What Is The Right Guitar For You?
July 22, 2008
When it comes to choosing the right guitar for you, the most important point to keep in mind is what kind of music are you looking at playing?
Rock or Blues Guitar Music
If you are looking at playing rock or blues music, the best guitar to go for is an Electric guitar. The key here is to start small and grow big. I have seen so many people go out and buy the most expensive equipment before they can play anything. You may have your heart set on getting big names like a new Gibson Les Paul or a Fender Stratocaster, but the prices are pretty steep.
When choosing your first electric guitar, the best thing to go for is a copy of an original i.e. Plywood. The sound between an original Solid Wood compare to Plywood is a lot better, however plywood is much cheaper. My suggestion is to go for small brands like Legend, Onyx or Orion for now. Once you have mastered the basics, then it is the time to upgrade.
Second hand guitars are another option to go for. There are some great deals going in the local papers. When looking for a guitar, make sure you plug it in and try it out. Grab the strap if need be and put the guitar around your neck. Get every possible bit of information you can before making a decision.
Tips: Keep in mind that when you go for an electric guitar, you will also need an amplifier. There are some great deals going whereby you can choose guitar, amplifier and lead in one package. One final tip is when choosing your guitar; REMEMBER to plug it into an amplifier similar to what you are buying. There is no use testing your guitar through the most expensive amplifier in the shop. It will not sound the same when you play through your own amplifier at home. Choosing the right amplifier is important; therefore it is covered in the next lesson.
Classical Acoustic Music.
The best guitar to go for if you are looking at playing Classic Acoustic music is either Spanish Classic Acoustic Guitar or Steel String Acoustic.
Spanish Classic Acoustic Guitars are extremely light and having nylon strings which are very soft on your fingers. They come in a range of different sizes even very small size for young kids. Spanish Classic Acoustic guitars are also a lot cheaper and easier to maintain than Steel String Acoustic Guitar.
Steel String Acoustic Guitars are a little more expensive compare to Spanish guitars. Again, with acoustic guitars, there is no need to go for big brands when you are first starting out. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable playing it. Also, make sure your fingers fit around the guitar neck and it is not too big for you to play. It depends on you as to whether you want to pickups or not. But remember to test it first before you buy.
There are many possibilities when comes to choosing a guitar. Whether you decide to choose an electric or an acoustic, the fundamentals are the same.
Ask yourself. What style of music are you looking at playing? Classical Acoustic music or Rock music? How keen are you when comes to playing the guitar? How serious are you? What is your budget? Are you looking at getting the best equipment from the beginning or looking at starting small and then upgrading gradually? It is a little difficult to tell at this stage, so your best bet is to keep expenses low and your music education high. Choose a guitar that fits you, suits you, and makes you look good!
Difficult Guitar Chords Simplified
July 19, 2008
Many of the 7 chords and their extensions, 9,11,13 etc are seemingly very difficult to create with your fret hand. However, there are a few tricks that can help you create these beautiful chords without growing two more fingers.
Most jazz musicians use what are commonly referred to as “small chords” when playing. Jazz players do a lot of what is known as comping, the mixture of rhythm and bass runs; playing that requires quick changing of chords. Thus, playing the full voicing of chords is not always possible and actually, isnt always required.
We can get the essence of most chords with only four notes, as little as three if one is playing with a bass player. Before we look at the chord shapes, lets discuss playing technique.
When playing jazz rhythms, I do not use a pick. I use my thumb and four fingers on my pick hand instead. I can use them in unison when I want to play chords or I can use them separately when finger picking and playing a bass rhythm separately from the chords; comping. There are those players that can hold the pick between their thumb and index finger and use the remaining three fingers to play other notes.
The reason I bring this up will become apparent when we look at the chord voicings. The basis behind this technique is not playing all of the strings. Most of these voicings will require you to skip strings in the middle of the chord. Whatever method you develop to deal with this is up to you. Playing with just my fingers works wonderful for me. If you would like to develop the pick and finger technique, check out information on Bluegrass playing and flatpicking. You dont have to be interested in the genre of music, but the technique is well used in that musical style.
First we will look at the small style of the 7 chord shapes then move on to 6,9,11 and 13 chords. The nice thing about these chords is that they are movable up and down the neck. Thus, changing from a G7 to and A7 is just a matter of moving up two frets, much like barre chords. There really isnt too much more to talk about with these chord shapes. So, Ill just show you the shapes and you play them. Work with combining these shapes in progressions. If you have music around that you have been staying away from because these chords were too intimidating, pull out the music and start playing! I will show the shapes in either G or C dependant on the root string. Again, remember that these shapes are movable so just look at the bass note to get your chord name. Ill talk about different fingerings as we move through the lesson. However, I will offer fingerings in a traditional style and they will be shown as follows. First, the chord chart will indicate
G7 - Barre E,D and B strings with Index and fret G string with Ring.
Gmin7 - Barre E,D,G and B with Index.
First, the G7 and Gmin7. You can see how easily one could change from one to the other. Also, notice how the A string and the high E are not played, this is what I was mentioning above.
G7sus4 - Barre E,D and B with Index and fret G string with Ring.
GMaj7 - Barre E and B with Index, fret D with Middle and fret G with Ring.
The G7sus4 and the GMaj7. Again, only four notes per chord and easily movable.
Gmin/Maj7 - Barre E,G and B with Index and fret D with Ring.
G7b5 - E-Middle, D-Ring, G-Pinky and B-Index
Now were really getting into some jazzy chords. The G7b5 chord fingering can be tricky. I play in a style that is known as “thumbing the bass.” Many guitarists have used this technique, Grant Green, Richie Havens and even Jimi Hendrix. However, the technique is stilled frowned upon by classically trained guitarists. The technique simply involves wrapping your thumb around the neck of the guitar enabling you to use your thumb to fret the bass notes. I can do this with bass notes on the E A and even D string when necessary. I have become very effective with the technique and my rhythm playing is respected in the circles in which I play. You can, however, simply fret the chords as barre chords or as four finger chords, as one would have to do with the G7b5. Work on different positions and find something that is comfortable and effective for you.
Gmin7b5 - E-Middle ,D-Ring ,G-Pinky and B-Index
GAug7 - Barre E and A with Index and barre G and B with Ring.
Again, were getting into some really jazzy sounding chords here. Try the different fingerings. The min7b5 will probably have to be played as a thumb bass or a four finger chord. The Aug7 could be played like a barre.
Gdim7 - E-Middle, D and B-Barre w/ Index and G-Ring
GMaj6 - E-Middle, D-Index, G-Pinky and B-Ring
Getting a little tricky here when it comes to fingering these chords. Also, we see our first new category, the Maj6 chord. This is where my technique of thumbing the bass really comes in handy (pun certainly intended)
Gmin6 - E-Middle, D-Index, G-Ring and B-Pinky
G13 - Barre E and D with Index, G-Middle and B-Ring
Okay, here are still more jazzy chords. The 13 chord is one of my favorites. This particular voicing of the 13 has the root, the b7, the 13 and the 3rd, just enough to make the chord sound like it should. The 5th can be added if desired, Ive indicated the 5th with *. Now, lets move on to some chords with roots on the A string.
C9 - A-Middle, D-Index, G-Ring and B-Pinky
Cb9 - Barre D and B with index, A-Middle, G-Ring
Okay, these 9 chords are fantastic for jazz and fusion. I find these have a great sound with some distortion or clean. One thing to point out, the Cb9 can be confusing. This is a C9 with a flat 9, not a Cb with a 9. As you know, Cb=B and is very rarely used. But, if this were shown as a Db9, then it could be confusing. Two ways composers will help with this. If it is shown as a Db9, you may assume it is a D9 with a flat 9. If the chord intended is a Db/C# 9, the composer will most likely call it a C#9 to avoid confusion. Also, if the chord intended is a Db9 with a flat 9, you will see either C#b9 or you may see Dbb9. You will come across these voicings once in a while and they can be confusing as you can see. Take the chords in context and the correct chord is usually quite apparent.
Cmin9 - A-Middle, D-Index, G-Ring and B-Pinky
CMaj9 - A-Middle, D-Index, G-Pinky and B-Ring
Okay, I think that is enough for now. We have 16 chords above that can be played with all 12 different roots, Thats 192 chords! Have fun with these
Smart Ways to Get Free Iphone Games Downloads
July 18, 2008
For Iphone zealots, free Iphone games downloads are undeniably more than a welcome addition for their multi-functional Apple gadget. Beyond any regular mobile phone, the Iphone is known all over as the high-technology innovation from Apple, boasting of features and capacity. Hunting for free downloadable games is one of the favorite activities nowadays of Iphone owners.
There is an unlimited range of games for your Iphone, and you can find these over the internet. From the more traditional animated games to the pioneering three-dimensional softwares, you are certainly faced with overwhelming choices. Thus, you should understand where to hunt for the best ones available.
Free Iphone games downloads are ideal but if you can afford to pay for the best, then it’s not bad to go ahead. As long as you’re okay with paying a fee for each download, you can find excellent Iphone game selections at the Apple online store. With the actual manufacturers of the Iphone, you are assured of software quality and flawless downloading process. This way, you’ll end up having your own selection of Iphone games before long.
Secondly, there are downloadable games offered by other websites, aside from those coming from the Apple store. You can find a host of these on the internet, offering various deals and arrangements on game downloads. Before you engage yourself with any website however, make sure that the site is genuine and offers reasonable services.
Bogus or so-called “free” websites are also in rampant existence over the web. They supposedly offer free Iphone games downloads to their clients, yet after one or two downloads, they would demand a per-download charge for the succeeding games. Moreover, Iphone users have complained that with these sites, the game downloads are slow and of poor quality.
Finally, one smart way to obtain your free downloads is to choose websites that give you limitless gaming software for a single cost. Aside from being legal, all that these sites require is a membership fee instead of the usual price-per-download deal. The best of these sites offer exceptional technical support as well.
It is smart to remember that if you want free Iphone games downloads with excellent audio and picture quality, choose the websites which give you more value for your money.
Still wishing for the free Iphone games downloads of your dreams? Stop by my blog today and get everything you need.
How to Download Rock Music Videos
July 16, 2008
There are indeed so many people all over the world who want to know how to download rock music videos. With the advent of Internet technology, there are more and more effective methods to download such music videos of your favorite rock artists. Understandably, some websites offer such service free of charge, while others have this service for a minimal charge. Some of the many websites that offer this service are Artist Direct and SectionZ.
Interestingly, Artist Direct has been in the business of providing quality downloads for both audio and video downloads since the year 1994. Since then, it has been becoming stronger and stronger in the market. In fact, today, Artist Direct is undeniably one of the music websites receiving strong patronage from the worldwide market. The site can boast of an average of 13 million visitors a month, with roughly 272 million page views a month as well.
A commonly quoted reason by visitors for its popularity is the availability of multiple genres and subgenres in music. They are one of those who boast a wide selection of all kinds of music.
Popular genres and subgenres under the Rock Music category includes Folk Rock, Glam Rock, Garage Rock, Hair Metal, Progressive Rock, Soft Rock, Speed Metal, Southern Rock and so on are available there.
Artist Direct charges a minimum fee for its visitors to download rock music videos. But with the advantages you will surely enjoy with Artist Direct, the fee will be a minor hassle on your part.
SectionZ is another premier service where you can download rock music videos. Any rock music aficionado will find this site a heaven sent for download music videos. Their interface is easy to use and feature-packed. This is one of the leading service to download rock music videos. On top of that, users like their social networking services which allow members and visitors to participate.
Rock music fans, and rock musicians themselves, are given a platform to share the music they love, as well as their thoughts on certain songs, compositions, bands, and records. This is surely a great way for rock music aficionados to learn new things from everyone in their immediate networks. What’s more, the website also caters to the needs of aspiring rock musicians in the industry.
There is yet another option which is to use the paid service. People who do not want to cough out a single cent for their videos will choose to use free services. But be forewarned that your experience there will not be the best with slow transfer speeds, poor quality videos and insecure download environment that exposes your PC to risks. Using a paid service ensures that you get to download rock music videos of crystal clear quality at high speeds without compromising the safety and integrity of your computer.
Music is an Instrument to Calm the Mind
July 16, 2008
Music’s healing effects have been known to humans for hundreds of years. People practice music for different purposes. For some it is a mere hobby or a means to spend free time, and for others its more serious and practice it in a professional manner.
Music does not have any kind of obstacles. It can be learned by boys, girls, men or women. The only important thing here is that the aspiring musician must have a desire to learn. After the decision to learn music has been made, next comes the task of selecting the right musical tool.
If we think back dozens of years, the number of musical instruments available was less. But not today. The vast range of musical instruments available has been increasing year after year. Before going to buy musical instruments there are some basic factors which you need to consider.
Once you own discovered a few sounds that please you, see if you can try some out. If you know someone who plays an saxophone, ask them if you can try it. They may not want to let you put your mouth on their mouthpiece, but you can at least hold the flute and feel how it feels in your hand.
Also, if you are looking for an saxophone for your child, their school orchestra trainer will most likely possess some student models they can try. Some music stores may be prepared to let you try an . Keep in mind that you will not play a symphony on the first try, but you do want to have an musical instrument that feels somewhat comfortable in your hands.When looking at an brass instrument, there are some physical capabilities you need to consider.
Let’s think about some things to consider. If you possess really small hands or short fingers, you may worry about trouble reaching some chords to play the piano. If you want to play the trombone, remember that it requires long arms, and a child that is short or under the fifth grade is probably not going to have the arms for it. Children with braces will have a difficult time beginning a brass instrument, as the pressure on their teeth may be painful. Think about the size of the arms, fingers, hand, and mouth of the person you are choosing the instrument for, and don’t force them into something that is too big or small for their growth.
Hundreds of guitar shops and music stores abound on the Internet.Many of them operate as a music store in a particular space and are also offering their products online. However, there are in addition several music shops that only operate through the World Wide Web. These music retailers, since they solely rely on the Internet for their business, are somewhat more trained in buying and selling online, so you can that your deals and purchases will be smoother and less likely to be stressful.
Music is a magnificent hobby and a rewarding way of life. We all have the ability to learn, yes some will be better than others, but the rewards will last a lifetime.
Fastest Way To Master Lead Guitar Improvisations
July 13, 2008
Guitar improvisation is one of the most important aspect of lead guitar playing and without improvisation you will never be able to make the kind of impact you would like to make while doing a live gig.The best way to master lead guitar improvisations is by understanding the various scales and the different techniques that are used. But guitar improvisation is definitely no as easy especially when you are learning on your own. If you are a self teaching guitarist then you can use books, e-books and video guitar lessons from the internet, download guitar tools from the internet, and practice using guitar tabs and guitar backing tracks.
All of these techniques will help you to learn about the guitar, the fretboard, the minor and major scales, the blues scale, and the chromatic scales. But when you progress from the basic to the advanced stage then the only way you can learn guitar improvisation is through practice. For a guitarist, practice is a never ending routine. The more you practice, the better you are with guitar improvisation. Whether you are rehearsing with the help of a book or with tabs and lessons available over the internet, you need to know that if you have complete control over the minor and major pentatonic scales then guitar improvisation will be like a walk in the park for you.
For example: if you are using G-major pentatonic then it will be: 2-4, 1-4, 1-4, 1-3, 2-4, 2-4 at the 3rd or 15th fret for G major pentatonic. In G, A, B, D, E, G, you will notice that the G major pentatonic as well as the E minor pentatonic share exactly same notes. If you play the G major pentatonic scale in the open position then it will be like this:
—————————0-3– ———————-0-3——- —————–0-2———— ————0-2—————– ——0-2———————– -0-3—————————-
The fastest way to guitar improvisation is through learning how to play the pentatonic scales to perfection. The minor pentatonic scale consists of 5 notes, which are the same as in major pentatonic. The only difference is that the tonic of the scale in major pentatonic is different from that of minor pentatonic.
Let’s take an example:The C-major pentatonic scale is C - D - E - G - A - C and it will become an A-minor pentatonic scale which will be A - C - D - E - G - A. All you had to do was select the note ‘A’ as the tonic note. Let’s take a look some of the minor pentatonic scales as mentioned in the Circle of fifths.
# C minor pentatonic scale C - Eb - F - G - Bb - C
# G minor pentatonic scale G - Bb - C - D - F - G
# D minor pentatonic scale (Down - Up - Top) D - F - G - A - C - D
Using Hybrid Picking and Legato Technique In Rock Guitar Playing
July 11, 2008
Guitar and Rock music are inseparable and probably one of the main reasons that most rock numbers or compositions have short or prolonger lead guitar solos. The lead guitar solos can be mastered by using different scales and guitar improvisation techniques like hybrid picking and legato technique.
There’s such a huge variety of guitar improvisation techniques available. One such guitar improvisation technique is called hybrid picking./B>. Hybrid picking can add an absolutely new dimension to the sound that is rendered by your lead guitar. This is a type of guitar improvisation method that is most commonly used by guitarists in music genres or styles like blues, rock, country, bluegrass, and even jazz. Among guitar legends who has used hybrid picking very effectively is Stevie Ray Vaughan. He used it for rendering a solo in Lenny
Hybrid picking is a guitar improvisation technique where you pick the guitar strings or chords using the fingers as well as the pick at the same time. The advantage is that you will be able to use your plectrum to play lead guitar that normally requires the fingerstyle mode of playing.
You will also be able to make wide string leaps like you can leap from the 5th string right to the 1st string, which can be quite a difficult exercise otherwise. To effectively use the hybrid picking guitar improvisation technique, you will need to your pick between your forefinger and thumb.
Legato Technique
The legato technique is another effective guitar improvisation technique that renders slurred notes quite similar to the notes rendered through hammer-on’s and pull-offs.
Legato guitar improvisation technique has been effectively used for solo performance by the likes of Joe Satriani, Alan Holdsworth, and Steve Vai. The above notes that form the legato technique will require you to hammer the notes without picking. You should ideally play this at 60bpm.
Learning To Use The Tremolo with Guitar Backing Tracks
July 11, 2008
Life couldn’t be easier than this: You get guitar backing tracks for almost all the top rock, metal, blues and progressive music tracks. All you need to do is learn to focus and learn to play along with the guitar backing tracks.The guitar backing tracks are essential for practice because you can play just about anything or any type of lead. You can even conjure your own piece of work.
>For example: if you have guitar backing tracks for the Blood and tears by Steve Vai then you don’t have to necessarily play the same lead that Vai has played. You can use all the different advanced guitar techniques using the tremolo and do your original stuff. It’s much more fun that way.
The tremolo technique for playing the lead guitar comes in handy especially when you’re practicing for a live gig. Of course the guitar backing tracks have to be there but then you need to understand how to play around and improvise with the tremolo. While playing a tremolo all you have to do is play the string with an up and down motion with the help of your pick. It is something that was made famous by the legendary guitarist Pete Townshend.
You can use a tremolo on guitar backing tracks at very high speeds as well as slow speeds. More often than not, a tremolo is played quickly. If this is your first time then all you need to do is get the right guitar backing tracks and start playing the tremolo at a slow speed and then move a step ahead and try to play it faster. The stronger your grip on the tremolo, the faster you should play it. The truth is that there is no fun playing the tremolo slow. Here is a tip: try to play thin picks on the tremolos as they are easier to play. Here is an example of a basic tremolo track:
E|–0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0–| B|———————–| G|———————–| D|———————–| A|———————–| E|———————–| |–d-u-d-u-d-u-d-u-d-u–|
Always remember that when you are playing the tremolo with guitar backing tracks, you need to pick down on whatever string you are playing and then immediately pick up that particular string. It should never be two motions - it should always look like just one motion. Here is another example of a simple tremolo that you can practice with guitar backing tracks:
E|–0-0-2-2-4-4-2-2-0-0–| B|———————–| G|———————–| D|———————–| A|———————–| E|———————–| |–d-u-d-u-d-u-d-u-d-u–|
Download 90’s Rock Music 101
July 11, 2008
There are so many methods for any avid fan to download 90’s rock music. The 90’s is indeed such a huge decade in the history of rock music. This is because around this time, many rock bands in the music industry have certainly come up with their own innovative styles, which in turn, have defined them even more.
The internet is more widely used now to download 90’s rock music than it was a couple of years ago. The most basic reason being that the search engines are now more powerful and web platforms are allowing downloads to be found and transferred faster and more efficiently.
Enterprising business people in the music industry were quick to see the music download industry as a lucrative business. It did not take long for many others to realize that the pie is huge and enough for many different ones to establish their online music stores.
At the beginning, you would be familiar with those music stores that offer a song download for $0.90 to $0.99. While these music downloads were cheap 3 years ago, by today’s standards, any living music fan will tell you that it is expensive these days. The iPods and Zunes now come with generous gigabytes that can carry thousands of songs. It is definitely not cheap to pack these gadgets with songs that cost $0.99 each.
Unfortunately, the frequent sharing of MP3 files over the web, via P2P or peer-to-peer sharing, has paved way to the implementation of music infringement policies. Thus, another method to download music, especially to download 90’s rock music, was devised. Today, this service now pertains to websites offering paid membership services.
Such sites are modelled interestingly. For a small fee paid either monthly or one-off, anyone can access and download all the music files that are in the database. And these are frequently updated and stocked with the latest hits. So you can be sure that you can download all your favourite rock music hits there.
From rock to hip hop and rap, you get all kinds of music and songs other than 90’s rock music alone. The sites are safe and protect you during the downloading from potential threats posed by viruses and malware. You can be at ease knowing that the quality of the music is tip-top and your computer is safe from all harmful elements.
Looking at these services, it is little wonder why all rock fans are going there to download 90’s rock music now.
The 5 Most Popular Guitar Backing Tracks
July 10, 2008
Guitar backing tracks are used mostly by lead guitarists in rock, metal and blues. These tracks are used for the sole purpose of practicing or live performances. There are different types of guitar backing tracks for sale on the Internet. Some are recorded in low quality or midi formats while others are professionally recorded. To get the best tracks for your practice, ensure that you purchase tracks from reputable companies such as LickLibrary or Planet of Rock. The best guitar backing tracks are the ones that are not in the midi format and have no fade outs. There are three different versions that are available including:
Record mixes: these guitar backing tracks will include a mix of bass guitar, drums, rhythm guitar and backing vocals. Instrumental: This is the preferred type of guitar backing tracks that is most commonly used for playing lead or solo. These backing tracks will have only instrumental music and no guitars and no vocals. Backing vocals: These guitar backing tracks will have backing vocals and other instruments except the guitar.
There are several websites that will provide you guitar backing tracks in midi format but that is definitely not the right format for learning guitar solo or improvising your lead. Whenever you download these tracks they should be in high quality bitrate mp3 format or ideally, it should be provided to you in a remastered audio CD. You can purchase guitar backing tracks for some of the top performers like John Petrucci, Dream Theater, Metallica, Joe Satriani, Guns and Roses, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Green Day, Iron Maiden, Eagles, Eric Johnson, Ritchie Blackmore, David Gilmour, Dimebag Darell, Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Whitesnake, Bryan Adams, Brian May, Deep Purple, and many more.
>Some of the most popular guitar backing tracks includes:
Guns N Roses - Sweet Child O Mine Chuck Berry - Johnny B Goode Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight Dire Straits - Telegraph Road The Eagles - Hotel California (Acoustic) Gary Moore - Still Got The Blues Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit AC DC - Highway To Hell
Most of the solos that are played by various lead guitarists use two specific scales: the minor pentatonic and the major pentatonic. The best way to learn is by playing the minor and major pentatonic in every key across the fretboard with guitar backing tracks playing in the background. It is not easy to play lead but then with practice, time, effort and the use of the right guitar backing tracks, you will be ready to do your own live gig!
