Learning Guitar – Practice Schedule
October 30, 2010 by Cyn
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Realistically, to start improving on guitar, you’re going to need to set aside a bit of time to practice. Developing a daily routine is a good idea… planning to spend at least 15 minutes daily practicing all you’ve learned will really help. At first, your fingers will be sore, but by playing daily, they’ll toughen up, and in a short amount of time, they’ll stop hurting.
The following list should give you an idea of how to spend your practice time:
Get your guitar in tune. Make sure you’re sitting, holding the guitar, and using your pick properly. You’ll have to correct your natural bad habits at first, until it becomes second nature. Play the chromatic scale several times. Try playing it backwards. Play each of the three chords you’ve learned. Check to be sure each note is ringing. If not, find out why, and correct the problem. Try moving from one chord to another. Before switching chords, mentally picture exactly where each finger is going to move in order to play the next chord. Only then should you switch chords.
This is the key to switching chords quickly. If you’re having trouble getting your chords to ring clearly, read this feature on getting your chords to ring clearly. Try playing some, or all of the songs listed above. At first, try only to think of the songs as a way in which to practice playing chords. Don’t get discouraged. This is hard stuff at first, and you’ll probably feel like you can’t do it. You certainly can. Everyone struggles, so just put in your 15 minutes, and then don’t worry about it until the next time you play. This is supposed to be fun! That’s it for now!
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Acoustic or Electric?
October 13, 2010 by Cyn
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Probably the most important consideration, when choosing what type of guitar to learn on, is what type of music will be played on the instrument. If you’re a fan of rock music, and want to learn to play rock guitar, starting on electric guitar is a logical choice. If, however, you’re a fan of acoustic music, and want to learn to strum your favorite songs, an acoustic guitar is probably best for you. The importance of the above philosophy can’t be stressed enough. If you get stuck with the wrong type of guitar, you’re going to have much less motivation to pick it up and play it regularly.
Note to parents: this same principle applies when picking out a guitar for your child. Try to realistically assess what they’dlike best, as opposed to what you’dlike them to play. Their progress will be noticably better when playing a guitar they like.
Ease of Learning
Depending on your personality type, this might either play a major factor in deciding which guitar to start on, or might be irrelevant. Some people find if they don’t see results quickly, they get discouraged, and lose interest in playing guitar altogether. If you think you (or the person you’re buying for) are one of those people, an electric guitar is probably the instrument to start on. Electric guitars have smaller bodies, smaller necks, and it’s much easier to press down the strings. Essentially, you can start playing the *basics* of guitar much more quickly and easily on an electric guitar, than you can on an acoustic. Having said that, there are a few knobs and buttons on an electric guitar that can complicate using it somewhat.
Budget Considerations
Understandably, paying a whole lot for a first guitar isn’t very desirable, especially if you’re not even sure if playing guitar is something you (or whomever you’re buying for) will stick with. For this reason, acoustic guitars are more often the choice for a first instrument, since they tend to be slightly less expensive. Electric guitars require the purchase of an amplifier, and a guitar cable, so they can end up costing a little more. If you want to learn on an electric guitar, but budget is a serious issue, many guitar stores offer starter electric guitar/amp packages at very reasonable prices.
Making the Decision
Now I’ve given you some things to consider, it’s time for you to decide which type of guitar is best suited for you, or for whomever you’re buying for. Let’s summarize – if the person in question frustrates easily, or listens to and wants to play “hard rock” music, definitely think electric guitar. If, however, the person in question wants to learn songs to sing along to, and can handle a slightly steeper learning curve, then an acoustic guitar might be in order.
Once you’ve made a decision, take a look at the following page for a few recommendations on specific guitars to buy.
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How To Learn Guitar Scales
October 7, 2010 by Cyn
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If you are thinking about learning guitar, you are probably picturing yourself way onto the future. You are onstage, playing the guitar, with millions of screaming fans in the audience. You play an amazing guitar solo and wow everyone at the concert. Yes, this is a pretty picture-but it’s time to wake up! You will never achieve this dream if you do not learn the basics of the guitar first.
There are many different aspects of guitar basics that you need to know. You will need to know the different parts of the guitar. You will most likely need to know how to read music, and how to tune your guitar. You will need to know different chords as well. Part of knowing the different chords are being able to learn guitar scale as well.
If you learn guitar scales, you will be able to write your own guitar music so much quicker than you would if you were not familiar with guitar scales. Every great musician had to start somewhere-and I guarantee that each and every musician began by learning the basic guitar skills, which includes when they learn guitar scales. Let’s take a look at what you are getting yourself into if you decide to learn guitar scale.
First Thing’s First – What Is A Musical Scale?
A musical scale is a group of notes with defined intervals in between them. A scale can consist of any group of notes; however, some scales are more commonly used in Western music. Thus, if you decide to learn guitar scales, then you will need to be more familiar with these particular ones. An example of a common guitar scale is C major. There are two types of steps in a musical scale-a whole step and a half step. A half step is one interval between notes.
A whole step is equivalent to two half steps, so it is two intervals between notes. If you learn guitar scale, a whole step will be equivalent to two frets, while a half step will be equivalent to one fret. If you learn scales, you will also need to know about the roots of a scale. The root of a scale is what note it begins on.
This information may seem like a lot to remember, but you won’t regret your decision to learn musical scale. As you are on that stage, rocking out on your guitar, perhaps you will reflect back to your guitar lessons long ago and be thankful that you made the decision to learn guitar scale.
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Find A Guitar Teacher And Get Benefits From Them
September 5, 2010 by Cyn
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Nowadays, taking private music lessons with a guitar teacher is one of the quickest and most effective ways of mastering guitar. In fact, it's a waste of time if you try to teach yourself the basics to play guitar instead of finding local guitar teachers and schedule a few lessons. Within weeks you'll be familiar with the fundamentals of guitar, including common chords, scales, and tablature. You might even be able to play a song or two!
It's not right if you think that all guitar teachers have the same level of teaching. When looking for a teacher with any other industry, you should look at their education, where they graduated from, and what kind of diplomas or awards they have. Unfortunately, the same does not hold true for guitar instructors as some of the best never received a degree in music.
You need to remember that it can be difficult to judge a teacher by what they can do themselves behind the guitar. While it is helpful to watch someone and imitate what they are doing, not all guitar teachers are the best guitar players. The same can be said for guitarists as some of the best in the business are actually horrible teachers. Your ideal guitar teacher should be flexible. While being able to provide discipline, he should also be able to follow your interest in the guitar as it gradually matures.
To be able to learn guitar effectively, you should tell your guitar teacher what you want from him. When you first interview him, you could tell him what kind of guitar style you would like to play and how much time you have to devote to guitar practice. Once you have given your guitar teacher some idea of where you would like to be, he should have the ability to help you set some goals for yourself, and he should know how to translate these aims into action. Once the teacher becomes familiar with your working methods he should be able to apply the discipline and encouragement needed to help you with your progress as a guitarist.
You can get many benefits when learning with a guitar teacher, and here are 3 main and valuable benefits which you should take consideration into.
One of the most important benefits of a guitar teacher is the ability to get constant and immediate feedback on you're playing. They have been playing for years and can correct you the second you do something wrong. This means you waste less time picking up bad habits, and more time playing correctly and accurately.
The second benefit of a guitar teacher is the ability of answering your questions. If you don't understand something, simply ask the teacher to re-explain it. They are at your service and willing to help you with whatever you're interested in, no matter how big or small of an issue it is.
The third benefit is the ability to assess your needs and develop a plan that fits you. In order to learn guitar effectively, you need personal attention and a personalized plan that will help you play towards you strengths and correct your weaknesses. The teacher has the ability to see what you need help with, and can give you assignments that will help develop your skills naturally and sensibly.
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Find A Guitar Teacher And Get Benefits From Them
The Important Tips on How to Learn the Ropes in Playing Guitar
September 3, 2010 by Cyn
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There is nobody that is born with guitar on his or her hands. We all learn how to play guitar at one point or the other in our lives. The new guitar learners knows quite well that they would have to take time to adequately learn how to play guitar but the issue is usually that they don't want to have the patience to learn the ropes. They sometimes feel like mastering all the guitar playing skills in two weeks so that they can showcase their new found talent at the party next month. Some even wants to learn guitar as fast as they can so that they can use it to impress their person they admire. Irrespective of what your aim is, learning how to play guitar can be fun and there are certain ways one can hasten the speed of his or her learning curves.
Here are some ways you can learn guitar real fast
One of the quickest ways of learning how to play guitar is by having a private tutor. If your tutor is well versed, he or she can easily create a course that is uniquely related to your personal learning needs so as to boost you learning process. But you have to be mindful of the fact that hiring a private guitar tutor is quite expensive so it all depends on you budget and your particular needs.
You can also learn how to play guitar faster if you can surround yourself with lots of good guitar players. You will definitely learn how to play guitar faster this way but unfortunately, it isn't everybody that has the opportunity of being close to many good guitarists. It has also been noted that many guitar players that are quite good doesn't usually have the time and patience to teach the new learners. But you are luck if you have close friends or family members that are good guitar players because they can easily help you out without complaints. The moment you start playing a little bit and joins the band, remember that it then you have more opportunity of learning more from other more experienced folks.
But if the two methods above don't appeal to you or if they are both out of your reach, you can also learn how to play guitar through the internet. In these days of internet mastery and discoveries, guitar learners are one that has really benefited from the opportunities offered by the internet. Just search for god guitar learning websites online or your may even look for video sites that will teach you all you need to know about playing guitar at very little fee.
Note that some of the video sites may not really give you the detailed learning process required by the new beginner. You really have to search very well to get to the sites that will be ready to give you solid lesson on how to play guitar without tears. Most of these online courses also offer you playing tools like play along jam track or metronome free.
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The Important Tips on How to Learn the Ropes in Playing Guitar
Learn Guitar Fast – 3 Awesome Tips To Playing the Guitar in 24 Hours
September 1, 2010 by Cyn
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Most people want to learn guitar fast. How can you blame them because it is such a fun instrument to play, and almost anyone enjoys hearing someone talented playing the guitar. The truth is you can pick up the guitar for the first time and play a simple in a couple of hours. But, you will still not know all the great things about playing the guitar. The purpose of this article will be to give you three tips you can use to play the guitar fast and provide a foundation for continued learning of this wonderful instrument.
First, when learning to play the guitar fast is to learn all the parts and pieces of the guitar. I understand this may sound boring and unimportant, however, it is extremely important. This will give you a solid foundation in your education of the guitar and is extremely important. Knowing how the instructors and the books speak will help you understand better what you are being taught. Furthermore, it will help you understand how sound is created so learning to play the guitar will be more logical. It should not be overlooked.
Second thing to learn guitar fast is you will want to spend some time researching the different places online where you can get instruction. This site has a list you can join that offers some awesome tips for learning the guitar. The best part is they do not charge a dime. There are also other great places to visit online like YouTube and other video sharing sites.
The third thing to do to learn guitar fast is to stay committed to practicing. 30 minutes a day, and five times a week is a good rule of thumb to learn to play the guitar. It may seem like a lot, but it isn’t if you have a passion for learning the guitar. They do not have the proper techniques and teaching they need to learn how to play the guitar. A nice book or guide can help someone overcome this obstacle.
As you can see if you want to learn guitar fast there are some simple things you can do to start playing within a day. The learning, however, will never stop. Therefore, while learning the guitar can start quickly there is a lifetime of learning for any guitar player.
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Learn Guitar Fast – 3 Awesome Tips To Playing the Guitar in 24 Hours
Avoiding Practice Burnout When Learning To Play Guitar
August 30, 2010 by Cyn
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This article is about how to avoid guitar practice burnout – something that happens to all of us from time to time!
Yep it’s true. Many of us at one time or another has experienced those “blah” days where the last thing we want to do is pick up our guitar and practice. But don’t fret! Here you’ll discover valuable little tidbits to help keep you motivated with learning and practicing guitar, so let’s get started…
How to Avoid Guitar Practice Burnout:
1) Enjoy the process of learning guitar.
This sounds basic, but often beginner guitarist’s will focus on negative aspects about their guitar playing skill level. Instead of “beating yourself up” remember that all professional guitarists started off just like you. The truth is that learning guitar takes time, patience and practice.
As a beginner, you should not try to learn to play guitar too quickly. Why? In trying to learn guitar too quickly you’ll risk increased muscle tension which can actually reduce your guitar playing ability.
So slow and steady guitar lessons will benefit you best for long-term success.
2) Use the quality guitar learning methods.
Many people find that learning to play guitar using traditional methods is too difficult, overwhelming and time consuming. And because of this difficulty, many people give up on their dreams of learning to play guitar because the guitar learning techniques were inadequate.
Luckily though, now days you can get online guitar lessons that teach a new and revolutionary way to learn guitar that produces fast and effective results. These new guitar lesson techniques make learning guitar fun and easy. So, if learning guitar using traditional guitar methods is too difficult, or causing you too much frustration, know that there are new and improved ways to learn guitar that work extremely well.
3) Learn to practice guitar at your pace.
In learning to play guitar, you’ll discover that some days you’re more motivated than other days.
For example, some days you’ll feel like playing the guitar for hours on end, and at other times, you’ll only want to practice guitar for a few minutes. This is normal and if it’s one of your “off days” allow yourself to enjoy a break from a long practice section without feeling guilty.
4) Look to others for inspiration.
One of the best motivators in trying to achieve any goal, like learning guitar, is to look to other people for help and assistance. Consider joining a musicians group and online music forums where you can share tips, successes and troubles with other guitarists online.
Chances are, there will be another guitar player who has had the same problem you’re facing who can give you great advice. Learning how other people achieved their guitar playing success, and the pitfalls they incountered along the way (and how to avoid them), will help tremendously to inspire and motivate you along the way while learning guitar.
The #1 Reason Beginner Guitarists Give-Up:
The biggest reason many people new to learning guitar give-up is because they loose the JOY of learning to play guitar. Why? Many beginner guitarists are excited about their new hobby, and this excitement causes many people to rush into trying to play their first song as quickly as possible.
However by not FIRST taking the time to learn proper guitar basics, usually results in increased playing difficulties and frustration. And frustration is what eventually leads many beginners to give-up on their dreams of playing the guitar.
But don’t worry! By following the tips above, you’ll be well ahead of most people learning to play guitar.
Remember, to avoid practice burnout, it’s critical learn to play guitar at a consistent pace, allow yourself breaks from playing guitar as needed, and keep yourself motivated by seeking out other guitarists for help and inspiration.
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Avoiding Practice Burnout When Learning To Play Guitar
Learn Guitar Chords – Trying To Avoid Them?
August 19, 2010 by Cyn
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If you want to play beautiful songs, you must learn guitar chords. This is also the only way you can make progress in playing the guitar. The following information will provide you with useful tips on how you can learn guitar chords successfully.#1 Get a guitar chord book
The best thing to do is to get yourself a chord chart that shows you the most important chords. These chords usually can be found in most basic guitar tutorials. You will find a table of the finger placement either at the front or the back of the book. If you don’t have any guitar booklet, you can look online but it’s always handy to have a physical copy by your side.
#2 Learn to play the chords
To start to learn guitar chords, you should learn how to position your fingers. When you first start, it is normal to feel uncomfortable and your hands may even hurt. But don’t give up as you will be able to overcome it once your fingers get used to it. You need to stick to it and keep playing the chords until your fingers feel comfortable.
#3 Memorize each chord
The next step is to memorize each chord by name. If somebody told you to play the A minor chord, you should be able to quickly place your fingers correctly and play the chord cleanly. This is an essential part of the process if you want to learn guitar chords. It will lead the way to the next step.
#4 Chord switching
The final step of the process is chord switching. Many simple acoustic songs require a lot of chord switching so this is something you have to practice. For example, you can start with G major for 2 strums, switch to D major, and then move to F major. Go through as many chords as you can so that it all becomes automatic. This may seem like a monotonous exercise and can be very difficult but it will allow you to master chords so that it becomes second nature.
#5 Practice your right hand
Aside from your left hand, you will also need to practice your right hand. When trying to learn guitar chords, it’s important to train yourself not to over strum and hit strings that you are not supposed to. When you play the chords, make sure that you do not hit another note as it will ruin the sound of a chord. So make sure you fix any bad habits such as strumming other string.
Your wrist should also be loose when strumming chords. You should focus on the movement of your wrist rather than your hands as you will be able to strum up and down with your wrist. You will find that you are getting stuck or you are not producing an even sound when either your wrist is too tight or you are using your hands too much.
In conclusion, you must learn guitar chords if you want to get good at playing the guitar. Keep these tips in mind while you practice and you will be able to play your amazing songs within a short time
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Learning to Play Guitar – 3 Easy Acoustic Rock Songs
August 18, 2010 by Cyn
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There have been some great rock tunes written on the acoustic guitar, and many of those are pretty darn easy to play for beginners as well.
I've assembled a list of 3 easy to play rock songs on the acoustic guitar. If you're just starting out so long as you know your major and minor chords you should be able to figure these out.
I've provided the chords you need to know for each song, and if you would like the exact pattern you can always look for the chord progression on a guitar tab website. The best way to learn them how ever is probably to listen to the songs a couple of times and then pick them out by ear.
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) – Green Day
I can still remember playing this song. There are a few variations of it floating around, some easier then others, but over all it's probably the easiest and most fun song on the list.
There are only four chords in the whole song: G, C, D and Em.
Listen to the song and I'm sure you'll be able to pick up your guitar after the first verse and chorus and begin to play along. This is also a great song to strum and sing at the same time if you're able to.
Patience – Guns N' Roses
Everyone who's a guitar fan loves a little GNR. This is one of the classics on their second album Lies. This is one of the only acoustic hits Guns N Roses had during their original career, not counting their recent come back.
You can play this song on the acoustic with only five different chords: C, G, D, A and Em.
There are several great tabs and chord sites which have the pattern out there but I believe if you listen to the song a couple of times you'll pick it up pretty quick knowing that those are the chords used.
About A Girl – Nirvana
I couldn't leave this song off the list since it's one of the first songs I learned to play on the acoustic guitar. Another easy one for beginners Kurt Cobain was never known for his complexity but rather his simplicity.
The best version of this song to learn was recorded on their live MTV unplugged concert in the early nineties. If you can get a hold of that version it's fantastic on the acoustic.
To play about a girl you'll need to know the chords: Em, G, C# and F#
This is another great song to sing and play if you can.
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Learning to Play Guitar – 3 Easy Acoustic Rock Songs
4 Easy Tips To Learn And Master Your Guitar Chord Changes
January 21, 2010 by Cyn
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One of the first things a new guitar player will learn is how to play basic guitar chords.
As soon as you learn how to play a minimum of two chords it is time to learn how to practice your guitar chord changes. Guitar chord changes are when you switch from guitar chord to another guitar chord in a smooth and flawless motion.
If you are finding chord changes to be challenging while you learn to master your guitar, let’s take a look at four easy tips on how to practice your guitar chord changes.
1. Memorize your guitar chords: The best way to practice your guitar chord changes is by memorizing your guitar chords. By memorizing your guitar chords you will be able to know where to place your left hand fingers on the fret board more quickly and more efficiently than if you are just guessing where your fingers go on the fret board.
2. Practice chord changes without strumming: Practicing your guitar chord changes is challenging enough without having to worry about the rhythm aspect of your guitar chords. Don’t worry about practicing your right hand rhythm technique for right now. Once you have learned to master your guitar chord changes, you can incorporate switching your guitar chords with the various strumming patterns you have learned.
3. Keep your fingers on the strings: Try not to move your left fingers away from your guitar fretboard. By moving your fingers away from the guitar fretboard, while you are switching guitar chords, you will not be able to change chords as quickly. As you memorize your basic guitar chords, you will recognize that some of your left fingers will barely have to move. You will also begin to recognize that some guitar chords have the same notes which means that your fingers may already be in position to play part of the notes for the next guitar chord.
4. Know what chord is coming up: If you walk, drive a car, or ride a bicycle you will understand that you just don’t stare at one object while traveling. If you do, you will crash into something else. The solution from crashing is to look all around your surroundings and know what’s coming up ahead. The same goes with guitar chord changes. The more you look ahead of your music, the more you will avoid crashing into the wrong guitar chord. The more you know what guitar chords are coming up, the quicker you will be able to switch to the next chord.
5. Practice in the dark: By allowing yourself to practice guitar in the dark, you will be forced to ensure that you have memorized the right fingering for your guitar chords. Once you are able to play your guitar chords in the dark, the next step is to learn and master your guitar chord changes in the dark as quickly and smoothly as possible. If you’re not sure if you are playing the right guitar chord in the dark then practice guitar near a light switch. As soon as you think you have the right chord, turn the light on, and then check your left hand fingering to make sure your fingers are positioned correctly on the fret board.
About The Author
With a passion to teach guitar, Jeremiah La Follette helps beginner and intermediate guitar players unlock the secrets of learning guitar in a snap!
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