The Difference Between A Lead Guitar And A Rhythm Guitar

Lead guitar and Rhythm guitar. You’ve heard about both, but aren’t quite sure of the difference between the two. That’s understandable, as most beginners (myself included when I was at that stage) are confused by all of the different terms used to describe guitar related things. In this lesson, we’ll go over both the Lead and Rhythm guitar.

The Lead guitar

To put it simply, the Lead guitarist in a band is the one who plays melodies, single notes (and not as many chords), riffs and solos.

Lead guitarists are responsible for providing the most noticeable guitar sound of the song. As a result, lead guitarists must master several more techniques than rhythm guitarists must. These techniques include the basics such as hammer-ons, pull-offs, bends and slides, plus more advanced techniques like arpeggios and trills.

Lead guitarists are, essentially, in the spotlight. They have to be very skilled, as if they mess up, it’ll be pretty noticeable to those listening. They also must be able to improvise—they must be able to come up with catchy riffs, solid solos and good melodies. It takes a lot of practice and knowledge to become a skilled Lead guitarist.

The Rhythm guitar

You’re probably thinking by now that the Rhythm guitar is much easier to play than the Lead guitar is. That isn’t an accurate statement, though. Rhythm guitarists, too, must master several things that Lead guitarists really don’t have to.

Rhythm guitarists are responsible for the timing (rhythm) of the music. They must play the chords that hold the music together. Without a good Rhythm guitarist, the music as a whole suffers no matter how good the Lead guitarist is.

Rhythm guitarists must master the ability to switch quickly and efficiently between chords. They must also be able to strum well and must master the basic hammer-on, pull-off, slide, and bend techniques. Rhythm guitarists must also make sure that what they are playing is in sync with what the drummer and bassist are playing

While Rhythm guitarists play an integral role in the music, they are often overlooked. This is because the Lead guitarist’s playing (which is usually amped louder so that it can be heard over the drums and Rhythm guitar) often overshadows what the Rhythm guitarist does.

Which should I learn to play?

The most skilled guitarists, in my opinion, are those who have the ability to play both Lead and Rhythm guitar. For that reason, it is worth mastering both styles of guitar. That is to say, it is a terrific idea to master not just the techniques associated with Lead guitar(all the basics plus trills, arpeggios and other advanced techniques) but also those associated with Rhythm guitar(the basics plus quick chord switching, good strumming and good timing). Those guitarists who have mastered both techniques are highly skilled musicians.

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Learn to Play the Guitar Online

Learn to play the guitar online fast and impress your friends and family. Can it be done? Are you considering possibly taking online guitar lessons? Maybe you're wondering if online guitar lessons can work for you. In this article we are going to talk about the pros and cons of learning how to play the guitar online.

One of the best things about taking traditional guitar lessons, meaning face-to-face with a guitar instructor, is the real-time feedback that a professional guitar instructor can offer to you. Technology has come a long ways over the past five years or so. So can online guitar lesson websites really take the place of a traditional guitar teacher?

The answer is yes and no. Some of the websites on the Internet today are simply amazing. There are literally thousands upon thousands of fantastic guitar lessons available at your fingertips today. And for the most part, they only cost a fraction of what you would expect to pay for traditional guitar lessons.

And while you don't get the up close and personal attention that you would get from traditional guitar lessons, if you access to an unbelievable amount of information that makes learning the guitar faster and easier than it ever has been before.

Online guitar lessons are definitely an amazing thing. Guitar players now have access to so many things that just weren't possible only a few years ago. The main problem that most guitar players are going to have when seeking out online guitar lessons is making sure that they choose a lessons site is going to meet their needs and skill level.

So how do you know which lessons site is right for you? It really depends on a lot of factors. Your skill level, the type of music that you want to play, and many other factors all come into play when trying to choose the best online guitar lessons website.

That's why we've created http://easilyplayguitar.com/guitarreview/ - You can read all about the most popular online guitar lesson websites and find the one that best suits you and your specific situation. We review and compare all of the top online guitar lesson websites from across the Internet. If you want to learn to play the guitar online you must check out http://easilyplayguitar.com/guitarreview/

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Guitar Lesson – How To Change Guitar Strings

At some point, all guitarists need to learn how to change the strings on their guitar. Sometimes you'll be forced to change one when a string snaps. But usually, you'll simply want to change them, as strings lose their brightness and wear out.

The amount of time you leave between change strings varies depending on several factors. If you play your guitar regularly, then you might like to change your strings once a week or once a month.

Most Professional guitarists tend to change their strings before each gig. But in the end, it all comes down to a matter of personal preference. Something to bear in mind if you're using your guitar for a gig, is that your strings need a few hours of play to break in properly. During this time, your strings will go out of tune as they stretch so you'll have to retune.

Anyway, here's what you do:
Remove the old strings by detuning the machine heads until the tension becomes loose enough to allow you to pull each string away from the headstock.

Another quick way to remove the old strings is to snip them using a pair of wire cutters. Be very careful if you do it this way, and make sure they are loose, since the bare ends of the strings can be sharp and easily flap around. Bare guitar strings are amongst the many things you DO NOT want to catch in your eye.

How you go about installing your new strings will usually depend on the type of guitar you have, as many guitars have slightly different methods. However, the strings are usually held in place at one end by fixtures behind or on the bridge, and at the other by turning the machine head on the headstock.

Here's a small insider tip guitarists have been using for years to get more life from your steel strings once you've removed them: Boil them.

Dropping a set of strings into a pan of boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes will remove a lot of the grimy build up and bring a new life back to what would otherwise be lifeless strings.

It won't last for very long, and you can't get away with doing it too many times, but it can be an effective temporary measure.

I wouldn't suggest you rely on this technique too much, strings aren't too expensive - and using new strings saves you a lot of hassle.

Regardless of what kind of guitar you have, your strings need to be stretched after you've put them on. When you first tune your guitar, put your hand under each string around the pickup area, pull the string a few centimeters away from the fretboard, then release it. If the pitch has dropped, retune and repeat the process. Keep doing this until all the strings stay in tune.

On most electric guitars the strings are either secured at the bridge end by an independent tailpiece (like most Gibson guitars), or passed through the body of the instrument from the back into an all-in-one bridge unit (like most fender style guitars).

At one end of every steel string, you will find a tiny disc of metal around which one end of the string is wrapped. This is called the ball end.

Take the opposite end of the string and thread it through the fixture at the bridge.

Pull the string through until the ball end stops you from pulling the string any further.

Most electric and steel-string guitars use a similar system for securing strings at the machine head. The capstan to which the string is attached stands out vertically from the headstock. Strings can be passed through a hole in the side of the capstan.

The end is then passed around and under, trapping it in place when the machine head is tightened. Some capstans have vertical slots instead of holes. To use these, cut the string to length, and insert into the tip of the capstan. Then bend the string to one side and wind it around.

This leaves the string endings neat and tidy.
Here's what you do next: Slowly turn the machine head for each string, increasing the tension until the string becomes suitably tight.

To save yourself time and energy, you can use a cheap plastic string winder, which simply fits over the machine head allowing you to crank it along more quickly.

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Beginner Guitar Tips: How To Find And Select Your First Guitar

Learning to play guitar is a major decision, and getting a good starter guitar involves more decisions still. If you're shy about committing to a purchase of a brand new instrument, here are a few ways you can obtain a guitar:

If you have a friend or a relative who plays, ask them if they have an extra guitar to loan or sell to you. Maybe they will even give you some instructions on guitar playing. If you have any musician friends or relatives, ask if they have a spare guitar that you could borrow or buy. Most guitar freaks like myself have more than one guitar, and you can only play one at a time! So ask around first.

If you can't borrow, but don't want to commit to buying just yet, you can rent a guitar. Most music stores rent out instruments to beginning students on a weekly or monthly basis. This is an affordable option because it requires a weekly or monthly rental fee. If you then find that learning the guitar is not for you, then at least you won't be stuck with a guitar that you bought and now no longer want! And if you don't like the instrument you rented you can try another one instead.

When you go to rent a guitar, explain to the store clerk that you're just starting out and ask about their rental policy. Make sure you can change the instrument if the first one doesn't work out for you.

Ask about a repair policy, just in case you accidentally damage your rented guitar. Try out several of the guitars in the shop -- window-shopping will not do, you need to have a comfortable feel for the guitar. You should be looking for a guitar that isn't too wide or too large to hold, that you can hold comfortably in your lap with enough room for the strumming arm to hang down and easily strike the strings. Your elbow of your strumming arm should be able to hang down from the edge of the guitar in a relaxed fashion. Comfort is key! You will be spending hours and hours in guitar practice, so make sure you feel comfortable holding and playing the guitar. If you fall in love with a particular guitar, so much the better! Practice will be fun and not a chore, which will make a huge difference in your mastery of the instrument.

If you decide to buy a used guitar you need to make sure it's playable and doesn't have flaws that will impede your guitar playing. Small chips or nicks in the top, neck or body can be overlooked, because that is normal wear and tear. Belt buckles can scratch up the back side of the guitar body, but just scratches or nicks won't affect the sound or playability of the guitar.

What you need to look for are cracks, big dents, poor action, buzzing, and warped guitar necks. Do not buy a guitar with cracks in the body or top, or dents that go through the surface. The top, whether flat or archtop, must be free of any cracks and should be flat and not warped or curved.

Does the guitar buzz when played? Buzzing can come from a problem in the tuning pegs, the nut, too low an action, a warp in the neck, or an uneven bridge. Do not buy a used guitar that buzzes unless the store can have it fixed. Sometimes buzzing requires only slight adjustments to be fixed, but sometimes it may indicate a major problem with the guitar that you don't need to deal with. Buzzing in a new guitar can usually be remedied with a few slight adjustments, but buzzing in a used guitar is bad, unless the store can fix it before you buy it.

Buzzing can also occur when you don't press down your finger properly on the fret to produce a note. Since you don't yet know how to play, ask the store clerk to play the guitar for you to make sure it doesn't buzz.

Try the guitar out. Do the strings stay in tune? If not, there can be structural problems with the tuning machines and you definitely do not want to deal with that. Play the guitar for several minutes in the store, or ask someone else to play it so that you can determine whether the strings stay in tune. It's like buying a used car: you don't want to inherit someone else's headache. Generally, a reputable guitar store will take care of problems with used guitars before they place them for sale. But pay attention if you are buying used guitar: check the guitar out from headstock to bridge. If something seems amiss, look for another guitar! If you buy on eBay or another online vendor, make sure there is a return policy.

Next, check the action. When you press the strings down against the fingerboard with the fingertips of your playing hand make sure there isn't a lot of space between the strings and the fingerboard. The space between the upper fingerboard and the strings is called the "action,"and it makes a huge difference in the ease and speed of playing. A small distance between the strings and fingerboard (without buzzing) is very desirable for the beginner guitarist and in fact for all guitarists.

A large distance makes for very difficult playing and can discourage the beginner altogether. You'll need to develop hand strength to play in any case, so don't make it harder than it already is by getting a guitar with poor action!

You also want to check the guitar neck. A warped neck will be a real problem; it ruins the action and makes the guitar hard to play. Sight down the neck of the guitar from the headstock looking toward the guitar body, as if you were looking down the sight of a rifle. There should be a very slight curvature or dip near the body, not a big one, and the fingerboard should appear even from side to side.

If the guitar is otherwise comfortable, sounds good, fits into your body easily, and looks halfway decent, then it may just be the one for you. Follow your gut feeling on this: if the guitar feels really right, and has no major flaws, and you feel drawn to it, there's your answer. After all, the guitar is going to become your daily companion that you spend a lot of time with, so make sure you can make friends with it easily. If you're buying a used guitar from a shop, ask if there is any return period, just in case you find something wrong with it when you begin to practice.

The used guitar should come with a case or at least a lightweight gig bag. A cardboard box is not an ideal storage place for any guitar, used or new. If the case in not included then try to bargain for a new or used hardshell case, which is the toughest, most durable type of case, complete with felt inner lining and a durable exterior. A regular guitar case is cheaper than a hardshell, and will do fine if you are not in transit a lot with the guitar. Or you can probably get a new "gig bag," which is made of a lightweight plastic material, for about $20-30.

When you buy a new guitar, follow the above guitar tips just the same. Just because it is fresh from the factory doesn't mean it is perfect! Check the action, the neck, and the body for flaws. If the guitar buzzes, it may need some setup work so ask the vendor about that. Buzzing is not necessarily a sign of a major problem and can be corrected with some adjustments, but you shouldn't have to make them yourself. Finally, when buying a new guitar definitely inquire about a return period, and a warranty for parts and labor in case something goes wrong. Find out if you can bring the guitar back to the store where you bought it, or whether you would have to ship it back to the manufacturer directly. And until you are sure you want to keep the guitar, save the box it was delivered in! Having to return a brand new guitar is difficult enough without having to buy a guitar box to return it in.

Once you get your guitar, practice, practice, and play it as much as you can! Playing the guitar is a fabulous hobby that will reward you with years of enjoyment in exchange for practice and dedication.

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Guitar Inlay: Beautiful And Useful

There are lots of reasons that people opt to learn to play the guitar rather than another instrument. It may have to do with a preference for country music over that of orchestras. They may be drawn to the potential volume of the electric guitar or the portability of its acoustic cousin. Or maybe they just think guitars look cool. Yes, ever since they first became "sexy" via the genre of rock and roll (thank you Elvis Presley), guitars have had a certain element of "coolness" that is simply unattainable with many other instruments. Additionally, guitars have a fair amount of potential when it comes to visual elements, or inlay. Such decoration is set into the exterior wood of the instrument and can be located almost anywhere, including the fingerboard, headstock and around the sound hole.

In recent years, simple guitar inlay is often done in plastic. On some low-end guitars, inlay isn't really inlay at all; it is simply painted designs. However, vintage instruments and modern ones of high quality often have inlays of mother of pearl, abalone, ivory, colored wood or other exotic and beautiful materials. In an interesting adaptation, LEDs and optical fiber inlays have become popular with some rock musicians in recent years. The advantage with such inlays is that they allow the guitarist to see the fingerboard under dark conditions, such as dimly lit gigs.

Inlay found on the fingerboard of a guitar (also known as the "fretboard") actually serves a dual purpose, at least in many cases. Designs located here are used not only as decorations, but as indicators to the guitarists as to which fret is which. The inlay usually takes the form of pips, which can be in a variety of shapes. The dot is the most common and the easiest to produce, but diamonds, parallelograms, trapezoids, large squares and even creative designs like lightning bolts and "shark fins." Interestingly, distinctions have evolved among some major guitar manufacturers that dictate what shapes of pips shall be used. For example, while one producer uses dots, another uses isosceles trapezoids.

In addition to the inlay of the fingerboard, decorations on the headstock are also common. The headstock, sometimes called the "peghead," is the bulbous portion of the guitar at the end of the neck. One common pattern of inlay is the manufacturer's logo. This is often found on a guitar's headstock and is sometimes accompanied by an abstract shape or design. The logo is also often inlaid into the instrument's pickguard, if one is present.

Finally, inlay around an acoustic guitar's sound hole (electric guitars lack sound holes) is very common, although it can vary considerably in complexity. Often, more high-end guitars will boast more elaborate decorative inlay schemes. In such instances, the inlay can cover the sides and back of the instrument in addition to the area around the sound hole. On limited edition and custom-made guitars, the inlay can cover the entire guitar. Such guitars are often works of visual art in their own right in addition to being high-quality musical instruments.

By: Victor Epand

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Learning Guitar Basics

When you start with something new, you are usually so eager to jump into this new venture with both feet that you forget that every subject has its own basic information and way of doing things. When you start learning guitar playing, you want to be the new sensation on the hit charts within one day. Woa – pull in the reigns. Learn the guitar basics first. Why? You will be a better guitar player later on. Even the masters of the guitar started off with the basics and progressed from there. There are many things that are included when you learn guitar basics: the chords, the scales, the fingering, but perhaps most importantly, you need to learn all of the different parts of the guitar.

How is a guitar constructed?

One of the basic reasons to learn guitar basics, is to know the different parts of a guitar. As you progress, you will meet different terms for the parts of a guitar and if you do not know those terms, you can find yourself struggling to learn the guitar. First of all, you should know what the body of the guitar is:

1. The guitar’s body is the large wooden part of the guitar.

2. The thin part of the guitar that is connected to the body of the guitar is called the neck.

3. The bridge is located on the body of the guitar near the hole.

4. The strings of the guitar begin at the bridge and end at the pegs, which is located on the head of the guitar.

5. The head of the guitar is on the end of the neck not connected to the body.

6. There are small metal pieces located at various intervals along the neck of the guitar. These metal pieces are called the frets. When the player presses the strings into the frets at various intervals, the strings vibrate and produce different pitches.

The way you hold the guitar differs for nearly every type of song you play on a guitar. If you are right handed, your right hand is your strumming hand. Thus, you hold your guitar so that your right hand rests on the strings of the guitar above the hole. This means that your left hand is your picking hand, and your left hand should rest on the neck of the guitar. If you are left handed, then you should use these directions as well, only reversed.

Take time to learn the guitar basics and you will be richly rewarded not only with money, but also with a life long relationship with a wonderful instrument.

Learn to Play the Guitar from home. PC Guitar Lessons Available. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J._Roberts

Free Guitar Software

When you are learning guitar the use of software often makes the learning curve less steep. The good news is that much of the guitar software available on the net is free. There are many musicians developing their own guitar software and sharing it with others. Software for learning chords and scales, guitar effects, and free guitar tuners are all available for download. Because the internet is changing all the time, websites go up and websites go down, I will just give you the names of the software I have found and leave you to do a search for the latest version.

KD's Guitar Utilities developed by Kent Dalton, this package is a group of utilities that help you in guitar fretboard learning. They began life as a basic set of chord and scale diagram generators and is offered as copyrighted freeware at the moment. These utilities generate scale diagrams, generate chord diagrams, give you chord names based on fingering, generate arpeggio diagrams, determine chords that fit into a given key or scale, and determine scales that fit into a given chord progression. The programs support a range of custom tunings. If a scale or tuning is not known to the tools, you can input custom scale patterns and tunings.

GuitarScales v1.0 is a scale visualization program which can see scales visualized on a fretboard using plain dots, dots with special markings for the root notes, note names and degree numbers. The user can add guitars and scales using a simple interface.

Audio Tuner v0.9 will tune your guitar, ukulele, violin or other musical instrument. The program lets you tune your instruments to pitch perfect. Tunings are included for Guitar, Ukulele, Violin, Piano, Bass Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin, Autoharp and Cello.

Denzo Guitar Software III is a unique guitar related application that can manage concepts such as chord/scale relationship, inversions, subscales, similar chord, tonality, harmonization, fourth harmony, analysis of a chord from its notes, plus other harmony tools. Denzo Guitar Software III offers a wide range of functionalities to map notes on the fretboard with different rules, so you can think C, E, G as a chord and you can find all possible positions or inversions of this chord. Alternatively you can think C, E, G as an arpeggio and ask the program which are the best positions to play it in.

PitchWorks DX 1.2 is a plug-in which lets you adjust a music sample's pitch or tempo, or change both pitch AND tempo. According to the specs input parameters are: Pitch in semitones (cents) in range ± 4 octaves, Tempo in percents (in range 15..999 %), BPM or sample time in seconds, Speed in percents or semitones. For precise Tempo change and avoid artifacts an accuracy parameter is available. All parameters have two tweak modes: draft, where you able tweak parameters fast using GUI wheels and precise (calculator) mode, where you input precise values into edit boxes.

Advanced FretPro is a fretboard training program that also has a massive chord and scale library showing exactly how to play chords and scales on a real guitar neck instead of from a chord or scale diagram.

There are many more free guitar software programs out there, some have not had any updates for some years but others are recently developed programs for the latest technology.

By: Ricky Sharples

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Playing The Guitar - Acoustic Stylings

The acoustic guitar is an instrument which produces sound via the vibration of the strings through the hollow body, sound board and sound hole. String vibration can be achieved by using a flatpick, usually made of plastic, or by simply strumming the strings with the thumb. One can pick individual notes or strike a combination of strings at once to produce a chord.

A more intricate method is fingerpicking, a technique which uses the thumb and tips of the fingers to strike individual strings. Fingertips, fingernails (which are usually grown longer for this specific purpose), fingerpicks which are attached to the thumb and fingers can all be used for fingerpick guitar playing.

The acoustic guitar is a very portable instrument. Lightweight and easily transportable it makes the perfect musical companion. The lowest tone string, the string you would strike first in a chord with a downward pick motion, is called the sixth string and each subsequent string is the fifth, fourth, third, second and first, respectively. Standard tuning is as follows:

Sixth string - low E
Fifth string - A
Fourth string - D
Third string - G
Second string - B
First string - E

The neck of an acoustic guitar is made up of the fretboard, frets, tuners and headstock. The neck also contains a truss rod which is a metal rod that runs through the inside of the neck. This rod works to keep the neck from succumbing to the tremendous tension created by the strings. The fretboard (fingerboard), with spacing created by frets, is where a guitarist depresses strings to create notes and chords.

The strings used on acoustic guitars are made of steel, nickel or bronze alloys. One end is ball shaped. This end is dropped into the appropriate hole at the bridge and generally a bridge pin is pushed into the hole to keep the ball end in place. The string is then run up the fretboard and attached to the appropriate machine tuner. The machine tuner is turned to wind the string around the tuner post until all slack is taken up and the proper tone achieved. There's a neat little plastic winder tool you can buy which makes turning the machine heads a lot quicker and easier.

The tone from a new set of strings is beautifully bright. Depending on how much you play and how much finger oil and sweat are transferred to the strings oxidation will inevitably set in and the strings will lose that brightness of tone. When that happens just put on a new set of strings.

Keep in mind that when you first start playing an acoustic steel string guitar your fingers will hurt. You must practice on a regular basis to toughen up your fingertips. There's no shortcut unfortunately. So there you have it, a little bit of information on the steel string acoustic guitar.

By: Ignatius Gluck

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How to Read Guitar Tabs - A Comprehensive Guide

It is important when learning to play the guitar that you learn how to read guitar tabs. It is not essential that you are able to read music, although this is the best way to learn to play your favorite tunes. Guitar tabs are very similar to sheet music but you do not have to know the notes familiar to sheet music to learn. The guitar tab sheet is different to sheet music in terms that it has six lines as opposed to five lines in normal sheet music. The six lines represent the six strings that you will find on a guitar.

The first step is to learn how to use the strings of the guitar. The high E is the thinnest string and it is the very top line of a guitar tablature. This is then followed by the B string, the G string, the D string, the A string and finally the low E string. You have to learn the order of the strings on the guitar tab first and foremost.

The guitar tabs have numbers on them which relate to the various strings on the guitar. There a little metal parts on the fingerboard of guitars that are called frets. The numbers that you can see on the lines are related to the frets on the guitar. If you see the number five, this pertains to the lower E string. This means that you would press the lower E string on the fifth fret down on the guitar. If there is also a zero on the line, this means that the string must be played open.

As well as numbers on the lines, there may also be symbols. For example, the symbol "x" on a line means that that particular string is not played at all. Other symbols that you may see on the guitar tab are "b" (bend the note), "h" (hammer on), "p" (pull off) and "t" (tap).

Learning to read the guitar tabs is essential to learn to play the guitar properly. Follow these guidelines and you will soon be able to play your favorite tunes easily and perfectly.

If you'd like more on how to read guitar tabs, or tips and advice on learning how to play the guitar, check out http://www.easilyplayguitar.com

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Taking Care of your Classical Electric Guitar

• Guitars normally require very little maintenance. However, a little care in handling and storage will protect your investment for many years to come.

• Never expose your guitar to high temperature and humidity. For example, don't leave your guitar in a hot car or in direct sunlight. Typical heat damage consists of warped soundboards and unglued (detached) bridges.

• Never lean the guitar on furniture or the wall. The guitar is unstable (the lower bout is round) and can easily fall and be damaged. Always store your guitar in a case or on a guitar stand.

• Wash your hands before playing. Dirt and oil will clog and corrode the strings and diminish considerably the sound and life of your strings. To provide best protection use a guitar cover in order to avoid dirt and scratches.

• Handle the guitar only by the neck. Squeezing the top and body will damage the delicate soundboard bracing.

• Wipe your guitar off with a soft cotton or mircofiber cloth after playing. Clean and polish your guitar occasionally with a light polish. Do not use heavy paste waxes as they eventually build up into a thick, vibration muffling coating.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/taking-care-of-your-classical-electric-guitar-85884.html

Easy Guitar Tabs Method of Learning the Guitar

Does using easy guitar tabs help you learn how to play the guitar faster? Struggling to learn to play the guitar? If you are like me, you have tried everything to learn to play the guitar. Sometimes it just seems so very complicated and not much fun at all.

After every unsuccessful attempt, It makes you feel frustrated and you think that you'll never learn how to play. Most teaching methods are really boring and does not capture your attention long enough for you to learn.

If you could only learn to play some simple songs, you could learn much faster. If this sounds like you, then you are in luck! You can start using easy guitar tabs to learn to play the guitar, almost overnight.

A guitar tablature, or tab as it is often called, is very similar to sheet music. but tabs shows you where to place your fingers on a guitar rather than which notes to play. So by using tabs, you can spend your time learning to play the guitar instead of learning to read music.

Learning how to read easy guitar tabs is one of the most crucial skills a beginner can learn. Once you've acquired this valuable skill, you'll be able to start learning some of your favorite songs, and your practice time will become a whole lot more fun. Learning how to read easy guitar tabs will certainly cut many hours of practice off your training as compared to traditional training.

Now there's nothing stopping you from becoming the next guitar hero, just grab some easy guitar tabs and you will soon be able to rock with the best of them.

Mike DiNapolis is the author and creator of Easy Guitar Tabs where you will find many popular video guitar tabs to learn today's most popular songs. Get it now at: =>http://www.myguitarcenter.com

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Lead Guitar - Electric or Acoustic?

Lead guitar is not dependent on the type of guitar being played, but on how that guitar is played. Often when people think of playing lead guitar, they think of playing an electric guitar. In reality, lead guitar can be electric or acoustic.

In the most basic terms, music consists of harmony, melody and rhythm. The rhythm is the pulse of the song, often referred to as the beat, and is usually played by drums, bass guitar, and rhythm guitar. Harmony is the use of matching simultaneous chords within a musical composition.

The third major component of music is the melody. Melody is the part of the music that you remember and can later identify. Melody is often the lyrics of a song, with verse and chorus being two separate melodies. It is what gives a piece of music its character.

In terms of guitar playing, lead guitar is the guitar playing the melody. A lead guitarist must be able to use riffs and fills to move the melody along, as well as playing a guitar solo if it is required in the song. While doing all of that, the lead guitarist must also be able to play in the same key at the same tempo as the rest of the band.

Whether lead guitar is played on an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar depends on the music being played. Currently popular acoustical, or unplugged, sets require musicians to play acoustical instruments. In that case, the lead guitar would be played using an acoustic guitar.

Lead guitar does not always sound the same, even if the same musician is playing the same song twice. For example, electric guitars allow for distortion and effects that acoustic guitars do not have, so the transition from electric to acoustic may require changing the melody to suit the instrument. In addition, the riffs, fills, and solos used by the guitarist may change each time if the guitarist prefers to be creative during live performances.

Contrary to popular belief, lead guitar is not a type of guitar, but a position within a band and within a song. The lead guitarist carries a great deal of responsibility in carrying the melody while staying in tune and in time with the rest of the band. Learning to play lead guitar correctly requires time and practice, but it is the instrument most listeners will remember having heard.

About The Author
My name is Derek Cockrum, and I have been an instructor and professional guitarist for the past 11 years. I established "Guitar Lesson Reviews" to help you, (the beginner and advanced guitarist), discover the top acoustic and electric guitar lessons program available that will teach you how to really take your guitar playing skills to the next level. I have personally reviewed and tested almost every advanced and beginner guitar lessons program out there and have listed my top 3 recommended programs. If you're seriously ready to learn to play guitar like your favorite guitarist, you owe it to yourself to check out "Guitar Lesson Reviews" to find an easy guitar lessons program that offers Acoustic and Electric Guitar Lessons to train you how to play guitar like it was meant to be played. Learn what these Advanced, and Beginner Guitar Lessons can do for you and your guitar playing.

To Your Success,
Derek Cockrum
"Guitar Lesson Reviews"

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Learn Guitar Chords - Top Tips

Many new guitar players find it difficult to learn guitar chords in the beginning. Learning to play the guitar can seem like a complicated and daunting task. It is worth remembering that everybody had to learn from the beginning, even the guitar heroes! If you want to learn to play the guitar, there are certain tips to help make it an easier process. To master guitar chords it is best to find out exactly what this means first.

A guitar chord usually involves playing open strings on the guitar. They are a batch of tones made in harmony by pulling two or more strings on the guitar.

It can be tricky to try and play guitar chords as you have to use several of your fingers in a small area to try and play a song. This means that you have to practice a lot but you could also use a guitar diagram of the chords to help you learn a bit quicker. The diagram of the guitar chords is laid out so that it shows you the structured organization of the chords to be played.

When you start to learn to play the guitar it is recommended that you choose simple songs that are fun but easy to learn. Pick a song that you would like to play that concentrates on a few chords to help you build up your confidence and skills in chord playing.

Many people make the mistake of trying to learn all of the chords as quickly as possible. Another top tip is to choose one of the chords and concentrate on that "family of chords" first. Practice this particular chord until you have mastered it completely and then move on to the next set. Trying to learn all the chords too quickly will mean you will make mistakes and end up feeling frustrated.

Follow the above tips and soon you will be a master of those guitar chords!

If you would like to find out more tips to learn guitar chords and would like to learn how to play the guitar then check out http://www.easilyplayguitar.com

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A Beginners Guide to Electric Guitar Tabs

Here is a brief guide to using beginner electric guitar tabs to help you learn and accomplish your electric guitar playing goals.

If you are new to learning guitar, Using guitar tabs is an incredibly easy way to get started. But you may not know how to read them and how to go about using them to learn the songs you want to. Guitar tabs is a system that has been made exclusively for guitarists and other stringed instruments. It differs from reading music as it does not tell you how long to play each note, but it is just effective to help you learn where the notes are on the guitar and where to put your fingers (which really is what playing the guitar is all about!)

when reading beginner electric guitar tabs you will see six lines spread across the page, these represent the strings on the guitar, on the lines you will see numbers, these are the fret numbers of where you will be placing your fingers. you will read them from left to right as if reading a page in a book. A good tip is to actually listen to the song you are learning and follow along with the tab to see how long each note is to be played.

Many guitar players use guitar tabs as a way to start them off. I know i did, and learning them will save you many hours of confusion and Will help you progress quickly and have a lot of fun in the process.

Looking for tips and inspiration on how to become a proficient and talented guitarist? Check out simple guitar tabs to help you take your playing to the next level.

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Internet Guitar Lessons - Find the Best Guitar Lessons on the Internet

Internet guitar lessons makes learning the guitar faster and easier than it ever has been before. Guitar players can literally look up any song within seconds, find the guitar tab for it, and be playing within just a few minutes.

The Internet presents a whole world of opportunity for guitar players to learn how to play the guitar and to expand on the things that they already know. You can get lessons that are easy to understand and follow with a lot of great pictures.

Video guitar lessons take the concept even further. You can literally sit there and watch exactly what the instructor is doing on the screen, listen to how it sounds, and effortlessly follow along on your guitar in the comfort of your own home.

Some of the lessons of out there today are simply amazing. Guitar players in the past could only dream of having such resources so readily available at their fingertips. With thousands of online videos, tablature's, lessons and more, you can get last for weeks or even months trying to find the best guitar lesson websites out there.

One of the biggest difficulties is separating the great Internet guitar lesson websites from the not so great ones. There are a bunch of them out there, and it's really hard to tell the difference just judging by the homepages.

Not to mention every guitar player has different needs according to their specific situation. Someone is brand-new to the guitar obviously needs a different lesson plan then somebody who has been playing for 10 years.

That's why we've created an internet guitar lessons review site. We take a close look at all of the top guitar lesson websites and help you make a decision which one is right for you based on your specific situation. Whether you're brand-new to guitar or if you have been playing for years, we can help you find the perfect guitar lesson website at http://EasilyPlayGuitar.com/guitarreview/

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Know Your Guitar Evolution

The guitar is a very dynamic musical instrument. Through evolution, the guitar has made its mark on the modern music scene. From crude instruments with many variations, the guitar has become a real and much-sought after instrument.

Where did the guitar come from? What is the origins of the guitar?

It is almost impossible to trace who has actually invented the guitar? The invention of the guitar cannot be traced to a single person. The guitar came about through the evolution of its predecessors. Its image has also undergone change throughout the centuries.

For as long as 5000 years ago, there have been many guitar-like instruments. In archaeological expeditions in the Iranian region of Susa, instruments which look like the guitar were among items recovered.

The very first documented mention of the instrument dates back to the 14th century. Back then, the guitar-ancestor had three pairs of strings and a single string with the highest tone. It is also believed that the people of Malaga, Spain have invented the instrument. The guitar evolved from having three pairs of strings to four pairs of strings and eventually six single strings.

During the 18th century, a major evolution occurred whereby the double strings were replaced by single strings a a sixth string was added.

In the beginning of the 19th century, classical guitar was born. The size of the body of the guitar was enlarged.

In the early 1930s, the modern electric guitar was invented. The structure and body of the guitar took a great leap when the electric guitar was born. It's sound is no longer depend on the structure and construction of the body. Instead, it depends on the quality of the pick-ups and soundboard.

Nowadays, the electric guitar is most often used, especially in performances and musical production. The guitar has been enhanced with a very good accompaniment in the form of the effects box. Guitars can now emulate the sounds of a piano, a violin; even the sounds of the human voice and is continuously widening its horizons.

To learn more about guitar playing, grab your copy of "Play Your Guitar In 48 Hours Or Less!" immediately before it's gone for good. http://www.GuitarGuide.com

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Guitar Techniques And Styles

Great guitar techniques are an essential tool for any guitar player. Different guitar players of all experience levels use many different guitar techniques, and they can be adapted for the various musical styles that express music.

Your first guitar should really be acoustic, instead of electric, to avoid having to amplify the sound of your beginner skills. A regular acoustic usually has steel strings that don't callous your hands as easily, and a narrower neck easier on the fingers. An acoustic guitar is non-electric and just relies on sound from the strings resonating in the body of the guitar. A non-classical acoustic will have nylon or steel strings. Learning the basics of acoustic guitar can also be an engaging process provided you take lessons from the right institution or person.

Although vocals are important in the blues, the music depends upon the guitar to deliver the uniquely American sound. Sound frequencies of the string, like string bending, affect the sound of blues guitar too. A country/folk/blues guitar uses steel strings for increased volume, and has a narrow neck, to make playing chords easier. Normally, beginner guitar lessons cover blues and rock principles, and sometimes those of rock and country music too.

Classical guitar technique is much more based on individual notes, melodies and counter-melodies, and rhythms as opposed to chords. Once a guitarist has mastered control on a regular guitar, they usually buy a classical one so their sound is clearer and more contemporary. In a classical guitar lesson you learn the classical style using an acoustic guitar with nylon strings usually. A classical guitar has a wide neck, to help play individual notes.

It is upon hearing the Flamenco guitar for the first time that you notice that its sound is more metallic and bright in nature as opposed to the softer, mellower sound of the classical guitar. The notes don't sustain as long on the Flamenco guitar as they do on the Classical guitar. Cedar as traditionally used on the Spanish Classical guitar by its very nature imparts a mellower softer sound.

You will develop your own techniques as you progress in learning how to play the guitar

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Amazing Guitar Secrets Review - A Review of the Popular Guitar Method

Amazing Guitar Secrets... At first glance, it would be easy to dismiss this method as being over-hyped. However, besides having what might be considered an overly ambitious title, Amazing Guitar Secrets is truly a high quality guitar method that is built upon rock solid guitar playing fundamentals.

What's Included:

• 2 DVD's with high quality content

• CD-ROM with 41 video tutorials

• 401 pg. "Amazing Guitar Secrets" Book

• 20 Strength & Agility Exercises

• 40 Jam Tracks

• Progress Tracker Software

• Amazing Guitar Secrets is also backed by a 90 day, no questions asked money back guarantee.

My Humble Opinion

Bottom Line Up Front - Amazing Guitar Secrets is a top notch guitar method that contains a great deal of high quality content designed to help beginning guitarists get started the right way. It also provides intermediate to advanced guitarists with the knowledge necessary to take their playing to the next level.

The Details

The "secret" to Amazing Guitar Secrets is that it utilizes the basic fundamentals of guitar playing and music theory and presents them in such a manner that a complete beginner is able to start playing almost immediately. The instructor does a superior job of taking each concept and explaining it clearly and concisely.

If you have ever tried to learn guitar before, you will definitely appreciate the 40 jam tracks. The importance of keeping practice sessions fun cannot be understated, and these tracks will help you practice the concepts taught in each lesson in a truly enjoyable way.

Bottom Line

If you are looking to start learning the guitar or simply take your playing to the next level, Amazing Guitar Secrets is high quality guitar method that offers a lot of value.

If you still crave more information on Amazing Guitar Secrets, or playing guitar in general, visit BlazingGuitar.com

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Guitar Playing Lessons - The Absolute Best Guitar Lessons

Guitar playing lessons are almost a must have if you want to play guitar. Sometimes they can be too expensive, inconvenient and boring. There is a way to eliminate all three of those problems. If you have a guitar and an Internet connection, then you might want to look into taking online guitar lessons.

Online guitar lessons can provide all the same benefits as traditional guitar lessons at a fraction of the price you would expect to pay a professional guitar teacher.

Online guitar lessons have come a long ways over the last five years or so. Before advancements in video technology most online guitar lessons were completely text based and sometimes extremely difficult to follow.

But today's guitar players have access to extremely high quality video guitar lessons that allow them to view an instructor playing the guitar, see and hear everything that he is doing, and easily follow along with the instructor as the video progresses.

There are literally thousands of online guitar lessons websites. A lot of the sites offer extremely high quality video guitar lessons. Unfortunately, many of the sites aren't that high quality, and aren't really worth the investment.

One of the most difficult days for a beginning guitar player can be trying to find the high-quality guitar lessons sites while avoiding the ones that are simply a waste of time. You could spend literally weeks of your life trying to find the online guitar lessons site that is right for you.

Every guitar player has different needs. Some people are just starting out, and some people been playing for quite a while. Some people learn easier by reading and others are going to find it easier to learn by watching a video. Your skill level, the type of music you would like to play, and many other factors come into the equation.

That's why we've created a guitar lesson review site. We help you to find the lesson site that's right for you. Whether you're just starting to learn the guitar, or you have been playing for years, our website is designed to help you find the online guitar lesson website that is perfect for you and your specific situation. If you would like more information and reviews on guitar playing lessons check out http://easilyplayguitar.com/guitarreview/

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Get to Know Your Guitar

Before you can start playing your guitar, you must first understand the basic parts of a guitar and the most commonly used terms. We have two types of guitars, the acoustic and the electric; the parts we will cover below are similar for the two types of guitar.

The headstock is the small end of a guitar. Normally there are 6 tuning keys in the headstock. For a bass guitar, only four exist; the number of tuning keys corresponds to the number of strings the guitar has. These tuning knobs or keys are how you tighten or loosen the strings attached to them. The pitch of each string is dependent on how well the key or knob is tuned.

After the headstock comes the guitar neck, which is the long, slender board on the guitar. The front part of the neck is known as the fretboard, which consists of frets, which are small metal bars over the fretboard, and the nut, which is also like a fret but is right at the beginning of the fretboard. All the strings are stretched along the neck passing over the nut and frets.

The body is the large curvy part of the guitar. For acoustic guitars, this is the sound box. For both acoustic and electric guitars, the bridge is the notched bar that secures the strings in place on the guitar body.

Fretting is the act of holding down a string between frets with your fingers, while muting is the act of touching the string without holding it down. To produce a sound from your guitar, strum or pluck your guitar while fretting or muting.

Now that you are familiar with the basics of guitar vocabulary, you will find it easier to understand and learn to play your guitar.

Angela Nazario, is a freelance Internet developer who enjoys writing articles on how you can learn to play guitar, piano and other instruments for MusicWizard.com's "Music Library of Articles".

WEBMASTERS: Using this article requires links to remain intact.

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How To Play Jazz Guitar – Become a Smooth Jazz Guitarist

Jazz is an excellent language of communication for discerning guitarists. Jazz guitar has its own unique style and form of guitar playing. It is also a very popular form of music that you can play. Then if you let your creativity take over you can even create your own jazz licks. You can definitely emulate the likes of Joe Pass, Charlie Christian, George Benson, Wes Montgomery and many other great guitarists if you devote yourself seriously into practicing and learning jazz guitar. You can get paid lessons or you can even learn jazz guitar online. All you need is a guitar and determination!

First Thing First

The first step on the way to learning jazz guitar is that you should have a good jazz guitar. Although if you have opted to take guitar instructions from a music school which may have guitars for their students, learning to play jazz guitar is a demanding discipline and to be proficient, you need to be practicing at home also. One important point in getting a guitar for yourself is that instead of shopping for a cheap jazz guitar, you should buy a guitar, which has good sound characteristics, has excellent aesthetics and is durable. It is always advisable to buy guitars from reputed guitar manufacturers. They may not come cheap, but they are worth the money you pay for them.

Jazz Guitar Lessons

You can explore many avenues if you wish to learn how to play jazz guitar. You can learn jazz guitar online, as there are many websites that have free online jazz guitar lessons. You can opt for an electric guitar or learn acoustic jazz guitar. There are also many people who are willing to give guitar lessons to ardent students free. You can explore your locality to see if you have some guitar enthusiast who can teach you the basics of jazz guitar.

Learn Jazz Guitar Online

The goodness about online jazz guitar lessons is that they are accessible to you 24/7. You can have access to them at all times, night or day. There are many good online jazz guitar instruction sites where you will learn the basics of jazz guitar, basic and advanced chord construction theory, guitar licks and riffs. Although online guitar lessons should not be a substitute for one-to-one guitar instructions, if you can access to a good jazz guitar instructor, they are excellent for people who are short of time and money.

For more information and reviews on Acoustic, Bass and Electric Guitars, Amplifiers, Effect Pedals and other equipment visit GuitarHeadz.com, the complete guide for anything you want to know about guitars and related gear.

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How to Read Guitar Tabs and Play Like a Master

You would probably be surprised with the number of people that would like to be able to play the guitar. The fact of the matter is, it really is not all that difficult, but you need to learn how to read guitar tabs before you begin. This is really at the foundation of any guitar classes that you are going to take, either at home or with an outside teacher. Once you learn how to read guitar tabs, you would be surprised at how quickly you are able to play music.

Learning how to read guitar tabs is really just as simple as looking at the frets on your guitar. That is what the guitar TAB represents - the different frets of the guitar and the placement of your fingers on the frets. Your index finger is number one and it goes down in line to your pinky, which is number four. Any strings which are played will be open or have a finger placed on a fret. If the string is not played, the guitar tab will show an X on top of the string.

That is really all there is to learn how to read guitar tabs. It is going to take some practice on your part to learn a few of them but once you're able to get this far, you're well on your way to playing some of your favorite songs. By learning just two or three chords on the guitar, you would be surprised with a number of songs that you are able to play.

Learn how to read guitar tabs with detailed, step-by-step lessons by clicking here, or go to http://www.TeachYourselfGuitar.org.

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The Randy Rhoads V Guitar - in Left Hand

Randy Rhoads was a young American guitarist who rose to fame after becoming the guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne at the very beginning of Ozzy’s solo career. This was 1979. Randy Rhoads and Ozzy Osbourne along with Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake formed the band that was to put Ozzy firmly on the map again as a performer in his own right, following his departure from the hugely successful Black Sabbath.
Randy Rhoads was a classical guitar teacher. In collaboration with Bob Daisley, he and Bob composed some of the greatest music of Ozzy’s career many songs of which Ozzy still plays today in his live set.
Randy Rhoads is also famous for the “Randy Rhoads V” guitar, a guitar Randy designed and had built by Charvel back in 1981 and 1982. The CEO of Charvel at that time, Grover Jackson, went on to produce Randy’s guitar under the brand name Jackson (apparently the reason for choosing the Jackson branding was that Grover had thought that the Randy Rhoads model might be too radical and didn’t want to risk branding it as a Charvel.)
The Randy Rhoads V guitar was the guitar that put Jackson fully on the map. It was Jackson’s first production model. Prior to this time Charvel was a parts supplier for a few retail musical instrument shops, and they made the odd guitar here and there.
Tragically Randy’s career ended on a fateful day in 1982 when the plane he was a passenger in crashed, killing all on board. Further, he never actually saw the final production model of his design, what would come to be known as the “Randy Rhoads V” by Jackson Guitars.
Charvel and Jackson guitars were built in the same factory until 1986 and then the company was sold to Japanese manufacturer AMIC in 1989. Charvel’s ended up being exclusively made in Japan until 1991 while Jacksons continued to be made in California Although the Charvel name had faded away by the end of the century, Jackson/Charvel would see new light when it was purchased by Fender Music Corporation in 2002.
Today, the Randy Rhoads V is still produced by Jackson Guitars, but now that Jackson is part of Fender, all Jacksons are manufactured in the Fender plant in Corona, Ca and Jackson is of course, now subject to the company directions of the parent company, Fender Musical Instruments. It appears from spending some time on the new Charvel website, that Grover is indeed alive and well and lending his wisdom and hand to the revival of Charvel guitars and in a video clip credits Fender for aiding in these new directions.
The Randy Rhoads V guitar available from Jackson comes in various colours and schemes and there are models which are variations of the original. Some of these variants were brought about by later artists who have released their own signature variations of the Randy Rhoads V. One thing though... the left handed option of the Randy Rhoads V is very, very limited. A few colours, and that is it. One model only. Jackson’s budget range of guitars (made in Asia) don’t even allow for one left handed Randy Rhoads V.
At Gaskell Guitars (http://www.gaskellguitars.com) , located in Sydney Australia, we make only left handed guitars. We make a Randy Rhoads V model as a production model. We offer all colours through our custom options AT NO EXTRA COST. Our stock, production model comes in black and the original Randy Rhoads White and Gold scheme. We only cater for the left handed guitarist. We are trying to prevent the left hand guitarist from “always getting the short end of the stick.” Check us out. In many cases, what we offer make dreams come true!

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