Guitar instruction

Learn Classical Guitar

2006-10-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

How is a Classical Guitar different from the others?

A classical guitar has a different anatomy than regular guitars. It has six strings, with the bass strings made of nylon wrapped in brass wire and the treble strings made from nylon. The body of the guitar is symmetrical and made of wood. It includes no electronics.

This is a photo of one of my classical guitars. I had to edit the picture in Photoshop a bit, that's why all the "rough edges" but it's just here to give you a better idea of how it looks. It's hard to see here, but the strings are nylon and not metal. People sometimes make a mistake and put metal strings on a classical guitar. Don't do this as you can seriously damage it!

Anyway, a classical guitarist is not just a person who plays a classical repertoire. It is also important the way he plays. A classical guitarist plucks the strings with the fingers from his right hand and doesn't use any pick. There are also some recommendations about the position of the body that make a classical guitarist different from other guitarists.

How to Start Learning?

The best way to go is definitely a private teacher. He/she will provide you with personal attention and teach you all the technical points of posture or hand position better than any other method. You can learn classical guitar from books as well, but it will probably take longer and you may develop bad habits that are more difficult to break after a long time.

The main disadvantage about taking up private lessons to learn classical guitar is that they cost $15-$20 an hour. A solution would be to find a teacher that teaches group lessons to 4-6 students at once. This way you will pay much less, as well as benefit from observing your classmates. You can take up private lessons later if you feel the need to do it.

Where Can You Find a Teacher?

His/her qualifications: Is he/she a performer as well? What kind of degree does he/she have? What is his/her teaching experience, in years as well as number of students? Are the students satisfied with the lessons? Does he/she specializes in teaching classical guitar or teaches all kinds of guitar? Although these questions don't necessarily reveal whether he/she is a good teacher or not, you can use the information in your final decision on whether you can learn classical guitar from him/her.

Approach to study: The prospective teacher should be able to clearly explain what you will actually learn from the lessons. If you really want to learn classical guitar, you will easily identify a teacher who seem to provide vacuous entertainments most of the lesson, just point out your mistakes and give assignments or cannot provide much advice other than practicing harder. Be careful not to choose a teacher who doesn't take immediate and firm measures to correct any painful condition that you might encounter.

Usually the instructor that knows what he or she's doing will find certain details annoying and will attempt to correct you. For example -- as we mentioned before, it's very important how you sit and how you position your hands and also the way you pick the strings and the way you hold the chords. These are all factors that a classical guitarist must be very knowledgeable about and it's almost impossible to get it right for the first couple of months if not years. So, if he/she doesn't correct you frequently it's a good sign that he/she hasn't had too much experience (at least not in music school).

As a general advice, try to find a music tutor whose competency you believe in and give your best effort to learn classical guitar from him/her. After several lessons, evaluate whether you are actually progressing – you should actually get what you're paying for.

Although a professional guitar teacher is definitely the best way to learn classical guitar, you may choose other methods too. If you don't have enough time or can't afford private lessons, a theory book can also help. If you are serious about playing better, you should be able to learn classical guitar from a well-written and informative book as well.

Learn To Play Blues Guitar

2006-05-17T00:49:00.000-07:00

It's fun to pick up your guitar and just start playing your soul. When you know the basic "structure" of a blues song you can go on and on and on...

But what is The Blues?

As you might already know, it is not that easy to pull out a definition of blues. You can tell that Robert Jhonsons' Rambling on My Mind or B.B. King's Everyday I Have the Blues is definitely blues, but what about van Halen, Al Di Meola or Pavarotti's songs?

Of course, you could define the blues by the call-response structure, the dominant 7th chords, the shuffle rhythm, the I-IV-V progression and things like these, but the most complete definition is one that Eric Clapton himself gave to blues music in an interview in 1998:

"My definition of Blues is that it's a musical form which is very disciplined and structured coupled with a state of mind, and you can have either of those things but it's the two together that make it what it is. And you need to be a student for one, and a human being for the other, but those things alone don't do it". (Eric Clapton, 1998)

The Blues History

There are many books on the history of blues. It was born in the 20th century's Mississippi Delta in the U.S., short after the Civil War. This music style was played by slaves and white people referred to it as sorrow songs, plantation songs or workaday songs. The term blues was used for the first time around 1925.

It is believed that the band leader William Christopher Handy was the one to write the first blues songs in 1909, which was later printed and documented. The song was initially called Memphis Blues and got the name of Mister Crump later. He got his inspiration from a blues song he heard in the Mississippi railway station six years earlier. W.C. Handy wrote other songs too, such as Beale Street Blues or St. Louis Blues and nowadays there's a blues award named after him – the W.C. Handy Award.

What Do You Need To Learn To Play Blues Guitar?

In order to learn to play blues guitar, there are a few things you need. First of all, you need to own an electric or acoustic guitar with strings made from other than nylon in standard tuning. You also need to know how to read tablature, as well as have some basic guitar knowledge and know how to play a few chords.

You also need some Eric Clapton CDs with blues classics, such as Blues Breakers, From the Cradle or Eric Clapton Unplugged and a good CD player with an auto-repeat shuffle. There's also a plug-in for Winamp you can use to slow down music. A small chord book you can find in any guitar shop is also handy. But most importantly, in order to learn to play blues guitar, you need some good ears.

If you already have some basic guitar knowledge, you can learn to play blues guitar on your own, with the aid of a simple chord book. However, finding a blues guitar instruction from a teacher who is willing to help you learn to play blues guitar in your area is definitely a good thing. If you have the time and money to take up private lessons, this will probably help improving your guitar playing skills.

You can easily come up with the basic background chords and record them on your computer. Put it on a loop and then simply play along. Let loose. I suggest you go for pentatonics and scales (see the picture below) first. Just up and down the neck. Soon enough you'll learn what sounds good and what doesn't. I'll soon write about the pentatonic scales so come back. In the mean time do what I suggested here. There's no easy way, but if you're devoted enough, you'll soon learn to play blues guitar!

Fig. 1: Blues major scale in G (learn to play blues guitar)

Learn Guitar Fast Online – The Good & the Bad

2006-05-15T04:22:00.000-07:00

There are several websites that provide guitar lessons, some even for free. The modules are usually designed by guitarists that have already found success in music and are now trying to provide some useful tips to beginner guitar players. There are both advantages and disadvantages if you want to learn guitar fast online.

The Good

Many of us don't necessarily want to learn to play the guitar like pros. They just want to learn a few chords to play at campfires and impress their friends or family with their music playing skills. These people are not interested in investing time and money into a more complete learning program, such as private guitar lessons. For them, being able to learn guitar fast online is a great thing.

Even if you would like to learn how to play the guitar well, you might not have the time and resources to do it. If you have a job, a family and various errands to run every day, traveling back and forth to guitar classes might not be for you. Being able to learn guitar fast by practicing whenever you find some free time without having to leave the house is a good thing.

Online lessons are often more dynamic and successful in keeping you focused than a theory book. They usually include graphics, animated images and demo sounds to make it easier for you to learn. If you get stuck, you usually can ask the guitarist providing those lessons for help.
And last, but not least, online guitar lessons are very inexpensive, sometimes even free. In contrast, private lessons are often expensive and you have to pay per hour. Not everyone wants to invest so much money into learning to play the guitar.

The Bad

As tempted as you might be to learn guitar fast online, you have to consider the drawbacks as well. If you are serious about playing the guitar, nothing compares to a good teacher. Online lessons can only provide a standard teaching program, while a teacher can tailor his/her method on your learning style. Online lessons can not actually focus on your particular learning needs.

You might want to focus more on certain aspects, but a teaching program is standard and tries to respond to the needs of average guitar players. In contrast, a private teacher will give you personal attention and respond to your specific needs.

With online lessons, no one will applaud you when you're progressing and get you motivated. A private teacher can provide you with positive feedback and knows how to increase your motivation when necessary.

Finally, you might be making some mistakes you won't even notice and end up playing badly. With online lessons, no one will be there to correct them. A private teacher will spot your mistakes fast and correct them in time before they turn into long-term habits.

If you want to truly learn to play the guitar well, it might be better to dedicate a little more time and work to the learning process. However, for many people who don't want to become superstars or don't have the time to do it, the opportunity to learn guitar fast online is actually great.

Easy way to learn guitar

2006-05-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

Easy way to learn guitar is the same way as saying easy way to learn to walk. It just doesn't go that way. There are many different ways to go about it, so there are easier ways to learn how to play guitar, but there are no easy ones.

There are many online resources that claim they can teach you an easy way to learn guitar. The truth is there is really no easy way to learn guitar, it takes practice and a great teaching method to become an excellent musician and unfortunately there is no easy way around this.

Basics

When learning to play the guitar it is important to learn the basics first. There is an easy way to learn guitar basics that is to research as much as you can online and in guitar instruction books, then attempt it yourself. Once you have learnt the basic guitar skills you will find that more advanced riffs and chords will come easily to you.

When you're learning the basics make sure you don't just "storm through" them, but rather each new thing you learn, try to actually understand it well and "work with it" for a while before you go and learn some other thing. For example, an easy way to learn guitar parts is to learn them and then try to use them in a conversation with friends (just for fun). Don't just read about them and go on to scales for instance...

Practice makes perfect

And speaking of scales -- those are definitely "the basics" that have to be practised on and on and on. It's no use to just learn the scales and then not being able to play them, is there...

An easy way to learn guitar is to practice and perfect something and then move on to the next thing. Practice definitely makes perfect! When you practice you will move through chords with easy and be able to make a smooth transition from basic chords to more advanced riffs.

Selecting an instrument

When you first find an easy way to learn guitar it is important to select the right guitar. Selecting a guitar is a delicate and lengthy process and should be done with an experienced guitar sales person. It is always a good idea to hold the instrument and play a piece of music on it. This will help you get a feeling for how the instrument will feel when you start an easy way to learn guitar.

Movement

Movement is how your body relates to your instrument. An easy way to learn guitar is to treat your instrument like another body part. Move fluidly with your instrument and make all movements clear and precise and not sharp or short.

Making the most out of a lesson

Making the most out of your lesson is important and will make it an easy way to learn guitar. Try videotaping your session so you can watch and rewind anything you may wish to touch on later. Writing notes in a book is another way to make the most out of your lesson. The book can be opened at anytime and you can refer back to previous notes.

Finding an easy way to learn guitar is possible and can be very rewarding. Make the most out of your lessons, whether they be online or with a teacher. Take notes and don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you need until you get the answer that helps you understand the problem. Most of all have fun, don’t take it too seriously as you will lose interest very quickly! Enjoy!

Oh, and one more thing... Watch as much videos with great guitar players. Take a special note on how they hold their fender (or any other guitar :-), how they move their fingers on it and so on -- then simply imagine you're that player when you play your guitar. This will actually make it more fun and it's probably the easiest way to learn guitar.

Learn to Play Rock Guitar

2006-05-11T05:49:00.000-07:00

I learned to play electric guitar fairly late. I've been playing the classical guitar first, but there was always something that was pulling me into playing rock music (and also blues). So I went and got myself my first electric guitar and the rest is history :-)

Although the electric guitar has originated in blues music, it is rock that gave its popularity. With rock music, the electric guitar became a massively expressive instrument. All guitar lessons have to touch on rock as well, but if you want to learn to play rock guitar, there are special modules you can take up. These modules focus almost exclusively on rock music.

The things you will be taught when you learn to play rock guitar can be roughly spread into three modules: first lessons, where you will learn the basics about playing the guitar, electric guitar improver and power chords.

--> First Lessons

These lessons are mostly for beginners. If you have some knowledge about playing the guitar, you may skip some of these. This is up to your teacher to decide.

However, if you're holding a guitar for the first time, this is where your teacher will usually start. You will be taught the fundamentals about playing a guitar in general and playing rock guitar in particular. You will learn the basics about rock lead guitar and power chords. After these first lessons, you will have some idea on how to play classic rock guitar. If you get these right, you are on your way to actually playing rock guitar.

--> Electric Guitar Improver

In the next lessons, you will probably be taught various rock techniques, such as sliding, string-bending, pull-offs, vibrato and hammer-ons. These tips will enable you to play some fairly good rock solos. You will also learn about scales and chords that will help you start making up your own music. There might be a lot of blues references within these lessons. Going through all these will help you understand the relation between blues and rocks, which is essential if you want to learn to play rock guitar like a pro.

--> Power Chords

Power chords are two or three string distorted sounding chords used in some of the most popular rock songs of all times. You will learn to play several rock songs during the first few lessons of this module. Afterwards you will be very familiar with the fretboard and surprise yourself with the sounds you will be able to play.

If you seriously want to learn to play rock guitar, don't get frustrated or discouraged if you're not playing the way you would like to at the beginning. If you enjoy playing, the progress will come at some point. Find a guitar teacher you communicate well with, design a workable schedule to practice and, most importantly, try to have fun while you're learning.

Easy To Learn Guitar Chords

2006-05-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

One of the first things you will do when trying to learn the guitar is to try and learn the guitar chords and the way it all works.

I remember when I first started learning guitar the hardest thing was trying to learn the guitar chords. So what are the easy to learn guitar chords?

The easiest way to learn guitar chords is through progression and becoming familiar with the structure of the chords. It is easy to learn guitar chords this way and one of the best ways to do this is to start with the E D A D chord structure.

Most people start with those chords as they are a natural progression from one another and are the easiest of the guitar chords to learn.

One thing you need to be careful of as a beginner guitar player is what has been coined as “lockup” and it is very common when trying to learn guitar chords. “Lockup” is when your fingers and arms become tensed and no matter how hard you try to work through it, they just lockup.

This can be because you are trying to tackle complex guitar chords too early and are not used to the finger movements of the easy to learn guitar chords. So it is a very good idea to keep it basic to start with. Otherwise this will only lead to frustration of not being able to play anymore guitar.

What is the ii-V-I method?

Well this is certainly an easy to learn guitar chord and should probably be one of your first chord progressions you learn. When you start learning the ii-V-I chord you will know that you are starting to learn guitar as it actually sounds good and strings together well.

Instead of just plucking random sounds from your guitar.

The type of music most played through this easy to learn guitar chord is jazz or rock and what is called “happy” or “elated” music, this is because of the general melody and feeling that this chord gives.

The only thing I can recommend when learning an easy to learn guitar chord is to practice and when you are sick and tired, practice some more. Yes this may sound old school, that’s because it is, but it is one of the most effective ways to learn guitar chords easy, which will lead to you being able to play the guitar much quicker then expected.

Easy guitar song to learn

2006-05-07T15:33:00.000-07:00

Today I'm gonna give you some tips on how to find an easy guitar song to learn there are many places to look, some better than others and some song’s easier than others.

However, I'll try and point you in the right direction and maybe give you the edge on everyone else. When it comes to learning guitar there are websites and books on what’s good and what’s bad. My opinion is to find what you like and stick with it there’s no point in finding an easy guitar song to learn that you hate.

For starters I will give you tips and ideas of what to look for in an easy guitar song to learn when you are first starting out.

Start small

There are so many places to look for easy guitar song to learn but the best place to start is in a basic music book. The front of the book will generally have many easy guitar songs to learn and you can work your way through them at your own pace. Music books also contain basic riffs and chords and will walk you through the learning process step by step.

Work your way up

When an easy guitar song to learn has been mastered, try something a little more advanced. If you slowly work your way up through the levels you will find your knowledge and guitar skills will improve immensely. If by now you can read music confidently and have successfully found an easy guitar song to learn then you can do a little research and find a few more advanced songs on the internet. Playing by ear is not the best way to learn music on the guitar.

Now you feel confident

Now do you feel like you are ready to try something new? There are many different of audio files on the internet and it can be heaps of fun to try replicate, the many easy guitar songs to learn that you have found. Playing by ear requires concentration and a good ear for music, once you mastered this you will be well on you way to becoming an advance guitar student.

Never give up

By now you will have realized there are plenty of easy guitar songs to learn and they are widely available and most of the time they are available at no cost you. Always keep practicing as you can never do too much!

I hope I have helped you find some easy guitar songs to learn and that you will continue to play and enjoy your guitar as much as I enjoy mine.

Guitar instruction

2006-05-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

I can still clearly remember learning to play my first song on a guitar. It was the song titled "Nothing else matters" from Metallica. I must admit I didn't know it would be so "difficult". You know, the beginning is quite deceiving :-)

Today, of course I'd learn such a song in a few hours if I really wanted to learn it. I'd even be able to "skin" it from a recording, but to get to this level it takes time and energy...

There is no easy way to the learn guitar but some prove better then others. I will now take you though what I think is the best way to learn to play guitar. Some may disagree but there is only one way to find out and that is to try it for your self.

Below are some tips and tricks that will give you good head start but by far the best way to learn to play guitar is to always practice and never give up.

--> Preparation <--

Always make sure your equipment is in good order and you guitar is tuned properly there is no point in trying to play guitar when you do every thing right and it still sounds wrong. Also try and find a space that is quite and free from distraction and noise if you do not concentrate it will make it a lot harder then it should be.

Make sure you stretch your fingers a bit before you play. Just make a fist a couple of times and open your hand as much as you can. Be careful not to injure yourself!

--> Know your guitar <--

Try to learn everything you can about your guitar. Find out what every thing is called and be able to find it quickly. One of the best ways to learn to play guitar is to know your guitar. Guitars are not all the same and each one sounds different, you will find this out as your experience grows and hopefully your enjoyment and appreciation of them does too.

Scales make for a great warm up. Playing scales also improves your motor abilities in fingers. Later on, when you're better you can also "invent" your own warm-up techniques.

--> Know your skill level <--

Be careful you don’t start too high you do not want to frustrate your self on the first day. Pick something easy to begin with, a lot of music books start you off with some simple strumming patterns and old songs. The best way to learn to play guitar is to start small and work your way up until you feel confident to progress to something harder and more entertaining.

If you're anything like me, you know deep down that anything is possible. I had this mentality and that's why my guitar playing improved very quickly. I was able to play a single "reef" for hours until I got it just right. Plus in the process I learned and invented my own reefs.

--> Stick with what you know <--

By now I would hope you have the basics sorted out and are ready to move on to something harder. Try to find and artist you like and are familiar with and try and replicate parts of there songs. Sheet music for most bands are wildly available and I think is the most rewarding and the best way to learn to play guitar, because you are making a song you know and like.

--> Gain confidence <--

When you feel like your ready to progress try to focus all you time on one song and when you have it burnt it your memory organize a small group of friend or family to listen to you play. The best way to learn to play guitar is to have confidence in your self because the guitar is meant to be enjoyed by everyone. It is not much fun sitting in a dark room playing to your self. Although I must admit I was very guilty of just this. I'd usually start playing at about seven PM and played up until 1 AM the next day. That's 6 hours a day.

I remember my parents calling me "our little guitarist in the dark" :-)

I hope you learned something from this list and continue to play for a very long time, because the best way to learn to play guitar is to have fun and share it with other people. Don't be afraid to get some guitar lessons (books, videos) or even a guitar instruction.

Guitar instruction

2006-05-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

Hi, welcome to my Guitar instruction blog!

What Is the Best Way to Learn Guitar?

With the increasing popularity of rock music during the last few decades, playing the guitar has become very appealing for many people. While there are many teenagers out there who dream of becoming rock superstars, there are also many people that want to learn how to play the guitar just for the sake of it. It's very common that a young person is very popular if he or she is receiving guitar instructions.

However, many of them don't find the best way to learn guitar and after a few unsuccessful attempts, they finally give up.

Different people have different learning needs. In addition, we also have different resources, different jobs, different errands to run and different schedules. If you're not at the level you want, maybe it's because you haven't found the best way to learn guitar yet. There are several ways to learn how to play the guitar. Listed below are only a few of them.

Theory Books

There are thousands of theory books on the market that teach you how to play the guitar. Some of them are even very good and can provide you with all the information you need. Books are an inexpensive and comfortable strategy to learn how to play the guitar. Unfortunately, experience shows that for many of us they just don't work. However, if you are a very patient person, a theory book might be the best way to learn guitar.

Video Lessons

Video guitar lessons are available on DVDs and video tapes in almost any music store, as well as on virtual shops. In addition, there are also some video lessons available online. Some of them are even free. Video lessons are more dynamic and have a better chance of keeping you focused. They have the advantage of allowing you to practice at home whenever you find the time to do it. However, the inconvenience is that you can't benefit from the personalized attention and useful feedback a teacher could provide.

Private Lessons

If you are willing to dedicate a lot of time as well as some money to this, private lessons are definitely the best way to learn guitar. A good teacher can design a customized teaching program to suit your learning style and provide you with individualized attention and positive feedback to get you motivated. In addition, he/she can also spot and correct your mistakes very fast.

Learning by Ear

Learning the guitar by ear can be very fun, especially if you have some sort of musical bone in your body, and that bone is humming with lots of vibration, you might find that this is the best way to learn guitar for you. With the modern slowing down technology, it is much easier now than it used to be for our parents' generation.

You should always keep in mind that playing the guitar should be fun. If you find it difficult or stressing, your learning strategy might have a lot to do with it. Sometimes you need to try several learning methods before finding the one that works best for you. However, if you really want to play the guitar like a pro and have enough time and money, taking up private lessons is probably the best way to go.