Improving Guitar Skills On Your Own Terms

Many people say that they don't want to play an instrument such as the guitar because they can't become good, or as talented as someone else. Well you should not have to think in that manner and it is never too late to start playing the guitar for enjoyment. Enjoyment of the way you play the guitar is the most important thing. Forcing yourself to play a certain way just to try to impress is just not worth it. No matter what, in the future you will be able to excel at what you enjoy playing and that will be impressive enough.

If you are a beginner, you don't really need lessons to start playing songs that you wish to play. There are many ways of learning guitar material and chords on the Internet these days. Start by doing some stretching exercises with your fingers. Just try to gradually be able to stretch your fingers so you can form chords cleanly. After that, maybe you should try purchasing some sheet music of your one of your favorite bands, which should include easy to read tablature. Practice the songs you enjoy the most over and over until you can play them perfectly note for note. I would learn maybe just a few songs of many different genres of music that you enjoy. This will give you the ideas you need to start writing your own enjoyable and creative songs.

You might have heard people talking about the importance of learning songs all the way through, but after a couple, in a different genres of music, it isn't really necessary. After that, learning certain parts of songs that you find interesting is all you really need if you are trying to concentrate more on creating music instead of copying it. Learning interesting riffs and licks from songs is just as good a way to gather information for how to create the sounds you want. It isn't a necessity to know the name of every note or chord you are playing, but is important if you are planning on playing in bands of a serious nature or becoming a professional musician. If not, don't worry about it and just play what you like over and over so you don't forget.

Writing your own tablature is a good way to keep track or your material so you don't wake up one day and get upset that you can't remember your own riffs or licks. Playing what sounds the best to your ear is what is important, so you can excel at what you enjoy. You don't need to spend countless hours at home forcing yourself to play when you don't really feel like it. Playing music that resembled the mood that you are feeling at the moment really enlightens things and that is when you write good songs. You write your best material when you are really feeling it. You don't have to copy someone else to make good songs, but copy the mood, so to speak.

The hardest part about getting better is thinking whether you are improving or not. Just practice many different chord structures so you can play them cleanly. Picking them in a different order according to how you feel is what will make it interesting quickly. So feel your guitar out and play what you wish to play until you play it well.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Guitars

Choosing An Electric Guitar To Purchase

Choosing the type of electric guitar you want is an interesting decision, with such a vast amount of guitars available today. It all depends on the sound that you are looking for and perhaps the appearance as well. With as many shapes, sizes and features out there to choose from, we will have to look deep into the pool of guitars.

When you arrive at your local music store, two major differences you will notice will be the placement of the neck on the guitar. The most common types of necks out today are the "set-neck" and the "bolt-on" necks. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages. The set-neck (or neck-through-body) usually gives the player more sustain than that of one with the bolt-on. The junction of the neck and the guitar is tighter with the set-neck, therefore sound resonates between the two more freely. If something were to happen to the set-neck of the guitar, it is not easy to repair or replace, which would be its only major disadvantage.

The bolt-on guitar neck style is more frequently seen as it is on more less expensive guitars. It is a simple design, bolting the neck into a slot of the body. Some people claim that the bolt-on lacks the sound and not just the sustain, but that might be due to the type of woods and materials used to build the guitar body and neck as well. In most cases, the set-neck is the choice for the player who wants to spend the money to get the best sounding guitar possible and maybe not the most durable.

You may also choose the width and length of the neck that purchase on a guitar. The number of frets most commonly seen on guitars are 21, 22 and 24. " Stratocasters" all have 21 frets, which results in a shorter neck but with jumbo frets that are easy to play. While brands like "Jackson" usually have more frets on their guitars and also with unique appearances to accompany them. It depends on how many notes you want to be able to play on your guitar when it really comes down to it. The more frets you have to play on, the more sounds you can produce with the guitar. In other words, perhaps getting a guitar with fewer frets would be more suitable for a beginner, while the advanced player might tryout a guitar with 24 frets or possible even more. It is possible to have custom guitars made with many more strings and many more frets than usually available to the public.

Another question one might ask before purchasing a electric guitar would be the difference between a 6-string and a 7-string guitar. The six and seven string guitars are widely available on the market. The guitar with seven strings can give you a chance to experiment, having the extra string to hit very low notes and high notes as well. If you practiced a lot, it might be okay to start with a 7-string guitar, but it might be a better choice to get used to playing a 6-string beforehand. Musicians that have 7-string guitars find that useful when playing live for substituting notes. Depending on where you are at on the fretboard, it can be easier to hit notes on the seventh string instead of the sixth. After you take all of this into consideration, you should only have to worry about your money situation when choosing the next guitar you wish to purchase.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Entertainment

Choosing The Perfect Guitar Amplifier

Choosing an the perfect guitar amplifier to purchase is dependant on many different details. You cannot choose the right amplifier on somebody's word, or by how many watts the amp can push out. You must choose by factoring in the guitar or guitars you are playing off of, the style that you play and if there is any built-in effects that you desire. Buying an expensive amplifier just because of the name of the brand is probably a big mistake for most people.
There is no reason why anyone has to spend thousands of dollars in order to obtain the sound they want. If you happen to be looking for a loud amp and anything less than four speakers isn't an option, than it is assumed you are going to spend a large sum of money. Purchasing a solid-state amplifier would always be the cheapest route. A solid-state amp is fully electronic and usually doesn't have the tone that musicians require for playing live.

Some musicians actually prefer to use a solid-state type amp because it works for the style of music they play and the amps are usually more durable than an all-tube amplifier that costs much more money. When you are looking for a certain tone, you have to take into consideration that an all-tube amplifier will most likely produce a warmer tone with more sustain. This is why musicians dish out thousands of dollars for an amp when there are amps out that cost a couple hundred. Another option is to buy a hybrid amplifier, which is solid-state with a tube pre-amp. Using a hybrid is more costly than a standard solid-state but generally less costly than an all-tube amp.

Features on the amplifier are a major factor for the consumer of course. Deciding how many channels you need, the amount of control knobs, built-in effects and the wattage are all important when considering the right amp for you. Some amps have a headphone jack to play through headphones, but if you don't care about that feature than you have more of a variety to choose from. The amount of power an amp can dish out isn't as important as one might think. Using a 50-watt amplifier head is enough to push any standard 4-speaker cabinet at loud volumes. Some people are more concerned with the clean sound that an amp produces and do not care about the how the amp sounds when distortion is increased. Using only the channel on an amp will make it easier to decide which is the right amp for you. Effects may not be an issue with many people; they may just want to play straight out of the amp with its natural sound. But, many of those same people wouldn't mind having a reverb control. The reverb is the most commonly seen effect built into the amplifier, which controls the amount of echo in the sound.

Instead of spending all of your money on an amplifier because of the name, you should test out all of the available options out there today. Maybe the most expensive amp is for you after all, but at least you know for sure that you didn't make a mistake. New companies that manufacture amps would be an excellent choice to test out. New companies will most likely give you a better price for a quality product because they are trying to distinguish themselves. So before you go out and pay for a name, go out and test the "no-names".

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Guitars

How to Learn Music

Anyone who has enough interest in learning music and spends some time working at it can learn all the basics of music. If you strip the expressive qualities and complex techniques out of music, you're left with little more than basic muscle memory and visual comprehension.

On a basic level, music can be divided up into what is known as Clefs. The Clef of a piece of music dictates where the notes are located on the Staff which is five lines which notes can be placed on, above or below. The basic clefs are Treble and Bass. Practically every instrument's music is written for one of those two clefs. Other Clefs like Tenor and Alto clef do exist, but they are not used very often in modern music.

Notes that appear on the Staff represent musical tones and lengths. Regarding tone, a musical note has three basic values: flat, natural and sharp. These refer to the pitch of the note. The three distinctions relate to each other pretty much as they sound: flat is a lower pitch than natural and sharp; sharp is a higher pitch than flat and natural; natural is right in the middle. A piece of music will include a Key Signature along with the Clef. The Key Signature dictates which notes throughout the music will be flat, natural and sharp.

The length of notes can vary depending on the Time Signature of the music. The majority of modern music can be broken into 3 and 4 beat patterns. A piece of music is broken down into individual measures. A measure makes up a complete beat pattern and it can consist of either notes, rests or both. A Rest refers to a period of not playing music. Rests have different lengths like notes do.

Tempo and Dynamics are two other factors that round out the basic concepts of music. Tempo refers to the speed a piece of music is played and Dynamics refers to the loudness of the music. To get an idea of tempo, think of the Star Spangled Banner. This song has a tempo that is medium slow. While music can have a set Tempo, this tempo can also speed up or slow down, depending on the particular piece of music. Like Tempo, Dynamics of music can be at a certain level of loudness that can get louder or softer depending on the particular piece of music. Usually, a piece of music includes notations that dictate the kind of Tempo and Dynamics to be used. A lot of these notations are written in languages like Italian and Spanish, so some basic music terminology research may be needed to comprehend this.

There you have it - the basics of music in a nutshell. Think of music as a language. The basic elements of music can be grasped with a little time, work and of course interest. Moving beyond the basics of music is up to you.

Paul Heingarten has been playing music since 1980. Visit his blog http://www.musicandband.com for articles, ebooks, etc dedicated to music.

Learn to Play the Piano

Rocket Piano is a very professionally done piano lesson package. It includes a number of ebooks, audio tracks, and video tracks to support the instructional material. In addition, there's a ton of extras, all extremely well-done, and described below. The product is simple to download, and is perfectly paced for the introductory piano student. It runs on Windows and Macs, so it doesn't matter what kind of computer you have. In a word, if you want to learn to play, you'd be nuts to pass on this. I highly recommend it. Read on for the details.

Chapter One - Piano Facts and History

Don't skip this chapter. It's full of really interesting facts about the piano and includes a bit of history, a lot of physical facts about the instrument that the beginning piano lesson student should know, and some great diagrams that show the mechanics of how a piano produces sound. There's also a nice section about the pedals, which you don't find in most courses, that actually explains what the pedals are for and how they work. All in all, a great introduction.

Chapter Two - The Basics

Chapter Two provides all the basic information you'll need to get started in the right direction. It has the most complete description of how to sit at the piano that I've come across so far. You get the idea very easily from the included diagram that shows the proper position for your head, back, arms, and legs. Pay attention students There's nothing worse than seeing a beginning player struggling because of a slouch or being too high or too low in relation to the keyboard. Chapter Two continues with an explanation of proper hand position, and dispels the popular myth that you need very long fingers to play well. The author correctly points out that finger strength and agility are far more important characteristics than finger length. The standard and necessary assignment of numbers to each finger is included too, accompanied by a very good diagram. No confusion possible here. The layout of the keyboard is explained next, again with very clear graphics, and then the connection between the finger numbering system and the keyboard is introduced with some very simple exercises - so after only sixteen pages of background, the new student is actually using the keyboard. Note reading is introduced next with a very clear and simple approach that starts with the definition of a note, and then introduces the concept of rhythm. The notation for whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes is illustrated, and the standard duration of each is explained. What follows is a series of easy exercises to reinforce the basic concepts of note type and duration. Audio clips are available for each exercise to assure the student that they are proceeding correctly.

Chapter Three - The Musical Alphabet

Chapter Three starts with a graphic of the keyboard with all the notes labeled and then shows you the middle C hand position, followed by a short exercise that gets both hands going to familiarize the student with middle C and the surrounding notes. Chapter Three also introduces time signatures, the other component of rhythm. Good examples follow the explanation, and there are a few practice exercises, again with sample audio tracks. The rest of the chapters in the book are just as good and cover such topics as:

* the musical staff
* intervals
* sharps and flats
* playing scales
* rhythm
* arpeggios, and more.

Okay...if I review any more Chapters, you won't need the package, But I do want to tell you about the extras that come with Rocket Piano. First of all, there's a Music Theory Game called Jayde Musica that is really wonderful. When you start up the game, notes move past you on the screen from right to left and your job is to identify them before they scroll off the left-hand side of the display. You can click on the name of the note with your mouse, hit the letter on your keyboard that corresponds to the note(s) displayed, or type the number that you'll see associated with each note. The game has an Options menu that lets you control the level of difficulty (basically the speed at which the notes move), and there's even a high score screen that records your name once you start to excel. Kids love this stuff. This kind of game makes learning to read notes so painless, that there just isn't any excuse anymore

And it gets better...the second extra is another game called Keycelerator which helps you learn chord nomenclature and keyboard patterns. The game consists of a display of a chord pattern on the left of the display, and four choices on the right - a multiple choice test...the choices are shown as keyboard segments with different notes depressed. So if you can read the notes of the chord, you then pick the notes that represent the chord from the set of four choices; much more fun than studying a chord manual. The game keeps score and has a number of options you can control. (I'm not bragging, but I got a perfect score on my first test :)

The next extra is called Chordinator , which is designed to improve your chord recognition abilities. Structured much like Keycelerator , but the answer choices are in the form of chord names, not notes on the keyboard. Okay, I missed one on this game, but it was only because my finger slipped off the mouse and hit the wrong choice :) ...99/100 isn't bad though, right?

The next extra is really addictive It's called Perfect Your Pitch - it's an ear-training tool to help you home your pitch recognition skills. It plays a series of four notes and you have to pick the right choice from a set of four answers. It really is a lot fun. My score wasn't perfect on this one, and I had to force myself to stop ....like eating ice cream As you ear gets sharper it gets much easier to play songs by ear , and you'll start to recognize note combinations in common melodies and songs on the radio...just like learning a new language. This one is highly recommended. But don't ignore the other parts of the course while you try to perfect you pitch recognition abilities.

There's yet another bonus included called Advanced Learning Techniques for the Piano , but I think the little book is misnamed I think you should read this first when you get the package, and I also think this little gem is worth the cost of the package all by itself. What it tells you is how to practice - a topic that is completely ignored by most teaching packages - even by a lot of teachers I think it's one of the most important aspects of learning to play any instrument. Read it as soon as you get Rocket Piano. If you're just starting out, the insights you'll pick up here will save you a lot of frustration.

The Metronome program (another bonus) is really well-done. Just turn up the volume and save yourself the cost of a physical metronome. The graphics are marvelous.

If you like jazz, after you've gone through the basic Rocket Piano book, take a look at the add-on called Introduction to Jazz Piano . It has eight informative chapters that cover everything from jazz rhythms to chord progressions to syncopation. If you're not familiar with those terms, don't worry Start with the basic Rocket Piano book and then dive into the more advanced Jazz book.

So, my advice to you is to start your own personal countdown, and then blast your musical knowledge and your playing skills to new heights with this piano lesson package. Think about it...you get all the stuff described above for less than the cost of one or two private lessons.

Peter Cullen is the Webmaster at http://www.PianoLessonReviews.com and an avid amateur pianist. The site reviews piano lesson offerings on the Web and offers many other piano-related resources.

Learn How to Easily Read Guitar Tabs

With all those technical quarter notes and treble clefs, who really has time to learn guitar chords and riffs without spending days, weeks or even months taking private music lessons? Music notation is intimidating, but there is a simple solution to the problem – guitar tablature. Known as tab to professional musicians, it is almost like a diagram that shows guitarists exactly where to place their fingers. Tab presents amateurs and professionals alike with an easy way to learn new guitar chords or even a complete song. Let’s break down the basics.

Where to begin with guitar tabs

Think of it this way - if you can read a map, then you can also learn guitar chords from tab. Tab consists of six horizontal lines, representing the strings of the guitar (similar to a guitar chord chart, only sideways). The low E string is represented by the bottom line, and the other strings follow in succession the highest E. Players simply follow symbols on the lines indicating what string should be pushed, and in what location (fret). For example, if the number one appears on the top line, it indicates that a finger should be placed on the highest guitar string, in the first fret. When multiple numbers appear simultaneously, it indicates that certain strings should be pushed at the same time, in the fret indicated by the numbers provided.

Taking guitar tabs to the next musical level

Most tab will indicate the chord symbol above the lines and fret numbers, so that more advanced players can read along with what they already know. Advanced tab notation may consist of complex instructions from the author. For example, sometimes a guitarist will slap their finger down forcefully on top of a string, creating a different sound. This technique, known as a hammer-on, is often indicated by appearance of the letter h in tab.

Unfortunately, tab does not have a set of standardized rules, and there are many variations. There is also little direction for rhythm and timing, but it will work well for musicians who have a good ear, and a preexisting idea about how something is supposed to sound before they play it. It is best to start by picking out a well known, simple folk melody that is easily identifiable, and then move on to more complex patterns including chords and riffs.

Guitar tabs for every musician

Tab is not only an excellent way to learn new guitar chords; it is also used to notate scales, riffs, or entire songs. Guitarists who wish to try their hand with classical pieces, but do not read standard notation can experience the joy of tackling and mastering challenging pieces. Many publishers create albums of classical pieces which include standard notation, chords, and tab. Every genre is available in tab on the Internet or for purchase in a music store.

One of the greatest aspects of tab is that once you learn how to read it, the notation can be applied to many stringed instruments like the mandolin or bass. The possibilities for a blossoming musician are endless with this simple system. From chord charts to power ballads and sonatas, tab will expand your repertoire to include an unlimited number of pieces.

Learn more about easy Guitar Chords.

Music Fundamentals - Intervals

Intervals are the fundamental building blocks of music allowing us to read and write music, and most importantly, to help us construct chords and harmonies. However words like major, minor, augmented, diminished, enharmonic and compound leave many people a bit confused, hopefully this article will throw some light on the subject.

The ‘distance’ between two notes is known as an interval. This is the difference in pitch between two notes. The size or amount of distance is measured numerically.

If we consider the C scale there are 8 notes; C D E F G A B C numbered from 1 through to 8. As an example the interval from C to G is a 5th as G is 5 notes above C. The interval from C to F is a 4th as F is 4 notes above C.

All intervals are measured from the first note of the scale. These intervals are given a name as well as a numeric value and in order of progression they are: C-D is a major 2nd, C-E is a major 3rd, C-F is a perfect 4th, C-G is a perfect 5th, C-A major 6th, C-B major 7 and finally C-C is a perfect octave.

The intervals that are perfect are so called because they have a certain purity about them that comes from the overtones and upper-partials that are contained within them (these will be explained in another article)

Intervals can be raised or lowered by a half-step/semitone. If a major interval is chromatically reduced by a half-step it becomes a minor interval e.g. C-E is a major 3rd, if it is lowered by a half-step (from C-Eb) the interval becomes a minor 3rd.

If a perfect interval is chromatically reduced by a half-step it becomes a diminished interval i.e. a perfect 4th lowered by a half-step becomes a diminished 4th.

If major or perfect intervals are raised by a half-step then they become an augmented interval i.e. a perfect 5th would become an augmented 5th.

Compound intervals are those that extend into the 2nd octave. C to D (in the next octave) is called either a major 9th or a compound major 2nd. C to F (next octave) is a perfect 11th or a compound perfect 4th.

Enharmonic intervals are those that differ in name but not pitch, for example C-G# is an augmented 5th and C-Ab is a minor 6th.

When intervals are inverted they reverse the relative position of the notes. C-G (perfect 5th) becomes G-C which is a perfect 4th, a 3rd would become a 6th. Perfect intervals when inverted remain perfect e.g. C-G being a perfect 5th would become a perfect 4th when inverted, a major becomes minor, minor becomes major, diminished becomes augmented and augmented becomes diminished.

These rules apply to all scales.

About The Author

Nigel Rowles

1986 Diploma in Music – Classical Guitar Major. I have been performing for 34 years either as solo instrumentalist, in duos, trios and in rock bands playing guitar or bass guitar. 10 years ago I started teaching guitar, bass and music theory which led me to independently writing, producing and publishing The Guitar Instruction, Musicianship & Reference Manual with DVD on Left & Right Hand Techniques.

http://www.nofretguitarlessons.com.au