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| Learn to Play Guitar Articles |
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Parts of the Guitar Headstock - The head stock is the part of a guitar at the end of the neck opposite to the body. The headstock is generally used for supporting the tuning pegs used to wind the strings. There are many shapes that headstocks can come in depending on the type of guitar. Machine Heads - The machine heads or tuning pegs are found at the headstock. The machine heads tighten or loosen strings so they string can be tuned. A basic gear mechanism is used to winds the strings. Frets - The bars or ridges (usually made of metal) that sit on the fingerboard or neck of a guitar; when the string is depressed by your fingers at the metal bar it will make a note of the desired pitch. Frets are arranged on guitars to produce specific musical pitches. On the typical guitar or bass each fret represents one semitone or half step. Bridge - The bridge is found down on the body. The function of the bridge, in addition to simply holding the strings in place, is to transmit their vibrations to the top of the guitar, to the instrument's soundboard or pickups. There are many different types of bridge and they can be made from a variety of materials depending upon the type of guitar. For example electric guitars usually have metal bridges and acoustic guitars usually have wooden ones. History of the Guitar The first incarnation of the guitar is believed to have come from Babylon (modern day Iraq). Clay plaques dating from more than 2000 years before Christ have been found that depict naked figures strumming guitar looking instruments. The story of the guitar is then silent for nearly 2000 years until evidence of a Roman instrument was unearthed in a tomb. It was made completely from wood and has the same basic shape that classical guitars still have today. In the Medieval period the guitar developed with a round bodied sound hole and a fat neck. It is not known whether this instrument is of French or German origin. Side by side with this creation was a straight sided instrument that was found in the tombs of ancient English churches. It is believed that the basic aspects of design were brought to Europe from the East by Moors who invaded Spain in 711. It is unsurprising then that Spain was the place that the guitar began its most critical stage of development. The ‘Vihuela’ developed 12 steel frets and people began writing tablature for people to play. Also an instrument related to the guitar the ‘Lute’ was associated with the oppressive regime of the Moors. So playing the guitar and the music related to the guitar become part of the culture of resistance. This in a sense would be a precursor to what guitar music would come to represent in the 20th century. In the 17th and 18th century the guitar moved in full force into Europe. It is known that king Louis the XIV played and loved the guitar. He along with many members of the European nobility popularized the guitar and internationalized guitar playing and guitar music. The 19th century saw a universal guitar adopted with the same basic tuning system we see today. Also in that century the guitar moved out from Europe to America and the rest of the world. The 20th century saw the biggest explosion of acceptance and use in the history of the guitar. Mass media made musical expression something anyone could watch and enjoy. Also large dance halls and popular musicians created a need for louder guitars. So the electric guitar began its evolution from the resonators of 1927 to the magnetic pickups that adorn nearly all electric guitars today. The guitar rode a wave of popularity and became to most recognizable and commonly used instrument in music. Also the guitar is an excellent instrument for writing songs and expressing oneself. The instrument has many faces in modern music. From singer song writers with an acoustic guitar to wild metal guitarists, blasting out on their electric guitars. Guitars and the people who have played them have spanned thousands of years and many different cultures. It is an excellent rewarding instrument to play and learn with many subtle styles and characteristics. Guitar Tuning The most common way of tuning a guitar, is to itself. To do this you tune all your strings from the bottom (thickest) string up to the top string (thinnest). To do this you press down on the fifth fret and try and tune the A string (second thickest) so that is sound perfectly in tune with the bottom string with the fifth fret pushed down. Repeat this process to all the strings except for the B string (second thinnest) which you press down on the forth fret on the G string (third thinnest) to tune. The electronic tuner is probably the easiest and most effective way of tuning your guitar to correct pitch. With an electronic tuner you can get a very accurate tuning because it actually measures the sound wave frequency of your strings. Take your tuner and pluck each string individually until each string is perfectly in tune. Remember a guitar is tuned from top to bottom eBGDAE. You can try tuning your guitar to another guitar. For this method take the guitar that is in tune and try and tune each string on you guitar so that you can hear that each string vibrates in tune with the other. Regardless of whether you set out to learn a few simple chords, or if you just want to be the next biggest thing to grace the music world. When you pick up an instrument you are going to have to practice if you are to have any hope of getting better. Try all these methods to tune your guitar to see which one works best for you. Tuning a 12 String Even though it may look like a big challenge, ‘standard’ tuning a 12-string guitar is actually quite easy. For the bottom four strings (four thickest) you will tune each pair of strings to the same note but the thinner one will be tuned an octave higher. An octave is two notes that are the same but at a different pitch. The top two strings (two thinnest) have both strings tuned to the same not at the same pitch so they sound exactly the same. Sounds simple? In theory it is, however when strings are tuned in octaves it is easy to hear slight mistunings. For this reason it is important to tune your strings perfectly when you are tuning a 12-string. Also sometimes you may have a problem keeping some of the strings in tune as the some of the smaller strings are tuned quite tightly. For this reason I think it can be a good idea to get the best quality strings you can when stringing up a 12-string. Ask your local dealer about strings, hopefully they can help you out. Hints for Buying a New Guitar You really need to arm yourself well before you try haggling with your local guitar salesman. Often you can find online auctions where guitars sell for incredibly low prices; however, I wouldn’t advise you to take this option. As a rule you should always play before you buy so that you get a chance to gauge performance. Once you’ve got the background knowledge that you need on the guitar of your choice the next task is to set yourself a budget and stick to it. Don’t let salespeople talk you into spending more money than you anticipated. Testing out new guitars in the shop can be an intimidating task for beginners. It is important to remember that you are not there to showcase your playing ability – you are there to discern whether your proposed buy is a good deal or not. Check the frets for buzzing by playing each one. Make sure that the neck is not warped by looking down it as if you were sighting a gun. Check that all of the volume and tone switches etc. are in good working condition. It is a great idea to take an experienced guitarist along with you when you are looking at a possible purchase, so see if you can persuade a teacher of friend. Not only will they be able to offer helpful advice – they will be good moral support when it’s time to pick up the guitar and test it out in public. Hints for Buying a New Guitar You really need to arm yourself well before you try haggling with your local guitar salesman. Often you can find online auctions where guitars sell for incredibly low prices; however, I wouldn’t advise you to take this option. As a rule you should always play before you buy so that you get a chance to gauge performance. Once you’ve got the background knowledge that you need on the guitar of your choice the next task is to set yourself a budget and stick to it. Don’t let salespeople talk you into spending more money than you anticipated. Testing out new guitars in the shop can be an intimidating task for beginners. It is important to remember that you are not there to showcase your playing ability – you are there to discern whether your proposed buy is a good deal or not. Check the frets for buzzing by playing each one. Make sure that the neck is not warped by looking down it as if you were sighting a gun. Check that all of the volume and tone switches etc. are in good working condition. It is a great idea to take an experienced guitarist along with you when you are looking at a possible purchase, so see if you can persuade a teacher of friend. Not only will they be able to offer helpful advice – they will be good moral support when it’s time to pick up the guitar and test it out in public. Buying an Electric Guitar Amp Remember a bad amp can make a good guitar sound bad and a good amp can make a bad guitar sound good. For this reason it is important not to neglect you amp when you are shopping around. For this reason I decided to write you a basic introduction to amps so you could at least know the basics before you started shopping around. There are basically four different types of guitar amplifiers: tube, analog (solid state), digital and hybrids. This article will give brief description of the different types of amps out there. Tube Amplifiers The first amps ever made were tube amps and many players still prefer them over analogue or digital amps. The reason for this is that tube amps have a fat warm tone that many guitarists find natural. Also tube amps are generally loader than analogue or digital amps with the same wattage. There aren’t many among us who don’t like having more power on stage. Most tube amps have separate channels for distortion and clean sounds. The distortion in tube amps is generally made by overdriving the preamp. There are two major draw backs with tube amps: one is that tubes are made of glass and can be broken easily if you don’t treat your amp properly, also tubes wear out and need to be replaced. Solid State (analogue) amplifiers The reason that these types of amps are called ‘solid state’ is because they use transistors in their pre and power amps instead of tubes. The main problem with solid state is that they can often sound brittle and harsh. This is particularly the case with their distortion channels. The quality of the distortion on solid state amps can vary wildly and it is something you should defiantly check when you are looking at a solid state amp. Solid state amps are very reliable, inexpensive and they don’t have any pesky tubes to replace and for these reasons they remain popular with some guitarists. Digital (Modeling) amplifiers Modeling amps use digital processors so that the amp can mimic many other amp sounds. They can copy sounds from old or new style tube amps using onboard software. These types of amps are quite popular at this time and will only become more popular as they improve in quality and become cheaper. Some of these amps are better in quality than others, for those at the top of the range most guitarists will not be able to hear the difference between them and the real thing. Hybrid amplifiers Some guitar manufactures have come out with amps that combine a tube preamp and a solid state power amp. The most well known of these is the Marshall Valvestate series of amps. These amps are a cheap way of getting a tube sound if you are on a budget. Buying an Amp The best way to buy an amp is to shop around. Take your electric guitar (if you have one) into a few stores and try out a few different amps. Try amps from different price ranges to see if you can hear any difference. Also I recommend you take a more experienced guitarist with you. Listen to their advice and try out as many amps as you can. Try playing the amp at different volumes to see if responds well. Check all the different channels to make sure it sounds cool clean and distorted. Take your time buying an amp. If you choose wisely and you can get a piece of equipment that will make you sound better and should last you a long time. Discipline in Practicing Sometimes it was easy to make time to practice because I was in a good mood and I really wanted to play. At those times I could spend hours just listening to how cool it sounded when I changed from the chord D to the chord G. But on other days it was my discipline and desire to play and improve that made me practice and develop as a player. There are two main factors when it comes to discipline in practice: practicing regularly and practicing well. Both of these are important to address. Practicing regularly is the most obvious and easy to do. Basically you should play the guitar every day. These don’t need to be mammoth, three hour long sessions. 30 minutes will generally be fine if you are focused during that time. Doing regular, small amounts of practice is far better than going all out for hours once a week. I know that in a busy life it can be hard to make the time to practice but honestly 30 minutes a day is achievable for anyone. There is no set time that is best to practice but I prefer to do it in the evening simply because I find playing the guitar is a relaxing way to wind down after a stressful day. Practicing badly is a more common and difficult to address problem. This is something that affects even the most experienced player. This problem has several causes and solutions. Playing the same thing over and over every time you play. I am a firm believer that you should play something perfectly before you move on. BUT, once you know how to play something you need to move on and keep challenging yourself. Seven Steps for Positive Work Habits for Practice Don’t procrastinate. There are always a set number of tasks you have to do when you are practicing. It is easy to put off playing until tomorrow, but you shouldn’t do this. Practice is important; you should get into it as soon as possible. Warming Your Hands Up Before Practice When you play the guitar you can put a lot of strain on your hands, fingers and forearms. For this reason it is important to warm up your fingers before you start playing. The reason this is important is that it can prevent overuse injuries, which will hurt your playing. If your hands start to hurt then it is time to stop playing. Stop playing and identify the pain and assess how serious you think it is. If you have a severe aching pain in your hands or wrists you should take some time off and rest your hands. Next time you play remember to warm up properly. The most common way that people warm up is playing scales. The best way to do this is pick a simple scale and run up and down it a few times. You should do this slowly at first and build up to full speed. Also it is a good idea to warm up with some slow chord changes before you get into playing as hard as you can. Try and slowly build up your repertoire of warm up chord changes. This is not totally related to warming up but when you are playing or warming up try and maintain good hand and body position. This will make a big difference to your playing and reduce the chance of you having any problems with pain from playing. Warm up and practice hard and enjoy your playing but play safe. Getting Rhythm in Your Playing Some people when listening to music will listen to different aspects of the song. For example someone might hear the bass in a song, or someone might only hear the guitar. If there is a singer, then that’s usually what most people hear first. When I listen to music I hear the guitar, if there is one. Quite often you will be listening to the beat of a song. If you’re dancing to music you’ll be dancing to the beat of the song. So what happens is you’re listening to the rhythm of the song as you dance. Without knowing it you’re concentrating on the rhythm of the song. Rhythm is the beat behind the music that you might not always immediately notice. The instruments that are used to make the beat and create rhythm are called percussion instruments. There is actually a huge variety of these instruments but the most common of all percussion instruments is the drum kit. The drum kit is used most often in popular music and you can see it everywhere. When someone is studying rhythm they usually start on a drum kit and then from there they might specialize. There are all different kinds of rhythm. You sometimes might here someone talking about western rhythms and eastern rhythms. What they are basically talking about has a lot to do with what kind of percussion instruments that are being used and the kinds of rhythmical patterns. Rhythmical patterns refer to the way the beat is played and what kind of variation might occur in the beat. When referring to western or eastern rhythms it’s also referring to where the type of instrument and rhythmical pattern originate from. So western rhythms are usually American or European, eastern rhythms are usually Middle Eastern and Asian based. African rhythms are often talked about also and like the others has unique aspects to it. Each different area has a specific rhythmical identity to it. Learning rhythm is very important when it comes to playing in a band situation or anytime you’re playing with other musicians. This is because when everyone’s playing together if there is no agreed upon speed and beat at which to play at, the instruments don’t match up and the music won’t sound good. So as guitarists it’s important to learn some of the principles of rhythm and learn to play in time and play along to a beat. Guitar is an instrument which uses rhythm as well as harmony and melody. Lots of instruments are usually confined to only one of these aspects. So learning the guitar is not a small undertaking. When thinking about rhythm in regards to your practice think of it as the how a beat would go behind you’re playing. So imagine a drummer playing along with you keeping time and helping with the rhythm of the song. Developing Your Own "Sound" Though I believe developing a clear picture of what you sound like is important you should never take that to mean being close minded of other styles and their techniques. I think it is important to try to develop an individual sound, but you should spend at least a portion of your time at least listening to other types of music. In your musical life you will probably change styles at some point this is relatively natural and it is a sign that you are developing as a musician and as a guitarist. When I first started playing I played Folk music and Beatles songs these days I play mostly Hard Rock. So though I believe you should have an idea about what you want to sound like be open minded about changing. What do I want sound like? This can be very difficult or very easy depending on the individual in question. Some people are inspired to play the guitar by an individual or a band: for these people their chosen style will generally mimic their favorite player. Also if you’re fond of a particular style you can learn the songs and techniques that fit that style. For people who don’t particularly want to sound like anyone has a bit more work to do in finding and defining there style. The best way to do this is listen to a lot of music and try and play as many different styles as you can and see what you find the most enjoyable and rewarding for you. Finding a sound that suits you can take some time. For some people this could be years for others it could be a split second decision that comes from hearing a particular player. For others it may take some serious listening to a lot of different music to decide what they want to sound like. How do I sound like I want to sound like? Once you have decided on your style then it is time to learn how to play like that. The best way to do that is learn songs that are classics in the genre you want to emulate. This means learning a few of the most popular songs from the style you like and becoming familiar with the techniques used in these kinds of songs. It is a good idea to learn songs by a few different bands instead of just one. This is so you get exposed to a few different guitarists playing style. Related to this is using the right kind of guitar for the style you want to play. You don’t need to be too worried about playing the exact same axe as your favorite player. However you should have a guitar that is common amongst players of the genre you are trying to emulate. Can I make songs in my ‘style’? I am a firm believer in the idea that it is never to soon to start writing your own songs. Even if you can only write the most basic songs I still think it is worth trying. You should try and add elements from the songs you have learnt. You may find yourself writing stuff that is quite derivative initially, but that’s ok. Just keep working on your playing and trying to get the sound that you imagine in your head into your hands and played on the guitar. Don’t get frustrated if you have trouble some players spend their entire life trying to get the sound they want. Writing your own music is very rewarding and will give you another direction in your musical life. Alternate Picking for Guitar Some people just refuse to let their picking hand do the more difficult move, by trying to put a hammer or a pull off to time the direction of the pick to a more favorable direction. But let´s concentrate on what to do if you are using the versatile alternate picking method. Since we don´t want to limit the note choices, or string choices, in any way, we have to just get good at dealing with the problem. Practice going back and forth between two strings picking in the opposite direction, for example, in 2nd position, play a C note on the 3rd string/G string (4 th finger on 5 th fret) with a downstroke followed by an E note on the 4th string/D string (3 rd finger on 4 th fret) with an upstroke. Repeat the C and E one more time. Next, bring the C down to a B on the 3rd string/G string (2 nd finger on 2 nd fret) with a downstroke, followed by the same E on the 4th with an upstroke. Repeat the B and E. Just to make a slightly musical pattern, do the same thing, but change the B down to an A, doing the same pattern. To make the pattern symmetrical, return the A back up to a B and play B,E,B,E, just like the second pattern. It will take a lot less time to play this than to read about it, so try to muddle through this explanation to get to the actual notes, it´s not hard to play this as long as you don´t try to play it too fast. As with all exercises, do it slowly and as accurately as possible at first. Doing this exercise addresses one of the most important points about practicing and improvements, it will be tricky at first but as you stay determined and focused you will build up your speed and master this important skill. Alternate Picking for Guitar Some people just refuse to let their picking hand do the more difficult move, by trying to put a hammer or a pull off to time the direction of the pick to a more favorable direction. But let´s concentrate on what to do if you are using the versatile alternate picking method. Since we don´t want to limit the note choices, or string choices, in any way, we have to just get good at dealing with the problem. Practice going back and forth between two strings picking in the opposite direction, for example, in 2nd position, play a C note on the 3rd string/G string (4 th finger on 5 th fret) with a downstroke followed by an E note on the 4th string/D string (3 rd finger on 4 th fret) with an upstroke. Repeat the C and E one more time. Next, bring the C down to a B on the 3rd string/G string (2 nd finger on 2 nd fret) with a downstroke, followed by the same E on the 4th with an upstroke. Repeat the B and E. Just to make a slightly musical pattern, do the same thing, but change the B down to an A, doing the same pattern. To make the pattern symmetrical, return the A back up to a B and play B,E,B,E, just like the second pattern. It will take a lot less time to play this than to read about it, so try to muddle through this explanation to get to the actual notes, it´s not hard to play this as long as you don´t try to play it too fast. As with all exercises, do it slowly and as accurately as possible at first. Doing this exercise addresses one of the most important points about practicing and improvements, it will be tricky at first but as you stay determined and focused you will build up your speed and master this important skill. Starting a Band What is the definition of a band? A band is when you get together with one other person or more to play music. The more people you have in your band the more fun you can potentially have. You should start by trying to get together with your friends. If none of your friends are interested put advertisements up at your school, university or paper. What is the most important part of a good band? I honestly think the most important part of a good band is being able to have fun with the other members. I have played in many bands were the music we made was pretty average, but I had a lot of fun. Do I need to be a good musician to play in a band? No. Get out there and if no one wants to play with you start your own band. What is the minimum amount of talent for the other musicians I will play with? None. Music is about having fun, especially when you are just getting started. Just try and be creative and keeping everything simple. There are so many songs that sound good and are easy to play. Don’t worry about surrounding yourself with experts. Overview of a basic band The typical rock band has one singer who may or may not be the guitarist, a bass player and a drummer. However often there can extra guitarists or a keyboard player. Don’t feel restricted by these general rules. If one of your friends plays the violin or some other instrument get him down and try and work some thing out. What makes a ‘Band’? More than anything it’s the music that you make together. It is the songs you make and play together as a group. It is an amazing feeling to play together and grow as musicians. Your very first band Your first band will probably be made up of your friends, but starting a band can also be a good way to meet people with common interests. You should act like a musical support group. Gently encouraging your co-members to practice and improve. Desire is the most important characteristic for the members of your first band. If you are motivated and keen to play you can achieve you musical goals. What kinds of songs should my band play? If your band is made up of your friends then there is a good chance that you will all have similar musical tastes. If you do have different tastes in music then it is important to reach a compromise that keeps everyone happy. Try playing songs in a style that all of you like, if that doesn’t work, each of you can choose a few songs that you can play as a band. Playing in a band is a lot of fun and I strongly believe that it is never too early to start out playing with other people. As long as you still have time for your own practice try and play with other people as much as you can. |
