How To Play Acoustic Electric Guitars Properly.

Acoustic Guitar Picking Lessons - How to Master It

2009-01-20T09:31:00.001+07:00

By Tom Mandasco.

If you want to play acoustic guitar, you may know that you can choose your playing style. You can choose to do the strumming by your fingers or you can choose to do it using pick. Guitar picking has some technique to go along with. This article will let you know some of guitar picking lessons so that you can master this style of playing by your self.

If you are right handed, you will have to use your right hand for picking. If you are left handed, use left hand. Here are the methods that you can use for your guitar picking:

1. Hold the pick between the thumb and the forefinger. Allow the thumb to fit comfortably with the pick. Have the tip of the pick pointed to the guitar strings. Make the tip work for replacing the fingernail.
2. Make a firm holding of the pick. Allow the flexible move of the pick between the two fingers so that your fingers will not be too stiff and the noise produced is soft.
3. Strike the strings from the above and parallel to the guitar body. The strings should not be struck at an angle.
4. Casually strike the strings. Increase your speed and make sure that the rhythm is correct.
5. Move the wrist up and down and place the hand perpendicular to the guitar body.
6. You can use your fingers to replace the pick. In classical guitar playing, we do a lot of these without using pick.

Guitar picking is not difficult if you use the right technique. This article gives you some of the acoustic guitar picking lessons.

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How to Play Acoustic Guitar - Beginner's Tips

2009-01-19T12:45:00.000+07:00

By Paul Spouse.

If you want to learn acoustic guitar, you must know that learning any kind of music takes time and efforts. No matter how old you are, you will have to take the same steps of practice. In this article, we will discuss some of the tips that you can use to develop you skill in how to play acoustic guitar. The tips and tricks include:

1. Buy an inexpensive guitar with nylon strings. You will have to own a guitar. Don't borrow someone else guitar to practice. It is not going to work that way. You will need to spend a lot of time with it so you should own one. Select the nylon strings will help reduce your pain in the fingers when you practice. Although, you may want the steel strings guitar, you can have it later. For the beginner, the nylon strings guitar may be more appropriate.

2. Get the right education. Make sure that the book or course that you are learning comes from reliable source. With the right coach, you will progress quickly. If you don't want to get stuck, be particular when you choose to buy a guide book or guitar course. It is important for your learning.

3. Use the guitar tuner instead of tuning guitar by ear. This will save you a lot of time. When you are a beginner, your ears may not be good enough for tuning your guitar quickly. You can use guitar tuner to leverage the effort. You can find good guitar tuner at low cost almost everywhere.

4. Learn the scale and simple chords. Learning scale will help improving your fingers dexterity. It is the basic that you must learn. After you are good at it, you can play full song a lot easier.

5. Start with finger picking. It would be easier to notice if you have pressed your fingers firmly with finger picking. You can hear the muffled sound if you hold the chord poorly. Then you can adjust it. You may not be able to do this if you use a pick.

Learning acoustic guitar can be fun and rewarding. As a beginner, you will just need to know how to play acoustic guitar with the right technique. This article gives you the tips for the beginner to start learning acoustic guitar.

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Learn to Play Guitar Faster With Online Guitar Lessons

2009-01-17T14:22:00.000+07:00

By Edgar Z. Johnson.

Why hire an expensive local guitar teacher when you can get much better, much faster results by downloading online guitar lessons? With a local guitar teacher you will have to pay for each and every lesson you get. Plus you will have to deal with your guitar teachers personality (and trust me, that can be no picnic!)

Perhaps the best reason to go the online guitar lessons route is that you can do your guitar lessons whenever you want instead of having to wait for your next scheduled lesson. Of course the money issue is also another huge reason to most. Unless you are very rich you'll probably be interested in saving hundreds (and even thousands) of dollars by choosing online guitar lessons instead of a local teacher.

Another great reason to download your guitar lessons online instead of hiring a local guitar teacher is that a lot of times these local teachers only want to teach you their specific style and will give you a hard time if you want to learn another style. With online lessons you don't have to worry about that problem at all.

But I think the best reason of all is the speed of the results you will have. By having your lessons available to you at any and all times you will find that you increase your guitar playing abilities at a far faster rate than you would otherwise. In fact there's absolutely no reason you can't be playing at an advanced level within a few months from now even if you are a total beginner.

Jamorama Guitar Lessons are recommended for learning to play guitar extremely fast and at a very low cost. You can download these lessons immediately and get started right now: CLICK HERE FOR GUITAR LESSONS.

The Best Acoustic Guitar Playing Online Resources

2009-01-16T10:13:00.000+07:00

By Cody John.

The budding guitar player who is learning at home has a fantastic range of guitar playing courses online. There are free mini guitar courses and fully comprehensive online guitar tuition. Many of the best acoustic guitar playing are however freely available.

Using YouTube to get you started on guitar

The amazing number of guitar players that have recorded themselves playing their guitar on video is huge. Many of these people are demonstrating how to play specific favourite songs. What you should be looking for as a beginner is some beginners lessons. I have even put a few up of my own and they get loads of people watching them. These YouTube guitar videos will give you some simple chords and techniques to get you started but they will not teach you to play the guitar properly. This is because they only show you part of the guitar playing story.

Using Free guitar mini course

There are a number of free online guitar courses that show you a couple of songs and some simple ways to strum a few chords. If you are serious about learning the guitar then you will already know that a few days of the mini course will not do it for you. These mini courses are leading you to buy into the full products (You did know that, didn't you?) and they will help you select a good course for yourself.

Should you use a real guitar teacher?

Having taught guitar to 100's of people over 30+ years I know that some people have the self motivation to learn guitar at home and some do not. If you are not a self starter you will need the discipline of a guitar teacher setting you goals and homework. Otherwise you can do very well with online guitar lessons. having spent a lot of time looking at online guitar courses I have found some that are not too expensive and yet are comprehensive enough to teach you well.

You can find out more about the best beginner's guitar lessons by visiting my guitar warrior website. http://www.guitar-warrior.com

Open Guitar Chords

2009-01-15T09:49:00.002+07:00

By Ingvar Runarsson.

Your first step towards becoming a guitar player is learning the open chords. Open guitar chords require you to place two or three fingers on specific frets while keeping the other strings open. With the right fingers on the right frets and the other string open, stroking down all the strings you will hear that the sounds from all the string harmonize with each other creating a chord.

Many aspiring guitar players get discouraged cause of the strain it put on your hand. Sore fingertips from pushing hard on the frets and the strain on the muscles in the fingers from stretching them out to reach the right frets can become frustrating. But this is no different from learning to walk, talk, or ride a bike. It seems impossible at first but with time it gets easier. With the right motivation and some hard work, you´ll be playing chords on your guitar blindfolded in no time.

First you should focus on two to three chords and master them before you add more. Trying to learn them all at once can be frustrating, and I know it can be boring to play the same chords over and over again but as soon as you master a few then the rest will fall in place. Practice playing one chord until you're satisfied with how it sounds. Then move on to the next. Then try to play one after the other. Once you have mastered switching between chords, practicing will become fun rather than a chore.

Think of the guitar chords and as words in your vocabulary. With every new word you learn you can better express yourself. It's the same with guitar chords, the more you know, the more you can express yourself on the guitar.

For examples and instructions on how to get started playing open Guitar Chords please visit http://basicguitarlessons.blogspot.com/

How to Play Ska Guitar - Tips That Make Playing Ska Guitar Easy!

2009-01-14T09:39:00.001+07:00

By Dean Olmstead.

If you want to know how to play ska guitar then I hope this article can help. I have grown up playing in ska bands and I have studied some of the best ska guitar players. It can be easy, but once you understand the basics there is plenty of room to add your own style. And that is what makes it fun!

Ska is a type of Jamaican music that emphasizes the upbeat. That means that a guitar player is going to be the one that most often plays these upbeats. Try counting to four like this: 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 (saying the "ands"). Your upbeat is going to be played on the "ands".

To play ska guitar well you should have a great understanding of chords as these are going to be what you are playing on the upbeat. You need to know your major, minor and "seven" chords so practice your chords daily. You will forming the chord and then strumming it on the upbeat. Again, chord knowledge is essential!

Here are some guitar players and bands that I think show off the skills of ska guitar players and they make great study material. The Skatalites originated this music so listen to the way the player lays back on the upbeats. Ernest Ranglin is the master of ska guitar (as well as how to solo in a "ska style") so add his music to your collection. For more modern ska guitar, I love the way Roddy Radiation from The Specials combines traditional with a great rockabilly feel. I would also recommend checking out a new group called The Aggrolites because the way the use the guitar in their ska songs is fantastic!

If you really want to know how to play guitar easily you should check out guitar lessons offered online.

Check out the Easy-Guitar-System and start learning guitar right now!

Learn to Play Guitar Tabs

2009-01-12T10:45:00.004+07:00

By Eric Stromsodt

If you want to learn to play guitar tabs, it would be a good idea to have a basic understanding of music before you begin. While you don't necessarily need to know how to read music, you will need to familiarize yourself with your guitar. You should just play with it for a while, try to figure out a few songs on your own, or maybe play along with your favorite tune. It is vital to become comfortable doing basic things like scales before you even attempt to learn to play guitar tabs.

Once you know the feel of a guitar in your hands, it is time to learn to play guitar tabs. Guitar tabs are simply music that is written in a specific way in order to help those who cannot read normal sheet music. Tabs are written in a 6-line format, and each line represents a string on your guitar. So when there is a note listed on a specific line, you should play on the corresponding string.

When you learn to play guitar tabs, it is best to go at it in steps. Try playing just the correct strings, and do not worry about your finger position. Once you have become comfortable with the strings, you can move on to the actual notes.

The note system is fairly simple, but can get very confusing if you don't learn it properly. When looking at a guitar tab, you will see numbers on the lines. The number simply tells you which fret you should play the note on. So if there is a "3" on your A string, you should place your fingers on the third fret of the A string.

If at any time you begin to feel overwhelmed, simply take a break and have some fun with your guitar. Go back to whatever you feel comfortable with. Play along with some of your favorite songs, or just jam! It doesn't matter if you are playing the right notes, as long as you are enjoying yourself. After all, what would be the point of spending hours learning to play an instrument that you don't even enjoy playing?

When you learn to play guitar tabs, practice is essential. Try to practice as much as possible, and as often as possible. Unfortunately, playing guitar tabs is not like riding a bicycle. You must keep practicing if you want to progress.

If you decide that you don't want to learn to play guitar tabs, and would rather learn a different method, there are many other ways. You could learn normal sheet music, neck diagrams, or chord diagrams. However, guitar tabs are considered by most to be the easiest to learn, so don't expect other methods to be easy. When learning anything, nothing works better than asking a professional. If you are struggling with guitar tabs, consider purchasing an online learning course, hiring a tutor, or ask one of your "music savvy" friends.

For additional resources on reading guitar tabs, please visit Play Guitar Tabs

Electric Guitar Lessons Online - Advantages of Learning Electric Guitar Online

2009-01-09T14:15:00.000+07:00

By Ryan K Lim.

You may have been inspired by the most popular rock band when you saw them playing in their latest concert and you suddenly have this passion in learning to play electric guitar.

Who could blame you, guitarists are simply the most famous member in a rock band, and they just totally rule and make all the girls sway at their feet. So if you want to follow their footstep, it's about time you get some serious consideration in your desire to learn your instrument well.

You don't have to worry about the expensive guitar lessons that are offered in music schools, make use of the free resources over the internet and you can be a rock star in your own right.

To find free electric guitar lessons online, all you need to do is perform a standard search in your favorite search engine. You'll be amazed of the results; your search can return thousands of websites catering to your interest.

Electric guitar lessons online can come in many forms, free sponsored sites, paid sites, e-book format and others may offer DVD instructional video.

Whether free or paid sites, these online guitar lessons are well covered, and you can be assured that you will learn how to play your electric guitar after your session has expired.

Most websites offering electric guitar lessons have instructional video that students can easily follow. The instructional video is a simple but effective tool in demonstrating theories into practice, and many beginners find it convenient to play and replay at their own pace and convenience.

One such site is Ben Edwards Jamorama. They provide over 60 instructional videos on how to play the guitar. You can learn how to play the guitar by watching how others play at your own time and pace.

If you are looking for the best online guitar learning course, I highly recommend Ben Edwards Jamorama. Check out my in depth Jamorama review and learn how it can help you learn guitar fast.

Do You Have Good Guitar Practice Habits?

2009-01-08T10:44:00.000+07:00

By Gary Fletcher.

As you learn to play guitar you will face many challenges and difficulties. Good practice habits will help you to face these challenges and make the progress you wish for. Poor practice habits on the other hand lead to frustration and disenchantment, and ultimately you are likely to give up learning to play the guitar.

Good practice habits are easy to apply, a beginner can master them without expert guitar knowledge. Here are four habits that will ensure you get the most out of your guitar practice and avoid the pitfalls of boredom, frustration or injury.

1. Little and often

Practice guitar often to build your skills quickly. Aim to practice every day, even if you have just a few minutes, pick up your guitar and practice something. Five minutes is all it takes to do an exercise or practice a song.

If you have more time to practice each day it is a good idea to break it up into several short sessions. You can maintain better concentration for a 15 to 20 minute practice than for an hour or more.

You will often find that you reach the end of your 15 minutes with plenty of questions or ideas. If you stop, these questions and ideas will feed your motivation to return and practice again as soon as you can. On the other hand, if you plug on for ages you might finish your practice session wishing you never have to do another.

2. Focus on one thing

Focus is an important factor in the success of your guitar learning. If you try to learn everything you will quickly become frustrated and overwhelmed.

Focus on only one style of guitar playing to learn at a time. You are very likely interested in many kinds of music that require different skills and knowledge. This is great, but if you try to learn them all at the same time you will be easily overwhelmed by the work required.

Focus on only one aspect of playing or one problem at a time when you practice too. For example, you work on a single chord change that you are having trouble with. Make each problem as simple as possible to solve by removing unnecessary stuff around it. In our example, forget about strumming while you work on that troublesome chord change, focus only on your fretting hand. You will solve your problems faster and more easily.

3. Have a routine

To have regular, short, focused practice sessions you need to know what to work on in advance. If you come to your guitar practice sessions with only a vague idea of what to work on you will waste time figuring it out.

Set aside a regular time to plan out your practice in advance. Identify the skills and knowledge you want to acquire and set practice activities for them. You can plan as far or as little ahead as you want. At a minimum it's a good idea to map out at least one week's practice.

4. Fun

It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking only of your shortcomings and the things you want to play "one day", when you are a better guitarist.

If you don't keep in touch with the fun of playing guitar, though, learning can become a drag. The best way to have fun is to make the most of the skills and knowledge you have today. Simply play your favourite songs or find other musicians to play and learn with. Don't worry about your mistakes, and don't wait until you are a perfect guitarist before you play.

* Conclusion

Good practice habits are the key to making progress as you learn guitar. The four habits suggested in this article will help you learn better and have more fun and satisfaction as you learn guitar.

Want to learn to play guitar? Take the next steps to becoming a better player? Gary Fletcher shares tips and lessons you can use at http://www.notplayingguitar.com

Acoustic Guitar Online Tutorial

2009-01-07T12:53:00.001+07:00

By Cody John.

If you have finally got yourself a new acoustic guitar for Christmas then congratulations. If however you are new to playing an instrument then prepare yourself for some work. I have already had someone contact me to see if I can help them out with their new acoustic guitar. Playing guitar looks so easy when you see the rock stars on TV. I mean the are hardly doing anything and yet all this wonderful guitar music is coming out from them. How hard can it be?

Starting to play acoustic guitar

When you start to learn the acoustic guitar it is quite easy to sound reasonable quite quickly. Go to youtube and search for play acoustic guitar. You can just watch and copy what you see. Make sure you only look at the beginners guitar videos. Some of the songs on youtube are very hard to play. The tactic you need to adopt in the first month is to get some decent sounding chord sequences working for you. Then you can look to have offline lessons with a teacher or even lessons on the internet.

Is it possible to learn properly with an online acoustic guitar tutorial?

The answer is that it depends how you approach it and the type of person you are. If you are going to need to be pushed to practice and work through the lessons by someone else then you can forget it. Online guitar lessons will be a complete waste of money for you. If however you are a self starter type of person with good motivation then online guitar lessons will work well for you. The main reason for this is that you can dictate the pace you work on your guitar lessons. When you have one lesson a week it can take forever to make any real progress with a proper teacher. With online guitar lessons you can do a lesson a day or set your own schedule. The other great thing about online lessons is that if you can get online then your next lesson is just a click away.

Let me recommend to you what I consider to be the best acoustic guitar online tutorial

You can find out all about the jamorama course for beginners guitar lessons by visiting my guitar warrior website. http://www.guitar-warrior.com

Learn How to Play the Guitar Online Now

2009-01-06T10:12:00.000+07:00

By Werner Wichmann.

For those interested in finding an exciting, rewarding, and often times useful hobby that can be learned in the midst of a hectic daily schedule, it's hard to see learning how to play the guitar as an available option. But in reality, learning how to play the guitar online opens up a wealth of flexible new ways for those interested to keep up their busy day, while using whatever free time they have available leftover to learn the basics of playing the guitar. Taking lessons online not only saves valuable time, but can also potentially save new students of the guitar a bundle in cash!

With the only major purchase being the initial practice guitar you wish to learn on, the hassle of learning the guitar and dealing with a lot of scheduling red tape with private trainers and guitar classes are a thing of the past. Using sites like eBay or Craigslist to find a good practice/training guitar is perhaps the most involved step when learning how to play the guitar online-make sure that you only bid on classic 'six-stringed' guitars, preferably acoustic rather than electric. This is due to the increased amount of variables associated with playing the electric guitar, and the fact that many electric guitars are custom-made and create additional barriers for learning the basic fundamentals when dealing with abnormal functions. Keeping everything as simple and default as possible is key when using online resources to learn how to play the guitar.

Once you've secured the practice guitar that works best, you're ready to begin looking for an online guitar lesson source! Many options exist on the internet for learning how to play the guitar online, some cost a nominal fee for training and others offer instruction at no cost. What you are seeking to find as a new student of the guitar is the online source that offers a beginner's guide for playing the guitar: instruction on all the parts of a guitar (including how to tune/string the guitar), tips on using the fingerboard/fretboard to play notes, how to finger guitar scales/chords, and reading basic sheet music (in addition to reading scale and chord charts properly). Beginner's will also benefit greatly from an online guitar lesson that offers streaming video demonstrations for new techniques and guitar maneuvers, so if you find a free online source or two that offers videos make sure to bookmark them! Additional things to be on the lookout for are a forum for new players to submit questions and receive answers from online lesson staff, professional guitar players, or other beginners alike on any topic that would concern you as a new guitar student.

So for the person with a large desire to learn how to play the guitar, but with a small window of free-time each week to actually devote to the new hobby, learning the guitar online presents an alternative method for reaching that very goal. Don't allow the fast-paced nature of life to chase away your dreams of being the next famous guitarist of tomorrow!

by Werner Wichmann - a guitar enthusiast who provides online help and writes independent reviews on learning to play the guitar - http://www.PlayGuitarMusicLessons.com

Guitar Tuning For Beginners

2009-01-05T13:07:00.001+07:00

By Luka Ce

Before you begin playing a guitar you should be sure that it is tuned correctly otherwise the sound that comes out of it might not be the one you wanted to.

Strings are usually tuned in the following order E A D G B E which can be remembered as Every Apple Does Go Bad Eventually or the other way around (E B G D A E) as Every Banana Gets Digested After Eating. The first string is the one that should be tuned to the highest frequency 329.63Hz which is E4 or the tone that is major third above the middle C. The second string is B3 just (minor second) bellow the middle C which is tuned at 246.94 Hz, the third is G at 196.00 Hz, the fourth one is D at 146.83 Hz, the fifth one is A at 110Hz (440 divided pay 2 power 2) which means is 2 octaves below the A that serves as a standard for musical pitch and the last one is E2 (82.41Hz).

If you don't have an absolute pitch which is pretty rare you should be able to tune the guitar with the help of piano or even computer that will play you those tone described above. But if you have a lot of problems with it the best way is to get a guitar tuner which is a device that will help you find the right frequency that your string plays. The cheapest way to do it, is to simply google for guitar tuners and you will find many websites where you can hear E A D G B E tones and tune your guitar.

You should tune your guitar almost every single time before you play it, guitars go out of tune pretty quickly specially if the temperature and humidity is not constant. If you are a beginner don't be worried about tuning, once you will do it several times you will quickly hear if your guitar is not tuned correctly and you will be able to tune it in a matter of seconds.

Learn more about tuning and how to play guitar at Learn to play guitar

Guitar Bar Chords - The Secret of How to Play E - Shape Bar Chord

2009-01-03T10:17:00.002+07:00

By Philip Gaskell.

I've been looking at a lot of advice on how to play bar chords, or barre chords (they're the same thing) and I have a secret to show you. If you're new to it, or just find yourself struggling and would like to crack guitar bar chords once and for all, then I will show you how.

It 's easier and much more satisfying and even by my own admission, this is a brilliant way to learn.

Firstly, let me make something clear, the first chords I learned, nearly 25 years ago, were all barred chords. Don't ask me why but that's just how it all started for me.

They are fantastic, bursting with so much energy and I get the biggest buzz off them even them to this day. If you've got a guitar, bar chords are the way forward. So, I hope you feel you are in safe hands. On with the show then!

Very quickly, barre chords (or however you want to spell it!) are largely centred around the open E and open A shape. For the purpose of this part of the secret, we'll just look at the E shape.

Step 1 : Guitar Bar Chords : E Shape : Laying the foundation.

Grab your guitar and play open E now, but don't use your index finger, just your 2nd, 3rd and little finger.

If you look, you will see that the so called 'nut' at the base of the neck (the bit with the grooves that the 6 strings pass through) acts as a capo, or bar, across the neck.

If you moved the whole E chord shape up one fret of the neck, with your index finger taking over the nut's job by laying it across the first fret, so that basically, your index finger becomes the 'bar'.

Before you strum across the strings - I'll warn you - it will most likely sound muffled, damped, dull and generally not good.

However, take the full shape - remembering to bring your index finger with you - and try the same thing on the 3rd fret, which could make it a bit easier as the frets are just a little closer together. This would be a 'G' chord.

If it sounds just as bad, don't worry. This is where the genius part kicks in.

Step 2 : Guitar Bar Chords : E Shape : Retune your guitar

Don't panic, this only affects 3 strings as follows :-

6th string (the thickest one) stays the same

5th string (the next thickest) retune from A up to B

4th string from D up to E

3rd string from G to G#

2nd string stays the same

1st string stays the same

Done.

Test it. Just strum an open chord (ie. don't use your chord hand) and it should sound like a perfect E chord. If it doesn't, just go back and retrace your steps until it sounds right to you.

Step 3 : Guitar Bar Chords : E Shape : Bring on your index finger!

Practise putting your index finger, in whatever way is comfortable for you, across all the strings on the 3rd fret again and strum, remember you are only using your index finger for the chord. Don't worry if it feels really un-natural or you simply can't get it to sound good first time, the strengthening of your thumb and index finger will happen automatically.

I'll explain how I do it, to see if this helps you.

If you look at the underside of your finger, there's your fingertip, then the fold at the back of the smaller first knuckle and then the fold at the back of the main knuckle.

This second fold should be hugging the bottom edge of your fret board tightly. You should be able to bend this knuckle a little bit which should make it easier to give you the leverage using your thumb to get the required amount of pressure you need.

See if you can manage to get all the strings to sound crisp - but again - it's not the end of the world if you can't. How you develop this technique now will become the backbone to every guitar bar chord you play.

The beauty of the retuning means that you are actually playing a full chord with just this one finger, so it's easier on the ear, meaning you will be able to put up with practicing it for longer! Remember, this is only Step 3 so there's more to come.

I've run out of room here so for Guitar Bar Chords : the Secret of How to Play E Shape Bar Chord Part 2, just copy and paste the bold title into the ezine article search bar. Part 2 contains a Hot Tip to help with what you've already done and the remaining 2 tips for how to play bar chords - it's all free and you don't need to sign up to anything so move onto part 2 to complete the tips!

With the right method, you will progress faster than you will have imagined possible. So, today, do something to get yourself moving quicker along the path to guitardom! Click Here

I have tried to put my view on things as a guitarist of 25 years and help similar people to me get to where I am in much less than it took me! to get the wheels in motion and find out more about comparing the free courses to a highly respected budget course called Jamorama. Just take a minute or two to have a look.

How to Play Guitar

2009-01-02T10:37:00.000+07:00

By Luka Ce.

Guitar is one of the most common and well known instruments. One of the best thing at guitars is that you can learn to play it really fast and take it almost everywhere you go.

Guitar is a musical instrument which was first made way back in ancient times. Usually guitar has 6 strings but you can find with 4, 7 and more strings. It is recognized by 6 strings, body and neck. The most usual guitars are classic but there are also electric and many other types of guitars.

Before you start playing you should cut your fingernails which will allow you to hold down the notes easier, you should also be prepared on some pain that you will feel in your fingertips (remember from Summer of 69 "played until my fingers bleed") and you should also tune your guitar. There are instruments to help you do that... if you don't know how to do it and you don't want to spend extra money, ask someone to help you. Eventually you will be able to tune it yourself.

Once you are holding the guitar comfortably with your left hand on the neck and right hand on strings. Start playing each string individually with your thumb up and down. Now start focusing on your left hand. Hold down the strings on the neck with your left hand. Try different positions of your fingers on neck and see what happens when you play on the string you are holding. Because the length of the "free" part of the string will change different sounds will come out. Now start placing your left hand in positions for real chords. For example C-major is played with your ring finger on the 5th string in 3rd fret, middle finger on the 4th string on 2nd fret and index finger on the 2nd string on 1st fret. You can find how to play chords online and if you'll search for chords for songs you'll see that you can play almost every song simply by changing few chords during the whole song. Good luck.

Learn more about how to play guitar at Learn to play guitar.

Learn Guitar With an Acoustic Or Electric? A Guitar Teacher's Perspective

2009-01-01T11:27:00.002+07:00

By Eric Slone.

Learning guitar is a journey that begins with curiosity and enthusiasm. If you're about to start guitar, or have already been playing, you might be wondering, "Should I play acoustic or electric?" As a guitar teacher for many years, I will share some of my knowledge and experience with you on this important topic.

Playing the Acoustic Guitar

Traditionally, many beginner guitar students (and parents in particular) feel that the acoustic guitar is ideal for starting. The acoustic can certainly be a great way to start, since in its basic form, doesn't have as many bells and whistles as the electric. This can help a student focus on the basics and fundamentals of learning the guitar. The acoustic guitar also builds calluses and can strengthen the students fingers generally faster than the electric. On the other hand, learning on an acoustic guitar can be harder to maneuver than the electric, in terms of playing the higher frets and holding the instrument. Some students choose a thinner body acoustic which tends to be easier to hold.

Playing the Electric Guitar

For beginner guitar players, the electric is also a great choice. An electric can have more versatility than an acoustic guitar, which can be important down the road. For example, an electric guitar can have a whammy bar, which is used to adjust the pitch or vibrate a note. I've found that many of my student's get a kick out of using the whammy bar! The electric guitar is also a solid body, so it tends to be easier to hold. On the flip side, electric guitars can be heavier in weight.

So, Should I Play Acoustic or Electric?

You've read some of my perspectives above, now let's identify what it really comes down to in terms of playing acoustic or electric. Below are five general points that may influence your decision to play acoustic or electric guitar (or both if you have the time and money!).

* Do you like the sound of acoustic or electric better?
* Do your favorite music styles lean more toward acoustic or electric?
* Which type of guitar feels better to you when you play it?
* Which type of guitar is more comfortable to play?
* Which of these guitar sound better to you?

I hope this article has helped you. To learn more about information about purchasing and taking care of your guitar, read the first ebook in my guitar training course, http://www.guitarsuccess.com

You'll also find a wealth of information about playing, instructional videos, audios, music theory, and more. Best of all, I offer all my online student's unlimited email support, so think of me as your personal online guitar teacher! Come join me and hundreds of other guitarists today at http://www.guitarsuccess.com

Learn Guitar - 5 Ways to Fix Finger Fumbles

2008-12-31T10:26:00.002+07:00

By Gary Fletcher.

Do your fingers fumble when you play guitar? It's a common problem for guitarists of all levels, but here's a simple five step programme to fix fumbling fingers.

Here are the steps which are described in this article.

1. Focus on one hand only.

2. Practice very slowly.

3. Build finger independence.

4. Practice in your sleep.

5. Develop a patient attitude.

Let's take a look at each of the steps in more detail.

1. Focus On One Hand Only

Your brain has to learn to control hundreds, thousands even, of tiny muscle movements to finger chords or scales. If you load it with even more tasks, like reading tab, strumming, listening to a metronome and tapping a foot, all at the same time you are headed for trouble.

Your brain will be rushing around like a plate spinner in a cabaret show, eventually when there are too many plates in the air there will be broken china. Your brain just can't keep up so your fingers will be left to themselves and will crash just like plates.

Give your brain a chance by concentrating on only one hand. As you master a movement you'll need less conscious effort to control it. Forget strumming, forget reading the tab or music at the same time. Work only with one hand, or even only one finger if necessary, at a time.

2. Practice Very Slowly

If you follow the first step you give your brain some chance to keep up while it coaxes your reluctant fingers into obeying its instructions. If you try going too fast though you will still have an overload and make mistakes.

The more you make these mistakes, the more your finger muscles and brain will learn to repeat them.

So, slow down. A lot. Practice movements as slowly as needed so that you get them right. It doesn't matter if it takes you two minutes to change chords. You have to get it right before you can get it faster.

3. Build Finger Independence

You can give yourself an extra boost with exercises to build your finger independence. Many of these exercises can be performed without the guitar, so you can put loose ends of time you have to good use.

4. Practice In Your Sleep

Visualization exercises are another good way to make use of spare time, like when you are in bed or waiting in the supermarket queue. Visualization is a great way to reinforce muscle learning.

5. Develop A Patient Attitude

It takes time to develop agile and accurate fingers for guitar playing. The movements are not natural and you will need patience to master them. Sometimes it feels like you are making no progress, but if you persist you will improve.

Let's recap.

1. Focus on one hand only, give your brain a chance.

2. Practice very slowly, accuracy before speed.

3. Build finger independence, gain individual finger control.

4. Practice in your sleep with visualization.

5. Develop a patient attitude, you will need it.

Now you know what to do to fix your fumbling fingers so you can master chord changes and enjoy playing guitar. Remember that patient attitude, even with the best approach it takes time to build agile and fast finger technique. So don't be too hard on your fingers, and on yourself. Relax and enjoy yourself and you will progress.

Want to learn to play guitar? Take the next steps to becoming a better player? Gary Fletcher shares tips and lessons you can use at http://www.notplayingguitar.com

Learning to Play Guitar Chords

2008-12-30T11:01:00.001+07:00

By Ken Bishop.

Learning to play guitar chords is often one of the first things every new guitar player focuses on. These chords fit into categories together called "keys". In order to learn guitar chords to the proper extent and be able to place them in songs and progressions correctly, the player also needs to learn a little bit of music theory.

When we see our favorite musician doing an acoustic set with just a microphone and a guitar, we are mesmerized by their ability to make their guitar create those wonderful sounds. A student guitarist tries hard learning to play guitar chords as well as the musician who had inspired them. In order for us to create these sounds ourselves, we need to know what chords that musician had used in that song. Sure, they might have been using a tip here and a trick there for an added sound effect, but it was still simply a guitar making the sound of a particular chord.

By learning to play guitar chords, we will easily be able to hear, recognize and understand the method in which they are used in our favorite songs. We may even be able to write a few songs ourselves by putting this knowledge to use.

While many people ask friends or others for help in learning to play guitar chords, a lot of people turn to books, dvd's and the internet as well in order to learn tips and tricks that they might not otherwise be fortunate enough to learn. One thing to remember, however, is that each persons interpretation of each song is different and so are playing techniques.

When it comes right down to it, everyone has their own unique style of playing and no matter how much we want to and try to mimic our favorite guitar god, we will still have our own style that will make us at least a little bit different than all the rest. It's also important to remember that everyone's guitar knowledge is on a different level so when you ask a friend what those guitar chords were, they may not even know the name. A lot of players simply memorize instead of learning so they know how to form the chord but they do not understand the theory behind it so they cannot really share any information other than a hand's on visual.

If it is your desire to play the guitar you should seek the help of a professional when it comes to learning to play guitar chords. You can get a qualified teacher in your area or you can even do it online on your computer.

Are you intersted in learning how to play guitar chords. Learn how to play guitar and all aspects that go with it. Find it easy to learn. To find out more click learning to play guitar chords.

Learn Guitar Quicky & Easily by Using Online Guitar Tutorials - Tips That Make Learning Guitar Fun!

2008-12-30T10:12:00.006+07:00

By Dean Olmstead.

Learning guitar by using online guitar tutorials is a fantastic way to start playing guitar. These online guitar courses have one big advantage compared to learning from a guitar teacher...they are always available! Now, there are definitely many things that you can learn from a real guitar teacher that you can't learn from an online guitar course, but for those times when you just want to take your guitar skills even further these courses fill a much needed place.

As a musician I am so glad to see the renewed interest in learning guitar for real thanks to the popularity of video games such as Guitar Hero. I have heard it argued that these games don't give you the actual skills you need to learn guitar, which is true, but guitar teachers across the globe have reported a huge increase in interest in learning guitar and they credit these video games for doing so.

Here are a few quick tips when starting to learn guitar:

Practice as often as you can. Daily if possible. I can't stress the importance of this enough. Practice is required to speed up your guitar training. You may think that the best guitarists in the world are naturals, but the truth is that they played all the time. As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect and when it comes to learning an instrument nothing could be truer.

Learn you chords, scales and how to read tablature. Chords are the essential building blocks of song structure and it is how you will communicate with other musicians. Scales will allow you to be the guitar player that can take a solo. And guitar tablature will help you learn songs online. There is so much free guitar tablature out there so take advantage of it!

If you really want to know how to play guitar easily you should check out guitar lessons offered online.

Check out Easy-Guitar-System and start learning guitar right now!

Getting Started Playing Guitar - How to Choose the Right Guitar Strings For You

2008-12-29T12:51:00.004+07:00

By Kevin Uhrig.

When you are making a decision to take up a hobby like playing the guitar, the last thing you need is a complicated process on how to decide what types of equipment to buy, and how to create the different sounds that a guitar can make.

If you are just beginning to play, you are likely to want to go with a nylon guitar string, as they are easier on your fingers and will allow you to learn how to apply the correct amount of pressure with minimal discomfort to your fingertips. Nylon guitar strings produce a mellow, soothing tone. If you are going to play the classical guitar, you are likely to want to stay with these guitar strings, as they are very common in the classical style of guitar playing.

Ball-end nylon strings are popular for the folk-style guitar player. These strings can handle the strumming associated with folk style playing.

Silk and steel guitar strings are what you want for finger style playing, because they are gentler on your fingers.

Bronze guitar strings provide a brilliant, bright tone and are often used on acoustic guitars. They are wrapped in a bronze coating to provide the "brightness" commonly heard from an acoustic guitar.

There are also mutliple choices for the electric guitar player as well. Flat-wound guitar strings are easier to play and produce a tone that is common in jazz styles.

Nickel wound strings, commonly found in brands like Ernie Ball, they are made from pure nickel wire wrapped around tin plated hex. Nickel strings produce a warm, rich toneThese are the types of strings that are commonly heard in rock-n-roll style guitar playing.

Round wound strings, popular in manufacturers like GHS, are made of nickel plated steel, and they produce a bright, long-lasting tone, commonly used in heavy metal, rock, country, blues, and pop styles.

There are also multiple gauges (or thickness) of guitar strings to consider when making your choice. Heavier gauges are better for rhythm style playing and lighter gauges are better for bending and playing solos. It is important to determine which thickness is best for your needs, and remember that they may change as your ability improves. I would suggest a medium light to medium gauge if you are just beginning, as these can be a little more versatile than heavier gauged strings.

For the guitar strings you need and more visit: www.trurewindmusic.com

Electric Bass Guitars & Amplifiers

2008-12-28T11:13:00.014+07:00

By Victor Epand.

Electric bass guitars require external amplification in much the same way that standard electric guitars do - and for the same reasons. There are several electric bass guitars with a hollow body, similar to that found on acoustic guitars, and this helps to provide some extra tone to the voice. However, electric bass guitars still require external amplification to be heard, and to provide the voice which is required.

There are two basic types of amplifier that can be used by those who play electric bass guitar. The first of these is the combination or 'combo' amplifier, and this has the amplifier unit and the speaker built in to one unit. Typically this is a large, often black unit with a large speaker grill at the front, and the amplifier unit built in to the top layer, with the buttons, dials and switches at the front. The second kind of amplifier is one where the speakers are entirely separate, and the amplifier connects the guitar and the speakers through its own system.

For beginners and those on lower budgets the combination amplifier unit is an excellent choice, and has proven to be very popular amongst players for many years. It offers versatility with convenience, and often these units are built to be portable, with carry handles built in to the top of the box, and allows them to be carried without fear of being easily damaged. On the other hand, for the more experienced player the separate amplifier and speakers arrangement provides the choice of each - giving more versatility and greater freedom of choice when it comes to each individual piece of equipment. Some guitarists prefer certain types of amplifier, or amplifiers that provide specific features that may not be found on the more generic combination units.

When it comes to recording electric bass guitars, this is often achieved by completely by-passing the amplifier, and instead connecting the guitar directly in to the sound recording equipment, and then providing external amplification from this. By setting the guitar up in this way, a truer sound quality is produced, rather than recording acoustically a sound which has been created electronically. This is for much the same reason as electronic keyboards are recorded in the same way, as the external speakers may hinder or reduce the eventual quality. Recording the electric bass guitar by directly connecting it to the sound recording equipment also provides the artist and the studio to create and apply extra effects, possibly digitally, by directly manipulating the original electric signal. This helps to ensure that there is no degrading of the quality, as well as providing even greater flexibility.

In addition to amplifier units there are also such items as pre-amplifiers which can also be used to apply certain effects, or alter the voice of the guitar in some specific way. For example, pre-amplifiers can sometimes be used to affect the way a guitar sounds, helping to re-create the sound of a different brand of guitar, such as older models or those used within specific branches of music.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, keyboards, sheet music, guitar tab, and home theater audio. You can find the best marketplace at these sites for electric bass guitars, amplifiers, sheet music, guitar.

Couldn't Find What You Are Looking For?

Reading Guitar Tabs - There May Be Blood Involved.

2008-12-27T10:22:00.004+07:00

By Dave A. Southern.

OK, maybe a bit dramatic, but you have to remember that you have to build up your fingers to be able to play, but more on that later. As a relatively new student AGAIN to the realm of the guitar, I had to remember all over again how difficult it was to learn the guitar. I don't say that to scare you off but to tell you that it will take some dedication to the task at hand, no pun intended, to get proficient at the guitar.

There are a lot of lessons you can pull from online as well as get some favorite songs that you can strum through that will give you the ability to learn the basics. Now that you have the basics, I have often been asked about the basics of learning the guitar and could I write about them.

Maybe my experience, from a beginners standpoint, can help you to know what to expect.

OK, I was kidding a bit about the blood, but your hands have to get used to a new experience. I compare it to when I was a kid and my dad wanted me to go out and rake leaves in the fall. Well, off I would go and, invariably, I would get a blister on my hand from the darn rake. I know, gloves...but that was not an option back in the day. Something about "Being tough" or some malarkey. The same with learning guitar, our fingers have to get used to the new experience.

My beginning experience was the beautiful chord pictures and the finger placement that my teacher wanted me to do and off I went. It is the way many a beginner starts out. I did find videos extremely helpful from several resources on the net and from a visual standpoint, I find it a bit useful to watch as I seem to pick up the concepts better.

Learning chords really is at the core of what you do in guitar playing as you have to give your fingers the ability to memorize what they are doing. A lot of guitar teachers call that "muscle memory" as your fingers have to learn to go to alone. Remember when you learned to drive a car or a stick shift? After a while, your different body parts eventually take over and go it alone, giving you the freedom to talk on your cellphone.

At the core of learning to play your guitar, it requires you to remain dedicated to learning the basics of tabs and chords. From that everything else will spring forth, but don't think about talking on your cell phone as you play. No one wants to see that.

DA Southern is a freelance writer who has recently become interested in the phenomenon in the upswing of the Guitar craze that is sweeping the nation. DA got his own guitar chops broken in on the old song, "Classical Gas" and has been a fan ever since. Visit easyguitartabs.itsyourshowitsyourlife.com

Guitar Tuning And How To Tune A Guitar.

2008-12-26T13:18:00.005+07:00

By Gellnsh.

There are many different ways to approach guitar tuning. We'll touch on a couple of the more effective methods on how to tune a guitar. Not necessarily the most popular as some methods, though extensively used, are considered 'bad habits' rather than genuine, effective guitar tuning alternatives.

The guitar standard tuning is as follows:

STRING - 6th String (bottom, bass, low) NOTE - E
5th String - A
4th String - D
3rd String - G
2nd String - B
1st String (top, treble, high) - E

Tips For Any Guitar Tuning Method

First, lets cover a few things that every player should know when taking the proper approach to guitar tuning and how to learn to tune guitar.

Learn to attach the strings to the machine heads properly. Never try to tune down to a note. Stretch the strings and tune up to the note. Tuning heads have a certain amount of 'play' in them so make a couple of deep bends and then fine tune the string. Before tuning a suspect string, check it against both adjacent strings to determine which string is actually out of tune. The string you suspect may not even be the culprit. When tuning a guitar with a vibrato arm, tune the string, give the arm a good shake, stretch the string, give the arm another shake and fine tune.

Veterans of guitar playing will already know these things so if you're a beginner and just learning to play the guitar, you're already ahead of the game if you implement these practices into your routine. For a great tool visit http://www.guitarmusician.com/guitar-tuner.htm

Here's A Quick Method For Guitar Tuning

Tune the treble (high) E string to an A440 tuning fork by holding your finger on the 5th fret, then tune the open B string to the open treble E string – listening to the interval of a fourth. It's easy to hear the fourth in that register.

Play the A note fretted at the 2nd fret of the G string, and compare it to the open treble E string – you're listening for a perfect fifth interval.

Fret the 2nd fret E note on the D string and compare it to the treble E string open. Double check this by fretting the E note on the 14th fret of the D string.

Now tune the 7th fret harmonic on the A string (an E note) to the open treble E string.

Finally, tune the 5th fret harmonic on the bass E string to the open treble E string.

This is a simple guitar tuning method that works well.

Tips On How To Learn And Play Jazz

2008-12-24T10:15:00.001+07:00

By Anirban.

These online learn to play jazz lessons involve teaching how to play different musical instruments of jazz such as guitar and drums.

There are online jazz music schools which contribute a lot in helping the interested people to learn to play jazz and that too in a really easy manner and without involving much time. This online mode of learning jazz music online is gaining huge popularity both among the youngsters as well as the adults who desire to know each and every section of jazz music genre. The best part about these online jazz classes is that the students can learn their favorite music type by enjoying the comforts of their homes and at any point of time when they are free.

These online jazz schools adopt the special tools for teaching jazz so that the students can have the best of their times learning their loved music. Interactive conversations with the trainers is the best of all the tools for teaching jazz as the learners can solve their queries then and there while attending the jazz music classes.

Also, with the help of online jazz music classes, the interested students can easily learn the very basics and concepts of guitar licks and riffs along with the advanced guitar chord structure theory. The jazz students are trained to master in the field of scales so that they can perform solos as well with great skills and expertise. These lessons are offered in the jazz midi files so that the learners can excel in the jazz music genre with ease and fast pace. The jazz midi files are basically the standard form of representing the musical details in the digital format. After learning this music genre properly, one can even try for the jazz improvisations in order to master in playing tunes whenever one wishes to. These lessons also let the students know of different jazz instruments playing by numerous jazz musicians and experts so that the learners can imitate their favorite jazz personality if desired.

About Author
Myself webmaster of http://www.studiobypass.com - find tools for teaching jazz music, Big Band jazz music & intermediate jazz tools etc.

Learning to Play Acoustic Guitar

2008-12-23T10:31:00.000+07:00

By Werner Wichmann.

With the popularity of the internet, nowadays it has become especially simple for novice guitar players to become proficient at learning to play acoustic guitar. For these novice players, online lessons will offer a higher number of benefits over other, more traditional options when learning how to play the acoustic guitar. A combination of a flexible learning environment, along with the providing of highly-accessible information and the ability of learning to play acoustic guitar from the comfort of your own home presents new players with many reasons why online guitar lessons offer an unbeatable way to get the skills they need quickly, simply, and most effectively.

Looking for the best internet source for learning to play acoustic guitar at first seems to be an impossible task considering the thousands of options for online guitar lessons. Many offer free lessons for beginners, and others require a membership fee before new students can gain access to the online lessons and utilities offered. Some are products that give students a free trial to tryout their online guitar course before requiring payment after a certain point. The truth is that all of these could be valid methods for learning to play acoustic guitar, depending on your comfort level with independent study and/or working with the computer to fill in any gaps in an online lesson. Internet-savvy guitar students will be able to quickly pick out which online lesson source works best for them-if you don't have as much experience with the internet, it's recommended to try sticking with only the free sources and those offering trials before making any monetary commitment that sees you buying products that can't help you/are too advanced for a beginning guitar player.

In addition to the explicit online lessons available, the internet offers other sources of information to the new student of the acoustic guitar seeking tips and tricks for learning to play. A good example is the many message board communities related to learning to play acoustic guitar that can easily found from using a search engine. These communities will aid beginners by offering help with new guitar techniques, answering questions for novice players having problems with certain fundamental concepts, or for helping new guitarists find local repair shops or music stores for new supplies. These communities are free to join, and could potentially lead new players towards meeting a few future members of a great rock band!

Learning to play acoustic guitar is ultimately about dedication and perseverance; while online methods of learning to play offer benefits for many new players it's obviously not a method everyone is able to find success with. But if you are familiar with using the internet, ready to learn the guitar in a mostly-independent method of self-instruction, and are eagerly anticipating the idea of connecting with others through the web while learning the guitar and sharing the new experience with other beginners online, then you should seriously consider using the unconventional (yet effective) option of the internet for learning to play acoustic guitar.

by Werner Wichmann - a guitar enthusiast who provides online help and writes independent reviews on learning to play the guitar - PlayGuitarMusicLessons.com

Couldn't find what you're looking for?

How to Play Guitar Books

2008-12-22T10:43:00.001+07:00

By Ricky Sharples.

There are so many tools for learning how to play guitar that you can get on the internet, it makes you wonder whether how to play guitar books have a place in the world of technology. When you used to have to learn to play guitar from a teacher you always had to have a book that you learnt out of. It was a way of making sure you and your teacher understood where you were in your guitar playing. And if you did not have a teacher you possibly learnt to play guitar by copying what you heard on the radio or on records. Even then you probably had to go out and buy a guitar tutor or at least a chord book.

The advantage of books is that the printed page is a record of information that you might learn today but need to refresh your memory at some time in the future. Video guitar lessons are a fantastic way to learn to play the guitar but the written word has its own way of expressing thoughts or helping you with your approach to music, and you do not have to go through the laborious process of fast forwarding through countless videos to remind yourself of something the teacher said. Also a book can be read when the power is down and you have to practice on an acoustic guitar by candlelight!

So let us look at a few really excellent how to books for guitar. An example of concise, easy to understand, useful guitar info is "The Guitar Book" by Chris Lopez. This book not only contains all the solid information you need to begin your life as a guitar player, you will find it is an inspiration to share in the author's obvious passion for the guitar. This book has everything for the beginner guitar player: basic chords, changing from major chords to minor, chord progressions, playing blues guitar through to slightly more advanced but extremely useful stuff like transposing a chord progression if the original key is not right for your voice. If you are sticking with playing chords to accompany your singing or if you want to get into solo guitar, this book should be by your bedside.

"The Everything Guitar Book" by Ernie Jackson promises to have you playing like a pro in no time. It certainly contains all the basic information like some history of the guitar and the names of all the parts of the instrument, and all the basic chords. This is the kind of stuff you would expect to find in a how to play guitar book. You also have a reference guide for the information you will need to keep in your head as you learn how to play guitar. The circle of fifths is covered,as are scales and arpeggios. You are introduced to playing songs by getting to know what you can play on the treble strings first, then you are introduced to bass patterns.

"The Everything Guitar Book" also introduces you to guitar players you should know about in whatever musical genre you are interested in whether it is classical, jazz, blues, flamenco or whatever is in between. The book then gives you an intro to playing electric guitar, buying an instrument and finding a teacher. Like any book that covers everything, there are some spots that you will need to explore elsewhere but this is a good first book for a beginner guitarist.

Frederick Noad is a classical guitar player and teacher who wrote a famous classical guitar tutor called "Solo Guitar Playing". He also wrote a book aimed at the wider world of guitar players called "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing the Guitar". This book carries a heavy classical guitar orientation but it also gives a good start for playing blues and flamenco. So it is a book for acoustic guitar players, but it is by a guy who know how to get the best from his instrument without causing severe injury to his hands and back and without using amplification. If you are a rock guitarist, do not skip past this book. There is a bunch of stuff in here that will help you become a great guitarist, and you probably will not find this kind of material anywhere else. Get it.

Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free is a constantly updated blog which contains all the resources you need for: learning to play solo guitar, how to learn guitar chords, how to learn to read and play easy acoustic guitar tabs, finding a free online guitar tuner, looking for free guitar lessons online, and how to learn guitar scales.

Guitar Picking For Beginners - Guitar Picking Techniques

2008-12-20T10:18:00.001+07:00

by Ricky Sharples

Guitar picking is one of the big achievements in life. If you can sit down with your guitar and pick out some licks or show off your sweep picking your audience is going to know that you are one cool dude.

Let us take a look at some guitar picking techniques. Alternate picking is when you play a downstroke, then an upstroke, then down again. It is often mis-named alternative picking. This is a commonly used technique which just requires solid practice to develop some speed. If you can learn to play fast using alternate picking you might find that you are less impressed by guitar tapping and sweep picking as ways of impressing your audience with your guitar technique.

The way to begin practicing your alternate picking is very slowly. Do not even think about speed. The use of a metronome is also very important, and this is where your first difficulty will lie. You need to set the metronome to a very slow speed and keep to it as you practice. Most people have a belief that they can play the guitar in time without a metronome. This is just a little trick that our mind plays on us. Very few people have the ability to play in time naturally. The best thing is to assume you are one of them.

Some new guitar players have an issue with whether to begin guitar picking with an upstroke or a downstroke. When you start off learning guitar picking you generally have a natural tendency to use downstrokes. That is, your body wants to pick down all the time. It is more comfortable. Working on alternate picking gets you out of the downstroke rut and into the knack of using up and downstrokes as and when you think they sound best.

Another question that comes up for guitar picking students is where to place your right hand when you are picking. If you are playing an electric guitar, your picking sounds different when you play in different positions in relation to your pickups. The sound you get also depends on which pickups you have switched on. When you are picking on an acoustic guitar playing near the bridge sounds very different from playing over the sound hole, and you will notice variations in between. This is where your own musical creativity comes in. The guitar picker decides which sound suits which song and whether to have a thin sound coming from near the bridge or a more "booming" tone coming from near the neck.

Another guitar picking technique is known as "sweep picking" and is a fairly tricky technique to get sounding right. You are not only working on your actual guitar picking but on the cleanness of your sound and economy of motion. Basically sweep picking is a way of playing fast using arpeggios. In a way it gets you doing fast guitar picking in a short length of time but getting the knack of sweeping the pick across the arpeggios and at the same time doing the left hand fingering can be quite a challenge. If you are not sure what sweep picking is, the best way to find out is to do a search on one of the video sites and watch a guitar player actually demonstrating the technique.

About the Author
Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free is a constantly updated blog which contains all the resources you need for: learning to play solo guitar, how to learn guitar chords, how to learn to read and play easy acoustic guitar tabs, finding a free online guitar tuner, looking for free guitar lessons online, and how to learn guitar scales.

Spanish Guitar Songs, Chords And Scales

2008-12-19T10:46:00.001+07:00

By Ricky Sharples.

When you take up the acoustic guitar you want to play songs, right? Maybe to sing some songs around the campfire. Lots of pop songs and folk songs sound good accompanied by the acoustic guitar but a sudden wish to play Spanish guitar songs often takes hold of you. If you can play Spanish guitar songs or Spanish sounding instrumentals it is a mark of your progress as a guitar player. This is a wish that many guitarists have but not too many know how to go about finding suitable Spanish flavored music to play.

In order to be some help to these guitarists who wish to have a serious guitar piece to play, I will throw in some suggestions. I know that many of the songs we identify as Spanish guitar pieces are fairly advanced technically but I am not going to leave any out of my list on the basis of technical difficulty. Any guitar piece you hear is probably available on tab and it is up to you to decide once you attempt to play the tab whether you are trying to play something that is too hard for you.

So when we think Spanish music what artists do we think of? There is The Gypsy Kings, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Paco De Lucia. How about Jose Feliciano. He played Spanish guitar style arrangements of a couple of Beatles songs.

Or there is Spanish Caravan by The Doors. This was actually a mixture of a Flamenco guitar style called Granadinas and a classical guitar piece called Asturias by Isaac Albeniz. The guitar playing sounded impressive on the record but it is not a great technical challenge. You can get the general flavor of the intro to Spanish Caravan by playing the B, C and D bar chords at the second, third and fifth frets. They are all the same chord shape which is based on the A major chord shape in the first position. Here is the B bar chord in tab:

e--2--------------------|

B--4--------------------|

G--4--------------------|

D--4--------------------|

A--2--------------------|

E-----------------------|

Now to get the Flamenco flavor into these chords, take the bar off and put your first finger back on the fifth string and let the first string ring open in all three positions.

So now your B chord is:

e--0--------------------|

B--4--------------------|

G--4--------------------|

D--4--------------------|

A--2--------------------|

E-----------------------|

You can also try the same technique by removing the bar from the F major shape, and moving it up the fretboard to see how it sounds.

Some popular Spanish songs you could Google are: Compostelana, La Tarara, Volver, Bomboleiro, Bomoleira, Adelita and La Morena de mi Copla. These are all well-known songs that chords, lyrics and tabs should not be too hard to find on the web.

About the Author
Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free is a constantly updated blog which contains all the resources you need for: learning to play solo guitar, how to learn guitar chords, how to learn to read and play easy acoustic guitar tabs, finding a free online guitar tuner, looking for free guitar lessons online, and how to learn guitar scales.

Easy Guitar Techniques For Beginners

2008-12-18T10:10:00.000+07:00

by Ricky Sharples.

Guitar techniques do not need to be difficult for beginners, in fact it is a great boost for your enthusiasm when you start to master one or two easy guitar techniques. As the left hand and the right hand both need attention when you are a guitar beginner, I thought we could examine some easy guitar chords and techniques a beginner can use to play and practice them, plus an easy technique to get the beginner guitar player's right hand moving. As you progress with your guitar playing you will often feel that you are working more on one hand than the other. Which hand you favor is different for different people. This is okay as long as you become aware of what you are doing and go back to engaging both hands.

When you are learning the various guitar techniques you will find that the fingers of each hand are given numbers. This system is used when describing finger picking techniques and left hand chord fingering. Your index finger is 1, your middle finger is 2 and the ring finger is 3. The pinky is number 4 and it is very important to work on using this finger for left hand guitar techniques. For the right hand, it is only used for Flamenco style strumming techniques. So when you see tabs for guitar chords with finger numbers on them it is very important to follow this numbering because the writer of the tab has included the numbers to make it easier for the beginner to finger the chords and change from one chord to another.

If you have not yet bought a guitar chord manual or downloaded some chord charts from the internet, now is a good time to do it. You will need to look up the chords D major A major and G7. These are easy guitar chords that beginners often start off with. For the D chord you will playing the first four strings on the guitar. The first string is the thinnest string which is designated with a lower case e, and the thickest string is known as the sixth string. This string also sounds the note E but on tab the note is written using a capital E. They are always referred to this way. So below is the tab for the D chord. The left hand fingering numbers are on the right hand ends of the tabs.

e---------2------------|2

B---------3------------|3

G---------2------------|1

D---------0------------|

A----------------------|

E----------------------|

This is the G7 chord:

e---------1------------|1

B---------0------------|

G---------0------------|

D---------0------------|

A---------2------------|2

E---------3------------|3

This is the A chord:

e---------0------------|

B---------2------------|4

G---------2------------|3

D---------2------------|2

A---------0------------|

E----------------------|

Now for the right hand technique. The simplest guitar technique for the right hand is strumming with a plectrum. You hold the plectrum between the thumb and first finger of the right hand with the point facing towards you. Hold the plectrum lightly and gently use up and down strokes across the strings that are marked with fret numbers. Alternate your up and down strokes trying to keep the rhythm even. Once you have got the hang of it, try changing chords. Use the chord sequence D A G7 A. Do not stress over making the chord changes fast, take all the time you need.

Now that you have a couple of easy guitar techniques start using a metronome as you play. Again, do not get uptight about strumming and changing chords quickly. The idea of using the metronome is to get yourself used to keeping an even beat. As you are a beginner you could not be expected to keep time, strum with the right hand and change chords all at once. Give yourself a few weeks to get it all to flow together, and keep yourself from going stale by learning new strumming patterns and chords.

First Electric Guitar - How to Pick a Good One!

2008-12-18T09:57:00.000+07:00

By Keegahn G.

This whole process isn't as hard as people make it out to be - even those dudes in stores try to over complicate it and sell you something more expensive than you really need. Your first electric guitar really doesn't have to be great, just good. The first thing most people look for when buying a guitar is the shape and color - don't feel bad, just know that it's not all about a sexy lookin' guitar. Chances are, once you get playing you're going to replace your first guitar with a new, better one anyway... usually within a year or a little over a year people will grab a new one.

The first point I really wanna' drill home is that it doesn't need to be expensive; expensive isn't always better. But in the case of your first electric guitar, it REALLY doesn't need to be expensive. $200-$300 USD tops. The reason you shouldn't start out any more expensive is that you can't guarantee you're going to stick with it. If you decide to quit playing you'll at least get a nice chunk of that cash back when you sell it.

You can say "oh I'm going to stick with it, guitar is awesome!"... that's all fine and good but the fact is not everyone is meant to be a musician. I'm not being negative, I'm being real. The good news is once you make it past about 6 months of playing you've surpassed the "honeymoon phase"... once you do that there's a pretty good chance you're never going to give it up.

Okay, so with all that good stuff out of the way there are literally just three things you'll need to look for when choosing a guitar... the first one I already mentioned; the price. The next thing to look for is the pickup configuration.

The choice of pickup configuration will depend on the style of music you want to play, really. I guess I should explain what a pickup config is first, right? My bad. The two most common types of pickups are single coils and humbuckers. Single coils are what you'll usually find in a Fender Strat (among many other guitars) - the pickup is one small coil. If you still have no idea what I'm talking about, go Google the term "single coil" using their super-fancy image search.

Humbuckers are basically two single coils side by side - sometimes they'll have a case overtop of them. You'll usually find humbuckers in a Gibson Les Paul (among many other guitars).

So how do you know which to get? Look at the guitars of players you like and get what they've got... that's usually the easiest way. The reality is you can play any kind of music on any kind of pickup - some just sound better than others. Then again, what "sounds good" all depends on the person. The one thing that remains a fact is that single coils sound thinner than humbuckers - naturally though right? I mean a humbucker is TWO single coils... kind of a no-brainer. You can also split some humbuckers using what we cal a coil tap switch... blah, another article for another day.

So once you know the price range and you know what type of pickups you want, what's the third thing? Why it's the tremolo or bridge!

The tremolo or bridge is the fancy little contraption at the end of the body of the guitar. The thing the strings go through or into. So how do you know which is tremolo and which is a bridge? Well a tremolo will have a "whammy bar"... I hate that terminology but most people identify with it better. The proper term is "tremolo bar" or "tremolo arm". There are multiple kinds of tremolos.

One type of tremolo is the Floyd Rose, easily the best in my opinion. With a Floyd, you can both raise and lower the pitch. This is ideal for people who want to do divebombs like it's no bodies business or rip out squeels like "Dimebag" Darrell. That's to their awesome construction and locking nut, tuning stability is pretty good.

Another type of tremolo is usually called the "Vintage" tremolo. With this, there is no locking nut and you can only lower the pitch with the bar, not raise it. You'll find these on the majority of Fender Stratocasters.

There's also a few others like the Bigsby but I doubt you'll find that on a budget model guitar. Oh and there's some tremolos that are similar to the Floyd Rose in design, like Ibanez's Edge III, etc.

Now, a fixed bridge is exactly that - fixed. There's no tremolo bar, just your fingers and strings. You'll find these on the majority of Gibson Les Paul's, although I think they did have some limited runs with Floyd Rose tremolos.

So how do you know which to get? Again, look at your favorite guitar players; do they use a tremolo? If you don't know the sound of a divebomb or pull up, go listen to some Van Halen and Pantera. For an example of a divebomb, listen to "Eruption" by Van Halen. For an example of a pull up, go listen to "Cemetery Gates" by Pantera, the very end of the tune is filled with them.

There you have it; you're ready to purchase your first electric guitar!

Keep rockin' (or start!), and if you have any other questions, click here: http://www.farowt.com/opt/bgui01/index.php.

Why Learning Guitar Scales is Important

2008-12-17T14:00:00.000+07:00

By Andre Sanchez.

Learning guitar scales is important, even if you think it almost as boring as learning chords. The problem with many new guitarists who have just started learning is that they want to go too far too soon. That is the road to disaster, as many failed guitarists will tell you.

Have you ever seen these piano players learning how to play, when they are going up and down the octaves playing their scales? Well, they are putting money in the bank because it will help them later when they have to play certain note combinations without thinking. If you are going to be a good lead guitarist, or a solo guitarist of any description in any genre, you too will have to spend time learning your guitar scales.

So, the question that many non-musicians ask. What are scales, and why are they so important? Scales are combinations of notes, ascending or descending, normally within an octave. The major scales are the basis of all other scales, and start and end on the same not. They go in the order whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half-whole, the wholes and halves representing steps. Thus, for the scale of D: D - E - F# - G - A - B - C# - D.

Scales are chosen because they are melodic and harmonic, and once learned, they can be used to produce tunes that are pleasing to the ear. When learning guitar, you will come across the pentatonic scale, which is derived from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th notes of the corresponding major scale. Thus, the pentatonic D will be D - E - F# - A - B

There are a number of reasons for learning scales, one being that they are fundamental to learning the theory of music, and if your ambition is to become a classical guitarist, then you will also be required to learn about the theory of music. They allow you to learn about harmonics and pitch, and the effects of sharps and flats. Some note combinations are discordant to the ear, and scales will make it a great deal easier for you to compose a series of notes that will sound good.

Another reason, more important to guitarists, is that they enable you to play a series of notes without thought that will sound good, especially when played fast. Most fast guitar riffs and solos would sound meaningless if played slowly, but sound great when played fast. That is because they are based upon the pentatonic scales. You could conceivably use a major or minor scale, but with a pentatonic, you only have to learn combinations of 5 notes.

By learning a few pentatonic scales, you will be able to play fast guitar licks up and down the frets, using the same 5 notes in the same order. If you listen to the main solo in 'Bohemian Rhapsody', written by Brian May, that is played using a pentatonic scale, as is 'Eruption' by Eddie Van Halen. You can play the same notes over a number of octaves and it will sound great, because the notes are a scale that is pleasing the ear. Hence, the importance to a lead guitar player of learning guitar scales.

Once you get up on stage and start playing, you are not going to remember a complex series of notes to make up a rapid guitar solo. You have to play the notes by rote. If you have learned a guitar scale, the pentatonic in particular, you will be able to play anywhere on the neck of your guitar, as long as the notes are true.

Sure, you will have to change it for each string, and according to where on the neck you play it, but the notes will be the same and they will always be played in the same order. In practise, it doesn't matter to you if they are sharps or flats or neither: you are just playing the notes, and don't have to understand the theory. If you have learned your guitar scales properly, then you won't have to remember because of the muscle memory involved.

It's the same with chords. If you have learned your chords properly, you don't have to figure where to put your fingers, you just play the chord and you fingers automatically get them right due to the muscle memory of repetition and revision. You don't start a new song in your gig, and then wonder what the chords are: they come automatically, and so do the scales when you need them.

That's why learning guitar scales is important, and why you shouldn't screw up your face when asked to play them. It's money in the bank, that you will withdraw when you are finally standing alone in front of 10,000 screaming people and striking up the first note of your fabulous guitar solo. It's only dozens of repetitions of a pentatonic scale, but they don't know that - they think you are fabulous - a star- and all because you took the time to learn your guitar scales.

If you want to be a good guitar player, you must learn your scales, and http://www.jamplaynow.com is the membership guitar site that will teach you all you need to know. Visit Jamplay to learn the secrets of the great players - and then use them yourself.

Is Learning How to Play Guitar Modes Really Necessary?

2008-12-17T13:53:00.000+07:00

By Desi Serna.

Is it really necessary to learn about guitar modes? Well, it's not necessary to learn about anything. In fact, you don't even need to learn how to play guitar. But we study things because they are interesting, provide enjoyment, and help us develop. Guitar modes is a confusion topic, but once players figure out how they really work they are very glad they did.

Many guitarists have their own convoluted way of thinking about musical concepts. As a result their explanations about what they're playing seem inconsistent with certain terminology. To say that Slash and Joe Pass don't know anything about modal scales is inaccurate. Everything is in a mode. They couldn't play music without them.

"Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns and Roses is a great example of Mixolydian mode. The two musical interludes that occur at 1:31 and 2:32 are based on the chords D, C and G which are V IV I (5 4 1) in the G major scale (guitars tuned down 1/2 step). Although the parent major scale is G, it's really the D chord that is functioning as the root.

Many guitar players make the mistake of basing the scale off of the root chord. But the D major scale won't work quite right in this example because the C# note clashes with the C natural in the C chord. The correct way to play over this progression is to recognize that it's a mode of the G major scale based on the fifth degree, D. This is called "D Mixolydian mode" (a.k.a. the Dominant scale).

So the correct major scale to play is G. If you want to apply the pentatonic however, you should follow the root chord, D. What you end up with is a combination of the G major scale and D major pentatonic.

Most guitar players favor the pentatonic boxes. So you could orient yourself in D major pentatonic first (pattern 1 starts at the 7th fret) and then mix in G major scale notes (G major scale pattern 3 overlaps D major pentatonic pattern 1). And this is exactly what Slash plays!

Now, Slash may explain the guitar theory differently, but it's still modes he's playing nonetheless.

Play Until Your Fingers Bleed!

Mr. Desi Serna (Google Me!)

Author of Fretboard Theory

http://www.Guitar-Music-Theory.com

New Christmas Music - Want Some New Christmas Music to Add Some Spice to Your Holiday?

2008-12-16T10:28:00.000+07:00

By Melanie Dejonge.

Do you ever get the feeling that it's time for some new Christmas music? If you are a person who loves Christmas as much as I do, then you definitely have some favorite Christmas music that you can't wait to pull out every year. Maybe it's songs that feed your nostalgia from childhood, like the classic, "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth," "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," or even, "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" by Alvin and the Chipmunks. Or perhaps it's more recent favorites like "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" or "Jingle Bell Rock."

Still, even though the old Holiday favorites are fantastic and bring back fond memories, it's great to sprinkle in some new material every year. Just like trying out new Holiday traditions, you never know when a new one might become a yearly favorite.

One new Christmas song that you might want to give a listen to is "Everything I Need This Christmas" by Jd Webb. It is an immensely singable and happy song - it will fill you with the joy of the season and put you in the mood to hug those you love.

If you're in a more quirky festive mood, I would suggest giving "Elf's Lament," by Barenaked Ladies a try. This fun song is the poppy tale of a group of elves and their attempt to unionize. You'll never look at your toys the same way again.

For a tune that evokes the more solemn reverence of the season, you can't go wrong with "Winter Song," by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson, from the Hotel Cafe Winter Songs CD. You will definitely enjoy it, the harmonies and are haunting and gorgeous.

For even more new Christmas music, and to watch live performance clips of the songs mentioned here and more, check out http://melaniedejonge.com/new-christmas-music-listen-to-christmas-music-online

How to Choose Strings For Your Guitar

2008-12-15T11:08:00.000+07:00

By Todd Wales.

String gauge or thickness is one of the most important things to consider when choosing strings. String gauge effects volume, tone, and ease of playing. It is measured in thousands of and an inch. The typical high E-string on an electric guitar is .009 inches in diameter. Common string gauges for electrics from high to low: .009 - .011 - .016 - .024 - .032 - .042. For acoustics: .012 - .016 - .024 - .032 - .044 - .054. Another important fact is that the different types of materials used for the string-wrap provide different tonal responses. Choosing the right type of strings depends upon what your looking for in a sound...ranging from a bright, clean sound to a dull and smooth sound.

String Materials:

Nylon Strings
Classical and flamenco guitars typically have nylon strings that come in low, medium, high, and extra-high tensions. The treble strings are made from a mono-filament nylon, and the bass strings with a nylon core and an alloy round-wound wrap.

Steel Strings
Made with a steel core and used on acoustics and electrics. For acoustics, the wrap is typically made from brass, bronze, or a similar alloy. "Phosphor-Bronze" string are known for there great tone and strong resonance. For electrics, the wrap is usually a nickel-plated steel, nickel/iron alloy, or stainless steel.

String-Wraps:
Round-wound Strings
The most popular type of string used on acoustic and electrics.

Flat-wound Strings
Mainly used on archtop guitars, these strings are made to reduce or eliminate finger noise.

Ground-wound
Somewhere between the round-wound and flat-wound type of string.

Trying out different strings for your guitar as you progress with your playing will help you find the sound you're looking for from your guitar.

Todd Wales is a musician and guitar teacher. He has been traveling and playing gigs across the country and writing for JamPlayGuitar.com. Learn more with JamPlayGuitar.com.

Acoustic Guitar - Learn to Play Your Choices

2008-12-13T10:55:00.000+07:00

By Tom Founder.

Acoustic guitar is one of the music instruments that is very popular. Many people think that it is a cool instrument and not difficult to play. The size of this instrument is not too big and you can carry it around easily. Once you have decided to choose this instrument, you will want to learn it. This article will give you some information on acoustic guitar: learn to play it at your choices.

The choices of the method to learn guitar include:

Learn from private tutor
You can start learning acoustic guitar by hiring a tutor. You can also ask your friend to teach you. However, getting a qualified tutor will greatly help your progress. Therefore, find a good tutor and schedule time to learn and practice everyday. It may be a little more expensive than other methods but this is by far the most effective one.

Learn from books and tapes
This is also how I used to work on my guitar learning. It is slow and less effective. In addition, there is no chance that you can consult anybody. You will need to find out yourself. However, there are many musicians who use this method. If you do not give up, you will get the result in the end. This is up to your efforts and allocated time.

Learn from online courses
There are a few courses online that you can study acoustic guitar. You can enjoy the benefits of online course including lower cost, high interactive lessons and high flexibility. There are both free online courses and paid online courses. Of course, the paid one is more informative and effective.

The three choices of the methods to learn acoustic guitar are exposed here. You can use these choices to see which one matches your needs the most.

Want to learn Acoustic Guitar Quickly? go to http://jamoramaacousticreviews.com

Learning Lead Guitar Without Scales

2008-12-12T18:11:00.000+07:00

By Will Kriski.

There are two main aspects to learning how to play lead guitar. One is learning technique and the other is learning what to play over a chord progression.

Technique is the ability to perform the various skills that are required to play a guitar solo. These are such things as alternate picking, hammer-ons, pull offs, slides, bends, two handed tapping, sweep picking, harmonics, and pinch harmonics. These are pretty standard skills and there is a plethora of information on the Internet as to how you can perform these techniques.

The much more important skill is the ability to know what to play over a chord progression. Here is where most students get hung up. Why? Because they are not taught the proper method. They get hung up on which scales and modes to play over which chords. They play aimlessly over each chord using the right notes but not outlining the chord progression properly. This is also dangerous as it teaches most guitarists to play scales up and down and call it a solo.

Students have been shown that chords and scales are two different things. They are not. Students might ask - What should I play over this chord progression? The most obvious answer (that isn't obvious anymore) is to play the notes that are in the chords! Most melodic solos are made up of steps (parts of scales) and leaps (skipping one or more scale steps), another reason not to get obsessed with scales.

Imagine yourself cutting a swath of chord tones through a progression. For each chord you pick a chord tone and then decorate the tone by playing before and after the tone. You connect the lines in a logical and interesting way. The non-chord tones you play come from a CAGED shape that you have firmly implanted in your mind. Any major scale can be broken down into five shapes on the fretboard making it much each to visualize what to play. This allows you to focus on the chord tones but also have a way to play the notes around the chord tones. They are seen as secondary choices you have outside of the chord tones.

A great starting point for you is to go back and play the root notes of a chord progression you like. Then play thirds, then fifths. Then mix and match the chord tones and try to approach each tone with a few notes. That will give you a good basis for creating melodic solos. Good luck.

Will Kriski is a guitarist, songwriter and teacher since 1981. He can be reached at http://onlineguitarcoaching.com or http://willkriski.com

Childrens Electric Guitars - Buying an Electric Guitar Online

2008-12-12T15:35:00.000+07:00

By Samantha Adams.

Buying an electric guitar is a major purchase that should be preceded by proper research and comparison shopping in order to find the right electric guitar at the best. Price. Unfortunately not everyone has a lot of time to spend shopping around, visiting music stores. Often, because musical instruments are somewhat hard to find, many towns and cities have just a few music stores that will sell electric guitars. In order to properly shop around, a buyer might have to visit not only a few stores in your own town or city, but you might have to extend that search outside your area. All of this takes a lot of time, but there is a better way.

Shopping online for an electric guitar is a great way to find exactly what you are looking for, all without leaving the comfort of your own home. If you are not familiar with buying online, rest assured that it is a very safe and easy way to purchase many items. Generally, in order to buy online you will need to have a credit card or at least a PayPal account to send payment. Some merchants will accept money orders, but this will slow down the process. Many people are concerned about fraud when buying online. This is something that not only affects online purchases, but also store purchases. You may not be aware that over the past few years, websites have developed sophisticated technology that can keep your credit card information safe.

So why buy online and not at a retail store? The simple answer is this: You will save money!

If you visit your local music store, you may not be thinking off all the costs associated with operating that store. Of course there's the cost of the building, the staff, inventory, taxes, advertising and many more costs associated with operating a retail store. These are costs that website owners do not usually have and therefore they are able to pass on their low cost business model to the customer in the form of lower prices. This is great news for the consumer and it gives the online retailer an advantage.

Often times, those who have never made a major purchase online are also concerned about shipping. The good news is that the money that you will save by not having to drive from store to store, coupled with the low cost of operating an online business means that even if you have to pay for shipping, you will still save money. Many online retailers have discounted shipping rates and some offer free shipping if the customer spends over a certain amount of money.

Overall, buying an electric guitar online is a safe and easy way to find the perfect electric guitar, not matter what your needs are. Not only do you have access to guitars in your local area, but buying online opens the door to the entire world, right at your fingertips.

Find out more about buying Electric Guitars Visit Kids Electric Guitars Get Tips, Advice and information about childrens electric guitars at http://childrenselectricguitars.com/

Learning to Play Guitar Chords

2008-12-11T11:31:00.000+07:00

How To Record Your Guitar On Your Computer.

2008-12-10T11:04:00.000+07:00

By Ricky Sharples.

If you are one of the many amateur guitar players who wonders how to connect your guitar to your pc and record your playing, there are several answers, most of them simple.

For checking the quality of your guitar set-up your computer has its own sound recorder which you can access by going to the Start Menu, then All Programs, Accessories, then click on Entertainment. The sound recorder will save your recordings as .wav files. Of course, you will find that the built-in recorder will not give you nearly enough recording time so the best solution is to download a free audio program called Audacity. You will find it right away in a web search.

The most obvious way to record your guitar on your pc is to simply use a microphone. Yep, just plug in your mic and record what comes out of your acoustic guitar or your amp. Many computers' jacks are color coded so if you have a pink jack on your computer, that is the microphone.

You could also try connecting your guitar into the microphone jack on your pc. This will result in a higher quality sound than recordings you will make acoustically but the sound card on your computer is not likely to have a high enough impedance to match your guitar, so there is still going to be some quality problems.

You will be able to plug a microphone into your computer via a jack. Or you can use the one that is already built into your laptop. The trouble is the quality of the sound that is produced in this way. If you just want to check on your timing or phrasing, then using the microphone to record acoustically is okay, but nobody is really going to want to listen to music made in this way. If you have problems with the quality of your sound, the answer may also lie in buying a better sound card.

If you are an electric guitar player you then you can connect your amp to your pc directly using a cable. You can buy a cable made specially for this purpose. It has a larger plug at one end to plug into the line out jack on your amp and a smaller plug to go into the line in jack on your computer. This jack will be colored blue.

If you find that your computer does not come with a line in jack then you will need to buy an external sound card with a socket for microphone or line in. You plug this into your pc's USB port and not only do you have a line in socket but the sound card is bound to be of higher quality that the one installed on your computer.

If you connect your guitar to your computer and you can record your guitar playing but you cannot hear it as you play, you will need to take a look at your computer's sound card settings.

If you are willing to spend some money do a web search for audio guitar mixer software. Some of the mixers are free and some are quite cheap.

Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free is a constantly updated blog which contains all the resources you need for: learning to play solo guitar, how to learn guitar chords, how to learn to read and play easy acoustic guitar tabs, finding a free online guitar tuner, looking for free guitar lessons online, and how to learn guitar scales.

A History of Gibson Electric Guitars.

2008-12-06T16:17:00.000+07:00

By Ruby Katz.

Gibson electric guitars are among the most popular in the world. The Les Paul Standard is the company's most popular guitar. The Gibson Company also produces Epiphone guitars since they purchased the company in 1957. They also produce Baldwin pianos, Slingerland Drums and many other instruments under different brand names like Kramer and Tobias.

Orville Gibson started out making mandolins during the last decade of the 19th century in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The arched top and bent sides were an innovation that produced a better sounding instrument that was even easier to make. He patented this type of mandolin in 1898, and founded the company in 1902 to begin selling the instruments.

Gibson began producing acoustic guitars in a similar fashion as the mandolins with a carved and arch top that became a signature design. In the 1930s they began producing flattop acoustic guitars and Gibson electric guitars that became popular thanks to well-known musician Charlie Christian.

The 1936 release of Gibson electric guitars known as the Electric Spanish model was the first electric guitar to become a commercial success. Then with the release of Fender's Telecaster guitar, Gibson decided to compete with its own solid-bodied guitar. At that time, the idea of a solid-bodied guitar was undesirable in the musical word, but the Fender guitars pave the way for the styles success.

Soon the flagship of Gibson electric guitars was created, the Les Paul. Ironically, the creation of this guitar had little or no input from its namesake, who was a pioneer in solid-bodied guitar technology. It was created, and then Paul signed a contract to endorse the use of his name. He wanted the tail piece of the guitar changed, and that became his only contribution to its design.

The late 1950s offered several different designs of Gibson electric guitars including the Flying V, the Explorer and the partly hollow-bodied ES-335. The Gibson electric guitars named for Les Paul were released in several different models as well, and then the main design of these Gibson electric guitars was changed in 1961 so the body could change to a double-cutaway body design. Les Paul was displeased by this new design and ended his endorsement of the guitar. It then became the SG, which stood for Solid Guitar.

Gibson purchased top competitor Epiphone in 1957 and absorbed their popular brands. They originally intended to market Epiphone's line of upright basses, as Gibson's bass production had stopped during WWII and not resumed. But they quickly realized that they would have better success marketing Epiphone electric guitars.

Then when famous musicians like Eric Clapton, Peter Green and the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards popularized the Gibson electric guitars even further, the Les Paul guitar came back to Gibson's lineup in 1968 and surged in popularity along with the SG design. Both guitars became hugely popular especially among some very well known hard rock and heavy metal guitar players, and entire bands.

The production between 1974 and 1984 moved from Kalamazoo to Nashville, TN. Two years later the company changed ownership hands, and the company has flourished under the new management, producing Gibson electric guitars and other instruments that set the standard for musical excellence. In 1994, the CEO decided that establishing relationships with environmentally friendly and aware companies would be a good move for the company, and the use of environmentally harvested tropical woods began during the production of Gibson electric guitars. A portion of the profits of each of these SmartWood Gibson electric guitars was donated to the Rainforest Alliance.

Gibson continues to be one of the most popular names in electric guitars and other instruments still today. One of the Gibson electric guitars produced today, called the Robot Guitar, is even a self-tuning guitar that tunes itself in 10 seconds. Gibson electric guitars command premium prices, and vintage Gibson guitars are some of the most prized collectibles among guitar enthusiasts and collectors who specialize in vintage guitars and vintage electric guitars.

Shop our large selection of Guitars and Music Gibson Electric Guitars all at affordable prices.

And for all your Guitar and Sheet Music needs go to vintageelectricguitars.net

Ibanez Vintage Guitars.

2008-12-06T15:35:00.000+07:00

By Ruby Katz.

Ibanez is a company that a lot of different people think of when they think of guitars. Many people fail to realize that the company was actually started in Japan; that's right, even the vintage, were created overseas. When people are looking into these instruments, they tend to forget about multiple things that could be important to the process of actually getting the guitar.

There are a few things that you may want to look into when thinking about Ibanez. First, you are going to want to know the history of the company, so that you can understand more about the guitar you are about to purchase. Second, you are going to want to know exactly what to look for when purchasing, so that you can have the best Ibanez possible. Third, you are going to want to look at price to make sure you are paying exactly what you should be paying for.

The company actually started a musical instrument offshoot in 1908. The actual brand name was created in 1929, and actually came from a name of a different type of instrument, as the rights to the name were purchased. The guitars started as acoustic, but have grown into different kinds. The acoustics date back to 1935.

There have been some rough times with this company, however, as they started to copy many of the popular American brands. While these are not sought after and ran into issues, there are other kinds and types that Ibanez has created over the years that have turned into vintage guitars.

If you are looking into purchasing one of these vintage guitars, you are going to want to make sure that you make the best purchase possible. To make the best purchase that you can possibly make, you need to look at the details to make sure that it can still do exactly what you want it to do.

The first thing that you are going to want to look for revolves around the look. Sound is the most important thing to a guitar, and any large blemishes may actually affect that. When looking for an Ibanez, you want to make sure that there is no visible large damage that could affect how it operates.

The second thing that you want to look for has to do with sound as well. Tune the guitar and actually listen to it. You will be able to tell if it is as it should be, or if it sounds as if there is a problem. If you fail to do this, you could wind up with guitar that you cannot play; if you want one for looks, however, this will not matter.

Many people will pay exorbitant amounts of money for Ibanez vintage guitars simply because they do not know better. When looking for one, they think that they should expect these high prices, and never question them.

If you can, simply look around the Internet, and at local shops, to understand what the general prices are for Ibanez. This can help you to determine if the cost is too high; while a nicer one (in better shape) will go for a higher amount, it should not be a ridiculous amount.

When you do price comparison, you can know what you should pay. You can use that information to try to lower down the price for the one you are looking for. If you can lower the price and still get what you want, it's a win-win situation.

Shop our large selection of Guitars and Music Ibanez Vintage Guitars all at affordable prices.

And for all your Guitar and Sheet Music needs go to vintageelectricguitars.net/

Learn and Master the Guitar - Rock and Pop Camp Songs With Only 3 Chords.

2008-12-06T15:19:00.000+07:00

By Mike P Hayes.

Think of rock music and we instantly have visions of huge stadiums jam packed with screaming fans, stages lined with amplification, electric guitars and lighting equipment.

Did you know that hit songs by Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and the Rolling Stones all sound just as good on an acoustic guitar around a campfire?

They do, and they all only need three chords, you see the real test of a good song is if it sounds good without all the electronic sound enhancement.

And just to prove you don't need to learn thousands of chords to sound great here's a short list of songs by Elvis Presley to get you thinking (there are thousands more that only use three chords).

A sample of some three chord Elvis Presley songs:

All Shook Up
Don't Be Cruel
I Got A Woman
My Baby Left Me

Of course, by now you are probably thinking that's all well and good if you (a) know which three chords and (b) when to change them.

Good point, lets' take a closer look at both questions.

(a) Which three chords do I play?

In the key of C: chord 1=C, chord 4=F & chord 5=G7

In the key of G: chord 1=G, chord 4=C & chord 5=D7

In the key of D: chord 1=D, chord 4=G & chord 5=A7

In the key of A: chord 1=A, chord 4=D & chord 5=E7

In the key of E: chord 1=E, chord 4=A & chord 5=B7

In the key of B: chord 1=B, chord 4=E & chord 5=F#7

In the key of F#:chord 1=F#, chord 4=B & chord 5=C#7

In the key of C#:chord 1=C#, chord 4=F# & chord 5=G#7

In the key of Ab:chord 1=Ab, chord 4=Db & chord 5=Eb7

In the key of Eb:chord 1=Eb, chord 4=Ab & chord 5=Bb7

In the key of Bb:chord 1=Bb, chord 4=Eb & chord 5=F7

In the key of F: chord 1=F, chord 4=Bb & chord 5=C7

(b) How do I know which chord to change to?

When you play chord one in any key and move to chord four you will notice the sound of the chord goes up, or to put it another way, chord four has a lighter chord density than chord one.

Start training your ear by playing in the key of A, beginning with the A chord listen to how the D chord (chord 4) sounds when played after the A chord (chord 1), can you hear how the D chord sounds lighter?

Next, try playing the A chord (chord 1) followed by the E7 chord (chord 5), notice how the sound drops down or how the chord has a heavier musical weight or density.

When you listen to the melody of a song you will naturally hear the melody line move up or drop down, this is your musical clue, get the harmony (chords) to follow the flow of the melody line.

It sounds complicated, but with a little practice it will become easier for you to play your musical hunches.

There are literally thousands of pop and rock songs only use three chords in fact you can play all these songs with the same three chords, it doesn't get much better than this!

Let's say you knew the chords A, D and E7, you could play all the songs listed above with just these three chords, you would need to use a capo to adjust the pitch of these chords to suit the vocal range of your singer(s), however you would still be playing the exact same chord shapes.

Mike Hayes develops systems and products to help you succeed in your guitar playing. Find out more about how to learn guitar fast with his popular free ecourse, available at: => http://www.guitarcoaching.com

Beginner Guitar Songs - Easy Songs For Beginners.

2008-12-04T16:02:00.000+07:00

By Kenn Bell.

Beginner Guitar Songs are fun and easy to play on the guitar. When you have the chords down pat, the first thing you will want to do is get some tablature for actual songs. The best songs to begin with are the ones with fairly simple chords. Beginner guitar songs are those that have just a few chords. This will allow you to play real songs faster without going through a lot of headaches. It also sets the foundation for learning music that is more complicated.

While many new guitarists are tempted to jump right in and try playing their favorites, unless you have a great talent for playing by ear, this can be more discouraging than encouraging. Start with the easy stuff and work your way up to the harder stuff. Besides, some of the easiest songs to play are actually great songs.

Following are some of the simplest songs to learn from folk, classical, rock and country. Some of these use two chords. None uses more than four.

Beginner Guitar Songs for Folk Music

Skip to My Lou
Rock-a My Soul
Yellow Rose of Texas
I Shall Not Be Moved

Beginner Guitar Songs for Classical Music

El Conde Olinos by J.H. Montoya
Greensleeves by Anonymous
Romance by Mozart
Andantino by Carcassi
Andantino1 by Kuffner
Allegro by Guiliani

Beginner Guitar Songs for Rock Music

Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple
Smells like Teen Spirit by Nirvana
Who'll Stop the Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Brain Damage/Eclipse by Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd

Beginner Guitar Songs for Country Music (traditional and contemporary)

Take Me Back to Tulsa - Bob Wills
Honky Tonkin' - Hank Williams
I Walk the Line - Johnny Cash
Have Mercy - The Judds
Drive - Alan Jackson
Everywhere- Tim McGraw

Once you have mastered three to four chord beginner guitar songs, find some more advanced songs in the music genre of your choice.

If you would like to get better at playing beginner guitar songs and would like to improve your guitar playing skills check out http://www.easilyplayguitar.com

Learn to Play the Acoustic Guitar.

2008-12-04T15:40:00.000+07:00

By Ricky Sharples.

If you want to learn to play the acoustic guitar you should be working towards being a versatile musician. There are around a dozen alternative ways to finger any open chord that you know. You can buy a chord book or download some chord charts from the internet and then you can experiment with different chord fingerings. Listen to how they sound with other chords. See how they sound as a backing to your singing. Once you start fooling around with chord shapes you will open up a new side to your musicianship, making you a better accompanist and pave the way to your being able to write your own songs.

Practice is important with the acoustic guitar. If you are rusty it shows more readily than with the electric guitar. For your own progress as a guitarist you would benefit by practicing for at least half an hour a day, seven days a week. Aim for that amount, and if you have to because of other commitments, make do with a little less. Regular practice not only keeps your fingers in playing condition but it also trains your ear, even if you do not intentionally work on it. As your ear for music develops you will be more able to pick up new music you hear on the radio, and your ability to improvise will start to grow.

As an acoustic guitar player you can easily carry your instrument around from place to place, so why not practice while you are watching TV or doing something else that leaves your hands free? Muscle memory needs very little attention from the thinking part of the brain once you have your chord shapes memorized. You can practice chord changes on the acoustic guitar just using one hand. Imagine how many times you could go through the changes for a three chord song during the course of a movie. The fact that you are not using both hands does not let you off your obligation to your back and arms, though. You must always practice in a position that does not strain your body.

While we are talking about chords, let us take a look at how you handle bar chords. On the acoustic guitar bar chords require some practice. There are ways of putting off the practice needed to execute bar chords, for instance you could use power chords or simplified chords on the treble strings. Or you could learn bar chords right from the beginning and eliminate all the stress and worry and procrastination involved in delaying something that is, after all, an important part of learning to play the acoustic guitar. So when you learn your basic open chords like E major, G7 and A minor, start to practice the F major chord. This gives you one of the basic chord shapes that can be moved up the fretboard to play more chords. Not only that, the initial effort to learn bar chords can be put in learning the F shape alone. When it comes time for you to move the A major shape up the fretboard, you will find the effort is nowhere near as great.

Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free is a constantly updated blog which contains all the resources you need for: learning to play solo guitar, how to learn guitar chords, how to learn to read and play easy acoustic guitar tabs, finding a free online guitar tuner, looking for free guitar lessons online, and how to learn guitar scales.