tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44042420297455618552024-09-09T21:02:33.961+01:00Ultimate guitar blog: Share your guitar articles, ideas and anything you wish about guitars.Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-17036944898022274982008-03-03T17:22:00.003+00:002008-03-03T17:30:51.743+00:00Gibson Robot guitar the self tuning guitar?<br />By Jim Barrie<br /><br />The ultimate lazy persons self tuning guitar at £2199.99.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WetVXbYRfWk"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WetVXbYRfWk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />Is their a market for this type of guitar? Seems a lot of money just to avoid spending 5 minutes tuning up.<br /><br />However their psycho style advertising is somewhere between lame and funny.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/G_SR3j7HV8k"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/G_SR3j7HV8k" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />Send me the £500 model and I'll think about it. Until then I'll just have to do it the old fashioned way.<br /><br /><p>Article source :<a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-34358353144321002112008-03-03T03:46:00.003+00:002008-03-03T03:51:23.680+00:00<strong>You Tube video explaining the best way to practice.</strong><br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5iLYaBdeS_Y&rel=1&border=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5iLYaBdeS_Y&rel=1&border=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />Useful guitar cords to get you started.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSX7jULjHbRSjDk819jG0MTbVJknIZZRQcH9BuMgrozHRDDs1a3KTJS8xgEnhX_CR6OlT15OU7GUs1n-sBe73ry_amh-4nZy6TMJEx5wsHBWgVt_5Gepp9BzBza3Z6GMzPiBg7gF1NQlw/s1600-h/basicchordchart.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSX7jULjHbRSjDk819jG0MTbVJknIZZRQcH9BuMgrozHRDDs1a3KTJS8xgEnhX_CR6OlT15OU7GUs1n-sBe73ry_amh-4nZy6TMJEx5wsHBWgVt_5Gepp9BzBza3Z6GMzPiBg7gF1NQlw/s320/basicchordchart.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173357584211846786" /></a><br /><br />Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-65622055031928116092008-03-03T01:13:00.003+00:002008-03-03T01:47:55.707+00:00<strong>Natural Guitar Talent - The Top Guitar Myth - Are Guitar Virtuosos Born Or Made?</strong><br />By Eugene Walker<br /><br />Join us as we take a look into a popular guitar myth on the subject <br />of natural talent. We will be discussing how natural talent is not a replacement for hard work and for learning the proper skills. You will learn the benefits to perfecting your skills by practicing along with guitar backing tracks. <br /><br />A pretty common phrase that's thrown around a lot in the guitar community and just about every other style of music is the term natural talent. Some people never excel in mastering their particular instrument because of the myth that in order to be good you have to have natural talent. <br /><br />That's not to say that some people aren't naturally gifted as a musician or guitarist, because there are quite a few who guitar players who take to the instrument quickly. Many musicians do have a natural talent for their instrument or style, but that do not mean that only these individuals can learn and master the guitar. Anyone who picks up a guitar and has the drive, determination, passion, and dedication can learn and become an excellent guitarist.<br /><br />Mastering the guitar simply requires an individual to apply themselves to learning the necessary tools and skills to effectively create music that expresses who they are and what they are about. If you want to master the guitar you have to put in the time to learn all the tools, techniques, and skills that a guitar player needs to play effectively. <br /><br />This myth makes accomplished professional guitarists seem as if they just <br />magically knew how to play, and neglects the fact that they sacrificed many <br />hours of practice to learn and perfect their skills. There are no guitar <br />virtuosos who haven't put in hours of practice and study to cultivate their talents and skills. <br /><br />The truth is that even the most talented guitarists had to study, learn, and practice. There are a lot of different ways to practice and cultivate your skills. One of the most beneficial ways to practice your talents and skills is to practice along with guitar backing tracks. Playing with guitar backing tracks can help you perfect your skills and apply your newly learned knowledge. Guitar backing tracks can also help you develop better tone by strengthening <br />your accuracy. Such tracks are available from retailers such as Planet of Rock<br /><br />Using backing tracks are also beneficial for making practice sessions more enjoyable. Instead of running endless drills, you can play along with a whole band and perfect your improvisation techniques as well. Backing tracks for guitarists can also be used to play live shows and other types of gigs as well.<br /><br />For over 1000 Professional Guitar Backing Tracks, check out Planet of Rock , The #1 Secret Weapon For Guitarists. Eugene is the founder of Planet of Rock Music Studios -<a href="http://www.PlanetofRock.com">http://www.PlanetofRock.com</a><br /><br />He is a professional guitar teacher and has founded Planet of Rock to provide affordable Guitar Backing Tracks for guitarists worldwide.<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-57510212079393789712008-03-03T01:05:00.003+00:002008-03-03T01:48:14.982+00:00<strong>On The Road With A Travel Electric Guitar</strong><br /><br />The demands of a busy personal life may start to impact your music. If your job takes you around the world and back again, your guitar playing may start to suffer. It's not practical to take your valuable instruments on the road with you for short-term travel. They could be lost or stolen. They could be seriously damaged beyond repair on an airplane. The risk is a costly one. Who wants their favorite axe smashed to bits? Certainly not me!<br /><br />Believe it or not, there are some companies who focus entirely on making musical instruments and accessories that are geared toward simplicity and portability. A travel electric guitar may be the answer to staying on top of your guitar technique and maintaining your globetrotting lifestyle.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Traveler Guitars:</strong><br /><br />The Traveler Guitar makes several travel electric guitars that have many of the same features as standard instruments. Their guitars and basses feature unique, ergonomic designs that will keep you rocking on the road. Each instrument comes with a case and weighs roughly 5 pounds. Traveler Guitar even makes essential on-the-go accessories like small amp heads. They produce both electric guitars and basses for the road.<br /><br /><strong>Hohner Guitars:</strong><br />Hohner travel electric guitars feature a one of a kind design. Their "headless" construction makes the instrument much shorter, but it still packs a powerful punch in the sound department. The unique design is eye-catching, and heads will turn when you pull this instrument out of a gig bag. You won't even need a strap to play this guitar, because it features a fold out leg rest that packs neatly away right inside the body of the instrument. Coupled with the perfect small sized or practice amp, this guitar packs a lot of power. It also performs well when plugged in to a standard amp, and might serve you very well in an impromptu gig or jam session.<br /><br />Pignose Guitars:<br /><br />The Pignose travel electric guitar features the ultimate in ease of portability, with an amplifier built directly into the instrument. Powered by a 9-volt battery, this little guitar is perfect for the traveler who doesn't want to haul an amp along. However, this instrument can also be plugged into an amp if desired.<br /><br />A travel electric guitar is the perfect solution for staying on top of your musical game despite your busy work and personal life. An investment in a travel guitar is like an investment in your musical development, and it will protect your more expensive gear from dangers on the road. They feature accessories and amenities that are comparable to your regular instruments. These little travel guitars are perfect for jamming on the road, on your lunch break, or in between classes. Some of them are powerful and resonant enough that you could even use them in recording sessions if you wanted to!<br /><br />Don't let your music suffer because of the inconveniences that are presented by traveling. Take your guitar along with you to relieve stress, pass the time, and entertain your friends, family and coworkers while you're at it.<br /><br />If you would like to discover unusual but very effective strategies for mastering essential scales such as blues guitar scales and jazz guitar scales, then be sure to check out: <a href="http://www.GuitarScaleMastery.com/letter">www.GuitarScaleMastery.com/letter/</a><br />Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-658850763706427982008-02-29T21:11:00.005+00:002008-03-03T13:12:17.630+00:00<strong>Guitar Lessons for Beginners </strong><br />by Jim Barrie<br /><strong></strong><br />There are a lot of resources available online for the beginner guitarist, varying from free, to expensive - so how can you really be sure you're not wasting and time or money on something when you could be learning so much faster elsewhere and wowing your friends?<br /><br />Read this checklist and you will have a number of questions to ask of the online resources to make sure you get the best value for your money.<br /><br />There are no magic shortcuts - despite amazing claims many systems make. Deciding to teach yourself means disciplining yourself. Keeping motivated and making sure you practice as often as possible is the key.<br /><br />1. Does the guitar lessons have video? - To be value for money insist your guitar lessons are shown as video as it will be much easier to learn and much more fun.<br /><br />2. Make sure you get audio to play along to? - Playing along to music is the fastest way to learn and develop your technique &amp; rhythm.<br /><br />3. Make sure the content has an easy way to learn to read music and tab? This is another must have seeing as the tab and music for just about every song ever written is available online - you need something easy so you can learn to play any guitar song.<br /><br />4. Guitar tuning software is a must? Playing your favourite tracks or with custom made jam tracks is pointless if your not in tune...<br /><br />5. Does the system guitar lesson have a method of keeping you motivated? When your beginning to learn the guitar motivation is everything, the best systems have ways to deal with this, this is a must have requirement.<br /><br />6. Does the content have something to keep you in time? The best ones offer a metronome or other rhythm keeping device.<br /><br />7. Does the system have a clear learning path? Look for a game plan so you know you are making progress.<br /><br />This simple checklist should help you decide which beginner guitar lesson option is best for you. You basically get what you pay so keep these 7 basic questions in your mind when evaluating your option<br /><br /><strong>Recommended resources that I am aware of that offer great value and cover the 7 key points.</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://jimbarrie.jamlg.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_top">Lead guitar lessons for beginners.</a><br /><p><br /><a href="http://jimbarrie.jamaco.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_top">Acoustic guitar lessons for beginners.</a> </p><p><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-9813986489146665202008-02-29T19:44:00.007+00:002008-03-03T00:25:57.005+00:00<strong>Major Scale Patterns On the Guitar Fretboard</strong><br />By Desi Serna<br /><br />Guitar players play melodies, riffs, lead guitar solos and bass lines using major scale patterns. The notes of these patterns cover the whole fretboard. To learn the whole scale template, players break it up into smaller pieces. This article will discuss how this is done and address common issues concerning scale patterns, fingering options, alternate picking and transposing to new keys. With this information, you'll be on your way to successfully using and applying major scale patterns, which is necessary in order to develop a strong knowledge of guitar theory.<br /><br /><strong>Major Scale Patterns:</strong> When learning the major scale, it's necessary to break up the notes into positions or patterns. Usually this is done with five pieces but some players prefer seven. It really doesn't matter whether 5 or 7 patterns are used as long as the whole guitar fretboard is covered. Also, don't think of patterns as separate scales. They're not. They're just the same notes in different positions.<br /><br />You can find major scale pattern diagrams by going to Google.com and searching "major scale patterns." Many web sites will come up that have pattern illustrations available for free. Major scale patterns are also drawn out in many instructional guitar theory books such as Fretboard Theory and Fretboard Logic.<br /><br /><strong>Memorizing the Patterns:</strong> Major scale patterns should be learned one at a time. Visualize the pattern on the fret board and play up and down it until it's completely memorized. It's not necessary to start or end on the root of the scale, but rather just be sure to touch on every note available in a given position.<br /><br /><strong>Major Scale Fingerings:</strong> Contrary to what is often taught, there are no correct or perfect fingerings for major scale patterns. With that being said, there still are some bad habits that should be avoided. Never do something silly like play through a whole pattern with only one or two fingers (unless you want look and sound like a hack). You've got four fingers so you might as well use them. Work on getting three or four fingers involved. Also, don't shift your hand but rather leave it set and then reach with your fingers. You may need to position your thumb behind the neck of the guitar so that you can spread your fingers and play with the tips.<br /><br />It's good to settle on an effect fingering that works for you and then use it consistently as you practice, but you'll no doubt use other fingerings when you start actually playing music. For example, techniques such as slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs and bends may require you to use your fingers differently.<br /><br /><strong>Alternate Your Pick:</strong> Don't spend your practice time reinforcing negative habits. For example, plunking through the scale entirely with downstrokes. Instead, be sure to alternate your pick as you rehearse the scale patterns. This is a good way to kill two birds with one stone because you can develop your alternate picking technique while you master the scale patterns.<br /><br />To sharpen your picking technique, choke up on the pick, keep your hand planted on the guitar body and alternate continuously without skipping or repeating any strokes. Your right hand should rest just above the string you're picking. As your right hand moves across the strings, it should slide over and rest upon the strings that are not being played in order to keep them quiet.<br /><br /><strong>Reference Chords:</strong> Every time you learn something new on the fret board you should try to peg it to something familiar. This trick can really help you to develop a good working knowledge of music theory especially when applying guitar theory to the fret board. This pegging idea can be put to good use with major scales by associating each pattern to a reference chord. For example, patterns one and four can be played right around common barre chords.<br /><br />Other patterns can be associated with barre chords derived from the CAGED chord system. If you know how to navigate the fretboard with chord forms, and you link these forms to major scale patterns, then you'll be able to instantly jump into the major scale from any chord or any position. Google search the "CAGED Template Chord System" to learn more about chord forms on the guitar fretboard.<br /><br />How Major Scale Patterns ConnectAfter you have completely memorized a pattern you can move positions and start on the next. With each new pattern you complete, be sure to go back and review the others that came before it. This process should be continued until the whole guitar neck is covered. Then you can practice connecting the patterns in both directions across the neck. For example, connect pattern one to pattern two, two to three, three to four, four to five, and then reverse your direction by connecting pattern five back into pattern four, four into three, three into two, and two into one. There may even be room to continue moving backward by connecting the original pattern one back into pattern five and so on until you reach the open strings. Don't forget that these open string can be used too.<br /><br />As you move across the fretboard try to focus on how a portion of each pattern is reused in the neighboring position. Visualizing how these pieces connect is critical to navigating the fretboard, mixing and matching music elements, and understanding guitar music theory.<br /><br />Playing Major Scales in Different KeysOnce you use all the patterns to cover the entire fretboard in one key you can transpose and play in a new key by simply shifting everything to a new starting position. Don't let the fret numbers throw you off in the new key. Instead, focus your attention on the pattern shapes and fingerings. Connect all the patterns in a new key until the fretboard runs out or it's not possible to play any higher. Don't forget about the area of the neck before pattern one begins.<br /><br />You may be able to fit in a pattern five there, possibly more. Continue this process until all twelve keys are covered. Then you'll surely have the patterns down pat!<br />More Guitar Lessons to ComeMore guitar lessons will be added soon including great ways to practice and helpful ways to begin applying the major scale to music and songs. This information is needed in order to complete the major scale learning process, and develop a deeper understanding of guitar theory.<br /><br /><strong>Guitar Theory Podcast and Major Scales:</strong> To find and listen to free audio lessons on the major scale and music theory go to iTunes or TalkShoe.com and search "guitar theory" or "Desi Serna."<br />Play Until Your Fingers Bleed!<br /><br />Mr. Desi Serna (Google me!)<br />Author of Fretboard Theory<br /><a id="link_98" href="http://www.guitar-music-theory.com/" target="_new">http://www.guitar-music-theory.com/</a><br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com/" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-9540454598640743922008-02-29T19:10:00.004+00:002008-03-03T00:26:16.266+00:00<strong>Developing a Guitar Practice Schedule</strong><br />By Ryan Gloman<br /><br />If you want to improve at guitar the fastest way to do it is consistent and focused practice. This is easier than it sounds. Often times guitar players will sit down and noodle around on the guitar for an hour, play some of their favorite songs and call it practice. You may see some minor improvement this way, but I guarantee you are not living up to your potential. The real way to get the most bang for your buck is to develop a guitar practice schedule so that you can direct your focus and achieve results.<br /><br />Now if you are looking for someone to tell you exactly what to play for how long, you are not looking in the right place. Everyone's needs are different because everyone's goals are different. You need to tailor your practice schedule based on your unique goals. What is important to you? Do you want to be able to play lightning fast? Do you want to be able to play any song by ear? Do you want to be able to play any possible chord in the chord dictionary? Your goals can be anything. It doesn't matter as long as you have goals.<br /><br />The next thing to do is lay out your goals and then decide what the best way to achieve them is. If my goal was to be able to play lightning fast, I would have to spend a considerable amount of time on my technique. So if I am laying out a practice schedule I would split it up into small manageable chunks. For example, I could practice my left hand technique for ten minutes and my right hand technique for ten minutes and then coordinate them together for ten minutes. That adds up to a thirty minute practice time. If I stuck with this consistently, I would improve much faster than if I just played randomly each day.<br /><br />One final thing that I notice is that most guitarists only play what they already know. This is great for polishing off your favorite songs and getting emotional enjoyment out of the guitar, but it does not force you to grow. I would recommend spending most of your time playing things that you cannot play well. If you would like, you can schedule time into the end of your practice session to play the things that you know and love.<br /><br />To sum up, you should develop a focused guitar practice schedule and stick to it on a consistent basis. This is the way for you to improve the most in the shortest amount of time. Focus on things you cannot play well and save some time at the end to play the things you do play well.<br />My name is Ryan Gloman and I have a passion for guitar and a passion for sharing information. I hope that this article helps you on your way to becoming a great guitarist. I understand that learning to play the guitar can be a daunting task at times. Luckily, you can find tons of helpful info on the net. Check out <a id="link_78" href="http://www.review-hq.com/guitar/instructional" target="_new">this site</a> for some great tools.<br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com/" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-89273498597447459332008-02-29T19:08:00.004+00:002008-03-03T00:26:39.185+00:00<strong>Guitar Techniques for the Right Hand</strong><br />By Ryan Gloman<br /><br />In this article I want to give the readers a brief introduction to the many right hand techniques that guitarists employ. A player would be selling themselves terribly short if they stuck to only one of these techniques. Sadly, many players do just that. They are taught a certain way and they stick to it for the rest of their playing careers. Adding different right hand techniques will allow you to insert more harmonic and melodic ideas into your playing.<br /><br /><strong>Alternate Picking:</strong> This is the most common right hand technique that guitarists today employ. In this technique the player used a plectrum to strike the guitar strings in an alternating up/down/up/down fashion. No matter which string is to be struck next the pattern is always up/down/up/down. The reason that this is such a popular way to pick is because it is so effective. Alternate picking allows the player to have a good rhythmic foundation in their right hand and it allows a lot of freedom of movement over one, two, or more strings. Alternate picking is used in almost all styles of music but it is very prevalent in blue grass and shred metal guitar.<br /><br />Sweep Picking: Sweep picking is another style of picking that uses a plectrum. In this right hand technique, the player sweeps the picks across the strings in either an upward or a downward motion. This is an extremely efficient way of picking and a flurry of fast notes can be played. This technique is commonly used when playing arpeggios. This right hand technique is very common in neo-classical shred guitar.<br /><br />Finger Picking: Finger picking is a school of its own in the guitar world. Many guitarists are never taught to use a plectrum but are taught to play exclusively with their fingers. The benefits of finger picking are many. The player can play fast repetitive phrases much faster and more accurately than a plectrum player. Also, finger picking players have much more freedom to mix both harmonic and melodic ideas than plectrum players. Finger picking is the style used most often in classical guitar. Many jazz players will use finger picking as well, especially when comping.<br /><br /><strong>Hybrid Picking:</strong> Hybrid picking combines elements of both plectrum playing and finger style playing. In this style, the guitarist hold the pick between his or her thumb and index finger and the other three finger float above the strings and pick the notes. This is a very popular style of picking in jazz where the guitarists must shift frequently back and forth between harmonic and melodic playing.<br /><br />I hope that my introduction to guitar techniques for the right hand was helpful. I encourage all beginning guitarists to experiment as much as possible with each of these techniques. Your guitar playing will only improve!<br /><br />My name is Ryan Gloman and I have a passion for guitar and a passion for sharing information. I hope that this article helps you on your way to becoming a great guitarist. I understand that learning to play the guitar can be a daunting task at times. Luckily, you can find tons of helpful info on the net. Check out <a id="link_78" href="http://www.review-hq.com/guitar/instructional" target="_new">this site</a> for some great tools.<br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-32396899200947853492008-02-29T17:12:00.003+00:002008-03-03T00:27:03.056+00:00<strong>Guitar Soloing Tips</strong><br />By Ryan Gloman<br /><br />Who doesn't want to be able to play a mind-blowing guitar solo? Even people who don't play guitar want to play guitar solos. In this article, I'm going to give you some guitar soloing tips that will help you on your way to playing those mind-blowing guitar solos.<br /><br />The first tip I am going to give you is to build your solo up. Think of it kind of like sex. The best kind is the kind that takes awhile to get to the finish line, but when you get there EXPLOSION! The same is true of guitar solos. Don't just unleash a flurry of notes right away. Force yourself to leave space in the beginning of your solo. It will make your rapid fire more effective.<br /><br />The second tip I am going to give you is to vary you dynamics. That means to vary your volume. You don't need to play at full tilt all the time. In fact, if you start off playing some quiet notes it can really lay the groundwork for the storm that you release later.<br /><br />The third tip I am going to give you is to memorize whatever pattern you are using on the fretboard. This mainly refers to an improvised solo. I don't mean to memorize your solo, although this can be helpful if you don't have a lot of experience. But you should memorize the scale form on the fretboard in at least one position. You can't play much of a solo if you don't know which notes to use.<br /><br />The fourth tip I will give you is to use all the registers of the guitar. That means to use both the high and the low notes. A lot of beginning guitarists think that they have to be playing in the double digit frets to express any emotions. This is far from the truth. You can play very expressive and meaningful notes down in the lower registers of the instrument.<br /><br />My fifth tip is to use repetition judiciously. Repetition can be a great tool for building up tension. For a perfect example, just listen to Free Bird by Lynard Skynard. There isn't a much better use of repetition in a guitar solo. Obviously though, if you use it too much you will put your listeners to sleep.<br /><br />My last tip is to NOT use everything you know in every solo. Some of the best solos are the simplest. Just because you know one-bajillion scales doesn't mean you have to use all of them. So what is the take home message from this article? I think you can tell by now that it is VARIATION!! No matter what you are doing - fast notes, high notes, behind the head notes - try to vary it up a bit by doing the opposite every now and then. Showing that contrast will make the technique you are using much more effective.<br /><br />My name is Ryan Gloman and I have a passion for guitar and a passion for sharing information. I hope that this article helps you on your way to becoming a great guitarist. I understand that learning to play the guitar can be a daunting task at times. Luckily, you can find tons of helpful info on the net. Check out <a id="link_78" href="http://www.review-hq.com/guitar/instructional" target="_new">this site</a> for some great tools.<br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-53032442848341638952008-02-29T15:06:00.005+00:002008-03-03T00:27:24.493+00:00<strong>What to Look for in a New Guitar</strong><br />By Scott Daugherty<br /><br />Scott DaughertyLevel: Basic PLUSScott Daugherty works as an auto technician and mechanical engineer for an independant repair/ custom shop in L.A. In his spare time, he plays guitar ...<br />Most new guitarists aren't sure of what kind of guitar they should buy when they decide to purchase. Myself, I spent months and thousands trying to find the right guitar. Here is a list of things to look at when trying to decide which guitar to choose.<br /><br /><strong>Tone</strong><br />This is probably the single most important thing to look at in a guitar. Whether you are playing electric or acoustic, country, rock, blues, or jazz, you need to have a tone that fits your musical genre. You wouldn't want to play a guitar that is perfect for country music in a heavy metal band. Which guitars have the right tone for you?<br /><br /><strong>Blues</strong><br />If you are playing blues, you need a guitar that has a bluesy tone. That being said, there are a few guitars that are perfect for that style: Semi-acoustic electric guitars with "soapbox" humbuckers sound great, as do Fender Stratocasters. The other important thing to achieve a blues tone is your strings. In blues, the heavier the string, the better the sound. You can't achieve the right sound using extra light gauge strings. They won't have the resonance, the bottom end or the mid range of the heavier strings.<br /><br />Also playing electric guitar blues, your amplifier will make a difference on your tone. If you are using a vintage amplifier, preferably tube amp, you will notice a BIG difference in the tone.<br /><br /><strong>Country</strong><br />Country music needs a brighter tone from the electric guitar. To get the brightest tones, it is best to use a guitar with single coil pickups. The two best guitars for this category are Fender Stratocasters and Fender Telecasters. Using a Tele, it is as easy as plugging in and playing really. On the Strat, there is a secret that a lot of guitarists don't know that I am going to share with you.<br /><br />A lot of Nashville guitarist call it the 'Nashville Sound'. Simply put your toggle switch all the way to the bridge pickup. Then start sliding it back to the next position toward the neck. In between the bridge position and the second position, you will find a sweet spot. The switch will not be locked into place on either pickup but the sound is awesome. It takes only a minute to find it and when you do, the sound is incredible.<br /><br />Again, the amplifier plays a big key on the sound of an electric guitar as well. A lot of Nashville musicians use a Peavey Classic VT/Series Tube amplifier or the newer Peavey Classic. Behringer also makes a great amplifier that is used in country music.<br /><br /><strong>Jazz<br /></strong>For jazz guitarist, a good semi-acoustic electric guitar is almost vital. The pickups on these guitars are usually humbuckers. For tone, a medium gauge set of strings is suggested.<br />As far amplifiers go, just about any 'natural' sounding amplifier will work. My personal recommendations are Mesa Boogie, or Peavey. They recreate a good sound.<br /><br /><strong>Rock</strong><br />Last but not least, let's look at rock and roll. Getting the right tone for rock and roll is tricky. Maybe you want a heavy sound that a standard 6 string can't give you so you get a 7 string guitar. The best 7 string guitars are made by Ibanez. Since the conception in the late 80's or early 90's, Ibanez has perfected the tone from the instrument.<br /><br />If you don't want a 7 string but want that same tone, you can get the same tone from a 6 string using heavy gauge strings. The guitar should have humbucker pickups to get better tone as well. Guitars recommended for this are Gibson Les Pauls and Ibanez.<br /><br />For a more modern top 40 rock style, the sound would vary. For the retro sounds heard in a lot of today's alternative music, Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters are used. Sometimes, the Fender Jaguar is played as well. For the heavier sounds, you would need a guitar with the humbuckers and probably two of the best guitars for this would be the Gibson Les Paul and Paul Reed Smith.<br /><br />To get the tone at the amplifier, it is important to have a good tube or solid state amplifier that can model a tube amp. Mesa Boogie has the leading edge on tone in rock music as does Marshall. Other good amplifiers are made by Peavey, Crate, Behringer, and Fender.<br /><br /><strong>Playability<br /></strong>The way the instrument plays determines a lot on your happiness with it. You can have a guitar that makes the most beautiful sound but you hate to play it. It is said that the perfect guitar will be like an extension of your body. I have found this to be true with my number 1 axe. Whenever I pick it up and play, it feels like a natural extension of my body.<br /><br />After you pick the guitar that you want for tone, play it and see if it frets right. If the strings are too high, adjust the torsion rod and intonation. This in itself could make the world of difference on your guitar. If you don't know how to adjust these yourself, call your local guitar shop. It usually costs no more than $15 and takes about 30 minutes to do it.<br /><br />Think about these things before purchasing your first or next guitar. It may save you a lot of headache and money in the long run.<br /><br />Scott Daugherty is a performing guitarist and studio engineer. For a free guitar lesson visit <a id="link_90" href="http://www.superguitartab.com/" target="_new">http://www.superguitartab.com</a> or for purchasing a new beginner guitar visit <a id="link_91" href="http://www.superguitartab.com/store/" target="_new">http://www.superguitartab.com/store/</a><br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-86165361082607142242008-02-29T15:03:00.005+00:002008-03-03T00:28:07.281+00:00<strong>Buying Your First Guitar</strong><br />By Ryan Gloman<br /><br />There are many things to consider when buying your first guitar. However, if you do your research you can come away with an instrument that will be a solid tool for starting your lifelong relationship with guitar music.<br /><br />One of the first things to consider when buying your first guitar is whether you want an electric or an acoustic guitar. There are advantages and disadvantages to both and a large part of the decision comes down to personal taste and the type of music you want to play. First answer that question. What do the musicians you usually listen to play? Is that what you want to sound like? Pricing is not that much different between the two when you consider just the guitar. However, an electric guitar typically requires many more accessories (more on that later) which can rack up the price.<br /><br />A second key issue to consider when buying your first guitar is whether to buy online or in a music store. I will say that each guitar is different and individual and this makes buying a guitar online a risky proposition. You have never gotten to touch or hold that guitar and there is no guarantee that you will like it. However, you cannot deny that the internet has become a great resource for comparison shopping and you can find some pretty great deals online. This is my "happy median" advice. Go into a local guitar store and play a bunch of different guitars.<br /><br />Make a note of the model and brands of the ones that you like. Then go do a search online and see if you can get a better deal. Chances are, you will be able to. You can now order online with some degree of confidence that they guitar that will be sent to you is similar to the one that you played in the store. Sure, I may be talking about minute differences, but chances are you are going to spend a lot of time with this thing. So, you should like it.<br /><br />Price range is a big factor to consider when buying your first guitar. This is largely a matter of the commitment that you plan to make to the instrument. If you are setting yourself up for a lifelong relationship, then invest and break the bank. You may never buy another guitar again.<br /><br />However, if you are wishy washy about whether you even want to play guitar, then don't sell the farm for the first one. You can get a good "intermediate" quality guitar for a few hundred dollars. I would not recommend going any lower in quality. Some of the guitars that you can get for $40 dollars in Wal*Mart are only appropriate for the most uncommitted individuals or for young children.<br /><br />Another comment about pricing and budgeting: don't forget the accessories! These can add up. If you are buying an electric guitar you have to buy an amp. These can run you as much as the guitar itself. My advice on this is to always barter. Ask the shop owner if you can get free cords or tuners thrown in if you buy a package deal. This will be more difficult if you buy online, but you may be saving a substantial amount of money already anyway.<br /><br />Finally, should you buy used or new? This question is akin to buying a car. You can get a great used car that will be reliable and will run for years because it is a decent car and the owner took care of it, but these take research and time. You can also get a vintage used classic that will run forever. This will break your bank. Don't buy any used guitar that is beat up or broken. Always be sure to buy from a reputable source if you go the used route.<br /><br />My name is Ryan Gloman and I have a passion for guitar and a passion for sharing information. I hope that this article helps you on your way to becoming a great guitarist. I understand that learning to play the guitar can be a daunting task at times. Luckily, you can find tons of helpful info on the net. Check out <a id="link_82" href="http://www.review-hq.com/guitar/instructional" target="_new">this site</a> for some great tools.<br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com/" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-17449238911359461622008-02-29T14:58:00.004+00:002008-03-03T01:16:05.502+00:00<strong>Easy Guitar Songs To Play On The Guitar</strong><br />By Kevin Sinclair<br /><br />Music is the language of the soul, according to the old saying. It can speak to you and evoke certain feelings and emotions. Nearly everybody likes music of one type or another and many others want to learn to play an instrument, such as the guitar.<br /><br />Playing the guitar is a great way to express your feelings and sentiments. It is also a way of expressing your artistic skill and entertaining yourself and others. That is why millions of people want to learn to play the guitar or improve their playing ability.<br /><br />When someone plays the guitar, other people assume they have either had professional lessons or taught themselves. Whichever way you go about learning, it is important to use the right techniques to play the guitar properly rather than develop any bad habits which might be hard to get rid of later on.<br /><br />One great way of learning to play the guitar is to use some simple guitar songs. This makes it easier to understand the tablatures and gets you more used to playing. If you can "sight read" a particular song, it will be easier to learn how to play the guitar. This all depends on your musical experience.<br /><br />Some experts think guitarists can sing along with songs and then learn it on the guitar as they go. An interest in the type of music you want to play is also a great help because you will be more enthusiastic about it all.<br /><br />Using easy guitar songs in order to learn how to play the guitar helps the beginner to learn the rhythm and pace of the song. If you listen to the song first or, better still, pick something you already know, you will have a good idea of how it is supposed to sound. With this knowledge, you can practice getting the note pattern and tempo right.<br /><br />If you use simple guitar songs to teach yourself to play, you will help to tune your ear for music. When you know how to listen well, you will be able to know if you are playing the right note or if you have made a mistake. You will also know if your notes are slightly off key and if your guitar needs to be tuned up.<br /><br />Using these easy guitar songs can make a huge difference in your ability to learn the guitar. It is, of course, much more difficult to learn the instrument if you are not able to have easy tools such as easy songs and a guitar. And remember - take your time because practice makes perfect!<br />Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of <a id="link_78" href="http://www.musicianhome.com/" target="_New">MusicianHome.com</a>, a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development.<br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-41822167948951773522008-02-29T14:56:00.003+00:002008-03-03T00:28:54.711+00:00<strong>Sight Reading Tips for Guitar Players</strong><br />By Ryan Gloman<br /><br />Sight reading is one of the most valuable skills that any musician should develop. At the same time, it is one of the least practiced skills in the music world. This is probably because it is often a tedious and frustrating task to practice. It is my hope in this article to give you some sight reading tips that will make your practice easier and more enjoyable. One last thing before I begin. The title of this article may be a bit misleading. I am a guitarist and I wrote this article with guitarists in mind, but the information in this article can translate to any instrumentalist or even singers.<br /><br />My first tip is to always keep going. When you are practicing sight reading it will be extremely tempting to stop when you mess up and review the passage that you messed up on. I urge you not to do this. The goal in sight reading is to be able to play through an entire piece the first time you see it. If you are constantly stopping and starting, you are not practicing towards this end. This can be one of the most frustrating aspects of your sight reading practice but trust me, just keep going. If you need to, slow down your tempo. Which leads to my second tip...<br /><br />Always use a metronome. This is the only way that you can be certain you are keeping good time. Most people don't keep time as well as they think they do. Add to this the fact that you are trying to decipher pitches and rhythms and you are bound to get off the beat. Just use a metronome to help guide you in this department. As with all metronome practice, start slow and increase in small steps.<br /><br />My third tip is to read ahead. Think of it like walking or driving a car. You don't look at the ground in front of you. You look ahead several feet or several hundred feet. The same is true in successful sight reading. Try to read ahead by one or two measures and you will experience a smoother ride.<br /><br />My fourth tip is to work on the rhythm first. This is often the most difficult part of sight reading. However, most people think they struggle with the pitches. This is not true. Rhythmic aspects of the music will trip up more would-be sight readers than pitches any day. In the beginning, try tapping the rhythm on your knee before playing through the piece.<br /><br />My last tip is simply to practice and then to practice some more. Sight reading will never come easy. The only road to get there is the road of consistent and focused practice. Get some music you love. This can make practicing more enjoyable than only working with sight reading exercises. A transcription of your favorite artist can be an invaluable tool.<br /><br />I hope that you are able to employ some of my sight reading tips in your musical future. It really will put you head and shoulders above the competition. I guarantee it. Good luck and remember - focused and consistent practice!<br /><br />My name is Ryan Gloman and I have a passion for guitar and a passion for sharing information. I hope that this article helps you on your way to becoming a great guitarist. I understand that learning to play the guitar can be a daunting task at times. Luckily, you can find tons of helpful info on the net. Check out <a id="link_82" href="http://www.review-hq.com/guitar/instructional" target="_new">this site</a> for some great tools.<br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-57756812814049878912008-02-29T12:07:00.005+00:002008-03-03T00:29:51.384+00:00<strong>How to Sight Read on Guitar</strong><br /><br />By Ryan Gloman<br /><br />The goal of this article is to introduce you to a fantastic skill that all musicians should work to develop - sight reading! I am a guitarist and I have written this article with guitarists in mind, but the information could be useful to all instrumentalists and even singers. Sight reading is a skill that is appropriate for musicians of all levels. Beginner, intermediate, or advanced - I have never heard anyone say that they are too good at site reading. This should help give you a long-term perspective on what is occasionally a frustrating task to practice. Now, without further ado... "How to sight read!"<br /><br />The ultimate goal when sight reading is to be able to play any piece of music through to the end the first time that you see it. Of course this partly depends on your technical abilities and the difficulty of the piece you are playing, but you get the idea. Developing this skill will give you the capacity to play with tons of different musicians in all different styles. I can guarantee that it will help you book more gigs, especially as a guitarist. I know so few guitarists who can read. It is just the nature of our instrument and how people learn it and the prevalence of tab. If you can sight read well as a guitarist, you will be head and shoulders above your competition.<br /><br />One key that I always like to emphasize is for students to use real music when practicing. Certain exercises have value; for example, if you are learning all the notes on the B string in first position of the guitar, you might have a passage with only b, c, and d notes. However, I think that you will get much more out of your practice time if you are using some of the music you like as study material. Getting your hands on a good fake book can be invaluable. Also, check local music stores or the internet for transcriptions of your favorite artists. As a bonus, as you are learning how to sight read, you are learning to play your favorite songs!<br /><br />Finally, the only way to improve at anything is consistent and focused practice. Sight reading is no exception. It is necessary to schedule time into your current practice schedule in order to achieve your goals. Most people only work on sight reading for fifteen to twenty minutes per day. This is perfect. Just make sure that you are doing it consistently. Just think, at fifteen minutes a day for two weeks you will have practiced only your sight reading for two to three hours. You will definitely start to see improvement at this time.<br /><br />I hope this article helped answer your questions of how to sight read. I am publishing another article soon on tips that will make sight reading easier, but I didn't want to bog you down all at once. Remember, consistent practice is the key. Good luck!<br /><br />My name is Ryan Gloman and I have a passion for guitar and a passion for sharing information. I hope that this article helps you on your way to becoming a great guitarist. I understand that learning to play the guitar can be a daunting task at times. Luckily, you can find tons of helpful info on the net. Check out <a id="link_78" href="http://www.review-hq.com/guitar/instructional" target="_new">this site</a> for some great tools.<br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="_new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-18869164185999854862008-02-28T03:27:00.004+00:002008-03-03T00:39:21.936+00:00<strong>A Good Method For Teaching Guitar That Actually Works</strong><br />By David Smithe<br /><br />There are many factors to consider when you are searching for a good method for teaching guitar. Whether you are just getting into teaching, or have been at it for awhile and are looking to adjust your processes, good teaching methods are important to the success of your students.<br /><br />One thing many first time guitar teachers do not realize is that utilizing just one book, or series of books, is not going to work for every student. The materials need to be tailored to fit not only the ability and level of a student, but also the age of a student. When looking for a good method for teaching guitar, consider these important points.<br /><br /><strong>Approp</strong><strong>riate Material</strong><br />An eight year old student might not be interested in playing Led Zeppelin or Bob Dylan. It is important that you use creativity in your approach. When you look for teaching materials, it is important to match your student with a book that is age appropriate.<br /><br />Children's method books are colorful and enticing, with games and activities, as well as repertoire that they will recognize. Pairing this book with additional exercises, as well as using popular music (think about music from kids movies and young pop stars) will produce much more effective results, and make the lessons more enjoyable for both of you.<br /><br />Adults on the other hand will quickly tire of playing Hot Cross Buns, and you need to find a method book that contains pieces they will enjoy, recognize, and find challenging.<br /><br /><strong>Differentiation</strong><br />Differentiation is a fancy term for "mixing it up". If a student endures the same exact sequence of events in every lesson, performing what the practiced last week, reviewing, and then covering the next two pages of a method book, they are going to lose interest quickly. Differentiate your lessons by including listening exercises and playing along with the student.<br /><br />If they are studying theory with you as well, make sure to occasionally include formal exercises in your lessons. By varying the activities in each lesson, the student will not know what to expect, and you will both look forward to something exciting and new every week. Find out what artists the student is interested in, and locate or create arrangements of songs by their favorite performers for an extra special treat.<br /><br />The best method of guitar teaching is one that identifies the needs and interests of the student, and capitalizes on that energy. Students will be more likely to practice what they like, rather than what the teacher likes, or says they need to learn.<br /><br />A good method for teaching guitar is to listen to what the student's hopes and dreams are, and build from there. Supplement their desires with an appropriate level method book that teaches proper techniques and provides helpful exercises. As a guitar teacher, you will not be able to use the same method with each student. Be creative, and have fun, and you will see your students soar to new heights.<br /><br />I hope you found this article helpful! To discover effective <a id="link_78" href="http://www.guitarscalemastery.com/articles/guitar-scale-tips/online-guitar-scales-lesson-two-useful-tips/" target="_new">online guitar scales lessons</a> that help you internalize essential scales (like <a id="link_79" href="http://www.guitarscalemastery.com/articles/blues-guitar/blues-scales-for-guitar-learning-to-use-them/" target="_new">blues scales for guitar</a>), then be sure to check out: <a id="link_80" href="http://www.guitarscalemastery.com/" target="_new">http://www.guitarscalemastery.com/</a><br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-45459676905378352122008-02-28T03:22:00.002+00:002008-03-03T00:39:50.596+00:00<strong>Blues Guitar Scales - How Blues Scales For Guitar Work In Lead Guitar Playing</strong><br />By Griff Hamlin<br /><br />The blues guitar scales are really based off of the pentatonic scales with one extra note added. We call that extra note the "blue note" because it gives the pentatonic scale its obvious "bluesyness."<br /><br />The only real difference between the scales on the guitar and the same scales on any other instrument is the fact that there is more than one way to play them on a guitar. This is due mostly to the fact that the guitar is a stringed instrument and there are at least 3-5 ways to play any unique note.<br /><br />The minor pentatonic scale is created using the root (or 1), flatted 3rd, 4th, 5th, and flatted 7th of a major scale. Notice that there is no 2nd or 6th scale tone used. There's an interesting reason for that but it requires a substantial amount of music theory to explain it and this isn't really the place for that.<br /><br />To create the minor blues scale we take the minor pentatonic scale and add a flatted 5th (or sharp 4) to it. In the key of A, this creates a scale with the notes A, C, D, Eb, E, and G in it. Some people don't differentiate between the minor and the major blues scales. If someone calls a scale a blues scale, assume they mean the minor version.<br /><br />A major pentatonic scale is created with the 1st (root,) 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th tone of a major scale. In C that would be C, D, E, G, and A. To make it a major blues scale you add a flatted 3rd which gives you C, D, Eb, E, G, and A in the key of C.<br /><br />Notice that the rule governing relative major and minor keys/scales is also in effect here. If you look at the keys of A minor and C major, which are relative, meaning they contain the same notes, you'll see the same group of notes.<br /><br />The A minor blues scale is A, C, D, Eb, E, and G. The C major blues scale is C, D, Eb, E, G, and A. Same notes, different starting point. This sort of thing happens all the time in music. This is of particular interest if you're playing blues lead guitar because you can see that your blues guitar scales really do double duty. Once you learn one pattern, it's really useful for 2 keys, one major and one minor.<br /><br />So how to we apply this scale to a standard 12 bar blues chord progression? What's cool is that the simplest approach is really simple. Whatever the first chord of the chord progression is, let's say it's A7, use that minor blues scale to solo over the song. There's no need to change scales at any time.<br /><br />Keep in mind that this is only one possible approach, and in many cases it's not the best approach. There are several ways to play over a 12 bar progression, or any other kind of chord progression. Many of these approaches use some combination of major and minor blues scales.<br /><br />It is easy to find the 5 "boxes" or patterns of the blues scale on the internet. A simple search should turn up hundreds of choices. Once you learn the blues scales and have them under your fingers. You'll want to start jamming with them and learning how to make the sounds you want to hear.<br /><br />For more blues guitar lessons and help with your blues guitar scales, check out <a id="link_82" href="http://www.playingthroughtheblues.com/" target="_new">Playing Through The Blues</a>, my blues lead guitar course.<br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-7656637603785403782008-02-28T03:16:00.004+00:002008-03-03T00:40:51.234+00:00<strong>Guitar Lessons for Beginners</strong><br />By Andreas Wahlstedt<br /><br />Playing guitar is a lot of fun, and you can never learn too much about it. That's why I've put together some "off-the-beaten-path" guitar lessons for beginners here that I hope you'll enjoy. Although these lessons won't make you an overnight guitar hero, my hope is that they'll give you some quick insights to advance your skills.<br /><br /><strong>Lesson #1: Fretboard Facts</strong><br />Did you know that your fretboard is 'doubled' at the 12th fret position? What I mean by 'doubled' is that all of the open-string notes repeat in the same order (as octaves) at the 12th fret.<br /><br />If you just strum your guitar without fretting (holding down) any notes, you have the following pattern in 'standard' tuning: E-A-D-G-B-E. Then, if you were to place your index finger across all six strings at the 12th fret, you get: E-A-D-G-B-E again!<br /><br /><strong>Why is this useful?</strong><br />It is useful because it means that all of the chord shapes and scale patterns you learn below the 12th fret are repeated and in the same relative positions. So, once you've learned how things work from the open position and 1st fret onwards, you've automatically got everything at the 12th fret and beyond mastered, too!<br /><br /><strong>Lesson #2: Two-Note 'Drones'</strong><br />Here's an experiment for you to try: Play an open 'D' note simultaneously with a fretted 'A' note on your third string. Now, keep hitting that open 'D' as you move up the D-major scale on the third string. In other words, keep hitting that 'D' as you slide your finger up the fretboard from A to B to D to E and so on.<br /><br />Sounds pretty cool, right? You can do this for the E and A string below as well.<br />If you want a song to follow along with and practice this technique, check out the early U2 song called "Electric Co." The Edge is a big fan of these two-note 'drones' and used the technique in that song.<br /><br />If memory serves, 'Electric Co.' is in the key of D-major, and the riff progresses like so:<br />D/A - D/C - D/B - D/E - D/F# - D/D (that second D is played at the 7th fret position) D/A -D/C - D/B - D/G (open G on 3rd string) - D/E - D/F#<br /><br />Hint: You may need to tune down a half-step to get in key with the album version of the song.<br /><br /><strong>Lesson #3: Easy 'Thirds' in G-Major</strong><br />The Beatles' song, 'Blackbird', popularized this sound. The progression of intervals of 'thirds' creates a very cool sounding harmony that feels both 'major' and 'minor' at the same time.<br /><br />In case you aren't familiar with the concept of intervals, the basic definition of an interval is that it is the difference in pitch between two notes. What you do is count up from the root note of the major scale to find the interval number.<br /><br />In the key of G-major, for example, the distance from from G to C is an interval of a fourth because C is the fourth note in the scale.<br /><br />In this example, however, what we're actually doing is taking the thirds relative to the chords being played. Let's go from G-major to A-minor to B-minor. The intervals of thirds for each of these chords is: G/B, A/C and B/D, respectively.<br /><br />Now, trying plucking these intervals with your thumb and index finger. Start with G on the sixth string and B on the second string, open position. Move to A on the fifth string, open position, with C played on the second string, first fret. Finally, play B on the fifth string, second fret, with D on the second string, third fret.<br /><br />In 'pseudo-tab', the notation would look like this: (6/3 - 2/0) - (5/0 - 2/1) - (5/2 - 2/3). The first number in the 'fraction' represents which string to play on, while the second number represents which fret on that string to hold down.<br /><br />The parenthesis indicate that you should play both strings simultaneously, rather than one after the other.<br /><br />So, (6/3 - 2/0) means play the note on the 3rd fret of the sixth string at the same time as you play the second string (0= open position).<br /><br />That's it for this round of beginner's guitar lessons. I hope you enjoyed them and try experimenting with them to come up with new sounds of your own!<br /><br />Andreas Wahlstedt is committed to learn ordinary people play guitar.<br />Get his free report and mails here:<a id="link_82" href="http://www.andreaswahlstedt.com/" target="new">http://www.andreaswahlstedt.com</a></p><br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-90943950728035467622008-02-28T03:11:00.001+00:002008-03-03T00:41:15.447+00:00<strong>Play Guitar By Ear - Two Chord Songs</strong><br />By Mike P Hayes<br /><br />When you are learning to play guitar by ear it's helpful to use some easy to remember concepts that help relate the new material to something we already know, this is called connected learning.<br /><br />Our western music system, is based on the European diatonic system, the effect of this music system is not unlike the effect of gravity.<br /><br />The 'one' chord is like our 'musical' sun, just as the sun has a strong magnetic effect on the other planets in the solar system, our 'one' chord has a musical magnetic effect on the other chords, meaning each chord in a particular key wants to return 'home' to the 'one' chord.<br /><br />This musical gravity concept will help us accurately predict the chord changes in a piece of music, and will make the process of playing by ear a very simple task.<br /><br /><strong>Our musical solar system:</strong><br />From our previous studies we were able to place the 'one' chord in the first and last bars of a song. Returning to our musical solar system concept, if we think of our 'one' chord as the musical sun the next chord closest to our musical sun would be the 'five' chord.<br /><br />In other words, the chord that has the greatest desire to return home, because of it's proximity to the musical sun is the 'five' chord.<br /><br />Visually, think of the 'five' chord as the planet Mercury orbiting the sun.<br /><br /><strong>Two chord songs:<br /></strong>Now, we will apply this new information to musical situations that will increase our ability to understand how musicians play by ear, without any written (visual) information.<br /><br />Two chord songs reference chart:<br /><br />Key of C - Chord 1 = C Chord 5 = G<br />Key of C# - Chord 1 = C# Chord 5 = G#<br />Key of Db - Chord 1 = Db Chord 5 = Ab<br />Key of D - Chord 1 = D Chord 5 = A<br />Key of D# - Chord 1 = D# Chord 5 = A#<br />Key of Eb - Chord 1 = Eb Chord 5 = Bb<br />Key of E - Chord 1 = E Chord 5 = B<br />Key of F - Chord 1 = F Chord 5 = C<br />Key of F# - Chord 1 = F# Chord 5 = C#<br />Key of G - Chord 1 = G Chord 5 = D<br />Key of G# - Chord 1 = G# Chord 5 = D#<br />Key of Ab - Chord 1 = Ab Chord 5 = Eb<br />Key of A - Chord 1 = A Chord 5 = E<br />Key of A# - Chord 1 = A# Chord 5 = E#<br />Key of Bb - Chord 1 = Bb Chord 5 = F<br />Key of B - Chord 1 = B Chord 5 = F#<br /><br />Here is a typical eight bar, two chord song template in the key of 'C'.<br /> C/// C/// G/// G///<br /> C/// C/// G/// C///<br /><br />Get this progression off the paper and into your head, play this progression over and over until you own it!<br /><br />This progression is the basis for all your ear training, knowing how this progression sounds and feels will turbo charge your ability to play guitar by ear.<br /><br />Mike Hayes is a teacher, author, speaker and consultant. Get his tips and tested strategies proven to boost your guitar playing his membership site at <a id="link_78" href="http://www.guitarcoaching.com/" target="_new">http://www.guitarcoaching.com</a> today.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-52248891764571146432008-02-28T03:08:00.002+00:002008-03-03T00:41:59.300+00:00<strong>Major Scale Patterns On the Guitar Fretboard</strong><br />By Desi Serna<br /><br />Guitar players play melodies, riffs, lead guitar solos and bass lines using major scale patterns. The notes of these patterns cover the whole fretboard. To learn the whole scale template, players break it up into smaller pieces.<br /><br />This article will discuss how this is done and address common issues concerning scale patterns, fingering options, alternate picking and transposing to new keys. With this information, you'll be on your way to successfully using and applying major scale patterns, which is necessary in order to develop a strong knowledge of guitar theory.<br /><br />Major Scale PatternsWhen learning the major scale, it's necessary to break up the notes into positions or patterns. Usually this is done with five pieces but some players prefer seven. It really doesn't matter whether 5 or 7 patterns are used as long as the whole guitar fretboard is covered. Also, don't think of patterns as separate scales. They're not. They're just the same notes in different positions.<br /><br />You can find major scale pattern diagrams by going to Google.com and searching "major scale patterns." Many web sites will come up that have pattern illustrations available for free. Major scale patterns are also drawn out in many instructional guitar theory books such as Fretboard Theory and Fretboard Logic.<br /><br />Memorizing the PatternsMajor scale patterns should be learned one at a time. Visualize the pattern on the fret board and play up and down it until it's completely memorized. It's not necessary to start or end on the root of the scale, but rather just be sure to touch on every note available in a given position.<br /><br />Major Scale FingeringsContrary to what is often taught, there are no correct or perfect fingerings for major scale patterns. With that being said, there still are some bad habits that should be avoided. Never do something silly like play through a whole pattern with only one or two fingers (unless you want look and sound like a hack).<br /><br />You've got four fingers so you might as well use them. Work on getting three or four fingers involved. Also, don't shift your hand but rather leave it set and then reach with your fingers. You may need to position your thumb behind the neck of the guitar so that you can spread your fingers and play with the tips.<br /><br />It's good to settle on an effect fingering that works for you and then use it consistently as you practice, but you'll no doubt use other fingerings when you start actually playing music. For example, techniques such as slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs and bends may require you to use your fingers differently.<br /><br />Alternate Your PickDon't spend your practice time reinforcing negative habits. For example, plunking through the scale entirely with downstrokes. Instead, be sure to alternate your pick as you rehearse the scale patterns. This is a good way to kill two birds with one stone because you can develop your alternate picking technique while you master the scale patterns.<br /><br />To sharpen your picking technique, choke up on the pick, keep your hand planted on the guitar body and alternate continuously without skipping or repeating any strokes. Your right hand should rest just above the string you're picking.<br /><br />As your right hand moves across the strings, it should slide over and rest upon the strings that are not being played in order to keep them quiet.<br /><br />Reference ChordsEvery time you learn something new on the fret board you should try to peg it to something familiar. This trick can really help you to develop a good working knowledge of music theory especially when applying guitar theory to the fret board. This pegging idea can be put to good use with major scales by associating each pattern to a reference chord.<br /><br />For example, patterns one and four can be played right around common barre chords. Other patterns can be associated with barre chords derived from the CAGED chord system. If you know how to navigate the fretboard with chord forms, and you link these forms to major scale patterns, then you'll be able to instantly jump into the major scale from any chord or any position. Google search the "CAGED Template Chord System" to learn more about chord forms on the guitar fretboard.<br /><br />How Major Scale Patterns ConnectAfter you have completely memorized a pattern you can move positions and start on the next. With each new pattern you complete, be sure to go back and review the others that came before it. This process should be continued until the whole guitar neck is covered.<br /><br />Then you can practice connecting the patterns in both directions across the neck. For example, connect pattern one to pattern two, two to three, three to four, four to five, and then reverse your direction by connecting pattern five back into pattern four, four into three, three into two, and two into one. There may even be room to continue moving backward by connecting the original pattern one back into pattern five and so on until you reach the open strings. Don't forget that these open string can be used too.<br /><br />As you move across the fretboard try to focus on how a portion of each pattern is reused in the neighboring position. Visualizing how these pieces connect is critical to navigating the fretboard, mixing and matching music elements, and understanding guitar music theory.<br /><br />Playing Major Scales in Different KeysOnce you use all the patterns to cover the entire fretboard in one key you can transpose and play in a new key by simply shifting everything to a new starting position. Don't let the fret numbers throw you off in the new key. Instead, focus your attention on the pattern shapes and fingerings.<br /><br />Connect all the patterns in a new key until the fretboard runs out or it's not possible to play any higher. Don't forget about the area of the neck before pattern one begins. You may be able to fit in a pattern five there, possibly more. Continue this process until all twelve keys are covered. Then you'll surely have the patterns down pat!<br /><br />More Guitar Lessons to ComeMore guitar lessons will be added soon including great ways to practice and helpful ways to begin applying the major scale to music and songs. This information is needed in order to complete the major scale learning process, and develop a deeper understanding of guitar theory.<br /><br />Guitar Theory Podcast and Major ScalesTo find and listen to free audio lessons on the major scale and music theory go to iTunes or TalkShoe.com and search "guitar theory" or "Desi Serna."<br /><br />Play Until Your Fingers Bleed!<br /><br />Mr. Desi Serna (Google me!)<br />Author of Fretboard Theory<br /><a id="link_98" href="http://www.guitar-music-theory.com/" target="_new">http://www.Guitar-Music-Theory.com</a><br />Scales, Chords, Progressions, and More<br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-83242365624674746392008-02-28T03:03:00.004+00:002008-03-03T00:45:24.823+00:00<strong>Guitar Effects Guide</strong><br />By Ryan Gloman<br /><br />There are tons of guitar effects out there and it is hard to make sense of them all. Many guitarists - not only beginners - have a hard time knowing which effect will help them achieve their desired sound. This is why I have put together a basic guitar effects guide. I am hoping to help out anyone who is perplexed by the confusing world of guitar effects. Warning to all gear heads: I am going to attempt to address what the effect sounds like as opposed to the technical effects on the signal.<br /><br />I feel it is best attack this topic by splitting the effects into different categories. The categories I will discuss include volume effects, filtering effects, time delayed effects, and pitch effects. There are tons more effects out there that I am not going to cover. I am sorry if I left out your favorite. Remember, I am attempting to write a basic guitar effects guide. You could literally write a book or two on this subject though.<br /><br /><strong>Volume effects:</strong><br /><strong>Volume Pedal:</strong> This is a pedal that the guitarist can tip forwards or backwards with their foot. I bet you can guess what it does... That's right! It raises or lowers the volume. A volume pedal can lend some dynamic range to the guitar which it usually does not have. This can greatly enhance expressiveness.<br /><br /><strong>Tremolo: </strong> To grasp this effect, imagine that you struck a note on your guitar and just held it. At the same time, a friend of yours takes the volume knob on the amplifier and twists it back and forth louder and softer very rapidly. Tremolo tends to have a vibrato like effect.<br /><br /><strong>Filtering Effects:<br /></strong>Wah-wah pedal - This is an effect operated by a pedal. The best way to describe this effect is that it sounds as if the guitar is saying "wah-wah" as the guitarist moves his foot back and forth. It is not uncommon for the guitarist to make the appropriate shape with his mouth at the same time.<br />Phase Shifter - This effect may make your audience dizzy. Basically what is happening is that the signal from your guitar is being cloned and mixed back on itself. The produced effect is that your sound has a dipping swaying feel to it.<br /><br /><strong>Time Delayed Effects:<br /></strong>Delay - Also known as an echo effect. This effect copies the signal that you send it from your guitar and delays it for a split second before producing it through the amp. You can get some really space-age trippy noises from this effect.<br /><br /><strong>Reverb -</strong> This effect employs echoing to make you sound like you are in a large concert hall. The more reverb, the larger the venue.<br /><br /><strong>Pitch Effects:<br /></strong>Octaver - This effect will make your original signal either an octave higher or lower than the original signal.<br /><br /><strong>Detuner -</strong> This effect will alter the tuning of your instrument. For example, it may play everything a major third above the actual signal.<br /><br />Now that you have some familiarity with what sounds different effects will produce, you are probably wondering how to achieve these effects. Many of the previously mentioned effects come in individual pedals.<br /><br />You simply plug the pedal in as a middle man between your guitar and your amplifier. Also, there are many multi-effects pedals which give you the option of using these effects together. Finally, there are amplifiers out there that have built in digital effects.<br /><br />My name is Ryan Gloman and I have a passion for guitar and a passion for sharing information. I hope that this article helps you on your way to becoming a great guitarist. I understand that learning to play the guitar can be a daunting task at times. Luckily, you can find tons of helpful info on the net. Check out <a id="link_82" href="http://www.review-hq.com/guitar/instructional" target="'_">this site</a> for some great tools.<br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-21846879183445010442008-02-28T03:00:00.002+00:002008-03-03T00:45:53.783+00:00<strong>Easy Guitar Songs To Play On The Guitar</strong><br />By Kevin Sinclair<br /><br />Kevin SinclairLevel: PlatinumKevin Sinclair is the owner of Personal and Business Success Resources, Be Successful News, Net-MLM-Profits.com, MusicianHome.com, and my-personal-growth.com - all web sites focused on providing ...Music is the language of the soul, according to the old saying. It can speak to you and evoke certain feelings and emotions. Nearly everybody likes music of one type or another and many others want to learn to play an instrument, such as the guitar.<br /><br />Playing the guitar is a great way to express your feelings and sentiments. It is also a way of expressing your artistic skill and entertaining yourself and others. That is why millions of people want to learn to play the guitar or improve their playing ability.<br /><br />When someone plays the guitar, other people assume they have either had professional lessons or taught themselves. Whichever way you go about learning, it is important to use the right techniques to play the guitar properly rather than develop any bad habits which might be hard to get rid of later on.<br /><br />One great way of learning to play the guitar is to use some simple guitar songs. This makes it easier to understand the tablatures and gets you more used to playing. If you can "sight read" a particular song, it will be easier to learn how to play the guitar. This all depends on your musical experience.<br /><br />Some experts think guitarists can sing along with songs and then learn it on the guitar as they go. An interest in the type of music you want to play is also a great help because you will be more enthusiastic about it all.<br /><br />Using easy guitar songs in order to learn how to play the guitar helps the beginner to learn the rhythm and pace of the song. If you listen to the song first or, better still, pick something you already know, you will have a good idea of how it is supposed to sound. With this knowledge, you can practice getting the note pattern and tempo right.<br /><br />If you use simple guitar songs to teach yourself to play, you will help to tune your ear for music. When you know how to listen well, you will be able to know if you are playing the right note or if you have made a mistake. You will also know if your notes are slightly off key and if your guitar needs to be tuned up.<br /><br />Using these easy guitar songs can make a huge difference in your ability to learn the guitar. It is, of course, much more difficult to learn the instrument if you are not able to have easy tools such as easy songs and a guitar. And remember - take your time because practice makes perfect!<br />Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of <a id="link_78" href="http://www.musicianhome.com/" target="_New">MusicianHome.com</a>, a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development.<br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-68159032973540757862008-02-28T02:54:00.002+00:002008-03-03T00:46:36.164+00:00<strong>Five Tips to Achieving Guitar Hero 3 Guitar Mastery</strong><br />By Doug Reach<br /><br />If you are serious about mastering Guitar Hero guitar technique then you have got your work cut out for you. Achieving expert status is not going to be attained by occasionally picking up your Guitar Hero guitar and noodling. You are going to have to work at this and not get frustrated. The average person tends to be impatient and easily gives up. Like anything in life, if you are patient, steadfast and diligent you can accomplish most things.<br /><br /><strong>Tip One - Go Slow</strong><br />Mastering the Guitar Hero guitar is not that much different than learning how to play a real guitar (of course, learning to play a real guitar is much more complex - but the learning strategies are similar). The most important thing that you can do is slow down. You are training your reflexes and muscles to respond in a very refined and complex manner and you need to make sure that each move that you are learning is perfect.<br /><br />Most of us learn to play guitar (or Guitar Hero) by playing too fast, making lots of mistakes and hoping the these mistakes will eventually just disappear. Well, they won't!<br /><br />If you are making mistakes while you are playing then that is what you are practicing and learning. You are just getting better at playing your mistakes. For most people, the only way to eliminate the mistakes and play as perfectly as possible is to play slow.<br /><br />Once your muscles begin to memorize the patterns the speed naturally develops. For the most part, you don't need to work on speed. Work on accuracy and the speed will come effortlessly. Take advantage of the slower tempos in Practice Mode.<br /><br /><strong>Tip Two - Practice Short Sections<br /></strong>One of the worst things you can do is just play the song over and over. Most players will find that there is about seventy-five percent of the song that is not too hard and about twenty-five percent that trips them up.<br /><br />So, work on the hard parts. Isolate the sections that are giving you problems and work them slowly. If you only have twenty minutes to play then why spend fifteen minutes playing the parts that are easy. That won't help you improve.<br /><br />Unfortunately, most of us like to do things that are fun. Working on the hard parts is usually frustrating and feels a bit like work. We'd rather just play the parts that we can do well.<br />I recommend that you take the middle way. Spend a bit of your time doing some serious work on the difficult sections then forget it and just have fun.<br /><br /><strong>Tip Three - Practice Each Hand Separately</strong><br />You might find it beneficial to try practicing each hand separately. In other words, work on the strumming hand and then work on the fret keys.<br /><br /><strong>Tip Four - Practice Your Hammer-ons and Pull-offs</strong><br />You may have noticed that the border around the notes changes color during fast tempos. This means that you can stop strumming and just play the fret keys (this would be the equivalent of hammer-ons and pull-offs on a real guitar). What you would do is hit the strum button on the first note and then play the rest of the notes only with the fret keys. Make sure your rhythm is accurate.<br /><br /><strong>Tip 5 - Master the Whammy Bar</strong><br />Every time you hit a long note you can begin to learn how to work the whammy bar. This will help bolster your Star Power. The faster that you move your whammy bar up and down the more points you will earn.<br /><br />So get to work and I'll look out for your Guitar Hero video posted on your favorite video site.<br />Douglas Reach writes on many subjects in the fields of music and guitar. If you are looking for the best deals on Guitar Hero guitars and games visit <a id="link_82" href="http://www.guitarsforsaleonline.com/Guitar/guitar_hero_guitars" target="_new">Guitar Hero Guitars Online</a>.<br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-60017472169429127572008-02-28T02:50:00.002+00:002008-03-03T00:47:04.320+00:00<strong>How To Play Acoustic Guitar </strong><br />By Ian Major<br /><br />If you want to learn how to play acoustic guitar there are some things that you need to know right from the start. Believe me when I say that they will save you a great deal of frustration.<br />Here are some great tips that should help:<br /><br />1# Because you will need to practice often (and sometimes you wont want to)-, playing along to a favorite song can be a great motivator. Even if you are a raw beginner you will be surprised at how many songs you can play along to.<br /><br />"Google" your favorite song and see if there's a result that offers chord charts for them. Study the charts to find a song you know that has a simple chord progression, these will be chords that you can already play or would like to learn. Download the chord charts and start practicing. You'll be amazed at how good you will feel when you are playing along to your well loved songs.<br /><br />2# Make sure that your guitar is tuned properly. You may not believe this but I've met people who wanted to know how to play acoustic guitar that didn't know that each string on a guitar had to be tuned to a specific pith!. It's not a case of getting the tuning nearly right either, you need to get it "spot on" why? because you will judge your playing by the way you sound and if just one string is slightly of pitch, your "sound" wont be as good as you would like or indeed would have been had your guitar been in tune.<br /><br />To make sure your guitar is in tune you can use a set of inexpensive pitch pipes. Learn to tune from string to string. Use an electronic guitar tuner or tune from a piano or another guitar. To save room in this article I wont go into detail but you can find some excellent information here:<br /><a href="http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Guitar/Setting_up_the_Guitar">http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Guitar/Setting_up_the_Guitar</a><br /><br />3# Decide on what type of pick (plectrum)you want to use. This is one of the most overlooked pieces of equipment. Picks come in various gauges. A very thin pick will give a much softer sound than a thick one so try experimenting and choose the pick that achieves the sound you want. Some guitarist wear a pick on there thumb and some guitarists just use their fingers. It's all a matter of choice and something you do need to be aware of.<br /><br />4# Now you'll have to excuse me here as I'm going to use a word that some people find quite upsetting. Are you ready? The word is "practice". I'm sorry but it just had to be said. Of course, we all promise we will practice but there's always a good film on or the big game just about to start and a hundred other excuses. I'm no different, so here my suggestion.<br />Don't promise yourself that you will practice for an hour every day. Make that a promise of twenty minutes everyday.<br /><br />Little and often is best I find. Have your guitar and chord books or tabs to hand if you're watching TV, that way you can have five minutes practice during the commercial break (and sometimes longer). I find that this works really well as it's sort of unplanned (and far more enjoyable than most of the commercials).<br /><br />I hope that these tips will help you on your way to becoming a great guitarist.<br />Practice, Practice, Practice. That's how to play acoustic guitar.<br />Play On.<br /><br />If you have enjoyed this article you can find more great information at:<br /><a id="link_82" href="http://easy-learn-guitar.com/how-to-play-acoustic-guitar.html" target="_new">How To Play Acoustic Guitar</a><br />and the best part is it's entirely FREE<br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-38482260280462241482008-02-28T02:43:00.002+00:002008-03-03T00:47:30.490+00:00<strong>Guitar Chord Lesson: Learn To Play Nice Sounding Guitar Chords In D<br /></strong>by Capotasto<br /><br />A guitar is an amazing instrument. Sometimes hard to play but with easy nice sounding guitar chord secrets everywhere. Let\'s explore some easy but nice guitar chords.Our first guitar chord will be Dmaj7. It is played in this way for example:Dmaj: 0/4 2/3 2/2 2/1An explanation of the notation.<br /><br />The first number indicates which fret to press down. The number after the slash which string. 2/3 means, press down the second fret on the third string.If you lift up your fingers from this chord you will get a very easy guitar chord to play indeed! We can call it an Em7. It will look this way:Em7: 0/4 0/3 0/2 0/1This little chord progression makes a nice little intro to a song in D-major.<br /><br />If we write down a little guitar chord sequense it might look like this:Dmaj7 / / / Em7 / / / Dmaj7 / / / Em7 / / /We will now spice the second chord a bit by playing a Gm6. It looks like this:Gm6: 0/4 3/3 3/2 0/1We can use this guitar chord in an intro with the same function as the one above:Dmaj7 / / / Gm6 / / / Dmaj7 / / / Gm6 / / /Let\'s introduce a new guitar chord.<br /><br />We can call this chord D11:D11: 0/4 5/3 5/2 5/1As you maybe already have figured out you can slide the Dmaj7 chord up a few frets and you will get this chord. We will now create a progression with these three guitar chords:Dmaj7 / / / D11 / / / Gm6 / / / Gm6 / / /The next guitar chord is easy to play too. It is a G-minor chord. It is actually the same chord shape as the guitar chord Dmaj7 but on the third fret. It looks like this:Gm: 0/0 3/3 3/2 3/1Now we will create a guitar chord progression with these four chords together:Dmaj7 / / / D11 / / / Gm / / / Gm6 / / /The art of sliding chords to new frets is an exciting and easy way to find new guitar chords and sounds to use in your playing.<br /><br />We will end this article on easy guitar chords in D by experimenting a bit with the D-major chord. Here is the most common D-major chord:D: 0/4 2/3 3/2 2/1By sliding this guitar chord up three frets up you will get the Dm7 chord or D-minor seventh. It looks like this:Dm7: 0/4 5/3 6/2 5/1Slide it up two frets from this position and you will get a G-major chord. It looks like this:G: 0/4 7/3 8/2 7/1The last guitar chord to explore will be A-major with D bass, notated A/D. Here it is:A/D: 0/4 9/3 10/2 9/1<br /><br />Let\'s make an impressive intro with these four chords but with the same chord shape by sliding the D-major chord up:D / / / Dm7 / / / G / / / A/D / / /The guitar really is an amazing instrument. Many more chords can be changed in similar ways to create new interesting sounds that will enrich your playing!<br /><br /><strong>About the Author</strong><br />Peter Edvinsson is a musician, composer and music teacher. Visit his site Capotasto Music and download your <a href="http://www.capotastomusic.com/">free guitar sheet music</a> and learn to play guitar resources at <a href="http://www.capotastomusic.com/">http://www.capotastomusic.com/</a><br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404242029745561855.post-20674768565690584812008-02-28T02:37:00.003+00:002008-03-03T00:49:12.796+00:00<strong>Guitar Hero (video game)</strong><br /><br />This article is about the 2005 video game. For the series, see Guitar Hero(series)<br /><br />Guitar Hero<br /><br /><strong>Input method(s)</strong><br /><a class="mw-redirect" title="Guitar controller" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_controller">Guitar controller</a> (game packaged with <a title="Gibson SG" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_SG">Gibson SG</a> controller), <a title="Gamepad" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamepad">Gamepad</a><br />Guitar Hero is a <a title="Music video game" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_video_game">music video game</a> developed by <a title="Harmonix Music Systems" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonix_Music_Systems">Harmonix Music Systems</a> and published by <a title="RedOctane" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RedOctane">RedOctane</a> for the <a title="PlayStation 2" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_2">PlayStation 2</a> <a title="Video game console" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_console">video game console</a>. It is the first entry in the <a title="Guitar Hero (series)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Hero_%28series%29">Guitar Hero series</a>. Guitar Hero was released on <a title="November 8" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_8">November 8</a>, <a title="2005" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005">2005</a> in <a title="North America" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America">North America</a>, <a title="April 7" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_7">April 7</a>, <a title="2006" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006">2006</a> in <a title="Europe" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe">Europe</a> and <a title="June 15" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_15">June 15</a>, 2006 in <a title="Australia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia">Australia</a>.<br /><br />The game features a <a title="Guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar">guitar</a>-shaped peripheral (resembling a miniature <a title="Gibson SG" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_SG">Gibson SG</a>) that the player uses to simulate the playing of <a title="Rock music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_music">rock music</a>. The gameplay is very similar to the <a title="GuitarFreaks" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GuitarFreaks">GuitarFreaks</a>, in that the player uses the guitar controller to hit scrolling musical notes. The game features covers of 30 popular rock songs spanning fives decades of rock, from the 1960s to current music.<br /><br />Guitar Hero became a surprise hit, earning critical acclaim and winning many awards from major video game publications. The game's success launched the billion-dollar Guitar Hero franchise, spawning the sequels <a title="Guitar Hero II" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Hero_II">Guitar Hero II</a>, <a title="Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Hero_Encore:_Rocks_the_80s">Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s</a>, and <a title="Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Hero_III:_Legends_of_Rock">Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock</a>.<br /><a id="Development" name="Development"></a><br /><strong>Development</strong><br /><strong><br /></strong>An interview with Harmonix developer Ron Kay describes many of the details of the development of Guitar Hero.<br /><br />The idea of Guitar Hero was directly inspired by <a title="Konami" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konami">Konami</a>'s <a title="GuitarFreaks" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GuitarFreaks">GuitarFreaks</a> arcade game, where the player used a guitar-shaped controller to interact with the game. At the time, GuitarFreaks had not seen much exposure in <a title="North America" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America">North America</a>.<br /><br />RedOctane, who were then in the business of making <a title="Dance pad" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_pad">dance pads</a> for games like <a title="Dance Dance Revolution" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_Dance_Revolution">Dance Dance Revolution</a> for home consoles, were planning to also create guitar controllers, and had approached Harmonix about making a guitar-based game for those controllers. With a budget of about one million <a title="United States dollar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_dollar">dollars</a> (which Kay noted was "pretty tiny for a video game"), the two companies worked to make Guitar Hero. Kay noted that "No one had any notions about it being a massive success; we all just thought it would be fun to do."<br /><br />Harmonix worked with third party controllers that were already on the market, and started with "super-basic Pong-style graphics" for the game display; through this, they found that "the controller really was the kind of magic sauce for what we wanted to do." Further art was added led by Ryan Lesser, using the art team's involvement in the music scene.<br /><br />Based on the experience from <a title="Frequency (video game)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_%28video_game%29">Frequency</a> and <a title="Amplitude (video game)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amplitude_%28video_game%29">Amplitude</a>, the team realized that "people don't necessarily relate to really abstract visuals", and included the depictions of live performances as previously used in Karaoke Revolution. During development, the team identified three focuses for gameplay: the note-matching aspect, the development of Star Power as "to provide a little more depth to the game — some replay value, some interest for people as they were playing beyond just hitting the notes", and showmanship by incorporating the <a title="Tremolo arm" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tremolo_arm">whammy bar</a> and tilting of the guitar into established gameplay.<br /><br />The team did not have any initial idea of what songs would be present in the final game. Kay noted that "We wanted 30 or 40 songs for the game and put a hundred on our wish list." Harmonix continually had to modify the track list as certain songs were cleared or removed based on licensing issues, balancing difficulty and popularity of the track list, which continued concurrent with the development of the game engine and up nearly to the shipping date.<br /><br />"Gem tracks" for a song were developed by a team in Harmonix, taking usually a day for a song, identifying key notes to "make you feel as if you're a brilliant musician." Software algorithms were used to assess the difficulty of the tracks, and the quality assurance team helped to rebalance the tracks for accuracy and difficulty. The software also allowed Harmonix to quickly make changes to the set list or to reauthor a song to make sure the overall difficulty of the game was appropriate.<br /><a id="Gameplay" name="Gameplay"></a><br /><strong>Gameplay</strong><br /><a class="image" title="The controller that was packaged with the game, an approximately 3/4 scale reproduction of a Gibson SG." href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Guitar-hero-controller.jpg"></a><br /><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Guitar-hero-controller.jpg"></a>The controller that was packaged with the game, an approximately 3/4 scale reproduction of a <a title="Gibson SG" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_SG">Gibson SG</a>.<br />See also: <a title="Guitar Hero (series)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Hero_%28series%29#Common_gameplay_elements">Common gameplay elements in the Guitar Hero series</a><br />The gameplay is similar to other music and rhythm video games, in that the player must play scrolling <a title="Note" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Note">notes</a> to complete a song. The basic mechanics are based on Konami's <a title="GuitarFreaks" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GuitarFreaks">GuitarFreaks</a>.<br /><br />In the case of Guitar Hero, the player may use either the guitar peripheral (a 3/4 scale reproduction of the <a title="Gibson SG" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_SG">Gibson SG</a> guitar) or a standard controller to play the scrolling notes. The guitar peripheral works by pressing the fret buttons simultaneously with the strum bar, while on the standard controller one simply presses the corresponding button. The player is awarded points for correctly hitting notes, chords, and sustains, and gains multiplier bonuses for consecutively playing notes correctly.<br /><br />A "Rock Meter" tracks the player's performance based on success or failure of hitting notes, and if the meter drops too low, the song will end in failure prematurely for the player. The player can also earn "Star Power" by playing a series of glowing notes perfectly and using the whammy bar during sustains.<br /><br />Once the Star Power meter is filled halfway, Star Power can then be activated by tilting the guitar controller vertically momentarily, or by pressing another button on a standard controller. Activating Star Power will double the scoring multiplier and affect the behavior of the Rock Meter in a positive manner. Thus, players can strategically use Star Power to play through difficult sections of a song they might have otherwise failed.<br /><a id="Modes_and_other_features" name="Modes_and_other_features"></a><br /><strong>Modes and other features</strong><br /><a class="image" title="To play a note, the fret button and strum bar must be pressed when the solid note scrolls through the corresponding ring at the bottom. The interface shows the player's score and score multiplier (left), Star Power meter (right), and Rock Meter (bottom right)." href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Guitarhero-screen.jpg"></a><br /><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Guitarhero-screen.jpg"></a>To play a note, the fret button and strum bar must be pressed when the solid note scrolls through the corresponding ring at the bottom. The interface shows the player's score and score multiplier (left), Star Power meter (right), and Rock Meter (bottom right).<br /><br />Guitar Hero's main mode of play is Career Mode, where the player and in-game band travel between various fictional performance arenas and perform sets of four or five songs. It is by completing songs in this mode that the songs are unlocked for play across the game.<br /><br />Players can choose their on-stage character, their guitar of choice, and the venue in which they wish to play. In this mode, the player can earn money from his/her performances that is redeemable at the in-game store, where bonus songs, additional guitars and finishes, and bonus content can be unlocked. Quick Play mode is a quicker method of playing songs, as it allows the player to select a track, difficulty, the character venue and guitar depending on the song chosen. After successfully completing a song, the player is given a score and a rating based on 5 stars, depending on his/her overall performance.<br /><br />Multiplayer mode offers two players the chance to compete against each other on the same song. Two fret boards will appear on screen, one for each player, as they alternate playing sections of the song in a dueling manner.<br /><br />The player with the highest score at the end of the song wins.<br />The four difficulty levels for each song afford the player a learning curve in order to help him/her progress in skill.<br /><br />The first difficulty level, Easy, only focuses on the first three fret buttons while displaying a significantly reduced amount of notes for the player to play. Medium introduces a fourth fret button while adding more notes, and Hard includes the final fret button while adding additional notes.<br /><br />Expert does not introduce any other frets to learn, but adds more notes in a manner designed to challenge the player.<br /><br />The game supports toggling the handedness of the guitar, allowing both left-handed and right-handed players to utilize the guitar controller.<br /><a id="Soundtrack" name="Soundtrack"></a><br /><strong>Soundtrack</strong><br />Main article: <a title="List of songs in Guitar Hero" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_in_Guitar_Hero">List of songs in Guitar Hero</a><br />Guitar Hero features 47 playable songs, 30 of which are "main setlist" tracks that are <a title="Cover version" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_version">covers</a> of popular songs, recorded by WaveGroup Sound in Fremont and <a title="San Francisco, California" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco%2C_California">San Francisco, California</a>. The additional 17 songs are original recordings by lesser-known groups. Featured tracks include "<a title="Iron Man (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Man_%28song%29">Iron Man</a>" by <a title="Black Sabbath" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sabbath">Black Sabbath</a>, "<a title="Take Me Out (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_Me_Out_%28song%29">Take Me Out</a>" by <a title="Franz Ferdinand (band)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Ferdinand_%28band%29">Franz Ferdinand</a>, "<a title="Spanish Castle Magic" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Castle_Magic">Spanish Castle Magic</a>" by <a title="Jimi Hendrix" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimi_Hendrix">Jimi Hendrix</a>, "<a title="Bark at the Moon (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bark_at_the_Moon_%28song%29">Bark at the Moon</a>" by <a title="Ozzy Osbourne" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozzy_Osbourne">Ozzy Osbourne</a>, "<a title="Smoke on the Water" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_on_the_Water">Smoke on the Water</a>" by <a title="Deep Purple" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Purple">Deep Purple</a>, "<a title="Crossroads (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossroads_%28song%29">Crossroads</a>" by <a title="Cream (band)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_%28band%29">Cream</a>, and "<a title="Fat Lip" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Lip">Fat Lip</a>" by <a title="Sum 41" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sum_41">Sum 41</a>.<br /><br />Many of the groups that performed the game's bonus songs feature members of the <a title="Harmonix Music Systems" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonix_Music_Systems">Harmonix</a> development team, while some are <a title="Independent music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_music">indie</a> Boston area groups. Drist's guitarist, Marcus Henderson, provided lead guitar on 20 of the game's 30 cover tracks.<br />All cover tracks are credited on screen with the phrase "as made famous by" (e.g., "'<a title="I Wanna Be Sedated" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wanna_Be_Sedated">I Wanna Be Sedated</a>', as made famous by <a title="Ramones" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramones">The Ramones</a>").<br /><a id="Reception" name="Reception"></a><br /><strong>Reception</strong><br />Guitar Hero was initially released to retail stores in a bundle that packaged the game disc and a Gibson SG guitar controller (since its release, individual guitars and copies of the game have become available for purchase separately). Despite the bundle's <a title="United States dollar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_dollar">US$</a>79.99 price point (US$30 more than the price of an average PlayStation 2 game), Guitar Hero received very positive reviews and became an <a title="Sleeper hit" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeper_hit">unexpected hit</a>. <a title="IGN" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IGN">IGN</a> gave the game a 9.2/10 score, praising the "fantastic soundtrack" and "great peripheral".<br /><br /><a title="GameSpot" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameSpot">GameSpot</a>, which gave the game a 9.0/10 rating, echoed these sentiments, stating Guitar Hero had a "great guitar controller" and "killer soundtrack" and was possibly the "best rhythm game ever made." The website also noted the game took an "extremely smart approach to difficulty." <a title="1UP.com" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1UP.com">1UP.com</a> awarded the game a perfect 10/10, stating "our scale <a title="Up to eleven" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_to_eleven">only goes up to 10</a>." Play UK said the game gives "bedroom air guitarists a chance to live out their rock 'n' roll fantasies."<br /><br />The game's average review score by critics, according to <a title="Metacritic" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metacritic">Metacritic</a>, was 91%. The consensus of most reviewers was the game had a great soundtrack (consisting of high-quality covers) and a guitar controller that was both fun and easy to use.<br />Guitar Hero has sold nearly 1.5 million copies to date.<br /><br /><p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><strong>Recommended guitar learning resources</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.digitaldownloads.co.uk/how-to-learn-the-guitar.html" title="How to learn the guitar">How to learn the Guitar</a></strong> Six Free Guitar Lessons including Audio and Video!).</p> <p>Source: <a href="http://everything-about-guitars.blogspot.com" target="new"><strong>Ultimate guitar blog.</strong></a></p></div>Guitar rockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217835386961466133noreply@blogger.com