Taylor Made Guitar Review

November 4th, 2008 by Mike

This is the review

  • : ★★★★★
  • : ★★☆☆☆

Printable Guitar Tabs

July 30th, 2008 by Mike

In our last article we talked about guitar tabs.

To recap: A guitar is an alternative way of reading music. Instead of reading notes on staff paper which can be quite tricky, guitar tabs are made up of a number system that is almost fool proof.

The following 6 lines do not represent your typical ‘music staff’ which actually has 5 lines. These 6 lines represent the 6 strings on your guitar. The Top Line represents the thinnest or ‘highest pitched’ string on your guitar. The string that is closest to the floor. The bottom Line represents the LOWEST SOUNDING String on the guitar and this one is the thickest. It also is the closest to the ceiling.

Here is an example of what a guitar tab might look like.

tabs1

Once you get used of using guitar tabs, you will not want to learn using any other methods. In the upcoming post, I will be showing you where you can get some of the best Free Guitar Tabs on the Internet.

In the meantime, feel free to visit guitar-players-toolbox.com and download there free Printable Guitar Tabs for your use.

Easy Fun Guitar Tabs

July 28th, 2008 by Mike

Using Fun Easy Guitar Tabs to Learn to Play the Guitar

tabsCan using fun easy guitar tabs help you learn to play the guitar? Well if you ask me, using easy guitar tabs is the only way to play the guitar.

A guitar tablature,or tab as it is often called, is very similar to sheet music. With tabs you don’t have to know your notes or values like you would with sheet music. The guitar tab has six lines representing the six strings of the guitar.

An fun easy guitar tab is like a diagram showing the guitar strings with the frets where the guitarist can play the notes indicated by the numbers. You can pick up a guitar tab and start to play the song in no time.

Although guitar tabs are easy to use, they do have some drawbracks. The guitar tab is only written for one instrument. If you want to use it for anything else, you would not be able to. Another limitation of the guitar tab is that you wont be able to learn the rhythm from the tab. If you can deal with these limitation, than using easy guitar tabs can get you playing songs faster than any other method.

Learning how to read easy guitar tabs is one of the most crucial skills a beginner can learn. Once you’ve acquired this valuable skill, you’ll be able to start learning some of your favorite songs, and your practice time will become a whole lot more fun. Learning how to read guitar tabs will certainly cut many hours of practice off your training as compared to traditional training.

Now there’s nothing stopping you from becoming the next guitar hero, just grab a fun easy guitar tab and you will soon be able to rock with the best of them.

Tips on Playing the Bass Guitar

July 26th, 2008 by Mike

Playing the bass guitar is plain and simple, just play the music from your heart, feel the piece and let the listeners enjoy the melody. Here are a few basic tips that could help you get started on the right foot.

Make a decision about the bass sound to be played. Will it be like a real smooth bass player or just a machine going wild over the sound? It will depend on the rhythm you want to use.

Have fun with your playing and feel free to experiment to see what works for you. Consider moving the track forwards or backwards to see which sounds better. A 2 or 3 millisecond in increments can be used in audio. When the bass is ahead, the drums can sound far behind but if the bass is left behind, the drums may sound “burning”.

Shorter notes can sound better than the longer ones if a bass part of the audio is “pitched”. Edit some notes taken from other parts of the song to fit them into a totally different phrase. The melody is still familiar but with a different cut because it was inserted on a different line.

Leave some space in the bass part of the song. Notice that famous bass players put emphasis on holes when they try to emphasize a feeling of pressure into the sound. It leaves the listener’s ear hanging in anticipation and then satisfying them just a few beats later.

Avoid making bass melodies that can cause difficulties when playing and playing will not be as enjoyable. Some parts of the bass can be very attention grabbing especially if the rhythm is extremely fast. The trick is keeping the frets static until the melody changes. Like playing drums, bass can be recurring as well, so manage to break lines and chords for some variety. It is not bad to go back to the first simple bass chords just to avoid having a “wreck” with the sound at the end.

The inspiration for playing to suit the bass chords depends on the way the song is played. Sounds with more bass melodies are best heard when the notes are kept higher. Never hesitate to edit notes so that they are comfortable to play. The best advice is to listen to the edited bass chords and be decisive on the good and/or the bad timing. Remember that too much of a good thing can turn out badly, the same with playing bass, when exaggerated, it could ruin the whole piece. A little highlighting on the initial beat of a song’s phrase can do the trick. Enjoy playing your bass guitar!

Learning to Play the Guitar Fast & Easy

July 24th, 2008 by Mike

So you want to learn to play the guitar? Learning to play the guitar is similar to learning how to do anything else, first you must be dedicated. Too often a beginner will be very enthusiastic early on in his lessons and then realizing that the guitar can be harder to learn to play then he thought, and then his enthusiasm tends to go south.

Keep in mind the reasons why you want to learn to play the guitar in the first place. This will help you keep your interest up and help you to be more dedicated to your practice time.

You must have dedicated practice time to spend for your guitar lessons and realize that by practicing and learning the basic techniques slowly so he will know the process needed to play it and be good at it.

Here are some tips for beginners to help learn the guitar in the fastest time possible:

1. You should find a good instructor that will help you learn the basic ways of playing. Having the right guitar teacher can drastically cut the time it will take you to learn to play your electric guitar or whatever guitar you choose.

2. You must first focus on the basics. It is a huge temptation to want to be able to play songs to impress your family and friends, but by learning the basics first, you will have the necessary foundation that will help you take your skills further than just learning a song or two.

3. You need to learn how to hold the guitar properly and correctly. A person is recognized as a guitar player based on how he holds the guitar. Remember that when sitting the position must always be comfortable with your position and to sit leaning forward.

4. If you are sitting on a chair, rest the body of the guitar on one of your legs where it is comfortable and easier to play. If you are right-handed, it means that your right leg will be the one supporting the guitar, while left-handed persons will rest the body on their left legs.

5. Focus on your fretting hand so you must place your hand where you have the nearest reach to the neck of the guitar especially when you are sitting. Remember to place the thumb of the fretting hand at the back of the neck of the guitar. The fingers should be in a curled position where they are placed above the strings of the guitar.

6. It is important to do different kinds of picking exercises to improve your picking ability. Do not worry about how fast you play as a beginner, what is important is to play smoothly and slowly and execute the correct notes with clarity and precision.

Learning to play the guitar can be great fun, but it also requires dedication and consistent practice. Scheduling practice times will help you learn faster and help you to maintain the focus that you need to obtain your dreams. Make sure you put these guitar tips into play and you will soon achieve your goals.

My Favorite Guitar Idols

July 22nd, 2008 by Mike

Here is my list of guitar players, or music lovers who has served as my inspirations with the music they have made and inspired my to want to be the next guitar here.

Most of these legendary performers you will recognize, some you may not. If you have any favorites not listed, please add a comment mentioning them.

George Harrison

George Harrison was a member of the Beatles. Many people still idolize him for his guitar playing skills even after he left the band to pursue a solo career. He was known as one who played guitar with emotions and feelings and is considered by many to be been the greatest guitarist in the history of rock and roll.

John McLaughlin

John McLaughlin is known for his rock and jazz music. He had many different roles in the music field but it was in guitar playing that he excelled and became famous. He started playing the guitar at the age of 11 and it was through guitar that he made a breakthrough in the music industry.

Robin Trower

Robin Trower is a British guitarist who became the idol of the 1970’s guitar music. He was known for his unique tone and feel with a touch of the blues. He was a member of the famous Procol Harum and was a guitar soloist in the band. One of his famous albums is the Bridge of Sighs, which is considered the best among his many albums.

Randy Bachman

Randy Bachman was a member of two famous Canadian bands, BTO and the Guess Who. He may not seem well known to many guitar players but he has made remarkable contributions in the field of music and guitar playing. He has a talent for writing as well as playing guitar which contributed in his success with these two bands.

Carlos Santana

Carlos Santana became famous not only for his voice but also for playing lead guitar. His music is a blend of Latin, African, blues and rock rhythms as well as percussion. His albums were top quality and he won many awards in the music field. His Best of Santana album is one album to check out if you would like to listen to is top selling music.

There are still many other guitar players who can serve as deserving idols or role models when it comes to playing the guitar - they may be popular and some may be unknown until now. What is important is that they make contributions and influence people to enjoy and love music through the guitar. They serve as inspiration and role models to beginners as well as aspiring professional guitar players.

History Of The Washburn Guitar

July 20th, 2008 by Mike

The Washburn guitar Company has been producing guitars for over 120 years. Washburn first starting making guitars in 1883 in Chicago Illinois, just a few blocks away from Maxwell Street.

Washburn Guitar

Maxwell Street would end up being the center of the Delta Blues movement in the 1920’s.

African Americans that moved to this location from the Mississippi Delta started the Delta Blues scene. The raw and emotional music that was created in this area ended up changing the way Blues and Rock and Roll would be played forever. Also, the atmosphere in this area would have been amazing to be a part of because music was performed everywhere you would look.

Besides the common locations where you would often see musicians such as bars, the Delta Blues scene had performers playing on the side walks and alleyways as well. It was an everyday occurrence to often see people meeting up on the streets and jam with each other.

When word got out about this amazing music, people that were coming to check out the scene started to notice that most of the guitarists were playing Washburn’s. This then led to the increase in popularity of Washburn guitars as well.

Throughout the 100+ years of rich Washburn history, the company has made more than just acoustic and electric guitars. Washburn also makes acoustic and electric bass guitars, amps, banjos, mandolins and even travel guitars.

The Washburn Company is also credited with being the first guitar manufacturer to use artists to endorse their guitars. In the past couple of decades in particular, Washburn has had some of the greatest guitar players in music associated with them.

Some of the big names to promote and have signature models made for them are Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson and Jeff Beck), Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme), Dimebag Darell (Pantera and

Damageplan) and Paul Stanley (Kiss).

The Washburn Company has also introduced some of the most innovative ideas to change the way guitars were to be made.

Washburn came out with the Voice Contour Control (VCC), which is a special coil structure that allows for a smooth blend between a humbucker sound and the single coil sound without the normal hum that you usually get from the single coil. Just turning a knob on the guitar creates this blend.

They also came out with the Buzz Feiten Tuning System, which is a tempered tuning formula that uses a compensated nut and saddle to correct the inherent intonation problems of the Western tuning formula.

The Washburn guitar is still very popular with the great guitar players of today. Some of the talented musicians that use their guitars are Dan Donegan (Disturbed), Dave Bakash (Sum 41), David Brenner, Dean Back and Tyler Connolly (Theory Of a Deadman), Doug Ardito, Paul Phillips and Wes Scantlin (Puddle of Mudd), Greg Tribbett (Mudvayne and Hellyeah), Hugh McDonald (Bon Jovi), JF (Kataklysm), Josey Scott and Wayne Swinny (Saliva), Sammy Hagar, Nick Catanese (Black Label Society), Peter Steele (Type O Negative), Rick Savage (Def Leppard), Roger Waters, and Scott Ian (Anthrax).

About the author:

“Teach Yourself Guitar The EASY Way” - grab your FREE report that Reveals “How to Avoid the Top 7 Mistakes That Most Beginners Make When Buying a Guitar Learning Product” http://teach-yourself-guitar.com/freereport

A Brief History Of The Modern Guitar

July 18th, 2008 by Mike

The modern electric guitar is a distant product compared to its humbler origins, and prior to such modern developments and trends, and the increased use of synthetic materials, a guitar was simply defined as any instrument which had a long neck which was fretted, at the base of which was a soundboard with curved sides, and importantly, had a flat back. This was in contrast to the lute and other similar stringed instruments of early musical development.

Jamorama

Although it may seem that guitars are fairly new, similar instruments which fit the definition have been around, and been very popular, for at least five thousand years. The classical guitar we know today, with its six strings, was developed in Spain originally, although it has a long and diverse history itself, and like many instruments, has a mixed heritage, borrowing as it does from various similar musical trends in instrumentation.

Much of the origin of the Spanish six stringed guitar can be traced back to the Middle East, and in particular central Asia and India, where the sitar and other similar stringed instruments were very popular. In addition to the sitar, which is still popular today and has a very distinctive sound which almost immediately conjured up images of India, the guitar has a heritage which can be traced back to such instruments as the tanbur and the setar which both originate from Iran.

However, these historical origins can be predated still further, and we can take the history of the development of the guitar back to a record which is well over three thousand years old.

There is a carving of a Hittite bard holding a stringed instrument which cannot be mistaken for anything other than an early form of a guitar like instrument, which shows that the instrument had already gained a popular role within society. The word sitar and guitar seem very similar, and this is because they both share the same ancestry.

The word guitar comes from the Latin word cithara meaning stringed instrument, and this word in turn comes from Greek heritage. The Greek word, kithara is thought to come from the Persian word sitar, which is where the words guitar and sitar share a lexical ancestor.

The word cithara, the Latin word from which guitar is derived, refers to an ancestor of the modern six string guitar, and was a popular instrument in Roman times, although rather than strummed, it appears to have been plucked, generating a fairly distinctive sound, and one fairly dissimilar to the traditional sound we associate today. In fact, the sound was more likely to be more similar to the Indian or Persian sitar sound quality than the European sound we hear today. The Romans brought their cithara with them to Spain, or Hispania as it was called, sometime in the first century AD, and was later adapted to incorporate some of the style and developments of another stringed instrument, the oud, which was brought by the Moors over six hundred years later. It was at this same time that the lute, popular in Scandinavian countries, was becoming very popular.

The lute has more in common with the six stringed guitar, as it too had the same six strings, although the back of the lute was curved, generating a different acoustic sound. The very well known Viking hero, Gunther, is depicted with a lute, as the Vikings took to the Scandinavian instrument very well, and it has been depicted in many carvings of that era. The oud and the cathira both developed into two guitar like instruments, but with different sounds, resulting in the Moorish guitar which was popular in around the 13th century, and the Latin guitar, which is the one which most closely resembles the guitar we think of today.

About the author:
Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, keyboards, sheet music, guitar tab, and home theater audio. You can find the best marketplace at these sites for guitars, drums, keyboards, sheet music, guitar tab, and home theater audio.

The Importance Of The Nut And The Fret Board

July 16th, 2008 by Mike

A guitar can be considered a work of art, with every single aspect of its design being carefully crafted and designed to aid the overall performance and tone of the music. Guitars have a long and established history, and through the hundreds of years, possibly thousands of years, that they have been developed from earlier instruments and models, the modern guitar now has every single aspect of its design honed to help the expression and tone of the music be as perfectly optimized as possible.

Today, this is helped by an increased understanding of, availability of and availability of materials which help to improve the overall quality of sound, and modern materials or manufacturing techniques help to create an accuracy and quality of sound which can be considered unrivaled. Two of the significant aspects of the design of the guitar which can be overlooked as far as their importance is concerned are the nut and the fret board.

The nut in particular may well be ignored altogether by the beginner, and many people unfamiliar with guitars would not know where to look to find the nut of a guitar. The nut is positioned at the joint section where the headstock of the guitar of the part at the top where all the strings end and can be tuned, and the fret board, which is the long neck of the guitar that the strings run down towards the body.

The purpose of the nut is to guide the strings individually from the headstock onto the fret board, making sure that they are placed consistently far apart, and held firmly in place.

Effectively a nut is a small, hard strip with a number of fine grooves cut into it into which each of the guitar strings is placed, and these strings are then held firmly in place by the nut so that they run smoothly from the headstock all the way down the fret board to the body of the guitar. Any movement or sloppiness of the nut would result in the strings either not being the correct distance apart, or moving around. Even a very slight movement or slackness in the string affects the pitch and quality of sound enormously, and a loose or flexible string will generate a dull, poorly resonating sound which affects the overall tone and colour of the music terribly.

Because of the importance of this nut therefore, a lot of investigation into suitable materials and manufacturing techniques has taken place, and today it is possible to find them created using a very wide range of materials. Guitars with nuts made from bone are possible, as well as plastic, although these tend to be the cheaper models. Brass nuts are very popular because of the fact that the brass can be very rigid, and helps to hold the strings extremely firmly without any cutting or wearing away of the material. Cheaper and very effective materials that are used widely today are graphite and stainless steel, with both materials having the twin advantages of being very cost effective, and very cheap, both as a substance and to manufacture.

The other aspect of a guitar which can easily be overlooked as far as its importance is concerned is the fret board itself, which is also called the fingerboard. On acoustic guitars and classic guitars the fret board or fingerboard is flat, but on electric guitars it is more usual to find it slightly curved. By pinching a string of the guitar with a finger against the fret board, effectively the length of the string, or at least the part of the string which is allowed to vibrate, is shortened, and this in turn affects the frequency of the vibration. It is the frequency of vibration which creates the individual note, and so it is important that the fret board is comfortable hold, is clearly marked for accuracy, and is made of a material which does not allow too much slippage of the string when pressed, so that a firm grip or pinch is produced, ensuring the string does not buzz, and the note is accurate.

About the author:
Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, electric guitars, classic guitars. You can find the best marketplace at these sites for guitars, drums, keyboards, and home theater audio.

Easy Way To Learn Guitar

July 15th, 2008 by Mike

Jamorama

Like so many youngsters and teens of today, I had a burning desire to play the guitar. I was really fascinated with the instrument. I knew from day one. My passion was guitar and music. I just had to express myself musically. However, I discovered early that there was no easy way to learn guitar. I was not unduly worried, for me it was a labor of love. I learned to pick up playing guitar very quickly.

Funnily enough, there was only a single string on that beat-up old guitar. Undaunted, I would sound out simple tunes on it.

Ones I had learned at school. I would copy songs I heard either on Television or Radio. In my day (I guess I am showing my age) there were no such things as Videos, CD’s, DVD’s, Mp3’s, I pods.

Psp and Zune’s. Very few people even had record players or records back in the day.

Can you believe I used to pick the tune to “Bonanza” that old TV Western? On a one-stringed-guitar? It was very difficult. We had to learn to “play by ear.” After you heard a tune on Radio. You then tried to remember the melody line and lyrics. You then would have to search the entire guitar fret board until you found the correct notes. This became even more difficult when I had all six strings. Especially when trying to find whole Chords and Chord progressions.

It was a tedious and frustrating experience, but I did it anyway. I was fortunate I had a good ear for music and singing.

I loved music passionately.

There were a few other “handicaps to contend with.” You learned to be really quick on the uptake. When a song was played on the radio; you needed to be able to memorize most of an entire song.

If you were unable to catch the tune the first time around, you had a long wait before the radio station played your second lesson. It was a skill I developed because there was no other choice. If there was an easy way to learn guitar I certainly never knew about it.

We did have a new record player. My oldest sister liked to listen to her corny love songs and she loved country music. I played her Marty Robbins records when she was safely out of the house ha! I was also fortunate that I had a lot of talented people in my family. Many played and sang in bands. I had many relatives who played in top Bands. I got spoiled for choice. My aunt and Uncles were well aware of my huge pre-occupation with Guitar. They took me along to many gigs they did. I was very young at the time.

As long as I stayed quiet and did not show myself. I was allowed to sit in the wings onstage; behind the curtains. I watched the entire performance up close and personal. My uncle, who was lead guitarist, would be part way through playing a song. Without missing a note or a beat, he would walk over to me and ask if I was ok.

I was in guitar Heaven. I would watch him glide back across the stage still playing his guitar. He would sidle up to his Microphone and join in singing with the other members of the Band. This was as good as it gets in my book. I found there was an <a href=”http://www.squidoo.com/MarketAffiliate“> Easy Way To Learn Guitar. </a> I lived it, breathed it and watched my uncles, aunts; cousins and friends play live onstage. It was the most inspirational learning environment ever, for a budding lead guitarist.

Fast forward to the sixties; I had a brand new electric guitar and I was now playing quite a few Jimi Hendrix tunes, I also had a large record album collection to die for. I played successfully as a lead guitarist and vocalist in many Bands over the years, I lived my dreams. In the seventies I played Hendrix, Deep Purple, Steppenwolf, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Clapton, Santana, Felix Papalardi, Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher, Roy Buchanan, early Fleetwood Mac, BB King, Ben E. King, and every good Blues Guitar Player I could find.

I learned how to read Music and Tablature along the way. I did some Teaching qualifications as well. I became a Tutor. I taught Performing Arts and Guitar Lessons for a number of years. I also taught Audio - Technology. I became immersed in music and technology advances. Musically, it has been a long journey for me. I still play guitar and Gig.

I am familiar with most of the advances made in music. I am up to speed with the latest band equipment. I use most new Technologies in Audio and Video. I am up to speed with Digital and computerized guitar sound effects. I am into recording software and use music interfaces and programs to record music and guitar tracks on my PC.

Unlike my learning curve, youth of today are spoilt for choice in Music technology advances. You do have an easy way to learn guitar. You are blessed with every technology imaginable at your disposal. All you need do is to take action. You have DVD’s and Video Tutorials as learning aids. You have your own private Guitar Tutor’s online and in your home.

You now have electronic tuning devices that ensure you never experience problems tuning your guitar. You are guaranteed perfect concert pitch every single time. You have exciting online games to teach boring Music Theory. You now have Digitech learn-a-lick. (or similar) This is a program that can capture a section of lead guitar phrasing or some licks. It can slow the music phrase down to any slow speed you desire. You are able to learn the most difficult and complex lead phrasing, one note at a time.

This program also stays in the same key. An Audio tape changes key as the music is slowed down. The slower audio tapes are played; sound begins to slur and distort. Learn a lick can be slowed down to any slow speed without changes in key or quality.

There are other softwares available that teach an easy way to learn guitar. This program teaches every single note on the guitar Fret board in only 15 minutes. It is quick, easy and lots of fun.

Last and certainly not least, I have scoured the Internet. I have reviewed nearly every online Guitar Course, to find a Musician and Teacher not unlike myself. Who can give you a leading edge program in Acoustic and Electric guitar lessons? A good Teacher well versed in easy Tablature, who can show you a fast, fun filled, modern, new, easy way to learn guitar.

About the author:

Resource Box: Philip Randall is a Researcher Go Here To Learn More about <a href=”http://www.squidoo.com/MarketAffiliate“>an

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