Guitar Tips

The guitar specialists at st john's music periodically post useful guitar tips in our guitar tips blog if you have an idea for a tip you'd like to see here, let us know. Learn guitar in 7 hrs fast, easy, professional guitar lessons 10 guitar tuning tips and secrets tune your guitar every time you pick it up to play, guitars can go out of tune sooner then you think avoid leaving your guitar in areas with.

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Learn to Play Guitar - Pinch Harmonics and Making your Guitar Scream

In this article I'll explain how to make your guitar squeal with Pinch Harmonics. A lot of guitarists have trouble learning how to do these, but it's really a simple technique.

I'm going to touch on all types of harmonics in an effort to explain how Pinch Harmonics work when your playing the guitar.

If your like me you like to add a little expression when playing your guitar, by adding some harmonics and pinch harmonics.

To get this started we're going to go into a little detail about how the guitar strings actually work. Now I'm not going to be all technical, as that's not who I am :o)

Basically the guitar string vibrates between the nut and the bridge. If you look closely you can see the string vibrating like a sine wave.

Natural harmonics happen at the spaces along the string where the "wave" stops and starts a new one. (Not technically correct but makes sense to me this way).

This normally happens just above the 5th fret, the 7th fret, and the 12th fret wires. If you take a minute in a well lit room you can see the spots where the vibration along the string actually seems to be stopped. When you lightly touch a ringing string on these points you will get a natural harmonic chime.

Tap harmonics are simply fretting a string and moving the natural harmonic spot up accordingly. For example: If you fret the Low E String at the 3rd fret and pluck the string, your "natural harmonics" would no longer be at the 5th, 7th, and 12th frets. You would Tap the string above the 8th, 10th, and 15th fret wire to sound the harmonic. Hence the name....Tap Harmonic.

Now..to the meat of this...the all powerful Pinch Harmonic!! I say all powerful just because I love the extra expression and sound you can get from them.

To do a Pinch Harmonic you basically "Pinch" the string between your Pick and the side of your thumb that's holding the pick. This is the way I do them and have had excellent luck with this technique.

When you strike the string you let your thumb sound the harmonic you want. It takes a bit of trial and error to find the right areas above the pickups that sound the harmonics you want, but only a little.

The best way to learn the placement is to crank up your distortion (easier to sound them), and on put your fret hand on the Low E or A String on the 5th or 7th fret as if you were playing A note or D note.

Start with your pick in about the middle of the Neck and Bridge pickups and "Pinch" the string so that when your pick sounds it your thumb immediately touches the string. This should sound a Pinch Harmonic. The motion is similar to turning the ignition in a car, just not as drastic...it's a slight "Turn" or "Pinch" on the string.

You may have to move your hand slightly higher or lower on the string to find the "sweet spots". Keep trying different areas until you get it just right.

Once you've found the spots that give the sounds you want, make a mental note of where they are. When you move your fret hand higher or lower on the neck...the places you can hit the harmonics will move slightly. This falls in line with the way a Tap Harmonic works, so keep that in mind.

Keep practicing finding the "Sweet Spot" until you can do it each time you try. This part does take a little time and practice.

Just as a note: When you change to a different guitar, be prepared to relearn where the Pinch Harmonics sound. Every guitar I've played on has them in slightly different places. Differences in neck length, bridge placement, manufacturing tolerances all come into play.

So, that's all there is to it...Keep practicing till you get the feel for it, try adding bends and sound another one, you'll make that guitar scream like a wounded banshee in no time.

If you want to really increase your skill with Pinch harmonics after you get the feel for them, try practicing them with a clean sound. They can still be sounded and your accuracy will increase exponentially!

About The Author


Todd Arsenault has been playing guitar for over 20 years and has played with several bands over the years. Todd plays guitar with a local band called Disobedience. You can find more tutorials and lessons on how to learn to play guitar at his website: http://new-user.com.


Guitar article source : http://www.articlecity.com

Guitar Tuning with Natural Harmonics--Downbeating

Downbeating describes the technique whereby natural harmonics are used in tuning guitars. This is a very effective way to tune guitars that can be more accurate than just tuning by ear. It is also a great way of fine tuning once your have approximated tuning with standard techniques.

A prerequisite technique you must learn before you can use downbeating is hitting natural harmonics. Natural harmonics are produced by picking the string while lightly touching the string over the fret wire. You don’t need to push the string down against the fret wire. Natural harmonics sound like a ringing chimed tone. The easiest place to practice natural harmonics is the 12th fret, but you can produce a natural harmonic at nearly every fret. It is easier to hear them when your guitar is plugged into an amp and even easier when using the overdrive channel.

Once you have mastered hitting natural harmonics downbeating is quite simple. You can use this technique to tune every string except the B string (the 2nd string). The reason for this is because the interval between the G and B string is 4 half steps rather 5 half steps like all of the other strings.

Here’s how to do it. Start at the E and A string and work your way up. Simply hit the natural harmonic on the 5th fret on the lower string followed by the natural harmonic on the 7th fret of the higher string next to it. They should produce the exact same tone. For example, if you are tuning the E and A strings, hit the natural harmonic on the 5th fret of the E string followed by the natural harmonic on the 7th fret of the A string. You need to have both natural harmonic tones sounding together at the same time. If the strings are not in perfect tune together, what you will hear is the tone oscillate back and forth between the two strings. The faster the oscillation the further off tune the strings are. As you adjust the tuning peg you should hear the oscillation slow down until you only hear one non-oscillating tone. This is called downbeating. You may have to resound the harmonics a few times while you are adjusting the tuners. Once you hear only one non-oscillating tone the strings are in perfect tune with one another. Repeat the steps for all of the strings (except the B string) and you’ll find your guitar in perfect tune. This technique will work with any guitar acoustic or electric but is much easier to hear with an electric through the overdriven channel.

Try this proven technique, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the sound of your guitar in perfect tune. Visit www.2ndstringguitars.com for the best value in new and used guitars, factory 2nds, and refurbished instruments at cheap guitar prices.

E. Lucktong


About The Author

E. Lucktong is an avid guitar player and performer with over 20 years of experience. Visit http://www.2ndstringguitars.com for great values on new and used guitars, Factory 2nd and refurbished guitars, and vintages


Guitar article source : http://www.articlecity.com/

Guitar Lessons on DVD

The guitar is a wonderful instrument and it is easy to learn how to play it. Several people just learn how to play the guitar by doing three simple steps. One, they bought (or borrowed) a guitar; Two, they memorized the chords; the last is that they buy a lyric magazine, pick a song, and strum the guitar. This all sounds so simple but in reality it is not. Unless you know your music, you might end up sounding like a fool and end up embarrassing yourself in front of many people.


Learning how to play a guitar by watching professional guitar players do it on a DVD is really beneficial for beginners and even those who have been playing for a long time. Watching a DVD provides many advantages such as doing this in the privacy of your own home. You can also pace yourself and learn more in a shorter amount of time, back up anytime if you forgot anything, or pause. Using a DVD as a tool, you will not have to go to the hassle of looking for a private tutor and/or spend a lot of money for guitar lessons.

Watching someone else play guitar is the easiest way to learn how to do it. whether that someone is your friend, a private tutor, an artist or someone in a DVD, it is advisable to learn by watching how they do it.

Professional guitar players help other people by showing the simple steps in learning how to play a guitar in a DVD.

The first step they usually show in the video is learning how to tune the guitar. This is particularly helpful for beginners as they usually do not know how to it. This is usually done by playing EADGBE (low to high) and listening to ascertain if there is a problem with the sound. Another thing they will teach will be steps on how to replace a string and tune it again.

The next step is learning different kinds of fretting techniques and chord shortcuts to help in learning the easiest ways of plucking and strumming of the guitar. There will also be different instructions on how to create chord accompaniment when composing a new song.

These DVDs usually are packed with information and is usually focused on only one subject (facet) of guitar playing so a student can learn more about that particular part of playing the guitar.
For More Information on Guitar DVDs by Ian Williamson please visit http://www.real-articles.com/Category/Guitar/96

Guitar Article Source : http://www.articlesbase.com

A Metal Guitar Lesson

Metal guitar is a very popular genre with people who feel that negativity and hopelessness are not getting a fair go in modern music. If you are reading an article called "Metal Guitar Lesson" you probably have an idea about what Metal is but if you don't, the best way to describe it is by listing some Metal groups.


The genre originated with the loud, in-your-face music of the late sixties and early seventies pioneered by guitar players like Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. This style quickly moved onto another definition of the word "music" where melody fades into the background to give way to the quantity and quality of sound the guitar player is able to produce. Iron Maiden and Judas Priest are early Metal guitar groups. Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, Motorhead and Slayer, Sodom, Kreator, Destruction, Children of Bodom, Tankard, Testament and Pantera are also well established but represent the more ruthless Metal guitar music known as Thrash Metal.

Every metal guitar player needs to be a fantastic string bender. The whammy bar on your guitar will change the pitch of your strings but if you have a cheap guitar you might have a problem with strings breaking. It's best if you do it the non-whammy bar way which is pick a note and move the string sideways to bend the note up.

To get that chugging effect so desired by heavy metal guitarists, you will need to learn to mute the strings. If you have been listening to Metal guitar, you will have heard the sound, so now follow the description to find a comfortable way of MAKING the sound: simplay hold your pick in the usual playing position and place the pinky side of your hand on the strings to muffle the sound. Now take a few minutes to slowly find a way so you can pick notes on the sixth string while your hand is still muting the sound. As you become more familiar with picking in this position, you will be able to extend your range of palm muting techniques.

Once you have palm muting working for you, you could start to master machine-gun picking. This is lightning-fast up and down strokes with the pick. It takes some practice but you will be glad you did when you start combining this standard metal guitar technique with palm muting.

Vocals are not the strong point of Thrash Metal so let's get to the equipment you need to become a Thrash Metal guitar player. Distortion is an important part of Metal so a distortion pedal is essential. You will need the usual guitar stuff like plectrums and a tuner and a metronome.

The musical background you need for learning Metal guitar is much the same as for blues players. The major, minor, pentatonic, minor harmonic scales will be handy plus the phrygian, lochrian and byzantine modes. You might want to learn to read music or at least, tab.

Another characteristic of Metal guitar is the use of drop tunings. If you play Metal your guitar should be tuned low. It gives you a totally different kind of control over your strings, your sound is more aggressive and you can do more with hammer-ons and tapping. You could just begin by tuning your guitar half a step down. Not a drastic change but it makes your guitar sound more growly without losing all the high range. Or you could take your strings down a whole step so that your guitar is tuned D G C F A D.

If you take your tuning one and a half steps or two steps down your guitar is now sounding menacing. If you want to tune your guitar any lower than two steps down, a longer than normal neck will stop the strings from moving around too much.
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

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Guitar Lesson: Play Country Guitar Licks In A

Many things you learn from playing country guitar licks can be used to spice up solos in other genres. You will now learn to play some useful country licks in the key of A. Some easy, some a little bit awkward but nice!


You can play these licks using a pick or with your right hand fingers. You can also combine the pick with the use of a couple of more fingers like the middle finger and ring finger. This is commonly called hybrid picking. Having a few fingers at your disposal makes it easier to play licks with a lot of jumping between strings.

You will use a form of guitar tablature I have found suitable for articles like this one. The notes you will play are notated with the fret to play before a slash and the string after the slash. An example:

2/4

This means: Play the second fret on string four!

You will start with an A-major scale with some ringing open strings.

We will use hammer-ons in this scale. I will notate them with the letter h between the notes:

0/5 7/6 4/5 0/4 7/5 4/4 h 6/4 h 7/4 0/2 6/3 3/2 0/1 7/2 4/1 h 5/1

You will now play this scale descending. This will require you to replace the hammer-ons with pull-offs notated the same way with a p between the notes. It will look like this:

5/1 p 4/1 7/2 0/1 3/2 6/3 0/2 7/4 p 6/4 p 4/4 7/5 0/4 4/5 7/6 0/5

Your first country guitar lick will take you from E7 to A. We will use hammer-ons and pull-offs even in this lick. The suggested chords to play with the lick is in parenthesis:

(E7) 0/6 3/6 h 4/6 0/4 2/4 p 0/4 4/5 0/4 2/5 p 0/5 3/6 h 4/6 (A) 0/5

It is easiest to play in the second position. This means that you play the notes on the second fret with your index, the note on the third with your middle finger and so on.

In your next lick you will also use slides. I will notate this with an - between the notes:

4/3 - 5/3 3/2 0/1 3/2 5/3 - 4/3 0/2 2/3 5/4 - 4/4 0/3 2/4 p 0/4 3/5 h 4/5 0/5

The following country guitar lick uses a bend up a half note. It is notated (1/2b) before the note:

(E7) 3/1 h 4/1 0/1 3/2 p 0/2 2/3 0/3 h 1/3 2/4 p 1/4 p 0/4 (1/2b) 3/5 (A) 0/5

My intention with these licks is that you will learn them by heart as soon as you can. Play a couple of notes or so at a time until you know them by heart and add a couple of more notes. The notation is not important. It's just a means to convey the lick.

As soon as you know the lick by heart you can experiment with it and change it as you like.

Country guitar licks are often played in a way that creates a rapid succession of notes using a minimum of energy. This is accomplished by the following means:

1. Using a pick and two more fingers or only using the fingers with maybe a thumb pick.

2. Using as much open strings or strings ringing together as possible.

3. Using slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs and of course bends.

There is a risk with this type of licks. The ultimate goal is of course to play them fast and fluid, creating this nice cascades of notes that you can hear from a good country guitarist. To reach this goal you really have to practice these licks slowly using as little tension as possible as you play.

If you are that type of person that wants to learn things fast I guess you have to remind yourself that the fastest way to learn to play fast is to play slowly. It is as easy as that.
Peter Edvinsson invites you to download your free sheet music, guitar tabs, ebooks, guitar lessons and read his music blog at Capotasto Music.

Guitar lesson source : http://www.articlesbase.com

Learn To Play Guitar - 3 Tips For Faster Learning

If you want to learn to play guitar, then you need to make sure that you're getting the most from your playing time. When I was learning, I went through the pain you feel when you seem to go for weeks or even months without getting any better. The reason this happens is that without realising it, you get stuck in a "learning rut" - you're trying really hard, but you're not letting your brain recover enough to take in new information. So how do you get round this, and move your guitar playing into the fast lane?


1. Change guitar playing activities

What do we mean by this? Well, there are different aspects to playing any musical instrument. For example, if learning the guitar, you have to know chords and scales, you have to learn the chords which make up the songs you want to play, and maybe you want to learn the solos too. So don't get hung up on one tricky chord, or on a cool riff you really want to play. As soon as something starts to seem difficult, stop and change! If your soloing isn't progressing, spend a week learning new songs with chords you already know well. If there's a tricky chord sequence in your favourite track that you just can't get, then leave it for a couple of weeks, and try to improve your guitar tabs skills.

2. Play with other guitar players

It never ceases to amaze me how many people miss this one, and it's probably the most important thing you can do. I remember I probably practiced on my own for two or three years, because I didn't think I was good enough to play with other musicians. Big mistake! When I finally did start to mix with some other musicians, it was amazing how much I learned, and what was even more amazing was that I was able to show the other guys a couple of tricks. That really boosted my confidence, and my guitar playing went from strength to strength!

3. Use a really good learning tool

Over the years I've probably tried everything. Guitar books, guitar lessons on CD and DVD, private one to one guitar lessons, jamming along to records and CDs, watching peoples fingers in music videos - you name it... I eventually realised that what you really need is a complete learning package which encompasses the best parts of all these techniques, and packages it into a structured, easy to follow guitar course.

Guitar article source : http://www.articlesbase.com

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Fender Presents: Getting Started on Electric Guitar -- A Guide for Beginners

Guitar Lesson : Warming Up

Improve Your Performance with these Physical, Musical, and Exercise Routines
GuitarOne magazine (Vol. 5)
By Troy Stetina

So you're sitting in your bedroom practicing, and after a few hours you're really moving on a particularly difficult solo. "I've got it!" you say. You play it again, challenged yet confident, and once again you pull it off. Great. You set your guitar down, comfortable in the knowledge that you have nailed it. But later that day, something strange happens...

You grab your guitar to show off your latest conquest to a friend--or perhaps your guitar teacher--and your fingers don't respond the same. You can't create the same flow, so you push harder. You screw up. You try again and totally lose it! After a third equally unpleasant whack at the thing, you exclaim in frustration, "I don't understand why I can't play this! I was just flying over it a few hours ago."

What's going on here? The answer lies in two words: warm up. Or, more specifically in this case, a lack of warm up.

The fact is, you just cant play your best at the drop of a hat; or to say it another way, your abilities are never constant. They fluctuate depending on your state of mind and body at any given moment. An extreme case demonstrates this fact quite well: Imagine you had to play immediately upon waking in the morning. How well do you think you'd do? Your muscles and tendons are stiff, your brain is still foggy, not to mention your eyes are still glued half shut (if your morning experience is anything like mine). Yeah, you could play a little, but it's not exactly showing your abilities in their best light!

Okay then, obviously some times are better than other times. Let's imagine we have a ten-point scale to rate your level of readiness. Zero is "first thing in the morning," and ten is right at your absolute peak--you are sharp, fully warmed up, feeling creative, and everything is clicking. What level do you have to be at in order to pull off that solo? A nine or ten. And what level are you right now? Say four or five. So if you try to force it right now, you're gonna choke! You have to get up near ten first, before you try to pull off your hardest stuff, and for that you need a good warm up.

What is the best way to warm up? All the various techniques break down into three basic categories. First, there are the physical approaches--stretching and the like. Second, we can simply play music, or jam. And third, we can play specially crafted "warm-up exercises."

The Physical Approach

We'll start with the physical approach-working your muscles to get the blood flowing, stretching the muscles and tendons, and literally warming the temperature of your hands and forearms. In this vein (pun intended), Steve Morse's suggestions are an excellent starting point: "The first step is to develop the good habit of washing your hands in warm water. This is to get your hands warmed up and, of course, get them clean. Getting your hands literally warmed up makes it easier to stretch."

Next, you could try stretching and working the muscle groups you are going to be calling on. This also warms the temperature of your hands. Try a Grip Master, or simply squeeze a tennis ball repeatedly for a minute. The idea is not to get an intense workout, but just to get the blood flowing a little. As Ritchie Sambora admits: "If I don't have enough time to warm up sufficiently, I use the Grip Master. That will get you close because it works all those muscles."

And of course you can go further, stretching and massaging each of the muscles and joints. Start with each finger and move on to the hand. Then push and pull all the fingers back and forth to stretch each wrist slowly over its range of motion. Massage the forearms a little and stretch out the elbows and shoulders. Try this once and see how it feels.

The Musical Approach

The second "category" for warming up is simply to jam on music. It could be full tunes, or perhaps just riffs or grooves. It could be all improvised, covers, or some of both. The main thing to keep in mind is that your purpose here is to get warmed up and not to set any new land speed records, so don't be overly aggressive. Let the music power your fingers, and before long you'll notice your vibrato getting more intense, your speed coming on naturally, and your bends getting easier.

Extreme's Nuno Bettencourt favors warming up with this jamming approach before shows: "The best way to warm up for me is playing. We have a small drum kit in the dressing room, and ... I just jam along with [the drummer]. You start off nice and slow, whether it's a pentatonic thing or anything you choose. Play with a slow pace for a while and then sort of build it up. At the end of my warm up [we're] out of control."

To give you something specific to try out this build-up style, jamming approach, I've collected a few riffs for you as samples. Each one focuses on a different technique, or aspect of playing. Figure 1 is Hendrix's immortal "Purple Haze" riff. This famous single note lead-style riff works as a great starting point with its moderately slow pace, left hand position shifts and slight bending.

Figure 2 is the riff from Foo Fighters's "I'll Stick Around." This faster-tempo riff focuses on shifting barre chords. Figure 3 is from Metallica's "One." This one hones in on the picking hand. Don't worry about playing the full songs, just jam on each riff for a bit. Also, don't hesitate to go off and improvise your own variations on any of them.

Getting into and holding a groove for a few minutes is another excellent approach. When you are in a groove, the rhythm flows throughout your entire body. Rhythm is motion and motion is fluid-the opposite of stiffness. Blues and funk grooves both work nicely, loosening you up generally, without regard to specific techniques, so give each a try. Figure 4 is a typical 12-bar blues shuffle, with 6th and 7th comping. Figure 5 is the funky central riff from the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Suck My Kiss."

A third musical warm-up approach is simply to put on a favorite record or CD--one which you already know the songs-and just play along, improvising. Carlos Santana favors this approach: I don't usually sit down and practice scales. I think that is the most boring thing. It's like eating a sprout sandwich ... I play to records a lot. I play along with John Coltrane's "Naima" and "My Favorite Things" and try to hang in there with McCoy (Tyner) and Elvin (Jones). Once the record is over, that's a good warm-up exercise."

The Exercise Approach

Some players, such as Steve Vai, Steve Morse, and Marty Friedman, often use specifically designed exercises as warm-up tools. If you're the patient, detail-minded type, you'll probably dig this approach as it is very systematic and can be quite effective. For others, exercises just drive them nuts. Give it a shot and see if they're for you. One thing to keep in mind though, in the words of Marty Friedman: "You can use anything that moves the fingers very, very slowly. No need to play warm-up exercises fast. What's the point?" Precisely. These are warm-up exercises, not speed-honing exercises. So dont push it. Focus on quality and having total control over the movement of each finger. After ten or twenty minutes of these, your fingers should really be feeling it.

Figures 6a-6c come via Steve Vai, featuring an exhaustive array of two-note-per-string mechanical sequences. With it, Steve suggests: "The metronome speed is up to the user. You have to start really slow so you doubt even make one little mistake." For these, play the patterns given using each of the fingering options located below the staff.

Figure 7 is lifted right from one of my books, Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar and offers a condensed version covering the same finger combinations as Fig. 6. However, this time it's played with all hammer-ons and pull-offs.

Now let's try some three-note-per-string patterns in Figure 8, courtesy of Steve Morse.

Figure 9, again from Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar takes the three-note-per-string idea but conforms it to an A natural minor scale, a la the ever-terrifying, chainsaw-wielding axeman Paul Gilbert.

In Figures 10a and 10b, Marty Friedman mixes up the three-note sequence a little, moving it up and back down the neck. Then he stretches out, adding a string-skipping approach. Slowly, slowly, slowly.

Figure 11 is the chromatic exercise employed by Warren DiMartini. He throws a curve in on the picking side, however. First, he plays it all with downstrokes for a while. Then all upstrokes for a while. Finally, he gets around to alternate picking.

Neal Schon adds a totally different warm-up approach, with string bending and vibrato. "Use fast vibrato, slow vibrato, use extremely slow vibrato, and make sure that note always comes back to the top when you- come off it. Practice just holding the note forever while stretching up to it. I think that's a great warm-up exercise for all new guitar players that play a million notes. Practice just hitting one note and making it sing" (Figure 12).

To wrap it up, take a whack at Figure 13, also drawn from Speed Mechanics. Here we blend Schon's bending fetish with another popular Vai exerciseplaying single-string scales.

Of course, nearly any exercise could be an effective warm-up exercise. The idea is to get your fingers loosened up and reacquainted with the fretboard. So feel free to adopt, alter, or abandon these, as you wish. Or trash the whole exercise approach altogether if it bores you. After all, if you find them boring, they're not going to get you very warmed up! Everyone is different. Use whatever works for you!

Since You're Gonna Do it Anyway, Why Not Do It Right?

The fact is, you are going to go through a warm-up process every time you play, whether you know it or not. I mean, your speed and accuracy are always a little less at first, until you play a while. The only difference here is that you are learning how to take control of it. Now you can show off your best when the spotlight is on. Meanwhile, you wont be risking the strain injury that can result from pushing too hard, too fast.

Troy Stetina is internationally recognized as a leading author, musician, and critically acclaimed guitar virtuoso. He has created rock and metal programs for workshops, as well as a university level program at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.

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Artist excerpts and examples courtesy of Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar by Troy Stetina, and Warm-Up Exercises for Guitar by John Stix and Yoichi Arakawa.

guitar article source ; http://www.stetina.com

Online Guitar Lessons

Out with the old, in with the new; online guitar lessons are revolutionizing the way the world is learning to play. Streaming video has given people the ability to learn from the convenience of their own home, anytime they'd like. In this article, I will briefly touch upon the main advantages & disadvantages of this method.

Advantage: Convenience
It's hard to put a price on convenience. Imagine how nice your life would be if you could do everything from home: shop, work, learn, exercise, etc. With the increases in internet speeds, home education is no longer a wishful future. High quality videos are now able to be streamed to you at your own PC.

Traditional methods of guitar lessons require the students to commute to schools or studios for their lessons. With a 30 minute / 30 mile commute each way, you can plan on burning up an hour of your time & a bit of gas just to get to the lesson. Beyond that, you have to pack up your guitar, amplifier, pedals, and any other equipment you need. You are also required to get there for a set appointment. With online lessons, you are able to take the lessons whenever you want without having to go anywhere; there are no restrictions.
Advantage: Choose Your Instructor
With an online guitar lesson site such as JamPlay, you are presented with a variety of instructors. You can check out the biography of each one and watch some sample lessons to decide which person is the best fit for you. You can watch any lesson from any instructor anytime you'd like – there are no limitations.

Beyond the personality appeal of each instructor, you should consider their teaching style. You may like the way a person acts, but their style may not mesh well with the way you learn. Some teachers are visual while others are hands on. Instructors are also usually very genre-specific. It is rare to find a person that knows multiple styles in and out (such as metal, bluegrass, and blues). With a site like JamPlay, you can learn all of these styles by checking out other instructors.
Advantage: Flexible Lesson Sets
There's nothing more irritating than learning only what somebody else wants to teach you. Sometimes an instructor will be very stubborn & will teach the same curriculum regardless of what the student prefers. This makes for a rather dull lesson set & takes a lot of fun away from the learning experience. With the multi-instructor approach with online lessons, you are able to pick & choose exactly what you want to learn. Unlike other methods (books, DVDs, in-person), we allow you to decide what you learn; you decide, we teach.
Advantage: Very Affordable
One of the most important things to consider is value. Nobody wants to spend a ton of money to learn to play guitar. With in-person instruction, you are looking at anywhere from $20 to $60 per half hour lesson.

The business model for an online membership website allows the company to provide more content for less money. For example, let's say a website has 100 members paying $10 each. This means they would generate $1000 in revenue. They can then use that revenue to film even more lessons. It is impossible for one instructor to teach 100 different people a handful of lessons every month. This time saved with the use of computers allows the business to serve more customers with less overhead.

As the customer, you're getting an incredible value. You will receive dozens of hours of instruction for only $19.95. Compare that with a half hour of instruction for the same price (if you can find a cheap teacher) & the numbers speak for themselves.
Disadvantage: Less Extensive Interaction
If you are taking lessons with an in-person instructor, you are able to instantly ask questions about a lesson / technique & receive a response right away. This type of interaction is a valuable tool when learning to play.

To try to bridge this gap, JamPlay has initiated a new concept: Video Q&A. If you have a question about anything, you can submit it to us via email. We will then film the response from an instructor & post the answer / mini-lesson online for you to see. The response time isn't quite as good as if you were sitting next to the person, but it is still quite helpful.

Guitar article source : http://www.jamplay.com

Highway One™ Stratocaster® HSS (Upgrade)

The Highway One series is upgraded for '06! Super-size frets, '70s styling, new alnico pickups in the neck and middle positions and new colors take this amazing guitar to the next level.

The new neck and middle position pickups on the Highway One Stratocaster HSS guitar produce a more round tone that can sound glassy and great with high gain. The thin nitrocellulose lacquer finish lets the body wood's natural tone shine through, making for one of the most exciting new instruments in the Fender family!

Guitar product source : http://www.fender.com/

Jimmy Page Rock Lick

In this lesson we're going to be going over a really simple and yet amazing sounding blues/rock lick, that Jimmy Page himself used quite a bit. In fact it was by listening to Led Zepplin that I learned this riff. He has used it on several recordings, but it is at the halfway point of Good Times, Bad Times where it really stands out.



I have heard Zakk Wylde use this same riff, or a variation of it in his earlier days with Ozzy, and my memory has failed me at the moment, but I wouldn't be surprised if I heard it turn up again on one of the Black Label Society albums.

Its really simple, sounds good slow or fast, and it can be put to your playing immediately. Also the example below will show it in one position, but you can move it anywhere you like. Just use the same fingering and picking. This particular version of it is my own variation, but Jimmy Page's isn't all that different from the one that I'm going to show you. Let's get crackin!!

Now, you can pick this anyway that you like, but the first note, which is a full bend, I prefer to pick this with an upstroke. The next two notes would be down, up - in that order.

Being a straight blues lick - it is constructed from the Major Pentatonic Scale.

The fingering is simple. On the first pattern, use your finger like this. Barre the 10th frets with your index finger and use your middle finger to bend the 12th fret. Then for the 3 notes after that, use your ring, middle and index finger, in that order. Keep your index finger barred throughout. When you move to the next pattern use the same fingering.

Note: Don't forget that you are bending a whole step. This means that you bend from the 12th fret to the pitch of the 14th fret. On the pattern that follows that, you bend from the 10th fret to the pitch of the 14th fret.

Don't like the picking on that version? no problem - let's try it with pull-offs for a much cleaner sound.

Remember, you can start this pattern on any fret that you like and you should be able to fit it in with most blues, rock or metal songs. Pop in some Clapton and try it!

Guitar Articel Source : http://www.guitarticles.net

Finger Picking On The Guitar

Its almost like there are two worlds in guitar playing. You have the guitarists
who like to use a flat pick, and then you've got the guitar maestros who use
a strict finger picking technique.


Getting the dexterity down for acoustic guitar finger picking can be a bit
of a hassle, and it almost seems as though the fingers don't want to budge.
With some simple exercises, the obstacle can be removed from the road.

Before we continue to explore finger picking, we first need to establish something. In the classical guitar world, where plucking the strings with the fingers is quite common, there is a labeling of the fingers. The labeling is simple, and knowing it will help you to guide yourself when you start working with these passages.

P = Thumb
I = Index finger
M = Middle finger
A = Ring finger



The abbreviations come from the Spanish words of Pulgar, Indicio, Medio, and Anular, and its a very easy system to work with.

By the way, one of the best beginning guitar books has always been
Frederick Noad's First book for the guitar

I even have it in my collection, and it helped me get started with classical technique.

Now that we know that the fingers are labeled as P,I,M, and A, we can apply this identification tool to simple guitar tab.

For this lesson we're going to simply focus on getting our fingers warmed up
with some simple plucking, using P and M for the chords and I for the single
notes. This is also a similar approach to the Beatles song Black Bird.

A word of advice. The key thing here is to take your time, because you want to
put your focus on syncing up the chord changes with the picking. I know that
seems obvious, but the plucking helps to keep a really good rhythm.

Stay tuned, because in the next lesson I'll show you how to put a little more "pep" in it ;)

Guitar Article Source : http://www.guitarticles.net

Playing Bass Guitar In A Rock Band

By John Nightwolf

Being a Bass Guitar player is not as straightforward as it may seem. I'd like to explain what makes a good Bass player, and how you can play effectively within a band. I may be about to offend some people. My aim is not to cause offense, but rather to open eyes to the central role of the Bass player, specifically in a rock band setting.

Types of Bass Guitar Player

There are three types of Bass Players as far as I'm concerned.
1. The frustrated Guitar Player. This is the guy who thinks a Bass is a guitar with four strings, he/she plays the same notes as the guitars are playing at the same time. While this adds the illusion of having a Bass Player, this technique does not really add much to the mix.
2. The Egomaniac. Les Claypool has an interesting approach,...and it works for him. It won't work for you so knock it off. I don't even like guitar players that play that fast.
3. The well-centered rhythm minded Bass Player. In case you can't guess by the obviously weighted title, this is the group I believe myself to be in. This is the technique I will now expound on as the ONLY correct way to play the Bass.


OK, so the last bit was a little over the top. Seriously enough sarcasm. There are as many different styles of Bass Players as there are types of Music. My object today is to talk about the Rock Bassist using the WCRMBP (technique #3). OK, I was chastised for my acronym, let's just call it the WC technique for the ADHD folks. I was also chastised for making fun of ADHD and regret (and apologize for) the last comment.

The Rhythm Section

The rhythm section is responsible for setting the ground work of the song, a firm foundation for the lead players to build from. They are the backbone of the band. They create the framework that all the rest is built upon. This handles the roots and rhythm of the song and helps get the groove on track and keep it there for the duration of the song. People cannot sing along with a song they have never heard, but they can dance to it. The rhythm section is generally what people key into first.

Rhythm Section Dynamics

From an audio(aural) perspective the bass drum and the bass guitar compliment each other in several ways, the bass drum has a very hard knee (sharp attack) and a rapid decay (quick fade) while the bass guitar has a softer knee than the bass drum, but a longer decay. They also cover different , but complimentary, frequency ranges making them both sound "bigger" when played together. In layman's terms this amounts to making the bass drum sound fatter and last longer while making the bass guitar also sound fatter, but more importantly, sound like it is hitting harder.

Gettin' In Tune

One of the most important things for a novice Bass Player to do is to get “in tune" so to speak, with the Drummer. As a Bass Player you need to learn to play tightly with the Drummer. It can be very hard when you start out, making sure the rhythm section sounds together, and not like a drum kit and double bass rolling down a hill. Get to know the particular Drummer's style.

Does he hit, before, after, or directly on the beat?

Answering this question will help you to anticipate his moves and be where you need to be right with the drums.

There is one simple trick that will help even the most challenged of bass players...

Watch the Drummer's Feet

I have told beginning Bassists that I position myself during practice so that I can see the Drummer's feet, this seems to enlighten them a bit. Bass hits should not follow the guitars, they should accentuate the drum hits, most importantly, you guessed it, the Bass Drums.

The easiest way to work on this is to watch the drummer's feet and hit when they hit. - EVEN IF THEY MAKE A MISTAKE.

Watch the Drummer's Back

Like it or not your job is to work with the drummer, even to the point of covering their butt when they miss (of course, their job is to cover you, but that is for a different article). A mistake by one member of the band is easy for an audience to spot, but when other members of the band cover for it, it is not as obvious and is easy to overlook. Enough of that, no mistakes guys 'K?

Back to the point, follow the drummer's feet. Next time you are listening to your favorite Music, try to find a bass drum hit that does not have a bass note associated with it.

“Why?", you ask...

Filling in the Gaps

Once you are familiar with the Drummer's foot hits you can move forward and start adding fills to the mix. Until you are more experienced a good rule to keep in mind is that you are there to add notes to the drum hits, for every note you hit there should be a drum/cymbal hit (real or imagined) right with it. That is not to say there should be a bass note for every drum hit, as a Bass Player, get used to the idea that you are not the hero in this picture, you are there for support.

Over doing Bass fills gets old real quick. A good Bass Player just peppers enough to accent without drawing undue attention to themselves. I plan to do an article centered around bass fills in the near future so be sure to check back.

Summary

The main points I hope you will come away with are:

1. Gettin' in Tune- learn to work with the Drummer
2. Watch the Drummer's feet- learn to hit solid with the bass drum every time
3. Watch the Drummer's back- every time means EVERY time
4. The Rhythm Section is the backbone of the band
5. Dynamics tie the Bass Guitar and Drums together and accentuate each other sonically
6. Use fills sparingly



These are just some ideas and basic guidelines to help someone starting out on the Bass Guitar. I hope you found it informative (and maybe even a little funny).

Discuss this article in our Music Forum.

About John Nightwolf
Author - John Nightwolf

John Nightwolf is 42 years old and has been playing since the age of 13. Although John also plays Guitar, Keyboards, and Drums, he would tell you that Bass is his real passion.

John plays a Regal acoustic Bass, an Ibanez 4string, and a Schecter 5string. Hartke Amp with a Genz Benz cabinet.

He has played for Witch, Intox, Stressmonkey and Two and a Half WeeKs over the years.

John Nightwolf is a member of the Songstuff music community.

Guitar article source : http://guitar.songstuff.com

Basic Guitar Chords: How to Easily Master the Guitar Chords You Must Know

by Peter Bussey

One of the first challenges faced by the advancing guitar player is learning a core group of basic guitar chords . Why is it so important to learn these basic chords? Chords form the backbone of most rock and pop songs, and provide the harmonic accompaniment to the melody and instrumental solos.

Rhythm guitar based on basic chords provides many of the most memorable rock riffs… think AC/DC’s “Back in Black” or The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. What’s really amazing is that by learning no more than 10 to 15 basic guitar chords, you will be equipped to play thousands of rock and pop songs!

First let’s establish the definition of a chord. A chord is three or more different musical notes played together. In the case of the guitar, this means that at least three strings are strummed or plucked simultaneously to sound three or more notes. Since the guitar has six strings, the maximum numbers of notes in a guitar chord is six. All chords can be placed in one of three groups based on the musical structure of the chord: Major, Minor, or Seventh. Each of these chord groups has its own “sound” or “feel”. Major chords sound stable and complete. Minor chords can evoke a more somber or pensive mood, and Seventh chords are jazzy and somewhat incomplete sounding.

There is no standard list of “basic guitar chords” that every one agrees to. However, there is general agreement that there is a list of somewhere between 8 and 18 basic guitar chords (open string) that every guitarist must know cold. These chords are used in all musical styles from rock and pop to country, jazz, and classical. No matter where you are on your guitar-playing path, you should take the time to learn and master the basic chords. Getting these right will ensure you have the basic tools and skills to learn many songs and increase your playing enjoyment.

So what are the basic guitar chords? Our basic stable includes the major and minor chords from four common musical keys, A,G,C, and D. They are played as “open chords”, that is at least one string in the chord is not fretted (pressed down with a finger). Open chords are easier to learn and play than more advanced chords such as Barre chords, or complex chords further up the guitar neck. Our list of basic major and minor chords is:

A Major (or A), A Minor (or Am), C, D, Dm, E, Em, F, G

These chords can be best learned as chord “families” (by key) that can be combined into great-sounding chord sequences that make up lots of popular songs. Using this chord family approach is much more interesting and useful than just memorizing a bunch of chords in random order!

These chords grouped by chord family (key) are as follows:

A Family (Key of A): A, D, E
D Family (Key of D): D, Em, G, A
G Family (Key of G): G, Am, C, D, Em
C Family (Key of C): C, Dm, Em, F, G

Tips for Learning the Basic Chords:

1. Pick a Chord Family and master it. This will give you quick success and let you play great sounding progressions right away.

2. Use a Guitar Chord Chart as a reference tool. A chord chart shows each chord as an easy to read “chord diagram” with exact finger positions. See this example of a chart of basic guitar chords .

3. Find the chords and lyrics for an easy song that is based on the chord family so you can apply your skills. Many great songs are based on only three chords!

4. Ensure each string sounds right. Take care to make sure that each string is sounding clearly, and that only the strings that should be played are played.

5. Practice, practice, practice! Every day, practice continually change from one chord to another until you can do it rapidly. Learn the chord families one at a time.

6. Master all the basic chords first. Only then move on to Barre chords and other more complex chords. First things first!

7. Expand with 7th chords. As a next step you can easily expand on your basic chord knowledge by adding 7th and minor 7th chords based on the nine basic major and minor chords.

8. Have fun using your new skills! Enjoy your musical ability by applying it to learning a small set of 5-10 songs you know really well and can confidently play at any time.

Copyright 2005 Peter Bussey of www.guitar-players-toolbox.com

Peter Bussey has been an avid guitar player for over 10 years, and is Editor of The Guitar Players Toolbox, a website dedicated to helping advancing guitar players improve with practical tools, tips, and information. Visit http://www.guitar-players-toolbox.com for a variety of free, practical resources such as guitar chords, guitar chord charts, song chords, and more.

How to Improve Your Alternate Picking Technique

Editor's note: Why is alternate picking important? Beginning guitar players have a tendency to strum or pick the guitar strings by using a series of either all downstrokes or all upstrokes.

Although this is OK when first learning, it is important to increase playing fluidity and efficiency by using a technique called alternate picking, which is the process of using a guitar pick to strike the strings using a pattern of alternating downward and upward motions, or downstrokes and upstrokes. This has the advantage of minimizing wasted motion and results in faster, smoother playing.

Below is an article written by Ben Edwards of Jamorama offering practical advice in improving this important skill:

Q: Ben, I'm having trouble "alternate picking". What can I do?

A: The main problem with alternate picking comes when you are picking a note in the opposite direction of the next string that you're going to play. For instance, if your last note was a downstroke on the G string, and your next note is an upstroke on the D string, then your pick has to travel a more complicated path than if you are picking up on G and down on D. What to do?

Some people just refuse to let their picking hand do the more difficult move, by trying to put a hammer on or a pull off to time the direction of the pick to a more favorable direction. Others might just be using the pick to start the string in motion, but are doing all hammer or pull offs other than the first note on a string.

But let's concentrate on what to do if you are using the versatile alternate picking method. Since we don't want to limit the note choices, or string choices, in any way, we have to just get good at dealing with the problem.

Practice going back and forth between two strings picking in the opposite direction just like the example: For example, in 2nd position, play a C on the 3rd string with a downstroke followed by an E on the 4th string with an upstroke. Repeat the C and E one more time.

Next, bring the C down to a B on the 3rd string with a downstroke, followed by the same E on the 4th with an upstroke. Repeat the B and E. Just to make a slightly musical pattern, do the same thing, but change the B down to an A, doing the same pattern. To make the pattern symmetrical, return the A back up to a B and play B,E,B,E, just like the second pattern.

It will take a lot less time to play this than to read about it, so try to muddle through this explanation to get to the actual notes, it's not hard to play this as long as you don't try to play it too fast.

As with all exercises, do it slowly and as accurately as possible at first. Doing this exercise addresses one of the most important points about practicing and improvements.

Editor's note: The above article was written and is copyrighted by Ben Edwards, developer of “Jamorama- The Ultimate Guitar Learning Kit”, and is used here with permission. Visit the Jamorama site to learn how to play guitar and techniques such as alternate picking.

Guitar Article source :http://www.guitar-players-toolbox.com