Line 6 POD X3 LIVE

Pod X3 Live includes every input and output you need to practice, perform and record. No stone was left unturned for connectivity. Use the 1/4" instrument input for guitar or bass and the XLR microphone input for vocals and more. During practice, use the stereo headphones output to keep the noise down. For performances, plug in front of your amp or directly into the P.A. Use the stereo effect loop to add in your favorite stompboxes and other effects as well. When you connect a Line 6 Variax® guitar via the Variax input on your POD X3 Live, you can instantly recall POD X3 Live's amp, cab, and effect model settings matched with the perfect electric or acoustic guitar model all by stepping on a single footswitch. When you're ready to record, use the stereo balanced line outputs or digital S/PDIF output for traditional recording. Or use the new USB 2.0 connection for pro-level multi-channel computer recording.


Line 6 POD X3 Live Guitar Multi Effects Pedal Standard

Whether you choose to recreate the sounds of the past or turn tradition on its ear, POD X3 Live comes fully-loaded with the most inspiring collection of POD-quality amps and effects for your live performances, studio recordings, and everywhere in between.

Features & Benefits

Electric Guitar
POD X3 Live offers a whole new level of control over your guitar tone.

Plug straight into any one of the 78 ear-shattering guitar amp models for pure, unadulterated guitar tone.
Combine amp and cab models with the mouth-watering collection of 98 stompbox and studio effect models to build out your rig.
Take your sound to the next level by blasting your guitar through two guitar rigs at once to create a massive wall of sound that even guitar heroes of the past would respect.
Or plug POD X3 Live in front of your favorite stack or combo to pile on up to nine simultaneous effects, including vintage overdrive, scorching distortion, beefy fuzz, vibey delay, lush reverb, ethereal chorus, irreverent flanger, wah-wah to name just a handful.


Acoustic Guitar
Whether miking up an acoustic or plugging in an acoustic-electric guitar, POD X3 Live will showcase the natural warmth and beauty of your instrument.

Warm up your acoustics with the high-end tube mic preamp and compressor models to bring out the natural tone of your acoustic six or twelve string. Apply a touch of color with a full palette of reverbs, choruses, delays, EQs, and other essential effects.

Bass Guitar
Whether you seek stadium rock, a Motown groove, or modern grind, look no further than POD X3 Live.

Dial in classic bass tone using the 28 incredible bass amp and 22 bass cab models.
Bring a direct sound to life by using the modeled mic preamps and high-end compressors instead of traditional bass amps and cabs.
Add a combination of the 98 stompbox or studio effects to tweak your bass tone to perfection for practice, performance, or recording.


Vocals
POD X3 Live includes an XLR input for your microphone and an amazing set of effects for your vocals.

Six studio-grade vintage and modern microphone preamp models are included capture the natural warmth and richness of your vocals.
Smooth out your sound with studio grade compressors, EQ's, gates and de-essers.
The comprehensive collection of studio-quality post effect models at your disposal include rich reverbs, vibey delays, lush choruses and more.


Songwriters
POD X3 Live is the ultimate sonic toolbox for the creative songwriter.

With its massive set of models for guitar, bass, and vocals, POD X3 Live will elevate your creative sketches to polished works of art.
When inspiration strikes, record your guitar and vocals all at the same time to capture the magic of the first take.

Harness the Power and Flexibility of POD X3 Live

Computer Recording
POD X3 Live fits right in with whatever computer recording solution you use.

With USB 2.0, POD X3 Live can send processed and unprocessed signals to your recording software, so you can always change your tone and fix it in the mix.
POD X3 Live can record 2 fully-processed instruments at once.
Split your guitar signal and record each virtual rig on separate stereo tracks to create rich, layered sounds.
With on-board, real-time processing, POD X3 Live takes the load off of your computer and eliminates annoying latency.
Use the S/PDIF digital output to plug into ProTools systems and other pro-level audio interfaces to add legendary POD tone to your recordings.


Play in front of an amp
Use POD X3 Live as the ultimate pedal board with your favorite combo or stack.

With 98 stompbox and studio effect models, you have more freedom over your tone than even the largest, heaviest pedal board could ever offer.
Stomp - Fuzz, Distortion, Overdrive, and more.
Mod - Chorus, Flanger, Tremolo, Rotary, Phaser, and more
Delay - More than one of each type of delay: Analog, Digital, Tape and a mix of specialty echoes you won't find anywhere else.
Reverb More than one of each type of reverb: Room, Hall, Chamber, Plate and Spring models.
Miscellaneous Compressors, Gate, 4 Band Semi-Parametric EQ, Synth and Filters, Wah and many more.
Use up to 9 effects simultaneously to build the sound you're looking for.
Create rich blends of two entirely different effect chains to create a screaming wall of sound.
Plug into the PA
Plug POD X3 Live directly into the PA system for bullet-proof live sound that rocks.

Leave your back-breaking mountain of gear at home, and make set up and tear down easier than ever.
Take the guess work out of getting a great live sound every time.
Use the XLR outputs to plug directly into the mixing board without a direct box.

Reasons to Upgrade from POD XT Live
POD X3 Live delivers a ton of new features to inspire your music and simplify the creative process more than ever.

POD X3 Live comes fully-loaded with the most comprehensive set of POD® amps, cabs, and effects models ever. Includes models of 98 guitar amps, 24 guitar cabs, 98 effects, 28 bass amps, 22 bass cabs, and 6 vocal preamps.

Designed for gigging musicians, the rugged, stage-ready design features heavy duty metal footswitches and a racecar-inspired Wah/Volume/Expression pedal.

Split your guitar signal and run it through two amps or two guitar rigs at the same time to create entirely new sounds that will blow your audience away.

Use the XLR input or _" instrument input to play or record two instruments simultaneously each with its own independent tone processing.

Add studio-quality POD tone to your acoustic guitar, bass guitar, vocals or any other instrument you mic up for incredible recordings and live performances.

Use the stereo effect loop to integrate your favorite stompboxes and other effects into your setup.

The new, enlarged display shows a complete end-to-end signal chain for each tone at a glance. Change amp or effect settings on a single page for quick and easy editing.

Use the USB 2.0 connection for professional multi-track channel recording with your favorite computer recording software. Simultaneously send a dry unprocessed signal and wet processed stereo signal for each instrument/input to your computer for convenient and flexible computer recording options.

Use the S/PDIF digital output to record digitally into Pro Tools and integrate smoothly with other audio interfaces.

Full speccs can be found here:

Line 6 POD X3 Live Guitar Multi Effects Pedal Standard

Led Zeppelin Reunion

Classic rock giants, Led Zeppelin, are reuniting for the first time in almost twenty years. The occasion is a tribute and benefit concert for Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records, who passed away last year. Ertegun benefacted many up and coming acts in his time and Zeppelin was one of his biggest hits. The concert will be Nov. 26 at the 02 arena in London.
More: Led Zeppelin Reunion

Accoustic Guitars: Back To Basics

Acoustic guitars have been the standard by which all other instruments are judge for decades now, and they seem to show no signs of diminishing in importance. Before the invention of modern amplification systems, the acoustic guitar was not universally the preferred instruments of songwriters. Acoustic guitars, after all, are relatively quiet when compared to a banjo or an accordion. Nowadays, however, you can play guitar acoustic music as loudly or as quietly as you wish. Although everyone recognizes the sound of a guitar, it never seems to get old. From folk to rock to jazz, guitar is probably the best place to start.

Once you have advanced a little bit, guitar playing gets a lot easier. When you are first starting, however, it is extremely difficult. The first few times you play acoustic guitars, it can be very frustrating. Your fingers hurt when you push down on the strings, the chords don't sound like they should, and nothing works out right. Persevere! Acoustic guitars aren't popular simply because of their melodious sound. It is an open secret that they are extremely easy to play compared to many other instruments.

Of course, before you even start playing, you have to pick out your acoustic guitar. This is a subject of some debate among guitar experts. Should you buy a beginner guitar, or should you go all out and get something more expensive? Many people believe that beginner guitars are the way to go. That way, if you don't like playing, you haven't wasted too much money. Other people believe that you shouldn't confine yourself to cheap acoustic guitars. If you have the money, you should buy a really good ax. That way, it will be a joy to play. The better it sounds, the more you're going to want to play it!

In my opinion, the best approach is a compromise. Whether you are getting acoustic electric guitars, nylon string classical guitars, or some other kind, it shouldn't be the bottom-of-the-line. Get something that is decent, but not overly expensive. You can usually find acoustic guitars on sale for less than 200 dollars. Take someone who is experienced along to help you pick it out. Choosing the right guitar, after all, is crucial. You will be sticking with that instrument for months or even years to come, so you had better choose carefully. The wrong instrument will be hard to play and will not even stay in tune.

A Beginner's Guide To Learning Guitar

By: Peter Finlay

As an absolute beginner looking to learn the guitar, getting on
the right track can be quite confusing. More likely than not,
you will be confronted with a variety of conflicting information
about who to see and how to start learning guitar. With everyone
trying to offer you their own advice, keeping focussed on your
end goal can be difficult, although is essential if you're
looking to learn how to play the guitar proficiently. So where
do you begin when trying to learn the guitar? And how can you
ensure your guitar learning experience is as fruitful as
possible.

Before even beginning to learn the guitar the first step is to
consider whether to learn on your own basis through a book or
online, or whether to learn with a tutor through individual or
group lessons. This can be an important decision, and one that
is crucial to your ability to learn how to play the guitar. If
you find self-motivation and dedication easy, you may find
learning on your own to be a more cost-effective way of picking
up the guitar, and one that proves to be more rewarding in the
long run. Alternatively, if you find the prospect of learning
quite daunting, it may be a better idea to get in touch with an
expert guitar tutor, who will hold your hand through the
learning process, and keep you on track to build on your guitar
playing abilities. Either way, it is important to ensure you
practice everything you cover, and to play at every opportunity
to improve your skills and technique, which will provide more
stable foundations for becoming a great guitarist.

The first thing to consider when learning to play the guitar is
how often you are going to practice, and from where you will
access your guitar. As a beginner, it is desirable to pick up a
second hand or cheap first guitar. There's no point spending
hundreds, or even thousands, on a new top of the range guitar
when there is no guarantee that you will be able to play it.
When selecting a guitar, you should look for something that is
sized appropriately for you, and that sits comfortably when
playing. A Spanish or classical guitar is slightly softer on the
fingers, although the acoustic guitar is better for smaller
hands initially. Obviously each type of guitar has its own
specific advantages for more advanced performance, but as a
beginner it may be wise to put consideration into the actual
size and shape of the guitar and how it fits with you.

Learning to play the guitar can seem like a mammoth task for the
complete beginner, but with a few tips in the right direction it
doesn't need to be out of reach. With the means to learn and
some form of guidance, either through a book, online or through
a tutor, learning the guitar can be a fairly straightforward
process, and one which can prove to be very rewarding in a short
period with drive and determination.

About the author:
Peter Finlay, a proficient writer, writes for www.online-guitar-le
sson.uk.com. The author writes articles about electric guitar lessons and guitar lessons online.
Supplementary editorials that were written by Peter Finlay about
rock guitar lessons are accessible on the internet.

Jamorama Guitar Learning Package: Review

Here's a very good review of Jamorama. This package may be the best online product as far as getting new guitarists up to snuff quickly.


Learn To Play Guitar Online - Jamorama Review

Learn To Play Guitar Online - Jamorama Review
By Matthew Crawford

Like anything that requires a learning curve, the guitar requires discipline and an endless resource of enthusiasm. But people can all too easily fall into a defeatist attitude when they hit hurdles. It gets hard, it's frustrating when you can't coordinate, and concentration, people push themselves but it only ends up at breaking point where they throw down the axe and say "right that's it, I give up!"

It's especially hard when others seem to make it look so easy. But there's one tutorial that goes at your pace, doesn't patronize you, and moves comfortably enough so you never want to throw your guitar out the window.

Jamorama is a simple but powerful way of learning, incorporating audio and video to aide you. It is one of the biggest and most popular "learn to play" programs available today, and is the blueprint for most other programs.

The Jamorama Learning Kit is packed full of games and e-books to take you through the learning process step by step, making fast learning for reading and transcribing music. The kit includes GuitEarIt! - a program designed to help you work a song out by ear, and to hone and tune your ear for music; Guitar Tuner Pro and How To Tune Your Guitar; JaydeMusica Pro; The Jamorama Metronome; and Advanced Learning Techniques for Guitar.

Everything in the program is professionally designed in order to make playing enjoyable and rewarding, developing the students' key skills in becoming a better musician. I'm a teacher myself with over 12 years of experience, and I must admit that the lessons were certainly an inspiration. I've often struggled with getting a student's attention, or being able to break down an exercise enough for them to pick it up with ease. In fact teaching can be as frustrating as learning at times! But this gave an approach to musicianship that was as clear as day and I'd recommend it to any of my students any time, especially if they were struggling with my lessons!

Free online consultation is available for customers, and there is also a forum where students can discuss specific difficulties. Jamorama is 100% fail-safe, scam-free and risk-free program with only your playing in mind.

Matt Crawford is an experienced musician with nearly a decade of experience. He has recently established a website called My Sound Clinic in order to pass down some information that he has picked up over the years. Here you'll find hints, tips, reviews, and articles on playing guitar and the world that surrounds it.

For more information on Jamorama and other guitar learning kits, visit my lens: here

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Crawford
http://EzineArticles.com/?Learn-To-Play-Guitar-Online---Jamorama-Review&id=745585

Become A Better Guitarist By Developing Your Ear

By: Peter Edvinsson

Can you hear a melody and then play it on your guitar? To have a
good ear will help you a lot in your musical endeavors. Let's
see how we can improve this ability!

Learn to know your guitar

To be able to pick up your guitar and play any melody you hear
would be nice I guess!

To understand the relationship between the melodies you hear and
the frets and strings you have to use to play these melodies is
something you can practice in different ways. Here are some
suggestions:

1. Play around with your guitar. Yes, that's right! Have a nice
time with your guitar! First of all because it is fun and you
probably play the guitar first of all for this reason.

This means that you try out things on the guitar. Play notes and
listen how they sound. It doesn't really matter if it is
fantastic melodies you create. The important thing is that you
gradually will learn how notes, strings and frets relate to each
other.

2. Learn scales. Scales can be played for many reasons. One way
is to develop a better understanding of the fretboard.

To accomplish this you should as soon as you have learned to
play a scale on the guitar try to use it, experiment with it,
try to create melodies with it, play patterns and so on.

3. Learn music theory. Well, this sounds a little bit
intimidating maybe. But music theory can be as simple as knowing
the names of the notes on the guitar. Take a few notes at a time
and practice playing them on the guitar as you say the notenames
aloud.

4. Learn easy melodies. Yes, very easy melodies like Mary Had A
Little Lamb and other melodies with few notes in them. Then try
to play the melodies starting on a different place on your
guitar fretboard. This is a very effective way to learn to
understand the guitar.

5. Transpose songs. You will develop your ear and your
understanding of the relationship between chords by transposing
the chords of the songs you can play by heart to different keys.

Let's take the song Tom Dooley as an example. It contains only
two chords in it's most common form. If you play it in D-major
it will be D and A7. If you play it in E it will be E and
...well you can figure it out by yourself.

Try to play Tom Dooley in the key of C and see if you can figure
out the chords.

To hear a melody and then be able to play it on the guitar is
really both fun and of great use to a guitarist. By trying these
tips you might find yourself a little bit closer that goal!

About the author:
Peter Edvinsson invites you to download your free sheet music,
guitar tabs, ebooks, music lessons and read his music blog at http://www.capotastomusic.co
m

Guitar Playing: What About Motivation?

By: Peter Edvinsson

What can you do to stay motivated as you practice on your
guitar? How can you increase and maintain the joy of playing?
Here are some tips on how to keep that joy that made you start
playing the guitar in the first place!

What can you do before setting goals?

The reason why we don't keep our guitar playing goals might be
that we haven't been honest with ourselves before the goal
setting process.

Before actually setting goals you have to decide why you want to
play guitar or want to be a better player. Make an honest survey
of your assets and wishes in the area of guitar playing.

Your inner wishes will probably conquer your goals if they are
not the same.

How to set goals

In order to set goals that you will actually work towards you
might ask yourself:

Do I really want to accomplish these goals?

Will I really feel good when I reach my goals?

I guess you will agree with me that the only goals that are
really meaningful are the ones that will take you in that
direction that leads to a place you want to be at!

I think that a part of your guitar playing goals should be
focused practicing melodies you want to play in front of other
people.

One common reason for starting to play the guitar is to be able
to play the pieces of music you like.

This means that as you learn to play guitar, a goal might be to
learn a number of songs or melodies by heart so you can play
them in any setting.

These songs or melodies are to be learned so well that you don't
have to worry if you are asked to play.

One reason for having a repertoire with guitar pieces thoroughly
rehearsed is that you can feel that you perform at the top of
your ability when asked to play.

Remember, it should be guitar pieces you like to play.

If you do not like what you play you run the risk of memorizing
these feelings together with the material you play.

When you practice a guitar piece you will memorize much more
than the melody. At least these things will be memorized:

1. Hopefully the melody

2. Your attitude

3. Your level of body tension as you play

4. Your posture

5. The pressure you apply when pressing down the strings or
holding your pick

If you like what you practice this joy will probably be
transmitted to the audience when you perform.

In order to keep your motivation to practice on top and be able
to stick with your guitar playing goals I suggest that you
consider the following tips:

1. Ask yourself these questions to evaluate your future ability
to stick with your goals:

Why do I want to be a better guitar player?

Is it because I like to play guitar?

Is it because I am "forced to"?

Is it because I want to impress my friends?

What things do I like to play on the guitar?

2. Set goals that take into consideration what motivated you to
play in the first place. If you like strumming chords and sing
your favorite songs your goals should probably be in that area.

3. Learn pieces that you feel good about and let other people
listen to them and feel good too.

About the author:
Peter Edvinsson at Capotasto Music invites you to download your
free sheet music,
guitar tabs, ebooks, music lessons and read his music blog at http://www.capotastomusic.co
m

3 Time-Tested Tips For Learning Guitar Chords

By: Fabian Tan

Learning guitar chords may seem daunting for a new guitar
player. However, it dosen't have to be that way. Remember, the
guitar professionals were once novices who didn't have a clue
about chords as well! In this article, I will divulge some
proven tips for learning chords quickly and easily.

Firstly, let's define what a guitar chord is. A guitar chord is
a collection of tones sounded in harmony by pulling two or more
strings on a guitar. It usually requires playing open strings.

Now that we have got the definition out of the way, it is time
to get straight down to the methods! Obviously, one of the main
difficulties in playing chords is using a few fingers a tight
space in an attempt to play a tune. Well, practice makes
perfect. You can speed up the process of learning chords by
referring to a guitar chord diagram. These diagrams show the
organization of the guitar chords you should be playing.

The second tip is to find a song, preferably an easy song, which
you like and to try to play the chords to it. Starting with an
easy song helps build you competence in chord playing

My third tip is to simply choose a chord family and really
practise it until you become really good at it! If you try to
learn too many chord families in a short space of time, you may
end up with information overload, and you will not be able to
learn as quickly. This is a common mistake many beginners make.

Learning guitar chords can be trying at first, but after a
while, you will begin to get more comfortable. Getting a large
repertoire of guitar chords under your belt is important as it
is the base for higher levels of guitar playing.

About the author:
Fabian Tan is a devoted guitar player and idolizes legendary
guitarists like Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Springsteen. He is a big
fan of the Jamorama learning course, and reviews it at his Jamorama Review site.

Develop a Guitar Practice Schedule

By: Kathy Unruh

Now is as good a time as any to develop a Guitar Practice
Schedule. Let's face it, if we want to be better guitar players,
then we need to play! Notice that the key word here is play, not
work. But, if you're anything like me, then you know how easy it
is to let other demands on your time get in the way of
practicing your guitar. Time management is always a challenge,
but I find it helps when I write things down and can visualize
my priorities.

Today I would like to help you develop a practice schedule so
you'll be able to reach some of your goals as a guitar
player.Every guitarist's practice schedule will differ due to
personal lifestyle, job & home demands, hobbies, social life,
etc. Being a beginner, intermediate or advanced guitar player
will also effect how and what you practice.

As a beginner, your main goal is to develop the calluses,
strength and coordination skills needed to play the guitar.
Practicing 15-20 minutes a day should be enough time to
accomplish this. Once you gain some proficiency on the guitar
you can adjust your practice schedule according to your
particular needs and desires.

It's a good idea to set aside a specific time each day when you
will be able to focus on playing your guitar. Mark down this
time on a calendar and keep it some place where you can see it
as a reminder of your committment. Tell your family about it
too. Let them know that their support is important and will help
you reach your goals.

Next, take a sheet of paper and create a basic outline of what
you will need to work on each day. Make sure you incorporate
chords, various guitar techniques, plus tab and/or note reading
skills into your practice schedule, as these are the common
areas that every guitarist can use to develop their skills.

Here is an example of what your Guitar Practice Schedule might
look like:

MONDAY

• Reading Music - Use standard notation &/or
  tablature to learn a song, or play a single line melody.
  
  
• Goal : To improve sight reading skills in order to learn
  new songs and guitar techniques.

TUESDAY

• Chords - Practice strumming various chords
  progressions and songs in different keys.
  
  
• Goal: To change easily & smoothly between chords. Long term
  goal being to learn the fundamental chords for all 12 keys.
  

WEDNESDAY

• Performing - Memorize a song you have learned.
  Play it in front of someone, or record yourself.
  
  
• Goal: To gain confidence and get feedback in order to
  improve guitar playing abilities.

THURSDAY

• Theory & Technique - study scales &/or chord
  structure. Incorporate slides, hammers, pull-offs, arpeggios,
  finger-picking and other techniques.
  
  
• Goal: To increase understanding of music and improve finger
  dexterity on the guitar.

FRIDAY

• Fretboard - Memorize &/or review the notes on
  the fretboard.
  
  
• Goal: To improve fretboard awareness in order to facilitate
  a broader range of playing options.

SATURDAY

• Review - Take time to go over any trouble spots.
  Concentrate on one specific area. Write down any thoughts or
  steps needed to improve performance &/or understanding.
  
  
• Goal: To play the guitar in such a way that it produces
  music with a clean, clear, quality sound.

SUNDAY

• Free Time - Take time off or experiment. Play
  around with different sounds using your ear. Make up a chord,
  song or melody line. Create a repertoire so you can play the
  pieces you enjoy. Have some fun.
  
  
• Goal: To become a creative guitarist and
  musician.

About the author:
Kathy Unruh is a singer/songwriter and webmaster of href="http://www.abclearnguitar.com/free-guitar-lesson.html"targe
t="_blank">ABC Learn Guitar. She has been writing
songs and providing guitar lessons to students of all ages for
over 25 years.

href="http://www.abclearnguitar.com/newsletter.html"target="_blan
k">Get free guitar tips here!

Effective Practicing on the Guitar

By: Andy Weaver

Effective Practicing on the Guitar

Ah, guitar practice. It really means a different thing to each
and every guitarist. For quite a few guitarists, practice simply
means looking up a new song and learning it by tab. Though this
is beneficial to an extent, it is by no means effective
practicing. Allow me to elaborate:

The guitarist who knows a huge library of songs (because he
learns a new one each time he practices) can play quite a few of
these songs, but can he play them convincingly? Can he play them
very closely to the original, is everything clean and played
with conviction? How is he phrasing everything, and how tight is
his rhythm playing?

These are all questions you should ask yourself as you are
practicing. Being able to play a 1000 different songs would be
great (and would be impressive) but I would much rather be able
to "nail" a song note-for-note than be able to play several
other songs in a half-assed fashion. Being able to "nail" a song
really gives you a sense of satisfaction that is truly
unmatched. Or better yet, composing your own work -- and being
able to nail it effectively every single time is truly
liberating. You feel great!

The key to effective practicing is to use your ear, and be
honest with it. Was that bend intonated correctly? If it wasn't
start over again and work extra hard on making that bend scream
in tune. Record yourself trying to play the song you want to
learn, and go down the following check list:

* How is my intonation? Any bends that sound off, any vibratos
that sound out?
* How solid and tight are my rhythms?
Does the song call for a relaxed, almost swing rhythm or for a
more fast-paced on the dot rhythm?
* How is my
articulation? Do some of the notes sound too weak, too strong,
or are otherwise distracting?
* How is my phrasing? Did
I give the notes a decent amount of space, and how predictable
is the phrasing? Pretend you're a listener who's never heard the
piece, could he effectively predict what's going to be played
next? This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I believe that a
good balance between predictability and unpredictability is what
we should strive for.
* How clean is the playing? Overall
cleanliness.. do I need to woodshed that lick a little bit
more? Do I need to practice this phrase with a metronome for a
while? There is much more to pay attention to, but I think you
get the idea. Don't cut yourself short. Realize that there are
going to be some flaws. A lot of times it helps to record
something and save it one day, and then the next day come back
to it and listen. You'll be listening to it with fresh ears, and
you can better identify what needs to be worked on.

Post your playing on internet forums. Find a decent music forum,
and post your work there, see what non-biased ears think of your
work. Tell them that you're open to c&c on your playing and
tone. This is the #1 way to improve your playing. Pretend like
these people are your guitar teachers, they are there to let you
know what needs work and what sounds good. Follow their advice.

There have been times where I practiced a simple section of a
solo (that wasn't any longer than 8 seconds or so) for 3-4 hours
in one day. I was somewhat satisfied with my performance of that
section, but I *knew* that I could play it better. I just knew
it! Deep down inside, I felt like I could totally ace it
flawlessly. After a few days of practice, I did it! It sounded
great. And I felt great about it too!

Hell, I've sat around practicing my vibrato on one note for
close to an hour. Boring? Yes. But did it pay off? Hell yeah!
From that point on I focused a lot on my vibrato, always trying
to pull off that same vibrato I had after practicing it for an
hour that one day.

You may think it's a waste of time to spend hours on end
practicing only 8 seconds of a solo, but it's truly worth it.
The overall effect it has on your playing is like glue. When you
work so hard to fix your mistakes within a short section of a
song, it's like sealing the glue.

And once that glue is sealed, it's there for good. =)

Check
out more of my guitar articles

About the author:
About me

The Gibson Les Paul Guitar Story

By: Gareth Owen

In 1950, there was a big boom in the world of music when the
Fender Telecaster (electric guitar) was introduced in the
market. Another breed of guitars led the world of music after
this with Gibson Les Paul. As the name suggests Gibson is the
leading musical instrument manufacturer and Les Paul was one of
the most respected guitarists in history. Les Paul has been
known for his innovation in musical instruments and it was for
this reason that the president of Gibson Company, Ted McCarthy,
got Les Paul to be a consultant for Gibson.

Les Paul made a solid body prototype, which was known as The
Log. Les Paul had approached Gibson in the year 1945 with this
prototype but this idea was refused, but then again in 1951 Les
Paul and Gibson worked together and Les Paul's innovative idea
gave birth to a marvel that rocked the music world. The line of
models for the Gibson hollow-body electric guitars provided
ideas to create Gibson Les Paul, which differed from Fender in
having a more curved body and a glued-in neck.

There are different controversies regarding the role of Les Paul
in Gibson. One of the controversies is that the president of
Gibson Corporation approached Les Paul and asked him for the
right to print his name on the headstock of the guitar so that
they could increase the sales of that specific model and name it
Gibson Les Paul.

It was also claimed by McCarthy that they only had discussions
with Les Paul regarding the tailpiece and fitting of a maple cap
over the mahogany body for increased density and sustain. Les
Paul also wanted the new model to have a gold finish but the
Gibson gave flame and tiger maple finishes for it to compete
with the Fender.

The Les Paul guitar started out with two models, the regular
model, which was then nicknamed as the Goldtop and the other was
the custom model in which up gradation of the hardware was
offered with a black finish. There was a constant improvement
seen in the pickup, body and hardware patterns that truly pulled
lots of guitarists towards it.

There are different features that distinguish the Gibson Les
Paul from the rest of the brands. Gibson Les Paul is known for
mounting of its strings, which are always mounted on top of the
guitar body and not through the guitar body as was seen in the
Fender's models. Gibson Les Paul has offered a wide range of
decorative models, customized hardware, and electric pickup
options. The humbucking pickup completely eliminated the
60-cycle humming that previously beset the amplified guitars.

Gibson Les Paul has gone through an evolutionary process over
the years and has brought on unique models to gear up with state
of the art advanced technology and style. The line of Gibson Les
Paul models are Goldtop (1952-1957), Custom (1954-1960), Gibson
Les Paul Junior (1954-1960), Gibson Les Paul TV (1955-1960),
Gibson Les Paul Special (1955-1960), Gibson Les Paul Standard
(1958-1960), Gibson Les Paul SG 1961, Gibson Les Paul Deluxe
1968, Gibson Les Paul Studio 1983, as well as the modern Gibson
Les Paul guitars.

It was in the 1960 that the icons in the world of guitarists
such as Mike Bloomfield, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page as well as
Eric Clapton acknowledged the professional capability of Gibson
Les Paul's late 50s guitars because they had the thicker and
more sustaining tone of Gibson's humbucking pickups. This
innovation just gave Gibson Les Paul the unique standing in
electric guitars and then there were a lot of companies that
followed the lead of Gibson in making the humbucking pickups.
Following these icons, a lot of other bands and artists made
Gibson Les Paul their choice and now a 1959 Les Paul can cost in
a range of about $100,000 to $500,000.

About the author:
For further information visit http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com

Learn How to Play Guitar in Less Time

By: Groshan Fabiola

With so many quality guitar lesson-providing websites out there,
increasingly larger numbers of existing and prospective guitar
players are nowadays turning to the Internet when it comes to
finding efficient guitar playing lessons, tutorials, tips and
tricks that can significantly improve their playing. Although
many types of guitar lessons have good potential of teaching
both the basics and subtleties behind playing the guitar, guitar
lesson videos are still regarded as the best methods of learning
how to play the guitar. Designed by the best guitar players and
instructors in the world, the right video guitar lessons can
teach you everything you want to know in the least of time and
with minimum effort. Video guitar lessons are nowadays provided
by dedicated websites either under the form of downloadable or
CD/DVD video files, they are properly categorized on criteria
such as difficulty and music genre, and can be either accessed
for free or obtained in exchange of a small fee.

Regardless of your level of skill and experience at playing the
guitar, online guitar lesson videos are perfect for helping you
polish your guitar playing technique and discovering new things
about playing the guitar. Providing you with valuable guitar
playing techniques, tips and tricks in video format, video
guitar lessons are ideal for both novice and experienced guitar
players looking to further improve their playing.

Presenting a variety of concepts in a descriptive and highly
comprehensive manner, guitar lesson videos are easy to put into
practice and can help you discover and reach new levels of
guitar playing in less time and with less effort. Therefore, if
you are interested in learning everything you can about the art
of playing the guitar from professional guitar players, all you
need to do is find a reliable, dedicated guitar
tutorials-providing website, enter in possession of a few
quality video guitar lessons and start practicing. With good
motivation and regular practice, results will begin to show in
no time.

If you are a complete beginner and want to learn the basics of
playing the guitar the quick, easy and convenient way, then it
is advisable to enter in possession of quality beginner guitar
lessons in video format. Video guitar lessons for beginners are
perfect for learning the basics such as the notes on the guitar
fret board, basic finger positions on the fret board, the most
commonly used scales, finger strength building, picking
techniques, speed training, and so on. Helping novice guitar
players build a solid guitar playing foundation, beginner video
guitar lessons are crucial for ensuring that all exercises are
performed correctly and naturally. Considering that the first
guitar lessons that you receive have a great impact on your
future guitar playing (once formed, bad guitar playing habits
are usually very difficult to eliminate) it is crucial that you
use the best quality beginner video guitar lessons right from
the beginning and build a clean, proper technique.

Once you have reached the next level with your guitar playing,
then you can switch to a set of intermediate and advanced video
guitar lessons and develop new skills while also working to
further improve the ones you have already learned. High quality,
efficient video guitar lessons for intermediate and
advanced-level guitar players are designed to help you learn how
to play the guitar like a pro, and cover a variety of topics, as
well as a wide range of tips, tricks and secrets that most
guitar players prefer not to expose. If you want to be able to
play the guitar like a pro and impress all your friends with
your skills, then you should enter in possession of a few
quality video guitar lessons for advanced, start practicing, arm
yourself with a little patience and results will definitely
show!

About the author:
For more information about guitar
lesson video or even about begin
ner guitar lesson your can check on this website http://www.guitar5day.com
for more guitar related subjects.

Line 6 Guitar Amps

For wonderful Effects Choose Line 6 Guitar Amps


Line 6 HD147 300W Guitar Amp Head





By: Rocky

Line 6 was founded in 1996 and was based in Agoura Hills,
California. It is a producer of digital modeling electric
guitars, acoustic guitars,amplifiers and for good effects
processors. The company experienced a quick expansion in the
early 2000s due to it's achievement of their POD branded product
that reproduced the sound of various classic and amazing modern
guitar amplifiers, effects pedals,amplifier cabinets and other
microphones, with a high-quality deal of accuracy. The PODxt
Live product is a current development, and extends the
characteristics of the unique POD with more reproductions and
effects in a pedal board package. Line 6 now has numerous other
product lines in production: Line 6 has an energetic user
community, and that provides software, which allows users to
simply download and share patches or machine settings. This
software covers all of Line 6's obtainable flagship products.
Their products are used and authorized by many expert artists.
Line 6 guitar amps offers stirring various kinds of effects,
consisting of chorus/flanger, phase, tremolo, digital delay,
tape echo, and other sweep echo as well. By using Smart FX all
effects could be jerked easily, Top Tempo permits change of
delay times. Line 6 has come up with the Spider II guitar amp
with the Smart Control FX.By using the delay knob you could
select a standard delay, tape echo, and other sweep echo. You
have an option to choose among chorus/flange, phase,and as well
from tremolo using the modulation effect knob. Line 6 guitar
amps Tap Button permits you to set the pace of your delay
effects, as well as gives you entrée to a Tuner, Distortion
Boost, and a built-in Noise Gate. The distortion improve of the
Line 6 guitar amp permits you to hit the model harder and get a
more indistinct sound, by boosting your guitar signal before it
attaining the Amp Model. Line 6 amps built-in Noise Gate would
help to cut down on hiss and noise. You would recognize the gate
is on when the Channel D LED comes on. When you get the Line 6
guitar amp you will discover even more hidden functions.

About the author:
Rocky is a Copywriter of www.gigasonic.com

He has written many articles in various topics.For more
information visit:

www.gigasonic.com

contact him at gigasonic1@gmail.com


Line 6 HD147 300W Guitar Amp Head

Fender Telecaster Guitar

By: Gareth Owen

Popularly known as Tele, this variety of electric guitar is
known worldwide for its efficient design and ground breaking
sound, which has made it a very popular choice among musicians.
The sale of Fender Telecaster can be traced back to the era of
1950 when the single and dual pickup Esquire models were being
commercially produced. This is what makes Fender Telecaster one
of the world's highest ranking solid body electric guitar.

The first form of Fender Telecaster was known as the Esquire and
there were about fifty guitars that were produced originally. In
about 1950, Esquire, which was a one-pickup model was replaced
with a two-pickup model and was named Broadcaster. There was a
legal threat from a company known as Gretsch, which was already
producing guitars and drums and said that Broadcaster was
violating its trademark Broadkaster, which was the trademark of
its drums. Therefore, Fender changed the name from Broadcaster
to Telecaster.

The design of Fender Telecaster was very simple and it was made
in such a way that servicing the guitar or repairing the broken
ones was made very easy. The guitars were produced on a large
scale in an assembly line and were not made as an individual
piece. The bodies of the guitars were band-sawed and the necks
of the guitars were bolt-on because of making the repair and
service really easy. There was a removable control plate, which
could be removed easily and the electronics could be accessed
with great ease. This feature gave it a hook and gained
attention of a lot of musicians because in the standard make of
guitars one had to take the strings off and then remove the
pickguard to get to electronics.

The classic form of Fender Telecaster was a very simple
framework, which had a neck and fingerboard including a single
piece of maple, which was bolted to an ash or alder body with
both sides flat, the front and back. The hardware included the
two single coil pickups, which were controlled by a three-way
selector switch with volume and tone controls. Earlier, the
pickguard was made of bakelite, which was later made with
plastic and was fixed on the body with five screws at first but
later on with eight screws. The bridge had three saddles, which
were adjustable with the strings doubled up on each. This became
a thrilling addition in the world if guitars and soon different
companies followed its lead.

The modern Telecaster is a lot different from the standard. They
have 22 frets rather than 21 and at the headstock is present the
truss rod adjustment rather than the body end. It has a six
saddle bridge that allows the adjustment for length and height
for individual string. It has a plain flat plate and the bridge
cover has been discontinued for most models. The wiring of the
modern Fender Telecaster is also different from the classic one,
which is a 3-way toggle switch, which selects neck pickup in the
first position, neck and bridge pickups together in the second
position and in the third position is the bridge pickup. The
volume control for all pickups is in the first knob and the
second knob controls the tone for all pickups. The Fender
Telecaster is made up of a solid body, which allows it to give a
clean and crisp sound quality, which resulted in other leading
companies to follow the trend.

With this magnificent equipment a lot of new genres have evolved
such as country, electric blues, rock and roll and it is because
of its solid construction that lets the guitar to be played as a
lead instrument with a long sustain as an awesome effect. One of
the musicians that have made Telecaster their signature include
Elvis Presley, Merle Haggard, Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan, Albert
Collins who played the blues with the Telecaster, Muddy Waters
as well as a long list of musicians who when played the guitar
just touched the hearts of millions.

About the author:
For further information on a wide range of guitars and musical
instruments please visit http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com

How Do Guitar Amplifiers Work?

By: Max Cane

Guitar amplifiers amplify the sound fed into it from the guitar
and drive the guitar loudspeaker. The sound waves generated by
the guitar strings are converted into minute electrical signal
with the help of the guitar pick up and then fed into the guitar
amplifier (or simply guitar amp). Depending on whether or not
the input of the guitar amp can work with the minute signal
coming from the guitar, the guitarist may need to feed the
guitar signal first into a pre-amplifier and then take the
output from the pre-amplifier to feed the guitar amp.

The working of a guitar amp typically has four stages - input,
signal modulation, signal amplification and then finally the
output stage.

Input Stage

The input stage of the guitar amp accepts the input signal
either from the guitar pre-amp or directly from the guitar
itself. Normally, there are input female jacks installed onto
the amplifier where you attach the input signal cable. If the
guitar signal is too weak to be fed into the guitar amp, the
signal should first pass through a guitar pre-amp. It is very
important that there is proper impedance matching between the
available input signal impedance and specified guitar
amplifier's input signal impedance. More often than not, signal
impedance mismatch is the cause of deterioration of the final
guitar sound on the loudspeaker.

Nowadays, there are many guitar amps, which have a
pre-amplification stage incorporated into them. For such amps,
you do not need to pass the guitar signal into a separate
pre-amp. You can directly feed the signal into the amp itself.

Signal Modulation Stage

Plain in and plain out is not exactly the way normal electric
guitarist likes it. He wants the guitar sound to be jazzed up,
twangy, funky, heavily distorted etc. etc. For such sounds, the
input signal has to under go modulation before they can be
amplified. Say suppose the guitarist wants a heavy distortion
akin to heavy metal rock sound. To get this type of sound, the
input signal is fed into the signal modulation stage where the
signal undergoes the required (but controlled) distortion. The
same applies to other sound effects like wah-wah sound, reverb
etc. Many guitar amps have equalizers and other tone control
knobs, which also come under the signal modulation stage.

Signal Amplification Stage

The signal amplification stage is the 'business' stage of any
guitar amp. It is here where the guitar sound is actually
amplified. Good guitar amps will faithfully magnify the signal
coming from the Signal Modulation Stage, i.e. the incoming
signal will be the exact replica of this stage's outgoing
signal, only that it will be of much greater amplitude. It is
the 'business' of any amplifier (be it voice or guitar amp) to
faithfully amplify the incoming signal.

Output Stage

This is the final stage of all guitar amps. Some guitar amps
have the output driver stage as a part of the output stage,
while some of them do not. In some cheap guitar amps, the
outgoing signal from the signal amplification stage is directly
fed into the loudspeaker. However, good guitar amps have proper
signal conditioning output stage where it is ensured that output
signal is properly matched to the input specifications of the
loudspeaker.

Every good guitarist should have good knowledge about guitar
amps. Getting a good guitar amp is very important if you wish to
have a reliable and predictable output musical sound whilst
playing your guitar.



About the author:
For more information and reviews on guitars, guitar
amplifiers and equipment visit GuitarHeadz.com, the complete
guide for anything you want to know about guitars and related gear.

Bored with Guitar? Try An Alternate Tuning

By: T.J O'Connell

One way you might try to get out of a rut, whether you are a
songwriter or just a regular player is to try out some alternate
guitar tunings. All the guitar gods at one point venture into
the world of alternate tunings and it can be alot of fun.

The reason the strings are tuned to standard tuning on a guitar
is because it is the most efficient for fingering the most
amount of scales and chords, but that doesn't make it better
than any other tuning, and if standard tuning is making you
bored maybe it's time to venture out into the world of alternate
guitar tunings.

Now some of this ground has been covered before for example
there are many popular alternate guitar tunings, such as Drop-D,
Open C, C Tuning, Dropped B, B Tuning, B-flat tuning, Dropped A,
Hardcore tuning, E-flat tuning. As you can see there is no limit
to the amount of tunings you can do. You can even come up with
your own; maybe it's one that no one in history has come up
with, who knows there is a whole world of possibility out there,

Some of the most creative and inspiring guitar players have
invented their own tunings and fingerings; just do a search on
your favorite guitarist with the words "alternate tuning" to see
if maybe one of your guitar heroes has invented one of these.

Some guitarists will even own more than one guitar and tune them
all differently so you can switch easily on the fly, whether you
are at a show or at home.



About the author:
The guitar really becomes a brand new world when you discover
the world of alternate guitar tunings. Check out some of the guitar tuning
tutorials at HowToTuneAGuitar.org, if you would like to
delve into this brave new world.

Warm Up Tips for Guitar Players

By: Gerard Hiner

After years of teaching and speaking with other guitar players
it still amazes me how many players fail to warm up properly. I
understand the desire to pick up the guitar and start playing
but a few simple warm up steps will improve your playing and
practice and help reduce injury. That's right, you can get
injured by playing guitar, especially if your hands and fingers
are not warmed up.

Here are a couple of simple stretching exercises you can do
anywhere and no guitar is needed. Do this before a gig or
practice. You will feel better and play better. Be sure to check
http://www.guitardomain.com for more guitar tips and info.

Hold your hand out as if you are directing traffic and telling
someone to stop. Now with your other hand gently grab your
"stop" hand's fingers and gently pull back towards your body.
You will feel it in the lower wrist and forearm. Do this for
about 10 seconds and then switch hands.

Next do the same thing but have your hand pointing downward or
opposite the technique above. This you will feel in your upper
wrist and forearm.

Next do some simple massages. With your Thumb simply apply a
decent amount of pressure and rub the inner part of the opposite
hand. Now do so for each finger. Really give them a good rubbing
and switch hands. This will improve circulation and loosen up
the muscles.

Again do these every day if you can or at the very least before
you pick up your guitar and you should notice and feel the
difference!

About the author:
Owner of http://www.guitardomain.com A website full of resources
for guitar players of all levels.

Guitar Lesson: Five Ways To Learn The Notes On The Guitar

By: Peter Edvinsson

To find your way around the fretboard of the guitar is very
important. It will help you in guitar improvisation, sight
reading, and in understanding chords and more. In this guitar
lesson we will explore five ways to learn the notes on the
guitar fretboard.

How much do you need to practice?

A couple of minutes a day with one of these exercises will help
you improve your skills in finding the notes. In this guitar
lesson we will focus on the fretboard and not the actual guitar
sheet music.

Learning to read guitar sheet music will be much easier when you
master the notes on the guitar keyboard. I have divided this
article in five lessons that you can alternate between until you
master the guitar fretboard.

Guitar lesson 1

Learn the basic notes, the notes of a C major scale (the white
keys on the piano) on every string. Let's test this on the first
string on your guitar. The first note is an E. You will find F
on the first fret. G on fret three. A on fret five. B on fret
seven. C on fret eight, D on fret ten and the next E on fret
twelve.

The sixth string on the guitar is an E too. It's just two
octaves lower but you will find the same note names on this
string on the same frets two octaves lower.

On the second string you will find the notes on the following
frets:

fret 0-B, 1-C, 3-D, 5-E, 6-F, 8-G, 10-A, 12-B

On the third guitar string you'll find the following notes:

0-G, 2-A, 4-B, 5-C, 7-D, 9-E,10-F, 12-G

I guess you can figure out the names of the notes on the next
strings by yourself but here they are in case you will double
check. The fourth string:

0-D, 2-E, 3-F, 5-G, 7-A, 9-B, 10-C, 12-D

The notes on the fifth string or the A-string:

0-A, 2-B, 3-C, 5-D, 7-E, 8-F, 10-G, 12-A

I would suggest that you concentrate on one string at a time and
learn the names as you play the notes on your guitar maybe by
saying the note names aloud as you play.

Guitar lesson 2

Learn a specific note on all strings. This is a great way to
learn the notes and quite amusing too. Let's use the note G.
You'll find it on the third fret on string six. Where can you
find the note G on string five? Right, on fret 10.

The G notes on the strings from the sixth string to the first
are on the following frets:

3 10 5 0 8 3

You can make an exercise of this by playing the G notes from
string six down to the first string and back again. Try this
with other notes too. For example E.

If you devote a couple of minutes a day on this exercise you
will soon be able to play the sequence of strings fast, spotting
the notes without effort.

Guitar lesson 3

Learn the names of the notes on a fret. We can start with the
open strings starting from the sixth string to the first. The
names will be:

E A D G B E

Now, play the notes on the third fret in the same order. At the
same time try to say the names of the notes aloud. I will help
you this time only by writing the note names down:

G C F Bb D G

Try this exercise on different frets and say the names of the
notes aloud.

Guitar lesson 4

Learn the notes in a chord. Play any chord and name the notes
aloud from string six to string one. This guitar exercise will
also help you to understand how the chords are built.

Guitar lesson 5

In this guitar lesson you will use your ability to create random
notes on the guitar. As you play notes on your guitar at random
you also say the note names aloud.

Play in an even pace, just fast enough to make this exercise a
challenge for your mind so your mind will concentrate on the
task and not wander off.

All of these small guitar lessons can be used together with a
companion. One playing the notes on the guitar and the other
saying the note names.

As I mentioned before I think it's best not to overdo these
exercises. Choose one of the guitar lessons and work a couple of
minutes a day on mastering the exercise.

About the author:
Peter Edvinsson is a musician, composer and music teacher. Visit
his site Capotasto Music with free guitar sheet music
and his free sheet
music blog

How To Play Guitar Without Reading Music

By: Richard Smith

Treble clefs, three quarters time and learning all the other
musical jargon is not one of the many easy ways to learn guitar,
in fact it puts a great deal of people off musical instruments.
Luckily there are ways that you can learn how to play guitar
without reading music.

Music that you know from school and books is usually of the
classical notation variety, that is the same for all
instruments. In fact, guitar has its own music notation which
looks very different from other notation. It is called "tab"
which is short for tablature. It looks just like the six strings
of the guitar and uses numbers on the strings, which indicate
where to place your fingers on the fretboard. This makes it one
of the best easy ways to learn guitar.

Often, tab is accompanied by normal, regular sheet music. It is
usually put underneath. Even though you can learn how to play
guitar without reading music, you will find that tab will allow
you to learn a little about sheet music, that will help you with
your timing. But, if you like, you can throw away the sheet
music and still become an accomplished guitar player.

Tab is best for riffs and intricate finger work. However, you
may have seen chords. These are where you hold several fingers
against the fretboard and strum most, if not all, of the strings
to produce a nice harmony. In fact, chords are considered by
many to be one of the best easy ways to learn guitar because you
can play many songs if you know only three or four chords! Once
you learn a few chords, a song is usually a few chords switching
back and forth between them each and within no time you will
have memorized a song and be able to know how to play guitar
without reading music.

About the author:
For a FREE 6-Part Beginners' Lead Guitar E-course ($37 value),
clic
k here and scroll down to access the e-course.

How To Play Fast Guitar

By: Steve Higgins


How to play fast guitar-7 tips to improve your skill in 7 days

Playing fast guitar is something that eludes many guitarists,
yet is something which all of us aspire to at some point. I'm
here to bust open the myths and the "secrets" which people seem
to think hold the key to playing fast. Implement this stuff and
you will be faster in seven days. I guarantee it.

1-Practice-It's obvious but many people claim they want
to be a great guitarist yet don't put the time in. You get out
what you put in! Even if you don't have much time to spare, half
an hour a day is enough to help you improve.

2-Focus your practice-You can increase the benefits of
your guitar practice exponentially by practicing the same stuff
each time. A good way to start this is to choose 4 licks or
scales or parts of scales (anything except chords will work just
fine), and play through each lick in a loop for 15 minutes. By
the end of the FIRST WEEK you'll be two or three times as fast
as you were with those licks to begin with.

3-Think long term. Focused practice everyday is great,
but it's even better to have a goal in mind. for example if you
want to learn a particular piece, gear your practice toward
licks and techniques used in the piece and then dedicate the
last 15-20 minutes(depending on how much time you have) to
practicing the actual piece. Nothing helps you stay focused and
motivated more than being able to see your daily progress.

4-Work on legato-Legato actually means smooth, or
flowing, but in guitar circles it is the term given to fretting
notes with your left hand and making them sound without actually
picking anything with your right hand. It could also be called
the art of hammering on and pulling off. Excellent practice as
it will strengthen your left hand, not only making you faster
and smooth, but will improve your vibrato and chord changes too.
It just makes your hand fitter! A great way to practice this is
to run up and down some scales, but only pick the first note on
each string, so you will be hammering on going up and pulling
off on the way down. It's tough at first but persevere and you
will get rewards!

5-Use a metronome. Other musicians seem to use metronomes
with no trouble, but guitarists are allergic to them, or at
least seem to be! I'll spell it out - An hour with a metronome
does A LOT more good than an hour without. It's simply the best
tool for highlighting the weak areas and inefficiencies in your
technique. There is a learning curve but stick with it-your
playing will change for the better, permanently! Buy one!

6-Use a hard pick. Controversial? I know that people
should use whatever pick they want to, but a softer pick WILL
slow you down, and a harder one won't. It's simple physics. Most
picks have a degree of flexibility, so after picking a note we
have to wait for it to return to its proper shape before we pick
again, or the note is not picked cleanly. Put it this way-trying
to learn to pick fast while using soft picks is like putting
bicycle wheels on a Ferrari and then trying to drive fast. Not
going to happen!

7- Start slow-Work on something until you can play it
with no mistakes at all before you crank up the speed. This will
do more for your all round musical skills than just pushing the
metronome up a few beats every few minutes. If you move forward
before your skills are ready your playing will be very very
sloppy, and that will be a real hard habit to get out of!

Hopefully those tips will help you break out of a rut and get
your fretboard burning!

About the author:
Steve Higgins has been a guitarist/musician for over 20 years,
both playing and teaching in his local area. If you find these
tips useful and would like to learn more please click here

David Lee Roth back as Van Halen singer

This is hilarious. Check out the story and then read the comments. LOL.

LOS ANGELES -- The rumors were true. Van Halen will reunite with original singer David Lee Roth for a summer tour of North America.

"I am very excited to get back to the core of what made Van Halen," guitarist Eddie Van Halen said in a statement posted Friday on the band's Web site announcing a 40 city tour. No specific dates have been named.

It will be the first time that Roth performs live with the band since 1984, when he was replaced by Sammy Hagar. A brief reunion with Roth in 1996 resulted in two new songs but no tour.

Original bassist Michael Anthony will not be a part of the reunion. Late last year he was replaced by Eddie Van Halen's 15-year-old son Wolfgang.

More: Van Halen Reunion

The Modern Way of Playing the Guitar

Parents always want their child to excel in life and studies have shown that letting the child learn to play an instrument helps in their development. The two most common instruments that parents let children learn are the piano and the guitar.

Learning how to play the guitar in years past and now isn’t that different. The first thing needed is to obtain one; if there is already an instrument available then learning can begin. If one needs to purchase one, then going to the music store with somebody who is familiar with guitars will really helping the selection

The most important thing to know before playing any musical instrument was learning how to read the notes, but today this is not considered to be enough. The person needs to listen as he is playing to know whether or not he is producing the correct notes.

In the past, an instructor had to be found before lessons could begin; but now a person can simply start by learning from friends and then practicing. After some time, the assistance of a professional can help advance your knowledge of playing the guitar.

There are also books that teach a person how to play the guitar. By reading and studying the latest techniques of the popular musicians, one will be able to learn a trick or two when playing.

The internet can also help improve one’s skill with the guitar. There are many websites available that give tips from a beginner’s stage to the more advanced lessons.

Instructional videos are also available. Some were produced by rock stars and each of these individuals have or use a different technique.

The best technique that can be used to check your progress is by playing the guitar at the same time as the same song is playing in the background. That way, if you are playing “off key”, adjustments can be made until it is perfected.

Technology and the publication of books have really helped change the way people can learn how to play the guitar. With the many options available, anyone who has the desire can start at any age and at any time. But learning the basics first before moving on to other things is essential.

Guitar playing should be fun. It is not just about learning how to play the instrument but enjoying it as well. Not everyone is born to do play it well. So if after some time, it’s really not working for you, then giving it up for another musical instrument might be the answer.