Get to Know the Blues with Blues Guitar Lessons

By Neil Gierlach

Learning to play music and more specifically learning the guitar is a very rewarding experience. A lot of people teach themselves how to play the guitar, and they get to a stage where they want to take their playing to the next level. In order to truly understand music, one must delve in to the world of the blues guitar.

The blues came from the slaves along the farms of the mighty Mississippi. During the day the workers would sing as they worked on the plantations, and then by night they would spend their time in the Juke Joints in their habitations. From here the blues developed and grew, and from the blues rock and roll was born.

When you learn the guitar you will probably start by learning chords and piecing together songs from these. Once you get a bit more used to working the fret board it is time to learn some lead guitar moves. The best way to start learning is to learn some of the scales.

The most common, and perhaps important of the scales you can learn on the guitar is the blues scale. Once you understand how the blues scale is constructed you will be able to understand how it is used in other varieties of music. The blues scale therefore is the best place to start on your lead guitar journey.

In order to learn the blues guitar well you want to make sure that you master the basics properly. The best way to make sure that you avoid beginner's mistakes and get a proper understanding of the music is to have lessons. You can have blues guitars lessons delivered in a variety of different ways.

You could go for lessons given by a local tutor. You can find names of tutors from a music or guitar shop in your area, or you might find adverts for them in local newspapers. There are other ways to learn however.

There are many resources online that you can use to learn the blues guitar. One of these ways is to purchase a set of video lessons that take you step by step through the blues. With this method you will follow a structured learning approach and get a much better understanding of the music.

If you want to take your guitar playing to the next level then learning the blues is one of the best ways to do this. Learn the foundations of the blues and then make sure that you play as much as possible to get a real feel for the music. Once you master these you'll be able to take your playing to new heights. - 32186

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Guitar Strings - Why Should I Use Nylon Strings?

By Phil Zertisky

When playing your guitar, the choice of the guitar strings will create a different sound depending on which type you use. Depending on the type of music that you prefer to play also has an impact on choosing the correct strings. Many guitars are built and tuned to use the strings that are originally with the instrument and should be used when being replaced. If you choose to change them, you will likely hear a different sound and in many cases, your guitar will lose some of the quality.

If you play an acoustic guitar, you will use different strings than if you play an electric one. Some strings that are used on acoustics are only designed for this instrument and will not give a pleasant sound at all, if used on any other kind. What you will find is the variety and cost of strings will vary, dramatically, depending on the quality of your guitar.

The simple explanation is this. Nylon strings are predominantly for acoustics and steel or bronze strings are for electrics. There is also consideration for how you play. If you are seeking a more mellow and deep sound, this will be achieved much easier with nylon strings. Think John Mayer, Eric Clapton (post Cream genre) or Jimmy Buffet. Your electric guitar, with steel strings, will have a more brash sound and allow you to reflect more emotion. Consider the sounds of Pete Townsend, Slash or Richie Sambora.

With each of these consummate professionals, they create their sounds based on how the strings tie into the song that they are performing. You should do the same. Some of the newer companies on the market are adding a liquid nitrogen to their strings and have added a new sound. These are designed to add more tone and have an additional life expectancy. They are also more expensive.

Whereas nylon strings are almost exclusively used on acoustic guitars, you can get a great sound using bronze strings on them as well. Because of the echo that is created in the body of the guitar, you get a very rich and full sound, but if you are not playing the notes perfectly, you will likely hear some vibration and incomplete notes or chords. Using these on electric guitars, you do not have quite the same challenge.

One of the biggest concerns for the casual player is comfort. Using nylon strings is easier of your fingers, especially if you are just starting out. To get the best sounds from your chords, you need to develop callouses on your finger tips and you will not engage in quite as much discomfort learning with nylon stings. With all other types, just be prepared to experience some learning curve pain, as you develop your finger tips. This will go away, the more you play, but in the early stages, if you are really determined to play a lot, there will definitely be some discomfort.

As with most everything, your guitar strings need care. Your perspiration and body oils will get on the strings and change the sound and make it more difficult to perform your chords and note playing. So, clean them often and maintain the quality. If you are planning to perform, always have an extra set of the same strings, in case of breakage.

If you are a seasoned player, try some of the new technology and see if those allow you to be more creative and generate better sounds. Guitars are a great instrument and once you get started, you will likely never put it down, so best of luck with creating your sounds. - 32186

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Teach Yourself Guitar: How Learn From Home

By Tommy Beltrani

Learning any skill these days is becoming easier every day. There is so much information available on the web in books, magazines and DVDs that has become very easy to teach yourself guitar or anything else for that matter without the need of a tutor. All you need is determination and a good practice routine to follow.

Choose a good guitar course and then set yourself a practice routine you are comfortable with. The secret is consistency so you should be doing a little bit every day or at least six days a week. It's better to do a little every day than a lot once week.

You must be realistic with your practice and don't over do it unless you really have the time for it. Half an hour x day is probably good enough for most of you and it's definitely a good start. During you practice work on your guitar tutorial exercises and don't waster your time on jamming too much.

Your practice time is crucial! The less time you have for your practice the less you have to waste, therefore make sure you practise the right exercises that gets results ASAP.

Your first goal when you teach yourself guitar is to master the main open chord shapes, a few rhythms and with that you can start practicing easy guitar songs. The trick is to make the song flow by keeping the beat and Bob is your uncle.

I know I'm making it sound a bit easy but that's all you need to start learning guitar. As long as you practice daily and you introduce the right exercises gradually you are set for a great start. - 32186

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Learn Guitar Fast With This Approach

By Melissa King

No one can learn how to play guitar overnight. There just isn't any magic formula. But don't let that discourage you, because you can dramatically shorten the learning curve with some of the excellent tools that are available to help you learn guitar fast. You can learn guitar from the comfort of your own home with a little help and some coaching.

Famous guitarists make playing look easy because they have dedicated a significant portion of their time to learning and refining their skills. They have channeled tremendous energy into practice and they have disciplined themselves to be patient.

Almost all renowned guitarists played guitar for a number of years before they ever made it to the big leagues. And even for the most skillful players, there is always something new to work on.

Go Slowly

If you are new to the guitar you will first want to learn the parts of the guitar and their functions. Then you can start learning to play simple chords. Beginners sometimes become overzealous and try to learn complicated chords too soon. Also be careful not to try to play too fast. The best way to learn is to play slowly until you have learned a few chords, then a simple song. After that, gradually speed up until you are able to play at the speed the song was written for.

Learn and practice just one chord at a time. Find the chord you're learning to play on a chord chart and position your fingers as shown on the chart. Do your best to perfect each chord before you move on to the next. Play each chord using the proper hand placement and pressure on the guitar strings. If the chord you're practicing sounds a little off, change your finger placement and pressure until it sounds right.

Repetition Works

Practice the same two or three chords enough times to be able to find them without looking down at the guitar neck. Then, you are ready to start playing simple songs. Find songs that use the chords you have already practiced and perfected.

Your confidence will increase with each new chord you master. Playing your first song is extremely rewarding, and once you succeed, your skills will quickly build and you'll start to learn guitar fast. This encourages you to study and practice even more.

You want reliable guitar lessons when you are a beginner. Several options are available. You can choose to take guitar lessons from an actual instructor at a music store, purchase DVD guitar training, or buy and download guitar instruction through the Internet. No matter which of these methods you choose, make sure your instruction is the best.

Learning at Home

Time Many guitarists prefer to study at home. There are several advantages of this approach. You don't have to schedule time with a teacher. You can learn at your own pace. You can stop and repeat lessons until you are comfortable before moving on. You can skip lessons if you choose. Also, the cost of home-study is minimal when compared to live lessons.

First-class instruction, realistic goals and a commitment to practicing an hour every day will let you learn guitar fast. It's as easy as that. - 32186

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Acoustic Guitar Lesson: How Should I Practice?

By Josh Dexter

In this acoustic guitar lesson let's discuss about how you should structure your practice routine.

Knowing how to break up your practice schedule is essential if you want to learn guitar fast and see proper results. Playing around aimlessly has never gotten anybody anywhere and you really need to have some focus and discipline if you want to grow as a guitar player.The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. So my point is this: "If you want to grow as a musician then you need to have a dedicated practice time and it should be divided between different topics.

This is not set in stone but I have seen awesome results from my students who followed this schedule.

1. Chords will be you first focus and you'll spend 5 minutes learning and practicing 2 or 3 chords until you have the down and can change between them effortlessly.

2. Five minutes is rhythm time. Start with one or two rhythms and make sure you can play them properly and relaxed. Play along to a drum machine if possible.

3. Songs are a great way to solidify the chords and rhythms you've been practicing and you'll also get a taste of your new skills in action.

4. 3 minutes is set aside for some left and right hand synchronization. Scales and Chromatic exercises are great ways to enhance your two hands coordination.

5. The next 3 minutes is devoted to ear training. Developing your aural skills is super important and it could start as simple as telling the difference between Major and Minor chords.

6. The last few minutes has been reserved for you to play anything you like. Make sure it's something you enjoy and never put the guitar down in a frustrated state.

That's all for this acoustic guitar lesson. This kind of focus, dedication and commitment will ensure that you grow daily as a musician and it's guaranteed to turn you into an awesome guitar player in the shortest time possible. FACT! - 32186

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How to Learn to Play Acoustic Guitar

By Scarlett Tutten

In this world with all sorts of designs of music and bands, finding somebody to show you what you really dream of taking part in is reasonably tough. The problem is finding a tutor who'll offer you a smart guitar lesson that doesn't embrace all the stuff that actually doesn't matter when it comes down to simply taking part in a song.

You can practice for many hours to replicate your favorite guitar player playing style, but when you have the proper instruction you have the path to get to the point of playing fluently you will be able to copy the style and get it down.

Some play quick and slim and others play wide and slow, this is often how you learn the way to use totally different vibrato techniques, follow and more practice. Once you've achieved a basic understanding of the right notes and sounds you are ready to start out learning how to tune by ear. The traditional approach of learning guitar is by taking personal lessons from a guitar teacher. The amount of selections is overwhelming, starting from distance instruction learning or online lessons. These days there are various choices to learn a way to play instruments whether you like rock, jazz, rock or classical music, these are simply some of the numerous varieties of music.

The key to mastering the guitar successfully is in making the chord changes that will help in taking part in the instrument. They're the C major chord, G major chord, and also the D major chord. You ought to spend hours practicing chords and scales forms and every one the whereas making sure that every note sounds perfect.

However you will find that if you employ these simple scale forms together with an appropriate chord progression this will sound smart additional often. A chord progression primarily based on the A minor chord will sound sensible with A minor pentatonic and a C major chord can sound sensible with C major scale.

When learning the way to play the guitar, often several individuals kind and produce bad habits which does not facilitate with the taking part in of the guitar, they have to figure twice as arduous to change to sensible habits and find back on track.. These unhealthy habits are straightforward to beat once the person realizes that he has them and becomes acquainted with the correct way to play the guitar.

You recognize the old saying, observe makes perfect. But it is one thing you must strive to incorporate into your observe as often as potential if you wish to work out a real improvement within the solos and melodies you create on guitar. - 32186

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