DVD Guitar Lessons That Rock

Do you find yourself short on practice time? Do you struggle with making time for regular guitar lessons. Well...you're not alone! It is hard to commit to attending a weekly guitar lesson, and even harder to find time to practice the exercises and techniques a guitar tutor will demand of you. Self-paced learning is often a more effective way to pick up a new skill. With DVD guitar lessons, you can get the same results from your TV screen that hundreds of dollars, and months of music lessons will yield.

Affordable:

DVD Guitar Lessons may cost anywhere from $10-$40. Some of them come in a series of progressive discs, and others just teach one concept or technique. Consider that a month's worth of guitar lessons (four, 30-minute lessons) might cost you $75. That is two hours of instruction for $75. You can easily purchase a series of instructional discs with up to six hours of lessons that costs only $25. It's a $50 savings for three times as much information. DVD guitar lessons will save you time and gas money, as you will not spend time waiting for an instructor, rescheduling missed lessons, and driving to and from a music studio.

Versatility:

Do you like many genres of music? DVD Guitar Lessons give you the flexibility to study whatever genre you are interested in. It is sometimes challenging to find a teacher that can help you with rock and classical, but when you are studying with a DVD, you can choose any style that fits your mood. If you forget something, or want to see it again, just hit rewind and you have a custom review session at your fingertips.

Repetition:

For a beginner musician, repetition can be the most important tool in developing new skills. You will need to practice certain chord patterns again and again before they feel natural, and it might be helpful to have the visual stimulation that DVD guitar lessons provide handy. At any given moment, you can pause or restart your lesson, just to make sure you are getting everything just right. You can also slow more technical patterns down if you want to take the lesson at your own pace.

Self-Directed:

With guitar lessons on DVD, you will pick and choose what you want to study. If you already know about strumming patterns, you can skip that part of the lesson and move on to a more advanced subject. If you are not interested in music theory, you can avoid it and learn by listening and emulating what you hear instead. You will be in charge of your own progress!

DVD Guitar Lessons are ideal for families with multiple children who may want to learn to play, former musicians returning to the field, or absolute beginners who just want to rock out. They provide a sense of affordability and versatility that no teacher can give, and with the knowledge that your learning is self-directed, you can feel proud of your accomplishments. The lessons come in all levels, and will keep you challenged for many years to come.

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Buying Your First Guitar - How to Choose the Right Guitar to Give You the Best Value For Money

INTRODUCTION
Buying the right guitar to start learning on is an important step that should not be rushed. You need to consider a range of factors. I will go into detail on each factor I believe you should consider when buying your first guitar.
For many people, starting a new hobby is like trying out a new car before buying it. They aren't sure if they will like it two, three, ten years down the track and it is hard to guess if you will like it. Many people who start to learn the guitar will give it up after a short time for different reasons. For this reason, a lot of people don't want to spend too much money that they aren't sure will go to good use. One option you could take is if one of your friends or relatives owns a guitar. You could ask if you could borrow it for a short time to get an idea of whether you like the idea of playing it or not. If after a while you feel that this is the right hobby for you, come back here and read this article to give you assistance in buying the right guitar for you.

BUDGET
This is the most important issue to consider for most people. Guitars can range all the way from cheap $20 acoustics found in garage sales all the way to prestige guitars costing thousands upon thousands. You should think about how much you want to spend and stick with it. Salespeople will give you plenty of reasons to pay more than you want to, but understand that you can get a good guitar for even low prices. Consider the following points and how they will sit within your budget.

STYLE OF MUSIC
If you have in mind what musical direction you want to take, it will influence the type of guitar you buy. If you really want to play heavy metal or similar styles you wouldn't buy a nylon string acoustic because it won't help you reach that goal. Likewise if you want to play soft ballad type songs that you can sing along while playing, an electric guitar may not be the right choice for you. If you have a certain style in mind, find out what type of guitars musicians of that style play. Have a search for your favorite artist's gear to see the type of guitar they play, don't look at the model or brand of the guitar (because famous artists normally buy the top of the range products that are extremely expensive).
If on the other hand you are not sure what direction you will be taking or want to play a range of styles, the type of guitar you buy won't be as important to your decision in regards to style. Instead, focus on the below points to find out which guitar will be best for you.
Remember: you can always buy another guitar later on, so don't worry if you change directions after you buy your first guitar.

PLAYABILITY

STEEL STRING VS NYLON STRING ACOUSTICS
For a beginner, how easy it is to play the guitar will make a big impact on the rate you improve and the skills you develop. If you start off with a steel string acoustic for example, you will quickly notice that is hard to push the strings down and may hurt your fingers. Many females (and some males) will have a lot of trouble starting on a steel string guitar because it takes a lot of finger strength to play. If you are worried that this will be a problem for you, maybe you should consider a nylon string acoustic instead. Nylon string acoustics are much less of a strain on your fingers when pushing the strings down. For this reason, most teachers will recommend students start on nylon strings so their first month or more won't be too painful.

ACOUSTIC VS ELECTRIC
There is a big difference between starting on an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar. Many teachers don't recommend starting on an electric guitar for the following reason. Electric guitars are easier than acoustics to play. For many people this is a good thing. The problem with electric guitars being easy to play is that you will get comfortable playing the electric so much that when you pick up an acoustic and try to play the same music, it will most likely be a major strain. Many guitarists who only play electric guitar struggle to play acoustic. It is very hard to swap from playing electric to acoustic. Likewise, it is very easy to swap from acoustic (especially steel string) to electric. This is because of the strength acoustic guitars build up in your fingers. Once you switch to electric guitars, you will find your fingers can play with ease. So have a think about this issue and if you want to play both electric and acoustic, start off on acoustic. If you want to only play electric guitar, then the choice is simple. Later down the track if you decide you want to play acoustic as well, you may find it difficult at first, but with practice playing an acoustic can improve your playing.

QUALITY
There is a great range in the quality of guitar available today. It is similar to the car industry: you can buy a super high quality Ferarri, you can buy a rundown second hand Toyota and everything in between. What you should aim for is to buy the best quality guitar within your budget. But don't be fooled into thinking that only high price guitars are high quality. You will be surprised at the quality of guitars available at low prices. Your best choice is to bring a friend or relative (who are competent players) in with you to test out the guitar you are thinking about. As I explain below, you shouldn't rely solely on the music store salesperson's advice. Remember to stick to your budget.

BRAND
Many guitarists suffer from 'brand loyalty'. This is when they are so devoted to a particular brand that they will never buy or play a guitar with a different brand name. Don't be one of those people. It is okay to prefer a certain brand because you like the style of their guitars, but don't get sucked into thinking that one brand is better than all the rest. Every brand has their advantages and disadvantages.
Just like in supermarkets where you can choose between 'brand name' products and 'home brand' products, guitars will have well known 'brand name' guitars and unknown 'home brand' guitars. Sometimes the only difference between the guitars is the name that is printed on the guitar headstock. People pay big dollars for guitars that have the names fender, Gibson, Ibanez, PRS, Martin printed on the headstock. Although buying a brand name guitar will most likely give you a very high quality guitar, it can be a very expensive choice. My suggestion is to find a guitar that you like regardless of the brand name. If it is good quality and within your budget: go for it. Don't buy a guitar solely because it has fender written on it. If on the other hand you prefer the security of buying a quality guitar from a reputable brand, it's okay to buy one for that reason.

SALESPEOPLE TRICKS
This section is to warn you of potential issues when dealing with music store salespeople. This isn't to scare you off or to insult salespeople, it is to protect you from the people looking to make a high commission rather than give you what you want. Hopefully you will deal with an honest salesperson who genuinely wants to help you. Just be aware that they aren't all honest.
My first point you need to consider is that the people working in the store are normally excellent guitar players. So good that they can make every guitar sound good no matter how poor quality it is. In a future lesson I will explain how you can make any guitar sound great. Just be aware that a salesperson can make the dodgiest guitar in the store sound better than the $2,000 fender in the glass case. This is why I recommend that you have a go playing the guitar if you can play at least something simple and even better bring a friend or relative who can play. If they know what they are doing they should be able to tell you the problems with the guitar.
It is well known that audio salespeople use a trick to make a stereo systems sound higher quality by turning the volume up slightly louder than another one. Salespeople may use a similar trick when comparing two guitars. By plugging the guitar they want to sell to you into a high quality amp and playing it loud, it can make it sound fantastic. Some people may try this to get you to spend just a little bit extra. Don't think a great sounding guitar will automatically make you sound great. It takes a lot of work to be a competent player. Great players can make any guitar sound great and bad players can make any guitar sound bad.

My experience with buying a first guitar:
I was unaware of many of these issues when I bought my first guitar. Luckily the salesperson we dealt with genuinely wanted to help us out and made sure we got a great guitar at a good price. I had been playing my dad's old beat up acoustic guitar for a couple years and my parents bought me an electric guitar. It is a good quality guitar and I still use it today for recording and performing. So if you make a good decision, the first guitar you buy will be useful for a lifetime.
Because I started off on an acoustic guitar, the transition to electric was incredibly simple. Consider buying an acoustic even if you want to play electric guitar down the track.

SUMMARY
I have pointed out a few important issues for you to consider when buying a first guitar. There are many more factors you should consider but these I believe are the most important issues. If you take your time to find out what your best option is and then shop around for the best deal, you will save money and hopefully end up with a great instrument that can last you a lifetime.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aaron_Matthies

How To Clean A Guitar Fretboard

A dirty, uncared for guitar fretboard is a sight to be avoided, but many guitar players clean their guitar fretboard too much. The dirt that builds up is old grease and dead skin cells which is not a good look if you pass your guitar to someone else to play.

The fretboard of you guitar is made from a hardwood that is meant to stand up to all the punishment your fingers and your storage and transport methods can hand out. Dark woods are used for the front of the neck so that marks form oily fingers don't show up. It is especially chosen to resist abrasions. A finish applied to the wood in the factory would wear out from use very quickly so when you get your guitar, the neck is unfinished.

If you have a cheap guitar, you might find that your neck looks blotchy. This is because some of the cheaper guitars are painted with a coating to make the look nice and shiny. These kinds of finishes are just window-dressing and don't last longer than a year or two.

A guitar fretboard absorbs moisture from the air when the weather is humid and the water goes back into the air when the weather is dry. The fretboard is glued onto the guitar neck so the underside is protected fro the action of moisture in the air by the sealing quality of the glue.

So one side of the fretboard is expanding and shrinking because of the moisture and the underside stays stable because it is protected. This can eventually lead to the fretboard warping and cracking and the whole neck is vulnerable to warping.

So we are left with the need to seal the fretboard against the danger of warping and cracking. There is a range of preparations made for the purpose of protecting the fretboard. Most of these should be avoided. The general rule for looking after a guitar fretboard is to clean it when it is dirty. Never use polish of any kind. A little liquid soap will clean grimy areas and if your fretboard looks dull, use some kind of fretboard cleaner like Formby's or Fret Doctor.

Some preparations like lemon oil will leave a layer that attracts more dirt. Don't clean your fretboard until you can see the dirt. For most people this will mean about once a year. Use a "magic eraser" type cleaning pad and perhaps a little naptha on it.

By: Gyorgy Huba

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Buy a Guitar Online - Top Ten Things to Look For When Buying a Guitar Online

In this day and age where purchasing things can be done over the internet, it is sufficient to say that even guitars can be purchased in this manner. If a person wants to buy a guitar online, all he or she has to do is to search online for the particular guitar model and brand that they want. When the search results are displayed, they often show where this guitar can be purchased and offer options regarding modes of payment and delivery. However, there are a few things to be remembered in choosing to buy a guitar online.

The first thing to do when you buy a guitar online is to do some research. There are many types of guitar out in the market. It is important to scout around. Different stores have different prices.

The second thing to do is to enlist a friend's help in buying a guitar. Your friend should know a lot about guitars especially when it comes to a guitar's ideal specifications. If you're on a budget, he or she can guide you in selecting a guitar which fits into your price range and yet sound amazing.

The third thing to do is know the advantages of buying a guitar online versus buying a guitar in a music store. When you buy a guitar online, you won't be able to perform some test runs on it to see how it sounds. You also won't be able to determine if it is comfortable enough for you to handle. This is one advantage that buying in a music store has over buying a guitar over the internet.

The fourth thing to know when you buy a guitar online is to know the warranty periods that each guitar manufacturer or distributor has for the guitars. This is done so as to avoid having to pay any extra fee if, by some unforeseen circumstance, you find yourself getting a damaged guitar.

If you're still stuck on which guitar to buy, then the fifth tip should come in handy. This tip involves reading guitar reviews made by users who have had the experience of owning a particular guitar. User-reviews often detail what the user likes and dislikes about the product. It is important to read these user reviews so that you'll know what you're getting yourself into once you purchase the guitar.

The sixth tip is to choose a guitar which suits your purpose. An electric guitar is lighter and more portable than a classic or acoustic guitar. However, it does have some other accessories which are also important to own and set-up. If you're just planning to play the guitar for recreational purposes then you might be better-off having an acoustic guitar.

After choosing your guitar, you can continue to purchase it online. This is the seventh tip. There may be differences in the prices when comparing a guitar bought online to a guitar bought in a music store. It is said that some online stores don't charge the customer any sales tax. There are a few others who do though.

The shipping method is something to think about as the eighth tip. Instruments have to be handled with care. However, not most shippers, or rather employees of shippers, understand that. In order to make sure that your guitar arrives undamaged, it is important to choose a shipper with a good reputation.

The ninth tip also deals with shipping. If you are not too sure about the shipper, then make sure that your guitar comes professionally packed in order to avoid damage.

The tenth and final thing to do when your guitar arrives at your doorstep is to examine it carefully for any damage. If there is some damage, make sure that you are still within the warranty period as this enables you to return the guitar to the manufacturer. However, the shipping and returning fees may be costly.

All in all, there are certain things to look out for when you decide to buy a guitar online. There are also certain risks involved. A person should gauge the situation carefully in order to decide which buying method is right for him or her.

Want to find the best deals when you buy a guitar online? We offer the best deals online for buying guitars, accessories, amplifiers, and more! Come to http://www.Bargain-Guitars.com to get your guitar for the limited sale prices!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Will_Thompson

Beginner Guitar - Tips to Help the Beginner Guitar Player

Most people who are interested in music often have the urge to be a beginner guitar player. They are influenced by the musicians they see on TV, what they hear on radio, or by their favorite music. There are some who just want to be able to reproduce or sing along with their favorite song. Others have more personal reasons such as wanting to impress someone with their guitar playing skills or dreaming of becoming famous. For those interested in beginner guitar, here are some tips to help you get started.

The first thing that a beginner guitar player should do is to decide which type of guitar he or she wants to play. There are different types of guitars and also different types of musical genre. There is the classical guitar which has a wider staff compared to other guitars. This is the guitar most preferred by those into classical music as this allows for a more flexible picking of notes. Using this type of guitar doesn't require any need to use an amplifier. There is also the acoustic guitar which is available for any kind of music. There is also the electric guitar which is the type mostly used by rock bands. The bass guitar, which is available in both acoustic and electric versions, is used for lower notes. This usually has four strings although there are also bass guitars with 5 or 6 strings available.

Another thing that a beginner guitar player should do is to decide if he or she wants to study playing the guitar with a teacher or by himself. Although it is less costly to learn the guitar yourself, the guidance given by a guitar teacher is valuable because they have also undergone years of training and experience with regards to guitar playing. Also, they will be able to correct you if you're doing something wrong such as improper hand movement and posture.

Some people forget to do this but it is important to remember to take your time. Learn the basics in guitar 101 and the easy songs first. These fundamentals include knowing the parts of the guitar and how to tune the guitar strings. Beginner guitar players should also study the different guitar theories as this teaches them how to read notes and do scales. This is especially important if you're interested in playing classical music as these music pieces often require a guitar player to read notes. Other genres of music also incorporate note reading as a requirement to guitar playing. Strumming is also an essential part in guitar playing as this allows you to accompany most of the songs heard once you know the basic guitar chords.

Beginner guitar players should also remember that there is such a thing as good posture which matters in guitar playing. Many may not know it but there is a proper posture being taught by music teachers with regard to guitar playing. It is advisable for the guitar player to sit in an armless chair with the guitar resting on his lap. Some musicians even use a foot rest so as to be able to prop the guitar on one knee for added support and ease of use.

A beginner should also use the right pick. These picks come in various styles. It is important to choose the pick which you are most comfortable with and which isn't hard on the hands or fingers. A beginner is advised to choose a soft pick first so that you can strum quicker. You might also want a firmer one since it is said that firmer picks produce a richer quality of sound. You should also remember to grip it firmly but not too tightly.

Probably the most important tip for beginners to remember is to practice. Practice makes guitar playing easier for the beginner. It'll also help you memorize notes quicker. If you have a guitar recital coming up, it is important to be comfortable with the piece you'll be performing.

Beginner guitar players don't have to be afraid of the instrument. All they have to do is to practice, be comfortable, and to have fun. This is the reason why most people choose to play an instrument in the first place. They want to have fun and enjoy music at the same time.

Want to find the best deals when you buy a guitar online? We offer the best deals online for beginner guitar, accessories, amplifiers, and more! Come to http://www.Bargain-Guitars.com to get your guitar for the limited sale prices!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Will_Thompson

Gibson Les Paul Guitars - Americas Favorite Electric Guitar

Gibson Les Paul 2008 Standard: Gibson's newest version of the Les Paul Standard was released August 1st 2008, and it features built-in lock on strap buttons, a larger neck tenon, with an uneven neck contour to make for a comfy neck, frets leveled by Plek machine, and locking Grover tuners with an improved ratio of 18:1. The newest 2008 guitar Gibson has introduced their weight relief chambering, which has included routing chambers in precise areas of the mahogany slab body as specified by Gibson R&D. Before the 2008 release, Les Paul Standards were holy like it had holes routed into the body, but it was not chambered like most of the guitars now are.

Gibson 1961 Les Paul SG Guitars: Gibson experienced a huge fall in electric guitar sales mainly because of their high prices and huge competition from Fender's equivalent but much lighter double-cutaway design in 1960 on The Stratocaster Guitar. Gibson then made changes to the infamous guitar line. The 1961 guitar was thinner and much lighter than the previous guitars, with two sharply pointed cut-aways and vibrato system. Nevertheless, the revamp was done without Les Paul's knowledge...ooops. The musician saw the guitar, he gasped, and he asked Gibson to remove his name from the guitar and he said goodbye to Gibson. Even though this separation happened in 1960, Gibson had a huge stock of Les Paul logos and truss rod covers, and so they continued to use the Les Paul name until about 1963. That is when the SG guitar's name was finally altered to SG, which stands for Solid Guitar. Plus the SG line, Gibson continued to issue the less expensive Les Paul Jr's and Les Paul Specials (and the Melody Makers) with the newer body style. These were the standard Gibson electric models until the reintroduction of the Les Paul Standard Goldtop and the Les Paul Custom guitars to the market in 1968.

Gibson Les Paul Recording Guitar: This guitar is often shunned by guitar purists who consider it to be too full of gadgets and buttons. The Recording features low-impedance pickups, many switches and buttons, and a highly specialized cable for impedance-matching to the amplifier. Less noticeable changes included, but were not limited to, maple fingerboards (1976), pickup cavity shielding, and the crossover of the ABR1 Tune-o-matic bridge into the modern day Nashville Tune-o-matic bridge.

Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Guitars: The Les Paul Deluxe was in the midst of the newest 1968 Les Pauls. This guitar featured "mini-humbuckers", also known as "New York" humbuckers, and did not at first demonstrate to be very popular. The mini-humbucker pickup fit in to the precarved P-90 pickup cavity having an adaptor ring developed by Gibson, actually just a cutout P90 pickup cover, in order to use a supply of Epiphone mini-humbuckers left over from when Gibson moved Epiphone production to Japan. The Deluxe was introduced in 1968 and helped to normalize production among Gibson's USA built Les Paul guitars. The 1st materialization of the Deluxe featured a one-piece body and three-piece neck. The body was a thin layer of maple sandwiched by two layers of Honduran mahogany. Later a small volute was added. 1969 Les Paul Deluxe's mark the Gibson logo devoid of the dot over the "i" in Gibson. In 1970 the dot over the i had returned, with a new Made in USA stamp on the back of the headstock. By 1975, the neck construction was changed from mahogany to maple, until the early 1980s, when the production was returned to mahogany. Vintage, new and used Gibson Les Paul Guitars can be purchased on sale and a great bargain can be had online.

Gibson Les Paul Studio: In 1983 The Les Paul Studio guitar was introduced and is still being made today. The planned market for this guitar was the professional studio musician. Consequently, the design features of the Studio were for optimal sound output. This guitar kept only the elements that added to the tone and playability, together with the carved maple top and standard mechanical and electronic hardware. Nonetheless, the Studio design left out many stock Gibson decorations that did not affect sound quality, including the binding on the body and neck. A notable exemption to this is the Studio Custom, a guitar in the mid 1980s that incorporated body and neck binding, though with dot fingerboard inlays instead of more ornate trapezoids.

Gibson Les Paul Robot Guitar: The Gibson Les Paul Robot Guitar was released in December 2007. The guitar has a computer built into the guitar body with a master control knob next to the volume knobs, which can be pulled out, turned, or pressed to issue different commands to the guitar. One of the more memorable features is the capability to tune the guitar to standard tuning simply by pulling out on the master control knob and strumming the guitar, while the tuning pegs amazingly adjust themselves to standard tuning. Another use of the master control knob is to be able to tune the guitar to alternative tunings, such as drop D, by pressing on the control knob to fit the setting. The Les Paul Robot Guitar has a new custom silverburst blue finish. While the guitar was advertised in the American as a world's first, similar systems, some external, have been in use for decades.

Gibson Les Paul Dark Fire Guitars: Just recently on December 15, 2008 Gibson publicized a new interactive computerized guitar that produces more sounds and it is named the Dark Fire. The guitar has a computer built into the body and controlled by the Master Control Knob or also called the MCK. The MCK gives guitar players the skill to change the pickups and coils, fine-tune each tone and tunings automatically and at once, even while a song is being played. Similar to the Robot Guitar, the Dark Fire Guitar features the capability to tune the guitar, nonetheless, enhanced over the Robot Guitar, the player can tune it up to 500 times per battery charge, letting the tuning pegs adjust themselves to different tuning styles. Using the Chameleon Tone Technology Gibson says this guitar will produce every imaginable guitar sound. In addition to the enhanced and advanced tuning features, the guitar has 3 various types of pickups, which includes: Burstbucker (humbucker), a P-90 single-coil and a bridge-mounted piezo acoustic--all of which add to organic blends of original sounds.

http://music-memorabilia-posters.com/ Vintage, new and used Gibson Les Paul Guitars can be purchased on sale and a great bargain can be had online.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joshua_Dylan

Country Guitar Lessons - Guitars and Guitarists

Country guitar lessons in these days of the world wide web are now popular all over the world. If you are wondering what the fuss is about I will just mention some aspects of country guitar playing that excite the interest of music fans and guitar enthusiasts alike. This article will focus on a couple of the more individualistic guitar styles in country music and also talk a little about the Telecaster - the country musician's guitar.

First let us look at a guitar style that has entered the country genre through blues and rock. The slide guitar, also known as the bottleneck guitar is a lyrical way of expressing feelings through guitar music. It was developed in the early twentieth century by the early blues players, and popularized by young white rock and blues players in the nineteen sixties. Now there are many country guitar players who see the musical possibilities in this style of playing. The key to this technique is sliding an object along the guitar strings to make a whining or wailing sound. This presents the guitar player with many opportunities to play notes that fall between the frets of the guitar as well as imitating the sound of a singing voice.

The term "bottleneck" refers to the practice of many slide guitar performers of producing the sliding sound by fitting the neck of a bottle to their first or second finger. Popular wisdom has it that other players used the blade of a knife. Modern slide guitar players usually go to a music shop and buy a slide. You can play slide guitar with the guitar held in the normal playing position or with the guitar in your lap. A player can use an ordinary steel string acoustic guitar tuned in the standard way or to an open chord, or a resonator guitar which has a distinctive metallic sound well suited to slide playing.

Another guitar style used by country guitar players is chicken pickin', developed to high art by Waylon Jennings. It is used in lead guitar solos and involves the guitar player pulling on the string with his right hand fingers and at the same time damping the string with his left hand. Most country guitar players use a plectrum or thumbpick to play bass notes in conjunction with chicken pickin' on the treble strings.

Chet Atkins is a country guitar player who was adept at the chicken pickin' technique but he was most well known for his adaptation of the Travis picking technique. Merle Travis developed an impressive solo playing technique using his thumb to pick bass notes and his index finger to play melody or filler notes. Chet Atkins was so impressed with Travis' solos that he assumed that Travis was using his second and ring fingers in addition to his index finger. This mistaken assumption led to a whole new generation of country guitar players inspired by the Chet Atkins style.

If you want to take country guitar lessons you should learn about the typical sound that is associated with country guitar music. While rock and roll has as many sounds as there are guitar players, country guitar has its own sound. This is due to most country players opting to stay with the clean, unadorned sound of the Fender Telecaster. The "Tele" had a sound that made aspiring guitar players sit up and take notice combined with a design that made it a dream to play. It is a solid body electric guitar with two pickups, and was the first electric guitar to be successfully produced and sold on a large scale.

In the early days of the electric guitar both rock and country guitar players wanted to be heard by the audience without feedback interfering with the sound of the guitar. The Telecaster filled the bill when it came out in 1950 and has remained a popular choice for solo guitarist ever since. Country guitarists noted for being enthusiastic Telecaster players include Buck Owens, Waylon Jennings, James Burton and Merle Haggard.

Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free is a constantly updated blog which contains all the resources you need for: learning to play solo guitar, how to learn guitar chords, how to learn to read and play easy acoustic guitar tabs, finding a free online guitar tuner, looking for free guitar lessons online, and how to learn guitar scales.

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Four Basic Acoustic Guitar Tuning Guides for Beginners

Acoustic guitar tuning method is similar to the method use in electric guitar tuning and standard guitar tuning. Guitar tuning is the skill that each of the guitar player need to know and master. Without proper tuning, you won’t be able to get the perfect tone and sound while playing guitar especially getting the right chord and lead.

Before you start, one important rule is to first identify which is the string that being called or named "1st. String" in guitar term. The 1st. string is referring to the smallest string located at the lowest position of the guitar’s neck. Once you knew which the 1st string is, identifying the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th string will be very easy. The 2nd string is the string located above the 1st string. Same arrangement applies to the 3rd to 6th string.

The acoustic guitar strings that being tuned up to the Standard Acoustic Guitar Tuning will have the following sound for each string:

1st. string, representing "E" note or the "Mi (high)" sound;

2nd. string, representing "B" note or the "Ti" sound;

3rd. string, representing "G" note or the "Sol" sound;

4th. string, representing "D" note or the "Re" sound;

5th. string, representing "A" note or the "La" sound;

6th. string, representing "E" note or the "Mi (low)" sound

There are several acoustic guitar tuning methods use which ranging from the expensive (normally using special electronic equipment) to the cheapest or free service from the internet (online guitar tuner).

Listed below are 4 popular acoustic guitar tuning methods that you could consider:

(1) Electronic Guitar Tuner - This is the simplest but most expensive method of the acoustic guitar tuning method. To use this method, you need to buy the equipment called "Electronic Guitar Tuner" which is not cheap. Using it of course very simple. You're using your eyes instead if ears to tune the guitar using this tool. What you need to do is just tune and plucks the string that you are tuning until its match the indicator shown on the electronic guitar tuner.

(2) Online Guitar Tuner - This method has become more and more popular now days. This is because more and more website offer free online acoustic guitar tuning service. If you plan to buy online guitar lesson software, make sure that the package comes with online guitar tuner or guitar tuning software that you can install in your computer. This method is not as easy as using electronic guitar tuner but it is not that hard either. What you need to do is to tune the guitar string until its match the sound generated from the tuner program for each string that you work on.

(3) Guitar Pitch Pipe - Guitar pitch pipe is another acoustic guitar tuning method that you could use. Guitar pitch pipe is the pipe that will produce specific sound or pitch depending on which pipe you blow. You can get the guitar pitch pipe from any music store. There are six holes on the pitch pipe that will produce tone when blow. The guitar string is then tuned to this tone. For user reference, each hole is marked with alphabet A - D - G - B - E representing each guitar string.

(4) Piano or Keyboard - If you have a piano or electric keyboard, this is another method that you can use as the acoustic guitar tuner. This method is similar to online guitar tuner and guitar pitch pipe above. The only different is you are using piano or keyboard to produce tone. The guitar string is then tuned to this tone. Similar to guitar pitch pipe, the note that you need to produce from the piano or keyboard are A - D - G - B - E.

All these methods are the standard acoustic guitar tuning method use by newbies and experience guitar players. In fact, this is a standard guitar tuning method that can be for both acoustic and electric guitars. Which method to use is depending on individual budget and skill level. What important as guitar player is to keep practicing. One day you might not need any equipment to tune your acoustic guitar.

Looking for online guitar lesson software but don’t know how to choose? Visit Ultimate Guitar Review for a fair & honest review.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Hugo

Getting Rhythm - Three Tips for Guitar Beginners

If you are just starting out learning guitar one of the
hardest things can be getting a good rhythm and keeping
that rhythm going while you change chords with your
left hand.

When I first started learning guitar I would strum along
happily until the chord change and then my right hand
would stop while I changed the position of the left.

This makes your playing sound terrible. In fact if you
can keep that right hand strumming or picking the
sequence, you will sound good. If you are a bit slow
with your chord changes and strum some open strings in
between you will still sound good. But lose that rhythm
and everybody knows that you are messing up.

Here are my top three tips for getting past this learning
stage.

#1 Play open strings for the last beat in the bar so you
have time to change chord shape. For example if your are
to play | G G G G | D D D D | C C C C |
instead play | G G G O | D D D O | C C C O |
where O is a strum of the open strings. Listen carefully
and you will notice a lot of guitar players do this. And
it sounds just fine.

#2 Move your body to the rhythm. When I started out I was
told to tap my foot to the rhythm.

1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4

I just couldn't do it. It seemed like one more thing to
remember and overloaded my system. Then I learned to move
my head to the rhythm and immediately my timing improved.
I would nod to the beat and move side to side a bit as well.
I guess it's just horses for courses. You need to find what
works best for you but if you can't tap your foot try
nodding your head or even bouncing the whole of the top
half of your body. Get the beat rattling through your bones!

*** Increase your tempo gradually one beat at a time. You
can use a metronome to keep time but I prefer a drum machine.
I need to really hear that beat in order to know that I'm
with it. You can get Metronomes and Drum Machines to
download to your PC. For an excellent free drum machine
visit www.just-jammin.com.

Once you have your drum machine,
set it up so that there is a heavier beat on the first beat
in the bar. Then set a nice easy tempo. If need be start
as low as 70 beats per minute. When you can play your piece
smoothly at this speed play it again at 71, then 72 etc.
You'll be surprised at just how quickly you can get up to
full speed.

Darren Power is the webmaster at http://www.just-jammin.com where you will find the best price on your new guitar, reviews of the latest training products along with guitar news & freebies

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darren_Power