Guitar | Fat Chords

All Guitarists Need to be Able to Read Guitar Music-is This True

by Fat Chords

March 7th, 2011

All Guitarists Need to be Able to Read Guitar Music-is This True

Many of you reading this have obviously asked yourself whether or not you need tobe able to read guitar music. The truth of the matter is that it all depends on your goals and wants. There are those that need to learn and there are those that don’t.

So if it so happens that you fall in the category of those that need knowledge on guitar theory then you know what you have to do. But on the other hand, if you don’t fall in this category then you don’t need to worry about learning to read music.

Let us look at the two categories in a little more detail; those that should and those that don’t need to.

The People That Need To Read Music

If you fall under this group then you probably want to take up music as a professional career; starting guitar lessons at a tender age and/or want to be able to play classical guitar. Let us look at music as a career.

Guitar as a Career

Wanting to have the guitar pay the bills one day is a dream for a number of guitar players. If this is the case for you then please be aware that you will need to learn music theory. Unfortunately there are no two ways about that. Without the ability to read music you are killing your career before it even begins.

Starting To Play as a Teenager

It is advisable for those starting out at a tender age to learn to read music. Not only will this help you in the future understanding of music, but it will open doors to a sophisticated understanding of music that will give you a competitive advantage over those that can’t.

Classical Guitar

Classical guitar is different from blues, rock or folk. Unlike these kinds of guitar playing, classical requires a little bit more sophistication. Maybe the reason for this is because of the origin or how the whole kind of play unfolds. You can dig a little deeper on this and figure it out for yourself.

The People That Don’t Need To Read Music

Bet a lot of you are relieved to read this. One can only imagine the look on your faces if it was a requirement that anyone wishing to play the guitar had to learn to read music. Don’t be alarmed, if you only wish to play the guitar for fun there is no need to learn music.

Should I Learn to Read Guitar Music?

The answer to this question is simple; if you want to become a career guitar player then it is highly encouraged to go ahead and learn music. But if becoming a career player is not on your agenda then don’t bother. All in all, it would not hurt to know how to read music.

Samuel Malama is well known for the guidance that he gives guitar players of all levels. Some guitarists have even cited his unself guidance as the reason for their success. Find out why guidance is cardinal for the success of a guitar player by clicking the link easy way to learn guitar or visit http://www.zoblazo.com/the-easy-way-to-learn-guitar/

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How To Change Your Acoustic Guitar Strings

by Fat Chords

March 7th, 2011

by maureen_sill

How To Change Your Acoustic Guitar Strings

My old mate Wayne the karate black belt; surfer and finest fold guitar player I have ever heard taught me how to change the strings on my guitar systematically, so thanks Wayne.
Start by finding a very clean and very flat surface to lay your guitar on. The first time Wayne helped me to change my guitar strings it was on a floor but we lay down a large piece of new vinyl and made sure it was very clean. Therefore, a table or the floor is fine.

Start by placing your guitar on the flat and clean surface. Place yourself directly in front of the guitar; make sure that the guitar’s sixth string is on the side closest to you. Then loosen that string completely, so all the tension is off it and it is slack. To loosen the string you will need to turn your guitars tuner. Wayne showed me that by listening to the pitch that the note was making when I stumped my guitar I could tell which way to turn the guitars tuner. As you turn the tuner, the correct direction the pitch of notes will get lower as you strum the guitar and the string begins to slacken.

When you have done this and the string is very slack, loosen it completely until it comes away from the guitars tuning peg at that sits up at the top of your guitar.

STAGE ONE: Loosening off the Guitar String

Step one: Use some pliers to release the sixth string by gently taking the bridge pin out that is holding the string from the guitars bridge. This can take some practice and the first time you do this the pin will feel like it is lodged very tightly, persist and firmly but carefully pull the pin free. They are stronger then you would imagine.

Step Two: Get rid of your old guitar string it is not much use for anything that I can think of. Take advantage of the gap removing the string from your guitar has created, give your pride, and joy a cleanup. I usually attach a small piece of clean cloth to a wooden spoon, slide it in to the gap created, and move it around underneath the area that the other strings sit over. If you are keen, you may even use some polish on your guitar and get it very shiny.

Step Three: Always replace only one string at a time. Sensei Wayne was very big on this, as he explained all about neck tension and how the changes that swapping all the strings over at once will cause to the guitars sound could be very detrimental.

Wayne explained to me that because a guitar has six strings all bound tightly from the bridge to the tuning pegs the optimum level of tension needs to be retained. When he showed me, the amount of tension on the neck that was released when we undid the sixth string it made sense. Guitars that are made of wood have so much pressure and tension of their necks with all six strings pulled tight, that if they are all released at once this is not at all good for the guitar.

Without labouring on this particular issue, Wayne is somebody who has played guitar for thirty years and travelled a lot and asked a lot of questions so I took his word on the subject of changing one string at a time and have since read of it’s importance a number of times. One example of a problem that changing all the strings at once caused was that he could never get his strings to sit at the right height when he reattached them again. Although they were sitting straight and rigid, the guitar sounded too high-pitched and the strings looked like they had a large gap from guitar to string.

Tip to Make the Job easier.

A String winder is relatively inexpensive to buy and if you are going to change your own strings, it will be a great investment.

STAGE TWO: Attaching New Strings

Step One: When you take out your new strings, you will notice that they each have a small ball at one end of the string. Take that end and push the ball up a couple of centimetres, then push the string down into the hole at the guitars bridge. Pick up the pin for the hole that you have sitting on a clean piece of cloth, wipe it thoroughly and then push the pin back into the hole in the bridge over the string.

As you, push the bridge pin back in pull on the string until the ball slots neatly back into place. You will probably find until you have done this process a few times that the pin will not stick, but simply redo the process until the pin lodges tightly.

Step Two: Once the pin has lodged, I get a pair of tweezers and gently pull the string up towards the head of the guitar. Make sure that the string is pulled firmly and that all the slack on the string has gone. Pull the string about 2cm past where the tuning peg sits and what I always do then is twist the string and place a clean clothes peg on it.

Step Three: Align your tuning peg so that you can feed the extra 2cm piece of string protruding from the peg. Remove the peg whilst holding the string at the 2cm mark and push the string through the tuning peg. Once the string is fed through either grip it again with the peg or like, I do with the tweezers and then we can tighten the string.

Step Four: If you have purchased a string winder, it really will save you lots of time. Start by tuning your tuning peg by turning it counter clockwise, and with one hand gently pull on the string to create some tension. Whilst continuing to hold the string pushes the string down onto your guitars freeboard with one finger whilst using the rest of your fingers to pull the string up. Continue to turn the tuning peg as you do this.

Step Five:Keep twisting the tuner peg counter-clockwise, until the string is sounding like it is almost intune.Although brought into tune, pitch will be difficult to keep, without us taking a simple key step. Grip the string over the guitars sound-hole and pull towards the guitars head and count to ten. Pluck on the string gently and you will note with the additional tension that the note has dropped. Simply retune the string three separate times and then trim the excess string that is protruding from the tuning peg.

Finally, use a pair of wire cutters (or an equivalent) to trim the excess string. Snip off the end of the string protruding from the tuning peg.

If you are new to guitar ownership then many of the online courses and tutorials available also offer great videos and written instruction of this subject and maintaining your guitar. If someone had told me, they were learning guitar online ten years ago, I would have laughed at them, but there really are some magnificent online guitar lessons available at very inexpensive prices.

Paul Ritchie Inge runs Rank Bank.Our business rates the best business opportunities online.We also try to look for outstanding sources of online information.For Great Guitar Lessons visit >>> WORLDS BEST GUITAR LESSONS

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The Great Guitar Playing Secret

by Fat Chords

March 6th, 2011

by y0aimee

The Great Guitar Playing Secret

So, you want to be a guitar player huh? You want to strut like
Chuck Berry, be as cool as Keith Richards, rock like Jimi
Hendrix and astound like Steve Vai. You want to wake up in the
morning a beginner and go to bed at night an expert. You want to
be hero-worshipped and have people chant your name. Idolised,
admired, remembered and revered. You want your money for nothing
and your chicks for free. You want all that and more!

Good for you! You have ambition; fire in your belly and a lion
in your heart. It takes a lot of gusto to want to be a great
guitarist. I wish you well and hope you achieve your dreams many
times over.

Now that we’ve established that you want to be a great guitar
picker, how would you feel if I said I know the secret of being
a great guitar picker? Furthermore, how would you feel if I told
you I was going to share that secret with you right now, free of
charge? I suppose you would think there’s a catch and that
really I just want to sell you something. Well, it’s true that I
do have an on-line store that sells great guitar tutorials. It’s
also true that I would love you to visit and buy everything in
the shop. However, that’s not why I’m going to share this secret
with you. No way, I have another reason for giving you this
information.

When I was starting out playing the guitar, I always wished that
I could have known somebody who could already play and could
teach me a few things. Unfortunately, in those early days I
didn’t know anybody that played. I had to struggle along trying
to learn chords, scales and arpeggios from the printed page. I
used to worry about whether I was holding the guitar correctly,
or if I was putting my fingers on the correct fret or string. A
lot of it was pretty much hit and miss. More often than
not…..it was miss!!

For that reason, I would like to offer some advice to guitar
players that are just starting out. If you promise to listen and
take notice of my advice, I promise I will share with you the
secret of becoming a great guitar player. Deal? Ok, settle down
with cold can of fizzy pop, and read on……

I’m going to list these pieces of advice one by one in a
bulleted list. Remember, the deal is you read and digest the
information and then I will tell you the great guitar playing
secret. Press your focus and concentration buttons………Now!!

1. BUY A GUITAR TUNER AND TUNE UP! If you don’t know anybody who
can tune the guitar for you, and you can’t yet tune it yourself,
then you need to invest in a tuner. Do this today! Don’t
struggle along on a guitar that sounds like elastic bands on a
shoebox. You will not get any enjoyment whatsoever from an out
of tune guitar. So, piece of advice number 1 – Tune it and keep
it tuned!!

2. CONSIDER LESSONS! When beginning anything in life, it is good
to get off on the right foot. A teacher, a mentor, an advisor,
call it what you will. To teach is one of the most fantastic
things we can do. Find a teacher that takes great pride in what
he does. Usually the best ones are found by word of mouth. Ask
people, make enquiries, e-mail, telephone, write a letter,
anything it takes to find the right person. Remember, no matter
how good you get there is always somebody who can teach you
something new. Hiring a teacher is not just for when you are
starting out, it is something you should consider throughout
your guitar playing life. A good teacher will advise you on
technique, theory, performance, attitude and practicing. He or
she will set you goals and reward you when you accomplish them.
He or she will also explain the small things such as the
importance of using a metronome in your studies, keeping your
instrument clean and changing strings. Advice number 2 – Find a
mentor!

3. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE…………BUT NOT TOO MUCH!!
What does that mean “Practice, but not too much?” Well, if we
want to get good at anything then obviously we do need to
practice. With regards to learning the guitar, we need to get
our hands to play the right notes in the right way. Although
great technique takes a lot of time, effort, commitment and
PRACTICE, we need to be aware of when to draw the line.
Sometimes we can get that wrapped up in something that we are
interested in; we can forget that there are other things in
life. Our family, our friends, sports, the theatre, cinema,
books, etc… Advice number 3 – Practice to get good, but chill
out and relax to get even better! 4. KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE TO LEARN
AND ITS IMPORTANCE TO YOU NOW!! There are so many things to
learn on the guitar that it is inevitable that you will get
distracted. Chords, scales, arpeggios, licks, tunes, exercises
etc… They all have to be learnt as they are all important. If
you realise the importance of learning these things before you
start to practice them, you will stand a better chance of
keeping your focus and completing your studies. If you are
learning a new chord for example, think about why it is
important that you learn the chord. How will it benefit you? How
will it help you to advance? How will it help you to evolve into
a better musician? Everything you learn is important, understand
its importance. Advice number 4 – Make sure you know the
relevance of everything you need to learn.

5. LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN!! Ok, this piece of advice has two
parts. The first part means listen to a lot of music. Try and
have many influences. Remember, there is no bad music, only bad
musicians. Be open to jazz, blues, rock, funk, pop, country,
classical, anything! We can learn such a lot by listening. It
plays a major part in our musical development. The second part
of this piece of advice involves you training your ears. Try to
learn to recognise chords just by the sound they make. Be aware
of the subtle differences between a 7th chord and a 9th chord.
It takes a long time to be able to do this properly. Stick with
it and don’t worry when you get them wrong. Each time you try,
you improve a little bit more. Advice number 5 – Use those ears!!

6. PLAY WITH OTHER PEOPLE!! Join a band or form a band as soon
as you can. You will learn so much from playing with other
people. Put an advertisement in a music shop advertising your
services as a guitar player. Don’t worry if you don’t feel
ready, do it anyway. The experience will be priceless!
Everything improves when you play regularly with other
musicians. Your time, your feel, your technique, your
confidence, EVERYTHING! Make sure you do this at the earliest
opportunity! Advice number 6 – Take the licks out of your room
and into a band!!

7. LEARN YOUR THEORY!! Ok, your guitar teacher will probably
stress the importance of this to you. The more theory you learn,
the more your guitar playing will improve. Learn chord
construction, diatonic harmony, learn about triads, intervals,
major scales, relative minors, modes, etc… A lot of guitar
players don’t like studying theory. Make sure you are not one of
them. Advice number 7 – Read lots of music theory books!!

8. VISUALISE!! A lot of people do not realise how powerful a
tool this is. There is nothing you can’t do in your mind!
Visualisation will not improve your technique. The only way to
improve technique is to sit down and play for long hours.
Visualisation helps in other ways. It helps you commit things to
your long term memory. Use it when learning chords, scales,
arpeggios, songs, in fact, anything. There is however, a time
and a place for visualisation. You can use it while travelling
on a bus, waiting for your date to turn up, while falling asleep
at night, sunbathing or relaxing. You must NOT use it while
doing anything that requires your full attention. For example;
driving, using tools, cooking and riding you bicycle. You get
the idea, right? Also, do not ever think that visualisation is a
substitute for hands on practice – it isn’t! You have to do that
as well. Advice number 8 – Practice in your mind!!

9. BE INQUISITIVE!! The more you play the more chance you have
of meeting other guitar players. Never, ever be afraid to ask
them questions even if they haven’t been playing as long as you
have. We learn off everybody. Ask probing questions to see how
they developed their technique. Check out the chord shapes they
use. If you see one that you don’t recognise, ask them what it
is. Remember your job is to improve your playing at every
opportunity – do your job! Advice number 9 – Ask lots of
questions and you’ll get lots of answers!!!

10. SMILE!! Sometimes the stress of being a practicing guitar
player can get us down. Maybe a lick you are working on just
isn’t happening, or no matter how hard you try you just cannot
execute a new scale properly. This is normal. Sometimes it’s
better to put the instrument down and come back to it later on.
Never, ever let it get you mad and never, ever get frustrated.
Fight back at these challenging situations with a big smile. Try
it now, right this minute. Think of something that is bothering
you although deep down you know it isn’t important. Visualise
it. Ok, hold it there and…….SMILE! Laugh even. Not just a
chuckle but a big laugh right from your belly. Go on, feels
good, doesn’t it? Treat your guitar playing challenges in
exactly the same way. Deep down you know they aren’t really that
important. Tomorrow is another day. I’m not saying don’t take
your guitar playing seriously; just stop and smell the flowers
now and again. Be optimistic, be bold, be the best you can be
and……..smile!! Advice number 10 – Playing the guitar is fun
- Enjoy it!!

There you go, that’s my advice to you.

Right, all that’s left for me to do is tell you the great guitar
playing secret. Are you ready? Well, don’t tell anybody but the
secret of being a great guitar player
is………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………
..
…………………………………………………………
..
…………………………………………………………
..
…………………………………………………………
.. …….in everything you’ve just read!! Sorry guys, but there
ain’t no shortcut to greatness. If you follow the 10 pieces of
advice I’ve just given you then you won’t go far wrong. I still
haven’t achieved it and I may never will. One thing is for sure,
I’m gonna keep on plugging away, and, who knows, maybe one day
I’ll get pretty close. The fun is in the trying.

So, you want to be a guitar player huh? You bet your life I
do……

www.jack-sky.com

WWW.Jack-Sky.Com

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How to easily gain mastery of the guitar scales

by Fat Chords

March 6th, 2011

by Denise Cross

How to easily gain mastery of the guitar scales

Here are seven basic steps that will help lead you through the steps required to playing the various scales on the guitar. If you are already experiencing trouble learning the scales, then I suggest you read this:

* Ensure that you have gained perfection in one scale before you move on to another. This is essential for you, so you do not become weak in some scales, and strong in others. Hence, you should strive to achieve mastery in one scale before you can make the required transition to the next scale. To know if you have achieved mastery in one level, you should be able to play that scale with no conscious action from your brain.

* Learn with the aid of a metronome: the guitar, as with other musical instruments, relies heavily on timing. As you learn scales, it might seem easy playing a cool, slow song, but when it comes to upping the tempo, you might find yourself making silly little mistakes where it comes to the timing. This is why I advice that you play using a metronome, as this will help you get a feel for the timing of music pieces until your mind becomes adjusted to the whole idea.

* Know the time factor: this is a general rule of thumb: your first scale will generally take you longer than the rest, and as you learn other scales, the lesser time it takes for you to master them. So don’t quit now! You’re almost there.

* Listen: Play some of your really good guitar music, taking note of the scales they use and their combination. It is a measure of your development how much you can get by way of chords. Commit these to memory so that the next time you have to call up riffs, they are already there. It would make it seem almost effortless.

* Chill out: You are not facing the town magistrate. Relax and feel your music through your fingers. Most times, the reason for poor or slow performance is that the guitarist is too nervous or tensed up to let his creative juices flow.

* Commit to your memory your best solos and licks: This is really good, and will help you boost your creativity because the more you memorize them, the ore your ability to change their arrangements – in essence, to become more unique.

* Instead of dwelling on the scales, learn new patters: this is quite a neat trick, because you will basically be learning twelve new scales per pattern!

These are the seven steps to becoming a scale maestro. All you need to do is just keep your mind open, let your vault of creativity be unblocked and watch yourself absorb all these things. Whatever the case, do not rush yourself through learning the case, as it is better to be slow and sure than to be fast and wobbly. With time your zeal will pay off, and you will have the chance of playing at public gatherings with people shrieking in delight at your masterpieces.

Are you ready to discover the secrets of mastery of guitar scales? Visit http://www.GuitarSuccess.com today and pick up a free eBook on how to play the guitar like a pro!

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Guitar lesson: What Is The Ultimate Way To Practice On Your Guitar?

by Fat Chords

March 6th, 2011

by LShave

Guitar lesson: What Is The Ultimate Way To Practice On Your Guitar?

Is there a best way to practice on your guitar? Of course you have to make your practice sessions effective but could there be a way to practice that is more effective than other ways?

There are many principles involved in an effective practice session and I think some of these are:

1. A motivation founded on a love and passion for the music you can produce on the guitar.

2. An acceptance of the fact that you must practice on that technical level you have reached.

3. A working knowledge of muscle tensions and how to minimize them when you play and how to work on reducing them when you don’t play.

What shall we do until we find the most effective way to practice on the guitar?

When I was studying music at an academic level I many times had the question messing around in my mind about the ultimate method for practicing on my guitar and other instruments I played.

A well renowned jazz tenor saxophonist who was my teacher in jazz improvisation discussed this issue with me as I asked him and he gave me the most intelligent answer I ever heard before or after. He said with a smile, “until you find out the best way to practice, practice anyway!”

How effective can a practice session be?

My humble opinion after much practicing and playing guitar and piano and other instruments and also teaching piano and guitar is that you have to take many things into consideration like the time available, your motivation level, how concentrated you can expect yourself to be and more.

As real growth often is a slow gradual process you will not very often be able to measure the effectiveness of a practice session by how much you have learnt so you have to find other ways to find out if you are effective.

Can you practice too much or too effectively?

It depends on how we define effective practice sessions. If effective guitar practice is to work through a long list of things to improve in your playing and to practice ten hours a day without interruption I guess you can practice too effectively.

This will mean that you practice in such a way that you will get fed up with guitar playing and maybe you will even hurt your muscles and develop an aversion towards guitar playing for the rest of your life.

What is real effectiveness when you practice on your guitar?

Real effectiveness is better measured by how well your practicing methods and results are pointing towards you goals. Without goals you cannot measure effectiveness. The roads to Anywhere are many so to find out if you are on the right road you have to decide your destination.

If your goal is to have fun with your guitar then you have a very effective practicing session if you have fun with your guitar. If that is what you want then it is a worthy goal. I guess you could come upp with more specific goals with deadlines so you can measure them better. But it is up to you to decide your own goals, otherwise the goals will not be effective.

I hope these words on practicing guitar playing will give you some comfort and also help you realizing that when human beings like you and me are involved we cannot definitely say how we ought to play to be effective.

Human beings are funny things that sometimes behave like as if they were identical, but nevertheless they are unique. This also applies to guitar players like you and me. We are different in many ways but I guess we want our guitar playing to contribute to our happiness and joy so have fun and … “until you find out the best way to practice, practice anyway!”!

Peter Edvinsson is a musician, composer and music teacher. Visit his site Capotasto Music and download your free sheet music and learn to play resources at http://www.capotastomusic.com

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Archive for Guitar – Page 2

All Guitarists Need to be Able to Read Guitar Music-is This True

How To Change Your Acoustic Guitar Strings

The Great Guitar Playing Secret

How to easily gain mastery of the guitar scales

Guitar lesson: What Is The Ultimate Way To Practice On Your Guitar?