Many guitarists learn and practice on their own much of the time. If you want to get good, it sure helps to have a some goals and plans instead of just fiddling around. The following article has some good ideas to get you making some progress.
6 Simple Steps to Becoming A HOT Guitar Player!
By: John Bilderbeck
Learning how to play guitar well is not easy. There are so
many methods and so many conflicting opinions, it makes
it difficult to know what to do.
But the simple fact is, if you want to be the best you can,
as soon as you can, then all you need to do is - copy what
the pro's do...
Master the Basics!
Mastering the basics means being able to play in all keys.
Being able to transpose any song to any other key - on
the spot preferably.
Did you know that 95% of guitarists DON'T master the
basics. Oh yes, they mean to get around to it, but they
hardly ever do.
Why is that? Well, it's because they think it's boring,
complicated and too much hard work. And most of all - no
fun! And mostly they were right. Well, it needn't be that
way. Mastering the basics can be a lot of fun if you go
about it in a methodical set-by-step way.
What does mastering the basics entail?
There are 6 basic steps you need to follow:
1. Learn the names of all notes on all strings, one string at
a time.
2. Learn how to construct a C Major scale.
Basic must-know guitar theory. Easy stuff.
3. Learn how the chords of the major scale are made and
what they are... their names etc. C Dm Em F G Am Bdim.
Basic chord construction knowledge.
4. Learn the triad patterns for the C major scale all over
the fret board.
Triads are simple 3-note chords. Easy and fun to learn and
play.
5. Learn to play those triads with common chord
progressions.
Learn to play and apply the triads to the most common
chord progressions that fit thousands and thousands of
songs.
6. Learn to do step 5 in all keys.
Once you can do steps one to five in the key of C, it's real
easy to learn it for the other 11 major keys.
Hint: It's much easier than you think. All the patterns are
exactly the same as what you learn for C major. You don't
have to learn any new patterns. Cookie cutter stuff.
It really is not hard at all. All you need is a methodical
step-by-step method that makes sense and is easy and
fun to use.
About the author:
John Bilderbeck makes it easy to master guitar basics in a
step-by-step fashion. Fast and easy! To claim your "Mastering
Guitar" eBook join his
Guitar Chords website now.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Saturday, September 03, 2005
Guitar Practicing Tips for Newbies
By: Peter Lenkefi
It is often the case that individuals just learning to play the
guitar want to sound like a professional when they really need
to focus on guitar playing/practicing tips for newbies. Guitar
playing/practicing tips for newbies may sound like fundamental
information that is not fun, but that all depends on how serious
you are about learning to play the guitar. The best advice for
you at this stage of your learning is to take it slow and learn
as much as you possibly can. This short tutorial, which features
guitar playing/practicing tips for newbies will present you with
the basics for honing your skills. By following the steps below
you will be playing like a pro in no time at all.
Step 1: Warm Up Your Hands and Fingers
Your hands will get a good workout when you play and practice
the guitar. Just as a typist whose hands perform repetitive
motion for a significant number of hours can develop carpel
tunnel syndrome, so can you too injure the delicate tendons in
your hand. You can experience very painful cramps and in extreme
cases could lead to loss of ability to play the guitar at all.
You should spend at least 5 minutes warming up your fingers and
hands before you perform either of these activities. One of the
most important guitar playing/practicing tips for newbies is to
take a break if you play or practice for longer than an hour.
The following exercises are ideal for warming up your hands and
fingers:
* Use each hand to gently massage the other one; concentrate on
the base of the area located at the base of the thumb * Place
your hands against one another, pressing your fingertips
together * Stretch your fingers out as far as you can and then
curl them inward; repeat twice
Step 2: Practice Chromatic Scale
While playing either major or minor chords is a traditional
method that guitarists use when they start practicing, this
feature of guitar playing/practicing tips for newbies would be
remiss if it did not recommend that students of the guitar
practice the chromatic as often as they can. The chromatic scale
is among the guitar playing/practicing tips for newbies because
you play all 12 notes on the guitar in half steps. This scale is
contrary to a whole note scale, which consists of playing the
notes in whole steps.
Step 3: Get Down to Playing
You have looked forward to another opportunity to play your
guitar and here you are. If you haven't prepared for your
practice session by choosing your lesson beforehand, the guitar
playing/practicing tips for newbies for this step include
suggestions for what you could practice/play during your session.
* Learn a new chord * Choose to learn one section of a new song
* Practice picking, strumming, plucking, or all three
Step 4: Cooling Down
The cooling down phase is a time to bring your session to a
close. Instead of abruptly stopping and putting your guitar
away, this is the time to sort of reward yourself by leaving the
session on a positive "note." Whether you are practicing or
playing the guitar, you are probably challenging your skills. In
the cool down you ease out of the challenging phase.
The following are the best guitar practicing/playing tips for
newbies for cooling down:
* Play a short, familiar piece that is comfortable for you *
Don't focus on playing your finale piece with perfection; just
play it * Closing your eyes while you play the finale can help
to calm you if the practice session was difficult or frustrating
About the author:
For more more information about guitar practicing please visit
http://www.guitar-directory.net
It is often the case that individuals just learning to play the
guitar want to sound like a professional when they really need
to focus on guitar playing/practicing tips for newbies. Guitar
playing/practicing tips for newbies may sound like fundamental
information that is not fun, but that all depends on how serious
you are about learning to play the guitar. The best advice for
you at this stage of your learning is to take it slow and learn
as much as you possibly can. This short tutorial, which features
guitar playing/practicing tips for newbies will present you with
the basics for honing your skills. By following the steps below
you will be playing like a pro in no time at all.
Step 1: Warm Up Your Hands and Fingers
Your hands will get a good workout when you play and practice
the guitar. Just as a typist whose hands perform repetitive
motion for a significant number of hours can develop carpel
tunnel syndrome, so can you too injure the delicate tendons in
your hand. You can experience very painful cramps and in extreme
cases could lead to loss of ability to play the guitar at all.
You should spend at least 5 minutes warming up your fingers and
hands before you perform either of these activities. One of the
most important guitar playing/practicing tips for newbies is to
take a break if you play or practice for longer than an hour.
The following exercises are ideal for warming up your hands and
fingers:
* Use each hand to gently massage the other one; concentrate on
the base of the area located at the base of the thumb * Place
your hands against one another, pressing your fingertips
together * Stretch your fingers out as far as you can and then
curl them inward; repeat twice
Step 2: Practice Chromatic Scale
While playing either major or minor chords is a traditional
method that guitarists use when they start practicing, this
feature of guitar playing/practicing tips for newbies would be
remiss if it did not recommend that students of the guitar
practice the chromatic as often as they can. The chromatic scale
is among the guitar playing/practicing tips for newbies because
you play all 12 notes on the guitar in half steps. This scale is
contrary to a whole note scale, which consists of playing the
notes in whole steps.
Step 3: Get Down to Playing
You have looked forward to another opportunity to play your
guitar and here you are. If you haven't prepared for your
practice session by choosing your lesson beforehand, the guitar
playing/practicing tips for newbies for this step include
suggestions for what you could practice/play during your session.
* Learn a new chord * Choose to learn one section of a new song
* Practice picking, strumming, plucking, or all three
Step 4: Cooling Down
The cooling down phase is a time to bring your session to a
close. Instead of abruptly stopping and putting your guitar
away, this is the time to sort of reward yourself by leaving the
session on a positive "note." Whether you are practicing or
playing the guitar, you are probably challenging your skills. In
the cool down you ease out of the challenging phase.
The following are the best guitar practicing/playing tips for
newbies for cooling down:
* Play a short, familiar piece that is comfortable for you *
Don't focus on playing your finale piece with perfection; just
play it * Closing your eyes while you play the finale can help
to calm you if the practice session was difficult or frustrating
About the author:
For more more information about guitar practicing please visit
http://www.guitar-directory.net
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Gibson Guitars: Explorations in Innovation
By: Peter Lenkefi
The tradition of quality associated with Gibson guitars dates as
far back as the late 1800s when Orville Gibson started the
company with his skill and interest in the guitar. Probably one
of the keys to the success of the company then and now is its
tangent for innovation. This innovation continued through
economic hardship, which saw the introduction of the L-5,
ES-150, electric guitar. While the company originated as a
manufacturer of mandolins and guitars, it was the design of the
ES-150, the company's first electric guitar that hailed them to
the top of the list of guitar manufacturers. The innovation in
the company originated with guitarists such as Lloyd Loar and
Les Paul, whose ideas were used to create some of the company's
most innovative designs.
Reviewing the Original Gibsons
The Les Paul Standard is by far the most popular of all Gibson
guitars. It was way back in the early 1950s that it was
introduced as the company's premier solid body electric guitar.
Today the Les Paul Standard has several variations, including
the Les Paul Standard Faded, Les Paul Standard Double Cut, Les
Paul Standard Limited Edition, and Les Paul Standard Premium.
While many guitar manufacturers find ways to cut corners to
assemble guitars as fast as they can, Gibson continues its
tradition of hand making each guitar it produces. The Gibson
acoustic is the classic tradition of guitars. Gibson continues
to make the classic acoustic guitars in natural wood. It's
probably the case that if you learned how to play the guitar in
elementary school, that your music teacher had an inventory of
Gibson guitars. The value of these guitars has not decreased,
although many musicians probably wish the price would decrease!
Classic Gibson acoustic guitars such as the SJ200 and the
Hummingbird are still as popular as when they were first
introduced, although most people purchase them as collector's
items.
Electric guitars were made to play rock music, right? This
message couldn't get any clearer with Gibson's release of a
replica of the guitar associated with Angus Young of AC/DC.
Usually when makers of guitars reproduce a classic, they tend to
add additional features that actually take away from what was so
great about the original. The Angus Young Signature SG is
basically a mirror image of the classic guitar.
The list of famous individuals who have counted on the
traditional quality and innovation of Gibson guitars is long.
This relationship is probably due in part to the Gibson
company's solicitation of professional guitarists to assist in
designing innovative Gibson guitars. Who else knows more about
what "serious" guitarists want than the professionals who push
them to their limits? Celebrities that have been longtime fans
of Gibson guitars include Paul McCartney and Jimmy Page. Aside
from the outstanding pickups, Gibson guitars for electric guitar
lovers are generally custom-made to order. It is probably the
case that the Gibson electric guitars feature some of the most
unique styles and designs. The Gibson Firebird Studio Electric,
L4 CES Archtop, and the Gibson Zakk Wylde Les Paul electric
guitars prove that there are no limits in the how Gibson is able
to allow a guitarist to explore the creative limits of Gibson
guitars.
About the author:
For more more information about Gibson Guitars please visit
http://www.guitar-directory.net
Click Me!
The tradition of quality associated with Gibson guitars dates as
far back as the late 1800s when Orville Gibson started the
company with his skill and interest in the guitar. Probably one
of the keys to the success of the company then and now is its
tangent for innovation. This innovation continued through
economic hardship, which saw the introduction of the L-5,
ES-150, electric guitar. While the company originated as a
manufacturer of mandolins and guitars, it was the design of the
ES-150, the company's first electric guitar that hailed them to
the top of the list of guitar manufacturers. The innovation in
the company originated with guitarists such as Lloyd Loar and
Les Paul, whose ideas were used to create some of the company's
most innovative designs.
Reviewing the Original Gibsons
The Les Paul Standard is by far the most popular of all Gibson
guitars. It was way back in the early 1950s that it was
introduced as the company's premier solid body electric guitar.
Today the Les Paul Standard has several variations, including
the Les Paul Standard Faded, Les Paul Standard Double Cut, Les
Paul Standard Limited Edition, and Les Paul Standard Premium.
While many guitar manufacturers find ways to cut corners to
assemble guitars as fast as they can, Gibson continues its
tradition of hand making each guitar it produces. The Gibson
acoustic is the classic tradition of guitars. Gibson continues
to make the classic acoustic guitars in natural wood. It's
probably the case that if you learned how to play the guitar in
elementary school, that your music teacher had an inventory of
Gibson guitars. The value of these guitars has not decreased,
although many musicians probably wish the price would decrease!
Classic Gibson acoustic guitars such as the SJ200 and the
Hummingbird are still as popular as when they were first
introduced, although most people purchase them as collector's
items.
Electric guitars were made to play rock music, right? This
message couldn't get any clearer with Gibson's release of a
replica of the guitar associated with Angus Young of AC/DC.
Usually when makers of guitars reproduce a classic, they tend to
add additional features that actually take away from what was so
great about the original. The Angus Young Signature SG is
basically a mirror image of the classic guitar.
The list of famous individuals who have counted on the
traditional quality and innovation of Gibson guitars is long.
This relationship is probably due in part to the Gibson
company's solicitation of professional guitarists to assist in
designing innovative Gibson guitars. Who else knows more about
what "serious" guitarists want than the professionals who push
them to their limits? Celebrities that have been longtime fans
of Gibson guitars include Paul McCartney and Jimmy Page. Aside
from the outstanding pickups, Gibson guitars for electric guitar
lovers are generally custom-made to order. It is probably the
case that the Gibson electric guitars feature some of the most
unique styles and designs. The Gibson Firebird Studio Electric,
L4 CES Archtop, and the Gibson Zakk Wylde Les Paul electric
guitars prove that there are no limits in the how Gibson is able
to allow a guitarist to explore the creative limits of Gibson
guitars.
About the author:
For more more information about Gibson Guitars please visit
http://www.guitar-directory.net
Click Me!
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