Posts Tagged ‘guitar’

Find the Best Guitar Lessons Online

If you want to learn to play guitar, there are great variety of resources online So what are the best guitar lessons? Some are free, and some you need to pay for. Of course, if you pay for guitar course you can expect much higher quality and a better learning experience for you. You’ll find the quality of the product to be better.

So, what are the three things to watch out for when you’re searchingfor guitar lessons online? We’ll talk about three main points you need to consider when looking for guitar lessons.

First, you want to find a website that looks to be of high quality. If the website looks poorly put together, the product is probably poorly put together too. So, be on the lookout for website that looks well put together. While you can’t learn everything there is to know about a guitar product just by looking at its website, you can get a gauge of how committed they are to quality.

Secondly, check Google to find a review of the specific product you want. If you can find some good honest guitar product reviews that rate a product highly, you’ve most likely found a product that you can count on.

 

The third thing to look for when trying to decide on which online guitar lesson to purchase is a moneyback guarantee. If a product does not offer you a moneyback guarantee, always walk away. Most vendors online are legitimate, but you need to watch out for unsavory and dishonest websites. If they’re promising to return all your money if you don’t like the product, then there really is no risks to you at all. If you don’t like the product, all you have to do is remember to return the product in time.

Now you’re armed with information to make a great decision. I really hope that now you have a clear idea of what to look for when shopping for guitar lessons online. Of course, now comes a time where you stop reading, go find your course, and start mastering the guitar!

You can read plenty more great guitar and effects reviews, like the coolest Danelectro guitar effects, at MyGuitarGuide.com

 

 

Technorati Tags: , ,

How Find the Best Guitar Lessons Online

If you want to learn to play guitar, there are great variety of resources online Learning basic skills is important, and you should be able to play some chords and learn the guitar fretboard within your first few months of playing. So what are the best guitar lessons? some you need to pay for, and some resources are free. Of course, if you’re paying then you can expect the quality to be much higher. The quality of the product will simply be higher. You can also check out sick guitar wallpaper here.

So, what exactly do you need to be on the lookout for when searching for the perfect guitar lessons online? Let’s discuss the three points of finding the best guitar lessons online.

First, you want to find a website that looks to be of high quality. if the website looks shoddy, the product may very well be shoddy too. Find a site you like the look of. A website will be very revealing, and let you know what type of quality product you can expect.

Second, you want to find and read reviews of whatever lessons you looking for. If you can find some good honest guitar lesson reviews that rate a product highly, you’ve most likely found a product that you can count on.

The third thing to look for when trying to decide on which online guitar lesson to purchase is a moneyback guarantee. Don’t even consider buying a product that doesn’t have a moneyback guarantee. Most vendors online are trustworthy, but you still have to watch your back for scams. If a product offers a 30 or 60 day moneyback guarantee, there really is no risk. If it turns out that you don’t like the product, just a member to return in time for a full refund.

After reading this article you should have a good idea of what to look for. My goal is that you’re more confident now in your search for guitar lessons. Now go pick the right course and be on your way to rock stardom!

For more info on a great guitar course, check out this Review of Jamplay

Technorati Tags: , ,

A Complete Jamorama Review: Is It the Real Deal?

As fun as playing guitar is, at times it can be frustrating if you aren’t getting the results you expect. This is common for the beginner, but even more advanced players feel this way and it can be tough to get out of a rut. And believe me, I’ve been around the block and should know. I’ve been playing for 16 years, and while I’ve had a blast, sometimes I hit a wall. It can also be annoying when you’re trying to learn from less than stellar materials and courses. After coming across this package awhile back, I decided to write my own Jamorama review.

Professional guitar teacher BenEdwards, and the rest of the team at Jamorama, have really addressed these issues in the most recent version of Jamorama. The first release they put together was a smashing success, but they’re trying to improve upon it with the latest version. In my optionion, this new package really amazes in terms of sheer quality and completeness. It’s got a lot of great features that will help newbies or old pros accelerate their playing and break through to that next level.

So what’s inside? For starters you’ve got a heap of great guitar instruction in a glossy two book series, but my favorite part is the nearly 150 video examples and exercises they put in the course so the student can hear and see exactly what they should be doing. This is priceless… it’s great to read about guitar, but nothing beats an instructor showing you, up close from 2 different camera angles, how to play a chord or phrase. Another thing in this package (which I’ve never seen before, and I’ve reviewed tons of guitar products) are the two special computer games made to help your music reading and pitch recognition. Nice touch.

In addition to this they include the Pro version of GuitEarit and Jayde Musica! as free bonuses designed to train your ear and make it possible for you to easily play songs off the radio. Both of these programs are excellent free bonuses, but more importantly they’re easy and fun to play.

They seem to be crazy about bonuses, and as such you get 2 additional free ebooks thrown in. “Advanced Learning Techniques for Guitar” and “How to tune your guitar”. Advanced Techniques introduces the concept of mental visualization, which is will defintely speed up how quickly you learn~Advanced Techniques highlights the technique of mental visualization, an excellent idea for shortening the learning curve}~Advanced Techniques introduces the concept of mental visualization, which is will defintely speed up how quickly you learn~Advanced Techniques dives into the idea of mental visualization, which is actually a really cool trick for speeding up the learning process~Advanced Techniques highlights the technique of mental visualization, an excellent idea for shortening the learning curve}. This mental technique is like practicing, but you’re not actually playing. I thought this was a little hokey at first, but then I tried it and was actually really surprised how much it helped me speed up my own learning. The second bonus book, “How to tune your guitar” may seem basic, but it’s got some great information and a tip I’d never heard of before.

Extra bonuses? Oh yeah, they throw in a metronome for you, which is an essential practice tool.

With all of the high quality books, games, videos, and bonuses they give you with this package, I thought Jamorama was a great Guitar Course and have no problem recommending it to My Guitar Guide readers. I have been a guitarist for many many years, and if I got plenty of value from it then I know anyone will be able to. My only regret is that I started playing guitar in the early 1990s, before the Internet took off, and I had to learn the hard way  Oh well… there’s never been a better time to learn guitar than today!

This package is by far the most complete and fresh approach to guitar playing that I have seen in a long time, and the subscribers of My Guitar Guide have rated it 5 stars as well. I definitely recommend this product because I’ve seen it do wonders for my own playing and I believe it will have you playing your favorite popular songs like a professional. There really is something for everyone, whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned pro. And at the current cost… well, suffice it to say that you don’t need to waste your money on $200 guitar courses out there, Jamorama does an excellent job for under $50. I really hope this Jamorama review has helped you, and that you can use this package to help your playing today. I hope you’ve enjoyed my Jamorama review!

 

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

Revealed The Secrets To Playing Guitar

Learning to play a musical instrument of any kind is something lots of people want to do but never get around to, and one of the most popular choices is the guitar.  Thankfully, learning to play the guitar is actually not that difficult once you understand how a guitar works and can get to grips with the way guitar music is written.

Whether you fancy playing electric guitar or acoustic guitar, you will need to learn in exactly the same way to start with.

Obviously you need to start by getting a guitar to learn on.  Even if you are aiming to play the electric guitar, it maybe cheaper to start with an acoustic guitar as these can be picked up at excellent low prices and are good enough to learn the basics with.  Before you actually start to learn to play, you need to start by getting used to holding a guitar.  You want to get to the stage where it feels more natural to have a guitar in your hands.

The next step is to learn the notes of each string. There are 6 of them, all of which when playing with other people would need to be tuned, so learning how to tune your guitar is a good step too, as is overall familiarization of your instrument.  Put your guitar face up on your lap so that you can learn the order of the strings.  Furthest away from you at the bottom is E. This is high E, whereas the string nearest you is an octave apart and is low E.

Starting with high E moving back to you the string sequence is E (high) A D G B E (low).

Your left hand is used to create the chords we use to play the guitar, as you hold down one or more of the strings at a specific point along the neck; we call the neck the fret board.

A tab is the proper name for guitar music, and is a graphical form of music, where six lines have been drawn to show each of the strings. A number is printed on each line and this shows you at which you need to be holding the string – so 3 on the top line means you should be holding the high E at the 3rd fret.  Before you can really learn to play the guitar you need to learn how to read tabs with ease, and you should practice this until it becomes 2nd nature, as it really is important that you understand it.

When single numbers appear one after the other on a guitar tab, a single string should be played one after the other as directed.  However, where more than one number appears in a stack you are looking at a chord and you need to depress more than one string at the same time on different frets to create a perfect chord.

It may not be what you want to hear, but there is only one way to get really good at playing the guitar and that is to practice daily where possible, and be disciplined about it.  Learning to play any instrument isn’t instant, but if you practice regularly you will start to hear improvements for yourself and this is very uplifting.

On a bad day, walk away and find something else to do rather than just keep sitting there getting more and more fed up – but do come back later and try again.  Choose music that you actually enjoy playing as this is much better for your morale than endlessly fighting to learn to play something you hate listening to.

Technorati Tags: , , , , ,

What to know before Buying an Acoustic Guitar

 

Knowing how to choose the right guitar and how to identify a bad one, will save you from countless headaches, not to mention finger aches.

 

Acoustic guitar bodies come in basically the same hourglass shape, with some variations, but they do vary in size, color, wood-type, style, and extra features. You can even buy an acoustic guitar so small that fits into a hiking backpack.

 

 

Guitars come in a very wide range of prices, but when it comes to instruments, in general, you get what you pay for, especially when you buy new. There’s a real difference between getting a bargain and buying cheap.

 

But whether you buy new or used may be determined by many personal factors including your budget, and each has their own pros and cons.

 

Buying new, gives you a warranty and, hopefully, a return period, if for some reason you’re not totally satisfied with your purchase, or something goes wrong.

 

Under ‘usual’ circumstances, a used guitar can usually be purchased cheaper and has already gone through its “break-in” period.

 

Commercially built guitars are usually mass manufactured. “Custom-made” guitars are exactly that. They are custom built and tailored to your specifications by a highly skilled guitar maker.

 

Prices for a custom-built guitar vary considerably, depending on the skill level of the craftsperson you contract the job to, but, as a rule, they are generally quite higher than a commercially built guitar of “similar” quality. Each custom built guitar is unique and so it is hard to compare in price to a commercially built guitar.

 

FOR THE “TECHIES”

 

Understanding some of the parts of a guitar will definitely help you when it comes to the Pre-Purchase Checklist.

 

BODY: This is the part with the sound hole in the front. It is where the strumming is done, and it can vary in size. The actual size, shape, type of wood, coating, and general build of the body also affects how the guitar will “sound”, whether it’s a rich and warm sound, or a thin and ‘twangy’ sound. The body tends to be the part that also gets scratched, damaged, and generally banged-up the most.

 

NECK: This is the long piece extending from the body and ends at the ‘head’ of the guitar where the ‘Tuning Heads’ are, also known as ‘machine heads’. The strings travel from the ‘Bridge’ on the body, across the sound hole, along the ‘Fret Board’, which is attached to the front-side of the neck, and finally arriving at the tuning heads where they are wrapped around tuning posts. The tuning heads are then turned by hand, which then turns the posts, making the strings tighter or looser, thus affecting their ‘tuning’. Necks tend to warp and twist if not looked after, or if the guitar is left propped against a heat source.

 

BRIDGE: The Bridge is normally located on the front of the body, by the sound hole, and on the side of the hole opposite to the neck. The strings are usually fed through the bridge first before they cross the hole and travel up the neck to the tuning heads. The bridge is like an anchor-point for the strings. Metal bridges are best, but on most acoustics they can be hard plastic or wood. Bridges have a tendency to crack and split over a long period of time.

 

FRET BOARD: The fret board is glued to the front of the neck. This is the part you press the strings onto to make chords or play individual notes. Because it’s glued on separately, a fret board can be made of a wood that’s different from the neck.

 

The strings travel over the fret board and the distance they are above the fret board makes a difference to the playability of the guitar. If the strings are too far above the fret board, then they will be hard to press down, making the guitar hard to play.

 

When a beginner plays a guitar, initially his or her fingertips are very soft and need to be hardened. A guitar with the strings too far above the fret board, also known as having a ‘high action’, will cause the player’s fingers to hurt so much that they are likely to put the guitar away in discouragement and possibly stop playing altogether.

 

STRINGS: Acoustic guitar strings, come in a wide variety of ‘flavors’. They can be made out of nylon, brass, steel, or a combination. Nylon strings are usually only found on Classical guitars and Student guitars, because they’re easier on the fingertips. They have a rich, warm sound to them.

 

Strings sets come in different ‘weights’, or sizes. Strings that come from a package marked ‘Heavy’ are usually quite thick in size and sound “beefy”. Strings that are light, or extra light, are very thin and usually have a brighter sound to them, but are also quieter sounding than heavy strings.

 

String choices are purely personal taste. Light strings are much easier to press than heavy strings but also sound quite different. The more often strings are played, the dirtier they will get. If a cloth isn’t run over and under them, from time to time, the sound becomes very dull

 

THE PRE-PURCHASE CHECKLIST

 

- Before you buy a used guitar, cost-compare against the price of a new one, unless the guitar is quite old. You could also compare its used price to other used prices by going to an online auction and either searching for the same or a similar guitar.

- Check the overall condition of the wood for cracks, scratches, splits, dents, chips, etc.

- Also check the lacquer finish for cracks and splits.

- Check the neck/fret board for warping and twisting. You can do this by holding the guitar flat on its back, with the sound hole facing upward. Bring the guitar up to eye-level, with the neck running away from you and the edge of the body almost touching your face. Let your eyesight skim across the front of the body and down the fret board. You should be able to see if the neck is twisted or bowing.

- Tune the guitar, or have the seller tune it for you.

- If you know how to play about five or six chords then play them. If you don’t know how to play, ask the seller to play them for you. This check ensures that the neck of the guitar is not warped, even though you couldn’t physically see it. If the neck is warped, and the guitar is properly tuned, then some of the chords will sound good, but others will sound as though the guitar is not tuned. If this happens, check the tuning again. If it persists, then don’t buy the guitar.

- Check the bridge of the guitar. If it’s made out of wood or plastic, just be sure it’s not cracked or splitting. The bridge needs to be rock-solid, as a lot of pressure is exerted on the bridge by the strings.

- Check the tuning heads. Do they turn easily, or are they stiff and hard to turn. Even with the high tension of the strings, a quality guitar will have tuning heads that are fairly easy to turn.

- Check the ‘action’ of the guitar. Are the strings a fair distance from the fret board? Are they easy or hard to press down at various points on the fret board?

- If you are buying the guitar for yourself, and you know how to play, even if you are a beginner, then by all means play the guitar.

- How does it feel?

- Is it easy or hard to play?

- Can you fit your hand around the neck/fret board comfortably to play chords?

- Is the guitar a comfortable size and shape for your body? Is it easy to hold?

- If you plan to play standing up, ask for a guitar strap.

- Do you like the sound, the color, etc?

- If you don’t play, have someone else play it for you so that you can listen to what it sounds like.

 

WHERE TO Buy Acoustic Guitars

 

Buying a guitar from a physical retail music store allows you to ‘test drive’ the guitar and ask more questions up front. Buying online or from a catalog may bring you more cash savings.

 

No matter where you buy your guitar, if you know what to look for, and spend a little extra effort in your search for that ‘perfect’ guitar, not only will your fingers thank you, but also your ears, and all those who will come to join you around the campfire, or even go to see you in concert. Who knows?

 

 

Technorati Tags: , ,

Categories
September 2010
S M T W T F S
« Mar    
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930