Monday 23 May 2011

Fretboard mastery

Welcome to part one of my fretboard memorization system. I'm sure you probably know some of the reasons why knowing the notes on guitar fretboard is important to your skill set as a guitarist. But just in case you think it might be a option, let me assure you it can be one of the most helpful things you can do for your progress as a guitarist.
Accurate guitar soloing is dependent on knowing where you are on the fretboard. It is worth your time to learn the notes on guitar fretboardSure there are ways to make it sound like you knew what you were doing but if you are totally wrong about where you are on the fretboard it will sound terrible.
Chord construction - all chords are movable around the fretboard, if you know your chord shapes then you can just move to where the right root note is for that particular chord.
Scales are the basic building blocks of music and just like chords they are movable up and down the guitar fretboard. Find the root note on the neck of your guitar and you are ready for that lick or riff that you practiced, just in another key.
If you have trained your ears properly, which is a whole new subject, you will be able to move straight to the correct position to crank into the lead you know you are ready for.
Just being able to go straight to the notes on guitar fretboard you are hearing while playing with a band is one of the important reasons that memorizing the fretboard is important.
Being ready in just that sort of situation can mean the difference between getting a gig in a band or being passed up.
For the most part, if your a little like me at all, having a guitar book or teacher tell you that you have to memorize the fretboard is intimidating to say the least.
So I've put together a diagram chart system for learning the fretboard notes easily.
I hope It helps.

Looking for a good Guitar power chords chart?

When I decided to put together a guitar power chords chart, I knew that you were probably looking for more than just a chart. You probably want to get to making music with a solid rock sound as fast as possible. Am I on the right track? I hope so.
But, just in case your just looking for a free guitar power chords chart here's one for you. But please keep reading.
The key to making music with power chords instead of just knowing a bunch of random chords is right below this chart.
Lets get to it.

Guitar Power Chords Chart

guitar power chords chart
Power chords - why do they have that name? Well the best explanation probably comes from listening to them. Preferablythrough a large 100 watt tube powered stack turned all the way up. (protect your ears!) You could even get a good explanation with it turned only to 7.A power chord is the most powerful full sounding chord that can come out of a guitar. That's why they are called power chords.
They can be rightly claimed to be the basis of most of the Rock and Blues songs out there.
Is it easy to play power chords? Yes, Very. If there is a perfect place to start sounding really good on a guitar, it would be power chords.
Power chords usually use one, two or at the most three fingers - and that's for the most advanced ones out there.I hope to include some video in the near future to show how really easy this stuff is.

Wednesday 18 May 2011

How to play rhythm guitar and why it is so important?

How to play rhythm guitar? Learn to get into the groove. Grooves are recurring rhythmic and harmonic vehicular patterns that propel you down the path of music.
What does that have to do with rhythm guitar? The rhythm guitar along with bass and drums is a major component of the groove.
It is either the sailboat or the freight train that the lead guitar rides on. Remember grade school? Wooden blocks for rhythm? Some kid playing a catchy tune over that with a kazoo?
Same Idea only you use different patterns of chords and notes instead of smacking blocks together.

So why learn how to play rhythm guitar?

1. It is vital to your development as a skilled guitarist in demand.2. It's one heck of allot of fun.
3. You can save a ton of money and frustration recording your own backing tracks to learn and play solo guitar.
4. Face it - the singer of the group gets most the attention and rhythm guitar is easier to sing over than lead.
5. If your a guy Chicks dig a great guitar player. Learning how to play rhythm guitar will send you on your way.
6. If your a girl a secure guy that isn't flaky will dig it too.

Rhythm Guitars -What kind do you need?

The only real choices here that can help you learn hot to play rhythm guitar are these:1. The type of guitar, acoustic or electric.
2. The type of music
3. The ease of chording and riffing which has to do with:
4. Personal preferences in the shape of the neck.

There are no hard rules just personal preferences and choices which is a personal expression of the guitarists art.

 

Best beginner acoustic guitar choices - so many - how do you choose?

Choosing the best beginner acoustic guitar can make or break a successful experience learning to play guitar. Guitars are like anything else - quality counts.
It seems like most of the advice that I have come across from most sources recommend that someone learning how to play guitar start with a inexpensive acoustic beginner guitar.
That can be alright (sometimes) but a instrument that's too cheap might be a piece of junk that's very hard to play or is impossible to setup right - in other words a complete waste of money..

Usually it's because most people don't know any better and will try a few guitar lessons with a cheap guitar, decide its too much work and give up.While having a good guitar could keep them enthusiastic about their new adventure.
If most learners started with a quality instrument not as many of them would give up from pure frustration.
When I was a kid my first was a particle board Roy Rogers guitar.
It did not sound all that great and regardless of the collector value today, at the time it was a major discouragement because it just didn't sound good and being a kid, I thought it was pretty cheesy.
Guitar practice motivation is important to keep at a peak for any guitar student and a beginners guitar should inspire a person to learn how to play. Just by the fact that it sounds so great all by itself, is easy to fret and doesn't hurt fingers by having to press so hard or is cutting into the fingers because of sharp frets.
Another choice that can inspire someone to greatness is buying a guitar that is best for the type of music the beginner wants to play.
Acoustic beginner guitar choices do not have to be expensive to sound good.
Do you have to spend a ton of money to buy a guitar that sounds great?
It can help but it's not necessary. Some well established companies such as Yamaha put out some great beginner guitars.
There are some very reasonably priced acoustic beginner guitars that are quality products and sound great.
So What should you look for in a beginner guitar?the same things you should look for in any acoustic guitar. It should be the right size for the person using it, fit comfortably in their hands, sound great and it should be easy to fret chords and notes on. A guitar that is easy to tune and stays in tune is very important.
Here's what my research has also uncovered.