headstock the Gibson Explorer
is instantly recognisable.
First released by Gibson in 1958 (along with the equally famous
Flying V guitar) the Explorer was a radical departure from its
more famous sibling the Gibson Les Paul.
The original Explorer - the X-Plorer (or the Futura as it was
initially named) came equipped with twin humbucker pickups, two
tone controls and a 3 way pickup switch. The angular headstock
featured the tuning keys on the top of the headstock rather than
the traditional Gibson three each side. With its looks the
guitar was radically different from others in the marketplace.
The design of the Explorer was so years ahead of it's time that
initial sales were low and the guitar was quickly discontinued.
Needless to say those early models are now highly sought after
collector's items.
In the Mid 1970's, prompted by the success of other
manufacturers tributes to the Explorer, Gibson reissued the
guitar - sales were strong and the instrument quickly became a
mainstay for many artists.
The Explorer is a particularly versatile guitar and produces a
wide variety of tones. With the pickup selector in the middle
position, it produces sounds reminiscent of a Les Paul. Select
the bridge position and you have a solid rock tone, finally the
neck pickup has a warm and subtle jazzy tone. The Explorer's
large body produces a lot of its tone and although heavy the
guitar is full of character and its trademark Gibson bite makes
it ideally suited to rock music.
Today, many famous artists can be seen using the Explorer. One
of the most well known Explorer users is U2's The Edge. His
Explorer (picked up on a shopping trip in New York is the early
days of the group) created much of the bands early sound and the
guitar is still used on tour and in the studio today.
There are many other famous users of the Explorer such as James
Hetfield, Eric Clapton, Dave Grohl to name but a few.
These days Gibson has many editions of the Explorer and its
future is secure. With its trademark looks and versatile sound
the Gibson Explorer can comfortably take its place in the guitar
hall of fame.
For more information on the Explorer check out The Gibson Guitar
companies homepage Gibson.com
About the author:
ShanzuGuitars.com.
The site offers the latest guitar news, resources, tools and
tips for budding guitarists everywhere
With its angular body, and sharp headstock the Gibson Explorer
is instantly recognisable.
First released by Gibson in 1958 (along with the equally famous
Flying V guitar) the Explorer was a radical departure from its
more famous sibling the Gibson Les Paul.
The original Explorer - the X-Plorer (or the Futura as it was
initially named) came equipped with twin humbucker pickups, two
tone controls and a 3 way pickup switch. The angular headstock
featured the tuning keys on the top of the headstock rather than
the traditional Gibson three each side. With its looks the
guitar was radically different from others in the marketplace.
The design of the Explorer was so years ahead of it's time that
initial sales were low and the guitar was quickly discontinued.
Needless to say those early models are now highly sought after
collector's items.
In the Mid 1970's, prompted by the success of other
manufacturers tributes to the Explorer, Gibson reissued the
guitar - sales were strong and the instrument quickly became a
mainstay for many artists.
The Explorer is a particularly versatile guitar and produces a
wide variety of tones. With the pickup selector in the middle
position, it produces sounds reminiscent of a Les Paul. Select
the bridge position and you have a solid rock tone, finally the
neck pickup has a warm and subtle jazzy tone. The Explorer's
large body produces a lot of its tone and although heavy the
guitar is full of character and its trademark Gibson bite makes
it ideally suited to rock music.
Today, many famous artists can be seen using the Explorer. One
of the most well known Explorer users is U2's The Edge. His
Explorer (picked up on a shopping trip in New York is the early
days of the group) created much of the bands early sound and the
guitar is still used on tour and in the studio today.
There are many other famous users of the Explorer such as James
Hetfield, Eric Clapton, Dave Grohl to name but a few.
These days Gibson has many editions of the Explorer and its
future is secure. With its trademark looks and versatile sound
the Gibson Explorer can comfortably take its place in the guitar
hall of fame.
For more information on the Explorer check out The Gibson Guitar
companies homepage Gibson.com
About the author:
ShanzuGuitars.com.
The site offers the latest guitar news, resources, tools and
tips for budding guitarists everywhere
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Free Lesson On Basic Guitar Chords
By: Craig Gaiden
Understanding Guitar Chords, the Key Element to Mastering the
Guitar
Don't get discouraged if you're trying to learn the guitar.
Follow the steps below and soon you'll be playing your favorite
songs by learning basic guitar chords. Once you get a feel for
the basic chords, you can go deeper and learn how chords are
made of major and minor guitar scales.
Popular Songs Sometimes Only Have Three Chords
Have you ever heard "Wild Thing" or "Louie Louie" and wondered
what chords make up these songs? Maybe you haven't, but at any
rate you might be interested to know that these songs along with
"Twist and Shout" and "Hang on Snoopy" are all built from three
major chords. They are the A, D, and E chords.
What Exactly is a Chord?
What is a chord? A chord is two or more notes played together. A
common type of chord is called a triad, which is three notes
played at the same time. With the guitar, you can make chords by
strumming, as a minimum, three strings simultaneously to send
out three notes or more. It's simple to see that with the guitar
having only six strings that the max number of notes in a guitar
chord is going to be six.
Basic Chord Types
Now it is important to understand that there are many different
variations of chords. Three of the most common types of chords
are major, minor, and sevenths. The way in which you use these
chords will determine the type of music or mood that you will
make. For example, if you need some solemn and meditative
chords, use minor chords. If you want a really solid and stable
sound, then you will want to be using major chords. If you want
a jazzier yet somewhat incomplete sounding chord, you would want
to go with seventh chords.
Commonly Used Chords
Just as you would need to know several basic phrases in the case
of learning another language, so you will need to learn around
6-16 chords fluently in order to really have a grip on playing
the guitar. Some of the most common chords are listed below.
A, G, C, D, E, F, Am, Em, and Dm chords (note: the lowercase "m"
next to the letter means that it is a minor chord.)
Get Out your Guitar and Strum Some Chords
Now that we understand the need to learn chords, let's look at
what steps there are to help you learn chords.
1. Get a chart of guitar chords and look at where the fingering
is for each chord.
2. Start by simply choosing at least two of the basic chords and
work on the transition between the two.
3. Make sure that it sounds good. The fact is that if it sounds
good you are probably doing it right. (HINT: If it doesn't sound
good to you, press down on the strings firmer with your fingers.)
4. Now learn to enjoy playing guitar chords by choosing a few of
your favorite songs that have these basic guitar chords and play
them until you can sing along. (FYI: Beatles have a great
selection of well known songs that use basic guitar chords as
the foundation.)
5. Play daily! You must remember that although its hard at
first, you are going to make progress and it will become easier
to play the guitar by consistently playing it.
6. Practice! Remember guitar practice makes perfect guitar music!
So you've made it this far and you're hungry for more guitar
lessons, why don't you check out guitar tabs for beginners Now
it's Your Turn to Learn the Guitar At any rate, the only way to
know that the guitar is for you and your friends is to give it a
try. Good luck and maybe this can be one of those things that
you can look back on and say, "I am sure glad I learned to play
the guitar"
About the author:
Craig is the owner of a guitar lesson site. He is
an avid guitarist and article writer. His site will help anyone
learn guitar. Visit
Craig's site for free guitar lessons: http://www.grabguitars.com
Understanding Guitar Chords, the Key Element to Mastering the
Guitar
Don't get discouraged if you're trying to learn the guitar.
Follow the steps below and soon you'll be playing your favorite
songs by learning basic guitar chords. Once you get a feel for
the basic chords, you can go deeper and learn how chords are
made of major and minor guitar scales.
Popular Songs Sometimes Only Have Three Chords
Have you ever heard "Wild Thing" or "Louie Louie" and wondered
what chords make up these songs? Maybe you haven't, but at any
rate you might be interested to know that these songs along with
"Twist and Shout" and "Hang on Snoopy" are all built from three
major chords. They are the A, D, and E chords.
What Exactly is a Chord?
What is a chord? A chord is two or more notes played together. A
common type of chord is called a triad, which is three notes
played at the same time. With the guitar, you can make chords by
strumming, as a minimum, three strings simultaneously to send
out three notes or more. It's simple to see that with the guitar
having only six strings that the max number of notes in a guitar
chord is going to be six.
Basic Chord Types
Now it is important to understand that there are many different
variations of chords. Three of the most common types of chords
are major, minor, and sevenths. The way in which you use these
chords will determine the type of music or mood that you will
make. For example, if you need some solemn and meditative
chords, use minor chords. If you want a really solid and stable
sound, then you will want to be using major chords. If you want
a jazzier yet somewhat incomplete sounding chord, you would want
to go with seventh chords.
Commonly Used Chords
Just as you would need to know several basic phrases in the case
of learning another language, so you will need to learn around
6-16 chords fluently in order to really have a grip on playing
the guitar. Some of the most common chords are listed below.
A, G, C, D, E, F, Am, Em, and Dm chords (note: the lowercase "m"
next to the letter means that it is a minor chord.)
Get Out your Guitar and Strum Some Chords
Now that we understand the need to learn chords, let's look at
what steps there are to help you learn chords.
1. Get a chart of guitar chords and look at where the fingering
is for each chord.
2. Start by simply choosing at least two of the basic chords and
work on the transition between the two.
3. Make sure that it sounds good. The fact is that if it sounds
good you are probably doing it right. (HINT: If it doesn't sound
good to you, press down on the strings firmer with your fingers.)
4. Now learn to enjoy playing guitar chords by choosing a few of
your favorite songs that have these basic guitar chords and play
them until you can sing along. (FYI: Beatles have a great
selection of well known songs that use basic guitar chords as
the foundation.)
5. Play daily! You must remember that although its hard at
first, you are going to make progress and it will become easier
to play the guitar by consistently playing it.
6. Practice! Remember guitar practice makes perfect guitar music!
So you've made it this far and you're hungry for more guitar
lessons, why don't you check out guitar tabs for beginners Now
it's Your Turn to Learn the Guitar At any rate, the only way to
know that the guitar is for you and your friends is to give it a
try. Good luck and maybe this can be one of those things that
you can look back on and say, "I am sure glad I learned to play
the guitar"
About the author:
Craig is the owner of a guitar lesson site. He is
an avid guitarist and article writer. His site will help anyone
learn guitar. Visit
Craig's site for free guitar lessons: http://www.grabguitars.com
Monday, May 15, 2006
Guitar Multi FX - Friend or Foe?
By: Tony Williams
Killer Guitar Sounds? Maybe...
Guitar multi FX units are undoubtedly one of the best
value-for-money tools available to today's guitar player. Even a
cheap multi FX unit found on eBay will house some great sounding
effects to brighten up or add interest to even the most mediocre
guitarist's playing.
With so many different guitar sound effects available in the
typical multi FX unit it is a great temptation to try and use as
many as possible. However, that temptation could also destroy
your credibility as a player and leave your audience nonplussed.
In fact, when it comes to guitar multi FX, that old cliché less
is more can very often be absolutely true!
The solution? You need to get your basic sounds right and stick
with them before adding any extra 'sparkle'.
So what is meant by 'basic sounds'? Well there are really only
three and they are:
* Clean - You know how this sounds; crisp chords and sparkling
arpeggios.
* Mild Distortion / Overdrive - This can vary from slight
breaking up of a clean sound to a satisfying crunchy distortion.
* Heavy Distortion / Fuzz - The all-out blistering solo sound,
think Gibson Les Paul through a Marshall stack turned all the
way up to eleven!
(A little tip about distortion - don't be tempted to use too
much! What sounds great plugged into a small practice amp or
headphones in your back bedroom will often sound like undefined
mush when it is cranked up to gig volume.)
Anything on top of your basic sound, whether it be chorus,
flange, delay, or whatever, should be considered as extra that
is added to compliment and enhance. The basic sound should not
be sacrificed or altered in any way.
Listen to some of your favourite guitar players and try to work
out how many different combinations of sound effect they are
using - I guarantee that however many there are (and it's
probably fewer than you think) they will be sitting on top of a
great basic sound.
So in conclusion; enjoy your guitar multi FX and make the most
of the variety of different sound effects available, but don't
sacrifice your guitar sound for the sake of guitar sound
effects.
About the author:
Tony Williams is a musician, writer, and self-confessed eBay
fanatic. He is the editor and webmaster of Rich Pickings, the online
guitar advisory service, you can find it at: www.rich-pickings.com
Killer Guitar Sounds? Maybe...
Guitar multi FX units are undoubtedly one of the best
value-for-money tools available to today's guitar player. Even a
cheap multi FX unit found on eBay will house some great sounding
effects to brighten up or add interest to even the most mediocre
guitarist's playing.
With so many different guitar sound effects available in the
typical multi FX unit it is a great temptation to try and use as
many as possible. However, that temptation could also destroy
your credibility as a player and leave your audience nonplussed.
In fact, when it comes to guitar multi FX, that old cliché less
is more can very often be absolutely true!
The solution? You need to get your basic sounds right and stick
with them before adding any extra 'sparkle'.
So what is meant by 'basic sounds'? Well there are really only
three and they are:
* Clean - You know how this sounds; crisp chords and sparkling
arpeggios.
* Mild Distortion / Overdrive - This can vary from slight
breaking up of a clean sound to a satisfying crunchy distortion.
* Heavy Distortion / Fuzz - The all-out blistering solo sound,
think Gibson Les Paul through a Marshall stack turned all the
way up to eleven!
(A little tip about distortion - don't be tempted to use too
much! What sounds great plugged into a small practice amp or
headphones in your back bedroom will often sound like undefined
mush when it is cranked up to gig volume.)
Anything on top of your basic sound, whether it be chorus,
flange, delay, or whatever, should be considered as extra that
is added to compliment and enhance. The basic sound should not
be sacrificed or altered in any way.
Listen to some of your favourite guitar players and try to work
out how many different combinations of sound effect they are
using - I guarantee that however many there are (and it's
probably fewer than you think) they will be sitting on top of a
great basic sound.
So in conclusion; enjoy your guitar multi FX and make the most
of the variety of different sound effects available, but don't
sacrifice your guitar sound for the sake of guitar sound
effects.
About the author:
Tony Williams is a musician, writer, and self-confessed eBay
fanatic. He is the editor and webmaster of Rich Pickings, the online
guitar advisory service, you can find it at: www.rich-pickings.com
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Learn To Play The Guitar By Ear
By: Christopher Buckley
All professional musicians, whether they're playing jazz, rock,
bluegrass and country music, have spent their first years of
practicing bent over a half speed record player. You might be
wondering what does this have to do with trying to learn to play
the guitar by ear. As you will learn from this article, it
actually has a lot to do with it.
Slowing Things Down
In order to learn to play the guitar by ear you have to begin
with learning the melodies, chords and leads from a recording.
To be able to do this, you've got to slow them down a bit. Some
exceptionally gifted people with really good ears are able to
learn to play some slow songs just by listening to them at a
normal speed. However, even those folks have problems with
learning faster melodies and need to slow things down.
Most of us can't even figure out slow songs just by listening to
them at a normal speed. While most of us can match a note with
our guitar or voice if it's the only thing we're hearing, we
tend to get confused when lots of notes are played together. If
you slow the music down, we can separate the notes and play them
piece by piece until we learn the whole song.
Slowdown Technology
Years ago, the slowing down process was done using half speed
tape recorders. However, as you slowed the music down, the pitch
dropped. By the time you got to half speed, the pitch had
already dropped a lot. Anyway, for most of us, half speed is
still to fast. You will probably need a 1/10 speed in order to
figure out certain pieces.
Fortunately, nowadays everything has been made easier with the
aid of digital slowdown technology. You can now slow the melody
down as much as you want, without having the pitch dropping.
Do You Really Have to Put So Much Work Into It?
You're probably thinking that spending so much time on figuring
out each note yourself must be awfully hard. Why not just buy a
book and get over this part?
Of course, you can buy a book, but, as it usually happens with
all music theory books, it will probably be gathering dust on
your bookshelf forever. If you really want to learn to play the
guitar by ear, you will have to get involved in the process and
figure out the notes from a melody yourself.
While figuring out note by note on your own is the best way to
go, consulting a transcription book from time to time while
you're trying to figure out the music is also good. Some
beginner guitar players who want to learn to play the guitar by
ear learn from a transcription book first and then play along
with the original recording at a slower pace to get the rhythm.
You should learn to play the guitar by ear just because this way
you get the most fun. Playing the guitar should be fun and this
is why you should have started to learn it in the first place.
However, the more you time you invest into the learning process
by getting involved in practical activities, the faster the
progress.
About the author:
Christopher Buckley is owner of one of the internet's largest
guitar learning resources. To find out more about learning to play the
guitar by ear, visit Learn Guitar Blog
All professional musicians, whether they're playing jazz, rock,
bluegrass and country music, have spent their first years of
practicing bent over a half speed record player. You might be
wondering what does this have to do with trying to learn to play
the guitar by ear. As you will learn from this article, it
actually has a lot to do with it.
Slowing Things Down
In order to learn to play the guitar by ear you have to begin
with learning the melodies, chords and leads from a recording.
To be able to do this, you've got to slow them down a bit. Some
exceptionally gifted people with really good ears are able to
learn to play some slow songs just by listening to them at a
normal speed. However, even those folks have problems with
learning faster melodies and need to slow things down.
Most of us can't even figure out slow songs just by listening to
them at a normal speed. While most of us can match a note with
our guitar or voice if it's the only thing we're hearing, we
tend to get confused when lots of notes are played together. If
you slow the music down, we can separate the notes and play them
piece by piece until we learn the whole song.
Slowdown Technology
Years ago, the slowing down process was done using half speed
tape recorders. However, as you slowed the music down, the pitch
dropped. By the time you got to half speed, the pitch had
already dropped a lot. Anyway, for most of us, half speed is
still to fast. You will probably need a 1/10 speed in order to
figure out certain pieces.
Fortunately, nowadays everything has been made easier with the
aid of digital slowdown technology. You can now slow the melody
down as much as you want, without having the pitch dropping.
Do You Really Have to Put So Much Work Into It?
You're probably thinking that spending so much time on figuring
out each note yourself must be awfully hard. Why not just buy a
book and get over this part?
Of course, you can buy a book, but, as it usually happens with
all music theory books, it will probably be gathering dust on
your bookshelf forever. If you really want to learn to play the
guitar by ear, you will have to get involved in the process and
figure out the notes from a melody yourself.
While figuring out note by note on your own is the best way to
go, consulting a transcription book from time to time while
you're trying to figure out the music is also good. Some
beginner guitar players who want to learn to play the guitar by
ear learn from a transcription book first and then play along
with the original recording at a slower pace to get the rhythm.
You should learn to play the guitar by ear just because this way
you get the most fun. Playing the guitar should be fun and this
is why you should have started to learn it in the first place.
However, the more you time you invest into the learning process
by getting involved in practical activities, the faster the
progress.
About the author:
Christopher Buckley is owner of one of the internet's largest
guitar learning resources. To find out more about learning to play the
guitar by ear, visit Learn Guitar Blog
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Common Ways to Learn to Play Guitar
By: Ian Williamson
Here are some of the more common ways to learn to play the
guitar. Try each method to see what works best for you.
Group Lessons: Learning guitar in a group setting can be less
intimidating for the beginning musician. You not only get the
benefit of having a teacher to help you along you can often
judge your progress by where the other students are in the
class. The worst part about taking guitar lessons in a group
setting is the teachers time is divided so you may not get as
much attention as you might need.
Private Lessons: This is the best way to learn to play the
guitar if you can find the right teacher. The instructor can
gauge your progress each week and custom design your lessons for
you. You have your teachers' undivided attention and you can ask
anything you feel is not clear.
CD Lessons: There are many instruction CDs available in nearly
any style you can think of. The advantage of this style of
learning is you can listen to the CD as many times as you want.
Any part that is not clear can be replayed as many times as
needed. The disadvantages include the songs may not be the ones
you desire to learn and the instruction is more general without
any way of knowing where you are in your musical journey.
DVD Lessons: Instruction on DVD includes all the good and bad
points of the CD instruction. The number one advantage to
learning guitar by watching DVD video is you can see what the
instructor is doing. Visual learning goes a long way toward
answering the questions burning in your mind.
Music Books: Music books are a time-honored way to learn how to
play the guitar. You can find more books on more different
styles than most any other way to learn. You need to be
proficient in reading music if you do not know the song you are
learning. Most folks have a hard time getting the song right if
they do not know the song they are learning.
Internet: In these modern times the Internet is a wonderful
resource in learning to play the guitar. There are many websites
that will show you how to play the exact notes your guitar hero
plays. Membership sights are plentiful where for a small monthly
fee you can learn most any style you choose.
Friends: Do not overlook your guitar playing buddies. Most
guitar pickers are a friendly bunch who will be more than happy
to help you along.
Slowing Down Recordings: You can purchase software that slows
down your favorite recordings. This allows you to hear each
phrase at a speed where you can pick out the different notes.
This is a great way to learn to play.
Playing With Other People: The very best way to learn to play
the guitar is to get together with other people and play. This
is the fastest way to learn. You will learn more by getting out
and playing with other people than you ever will sitting at home
playing by yourself.
The method you decide to use to learn to play guitar is up to
you. Try to practice four or five times a week for 30 minutes at
a time and you will be playing guitar before you know it.
About the author:
For More Guitar
Lessons by Ian Williamson please visit
http://guitar.you-can-learn.info
Here are some of the more common ways to learn to play the
guitar. Try each method to see what works best for you.
Group Lessons: Learning guitar in a group setting can be less
intimidating for the beginning musician. You not only get the
benefit of having a teacher to help you along you can often
judge your progress by where the other students are in the
class. The worst part about taking guitar lessons in a group
setting is the teachers time is divided so you may not get as
much attention as you might need.
Private Lessons: This is the best way to learn to play the
guitar if you can find the right teacher. The instructor can
gauge your progress each week and custom design your lessons for
you. You have your teachers' undivided attention and you can ask
anything you feel is not clear.
CD Lessons: There are many instruction CDs available in nearly
any style you can think of. The advantage of this style of
learning is you can listen to the CD as many times as you want.
Any part that is not clear can be replayed as many times as
needed. The disadvantages include the songs may not be the ones
you desire to learn and the instruction is more general without
any way of knowing where you are in your musical journey.
DVD Lessons: Instruction on DVD includes all the good and bad
points of the CD instruction. The number one advantage to
learning guitar by watching DVD video is you can see what the
instructor is doing. Visual learning goes a long way toward
answering the questions burning in your mind.
Music Books: Music books are a time-honored way to learn how to
play the guitar. You can find more books on more different
styles than most any other way to learn. You need to be
proficient in reading music if you do not know the song you are
learning. Most folks have a hard time getting the song right if
they do not know the song they are learning.
Internet: In these modern times the Internet is a wonderful
resource in learning to play the guitar. There are many websites
that will show you how to play the exact notes your guitar hero
plays. Membership sights are plentiful where for a small monthly
fee you can learn most any style you choose.
Friends: Do not overlook your guitar playing buddies. Most
guitar pickers are a friendly bunch who will be more than happy
to help you along.
Slowing Down Recordings: You can purchase software that slows
down your favorite recordings. This allows you to hear each
phrase at a speed where you can pick out the different notes.
This is a great way to learn to play.
Playing With Other People: The very best way to learn to play
the guitar is to get together with other people and play. This
is the fastest way to learn. You will learn more by getting out
and playing with other people than you ever will sitting at home
playing by yourself.
The method you decide to use to learn to play guitar is up to
you. Try to practice four or five times a week for 30 minutes at
a time and you will be playing guitar before you know it.
About the author:
For More Guitar
Lessons by Ian Williamson please visit
http://guitar.you-can-learn.info
Sunday, May 07, 2006
How To Plug A Guitar Or Bass Into A Computer
By: Jon Broderick
Every town throughout the world has one or two fully dedicated
aspiring guitarists and bassists. These disciplined folks spend
countless hours improving their craft. Their local musician
community is made up of a small group of less-dedicated folks
and people with divergent tastes in music. To the truly
passionate musician, sometimes this can be frustrating. The
dedicated guitarists and bassists of these communities have
often surpassed the ability of local teachers, and are thus on
their own following their musical heroes. Although guitar tab
books and guitar lesson DVDs help, trial and error becomes the
primary method.
If you are one such individual, there is a musician resource
that you may have overlooked: the Internet. Now, please don't
misunderstand. I know that you have already found out about the
internet. You use the internet every day and you have probably
found countless guitar tab sites, guitar lesson sites, band
classified sites and the like. You have learned a lot on the
internet. Your eyes have found the Internet, but has your music?
When you connect your instrument to your computer, you connect
your music to the rest of the worldwide community of musicians.
Out there on the internet, unlike in your home town, are many
many people just like you, who want to hear your music. They are
as dedicated as you, they are into the same music, they are your
peers without question, and they want to hear what you are
working on.
This article teaches you how to plug your guitar or bass right
into your computer, to start sharing your musical ability with
the world-wide internet music community. We are assuming that
you have an electric guitar, bass guitar, or acoustic guitar
with a pickup.
Overview
Turn your computer around and look at the back of it. You should
see a walkman-style mini headphone jack in one of the shiny
steel plates back there. Actually, you should see 3 mini jacks.
If you look closely, they have little etched pictures next to
them. One is a picture of a mic, one is a picture of headphones,
and the other some picture you don't know what it is. The one
that is not mic and not headphones is the line-in jack. Your
guitar has a 1/4 inch cable that is too big to fit into this
mini headphone jack. So, you will need an adapter that will
convert the quarter inch jack to a mini jack. You can find this
sort of adapter at your local electronics shop. In the U.S.,
Radio Shack is your best bet.
The following are three scenarios that describe how to plug your
instrument into your computer.
Average Situation
Here's the deal: your guitar is supposed to plug into the
line-in jack. But your guitar is not loud enough to play direct
into a line-in. So you have to put an effects pedal with a
volume control in between the PC and your guitar. That way you
can give your guitar enough of a volume boost to hear it well on
your PC.
Poor Situation
If you don't have an effects pedal, or something else to give
your guitar a slight volume boost, then the line-in method won't
work. Your guitar will be too quiet. If this is the case, you
will need to plug your guitar into the mic jack instead. The
guitar is too loud for a mic jack. So, you will have to turn the
guitar down for it to record properly. Even then, it won't sound
too good. Computer mic jacks just don't sound good. But, it
works.
Ideal Situation
Ideally, here is what you want to do: get a mixer, plug your
guitar into your amp, mic the amp in a sound-proof room. Turn it
up really loud. Mix your effects into the signal at the mixer,
and plug the mixer line out into the line in of your computer.
If you have all the equipment for this, then I would suggest you
get one more item: a studio-quality audio card. These cards have
improved circuitry and software that will significantly improve
the sound of your records and the flexibility of your system.
I hope this article has been helpful to you and that your music
inspires and fulfills you throughout a long and happy career. I
also hope that you will join a musician community on the
internet and get as much satisfaction out of it as I have.
About the author:
Jon Broderick is a guitarist from California who has been an
online musician since 1998. You can find Jon featured in online
Music Competitions and
online Guitar Lessons
at major music websites.
Every town throughout the world has one or two fully dedicated
aspiring guitarists and bassists. These disciplined folks spend
countless hours improving their craft. Their local musician
community is made up of a small group of less-dedicated folks
and people with divergent tastes in music. To the truly
passionate musician, sometimes this can be frustrating. The
dedicated guitarists and bassists of these communities have
often surpassed the ability of local teachers, and are thus on
their own following their musical heroes. Although guitar tab
books and guitar lesson DVDs help, trial and error becomes the
primary method.
If you are one such individual, there is a musician resource
that you may have overlooked: the Internet. Now, please don't
misunderstand. I know that you have already found out about the
internet. You use the internet every day and you have probably
found countless guitar tab sites, guitar lesson sites, band
classified sites and the like. You have learned a lot on the
internet. Your eyes have found the Internet, but has your music?
When you connect your instrument to your computer, you connect
your music to the rest of the worldwide community of musicians.
Out there on the internet, unlike in your home town, are many
many people just like you, who want to hear your music. They are
as dedicated as you, they are into the same music, they are your
peers without question, and they want to hear what you are
working on.
This article teaches you how to plug your guitar or bass right
into your computer, to start sharing your musical ability with
the world-wide internet music community. We are assuming that
you have an electric guitar, bass guitar, or acoustic guitar
with a pickup.
Overview
Turn your computer around and look at the back of it. You should
see a walkman-style mini headphone jack in one of the shiny
steel plates back there. Actually, you should see 3 mini jacks.
If you look closely, they have little etched pictures next to
them. One is a picture of a mic, one is a picture of headphones,
and the other some picture you don't know what it is. The one
that is not mic and not headphones is the line-in jack. Your
guitar has a 1/4 inch cable that is too big to fit into this
mini headphone jack. So, you will need an adapter that will
convert the quarter inch jack to a mini jack. You can find this
sort of adapter at your local electronics shop. In the U.S.,
Radio Shack is your best bet.
The following are three scenarios that describe how to plug your
instrument into your computer.
Average Situation
Here's the deal: your guitar is supposed to plug into the
line-in jack. But your guitar is not loud enough to play direct
into a line-in. So you have to put an effects pedal with a
volume control in between the PC and your guitar. That way you
can give your guitar enough of a volume boost to hear it well on
your PC.
Poor Situation
If you don't have an effects pedal, or something else to give
your guitar a slight volume boost, then the line-in method won't
work. Your guitar will be too quiet. If this is the case, you
will need to plug your guitar into the mic jack instead. The
guitar is too loud for a mic jack. So, you will have to turn the
guitar down for it to record properly. Even then, it won't sound
too good. Computer mic jacks just don't sound good. But, it
works.
Ideal Situation
Ideally, here is what you want to do: get a mixer, plug your
guitar into your amp, mic the amp in a sound-proof room. Turn it
up really loud. Mix your effects into the signal at the mixer,
and plug the mixer line out into the line in of your computer.
If you have all the equipment for this, then I would suggest you
get one more item: a studio-quality audio card. These cards have
improved circuitry and software that will significantly improve
the sound of your records and the flexibility of your system.
I hope this article has been helpful to you and that your music
inspires and fulfills you throughout a long and happy career. I
also hope that you will join a musician community on the
internet and get as much satisfaction out of it as I have.
About the author:
Jon Broderick is a guitarist from California who has been an
online musician since 1998. You can find Jon featured in online
Music Competitions and
online Guitar Lessons
at major music websites.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Learn to Play Guitar - Free Tips for Beginner Guitar Players
By: Ralph Serpe
Find a Good Teacher - There is no substitution for a good guitar
teacher. You can buy all the books and videos you want, but in
order to really become a good guitar player, you need to learn
from a pro. A professional guitar teacher has the experience and
wisdom necessary to teach you how to become a proper guitar
player. Books, videos, and the Internet for that matter, lack in
their ability to provide you with feedback and advice. A good
guitar teacher will correct you if you are doing something wrong
so that you don't form bad habits or techniques. A good guitar
teacher will also encourage you when you are doing something
right.
Do Not Get Discouraged - When first learning the guitar, or any
instrument for that matter, you may find yourself getting
discouraged, or perhaps saying to yourself "this is just too
difficult". You may find yourself practicing the same song or
chords over and over again, and never getting any better at it.
Do not let this discourage you. Sometimes are brains just need a
little rest, or need to be occupied with something else. Take a
break and come back to your practice with a fresh mind.
Practice - The more often that you practice your guitar the more
familiar you will become with the instrument. Your playing will
become easier over time. Try and free up at least 20 minutes of
time every day to practice your guitar. Find a time and location
where you know you will not be interrupted. Interruption can
really kill your concentration and snap you out of a good
rhythm. Warm your hands and stretch your fingers before you
play. Talk with your guitar teacher to develop the best practice
exercises that are right for your style of playing.
Create an effective practice schedule - The length of your
practice is not necessarily the most important thing. Usually it
is the quality of your practice that is most important. Make
sure your guitar teacher is giving you a well-rounded approach
to guitar playing and helping you make the most of your practice
sessions.
Slow Down - One great bit of advice with your practicing; don't
play too quickly! Many new guitar players will rush through a
lick or a song in the beginning, trying to play it exactly as
they hear it and only wind up butchering it. Before you can play
anything correctly, you must learn to slow down and play it
right at a much slower speed. You can then slowly increase your
speed as you improve.
Watch your posture - Guitar playing should not be extremely
painful and uncomfortable. If you find yourself with various
aches and pains in your shoulders, your neck, your back, etc.,
chances are you are not in a correct playing posture. Ask your
guitar teacher to demonstrate a proper playing posture, then do
your best to stick to it. Tell your teacher to observe you
during practice and correct you whenever you fall out of the
correct posture.
Get a metronome - A very important part of guitar playing is the
ability to keep good timing. An instrument, which will help you
become better at timing, is called a metronome. You can purchase
this at any guitar center. When working with a metronome, in the
beginning, you should start off at a slow speed. This will help
you build your muscles and develop better control and good
playing habits.
Change your strings - Your guitar strings are very important to
the quality of sound your guitar produces. How often you change
your guitar strings really depends on how often you play.
Professional guitar players may change their strings before
every gig. Others who don't play as often, may change their
strings every 2 months or so. Again it really depends on how
often you play, and how well you take care of your guitar
strings. Don't wait until your strings break before you change
them and you should change all of your strings at the same time.
Try new things/experiment - If you feel uninspired in your
guitar playing why not try something fresh and different? If you
have mastered a particular song on your electric guitar, why not
try the same song on an acoustic guitar? If you only play your
guitar using a pick, put down the pick and just use your
fingers. Perhaps you only enjoy playing blues guitar. Why not
try some jazz or classical?
I hope these guitar tips were helpful. The most important thing
is to never get discouraged and never give up. Persistence is
key when it comes to playing the guitar. If you really have a
sincere desire to learn, and you continue to practice, you will
become a better guitar player.
About the author:
You can learn how to play guitar free online. Visit http://www.artsymmetry.com/Category/Guitar-Lesson
s/199 for more great articles on guitar playing.
Find a Good Teacher - There is no substitution for a good guitar
teacher. You can buy all the books and videos you want, but in
order to really become a good guitar player, you need to learn
from a pro. A professional guitar teacher has the experience and
wisdom necessary to teach you how to become a proper guitar
player. Books, videos, and the Internet for that matter, lack in
their ability to provide you with feedback and advice. A good
guitar teacher will correct you if you are doing something wrong
so that you don't form bad habits or techniques. A good guitar
teacher will also encourage you when you are doing something
right.
Do Not Get Discouraged - When first learning the guitar, or any
instrument for that matter, you may find yourself getting
discouraged, or perhaps saying to yourself "this is just too
difficult". You may find yourself practicing the same song or
chords over and over again, and never getting any better at it.
Do not let this discourage you. Sometimes are brains just need a
little rest, or need to be occupied with something else. Take a
break and come back to your practice with a fresh mind.
Practice - The more often that you practice your guitar the more
familiar you will become with the instrument. Your playing will
become easier over time. Try and free up at least 20 minutes of
time every day to practice your guitar. Find a time and location
where you know you will not be interrupted. Interruption can
really kill your concentration and snap you out of a good
rhythm. Warm your hands and stretch your fingers before you
play. Talk with your guitar teacher to develop the best practice
exercises that are right for your style of playing.
Create an effective practice schedule - The length of your
practice is not necessarily the most important thing. Usually it
is the quality of your practice that is most important. Make
sure your guitar teacher is giving you a well-rounded approach
to guitar playing and helping you make the most of your practice
sessions.
Slow Down - One great bit of advice with your practicing; don't
play too quickly! Many new guitar players will rush through a
lick or a song in the beginning, trying to play it exactly as
they hear it and only wind up butchering it. Before you can play
anything correctly, you must learn to slow down and play it
right at a much slower speed. You can then slowly increase your
speed as you improve.
Watch your posture - Guitar playing should not be extremely
painful and uncomfortable. If you find yourself with various
aches and pains in your shoulders, your neck, your back, etc.,
chances are you are not in a correct playing posture. Ask your
guitar teacher to demonstrate a proper playing posture, then do
your best to stick to it. Tell your teacher to observe you
during practice and correct you whenever you fall out of the
correct posture.
Get a metronome - A very important part of guitar playing is the
ability to keep good timing. An instrument, which will help you
become better at timing, is called a metronome. You can purchase
this at any guitar center. When working with a metronome, in the
beginning, you should start off at a slow speed. This will help
you build your muscles and develop better control and good
playing habits.
Change your strings - Your guitar strings are very important to
the quality of sound your guitar produces. How often you change
your guitar strings really depends on how often you play.
Professional guitar players may change their strings before
every gig. Others who don't play as often, may change their
strings every 2 months or so. Again it really depends on how
often you play, and how well you take care of your guitar
strings. Don't wait until your strings break before you change
them and you should change all of your strings at the same time.
Try new things/experiment - If you feel uninspired in your
guitar playing why not try something fresh and different? If you
have mastered a particular song on your electric guitar, why not
try the same song on an acoustic guitar? If you only play your
guitar using a pick, put down the pick and just use your
fingers. Perhaps you only enjoy playing blues guitar. Why not
try some jazz or classical?
I hope these guitar tips were helpful. The most important thing
is to never get discouraged and never give up. Persistence is
key when it comes to playing the guitar. If you really have a
sincere desire to learn, and you continue to practice, you will
become a better guitar player.
About the author:
You can learn how to play guitar free online. Visit http://www.artsymmetry.com/Category/Guitar-Lesson
s/199 for more great articles on guitar playing.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Free Guitar Tablatures
By: Thomas Morva
Guitar tabs or guitar tablatures are of utmost importance to
those who play guitar. Guitar tabs are one of the important
components for learning new tunes. Usually the guitar tabs come
with the lyrics of the song for which the guitar tab is played,
and sometimes the interlude or prelude lead part of the music is
given through these guitar tabs.
Depending on the nature of the guitar, i.e. a rhythm guitar, a
classical guitar, a bass guitar, a twelve string guitar and so
on, the guitar tabs vary as these guitars and their arrangements
and frets vary in shape, size and purpose. However, a guitar tab
is a system of notations, letters, symbols and other visual
representations - instead of the traditional musical notation.
The sole purpose of a guitar tab is to give the direction to the
player as to how to play a musical piece through a diagram of
strings of the guitar. Guitar tabs or a tablature nonetheless
consists of a diagram of strings of the guitar with finger
positions indicated by numbers corresponding to the appropriate
frets and sometimes with the numerical representations of the
fingers.
Free guitar tabs are very important for those who are young
enthusiasts and are keen on learning the new tunes and
technicalities of guitar and especially those songs which have
extensive guitar uses, both plucking and other types of
fingering as well as lead parts. The Web is the biggest resource
for gathering these free guitar tablatures and is much conducive
than those costly books at the nearby music stations and book
stalls. Free guitar tablatures are those available on the
Internet that give oneself the freedom to explore and choose the
song or the music he wants the guitar tablatures for.
About the author:
Guitar Tabs provides
detailed information on Guitar Tabs, Free Guitar Tablatures,
Classical Guitar Tablatures, Bass Guitar Tablatures and more.
Guitar Tabs is affliated with Guitar Tabs.
Guitar tabs or guitar tablatures are of utmost importance to
those who play guitar. Guitar tabs are one of the important
components for learning new tunes. Usually the guitar tabs come
with the lyrics of the song for which the guitar tab is played,
and sometimes the interlude or prelude lead part of the music is
given through these guitar tabs.
Depending on the nature of the guitar, i.e. a rhythm guitar, a
classical guitar, a bass guitar, a twelve string guitar and so
on, the guitar tabs vary as these guitars and their arrangements
and frets vary in shape, size and purpose. However, a guitar tab
is a system of notations, letters, symbols and other visual
representations - instead of the traditional musical notation.
The sole purpose of a guitar tab is to give the direction to the
player as to how to play a musical piece through a diagram of
strings of the guitar. Guitar tabs or a tablature nonetheless
consists of a diagram of strings of the guitar with finger
positions indicated by numbers corresponding to the appropriate
frets and sometimes with the numerical representations of the
fingers.
Free guitar tabs are very important for those who are young
enthusiasts and are keen on learning the new tunes and
technicalities of guitar and especially those songs which have
extensive guitar uses, both plucking and other types of
fingering as well as lead parts. The Web is the biggest resource
for gathering these free guitar tablatures and is much conducive
than those costly books at the nearby music stations and book
stalls. Free guitar tablatures are those available on the
Internet that give oneself the freedom to explore and choose the
song or the music he wants the guitar tablatures for.
About the author:
Guitar Tabs provides
detailed information on Guitar Tabs, Free Guitar Tablatures,
Classical Guitar Tablatures, Bass Guitar Tablatures and more.
Guitar Tabs is affliated with Guitar Tabs.
Monday, May 01, 2006
How to Avoid Guitar Practice Burnout
How to Avoid Guitar Practice Burnout - The #1 Reason Beginner
Guitarists Give-Up.
By: Annette Rowe
This article is about how to avoid guitar practice burnout -
something that happens to all of us from time to time!
Yep it's true. Many of us at one time or another has experienced
those "blah" days where the last thing we want to do is pick up
our guitar and practice. But don't fret! Here you'll discover
valuable little tidbits to help keep you motivated with learning
and practicing guitar, so let's get started...
How to Avoid Guitar Practice Burnout:
1) Enjoy the process of learning guitar.
This sounds basic, but often beginner guitarist's will focus on
negative aspects about their guitar playing skill level. Instead
of "beating yourself up" remember that all professional
guitarists started off just like you. The truth is that learning
guitar takes time, patience and practice.
As a beginner, you should not try to learn to play guitar too
quickly. Why? In trying to learn guitar too quickly you'll risk
increased muscle tension which can actually reduce your guitar
playing ability.
So slow and steady guitar lessons will benefit you best for
long-term success.
2) Use the quality guitar learning methods.
Many people find that learning to play guitar using traditional
methods is too difficult, overwhelming and time consuming. And
because of this difficulty, many people give up on their dreams
of learning to play guitar because the guitar learning
techniques were inadequate.
Luckily though, now days you can get online guitar lessons that
teach a new and revolutionary way to learn guitar that produces
fast and effective results. These new guitar lesson techniques
make learning guitar fun and easy. So, if learning guitar using
traditional guitar methods is too difficult, or causing you too
much frustration, know that there are new and improved ways to
learn guitar that work extremely well.
3) Learn to practice guitar at your pace.
In learning to play guitar, you'll discover that some days
you're more motivated than other days.
For example, some days you'll feel like playing the guitar for
hours on end, and at other times, you'll only want to practice
guitar for a few minutes. This is normal and if it's one of your
"off days" allow yourself to enjoy a break from a long practice
section without feeling guilty.
4) Look to others for inspiration.
One of the best motivators in trying to achieve any goal, like
learning guitar, is to look to other people for help and
assistance. Consider joining a musicians group and online music
forums where you can share tips, successes and troubles with
other guitarists online.
Chances are, there will be another guitar player who has had the
same problem you're facing who can give you great advice.
Learning how other people achieved their guitar playing success,
and the pitfalls they incountered along the way (and how to
avoid them), will help tremendously to inspire and motivate you
along the way while learning guitar.
The #1 Reason Beginner Guitarists Give-Up:
The biggest reason many people new to learning guitar give-up is
because they loose the JOY of learning to play guitar. Why? Many
beginner guitarists are excited about their new hobby, and this
excitement causes many people to rush into trying to play their
first song as quickly as possible.
However by not FIRST taking the time to learn proper guitar
basics, usually results in increased playing difficulties and
frustration. And frustration is what eventually leads many
beginners to give-up on their dreams of playing the guitar.
But don't worry! By following the tips above, you'll be well
ahead of most people learning to play guitar.
Remember, to avoid practice burnout, it's critical learn to play
guitar at a consistent pace, allow yourself breaks from playing
guitar as needed, and keep yourself motivated by seeking out
other guitarists for help and inspiration.
About the author:
Annette owns Online-Guitar-Lesson-Reviews.com. Please visit her
site to get free online guitar lesson resources and reviews.
Sign-up for a free guitar
lesson mini-course loaded with free guitar solutions.
Guitarists Give-Up.
By: Annette Rowe
This article is about how to avoid guitar practice burnout -
something that happens to all of us from time to time!
Yep it's true. Many of us at one time or another has experienced
those "blah" days where the last thing we want to do is pick up
our guitar and practice. But don't fret! Here you'll discover
valuable little tidbits to help keep you motivated with learning
and practicing guitar, so let's get started...
How to Avoid Guitar Practice Burnout:
1) Enjoy the process of learning guitar.
This sounds basic, but often beginner guitarist's will focus on
negative aspects about their guitar playing skill level. Instead
of "beating yourself up" remember that all professional
guitarists started off just like you. The truth is that learning
guitar takes time, patience and practice.
As a beginner, you should not try to learn to play guitar too
quickly. Why? In trying to learn guitar too quickly you'll risk
increased muscle tension which can actually reduce your guitar
playing ability.
So slow and steady guitar lessons will benefit you best for
long-term success.
2) Use the quality guitar learning methods.
Many people find that learning to play guitar using traditional
methods is too difficult, overwhelming and time consuming. And
because of this difficulty, many people give up on their dreams
of learning to play guitar because the guitar learning
techniques were inadequate.
Luckily though, now days you can get online guitar lessons that
teach a new and revolutionary way to learn guitar that produces
fast and effective results. These new guitar lesson techniques
make learning guitar fun and easy. So, if learning guitar using
traditional guitar methods is too difficult, or causing you too
much frustration, know that there are new and improved ways to
learn guitar that work extremely well.
3) Learn to practice guitar at your pace.
In learning to play guitar, you'll discover that some days
you're more motivated than other days.
For example, some days you'll feel like playing the guitar for
hours on end, and at other times, you'll only want to practice
guitar for a few minutes. This is normal and if it's one of your
"off days" allow yourself to enjoy a break from a long practice
section without feeling guilty.
4) Look to others for inspiration.
One of the best motivators in trying to achieve any goal, like
learning guitar, is to look to other people for help and
assistance. Consider joining a musicians group and online music
forums where you can share tips, successes and troubles with
other guitarists online.
Chances are, there will be another guitar player who has had the
same problem you're facing who can give you great advice.
Learning how other people achieved their guitar playing success,
and the pitfalls they incountered along the way (and how to
avoid them), will help tremendously to inspire and motivate you
along the way while learning guitar.
The #1 Reason Beginner Guitarists Give-Up:
The biggest reason many people new to learning guitar give-up is
because they loose the JOY of learning to play guitar. Why? Many
beginner guitarists are excited about their new hobby, and this
excitement causes many people to rush into trying to play their
first song as quickly as possible.
However by not FIRST taking the time to learn proper guitar
basics, usually results in increased playing difficulties and
frustration. And frustration is what eventually leads many
beginners to give-up on their dreams of playing the guitar.
But don't worry! By following the tips above, you'll be well
ahead of most people learning to play guitar.
Remember, to avoid practice burnout, it's critical learn to play
guitar at a consistent pace, allow yourself breaks from playing
guitar as needed, and keep yourself motivated by seeking out
other guitarists for help and inspiration.
About the author:
Annette owns Online-Guitar-Lesson-Reviews.com. Please visit her
site to get free online guitar lesson resources and reviews.
Sign-up for a free guitar
lesson mini-course loaded with free guitar solutions.
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