Guitar Lessonshttp://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blogGuitar ExcellenceenTue, 31 Jan 2012 04:26:20 PSThttp://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1hourly1guitarexcellencehttp://feedburner.google.comOnline Guitar Lessonshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/guitarexcellence/~3/mGYP135dCF8/Online Guitar Lessonsbacktracksguitarguitar lessonsinstrumentmusicmusic teachersmusic tutorsonline guitar lessonssongsAnthony BiermanTue, 31 Jan 2012 04:24:19 PSThttp://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/?p=578Online Lessons I have been giving lessons online and the question that many people ask me is can a music instrument be taught effectively online and can tuition be as fruitful via a medium such as Skype. My answer to that is definitely. With the growing pace of today’s technology many music teachers are beginning to shift online the reasons for this are as follows.

- Lessons can be taught all over the world especially useful for students in isolated areas that don’t have access to proper music tuition

- Students don’t have to leave their comfort of their home or office

- People such as parents who can’t leave their kids for long will find tremendous benefits also people who spend a lot of time working and can’t afford to spend time traveling can easily receive a lesson in their office

- Lessons are accessible for those who don’t have access to the necessary transportation – Students can easily and instantly access information whether emailed by the teacher or links given to information located on the internet this can even be done during a lesson if need be making access to audio files backtracks, songs etc more available.

- For students who are abroad the time-zone difference will make odd hours available for them to learn where they can’t normally be accommodated, normal hours for the teachers that are abroad.

- Gives you access that is literally a click away to fully qualified professional music teachers in all styles of music, rather than having to settle for learning the same two power-chord pop/punk songs from the neighbour’s kid

There are many articles and discussions on this topic on the net, including lots of evidence of full-time online music tutors with a large online student base ranging from New York to Brisbane, and also in all fields of instruments not only guitar, Saxophone, Piano, Vocal Coaches, Violin, harmonica and even ukulele and banjo etc. Some students or teachers who go on tour with their performing groups whether it be Classical Orchestras, Musicals on tour, Jazz Quartets or Rock ‘n Roll bands, can still communicate and continue with tuition through online mediums. And all the student needs is a 3mb line, Skype which is free and a webcam (either with a built in mic or a separate mic) and the professional tuition is simply a click and an email away!

The problems that are encountered with video and audio lag can be overcome by supplying students with work before hand. Emailing them material and accompanying audio examples of the work so that they are prepared for the lesson beforehand and the teacher can guide them through the work and advise them on the process or how to handle the exercises that need attention. In my opinion this forces the student to be more self dependent and resourceful which is a plus and necessary skill to master if you are pursuing learning an instrument! The personal energy you have when teaching face to face won’t be there at first but it will generate overtime. And some shy first time students will feel more at ease meeting teachers online from their comfort zone. Online tuition not only has bonuses as previously mentioned but also opens up new possibilities in terms of tuition methods. Apart from one on one lessons via Skype, there are other mediums which can be used to further and create more forms for music education. Lessons or topics can be discussed in online webinars specifically in areas that students want to clarify. Not only can these lessons or topic discussions be headed by qualified musicians but it also gives the students who participate in these webinars a chance to interact with each other and share thoughts, which will definitely make the learning process more interactive and vibrant. While the qualified teacher heading the lesson can answer or demonstrate answers to rising questions that the group may have. Another method of learning that is being used, is requesting lessons on topics whether it is learning a Crosby, Stills and Nash song or working through the chord changes of John Coltrane’s Giant steps, students can request specific topics that they dying to have clarified and post them to teachers, who in turn pre-record a full lesson with accompanying material and exercises so the student can download and work through an exact lesson they wanted to learn. These are just a few of many points on the benefits of online lessons and possibilities available!

The truth of the matter is that many music tutors are going online, some are teaching full time online while others are doing research into it and trying to get setup. With the growth of today’s technology online tuition is no myth, it is a reality, its happening as we speak and the possibilities within this sector are growing. Online tuition is the next step and the future of music tuition!

]]>Online Lessons I have been giving lessons online and the question that many people ask me is can a music instrument be taught effectively online and can tuition be as fruitful via a medium such as Skype. My answer to that is definitely. With the growing pace of today’s technology many music teachers are beginning [...]http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/online-guitar-lessons-2/online-guitar-lessons/feed/0http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/online-guitar-lessons-2/online-guitar-lessons/Memoirs Of An Internhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/guitarexcellence/~3/3nslTY3eJLU/Memoirs Of A RocknRollaguitarguitar excellenceguitar lessonguitaristsTyrone MayerTue, 08 Nov 2011 04:15:22 PSThttp://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/?p=567Here is a post by our own Intern of his experiences over the last 6 months here at GE. Take it away Ilia!

It’s all too often the situation, where a guitarist must subdue his desire of constant axe wielding to be able to make time for more conventional past times. What is this demon that might hinder a fellow axe slinger’s right to yield what was meant for him to yield?

A Swiss university called the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne. If anyone hasn’t quite grasped the picture yet, that means business economics with a specialty in hospitality while living in Switzerland. Fortunately, there was a light at some curve in this tunnel.

EHL requires that their students execute an internship at two points in their studies. Fortunately, the second one proved far less limiting than the first as I was allowed to execute managerial activities in any field out there. Hence, the world of music was my first and only option!

Fast forward a few weeks of painfully boring exams and we arrive at Guitar Excellence, a brand whose development has interested me for quite some time. To me, traditional guitar tuition versus Guitar Excellence is comparable to PC versus Macintosh. With a bit of time to evolve the user friendly nature of Guitar Excellence, revolutionizing the guitar lesson world would truly be within their grasp. There was no other place I wanted to be but to participate in the growth of a brand that I believed to be a modern day innovation.

Today, I hold my internship at Guitar Excellence as Assistant Brand Manager and work under Guitar Excellence’s fearless leader, Tyrone Mayer. However, while there is genius to his methods, there most definitely is madness.  With the words of Kurt Cobain, if it were illegal to rock n’ roll, Tyrone’s ass would be thrown in jail! But that’s a story for some other blog post! Instead, let’s take a look at what we’ve been working on:

South African Expansion

Guitar Excellence is well established as the leader in guitar lessons for South Africa. It’s quite a claim to be titled with. However, we don’t believe we’ve even tapped our potential in unlocking South Africa’s dormant guitarists. By the end of this year, we plan to be well functional within the Western Cape as the next step to the company’s crusade!

International Expansion

Technology to today’s youth is like what water is to fish. We’re down with that! From August 2011, Guitar Excellence will be launching their Live Online Lessons to cater to anyone who wants a piece of this excellent candy coated guitar topped cake! Am I right hater’s! All that’s required is that you have your technology setup and ready to go, cause we’ll be there waiting for you to take your guitar playing skills to where you want them to be. Anywhere in the world! Unlike videos you have live feedback by one of our Pros!

Parental Friendliness

We’ve taken Guitar Excellence, looked at it, done strange things to it, looked at it again and have emerged with appropriate designs in user interface interactions that make your job as the provider as effortless as possible. Responses are prompt, the service is smooth, registration is too easy and payment procedures are even easier. All that we’re interested in is that your focus is aimed at learning guitar.

 

Archives

My understandings of Tyrone’s insanity have been born from this activity. However, it was for a greater cause. We’re utilizing the online world in our home tuition too. We’ve banished the age old way of paper back storage and have all our teaching material safely stored in our own platforms of Cloud Computing. The result, easier access to valuable guitar resources, information already organized for you and a cleaner environment.

So that brings me to the end of this issue folks. Rest assured, there’s more in the pipeline, but anything more would be telling. We’re constantly providing interesting guitar related resources on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/guitarexcellence . Please drop by and drop a comment! Otherwise, happy guitar playing peeps! We’re working hard to design an experience for you, after all, we understand your passion in guitar. We’ve been there and still are!

Keep on rockin’!

Ilia Zachary Zolas

Assistant Brand
Manager

Guitar Excellence

 

 

 

 

]]>Here is a post by our own Intern of his experiences over the last 6 months here at GE. Take it away Ilia! It’s all too often the situation, where a guitarist must subdue his desire of constant axe wielding to be able to make time for more conventional past times. What is this demon [...]http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/memoirs-of-a-rocknrolla/memoirs-of-an-intern/feed/0http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/memoirs-of-a-rocknrolla/memoirs-of-an-intern/The Importance of Studying Blueshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/guitarexcellence/~3/f4Olio9KO8Q/BluesPractice TipsTheory12 bar bluesballadsblues progressionharmonizedmajorminorAnthony BiermanWed, 01 Jun 2011 03:16:22 PDThttp://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/?p=513

As a teacher I often try to encourage my students to study Blues and its most common 12 bar progression as part of their fundamental studies as guitarists.

No matter what style you want specialize, in the importance of knowing and being able to handle Blues and its harmony and improvisation within it should never be overlooked, as it is the root of most of  contemporary music such as Rock, Funk, Soul , Jazz and R&B that we hear in present and past.

“If you don’t know the blues… there’s no point in picking up the guitar and playing rock and roll or any other form of popular music” – Keith Richards

“The British ballads became a new kind of form in their hand. And out of them came the blues, a new kind of song of commentary and satire, a song form which, after all, has become the main musical form of the whole human species” – Alan Lomax

 The first Rock ‘n Roll songs and the start of Rock ‘n Roll music was in fact Rhythm & Blues just played at faster tempo’s, allot of the early Rock ‘n Rollers all played 12 bar blues progressions, Examples you can check of the first prominent Rock ‘n Roll artists on You tube are Bill Haleys Rock Around the Clock http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjBDK35FRjo Chuck Berry’s Johnny B Goode http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEq62iQo0eU  , Little Richard’s Tutti Frutti http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFq5O2kabQo  , Elvis Presley’s Blue Suede Shoes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1Ond-OwgU8  and Jerry Lee Lewis’s Whole Lotta Shakin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yRdDnrB5kM

Below is a list of a few well known musicians, many studied and played blues in their early development especially, here are some you tube links you can check out to see their blues based music!

 

 (Just to list a few, there are still many others that have not been mentioned!)

The basic 12 bar chord progression is in fact quite easy to learn and its applications are endless, hence starting a study of it will help unlock many possibilities for a guitarist and will also open up a large variety of music for a guitarist to play.

“Simple music is the hardest music to play and blues is simple music” – Albert Collins

 I inserted a table below with a basic standard blues progression and some of its variants in the Key of E, the chords are often harmonized as dominant sevenths as well! although many variants of the below harmony can be found, you can also change all the below chords to minor for a minor 12 bar blues either with triadic or quartad (Sevenths) based  harmony.

Standard Blues and Quickchange Variation

I – E I – E7 (or IV – A if it’s a Quickchange blues) I – E I – E
IV – A IV – A I – E I – E
V – B IV – A I- E I – E (or V – B used as a common basic blues turnaround)

 

This progression did evolve in Jazz as well! Below a table with a common 12 bar Jazz Blues progression.

Jazz Blues Progression

I7 – E7 IV7 –A7 I7 – E7 Vm7- Bm7 I7 – E7
IV7 – A7 #IVdim – A#dim I7 – E7 IIIm7 – G#m7 VI7 – C#7
IIm7 – F#m7 V7 – B7 IIIm7 – G#m7 (Sometimes I7 – E7) VI7 – C#7 IIm7 – F#m7 V7 – B7

 

Blues studies also helps to develop a much more powerful sense of improvisation. Once you have learnt the blues scale you pretty much ready to begin. Blues music helps musicians develop a really good feel for music as feel is one of the most important aspects of blues music.

“The blues tells a story. Every line of the blues has a meaning “- John Lee Hooker

 

“Music isn’t just learning notes and playing them, You learn notes to play to the music of your soul” – Katie Greenwood

 You can begin to start practicing improvising by focusing on practicing to create motifs on just one of the blues scale patterns, to find out more about creating and developing motifs and how to begin with this first step in developing improvisation ablities, check out Larry Carlton’s lessons on Blues motifs to get a better understanding of the concept!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcifyKlK7Bc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPAvBDgnMT4

You can follow this link to get a diagram of the five basic blues scale patterns on guitar.

http://www.myguitarworkshop.com/guitar_lessons/scales/the_minor_blues_scale_box_patterns_on_guitar_fretboard.aspx)

I hope this gives a good basic introduction to the importance of studying Blues as a Contemporary guitarist. Having the fundamental aspects of blues is important for any style and is definitely a field of study that needs to be mastered by any contemporary guitarist, regardless of what style they wish to specialize in, studying the roots is also key!

Here are some sites to check for more info on the subject:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blues

http://how-to-play-blues-guitar.com/blues-concepts/blues-chord-progressions-and-variations/

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-12-bar-blues-progression.htm

http://www.abclearnguitar.com/blues.html

http://www.bluesforpeace.com/blueschords.htm

]]>As a teacher I often try to encourage my students to study Blues and its most common 12 bar progression as part of their fundamental studies as guitarists. No matter what style you want specialize, in the importance of knowing and being able to handle Blues and its harmony and improvisation within it should never be [...]http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/practice-tips/the-importance-of-studying-blues/feed/0http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/practice-tips/the-importance-of-studying-blues/11 Mistakes Guitar Players Make And How To Avoid Themhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/guitarexcellence/~3/8W98rhghXeQ/Practice TipsRock n Roll 101Stylesgoalsguitarguitar lessonguitar lessonsguitar playersguitar solosguitar teachermusicalpracticingteach guitarDewald PretriousTue, 19 Apr 2011 12:18:11 PDThttp://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/?p=508Do you know how some guitar players practice most days of the week, work hard, and are passionate about their playing, but they always struggle to be able to play the way they want to? They are frustrated because they don’t improve fast enough, begin doubting their potential, or even feel discouraged or angry with themselves when thinking about how long it is taking them to become better guitar players.
Can you relate to that? I sure can, I just described myself 4 years ago.
There are specific reasons why guitar players go through such frustration and disappointment. Here are 11 key mistakes players make and repeat over and over again that you should definitely avoid.

1 Teaching Yourself

Many people attempt to teach themselves. Yes, it’s true that some well known players were ‘somewhat’ self taught, but I do not suggest following that strategy even if your favorite player was self taught. If you are 100% sure that you can build powerfully effective learning and training systems on your own, that’s great. However, if you are like most of us, doing it alone is the hardest, most time-consuming, stressful, and frustrating way to learn anything. This is a mistake that you should avoid. Some guitar players think it will impress others if they say, “I’m a self taught player”. That statement might impress a few inexperienced people, but being self taught is not a ‘badge of honor’. Would you rather impress other with your playing or with an unimportant statement about your playing? I’m not criticizing self taught guitar players, I’m only saying that there is no advantage to being self taught… and no, it is no true that being ‘self taught’ makes us more original! In fact, the opposite is usually true.
2 Taking Lessons From Ineffective Guitar Teachers

Unfortunately, most electric guitar teachers receive ZERO training on how to teach guitar. What is worse is that the vast majority of teachers do little or nothing to improve their teaching skills. Want some proof? Use Google and type in this keyword phrase: ‘improve guitar teaching skills’, ‘guitar teaching skills’, or ‘guitar teaching training’ and you will find that less than 10 searches per month are done for these topics! Of course there are some highly effective teachers around, but there are a whole lot more ineffective teachers.
3  Seeking New Guitar Information Without A Proven Strategy To Reach Your Specific Musical Goals

We need information, advice, help and music to play, but without a proven strategic learning and training process that is specific to you, your skill level, your musical style and what you want to be able to do as a guitar player, information won’t get you where you want to go. It is better to first seek help developing a customized strategy for you to become a better guitar player. After that strategy is in place, then it is time to deal with learning the right information.
4 Not Knowing Specifically What You Want To Be Able To Play

Most guitar players are not specific enough when they think about what they want to be able to do with their guitar. To say “I want to play whatever I wish to play” is too vague. How can you develop a specific and effective guitar training strategy unless the goals you have are specific? It’s like saying you want to be a great athlete, how can you effectively train with such a vague goal? Sure there are things you can do to become faster, stronger, more flexible, but it’s much easier if you first get specific such as, I want to train to be a gymnast, or a long distance runner, or a body builder. Yes, you can still improve without a strategy, but it will take a lot longer and be much more frustrating. You can always change your goal later if you discover you want to do something else instead. Goals are contstantly changing!
5 Not Enough Focus On Things That Matter Most To Making You A Better Guitar Player

Have you fallen in the trap of practicing guitar without focusing on the specific things that can quickly begin to improve your guitar playing? Many people really do not understand and apply this concept in enough detail… for example, I had a past student named “Bob”  who used to take lessons from another teacher in the past. Bob was studying sweep picking arpeggios with his previous teacher, and was making some progress. However, Bob did not understand what ‘specific’ things he needed to focus on first before attempting to master the sweep picking arpeggios he was practicing. This was holding him back and making him feel very frustrated. Bob’s previous teacher only knew how to ‘teach’ arpeggios and general sweep picking concepts. He did not really know how to “train” Bob with the specific things to focus on how to overcome the challenges bob was having.
6 Too Much Focus On Things That Are Not Core To Your Goals

In addition to not focusing on specific things, many guitar players focus on the ‘wrong things’. Some enthusiastic guitar players become temporarily obsessed with things which are distractions from other things that could be helping their playing much more. Here is an example: I used to get so frustrated and angry when I could not play something perfectly, I’d lock myself in my practice room and say, “I’m not coming out of this room until I master this damn lick even if it takes me the next 19 hours! No breaks! No food! No human contact! I’m going to nail this!” And I did master it. On the surface, it might seem that I was on the right track and practicing in a good way… But in reality, I was spending my time only to stop being angry and frustrated. I was not investing my practice time wisely by focusing on the things that mattered most to making a better guitar player. In other words, my perseverance was commendable, but my strategy to master important long-term goals was weak. I allowed myself to be distracted. I don’t make this same mistake anymore, and I urge you to also avoid it! Focus on the things that really matter for your guitar playing right now. If you don’t know how to do this, seek out a proven guitar teacher today.
7 Focusing On The Right Things, But In The Wrong Order

This is a common mistake that even many advanced guitar players make which causes a lot of wasted time and frustration. Imagine you want to improve your ability to create your own cool guitar solos. Let’s assume that you are advanced enough to truly understand all the primary and secondary elements of composing guitar solos. Each of the many elements need to be learned and/or practiced in order to easily create awesome solos that you like. Where should you begin? What should you focus on first, second, third? Which of these things should you practice simultaneously? There is always a specific order in which musical skills should be learned and mastered in order to EXPLODE your musical skills. Unfortunately, that order is totally different for every person, style of music, musical goal, skill set and knowledge, so giving an example here would be pointless. My advice, find the best teacher you can and study with him/her in order to be able to do what you want to do with your guitar much faster and easier.
8 Not Isolating Problem Areas

Few guitar players are aware of the small things that hold them back in the big ways. Because these little imperfections seem insignificant to us, we often ignore them. The truth is, small hinges open big doors. For instance, holding your pick differently, and making smaller movements with your picking hand, will increase your speed much more than just moving your hand faster up and down!
9  Learning And Practicing Guitar In A Step By Step Linear Process

Does following a linear step by step approach to learning, practicing and mastering guitar seem like common sense to you? Yes, it does! And that is why guitar players who follow such a path are NOT great guitar players. The truth is, following a linear approach to learning, practicing, and mastering is the NUMBER ONE REASON WHY “GOOD GUITAR PLAYERS” STRUGGLE TO BECOME “GREAT GUITAR PLAYERS”! The reason for this is, musical styles and goals differ, and following a step by step guide will make you good, generally, but not great in a specific genre!
10  Practicing Guitar In The Same Way Your Favorite Guitar Players Practice

Have you ever read about how your favorite guitar players practice and then tried to repeat the same practice routine? Yes, I have made this mistake too! It seems natural to use a similar guitar practice schedule that our favorite players are using. This is a mistake, because your current guitar skill level and knowledge of is music is probably very different from your favorite player. His/her challenges and needs are likely not the same as yours. Professional guitar players practice for different reasons than most amateur players do. For example, before recording an album, I would practice very differently than how I would before going on tour. Once I’m actually on tour, my practice routine changes drastically again. The rest of the year my practicing schedule changes yet again. This happens because in each case my challenges and goals are totally different. Your practice schedule and strategy needs to be built around YOU and you only!
11 Learning From Too Many Different Sources Of Information

There will always be great learning opportunities and various paths to take, but it is critical that you do not get distracted into following a piece of advice from one person, then another piece of advice from another person and then follow more resources from somewhere else and so on and so on… while different people may have some good ideas to offer, the fact is, distraction is a big reason why many guitar player who are actively learning, don’t really move forward quickly. These people are always busy following totally different resources, teachers, philosophies, instructional dvds, free online guitar lessons, but all of this leads them to take 1 step forward, then 2 steps to the right, then 1 forward, then 3 steps to the left, etc. Once you have an effective strategy to become the guitar player that you want to be, ALWAYS stay focused on it, unless your goals change. The very best way to do this is to have ONE primary guitar teacher who helps you to become the musician you really want to be.

]]>Do you know how some guitar players practice most days of the week, work hard, and are passionate about their playing, but they always struggle to be able to play the way they want to? They are frustrated because they don’t improve fast enough, begin doubting their potential, or even feel discouraged or angry with [...]http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/practice-tips/11-mistakes-guitar-players-make-and-how-to-avoid-them/feed/1http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/practice-tips/11-mistakes-guitar-players-make-and-how-to-avoid-them/Variety In Lead Guitar Playinghttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/guitarexcellence/~3/ee3HMrds0Uw/Metal GuitarPractice TipsRock GuitarRock n Roll 101arpeggiosdynamicsguitarguitar soloLeadregisterscalesvolumeRichard GlobischMon, 04 Apr 2011 05:04:52 PDThttp://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/?p=494It’s important to always remember that music is a form of communication. Through music one should try to convey a feeling, an emotion or a message. And usually one tries to do this in a manner where the listener doesn’t get bored. We vary the speed we talk at, our tone of voice, our volume and even the rhythm. We all know what it is like to speak to someone who is completely monotone and lifeless. A common first thought is ‘please shoot me’, followed by, if we’re trying to be polite, by occasional ‘uhuhs’ and ‘yeahs’. And then we walk away and forget about the whole conversation immediately.

There is absolutely no difference in music. A solo can be viewed as a speech to an audience. All too often I see musicians or bands playing for the sake of playing or to show off, such as guitarist simply playing as fast as he can, with no definition, no melody and no meaning. It’s not meant to be about showing off, but rather one should try to say something that the listener can relate to.
So here are some tips on how to create some variety in ones playing. You can try, as a start, to just vary one aspect at a time. Once you get more comfortable you should try vary multiple aspects simultaneously. This is very useful when one has to play lead for a longer period of time. If one constantly plays around the same idea, the listener will eventually get bored. So it’s good to change things up.

Rhythm/ Speed
Try not to play at a constant rhythm at all times. Try starting off your solo with some slow phrases and build it up into something fast. Or try it the other way around. While many people may think that simply playing fast will impress people, (and it may impress them for a few seconds) but once they start listening they will get bored very quickly.s

Dynamics/ Volume
By changing the volume you play some phrases in, you can really draw the attention of the listener. Try to imitate yourself whispering a secret to someone so that they lean in closely to hear what you are saying. Get their attention and once you have it build the suspense until you break out with a screaming lead.

Register
By simply varying the register (either high notes or low notes) you play in, one can get a lot of shape to ones lead playing. Any solo that lasts longer than 20 seconds and just uses a few notes from an octave will quickly get boring. Also remember that even if you do play the same notes, the timbre from playing the same notes on different strings can have a large effect on how it sounds. It’s the same as saying the same words in either a husky voice or a clean voice.

Scales/ Arpeggios
Mix up your playing by following the rhythm chord changes and arpeggiating them. This will give your lead more direction than just constantly playing within one scale.

These are just a few basic ideas of how you can mix things up. There are many more aspects and one can go into a lot more detail about each aspect, but try these out first and then get creative and think of other ways that you can change things up.

Check out these links of some great guitar solos!
Marty Friedman ( Ex – Megadeth )  and John Petrucci ( Dream Theater )

]]>It’s important to always remember that music is a form of communication. Through music one should try to convey a feeling, an emotion or a message. And usually one tries to do this in a manner where the listener doesn’t get bored. We vary the speed we talk at, our tone of voice, our volume [...]http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/practice-tips/variety-in-lead-guitar-playing/feed/0http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/practice-tips/variety-in-lead-guitar-playing/Fender American Special Guitar Reviewhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/guitarexcellence/~3/MJZ7lpsynUc/GuitarsfenderguitarStefan VosSun, 13 Mar 2011 08:16:24 PDThttp://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/?p=476 

Here is the Fender American Special Review - a great guitar that wont break the bank. Enjoy!

]]>  Here is the Fender American Special Review - a great guitar that wont break the bank. Enjoy!http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/guitars/fender-american-special-guitar-review/feed/2http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/guitars/fender-american-special-guitar-review/Guitar Lessons With The A Good Guitar Teacher: This Is What It Feels Like!http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/guitarexcellence/~3/cPf69FFXeow/Rock n Roll 101guitar excellenceTyrone MayerWed, 26 Jan 2011 06:10:14 PSThttp://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/?p=464

This is how our new pupils feel after they have been accepted into our very limited program with one of our teachers at Guitar Excellence :)


]]>This is how our new pupils feel after they have been accepted into our very limited program with one of our teachers at Guitar Excellencehttp://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/rock-n-roll-101/guitar-lessons-with-the-a-good-guitar-teacher-this-is-what-it-feels-like/feed/0http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/rock-n-roll-101/guitar-lessons-with-the-a-good-guitar-teacher-this-is-what-it-feels-like/Top 9 Guitarist Jokeshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/guitarexcellence/~3/kplc_OZed7w/Rock n Roll 101fingerstyleguitarguitaristguitarist jokesTyrone MayerTue, 07 Dec 2010 11:16:06 PSThttp://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/?p=437

Well everyone the silly season is upon us and what better way than to celebrate with a few laughs. Here is a compilation of a few good ones we found. Enjoy!

1. A Guitarist and a Bassist are arguing backstage and the Drummer walks up to them and asks why they are fighting to which the Bassist replies “Well the Guitarist detuned one of my Bass guitar’s strings and he won’t tell me which one.”

2. A fingerstyle guitarist is walking on the beach when he accidentally kicks a bottle. The cork falls off and out pops a genie. “Thank you Oh Master for releasing me from my prison of the last 300 years” the genie exclaims, profusely grateful to the chap. “And because of your kindness” the genie continues, “I will grant you 3 wishes”. “But I must caution you” alerts the genie.
“And what’s that?” asks the man.
“Well, you can wish for anything you desire, but whatever you ask for, every banjo player in the world will receive double” explains the genie.
“Not a problem” says the man.
“Very well then, what shall your first wish be, my Master”
“$10 million in small bills” says the player unhesitatingly.
“Good choice, Master” and right there on the beach are piles and piles of $10s and $20s. And of course every banjo player in the world now has $20 million in their account.
“And your next wish, Master?”
“A mint 1930’s OM45 deluxe and presto! right there on the beach is the most beautifully inlaid and superb sounding acoustic guitar he’d ever seen. And of course every banjo player now has 2 of these guitar’s in their living rooms; knowing of course that they aren’t going to know what to do with one, much less two.
“You’ve made excellent choices thus far, Master; what is your final wish?” The FG thinks for a minute, rubs his chin a moment, squints at the bright sky and says, “You know, I’ve always wanted to donate a kidney” …

3. Q: What do a guitar player’s fingers and lightning have in common? They never strike in the same place twice.

4.  Q: What’s the difference between a pop guitarist and a jazz guitarist? A pop guitarist plays three chords in front of a thousand people, a jazz guitarist plays a thousand chords in front of three people.

5. What do you do when you come home and find a banjo player running around in your backyard on fire? After you stop laughing, you put him out.

6. Why did the guitar player keep a set of drum sticks on his dashboard of the car? So he could park in the handicapped parking spaces.

7. What do Metallica fans say about the first five Metallica albums? Nothing Else Matters

8. How do you get a guitar player to play softer? Give him some sheet music.

9. What do you say to a guitar player in a 3-piece suit? “Will the defendant please rise …”

]]>Well everyone the silly season is upon us and what better way than to celebrate with a few laughs. Here is a compilation of a few good ones we found. Enjoy! 1. A Guitarist and a Bassist are arguing backstage and the Drummer walks up to them and asks why they are fighting to which [...]http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/rock-n-roll-101/top-10-guitarist-jokes/feed/1http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/rock-n-roll-101/top-10-guitarist-jokes/Replacement Pickups Part 2: Humbuckershttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/guitarexcellence/~3/3KoBopKFWzs/GeardimarziofralinpickupsgibsonLes PaulpickupsSeymour Duncansingle coilstringsStefan VosMon, 08 Nov 2010 13:17:27 PSThttp://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/?p=428As discussed in the last instalment of the investigation of replacement pickups, this is a sure-fire way to hot-rod your guitar, injecting your tone with a new lease on life. This time ‘round, we look at replacing humbucker pickups, so let’s begin by clarifying exactly what a humbucker is:

According to the oracle of all absolute knowledge, Wikipedia, “A humbucker (or humbucking pickup) is a type of electric guitar pickup, first patented by Seth Lover and the Gibson Company that uses two coils, both generating string signal. Humbuckers have higher output than a single coil pickup since both coils are in series and the magnetic circuit is low loss. Like a single coil pickup, a humbucker induces a slight magnetic field around the strings, which in turn induce an electrical current on the coils as the strings vibrate. The two coils have opposite polarity, opposite windings and are connected in series, which causes noise and interference to be significantly reduced via common-mode rejection. Humbuckers get their name from the fact that they cancel out the interference (they “buck the hum”) induced by alternating current, which is normally experienced with single coil pickups. Hum is caused by interference typically created by transformers and power supplies inside various electrical equipment utilizing alternating current. As alternating current passes through a coil, it induces a magnetic field around the coil. The magnetic field may be very weak at the pickup, but once the signal is put through various pedals and amps it can become much more evident. Using a guitar without humbuckers, a musician would hear a slight but noticeable hum from the amp in silent sections of the music. Sources of hum generated in the studio and on stage can include high-power amps, processors, mixers, motors, power lines, and other sources. Humbuckers dramatically reduce the hum effect compared to single coil pickups”.

So there you have it: hum canceling and higher output. Humbuckers have become synonymous with Les Paul-style guitars and hard rocking! Virtually all the very heavy styles of guitar music are played with humbucking pickups. Although the glassy chime of a single coil can be wielded in an overdriven rock context to great effect and many players love the quality of the single coil, it cannot be denied that humbuckers effortlessly give a driving ‘melt your face off’ sound. From Guns ‘n’ Roses to Lamb of God and Iron Maiden, Metallica to Chickenfoot, these guys are employing humbucking pickups with reckless abandon. As well they should! For many years, humbucker-type guitars enjoyed a popularity that easily eclipsed that of their single coil brethren, although, the past few years have seen a major resurgence in single coil guitars, and accordingly in single coil replacement pickups. That being said, there are loads of replacement humbucker pickups on the market. Again, there are the more established, mass-market companies that offer fantastic replacements: Seymour Duncan (www.seymourduncan.com), DiMarzio (www.dimarzio.com) and EMG (www.emginc.com) probably being the most pervasive. I am a fan of the Duncans and have yet to be disappointed in any of their products. These companies have comprehensive websites that offer all manner of categories and tonal descriptions to guide the buyer to the correct model to meet their specific needs. As with the single coils, there seem to be no end to the different models on offer, each tailored to suit a particular type of instrument and musical context. There are pickups specifically designed to be used in a Les Paul-type guitar that is played through a high gain amplifier for crushing distortion sounds, etc. The variety is almost endless, so the best advice I can give is hop onto the cyber information superhighway and read the forums and check out the recommendations. Do your homework research-wise, and you should be able to find a replacement humbucker that makes your tonal dreams come true.

On the more boutique side of things, I would also recommend looking at Lindy Fralin (www.fralinpickups.com) pickups, as well as British company Bareknuckle Pickups (www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk), which seems to be offering some very tasty replacement humbuckers and even offers ‘aged’ pickup cover options.

All the best for your tonal quest!

]]>As discussed in the last instalment of the investigation of replacement pickups, this is a sure-fire way to hot-rod your guitar, injecting your tone with a new lease on life. This time ‘round, we look at replacing humbucker pickups, so let’s begin by clarifying exactly what a humbucker is: According to the oracle of all [...]http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/gear/replacement-pickups-part-2-humbuckers/feed/0http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/gear/replacement-pickups-part-2-humbuckers/The Wah-Wah Pedalhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/guitarexcellence/~3/m5yjQqdQ1E0/Effectsguitarwah pedalWah wahRichard GlobischThu, 28 Oct 2010 13:47:04 PDThttp://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/?p=423The Wah- Wah Pedal is a guitar effects pedal that alters the tone of the guitar by sweeping the peak response of a filter between bass and treble.

The first pedal ever created was by Warwick Electronics Inc in November 1966 and has since then become very popular. Today there are many companies producing various types of Wah pedals, but the most popular companies seem to be Dunlop with their “Cry Baby” series, Vox, Morley and Ibanez. Instead of only the volume type pedal, many Wahs now also have various switches to increase the types of sounds one can get from single pedal, notably Ibanez’s Weeping Demon.

The Wah is often used in solos as many people find it adds an more expression to single note lines, but can also be used in rhythms, especially the more percussive style rhythms as found in Funk music. It is also used to bring certain frequencies to the front to make the guitar stand out more in a mix.

In terms of the effects chain, the Wah Pedal can be placed almost anywhere. However, vastly different results will be achieved depending on where it is placed. Hence, experimentation will be required until you achieve your desired tone.

The Wah Pedal has also been used on other instruments such as Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Trumpets and Saxophones and the Violin.

Some guitarists that use the Wah Pedal include:

Jimi Hendrix – “Voodo Child (Slight Return)”

Eric Clapton- “I shot the sheriff”

Slash- In many of his solos with Guns’n’Roses and Velvet Revolver

Kirk Hammett- Extensively on the “Black” album.

Zakk Wylde- In nearly every song.

Tom Morello- “Bomb Track”

]]>The Wah- Wah Pedal is a guitar effects pedal that alters the tone of the guitar by sweeping the peak response of a filter between bass and treble. The first pedal ever created was by Warwick Electronics Inc in November 1966 and has since then become very popular. Today there are many companies producing various [...]http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/effects/the-wah-wah-pedal/feed/1http://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/blog/effects/the-wah-wah-pedal/