Guitarists | 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.

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Myths About Left Handed Guitar And Left Handed Guitarists SHOT DOWN IN FLAMES

by Fat Chords

February 25th, 2011

by Evil Erin

Myths About Left Handed Guitar And Left Handed Guitarists SHOT DOWN IN FLAMES

There are various very FALSE “ideas” floating about in our society on the subject of learning to play guitar that have to do with being left or right handed. These ideas stem from ignorant right handed guitarists, lazy guitar teachers, or money-motivated sales staff at musical instrument shops who are on kickbacks from some particular guitar brand, and sometimes even from bitter and twisted left-handed guitarists themselves who somehow feel “cursed.” However the latter only comes about because of the former.

The unfortunate consequence of these false data is that they influence parents and children in their choices of playing or learning guitar.

Let’s get one thing very straight. These common misconceptions I am about to present you herein ARE myths.

A myth ceases to be a myth once it has been revealed to be otherwise. It is dispelled easily by providing the Truth.

So, lefty guitarists and right handed guitarists can equally learn something here. You may be very surprised to know some new things here or have some misconceptions dispelled. I hope so!

MYTH ONE. “A guitar is like a piano. There is only one way to play it.”

This is one of the biggest, outmoded, ignorant, and totally incorrect statements there is on this subject. Yes, a piano is played one way. But even then, depending on whether you play Classical or modern piano, what you do with your right and left hands are quite different. So in a way, a piano is not played one way either! And definitely no – a guitar is not played one way.
In fact, the way people play guitars in Rock and Pop music today, t is actually of greater benefit that a right handed person actually play guitar left handed – with his or her dominant hand on the fret board, instead of the other way round which is the traditional way. For modern music, it is not about being just a “strummer” like it was 60 years ago. Guitar playing has EVOLVED. Isn’t it surprising that some of the world’s best Rock guitarists are left-handers playing guitar right-handed – the reverse scenario!

MYTH TWO. “It is harder to learn guitar left-handed in a world dominated by right-handed teachers and right handed instruction books.”

This is a doozer. In fact learning guitar left handed is EASIER from a right-handed teacher than a left-handed teacher because everything the teacher shows you is a MIRROR IMAGE of what you are doing and easier to follow! Right handed guitarists learning from a right handed teacher have to do a mental switcheroo to get what they are doing right! That is an extra step a left-handed learner does not have to take! And books? There are books for left-handed instruction. They exist and they are not hard to get. There aren’t as many but that is a good thing. Less possibilities of confusion. Right handed guitar instruction materials are so abundant that there is an OVERSATURATION of material which frankly makes anyone giddy when trying to make sense of it all.

MYTH THREE. “You can’t get many left-handed guitars.” Or “It’s hard to find a left handed guitar.”

This WAS true until recently. In 2006 an Australian company called Gaskell Guitars came to be. Gaskell Guitars makes left handed guitars and basses EXCLUSIVELY, and is the only company in the world that does.

Gaskell has grown in the last few years to be the number one brand in the world for left handed guitars. Several major guitar brands have stopped making lefthanded guitars: Gibson, Paul Reed Smith, Rickenbacker. They stopped due to “lack of demand.” That is another myth.

MYTH FOUR. “There is not much demand for left handed guitars”

This is the biggest myth of the lot. This idea is definitely a commercially motivated right handed guitar manufacturer’s point of view. Although there are much less left handed guitarists in the world there are still many. Lefty guitarists do exist – and they are all over the world – young and old. This is a fact that right handed guitar companies will never be aware of because they operate on TURNOVER and their turnover consists of right handed guitars – for the majority. Understandable, but not true!

If you are a left-handed guitarist reading this realize this: there are plenty of people like you in the world – PLENTY!

You do not need to feel bad about being a left handed guitarist.

And parents take note; let your son or daughter play the way they feel is comfortable for them. Do not change that because some lazy teacher or kick-back motivated shop salesman tries to tell you otherwise. There is a lot of garbage still thrown around on this subject. Realize they are self-serving myths and don’t fall prey to that!

Kevin Gaskell is the business owner and designer of Gaskell Guitars which is a manufacturer of left handed guitars and basses, located in Sydney Australia. Gaskell guitars are available world wide.http://www.gaskellguitars.com

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How to Avoid Guitar Practice Burnout – The #1 Reason Beginner Guitarists Give-Up

by Fat Chords

February 5th, 2011

by TT Zop

How to Avoid Guitar Practice Burnout – The #1 Reason Beginner Guitarists Give-Up

This article is about how to avoid guitar practice burnout – something that happens to all of us from time to time!

Yep it’s true. Many of us at one time or another has experienced those “blah” days where the last thing we want to do is pick up our guitar and practice. But don’t fret! Here you’ll discover valuable little tidbits to help keep you motivated with learning and practicing guitar, so let’s get started…

How to Avoid Guitar Practice Burnout:

1) Enjoy the process of learning guitar.

This sounds basic, but often beginner guitarist’s will focus on negative aspects about their guitar playing skill level. Instead of “beating yourself up” remember that all professional guitarists started off just like you. The truth is that learning guitar takes time, patience and practice.

As a beginner, you should not try to learn to play guitar too quickly. Why? In trying to learn guitar too quickly you’ll risk increased muscle tension which can actually reduce your guitar playing ability.

So slow and steady guitar lessons will benefit you best for long-term success.

2) Use the quality guitar learning methods.

Many people find that learning to play guitar using traditional methods is too difficult, overwhelming and time consuming. And because of this difficulty, many people give up on their dreams of learning to play guitar because the guitar learning techniques were inadequate.

Luckily though, now days you can get online guitar lessons that teach a new and revolutionary way to learn guitar that produces fast and effective results. These new guitar lesson techniques make learning guitar fun and easy. So, if learning guitar using traditional guitar methods is too difficult, or causing you too much frustration, know that there are new and improved ways to learn guitar that work extremely well.

3) Learn to practice guitar at your pace.

In learning to play guitar, you’ll discover that some days you’re more motivated than other days.

For example, some days you’ll feel like playing the guitar for hours on end, and at other times, you’ll only want to practice guitar for a few minutes. This is normal and if it’s one of your “off days” allow yourself to enjoy a break from a long practice section without feeling guilty.

4) Look to others for inspiration.

One of the best motivators in trying to achieve any goal, like learning guitar, is to look to other people for help and assistance. Consider joining a musicians group and online music forums where you can share tips, successes and troubles with other guitarists online.

Chances are, there will be another guitar player who has had the same problem you’re facing who can give you great
advice. Learning how other people achieved their guitar playing success, and the pitfalls they incountered along the way (and how to avoid them), will help tremendously to inspire and motivate you along the way while learning guitar.

The #1 Reason Beginner Guitarists Give-Up:

The biggest reason many people new to learning guitar give-up is because they loose the JOY of learning to play guitar. Why? Many beginner guitarists are excited about their new hobby, and this excitement causes many people to rush into trying to play their first song as quickly as possible.

However by not FIRST taking the time to learn proper guitar basics, usually results in increased playing difficulties and frustration. And frustration is what eventually leads many beginners to give-up on their dreams of playing the guitar.

But don’t worry! By following the tips above, you’ll be well ahead of most people learning to play guitar.

http://music-olipolus.blogspot.com/

Remember, to avoid practice burnout, it’s critical learn to play guitar at a consistent pace, allow yourself breaks from playing guitar as needed, and keep yourself motivated by seeking out other guitarists for help and inspiration.

Oli works full time as a Market Analyst.He graduated in Management.He can help you to grow your computer consulting. For more on teaching and education, be sure to check out the website. Involved in FREE advertisement for all kind of online businesses. Everyone needs business exposure. There’s FREE advertising gift for your business.

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Tips for Left Hand Guitarists

by Fat Chords

January 27th, 2011

by pimpexposure

Tips for Left Hand Guitarists

Are you a lefty? You want to play guitar but worried about whether there will be any problem for you to play well? There is nothing to worry. Some tips for left hand guitarists are provided below that will help you to compete equally with the right-handed guitarists.

There are some problems that almost every left-handed guitarist has to face. These tips for left hand guitarists will help you to get rid of these problems.

The first problem that happens with the lefties is they get confused about what guitar they should choose. There are two things that you can do. You can take a right hand guitar and just change the position of the strings. That means put the first string on the place of last string. After doing this, you can play. But this system can be a bit problematic. If this system suits you, then it is fine. Otherwise you can just buy a left hand guitar. But before choosing the guitar, do remember one thing. Settle down for playing the one, which you are comfortable with.

The next problem is sometimes the lefties find it difficult to understand the guitar lessons. Because majority of the guitarists are right handed. So the tutorials sometimes give emphasize to their way of playing. But do not get disheartened. It is not at all a big deal. The tips for left hand guitarists are with you always. Just reverse the whole lesson upside down and it will become completely your cup of tea.

The lefty guitarist sometimes faces the problem with the availability of their kind of guitars. Do not worry. If you go to a good shop, then you will find lots of lefty guitars. But remember, do not pick up and start playing a right hand guitar. Because it will prove that you are inexperienced and that there is a high chance that the shopkeeper will deliver you a defective one.

Do not feel ashamed of being a lefty guitarist. It is not a fault. Left hand guitarists are as good as the right-handers. Jimmy Hendrix, Curt Cobain, Paul Mc Cartney were all left hand guitarists. And the whole world is aware of their brilliance.

Before learning guitar, there are some more tips for left hand guitarists.

Do not try to play a right hand guitar in a lefty way. There will be a lot of problem while playing. The main problem will occur with the chords. Some chords will be impossible to handle. And it will not be a proper learning.

Do not even think of switching over to right hand guitar, if you are lefty guitarists. It will not give you that joy, which you will experience while playing a left hand guitar. And at the end of the day it is pure fun that matters the most.

Remember that it is true that a band with a lefty guitarist is 3% more attractive than others. These days everything depends on looks and packaging. And a left-handed guitar player looks fabulous.

So, do not hesitate while playing a left hand guitar. I hope these tips for left hand guitarists will help you. It will be able to boost up your energy. Do not think a lot. Just go ahead and rock the show.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, and synthesizers. You can find the best marketplace for guitars, drums, and synthesizers at these 3 sites: guitars, left hand guitar, drums, drum kits, and synthesizers, keyboards.

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Go to yourguitarsage.com to find out how to getcharts to 100s of songs!!! This guitar lesson vid shows you the anatomy of the guitar along with basic technique. Check out yourguitarsage.com for info on the guitar resources about charts, chords, strumming and the techniques that I use here in my videos.. For more guitar lessons, see my other free tutorials. For original and cover music by me, Erich, go to www.myspace.com . Since I’m so busy making new video tutorial lessons all the time and teaching guitar, I probably won’t have time to answer individual questions regarding guitar. Other videos cover beginner, advanced and intermediate levels. I teach rock, blues, country and just about any other style on electric or acoustic. If you can’t find your answer from the resources at the website above, keep digging into my vids, and I’m sure you will find your answer. Keep practicing!!!
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How Should Left Handed Guitarists Play Their Guitars?

by Fat Chords

January 8th, 2011

by edenpictures

How Should Left Handed Guitarists Play Their Guitars?

I was recently thinking about left handed guitar players ( I know I need to get out more often) and wondered what effect their left handedness had on their playing style. Most of the very famous ones we’re familiar with but I’ll list some anyway:

Jimi Hendrix- yep he has to go first still – as you probably know he mostly played a restrung right handed guitar which he played upside down. (the guitar, not Jimi, though early on who knows). Gibson did however custom make him a left-handed Flying V in 1969 which he used at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970.

Kurt Cobain – played a mixture of left-handed guitars and upside-down restrung right handed guitars. Favoured Mustangs and Jaguars, though dabbled a bit with Strats and had some custom made for him.

Paul McCartney (free again!) I know he played bass in the Beatles but he also played and plays guitar. Trivia fact – the guitar he first learned to play on which belonged to a childhood friend sold for over 0,000 in 2006! If you know some aspiring young rock gods you should perhaps lend them some gear (as long as you get it back and they don’t trash it).

Dick Dale – It was good to see him getting some attention thanks to the inclusion of Miserlou in Pulp Fiction. Initially played an upside down right handed guitar but did not restring it so the strings were also ‘upside down’. Even when using a left handed guitar keeps strings upside down.

Albert King – influential blues guitarist who also favoured ‘upside down’ strings, whether on an upside down right handed guitar, or a left-handed version. Was a big fan of the Gibson Flying V, and thanks to down-tuning his guitar had a very expressive and individual sound.

From this we can see therefore that there’s 3 main options available to lefties :

1) Use a right handed guitar and simply turn it upside down leaving the strings as they are.

This will definitely have a large impact on your playing style and sound. Using ‘normal’ training materials and tabs will be difficult but you may be the next Dick Dale or Albert King.

2) Use an upside down right handed guitar and restring it.

Although some purists may scoff this is certainly fairly straightforward for electric guitars. It can be difficult sometimes using the volume and tone controls and some guitars may just not be comfortable to use this way.

3) Buy a purpose built left handed guitar.

This avoids having to restring your guitar and will mean that all the controls that you need will be in easy reach. Will also avoid difficulties in using an unusual arrangement of strings and will make more training materials available to you. Less likely that clumsy right-handed friends will want to borrow your guitar and return it after bouncing it off a concrete floor.

Your guitar should be pretty much plug n’ play out of the box (well perhaps tune it first). Aesthetically your guitar will probably look more balanced and like what it’s designers intended.

So overall if you’re just starting out learning to play guitar and are left-handed then I’d recommend finding a left handed guitar that you like. It will make your learning curve (to use an overused phrase) a bit smoother. Later on once you’ve learned the basics feel free to experiment as that’s part of the fun in learning to play guitar, whether you’re a lefty or not.

Bob James is left-handed and plays guitar. Though not terribly interesting these facts means that he’s interested in left handed guitars.

If you’re interested in finding a left-handed guitar then you might want to check out http://findlefthandedguitars.com

Article from articlesbase.com

Archive for Guitarists

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

Myths About Left Handed Guitar And Left Handed Guitarists SHOT DOWN IN FLAMES

How to Avoid Guitar Practice Burnout – The #1 Reason Beginner Guitarists Give-Up

Tips for Left Hand Guitarists

How Should Left Handed Guitarists Play Their Guitars?