Thursday, December 14, 2006

Learning The Guitar

In this world with all kinds of styles of music and bands, finding someone to teach you what you really dream of playing is kind of tough. The problem is finding a teacher who’ll give you a good guitar lesson that doesn’t include all the stuff that really doesn’t matter when it comes down to just playing a song.

You can practice for many hours to replicate your favorite guitar player playing style, but when you have the proper instruction you have the path to get to the point of playing fluently you will be able to copy the style and get it down.

Some play fast and narrow and others play wide and slow, this is how you learn how to use different vibrato techniques, practice and more practice. Once you’ve achieved a basic understanding of the correct notes and sounds you are ready to start learning how to tune by ear. The traditional way of learning guitar is by taking private lessons from a guitar teacher. The number of choices is overwhelming, ranging from distance instruction learning or online lessons. Today there are many options to learn how to play instruments whether you like rock, jazz, rock or classical music, these are just a few of the many types of music.

The key to mastering the guitar successfully is in making the chord changes which will help in playing the instrument. They are the C major chord, G major chord, and the D major chord. You should spend hours practicing chords and scales forms and all the while making sure that each note sounds perfect.

But you will find that if you use these simple scale forms in conjunction with an appropriate chord progression this will sound good more often. A chord progression based on the A minor chord will sound good with A minor pentatonic and a C major chord will sound good with C major scale.

When learning how to play the guitar, often many people form and create bad habits which does not help with the playing of the guitar, they need to work twice as hard to switch to good habits and get back on track.. These bad habits are easy to overcome once the person realizes that he has them and becomes familiar with the proper way to play the guitar.

You know the saying, practice makes perfect. But it is something you should try to incorporate into your practice as regularly as possible if you want to see a real improvement in the solos and melodies you make on guitar.

David Marc Fishman is the owner of tipsquad.com. The new how to via video

Guitar Lessons For DUmmy

Monday, December 11, 2006

How Yo Learn Any Song In Under 30 Minutes With Your Guitar

I remember when I got my first guitar. My mother came strolling in to the house with a guitar case, smiled, and sat it down about 15 feet away from me. I instantly ran over to find my very first Washburn guitar. I quickly began to "play" my new baby...

Just for reference, my version of playing the guitar was laying the body flat on it's back like a slide guitar so I could see what I was doing... Oh man those were the days!

My first adventure in to a song was Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here. I went to the search engine and had no idea what a tab was or even how to begin searching for one.

Finally I began to put two and two together and found a version of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were here from MXTabs.net way back before they got shut down =(

To make a long story short, I broke a sweat out of frustration in less than 5 minutes, put my guitar back in it's case and went back to playing my video games. That was back then...

This is now...

Guitar tabs look like perfect english to me now, but at the time when I was starting out I couldn't make sense of anything. It looked like another foreign language to me! My friends laughed when they watched my fingers try to play a song in the most ridiculous way imaginable. I was just trying to do what the tab told me to do, but the tab didn't tell me what finger position to play in, or if there were any helpful tricks to make it easier on my hands! I was getting tired of this dead end approach to improve my skills.

Here is my point: Guitar tab sucked then and it sucks now. I'm still waiting for the pioneer that fixes this problem for the masses...

Dane Maxwell & Paul Johnson produce guitar video tabs for popular songs and artists.

Developed out of a need to help their students, the idea is still in its infancy and has yet to prove itself as a viable solution to guitar players around the world.

Tabs Cause Confusion.

Eliminate the guess work, welcome to the revolution of guitar lessons on your time
Visit guitargrind.com for a free sample

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Guitar Speed Picking Techniques

Have you ever wondered how guitarists play so clean and fast with articulate picking control? This is an issue that has many of us scratching our heads, and some of us flat out stumped!!

There is a solution that works for everyone, if you want it bad enough.

The formula is simply this:

Right and left hand synchronization + Practice = Fast smooth playing!

I know, I know, it may sound obvious, but it's only when you really start to analyze this process slowly, that you will begin to see the issues that can cause serious long-term problems. Ultimately the goal is to achieve un-interrupted flow.

You must pay close attention to what's happening with your left and right hand, if you want to gain real speed in the end. There is a difference between playing fast, and just flat out ripping! I think you know what I mean. It's much like turning on the water faucet. Free flowing with no restriction.

Friends, I'm here to tell you this does not have to be an issue for you any longer, once you fully understand how to practice properly. You see, whether it's rock and roll, country, jazz, or blues guitar etc…the pro's all have one thing in common, their left and right hands are in perfect sync with each other on command.

This means they're able to use their Speed Picking Techniques when desired, including many other types of techniques as well.

Note:

Always view your techniques as tools. This is critical. Tools are needed to complete any kind of project. Guitar playing is no different. Tools, or (techniques), are needed to complete a guitar solo or guitar lead structure within a song. Speed Picking is only one of many tools used. Having said this, let's look at some problem issues that you might be facing when speed picking.

Examples:

1. Is one of your hands faster than the other, such as your picking hand picking faster than your fretting hand can fret, or your fretting hand fretting faster than your picking hand can pick??

2. Do you find yourself restricted to going up and down scales for speed purposes?

3. Do you sometimes stumble when trying to play fast.

4. Do you feel out of control when you play fast?

5. Do you feel like you're in a rut at times?

All of these things are very common for guitar players; it's a part of natural growth as a guitarist.

However, there comes a time in every guitar players learning path when they discover how to practice properly, and where to focus your efforts for maximum results.

The first thing I recommend is getting a metronome. This is something you'll use forever. The metronome is the key to your success. It's how you'll monitor your progress as well as pinpointing where you are right now.

Play a fast repetitive style guitar lick that you are comfortable with, and find out where you max out on the metronome. For example, you might play a lick that matches up on the metronome at 128 beats per minute. Once you have that number in mind, begin to work on the same lick by reverse engineering it. Start playing it slower and slower and slower until it's almost stopping. Make this last for several minutes.

While you're doing this focus extremely hard on exactly what the left and right hand are doing together at the same time. Each little mechanical movement your fingers make, you want to try and register in your brain. The flow, and sensation of what it feels like to mechanically work both hands together. Do this for several minutes very slow.

It will take some getting use to when trying to concentrate that hard, but you need to do it. It's critical. This is where all the speed and guitar tone come from, the lick needs to be embedded clearly in the brain, as to what the left and right hand are doing EXACTLY.

Once you feel you have control over that, at a slow speed, start playing a little faster and then a little faster until you get back to the original (max out) number you started with on the metronome.

Continue playing the lick for 2 full minutes, going up one increment at a time on the metronome. Do Not Cheat! Again, this is crucial. 2 full minutes per increment. No less.

As you continue to climb, be sure to stop when you know your getting over your head. It needs to be in perfect sync or just stop on that number. That is the number you are going to try and beat every day.

You must practice the same exact way every time, for this to work properly. If done correctly, you'll see amazing results in days!!

If you want to achieve guitar star/rock star status, this is the path you'll be taking. There are several other points of interest that should be addressed that will also help increase your speed picking, such as…

* Alternate picking only
* Picking on the very tip of the pick
* Having a pivot point to work from
* Equal picking attack on up and down strokes
* Where to actually place the pick on the string for tone purposes
* What type of picks to use
* Etc…

I hope this helps take your playing to the next level.

Until Next time,


Bob Molton - Guitar Instructional Product Development TopFuelGuitar
If you're interested in seeing speed picking techniques demonstrated, you'll be very pleased with the Speed Picking Instructional DVD from Top Fuel Guitar, Titled: Speed Picking Techniques. This DVD explains many of the crucial elements involved in accurate speed picking. Though it's used to develop amazing speed, keep in mind it will clean up your guitar picking overall, not just fast playing.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

You Can Learn to Play the Guitar

Do You Suck at Lead guitar and want to improve your Skills? Jamorama Lead Guitar Program is the answer. It is one of the best selling guitar lessons online.
Check it out
............

In high school, did you ever dream about starting your own rock band? Want to duplicate the soothing sounds of folk tunes for family and friends? Does your favorite musician work magic with a Gibson ES 335? Is Jimi Hendrix your idol? It doesn’t matter the reason why you want to play the guitar - a seed has been planted and now it is time to nurture the desire.

Where to begin? Playing guitar (whether for fun or professionally) takes patience and determination. By following a few tips, you can harness your passion or interest for the instrument. You will also find that fueling your creativity and developing this new form of expression will take time. Great guitar players do not blossom overnight.

Purchasing a Guitar

Before you start learning the ropes of guitar playing, you’re going to need an instrument to carry out your lessons. The type of music you wish to play will determine the kind of guitar you require. For example, an acoustic guitar is used to generate the sounds of country, ragtime or folk. The body of the guitar is large and hollow, creating a sound that many deem “natural.” Rock music often utilizes an electric guitar, which offers a rather distinctive amplified sound. Additional guitars to look into include the steel, solid body, archtop, resonator, bass and twelve-string guitar.

With the purchase of a guitar, there are other necessary pieces of basic equipment. A guitar pick is required to help play the chords of your instrument. The size of guitar pick is quite small, prompting easy breakage and it can also be easily misplaced. This is why beginners should have a good number of guitar picks on hand. When purchasing picks, the medium gauge varieties are suggested because they are less apt to break. You should also invest in a comfortable chair.

Getting Lessons

While some guitar players are able to naturally experiment with chords by ear and strum along with less guidance, others require the assistance of structured lessons. There are numerous ways to learn how to play the guitar. If you are able to afford a private tutor, you can take advantage of one-on-one instruction, which may speed up the learning process. Sometimes, beginners benefit from group learning, which provides a wealth of constructive criticism. The Internet also offers a way for beginners to privately learn online. Some websites offer a computer keyboard lesson on learning scales, which some beginners find quite easy.
Whichever approach you take in learning to play guitar, you should know that setting goals for yourself makes the process more rewarding. Achieving personal milestones further motivates your desire to find a common ground with the instrument and who knows how far your lessons will take you.

Recognizing why you want to play guitar in the first place will also help you to better accomplish your goals. Some people want to learn to play for fun, peaking with a performance in front of family and friends. Others would like to share their talents with a slightly larger crowd, probably visiting a few coffee shops or open-mic nights. Then there are the masses of learners who have bigger dreams of taking to a stage in front of thousands. No matter what the goal is, you can’t get there without loads of practice.

What You Will Learn

Guitar lessons usually start with building a basic foundation, such as how to properly hold the guitar and establishing correct posture when playing. There is a wide range of techniques involved in playing the guitar and after a few lessons, you may start to find your niche.
One of the most important things to focus on when playing a guitar is understanding and mastering the chords. There are books and charts to help you along this important part of the process. There are many different chords to familiarize yourself with and taking them one at a time will lead to better results.

Additional areas of guitar instruction may include learning how to properly hold a pick, memorizing scales, tackling music theory and selecting a music style. Instrument maintenance, such as tuning and caring for your guitar is also of importance.

Sticking With It

Staying motivated is one of the best things you can do when learning to play the guitar. It is easy to become frustrated with a new project and abandon it before truly experiencing any benefits. On some days, you may have to dig deep to reclaim your passion and dedication. Other days, you could be composing the next pop hit. Give the process a chance and remember that it takes time to get the hang of this instrument. The best thing you can do is continue to practice and soon, you will reap the rewards of hard work and focus.

Kevin is the publisher and editor of musicianhome.com, a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development. Download a free introductory guitar course also.