Thursday, July 31, 2008

Play Guitar Tips

Guitar

Guitars come in all sizes, shapes and types. There is the acoustic guitar which has a hollow body and doesn't require an amplifier, although some do have pickups mounted on them for playing through an amp for more sound. These guitars can be played with either steel strings or nylon (more for classical style) on them. Some are flat and arched tops, and come with different width necks and scale lengths. You can buy a 6 string or a 12 string acoustic guitar. There is also the electric guitar which is played through an amplifier. These are somewhat easier to note than the acoustic because the strings are not as heavy a gauge and usually the strings are closer to the frets so it take less effort for your fingers to note the strings. If you're looking to buy your first guitar start small by buying an inexpensive one or borrow one from your friend. Before buying a guitar you should get some advice form a guitar teacher or someone that knows the guitar on how to decide whether you should learn to play guitar on an acoustic or electric guitar, and just what to look out for if you choose to buy a used guitar.

Lessons

Today with the Internet, computers and video, guitar lessons can be taken as if you had a guitar teacher, showing you where to place your fingers, the fine points of picking, and what pentatonic scales sound like, all in high definition video. There are video lessons of impressive quality for any style of guitar playing. There are CDs with information on almost any style of guitar playing you can think of. There are hundreds of web sites that even offer free lessons, most of which are very well created and can certainly be applied to your practice habit.

Strings and Tuning

There are many different varieties and gauges of strings. There are strings that are steel, nylon, bronze plated, nickle plated, flat wound, round wound, light gauge, heavy gauge,etc. In the early stages of practice, when you're learning how to play the guitar, your fingers will become sore and tender from noting the strings, but over time they will become hard and calloused.

Tuning your guitar involves adjusting the pitch of each string so that they play the correct note. Tightening the tuning peg raises the pitch of a string, while loosening the peg lowers the pitch. Since beginners usually have a hard time telling whether or not a string is in tune just by ear, it is often a good idea to purchase an electronic tuner.

Beginner

Start with proper training from the beginning regardless of what type of lessons you choose, and learn to play guitar the right way before bad habits are formed. Start with a beginner program and then progress from there as your ability and understanding grows.

Monday, June 30, 2008

Top 3 Mistakes

In order to play the guitar well, you need to learn all there is to learn about playing the guitar. Even though I believe this theory aspect is important, I cannot stress the importance of positive thinking. If you want to achieve success in whatever you do, you need to re-condition your mind to think positive thoughts.

This is a guitar lesson especially for beginning guitarists. It gives some pointers for having the right type of mindset in order for you to be able to start playing the guitar well enough.

1. Hasty

One of the key ingredients to failure is that of being impulsive. There will come a time when the beginning guitarist feels impulsive and wants things to progress faster. This is because you know that there are a lot of things for you to learn.

When you want results and you want results fast, you tend to squeeze everything and try to learn as much as you can in a very short time. However, this is a surefire way to failure. You need to be patient so that whatever you learn can be absorbed well. Even if you can squeeze everything that you need to learn in one day, this is not a very effective method for learning to play the guitar.

What you'll need to do is to break up these huge tasks into smaller bite-sized tasks and take your time to learn them. Slowly, you'll be able to play the guitar. Being patient is the key.

2. Low self esteem

Another pessimistic mindset is that of having low self respect. When you have low self respect, you will tend to think of yourself lowly. In such cases, you are afraid of making errors. However, the more afraid you are, the more errors you will make.

Improve your mindset so that you're more able to handle this type of problem. Change your mindset so that you can take it when you make mistakes. Tell yourself that making mistakes is not something to be ashamed of. In fact, making mistakes and improving on them constructively will make you a better guitar player.

You need to be able to play in front of a small audience and take their criticism to heart and improve on your weak points. Don't take negative comments so hard that you end up with low self-esteem. Remember, making mistakes is good but only if you take these comments and improve on them constructively.

3. Distracted

Sometimes beginning guitarists do not concentrate on the tasks at hand, that is, learning to play the guitar well. You have so many things that you want or you have to do and you have to do them all at the same time. For example, a huge part of your spare time is spent on entertainment.

What is your goal? If your goal is to play the guitar well, you have to concentrate on the tasks at hand. Cut down on your social activities first. Find a suitable place for your guitar practices. Then practice your guitar as and when you can. When improvements have been made, you can then slowly increase your social activities to the way they were before.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

The Best Cheap Electric Guitars

You want to play electric guitar but you have a limited budget. Your first electric guitar needs to be cheap so you need to get some idea which is the best brand to buy. If you do not buy a good quality electric guitar your guitar playing learning curve is going to be that much more steep, and you are going to feel like a prize dumbbell telling people that your playing would be much better if your guitar was not such a pile of junk.

Let us set some ground rules. Do not buy a cheap guitar online unless the vendor is in your local area. Also, when we talk about cheap guitars we should be talking cheap brands, not old guitars of dubious quality and unknown condition. If there is a music shop or two somewhere close to where you live, they should be able to cater to your needs. There are a lot of deep mysteries connected with guitar playing but finding a cheap guitar is not one of them.

To start with, there are big brand name guitars that you may not be able to afford, and indeed it would be silly to pay a fortune for your first electric guitar, but there are copies of these famous guitars which you CAN afford. Amongst these copies of the big name guitars made by various guitar makers, are good and bad quality guitars, and you need to be familiar with the better quality makers of cheap guitars. Any guitar factory in Outer Mongolia can churn out realistic looking electric guitars but they may not be able to hold together for longer than five minutes.
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Thursday, May 29, 2008

Buyers Guide To Electric Guitars

Live rock concerts were the rage in the 70's and they are still the rage. The essence of rock music does not just lie with the lyrics; it also lies with the electric guitar and the various sounds that it can produce. There are so many kids across the block who would give up anything to play.

Now if you are interested in learning how to play the guitar then the first thing you will need to buy is a guitar. Most people start with an acoustic and graduate to the electric guitar. It is quite difficult for anyone to choose the right electric guitar since there are hundreds of models and several brands out there in the market. If you are buying an electric guitar then you will need to also buy amplifiers, pick-ups, pick, tuner etc.

Electric guitars are available in a lot of variety, colors, and designs with the aerodynamic designs being one of the most popular. You need to look around a bit and check out the prices and models before you buy one. In fact, one of the best ways to choose a guitar is by the brand or by the style. Here our take on the four important styles:

Stratocaster
This certainly is a show stealer and has a typical style. The most famous is the red and white color combination, which was extensively used by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. The Stratocaster is from Fender and has a neck bolted to the guitar body.

Telecaster
The Telecaster is another creative instrument from Fenders. It is more than just a guitar it is a complete orchestra. It is a solid body electric guitar and comprises of dual pick-ups. The first Telecaster was manufactured by Leo Fender in the 1940's and has a single cutaway body. It doesn't have the tremolo or wammy bar but has two different single-coil pickups. Some of the popular Telecaster models include:

Les Paul
This is a classic guitar that has been designed by Gibson. The salient feature of a Les Paul's is its set neck construction, which means there are no joints or bolts. The body is a single cutaway and rounded. It is equipped with two humbucker pickups as well as a raised scratch-plate.

Gibson
Gibson is one of the greatest brands in music and all their guitar models are classic and can't be compared to any. Gibson was actually started in 1902 by Orville Gibson and has been responsible for giving the world some of the best acoustic and electric guitars. Some of the famous models include the arch-top Gibson L5 model, the ES-150 electric, Gibson Explorer, Flying V etc.

These are the best brands in electric guitar. The other aspects that will help you to pick up a guitar include fretboard, the pick-ups, and the body. Full-bodied guitars are normally preferred as they can produce some of the best sounds that you will ever get to hear.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Guitar Player


If you are a beginner guitarist, you will naturally to be apprehensive about what type should you buy and the cost of buying one. Beginner players are often offered package deals in most music stores. The benefits of a good slow down music product such as Riff Master Pro are crystal clear to both players and listeners as differences in style and accuracy of musical performance have been observed in most cases. New players need never have them in the first place if proper technique is used right from the start. The truth is that this can help you all, whether you are beginners or advanced players. Everybody loves to listen to solos like the ones achieved by world wide famous players but few can even dream of reproducing their songs at the early days of learning to play.

Just like the player could use heavier gauge strings, but they would feel and play like steel cables to his fingers. If the reality is that your guitar player has marshall stacks larger than refrigerators, and even you, can not hear your drums, then you really do need microphones on your kit. Knowing how to handle the guitar while playing your favorite songs will surely be a great benefit in your becoming guitarist. If you want to become a professional guitarist you will have to give up such programs at some point in time and choose something else. It is any one of a number of systems originally conceived to allow a guitar player to play synthesizers. However, many a times looking at a player reading his musical sheet you must have wondered, how to read musical notes like a pro.

Wisdom and experience are necessary for learning to play perfectly and to become a proper player. These are some of the volume pedals, which are being widely used all over the world by professional players. If you were learning for instance, the best way to improve your playing would be to imitate and play in time with professional players. Even now they are so popular that we first notice that any other musician in a music show. And a left handed player looks fabulous. To become a good player and to even go halfway, the blues have to be experienced because the blues has it all. The pick a player chooses will affect tone.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Bowed Musical Instrument Viola

Many people are unfamiliar to the instrument viola and can envision a viola to be a violin. But viola is a stringed instrument that looks similar to violin and it belongs to the class of stringed instrument that is bowed like a violin. On a closer inspection of the instrument viola you can recognize the distinctions between a violin and a viola. The timbre of viola is filled with rich sound and it has a full bodied structure .The instrument is generally not played solo like violin and it does not have the repute of a violin .It is played in concerts and you can find the instrument getting played in inner musical chords and pacific drums.

Violas have a bow like structure and to play the instrument it is positioned on the shoulders of the player. The instrument size does not have a regular standard size like a violin. The size of viola varies to suit musicians of different age groups. For a child the size of the viola can be 12 inches and for adults the size varies from 13 to 16.5 inches depending upon the choice of the musician. Even a small sized viola has the strong sound like the bigger ones due to its sound box. Voila has a large body and thick strings that need the musicians to have great physical stamina to play the instrument and to press the strings. A few people find it uncomfortable to hold viola on shoulders and for such instrument players a light material and short viola are made accessible.

There are many choices available to the buyers who wish to buy viola for themselves .The person's comfort level on the instrument helps in selection of the instrument type. Viola is hand made instrument and its looks are very aesthetical .There are many a popular violas in market and one among them is called Mozart.

To purchase a viola you need not go to the local store near your house to check out for the instrument. The internet technology can help you to have your instrument at your doorstep through the window shopping faculties available on the websites. You can get the product online with a guarantee that if you are discontented with the delivered product you are free to return it back to us. You can call us through the leading website of the product called Stringworks. To get more information regarding the instrument and to give it just a try to know how to play the instrument, you can opt for a musical instrument through our website.

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Monday, April 28, 2008

Building a Weissenborn guitar Tool List

Whilst building my guitar I did not have access to many advanced tools such as one would find in a professional machine shop or woodworker’s den. I really had to sit down and make some serious decisions about what I would and would not use during the build. I reasoned that, far back in the mists of time ,that guitar builders would pretty much do everything by hand but then the real horror of that struck me. I quickly realised the secret was, if I could not do it on my boat, I would get other people to do it for me who had the tools and gear! Logical really! That really was the bottom line of how I would get things done with my available space and resources. Get the timber cut as near as dammit to size before you start. had I realised this simple thing I probably would have started on building a guitar a long time ago!

Optional desirable tools! Ones I didnt have!

Bandsaw, a planer, a router (I hate them and don’t own one!)

TOOLS I USED FOR BUILDING MY GUITAR
( strangely enough, I didnt even use all of these tools either!)

· A rusty old Triton workbench (only for the braces)
· A small block plane
· A sharpening stone and some oil
· A set of chisels 6mm to 25mm
· A chisel and plane honing guide (an absolute must)
· A set of cheap saws consisting of a hand rip saw, a small keyhole saw, a retractable exacto type knife.
· A stainless steel scraper.
· Ten or twelve six inch clamps.
· Several small G clamps
· Three cam clamps
· A set of needle files
· A tenon saw
· A hobby type hacksaw
· A dovetail saw
· A coping saw
· A jeweller’s tenon saw with a packet of 000 blades
· A flat smooth woodworkers file .
· Jewellers pincers small
· A small hammer
· A small jewellers vice
· A small red vice.
· A one metre straight edged engineer’s rule (invaluable)
· A one foot steel rule (in inches)
· A foldaway builders steel tape (in inches and millimetres)
· Various sanding blocks (rubber and foam)
· A Bernz-o-matic plumber’s gas torch with a regular nozzle
(I would recommend a larger nozzle)
· Several small assorted fine toothed saws
· Several packets of sandpaper ranging from some cheapo bargains in all grades to some really good expensive non clog stuff ranging from 80 grit to around 800grit….some wet and dry about 400 grit
· A packet of 000 fine wire wool
· A jar of orange shellac (flakes) and a litre of methylated spirits
· Several odd little clamps that were lying around the boat
· A large packet of super big elastic bands
· About twenty very large rubber bands made from an old car tyre
· A twenty-dollar cheap and cheerful folding workbench (a kit from Supercheaps!)
· A tapered reamer from Supercheaps
· A few half decent paint brushes and pots.

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Monday, April 21, 2008

Tips For Better Guitar Playing

In this article I hope to demonstrate a few tips that will, with any luck, put you on the correct approach to developing into a proficient guitar player. If you can take into account that to play well involves a lot of practice and dedication then these tips will give you a head start. It takes arduous work and perseverance to the learn guitar and there is no fast and easy way, but some procedures are much more adept than others, resulting in quicker advancement. The main chief tip, though, is no matter what you do don't admit defeat

Set Aside Your Own Space
Distractions can play havoc with your concentration and focus, making any practise session worthless. Learning to play the guitar is hard enough so make it easier by finding a space where you can be alone without any outside noise or interruptions.

Equipment
Ensuring that your guitar is tuned correctly is paramount at the beginning of any practise session. Preparation is essential to good guitar playing and it is imperative to make certain that your instrument is in good condition

Understand Your Instrument
Surprising, as it might seem, not all guitars are the same, every one has a different tone and sound. Learn to know and understand your guitar, what every part is called and its different function. Appreciate your instrument and, although it’s an inanimate object, learn to respect and care for it. Even though you might not appreciate it now it will make you a better and more experienced guitar player.

Recognise Your Level Of Expertise
Frustration can soon set in when, after a few weeks of practising and learning, you cant play the same tunes as Eric Clapton or Jimmy Page or any of your other guitar heroes. Realism has to kick in somewhere and the sooner the better. Learning to play the guitar is not an overnight thing. It takes time. Start with sensible goals, leave the advanced playing until later and progression will come with a growth in confidence. Show persistence at this point and you will reap the benefits later and it will be even more rewarding.

Pick Your Style
Being able to play a piece of music made famous by one of your favorite guitarists is an unbeatable sensation. When, and only when, you have completed the fundamentals and you are set to move on to something harder it’s time pick a style of music you like and can identify with. Most songs are generally accessible as sheet music from a variety of sources and it’s another level in your education. This is an exhilarating stage in your progress.

Set Goals
One of the best ways to focus you concentration on you progress is to set mini targets. Pick a time period for when you are going to play your first song in front of family and friends and let them know about it. This helps give a reason for your practise sessions and certainly grabs your attention the closer to the date of your debut performance. Once you have performed and enjoyed being in the spotlight it will give you a boost in confidence. It’s no surprise, but your playing will improve after.

Monday, April 14, 2008

All About Classical Guitar

When did you start playing guitar? Or maybe you haven't started yet, either way something has led you here, to the the realm of the classical guitar. If you are new to playing the classical guitar then you are in for a world of excitement and pleasure. Considered an art form, the classical guitar has a vast history and many followers. If you want to know more about this history simply do a search on the internet, you will find more than enough information to keep you entertained.

If you have any experience playing the regular acoustic guitar you will soon find out that the classical acoustic guitar is played somewhat different. What I mean by this is that in order to play the classical guitar you must become in tune with the instrument. You must feel the instruments power and music in your soul and let it all come out through your playing. This is not an easy thing to accomplish but if you can master this art, you will have many years of joy ahead of you!

To start out, before you play any music just relax, sit there and hear the music in your mind and get a feeling for what is about to become. Get your mind and body into a relaxed state and start to play. Let the music flow from within you and you will soon be a great classical acoustic guitar player! this takes practice but give it a few weeks and you will start to increase your playing skills.

Classical acoustic guitar is an instrument that takes a lot of patience and time to understand and play. If you are thinking that you can just pick the guitar up and be able to whip out some of the most beautiful music you have ever heard, you are in for a big surprise! Take your time, learn the music, feel the music, and just practice every moment you get. This is the quickest way to amazing results!

There are many places on the internet that you can go to find practice material for the classical acoustic guitar. If you want to spend a little money you find tons of guides and sheet music at your local music store. If you look hard enough though there are plenty of free resources on the internet to fulfill your needs.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

How to play the guitar

Playing the guitar is one of the most popular hobbies in America. Millions of Americans play the guitar as a leisure activity; and why not? It is one of the easiest musical instruments to learn and the most popular music of the day is played on the guitar. Many people do not realize how easy it is to really learn to play the guitar. Some people, who first begin learning to play the guitar, try to learn a very hard song from the start. Then they start thinking they will never be able to learn to play, that they just do not have that natural musical talent that some people have, when really they just picked a hard song. Some people try to play the guitar for only about a week and expect to pick it up that quickly. If they cannot do it in a week, then again they think they just do not have that musical talent. All of that is nonsense Not even an experienced musician would be able to pick up the guitar and learn it in a week. He or she would know how the music works and understand how the guitar is supposed to played, but it still takes a little time to develop the correct motor skills with your hands and fingers. Anybody can pick up the guitar and learn to play some of their favorite songs if they just stick with it for a little while and practice for only a short period of time each day. To begin playing the guitar, all you have to do is learn a few chords.

Most rock, country, or other popular genres or songs can be played with only a few easy chords on the guitar. They say with only three or four chords you can play most rock songs ever written. Most people I have taught to play the acoustic guitar or electric guitar, if they would just listen to me and try it for one week, they could get down three chords in that week or two weeks and then be able to play a song with those chords. I also teach them a strumming pattern to play the chords with. That is all you need and you are set with your new hobby of playing guitars.

I myself studied music for seven years or more before I tried to learn the guitar, so I did have a good grasp of music theory, but it still took me several months to learn to play well, because I had to develop the motor skills of moving my fingers on the strings and coordinating my fingering and strumming patterns. It also takes a little while to learn to sing on top of keeping the beat and playing the guitar. But it can be learned quickly as well, if you just stick with and give it a real try. I did not have anyone to teach me when I first began playing the guitar. I just bought an acoustic guitar and taught myself to play. Every now and then people would give me pointers or teach me how to play something. I have taught other people to play also, and noticed that with a teacher it is surprising how fast people can pick things up.

I wish I would have had a teacher when I was learning. There are little tricks and licks on the guitar that only an experienced guitar player would know. So if you are looking for a new hobby, one that you can do whenever you want, with friends or by yourself, then learn to play the guitar. It is like riding a bike. Once you learn it, you never forget. It will be something you can take with you for the rest of your life, entertaining crowds and parties and serenading that special someone. And, if you do not have a special someone, it will definitely help your chances of finding them.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Playing Better Guitar

In this article I hope to demonstrate a few tips that will, with any luck, put you on the correct approach to developing into a proficient guitar player. If you can take into account that to play well involves a lot of practice and dedication then these tips will give you a head start. It takes arduous work and perseverance to the learn guitar Amplifiers and there is no fast and easy way, but some procedures are much more adept than others, resulting in quicker advancement. The main chief tip, though, is no matter what you do don't admit defeat

Set Aside Your Own Space
Distractions can play havoc with your concentration and focus, making any practise session worthless. Learning to play the guitar is hard enough so make it easier by finding a space where you can be alone without any outside noise or interruptions.

Equipment
Ensuring that your Electronic guitar is tuned correctly is paramount at the beginning of any practise session. Preparation is essential to good guitar playing and it is imperative to make certain that your instrument is in good condition

Understand Your Instrument
Surprising, as it might seem, not all guitars are the same, every one has a different tone and sound. Learn to know and understand your guitar, what every part is called and its different function. Appreciate your instrument and, although it’s an inanimate object, learn to respect and care for it. Even though you might not appreciate it now it will make you a better and more experienced guitar player.

Recognise Your Level Of Expertise
Frustration can soon set in when, after a few weeks of practising and learning, you cant play the same tunes as Eric Clapton or Jimmy Page or any of your other guitar heroes. Realism has to kick in somewhere and the sooner the better. Learning to play the guitar is not an overnight thing. It takes time. Start with sensible goals, leave the advanced playing until later and progression will come with a growth in confidence. Show persistence at this point and you will reap the benefits later and it will be even more rewarding.

Pick Your Style
Being able to play a piece of music made famous by one of your favorite guitarists is an unbeatable sensation. When, and only when, you have completed the fundamentals and you are set to move on to something harder it’s time pick a style of music you like and can identify with. Most songs are generally accessible as sheet music from a variety of sources and it’s another level in your education. This is an exhilarating stage in your progress.


Set Goals
One of the best ways to focus you concentration on you progress is to set mini targets. Pick a time period for when you are going to play your first song in front of family and friends and let them know about it. This helps give a reason for your practise sessions and certainly grabs your attention the closer to the date of your debut performance. Once you have performed and enjoyed being in the spotlight it will give you a boost in confidence. It’s no surprise, but your playing will improve after.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Guitar Lessons Can Help

Picking up a guitar and expecting to instantly play like Jimi Hendrix isn't realistic. But, picking up a guitar, taking basic lessons and learning the ropes and building on them is.

The fact of the matter is a guitar isn't the easiest instrument in the world to learn, or there'd be thousands and thousands of Jimi Hendrix knock offs out there. However, good guitar lessons can really help anyone learn to play with a basic proficiency.

So, how do you determine a good guitar lesson from a bad one?

That's going to depend a lot on your proficiency going in. If you're just starting out, you'll want guitar lessons that teach you:

* The basics of the Music instrument. This means the different parts, what they are and how they work.

* Basic fingering techniques. Playing the guitar is all in the fingers. If you don't know where to put them or how hard to apply pressure and so on, you will never sound like Jimi!

* Basic cords, tabs and so on. You need the fundaments down to build on to become proficient in playing.

* Theory and music fundamentals. You don't need to be an expert in music theory, but good guitar lessons will give you a minor run down and will begin to expose you to reading music so you can move on by yourself in between lessons or once you complete them.

* Exercises. Going back to that fingering techniques statement, the only way to really get them down is to practice. Good exercises that help the mind, fingers and ears work together are always smart. Great guitar players instinctively know where their fingers need to go on the neck, and they learned by practicing and through exercises.

* Baby steps for learning. It's all fine and well to understand the notes, the fingering positions and build up speed and accuracy, but if you aren't learning at least very basic songs, you won't feel like your accomplishing anything. Good guitar lessons begin giving you "something to take home" as quickly as possible while still working to instill the basics.

* Repetition. It's not a word most people relish hearing, but when it comes to guitar lessons, repetition can be important. The more you practice, the better you'll get.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Recording Guitar Using A Compressor

Here are some features you may find on a compressor:

Threshold -

This is where you set the limits of the compressor, meaning at what level of dB do you want the compressor to start compressing. Using a setting near to zero would incorporate the compressor ever so slightly, if you want to add more compression set the levels to a more negative number.

Attack -

Attack basically refers to the speed at which you want the compressor to kick in. Do you want compressor instantly or would you prefer it to gradually phase in.

Release -

Once the compressor has kicked in, how fast or slow do you want the compressor to release and no longer compress the signal?

Ratio -

The ratio refers to how much the compressor is going to reduce the range of the signal.

Gate -


A gate is a device that will eliminate any room noise, making recording deadly silent. It works by turning off the audio when it drops below a defined level. When the gate is open it simply lets any sound you plug into the input of the box straight through to the output. A closed gate doesn't let anything through - you just get silence on the output.

When the sound at the input is below a certain level, known as the 'threshold' the gate remains shut. When the input goes above the threshold, the gate opens and the sound is carried through to the output. Then when it drops back down again, the gate closes behind it. It can be used for example, to filter and eliminate any unwanted background noise. When you stop playing, and the sound drops below the threshold it will cut the sound to silence.

A separate outboard compressor is a great tool to have as you can tame and level the sound source before it enters the computer. However there are of course drawbacks to this, once the sound is in the computer you will not be able to “uncompress” the sounds. Use the compressor moderately as too much compressor can drag the life out of your songs. Overuse can result in all notes sounding the same and take away the dynamics of lighter and heavier notes.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Electric Guitars

Live rock concerts were the rage in the 70's and they are still the rage. The essence of rock music does not just lie with the lyrics; it also lies with the electric guitar and the various sounds that it can produce. There are so many kids across the block who would give up anything to play like Ritchie Blackmore, Mark Knopfler, David Gilmour, John Petrucci, Steve Vai, Kirk hammett, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Carlos Santana, Jimmy Page etc. These men are not just some of the best guitarists of their times, they are legends.

Electric guitars are available in a lot of variety, colors, and designs with the aerodynamic designs being one of the most popular. Don’t go for the first electric guitar you see. You need to look around a bit and check out the prices and models before you buy one. In fact, one of the best ways to choose a guitar is by the brand or by the style. Here’s our take on the four important styles:

Stratocaster
This certainly is a show stealer and has a typical style. The most famous is the red and white color combination, which was extensively used by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. The Stratocaster is from Fender and has a neck bolted to the guitar body. Apart from this, it has double cutaway sides, 22 frets accompanied by a tremolo system or the wammy bar and three single-coil pickups. Fender designed the first Stratocaster in the early 50’s.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Everything On Guitar Chords


Guitars, generally, have six strings. This means to play a large chord voicing there might be the need to omit one or more tones from the chord. This is normally the root or the fifth one.

The layout of the fretboard is made in such a manner that sometimes there is no tonal order in the notes of a chord. There is a chance of having it composed of notes that are of the same pitch. It is thus easily understood that a number of chords can be played with having identical notes in the fretboard.

People tune a guitar to their liking; hence there are variations in the tunes, similar to the number of strings found in a guitar. The usual number is six but sometimes they change. The order of tuning is normally, E-A-D-G-B-E. The internal intervals that are there among contiguous strings in the specified tuning can be written 4-4-4-3-4. The intervals are perfect in the fourth and there is one major third interval near the middle. So if one follows the above tuning example, the string that has the highest pitch, also the thinnest, is called the first string. Similarly, the sixth string has the lowest pitch.

To have at least an overall view on everything on guitar chords the need to learn the intervals is necessary. Guitar chords use the intervals between the strings that give the perfect fourths except in the interval between the B (second) and G (third) strings. This gives a major third. It is not uncommon in many forms of hard rock and metal to drop D tuning and use it to make it go above standard tuning. The player is then needed to change the low E string tuning to make it into that of a D note.

If all the strings of the guitar are tuned to play a chord without fretting then the guitar is called an open tuned guitar. Then the user gets a chance to bar every fret of the guitar and makes a chord. Open G (D-G-D-G-B-D) tuning: Here if the player strums all strings open then it would give the sound of the G chord. If the player bar the second fret then it would give the A chord

Friday, February 29, 2008

You Can Learn To Play Guitar

Each of us has some natural ability in some area, although we may not know it, or just haven’t discovered it yet. Learning to play the guitar maybe your hidden talent, or perhaps it is one your of life’s ambitions.

To use an old cliché, practise makes perfect, this certainly applies when trying to improve your playing abilities, although probably no one will consider themselves perfect. Practising on a regular basis i.e. every day would increase the rate of progress, even 10 minutes a day would be better than nothing. Regular practise enables you to stay focused, also achieve small goals that you can set yourself.
At the beginning of learning to play the guitar, it is important to practise correctly, and not get into bad habits.

An extremely important point is to find a good study course that is right for you and will help you to achieve your goals. With the correct tuition and desire to become a better guitarist, it will lead to becoming a better musician.

Once the basics have been mastered advancement to the form of music desired, be it blues, rock, folk or pop is achievable. Listening to music, particularly music you like will help to inspire you and give you encouragement to practise and improve your guitar playing abilities.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Tips for Guitar

Let s face it, not everyone has the time to take guitar lessons at a guitar school or from a guitar teacher. Plus, taking guitars lessons is not cheap. It can cost several thousands dollars to learn how to play a guitar. By buying an online guitar course, it is more affordable. Problem is which online guitar lessons should you learn or buy from? There are literally dozens of such courses online and it can be confusing to the beginner which is the best?

Here are some tips to help you choose which guitar lesson online is suitable for you.

1. Method Of Instruction
Most online guitar courses are offered as a book or manual with some music sheets and so well. More recently, online guitar lessons are conducted using video, audios and online animations. Personally, I prefer videos as it is a lot easier to watch and learn someone play a guitar than through a book. Some even offer email consultation and accompanying software to enable you to learn better.

2. Peer Reviews
Before buying any online guitar course, I always try to get reviews from other people who have used it. One way is to visit guitar forums. You can post a question on who has brought the guitar course you are thinking of buying and their opinions or search the threads. Maybe someone else already has brought it and you can get an idea whether the course is suitable for you.

3. Guarantee
Does the online guitar course offer a guarantee? You would not want to waste your money on some guitar course that does not work for you and have no way to refund. Most reputable online guitar courses will offer a 30 day or 60 day money back guarantee. Taking guitar lesson online is affordable and easy and you can do it at your own pace. I highly recommend anyone who wants to learn how to play a guitar and does not have a lot of time to try guitar lesson online.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Intro of Indian Classical Music

The system of Indian classical music known as Raga Sangeet can be traced back nearly two thousand years to its origin in the Vedic hymns of the Hindu temples. Unlike Western classical music which has written scores, an Indian classical performance is based on improvisation, and anywhere from 10% to 90% of the performance could be extempore, depending on the creative imagination of the artist. The music is rendered orally to the disciple by his guru, popularly known as guru-shishya (teacher-student) parampara (tradition).

The very heart of Indian music is the raga, the melodic form upon which the artist improvises his performance. A raga is a scientific, precise, subtle and aesthetic melodic form with its own ascending and descending movement consisting of either a full seven-note octave or a series of six or five notes.

Every raga is characterized by its own particular mood. The acknowledged order of these nine sentiments, or emotions, is as follows: romantic and erotic, humorous, pathetic, anger, heroic, fearful, disgust, amazement and peaceful. Each raga, in addition to being associated with a particular mood, is also closely connected to a particular time of day or a season of the year. Thus through the rich melodies and rhythm of Indian music, every human emotion, every subtle feeling in man and nature, can be musically expressed and experienced.

In terms of aesthetics, a raga is the projection of the artist's inner spirit: a manifestation of his most profound feelings and sensibilities. The musician breathes life into each raga as he unfolds and expands it so that each note shimmers and pulsates with life and the raga is revealed vibrant and incandescent with beauty.

The tala, or rhythmic cycle of a raga, plays an equally important role in expressing the mood. There is a unique relationship between melody and rhythm. The intricacies depict the complexities and sophistication with which they are woven together. The division in a taal and the stress on the first beat, called sum, are the most important feature. The most exciting moment for a seasoned listener is when both the musicians, after their individual improvisations, come back together on the sum.

Today, Indian classical music is a permanent part of Western culture. Many composers and musicians have been influenced by our music. The openness, will to learn, and sincere enthusiasm of Western audiences are a continuing source of inspiration and delight. Indian music is one of the highest forms of music existing and nourished through its rich cultural heritage.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Consumption of Music

Music is being consumed in more ways than one and at a higher rate then every before. The MTV generation is use to not only hearing their music but seeing it as well. If they see a song that they like they can then buy that songs in multiple media forms from vinyl and CD to digital with DRM (digital rights management) and Mp3 without DRM. If they like the video and the song then they can go to Youtube and view it there until their hearts content. But the digitalization of music has done more. Not only is it easier to view videos but it easier to find and discover new music, acts and bands as well.

MySpace has built a multi-billion dollar network on the backs of up-and-coming acts and unsigned bands and their friends. Myspace and sites like this have exposed many people to new and unheard music and continue to do so at an astonishing rate each day. As a band or act it is now seen as a smart business move and cool to be associated with a brand or land a sync-license in a TV show or commercial. This twenty years before was a direct threat to your artistic vision and classified as “selling out”. But now these things are all used to innovatively expose music to the masses and making it easier to discover it.

Technology has created mega-channels of distribution. Peer-to-peer networks have opened the floodgates to obtaining free music. Furthermore, because digitized music takes of bytes instead of floor space you are now given a wider range of music to choose from at digital retailers. And of course copying CDs have never been easier and soon the CD will be wiped from that equation level just the transfer of bytes in order to obtain your music.

What this means is that music consumption is increasing. Production cost is lowering. Distribution is widening and more acts and bands are being heard. There is a need out there for making the discovery and sharing of music simpler and easier. Music is an identifier for many people and these people are getting larger and larger iPods that just simply need to be filled.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

buy the right guitar

The first thing you should decide on is what guitar you want to learn to play on is ultimately the kind of guitar you will want to buy.

There are two major types of guitars, they are the electric guitar and the acoustic guitar. There are pro's and cons to both types of guitars.

An acoustic guitar ( or box guitar) is harder to learn on, but the only extra thing you need to get in order to play is a pick.

An electric guitar (or rock-n-roll guitar) is much easier to learn on and you will see significant improvement in a very short amount of time. But there are a few extra things that you on order to play, and that will more than likely be more expensive than an acoustic guitar. The first thing you need is an amp (or amplifier), if you play an electric guitar without an amp, you won't be able to hear the guitar very well.

Then you will need a guitar cable. A guitar cable is a wire that runs from the guitar to your amp. Lastly, you will need a guitar pick.

How do I find the right guitar for me? First, I would ask around school or work and find someone who can play guitar well and be-friend him then ask him if he would go with you to music stores and pawn shops to find the best guitar for you.

while hanging out with your new friend, ask him if the two of you could hang out together and jam. Maybe give you some pointers and show you some tricks, too. If the two of you are hitting it off pretty well, you've already got one thing in common, I don't see any reason for him to say no. Chances are, he was looking for someone who shares the same interests and enthusiasm that he does, all along.