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.
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Nov 08 2007

History of Guitars

The history of guitars traces back to India and Central Asia. It is derived from the Sitara. The oldest known iconographic depiction of an instrument displaying all the required features of a guitar is a 3300 year old stone carving of a Hittite bard. Earlier a guitar was known to be an instrument with a long, fretted neck, flat wooden soundboard, ribs, and a flat back, most often with incurved sides. The modern guitar owes its origin from the Spanish guitarra derived from the Latin word cithara. Cithara comes from the Greek word kithara, perhaps derived from Persian sihtar, which in turn related to Indian Sitara.

Following the history of guitars the modern guitar comes from the Roman cithara brought by the Romans to Hispania around 40 AD. They further modified and developed it with the entrance of the four string oud, brought by the Moors. In other parts of Europe, the native six strings Scandinavian lut (lute) had gained in reputation in areas of Viking incursions across the continent.

The composers for the string instruments wrote mostly in tablature notation. During the 17th century, Italy was said to be the capital of the guitar world. In France, the guitar was considered to be the instrument of the nobility. The Spanish school of guitar creation flourished after the end of the eighteenth century. The works and composition of the composers traveled widely including the Italians composers who were involved in a number of substantial works.

One of the most vital factors in the history of guitars was the addition of the sixth string during the middle of the eighteenth century. The changes in social conditions and improvement in the mode of transportation during the 19th Century contributed to the growing understanding of the guitar and enabled performers to travel with their composition. Guitar music thrived Spain more than others in the 19th century.

The early 20th century saw the European emigrants coming to America brought a number of highly skilled instrument makers among them, including those who were expert in the manufacturing of steel stringed acoustic guitar. Two types of construction evolved, the flat top guitar and the arch top guitar. Martin and Gibson were two of the original and most significant of all American acoustic guitar makers.

A well recognized name in the history of guitars, Antonio Torres Jurado (1817 to1892), developed the modern feature of the guitar in Seville during the 1850s. George Beauchamp in 1936 patented the electric guitar, which used the horseshoe magnet pickup. However, Danelectro was the first to produce electric guitars for the wider public.

The requirement for something with an amplified sound became noticeable during the big band era of history of guitars. Amplified devices became necessary in order to fight with the loud volumes of the large brass sections common to jazz orchestras of the thirties and forties. To begin with the component of electric guitar, this consisted primarily of hollow archtop acoustic guitar bodies to which electromagnetic transducers had been fixed.

The original recognized use of the electric guitar in the history of guitars was during October 1932 in Wichita, Kansas by guitarist and bandleader Gage Brewer who acquired two instruments directly from George Beauchamp of Los Angeles, California. The first recording of an electric guitar was by jazz guitarist George Barnes. He recorded two songs in Chicago on March 1st, 1938. These were Sweetheart Land and It is a Low Down Dirty Shame.

About the Author: Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, and synthesizers. You can find the best marketplace for guitars, drums, and synthesizers at these 3 sites: guitars, traditional guitars, drums, drum sets, drum kits, and synthesizers, keyboards.
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