Category: Guitar

Mar 31 2008

Guitar Players Jam Strategies and Solutions

Name some of the best strategies to learn how to play with other people. Well I got a few up my sleeve. The sooner you put your skills into use the better. At least in the direction you want to go. Bands form everyday, new drummers develop their skills. Bass players develop their chops and get involved also. Never a shortage of people to play with. No matter what level you play at.

To be a one man band, such as the great Ben Pestage, you only need yourself, equipment, a car and a designated driver. Ben is a local favorite, he is going to make it big soon. He is that good. You can see Ben and learn more about him in My Space. Ben’s style is good old fashioned finger-pick-in’blues. Finger pickers use the low E and A strings as the bass line. When you use your fingers to pick the top four strings you get your lead going, all at once. It’s called Travis picking.

No strategy necessary here. Book a gig and show up. The only person to blame if the drummer doesn’t show is…uh..yourself…. or Ben in this case. No musical politics either! Pretty inviting.

Realistically speaking, Not every one wants to be like Ben or has the talent either. The rest of us need to know what strategies you can when you jam or gig. There are several ways to go. If you disagree with any of these strategies, I urge you to share yours. Other people have formulated good strategic methods of jamming too.

Make sure the person leading or hosting the Jam is knowledgeable. Their should be someone who has a good idea of dealing with new players and their fears of playing with other musicians.

Have a list of a few, maybe two to four easy songs, especially for a Beginner guitar players jam session. I may repeat a couple of paradigms periodically, because they are important. Some things will overlap, however, it should go without saying that maybe strategies mentioned twice are twice as important.

Learn what Guitar tablature, tabs, tab is, and how to read it. There is plenty of solid information about learning an easy method to read music, even at an elementary level.

Put a few Guitar chords under your belt. Make a commitment to learn the mandatory chords recommended for everyone. Yo gotta know a few chords or you will really get frustrated. Play them over and over. To have fun and amuse yourself, try learning how to play the twelve bar blues structure.
It’s the easiest way I know of to learn some elementary tunes.

Take turns with the other guitarists. Don’t be a stage hog like me. Depending on how many guitar players show up, take a break every twenty minutes and give another axe man or drummer or bass player a chance to show his wares. Be courteous to everyone who shows, anyone with the nerve to show deserves to play and be supported by all the members. Even if you think you stink.

Note: It’s a natural Phenom to think you stink. You are probably better than you give yourself credit for. It is also why we strive to get better as guitarists. Humans are competitive with each other and themselves.

Use some of the online tools and lessons when you are practicing at home. The metronome and tuner are your best friends. See if you can’t beat or wear out a metronome. Good Luck!

Most important. Have fun and enjoy. Let other people help you. Never quit, you will become a regular jam member and keep improving as a player by continuing to jam. It’s a tried and true method to Jam. Someday new people will show that you can help. I guarantee!

Learning to play classical guitar is a bit different. Classical guitar teachers have recitals. Usually, every month the teacher hosts or maybe a student hosts a recital. Everyone learns a piece of music and gets on stage and plays it. It’s fun and important to play for people. But it is not like Jamming with a bass player and drummer. Needless to say, it’s like comparing apples and oranges in terms of playing styles.

That’s the strategy many guitarists use. We are all in the developmental mode, always! Start to Jam and watch/hear for yourself and grow.

About the author: For more information about Guitar Players Center Guitar Articles or Guitar Reviews. Feel free to visit our website, ask questions, make comments or simply enjoy.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com

Feb 29 2008

Few Suggestions to Buy a New Guitar

When you have come to a decision to buy a guitar, although you may have a thought of just what sort you want, it pays to have a close look at the options the guitar store has to offer. Obviously you will be haggard by looks at first, but you actually should pick it up and see how it feels when you are holding it and give it a strum to ensure out how it sounds.

You may feel a little frightened playing the guitar in the store, but it is necessary to try before you put your money into it. By having a play with it, you will recognize its exact quality which you are looking for. If it is an electric guitar you are after, make sure it is associated to the same kind or amplifier that you intend to use, as if not, this can make is sound totally different.

Start by strumming the open strings quite hard so that you can hear its sound clearly. Snoop closely for any strings making a vibrant sound and make sure when you play each fret on the neck that there are no fret buzzes. Ask if you can play the guitar in a calm space within the store if there is a lot of cacophonous going on around you and you cannot hear the sound appropriately. If the sales staff in the shop does not welcome your intention of trying out the guitar, then you should think sincerely about buying from that particular store and can transfer your business to another store where you can listen to the guitar suitably before making a buy.

It is always better to make a written note of the guitars you have tried so far. Through this approach you are less likely to get tangled up about which one was which. Write down the model, expenditure incurred and what it looks like and this will make things easier, if you are not buying on the day, but going home to have a think about it. It is necessary to pay out as much time as you need in the store looking and trying out a range of guitars for sale, before making a last decision. Never let the staff of the store, or anyone else for that matter, push you into making a quick option.

Look into the online music directory to get the information on beneficial offers that may help you to choose the best guitar applicable for your needs.

About the author: Myself webmaster of www.arts-entertainment-world.info, a free online music directory offers latest information and reviews on film music, movies, contests, events etc.
Source: http://www.free-articles-zone.com

Feb 10 2008

Choose A Good Guitar Guide

If you are a beginner guitar player, you will naturally to be apprehensive about what type of guitar should you buy and the cost of buying one. Yes, there are many things to ponder over when you are deciding to buy a good beginner’s guitar. Here are some pointers that should give you some ideas for choosing which guitar to purchase.

Buying the right guitar may not be an easy choice for you. It can be so frustrating and exasperating that sometimes you will just feel like buying the next guitar you see just so that you can stop your search once and for all. Worse if you the easily frustrated type, you may even feel like giving up the idea of learning how to play the guitar altogether.

Every person will have a different set of criteria when choosing a good guitar. However, chances are that you may not always be able to satisfy all of them at once. Just have a little patience and look around as much as you can so that will not regret later that you have bought a wrong guitar. Don’t just buy the first guitar you see, visit as many guitar stores as you can just to get an idea of what is on offer.

You probably will have friends who are experienced guitarists, so go and ask them for advice on how to choose a guitar for a beginner like you. Someone who has been playing the guitar for sometime will be able to show you where to choose the best guitars for the best price. Better yet, ask them if they are willing to accompany you to check out the guitars.

Beginner guitar players are often offered package deals in most guitar stores. These deals will often include a free guitar strap, case, tuner and sometimes even free lessons. This would be a good choice for a beginner because everything you need to learn how to play the guitar is packaged together.

If you aspire to be a proficient guitarist, buying a guitar not suitable for you would not only get you shortchanged but it might also disillusion you and dampens your enthusiasm. For this reason, it is always recommended that buy your guitar from reputed brands such as Yamaha, Ibanez, Fender, Gibson, Ovation and Martin just to list a few of them.

You don’t have to get embarrassed when trying out and testing the guitar at the shop since you will be the one who is paying for the guitar. When inspecting a guitar, lookout for sloppy gluing and also make sure that the guitar has a good solid top.

Play the guitar as loudly as you want to because this is the best way of listening to its tonal quality. Play on every fret on the guitar neck to make sure that there are no fret buzzes. Also never pay the listed price for a guitar, so do some hard bargaining with the sales staff and you may get a handsome discount.

If buying a brand new guitar is out of your tight budget, you may wish to consider getting a good quality second hand guitar. This is also an option especially so if your enthusiasm on being a guitarist is just a passing fad.

About the author: Chris Chew has a website on learning how to sing and play music at Learn how to sing powerfully and Play rock guitar lessons
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com