Blues Guitar – A Brief History

In the 1920’s and 1930’s, blues guitar players like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Son House, Robert Johnson, and Lonnie Johnson were the influential performers of the day. They used a slide which was often made out of a knife blade or the broken or sawed off neck from a bottle. Most of the music was improvised, and unaccompanied. The form of the songs were loose, and were rarely, if ever, played the same way twice.

As the 1940’s came, the jump blues style characterized by big band music sequestered the guitar to the rhythm section primarily. The primary influence of this era on blues guitar is that it heavily influenced the development of what would later be known as rock and roll, or rhythm and blues.

After World War II in the 1950’s, blues guitar became electrified and amplified. Starting in Chicago, this new electric blues was characterized by the sounds of Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Jimmy Reed. All of these players grew up in Mississippi, but migrated to Chicago. The bands typically had, in addition to the electric guitar, harmonica and a rhythm section of bass and drums. Sometimes there would also be a saxophone, though it would be relegated to a rhythmic support role.

B.B. King and Freddie King were also making names for themselves at this time. They were somewhat unique at the time because they did not make use of the slide to play the guitar. B.B. King has long been considered one of the greatest blues guitar players of all time. Freddie King has often been called the King of the Boogie Woogie guitar.

While Chicago had it’s own sound in the 1950’s, some other artists such as T-Bone Walker and John Lee Hooker were creating what some call the California Blues style. T-Bone Walker was born in Dallas, while Hooker was born in Mississippi. The California Blues Style that they helped to forge was smoother than the Chicago Blues and is somewhat of a melting pot for Chicago Blues, jump blues, and some jazz swing.

Starting in the 1960’s, Caucasian audiences gained more interest in blues guitar thanks in part to the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and what was later to be called the British Blues Movement. Bands such as Fleetwood Mac, Cream, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, the Rolling Stone, and the Yardbirds were performing classic blues tunes in addition to their original tunes. Many of these artists inspired American blues-rock artists like Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix, and Johnny Winter.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, Albert King, Buddy Guy, and Luther Allison where creating what is called the West Side style of Chicago Blues. Their bands were dominated by the amplified electric blues guitar and heavily influenced later artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Lang, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Since the early 1980’s, the blues has enjoyed quite a resurgence in America. The Texas Rock-Blues Style of Stevie Ray Vaughan and The Fabulous Thunderbirds brought the blues to American rock radio stations. Eric Clapton, who originally gained his fame with Cream and John Mayall, continues to make great blues guitar albums and even recently recorded a set of old Robert Johnson classics. Many famous, legendary blues guitar players such as Buddy Guy and B.B. King continue to share the stage with the new generation of blues guitar players like Robert Cray, Joe Bonamassa, and Walter Trout.

Griff Hamlin is a professional guitar player. He has just released Playing Through The Blues, a book on learning to play blues guitar. Visit http://www.playingthroughtheblues.com for more information.

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What You Should Know About Beginner Guitar Chords

One of the biggest mistakes a new guitarist can make at the start of their musical career, whether for profit or pleasure is to go out and look for or buy a compendium book of six thousand chord shapes and all the variations and permutations that are involved.

You will instantly be overwhelmed with way too much information and thoughts of dread at the amount of time and effort involved in what you want to achieve. Learning all those shapes and fingerings is a massive undertaking and you will never finish it anyway.

Most musicians seem to make the assumption that they have to know all the music before they can create any for themselves. Nothing could be further from the truth, you do not have to learn all of those chords before you can start to play the guitar or any other instrument for that matter.

You must have heard about songwriters who have created songs with only three chords, the Beatles for instance. Thousands of songs have been written with 3 chords, so for the time being, three chords is all you are going to need to concentrate on. You will make much better progress by learning familiar 3 chord progressions and familiarising yourself with the structure of how the chords work together than trying to learn hundreds of chord shapes that don’t have any relevance to one another or that you can’t relate to.

Here are a few areas that you may not have thought about but will advance your playing a lot quicker than just knowing a bunch of fancy chords.

1. Pick a few easy chords that you know you could and would like to play. Lets take a C Major chord as our example as this is almost a standard army issue chord that everyone uses or will come across at one time or another throughout the coarse of their playing.

2. Focus your time on learning how to get your fingers from that chord shape to the next shape, i.e. C Major to G Major. Speed is not what matters here – just a smooth action or change over.

3. Use a drum machine or metronome at around 80 – 90 beats per minute and strum all the strings of one chord and then move to the next. What you want here is to just listen to the sound you are creating. This will be satisfying to begin with for you to know that it is possible for you to make some music. Also you will be gaining finger strength and building muscle memory. The next time you come to play these chords you will find it gets easier and easier to play. If you keep learning new chords all the time to begin with you won’t make any significant improvement.

4. If it is possible, you need to record what you are doing into your computer or tape player. Listening back to your playing the next day will benefit you tremendously. I must admit that you might cringe a little bit at your own playing at first, but if you take the plunge you will make the decision consciously or unconsciously to want to get better, quicker. In a very short time frame, you will get use to hearing what you sound like, that is when you will start to have some real fun. You will start to generate your own ideas.

5. Stay relaxed while you play and don’t force yourself to do anything. Ten minutes of focused practise at a time will yield far more results than mincing about for a few hours with no focus.

If you are one of those people who will do what is discussed above, you will instantly be in front of the pack. Go to any music shop and listen to the new guitarists sitting their showing off. Most of them are playing a bit from here, a snippet from there, there is not much that is refined or practised. This habit can be with them for the rest of their natural playing life.

If you start out gradually and focus on building slowly on what you have previously learnt, chord by chord, your playing will be much more confident, natural and above all, worth listening to.

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Play The Guitar By Starting With Chords

Learning to play the guitar is at the top of the ‘to do’ list for many of us. In fact many are investigating the right place to get resources to help make their dream of playing the guitar a reality. But wait. Don’t run out and buy training materials or courses just yet. Don’t start working with your beginning training materials just yet. There are some critical items to get out of the way before you are ready to move ahead. To find out more, read on. In this article I present play the guitar by starting with chords.

Before you start training to play the guitar, let’s start with a quick question; the song that you are playing on your guitar consists of what? The answer is notes. Notes are the very basis. And notes combine to create chords. In fact a chord is really just a group of notes all played together. As many beginners soon discover, playing most songs requires that you know and can play chords. And when you do this correctly the sound is pleasing to the ear!

Most beginner training material or classes begin with some easily created chords. As you play the guitar you’ll soon learn the simplest guitar chords. The good news is they don’t require the use of very many of your fingers. They are ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘D’ and ‘A’ and they take only three fingers.

As you begin to play the guitar you will learn to press down on the proper strings on the fret, on the neck of the guitar. Be sure to push down firmly, but not too hard. Then all you need to do is strum the strings directly in front of the hole found in the body. Sure it might take a little practice to become comfortable, but soon you’ll have one chord, then two and soon you’ll have all of the simplest guitar chords at your command.

It will take a little practice to find the right position for each hand and your arms. Your body will tell you when you have found the right position. You’ll know the wrong positions because of fatigue, aches and pains. Adjust your positions to help relieve the pain. Remember to expect some discomfort as your body gets adjusted to this new endeavor you are just starting.

Start your practice as you play the guitar with simple songs. They should have few chord movements. Practice, practice, practice. Try closing your eyes while you play. Replay each song until it is memorized and you are comfortable playing it. Practice until your fingers and hands seem to know exactly where they belong throughout the song. That’s when you know you’ve got it and are ready to move on to the next challenge.

To your success as you learn to play the guitar!

By: Bob Hamilton

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The Girl With The Green Guitar

The high energy performances of rising country rock star, Candy Coburn, are starting to win her an ever increasing fan base. Sporting her trademark green guitar, a Mother's Day gift from her husband, Candy literally explodes onto the stage in her live concerts. Her music has a unique style that Candy says was shaped by her life experiences and which seems to connect with her audience.

She has already released one CD titled, "Enjoy the Ride", and her second CD is due out sometime this fall. She has been doing a lot of touring during which she has opened for many of country music's biggest stars. In her most recent performance in Missouri's bootheel region, she opened for Little Big Town. She certainly did a good job there of warming the crowd as she had them hooting and yelling for more.

Candy is a down to earth girl with a big heart, and as soon as her performance ended, she headed straight for a group of children in a special section high up in the arena. The children, many of them in wheelchairs, were given a thrill by having their pictures taken with the performer they had just finished cheering for on stage. She remained signing autographs and having her picture taken with fans until the main performance was ready to begin. Even when Little Big Town had finished their set, she was found in the lobby still mingling with her fans.

This is not unusual for this down-to-earth, unspoiled, but quickly rising, new singer. She can often be found doing charity shows in her home region, and relates easily and naturally with her growing number of avid fans. Do not be surprised if in the future the cry of "We want some Candy" is heard all over the world of country music.

About the Author

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Learning To Play Guitar Through Books, Videos And Software

Like for many out there who wants to learn to play the guitar, my journey towards learning the guitar had many ups and downs. I had took formal classes at $20 an hour. In addition, I was doing a group classical lesson too. While this method appears to be the best and easiest way ever to master the guitar, I found it really expensive and needed a lot of passion for guitar in order to be disciplined and sit down to practice. Furthermore, I was still a student. I had to think about my sports, studies and such. So, it was almost impossible to commit myself to a weekly class. Although, I actually did it, somehow, someway. I purchased the latest books, videos, and online software as well as software which were beneficial to me.

By using each of these different delivery methods I learned a bit, and am able to play many basic tunes on the guitar. Of course, I felt that some were useless, and some were good. This article contains opinions that are mine and may be or may not be similar to yours. So why talk further?

I still remember vividly that tuning the guitar in standard tuning was one of the toughest things to do! Still unable to do it for months, I actually practice on a wrong tuned guitar! Another major problem was playing chords. Even if you had not encountered any problems with this, the teaching of playing guitar is difficult to talk about on plain paper.

I fell in love with metal. I was listening to Trivium and found the guitar sound do beautiful that I decided that I wanted to be like them! I knew that I would take as much time as I could just to learn the songs and jam at a jamming studio because that was all that I wanted. I thought it would be real cool to play some flicks for a few of my friends whenever I meet them. This was when I started to look for ways to learn guitar. The Internet was not really good with lessons and such as it is today so I went to the music school and bookshops and bought a few musical books. It covered a little about music theory. What it failed to do was teaching me how to play! This was went all the problem started.

Another problem was actually reading the music. How did I know even know that I was playing the notes right? It was presented poorly in a horrifying manner which bores you to death. There was no one to correct me. You could just tricked yourself and say that you are right, when you are wrong. The biggest problem with the book method for me was a lack of easy diagram that showed me how the fingers were supposed to be and how the notes, bending and such were supposed to be like. Later on, many good books came with audio disc which could allow you to check if you played the notes right. This was a good improvement and help for everyone, without a doubt. Tuning was became much easier especially when electric tuners became cheaper, and I could listen to what the songs I was learning were supposed to sound like. However, problems still stayed after the introduction of the audio disc. I still felt that books are not the best method for learning to play guitar.

Then, I tried the videos. I could see and hear what the instructor was teaching. It was as though I had actually hired a teacher. Video close ups answered many of my questions on hand position and the nature of guitar playing. I was actually able to learn from the instructor and actually play some cool flicks. I found the rewind function very useful. I used it few hundreds of times to master difficult parts which I could not play in one whole short. However this method proved to be quite frustrating. The first was of course getting sick of it. You probably rewind it about 20times and there goes it, you get sick of it! The problem that I did not like the most was that you only learned to play songs that are on the tape. You will not be taught to play the songs you desire. At times, I would find this wasting of time because you are learning songs Another problem was the camera views of the clip. Some videos had lousy camera angles which could not let you see what the instructor is doing.

Now, on to the hottest way: Online software! Technology nowadays gives us the ability to purchase e-courses that allow you to learn at home, instead of wasting time going to music schools. It takes advantage of the tabs that are available free on the internet. This course overcomes the disadvantages of books and videos because it is dynamic. The software can also help you learn through fun means, instead of boring means. This is a cut over the other methods in my opinion. The main benefit with this method, and with this course in particular is that it is more interactive, interesting and engaging!

So what are the bad sides? The software will appeal to only some people. If they do not appeal to your likings, much of the content will be wasted. I have come across many bands/artists that many have tried to teach me although I am not interested. I still believe that online software is the best way to go to learn to play guitar. The interactive benefits are excellent. This is also a very easy way to learn!

By: Victor Chia

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How To String A Classical Guitar

When changing the strings on a classical guitar it is best to change one string at a time. It is not good for the neck of the guitar to have a sudden release of tension and then to have it applied forcefully later. This can lead to distortion of the neck and permanent damage.

As well as this, never tune the string more than a tone above its normal pitch. You can tune it a little sharp (for example, one semitone above normal concert pitch) as this can make the guitar a little ‘brighter’ to play. Tune it any higher and you risk breakage.

Never put steel strings on a classical guitar. It is not constructed to take this exertion and it is easily damaged (the neck can break away from the body).

To string the guitar: - Unwind the old string until the tension is completely released and the string is quite floppy - Unthread the string from the Capstan in the Headstock - Next untie if from the bridge and discard it

You’re now ready to string the guitar: - Start by slipping the string through the corresponding hole in the bridge from the sound hole end - Leave approximately 1½ inches of the string sticking out past the back of the bridge - Pull the extra string length towards the sound hole and loop it around the string where it originally entered the bridge - Loop the string under and over itself on top of the bridge twice. This forms a figure 8.

- Pull the string tightly away from the sound hole and attach it to the tuning peg as shown below

- Loop the string at the peg head and then twist it around itself before tightening the peg

- Continue to restring the other strings one by one using the above method

After all the strings are restrung, start to tune the strings by starting with the first E treble string. Use the tuning fork to get the A note on the 5th fret. You can tune the other strings from this.

There is another way of securing the string to the bridge. This is called the Letter D method. This is usually used only for the 4th, 5th and 6th strings and is done as follows: - Start as you would with the figure 8 by passing the string through the bridge at the sound hole and leaving 1½ inches sticking out - Bring the extra string length back and loop around itself then under and over itself ONCE at the very back of the bridge forming the letter D

Supposedly, the figure 8 is better since it has more holding power.

Some things to take note of while restringing and tuning: - Nylon strings, especially trebles, are very stretchy. On the first day they will seem to be never in tune but will stabilize the next day - Don’t stretch the strings when restringing since this make them develop thin areas. Uneven strings do not play in tune - Most intonation problems are due to uneven strings - Experiment to find the string that sounds best

Remember to take your time when first restringing a guitar. Take care that you learn the correct method. There will be less slippage and breakage or tuning problems if you learn in this way.

When you first put on new strings play all the semitones, fret by fret, along the string length and then retune the guitar. This will allow the strings to stretch more quickly and settle down and stay in tune.

There are a lot of classical guitar strings on the market. It pays to experiment until you find the one that is right for you

Restringing a guitar can be a bit daunting at first. Approach the task slowly and take time to learn the correct methods.

About the Author

Gen Mason is a guitar player from Florida. Discover free how to improve your guitar skills at Jamorama

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Vibrate With Sweet Music Of Guitar

Most of us have grown up listening to the rock bands singing their novel songs and playing the guitar magnificently. The love for guitars and music is something that every rock lovers has in them. Especially amongst the teenagers, the craze of rock is simply incredible.

It all starts seeing the rock bands performing at the various shows and thus, we pick the guitar and start learning it with all our heart and soul. There is something special about guitars and its music. Its sound is very soothing and enchanting which thus makes us simply get carried away by its softness and rhythm. Listening to the instrument on the beach, away from the crowd and the sound of the city is itself a mesmerizing experience and thus most people due to the enchanting beauty of guitar try learning it.

People love listening and playing the music for its sweetness and mesmerizing sound. The soft sound of the guitar helps to reduce your stress level and also lightens the entire surrounding which thus becomes the main reason why people learn playing this fabulous instrument.

Learning to play guitar is a very interesting as well as a difficult task. You need to learn the instrument not only from your heart but also need to have a lot of patience, as striking the various notes and learning to play it by ourselves for the varied songs is an extremely difficult task. But, with the best instrument and a good teacher, you can make this task simpler and easy to achieve.

While learning to play the guitar, it is very important to check out which guitar you are selecting for yourself. There are numerous shops and online stores that provide you the best guitars. You simply don't select any guitar based on its looks and color. It's the music that is played by the guitar which is considered as the best criterion to select the best one. The strings and their sound create the magic and thus it gets important to play a guitar before you purchase it for your interest of music.

Generally, there are various types of guitars that are available, a few of which include, the Acoustic guitar, bass guitar, electric guitar etc. All these various types of guitars have a different sound and thus are used for different types of music. To make the sound of the guitar better and more clear, many guitar players use the guitar amplifiers and thus make the entire atmosphere groove to its beautiful sound.

By: JessicaThomson

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It's Time To Learn Guitar!

Are you ready to play the unofficial "most cool instrument in the world"? Well, yeh, that's the guitar. Yes, playing guitar is cool. Some people miss out on it, though - but they'll look back later with remorse and say: "i studied classical piano when i could've been playing guitar..."

But since you've decided to learn guitar, I'd like to give you a few pointers to get you started.

First of all, if you're serious, get a decent instrument. Don't pick up a $50 guitar from Walmart. At least invest in a name brand beginner's guitar. I bought an Oscar Schmidt acoustic guitar from a friend for $90. A price like that sure didn't break the bank, but it's a quite decent guitar, especially for someone like me - my expertise is on the keyboard, not the guitar.

Secondly, get some help learning guitar. If you're pretty musical, you might get by with a DVD or instruction book teaching you how to play. Or, you may have a friend who can help you out a little. Most of us, though, will learn guitar quicker with a teacher. Find a teacher that is a good guitarist, but is also a good teacher. Also, be sure that they play the type of guitar music you want to learn. For example, if you want to play rock music, don't get a classical guitarist for a teacher!

Thirdly, learn guitar by playing songs that you love. It's much more fun to practice when you're playing your favorite songs. The great thing about contemporary guitar music is that no matter how much of a beginner you are, you can find great songs to learn. If you're really new, you might even want to try one of the old "three chord" rock songs, by the likes of Elvis.

Of course, one of the most important things you should do is practice!

About the Author

Andrew Koblick's Guitar Improvement DVDs include... Amazing Guitar- Improve Fast & the Ultimate Blues Primer - Play the Blues Plus check out our Free Guitar Newsletter.

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Recording The Guitar To A Computer

You want to record your guitar, make your own riffs, music, etc. You want to plug my guitar into my computer? How to connect the guitar to the computer the right and best way? What software? Which audio interface? What about my favorites guitar effects? What computer? Where to start? It can be overwhelming.

The recording guitarist's computer setup should be something like this:

* Guitar (*GTR with 13 pin connection recommended) * Microphone for recording Acoustic guitar, vocals etc. * Quality guitar cable * Audio Interface-Firewire (recommended) or USB * Guitar/midi interface * USB/Firewire cables * Computer (Mac recommended or PC) * Extra external/internal Hard Drive (recommended) * Audio recording/sequencer software * Plug-ins: effects- reverb, compressor, delay, chorus, etc o Dedicated guitar effects/amp simulation o Sampler/synths (for 13 pin guitarists or guitarist who can play keyboards) * Quality cables to speakers * Powered Speakers * Headphones (so you do not disturb the wife an kids at those late weekend sessions).

Some recording setups:

- Setting up your whole live rig and putting a microphone in front of the your cabinet, playing at loud volumes so you get the amp to sound right, push the speaker enough, putting your speaker in a closet, using a blanket to damping volume, etc. -You could use a load on you speaker and record direct.

- Use a preamp that is compensated for direct recording as the front end. You can plug this into outboard effects or add plug-ins

- You could record from your pedal board or any outboard multi-effects you might own. You probably end up with a direct type sound. Some multi-effects have amp simulation that might take the edge off the direct sound.

With any of these scenarios you are committing yourself to the recorded track. If you record with effects, you can't change it later. You would have to re-record! And if you do not re-record on the same day or you have to come back and have to set up the rig again, hopefully the knobs setting were written down, place the speaker in the same place etc, etc.... If you get into the recording other instruments or mixing the song and you want to change the guitar sound, tone, effects, etc, -- you have to re-record!

With a guitar with a 13 pin connection, either internally or a pickup installed on the body, you get 100% use of your software. You can record your guitar sound and get access to any software synths or samplers that come with the software or as a plug-in add-on.

With a software computer base system, you can change almost everything after you have recorded--amps, effects, mics, mic placement and more. You do this with plug-ins. You can save all your presets, sounds, etc. You could have multi-guitar tracks with different settings all from recording one track. The flexibility is there! Yes, there are purists out there- "software can't sound like tubes". Well, the software is getting pretty close!!!!

There is a lot of software out there. You do not have to spend a lot of money AND it is always improving. You buy a box. (i.e.hard disk recorders, and others mentioned above), you have bought a box. You usually can't upgrade without buying a new box.

People use computers every day at work or home- Microsoft Office (Word, Excel Power Point, etc) Email, Internet. Use it to record your guitar and music!!

Hopefully, this helps and you can check out more at http://www.guitarhelper.net

About the Author

Brian has 18 years experience in the Music Industry. A Guitar player for over 25 years, He has been doing Guitar computer recording since the late 90's GuitarHelper.net He can be contacted at Brian@guitarhelper.net.

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Know Your Free Guitar Chords

With the continuing craze about guitar playing, from rhythm and blues to rock – there is a huge demand for free guitar chords. A guitar chord represents the collection of tones that is sounded when the strings of a guitar are played simultaneously. Cool guitarists have a way with guitar chords – they play it with style and ease.

Free Guitar Chords, Anyone?

Free guitar chords are illustrated in the customary musical notation and tablature, also known as tabs. With more self-taught guitarists on the rise, free guitar chords are also depicted in chord diagrams for easier reading. However, different people have different interpretations of guitar chords. Some coaches use their own versions which often lead to confusion.

Understanding guitar chord symbols

Free guitar chords often include symbols in the chord diagram layout. The vertical lines are the guitar strings, the horizontal lines are the frets. An x above the vertical line indicates that a string is free or is not played, while an O designates an open string or a string that is not played on the fret. A filled circle means the string has to be fretted.

If you look closely at the neck of your guitar, you will see thin strips running the full width of the neck. These metal strips divide the neck into musical intervals. A fret has its cluster tone where an octave is segmented into twelve semitones. When there is an instruction in the free guitar chords to fret, you simply press down the string on the strip.

Other illustrations on a free guitar chords diagram are the curved line to indicate a barre. When a barre is signaled, you use a single finger to hold down several strings all at once. If there are numbers beneath some strings, you are asked to use the indicated finger number on the note. For left handed players, the diagrams are simply reversed.

Getting those free guitar chords

There are guitar sites online offering free guitar chords, from classics to the latest pop songs. You can choose from a drop down menu the artists or the songs, often arranged alphabetically. These guitar chords are also marked according to their difficulty level. Other sites simply cluster the free guitar chords according to the following ranks – beginner, advanced, and pro.

To make the learning process easier, there are sites that have video demonstrations explaining the function of each guitar part, the guitar chords, and techniques. The video demo makes it easier for self-taught players to understand the complexities of the guitar chords.

To make the most of your free guitar chords, get a guitar dictionary. This contains 63 basic chords, and when you pick a note, you will hear the sound of the guitar chord. This will require a Flash player, though, so be ready to get one when needed. Yet another tool you can use is a CD of guitar chords that may supplement the free guitar chords you have downloaded from websites. This CD is easy to use because it does not require extra tools to set up.

Also, surf the net for free guitar chords of your favorite songs and artists. There is no end in sight for guitar chords, tips, and even free guitar newsletters. You can also sign up for guitar forums to get more ideas from other guitar players. From there you can start you budding guitar career.

About the Author

Visit aboutplayingguitar.com for free guitar chords. In the mood for the blues? Visit this site now for blues guitar chords and free guitar sheet music.

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5 Tips For Choosing The Right Electric Guitar

Purchasing an electric guitar is very exciting and fun. The process can be made more efficient by following several basic guidelines and using several tips provided below. Are you new to guitars and ready to make your first electric guitar purchase? Are you a seasoned player who owns several guitars and you find yourself adding to your guitar collection? No matter which category you find yourself in, getting the most from your instrument purchase is very important. It is also important to understand the types of electric guitars available.

The choices include:

1. Solid Body Electric Guitars 2. Hollow Body Electric Guitars 3. Semi Hollow Body Electric Guitars 4. Acoustic/Electric Guitars 5. Pedal Steel Guitars 6. Hawaiian Style Lap Guitars

Guitars, and particularly electric guitars are not created equal. There are many brands of electric guitars to choose from. Making the right choice when purchasing a guitar will depend on some basic factors, including:

1. Your particular situation

2. The specific application when using the guitar.

For example, if you are a beginner, there is little reason to consider investing several thousands of dollars into a pro level guitar such as a custom Les Paul or a Paul Reed Smith. Another example regarding a specific application would be if you are a traveling musician. Traveling guitarists may want to consider a slightly less expensive guitar to take on the road while saving their finest instrument for a studio environment. Regardless of your situation or the application, the bottom line is there are several factors to consider. Understanding your position as a potential guitar buyer will help you make the right decision and ensure that you make an informed purchase.

Here are 5 tips to help you in choosing the right electric guitar.

Tip 1. Evaluate your level of committment to the instrument and the art of music.

Before you choose your electric guitar be sure you understand the level of committment that you are prepared to invest into the instrument. Electric guitars can be expensive and understanding the level of dedication you plan to invest in the instrument should play a vital role in choosing your guitar.

Tip 2. Identify your particular application for the instrument.

If you are a beginner and just learning to play the instrument, your application will be quite different from an intermediate or advanced guitarist who is adding to their collection. Determine your particular situation and application for the guitar you will purchase. Consider whether or not you will be keeping the instrument at home or frequently traveling with it. For example, if you plan to keep the instrument at home for recreational use, you may want to consider including a less expensive case for the guitar. Road cases can be costly and will not be neccesary if you do not travel with the guitar.

Tip 3. Identify your budget and include patience regarding your guitar purchase.

Many aspiring guitarists have wandered into the local music store only to be overwhelmed by the vast choices and different price ranges of guitars. As with any purchase, pre-planning and understanding your budget is critical. Prices for electric guitars range from a few hunderd dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. If you are serious about playing the guitar, selecting your instrument will be one of the most important decisions you make. Be sure to take ample time during this stage of the process. Patience is more than a virtue when selecting your guitar.

Tip 4. Consult a professional to get tips on guitar quality and performance.

It is a good idea to take the time to visit several musical instrument dealers in your area. Retail guitar shops will be more than happy to help you understand what to look for when buying an electric guitar. Get several opinions if you are new to guitars. Most guitar outlets will have seasoned players on staff who will be happy to impart their experience and wisdom. Ask questions. Find out what you need to consider when selecting an electric guitar. Getting several opinions in this area will shed light on the overall picture and will be very beneficial information when it comes time to buy.

Tip 5. Include additional items and training resources to help you get started playing the guitar.

Once you have made the right guitar purchase, be sure to have additional items on hand that will be vital to the process of learning. You will need an extra set of guitar strings, some extra picks, a tuner and a stand for your guitar. It is also very important to purchase some beginner books that include chord charts, guitar tab and chord progression exercises.

Learning to play the electric guitar is fun and exciting. There are few things in life that will provide the relaxation and feeling of accomplishment you can experience by becoming proficient with guitar chords, guitar tabs and guitar chord progressions. Applying the knowledge you gain from the right learning resources to your favorite style of music is very rewarding. Carefully select your electric guitar. Be sure to practice to develop skill, musical knowledge and basic music theory concepts. Apply what you learn on a daily basis and you will be amazed at the progress you will make with your new electric guitar.

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