Finger stretchers and warm-ups.

Here are some ways to prepare yourself for practice or performance.

•  Warming up: Some simple exercises to warm up should be the first thing you think of when you're preparing to practice or or perform. Playing some chords, picking out notes or scales, and stretching exercises are all important. If you play fingerstyle guitar, doing some right hand arpeggios is also necessary.
• How to stretch your left hand. Doing stretching exercises helps to strengthen fingers as well as gain independence. Too many beginning guitar students avoid using the pinky. While it's possible to play without it, there are good reasons to use it. Start out by playing the 1st string, 1st fret with your index or 1st finger. Without taking that finger off, play the 2nd fret, 2nd finger, 3rd fret, 3rd finger, then 4th fret, 4th finger. Reverse the fingering, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st and do that at least twice on each string. The key is to not take the 1st finger off during the whole sequence. The exercise will become increasingly harder as you get to the thicker strings. Be careful not to try to do too much at first. If you're in pain, stop. Once you can do that, try using different finger combinations to help improve dexterity. Ultimately, all 4 fingers should work equally well.
• Right hand exercises. Fingerpicking players should play different arpeggio patterns while gradually increasing speed. Getting a steady thumb beat going, followed by smooth picking with the fingers will sound good. A simple arpeggio pattern: Thumb, Index, Thumb, Middle. The thumb alternates bass notes, the index plays the 2nd string and the middle finger plays the 1st string. Once you get a solid bass line going, add the other fingers and try to play a slow, steady rhythm.
• Isolate trouble spots. When preparing a song for performance, spend extra time on troublesome passages. Work through them slowly, paying particular attention to using the correct fingering, playing the right notes, and then tightening up the rhythm with a metronome. Don't practice a song too long without listening to it. 

These techniques will help you improve your playing, warm up properly, and build the confidence to perform songs under pressure.

Tablature vs Notation

Learning to play using guitar tablature (TAB for short).

We're seeing more and more music publishers using TAB as a way of showing you what to play. Learning from TAB is good news and bad news. The good news is, it's easy to learn how to read it. The lines represent strings instead of sounds, numbered from the bottom up. So in guitar music, the bottom line would be the thickest (6th) string, the top line would be the first. The numbers are the frets, and that's the basic concept. The bad news? No one's decided to standardize tab, so there's no agreement how to show timing. Most of the TAB you find either has regular notes above it, or there's no indication of rhythm at all. The other problem is that if the TAB is computer generated, there are times when it will have the right note but in the wrong position on the guitar. On guitar, unlike piano, you can play the exact same note on more than one string.

Learning to play using standard notation.

While it's an easy concept, there are lots of complications. The easy part is that the lines represent sounds and each line has a letter name. The letter corresponds with a note on the guitar. Beginning students have hard time, especially when they get to the low notes. Guitar notation is written one octave lower, so the C that we show as middle C in notation is actually 8 notes below where it would sound on the piano. As a result, all guitar notation is in treble clef, but we use lots of ledger lines which make the note reading more difficult. The good news is that standard notation is much more accurate since it's all universally the same. There are tempo markings, dynamic markings, ways to show the different positions on the guitar, and ways to notate the length of the notes.

So, which one should you use?

If you're heavily into rock or popular music, there's a good chance that TAB can work for you. Having a recording of the version of the song you're learning, and a device like the Riffmaster Pro to slow songs down, you can probably learn the song without reading music. There are even books of classical and jazz songs now that use TAB, so you may want to check it out.

Isn't it "cheating" to not learn to read music?

There are people that definitely think it's cheating, but I've always thought the best method was the one that works for you. I know how to read music and TAB, and to be honest, I usually find myself reading the notes. The best thing to do is to try out both ways and see which is most effective for you and the style of music you want to play.

Doctor Talk for Musicians

Music has its own terms, just like doctor talk.

There are several musical terms that sound very complicated, but in fact are easy to understand. Today's post will address a couple of those, because you will probably hear or read about them at some point. This should clear up the confusion. So here are two of my favorites:

• MODULATION: Changing keys during the song, usually moving up or down by a half-step or a whole step. On the guitar a half-step is one fret and a whole step is two.
• ENHARMONIC OR ENHARMONIC EQUIVALENTS: Two notes, chords or scales have different names but sound the same. For example, F sharp and G flat. The reason we need enharmonic equivalents? It all has to work out on paper.

These are just a couple of examples. The other confusing thing in music is that we have terms in different languages that also mean the same thing. For a complete list check out The Virginia Tech Multimedia Dictionary where you'll find the word or words, the proper pronunciation, and musical examples.

Internet Guitar Lessons-Blessing or Curse?

Are you improving your guitar playing by using the internet?

I have a couple new students who love surfing the internet to find beginning guitar information. The good news is that there's plenty of information out there, the bad news is that a lot of it isn't presented in a logical, understandable way. Consider how long you've been playing guitar and then decide how helpful some of these sites are. For example, if you've been playing for less than a year you probably don't need to work on complex scale patterns, barre chords or dig too far into music theory. A lot of it depends on what kind of music you'll be playing and how involved you want to be in the construction of the music. Some people love knowing everything about the theory while others just want to play.

Who's doing the teaching?

There are many good teachers out there, but there are even more that don't appear to have ever given a lesson. The fact that you can play well doesn't necessarily mean that you can teach. I've seen many flawed examples of teaching guitar from players who mean well but don't realize how complicated their simple explanations are. There's an idea called the "curse of knowledge". In a nutshell, I'm explaining something to you that I think is perfectly clear while you have no idea what I'm talking about.

Can the internet substitute for a live teacher?

In my opinion, yes and no depending on the student. The ease of understanding, the logical approach, and the ability to evaluate progress are the advantages of lessons with a live teacher. Your guitar teacher can spot bad habits, help with trouble spots, and most importantly, encourage you. A lot of progress depends on the feeling that you're getting somewhere. The guitar student who has played other instruments or who uses a combination of teachers can benefit from both experiences.

Pay Attention to Details and Improve Your Sound

Make your music more musical.

What makes a great guitar player sound that way? Attention to detail. No strings buzzing, no squeaks, no deadened strings, playing clean, clear notes. It's things like that you need to listen for. What's the best way to hear them? Record yourself. Recordings don't lie, they pick up every sound good or bad. When the strings buzz you need to push harder or play closer to the frets. A deadened string is almost always caused by something being in the way. Keep your fingernails short, push up your sleeves and arch your fingers so they don't bump into the other strings.

Listen closely to the recording and you'll hear the trouble spots.

A lot of times we get so intent on playing that we don't hear ourselves. I've had to tell students to listen to their playing and gotten blank stares in return. You need to hear what you sound like before you can  fix the bad spots. Once you pick them out, then you grab your guitar and start slowly and methodically making the song sound better.

Attitude means a lot.

Once you find the phrases that need work, practice them slowly and build up speed so you can play them with confidence. Saying to yourself: "here comes the part I always screw up" becomes a reality. I hear lots of negativity during lessons and it will definitely affect the student's performance. A positive attitude can make a big difference in helping you progress.


Put it all together, practice it and try again.

After you've eliminated the rough notes, cleaned up the chords and corrected the timing, record yourself again. If you've followed through and worked hard at improving your sound, the results should make you very happy. If not, repeat the above steps. 

Do I Have to Use the Pick?

Don't give up on the pick too soon.

Many times a beginning guitar student will play with a pick for a few weeks and then decide it's easier to play without it. While this is true in the early stages, if you get used to not using the pick it becomes much harder later on. How do I know this? That's what I did! I spent the first 6 years of guitar playing using just my fingers until a friend of mine convinced me that some songs just sound better with a pick. After deciding he was right I worked on using the pick on at least a few of the songs. It was very frustrating, especially when the pick would drop into the hole or go flying across the room.

Start out slow, hold the pick tight enough to not drop it but don't make a fist.

As I got better at using the pick, I found that using a pick that had grips on it, (Jim Dunlop nylon), made it easier to control. The thickness was also much more important than I realized. The best thing to do is to try different picks and see which ones work for you. They're extremely cheap and there are lots and lots of different sizes, shapes, thicknesses and materials. A very general guideline is that a lot of accomplished guitar players use thicker picks for solos and playing fast, and lighter, thinner picks for strumming. Ask your guitar teacher, or better yet, buy a dozen and experiment.

Gradually build up speed and don't get discouraged.

Pick single notes first, be very deliberate, and make accuracy your top priority. The most difficult thing about starting to use the pick is finding the strings. Since you have no feeling it feels like you're kind of swinging the pick at the strings instead of striking them. A good way to practice is to pluck a note and let the pick rest on the next string. That way you learn to judge the distance between the strings. Set your metronome to a slow speed and aim for clear, crisp notes. Once you've mastered a few easy songs, work on scales, solos or fiddle tunes to increase your speed and dexterity. Repetition is the key to learning to use the pick.

Cold Weather + Stringed Instruments = Be Prepared

Cold weather and stringed instruments don't mix.

Now that the cold weather has arrived, it's time to think about how you transport and treat your guitars and banjos. I've had a few students leave their instruments in their cars since they come in for lessons after work and can't or won't bring them inside. This can do serious, permanent damage and you need to avoid it if you possibly can.

The dangers of extreme cold.

Cold weather causes the wood to shrink, puts extra stress on the parts of the instrument and can result in finish cracks, and cracks in the back and sides of your guitar. If you need to leave the guitar in your car, be sure to let it adjust before removing it from the case. Bring it inside and let the case sit unopened until the temperature is about the same as the room.

Heated and unheated rooms, low humidity and fireplaces.

Even if you store your guitar or banjo inside, you need to exercise caution. Don't leave it on a stand that's near a heat vent, the fireplace or an outside door or window. Playing and singing in front of the fireplace can be fun, but don't let the instrument get too hot. A humidifier that you keep in the case or in the soundhole of the guitar can help keep the wood stable. When it gets cold and the heat is on in your house the air dries out. Storing your instruments in an unheated room like a basement requires the same care as bringing it in from outside. Try to find a place where it won't be subjected to extreme temperature changes.

Read the owner's manual if you have it.

While guitars and banjos aren't quite as fragile as the manual makes it sound, the information in it has good, practical advice. Taking care of an instrument in winter is mostly about common sense and being aware of what you should or shouldn't do.

How NOT to Practice

Does this sound like you when you practice?

I practice while the TV is on. I've had students tell me that they practice while watching television or "have music playing softly in the background." Are you kidding me??? There's a difference between practicing guitar and just noodling around. What do you think you'll accomplish by not devoting full attention to guitar playing?

I try to concentrate but I keep getting text messages, emails or phone calls. Turn off the electronics, set up a practice room and buy yourself a cheap kitchen timer. Make it clear to the family that you're not to be disturbed until you come out of the room. Setting the timer for 30 to 45 minutes, deciding what needs work, and setting practice goals will improve your playing. Beginning guitar players may not be able to practice for 45 minutes at first, but it's a good target to reach.

I practice but don't seem to get anywhere. Are you really practicing or just going through the motions? There's a big difference between practice and playing the guitar for a while. Concentration is huge factor in making significant progress. Find a method that works for you and stick to it. Some guitar students play through a song over and over, some practice one or two small phrases at a time, and some have no idea of what works for them.

Don't practice mistakes. If you make the same mistake in the same place, fix it! Slow down, play each note so slowly that you can't play it wrong, and do that until your fingers go where you want them to. After you can play the trouble spot correctly several times, get out the metronome and very slowly pick up the pace. Trying to play faster without the metronome is much more difficult because it's hard to play a tiny bit faster. With the metronome you can adjust the tempo so you're only adding a few beats per minute.

Don't lose sight of the fun factor. Having said all of the above, there should still be time to play for fun. Depending on your level, spend some time trying new things, playing faster, and experimenting with different sounds. Play closer to the fingerboard then the bridge and listen to the change it makes, play louder, then softer, slide into strings, bend notes and see what you come up with. Try to make up a solo using a pentatonic scale, play some chords and see what they sound like together and pretty soon you'll have a very clear idea of all the ways you can play a guitar.

Meeting the physical demands of playing guitar

Playing guitar is harder than you think.

Every day we hear the same complaints. My fingers hurt, my wrist hurts, my shoulder hurts or my arm hurts. Playing guitar is more demanding than most people realize. In the beginning you're going to have aches and pains, much the same as if you were starting an exercise program. Let's take a look at what the causes the pain and some solutions.

• Posture. Whether you play sitting down or standing up, the correct posture is important. When sitting down, put both feet on the floor, don't rest your fretting arm on your leg, and try to relax the muscles. Standing requires having a comfortable strap with the guitar positioned where you an easily reach the strings. Again, be sure you're comfortable and can reach the strings easily.
• Warming Up.  Before you start working on songs, do some stretching and picking exercises. Start out slowly and work your way up. 
• Pressing too Hard. In the early stages of learning guitar you pretty much have to use lots of pressure to hold the strings down. Once you've been playing for a month or so, you'll find that since the tips of your fingers have toughened up you don't have to press as hard. This is a common mistake and it can cause pain in the fretting hand wrist as well as fatigue in the fingers.
• The Wrong Strings or Even the Wrong Guitar. Guitar strings come in different gauges or thicknesses, and one way to not have to push so hard is to try some lighter strings. There are also silk and steel strings which have a softer core. A classical guitar has nylon strings which are softer, but the trade-off is usually a wider neck. Guitar bodies also come in different sizes, so try one out before you buy.
• Spending Too Much Time Practicing. While it's a good idea to practice every day, keeping the practice sessions short in the beginning is a good tactic. You don't want your fingers to be so sore the next day that you can't practice. Usually 10 to 15 minutes at a time is a good guideline until you get used to playing.

Follow these suggestions and you should get off to a smooth start. Feel free to leave comments in case you have any questions.

Frequently Asked Questions and What You Should Ask.

The most frequently asked questions:

1. How much are lessons? Probably the top question and the one that should be much lower on the list. As with any other purchase, you get what you pay for. Do you really want to take lessons or have your child learn from the cheapest teacher? While price is no guarantee of quality it's certainly wise to be leery of someone with ridiculously low prices. 
2. At what age should my child start guitar lessons? Most guitar teachers will start a beginner at age 7 or 8. There are some programs, Child Bloom and Kindermusic that start them younger. The critical decision here is how you as a parent will react when your new student doesn't practice as much as you think they should. The most important part of learning guitar at this age is for the child to enjoy the lessons. Nagging, reminding, and scolding them does much more harm than good. 
3. Am I too old to learn guitar? In most cases, no. As long as you have desire and time to practice, you'll do fine. Setting realistic goals, being patient and finding time are the biggest obstacles adults face. 
4. What guitar method do you use? Most teachers will start you off with a book of some sort, get you moving around on the guitar, and then gear the lessons more to the style of music you'd like to play. Be wary of the teacher that uses the same approach whether you're 7, 17 or 70. 

What questions should you ask?

1. What kind of music do you play? Lots of teachers advertise that they can teach you any style of music you'd like, but be aware that it doesn't mean they're equally good at all types of music. This is most important if you have a specific style of music in mind. While there is some overlap, there are different techniques, licks, (small musical phrases), and sounds that define the music.
2. Have you worked with children before? Some teachers can't or don't want to teach younger students, so be sure you ask if you have a young child. 
3. Are you comfortable or qualified teaching my special needs child? There have been many instances where we've had parents register their child and then almost as an afterthought mention that they have ADD, a learning disability of some sort, or an emotional problem that we'll have to deal with. It's very awkward for the teacher to find this out after the fact.
4. What qualifications do you have? While a college degree is nice, it shouldn't be the only consideration. When I hire a teacher I look for a combination of education, teaching, performing experience and a genuine interest in teaching. Our students trust that we know what we're doing and we can't let them down.

Do You REALLY Think You Can Learn Guitar in 7 Days?

Right now on Amazon: Master the Guitar in 7 Days  $.099

Seriously? Wow, why the heck has it taken others so long? And we're talking Mastering the guitar, not just playing it. Here's a dose of reality, it's not going to happen! Yes, you can learn a 2 chord song in 7 days. Will you have it mastered? Doubtful. Is it a song you'd be proud to show your friends? Hey, you guys want to jam on Skip to my Lou? Google play guitar in 7 days and you'll be shocked and amazed at how many courses there are. Here's the hot tip of the day, save your money. Beginning guitar, getting better at guitar, mastering the guitar is a long term investment of time and money. If it were possible in a short time, there would be a lot more great guitar players.

OK, how long does it take?

The guitar is a very versatile instrument. I've had students who took lessons for years, and I've had students who were happy with knowing enough chords to strum and sing some songs. Remember, it's not how long you've played, it's how many hours you put in. I can tell you that it won't be a week or even a month. The big secret is that like every other worthwhile skill it takes time, dedication and practice. Getting by the total beginner stage in about 6 months is a good goal. The most important consideration is how good to you want to be?

Are these courses any good at all?

Surprisingly, I'm going to say yes. I just can't imagine advertising something in that way when I'm sure they all know it's not going to happen. There's good material in a lot of the lessons, there's even good stuff available for free. The problem is in making outrageous claims. Playing and learning guitar without a teacher involves lots of self discipline, the ability to decide if you're doing things correctly, and being able to not want or need any feedback. You can't ask a DVD, a CD or a book a question. Without being able to actually watch a student it's very difficult to help solve problems. So, do you want to save a few bucks and be a do it yourselfer? Or, are you willing to make the sacrifice and spend the time and money to get started the right way?

How Many Chords Are There?

Guitar chords posters and wall charts.

In the studio I have a guitar chords poster and am frequently asked if that's all the chords. When I say no, they ask how many chords are there? 1000s! Then they ask how many I know.....1000s. How often do I use that many? Never. Once you have an understanding of music theory and how it relates to the guitar fingerboard, you can not only play lots of chords you can even make up your own. The number of chords you learn isn't nearly as important as knowing what to do with them.

The number of chords you use depends on the style of music you play.

A lot of beginning guitar students as well as more advanced players really only use a relatively small number of chords. For instance, if you play and sing, your chord playing will be somewhat limited by your vocal range. If you like Americana, Folk, Bluegrass or Irish music you'll be able to play using a handful of chords most of the time. Jazz, ragtime, classical and some rock music styles require more chords. I have students who play in jazz band in high school and they are usually pretty much shocked by how many different chords they have to know.

How many chords should you learn then?

Everyone should learn the basic, open position chords. There are many places to find them and that's really the first step. Being able to play major, minor and seventh chords is a good place to start. Buy yourself a chord book and experiment. Just because a particular style uses more of one type of chord it doesn't mean other styles won't use them sometimes as well. There are jazz chords that fit well in different types of music, so you just might want to play a few of them and see what you think. 

Are You a Settler?

Do you practice the same songs over and over?

Have you settled into a practice routine that's in your comfort zone? Is playing the same old songs keeping you from learning new material? While it's a good idea to review and not lose the skills you have, you also can improve your guitar playing by working on newer, more challenging songs. I see students who pretty much refuse to move forward once they're comfortable with their repertoire. Or, sometimes they get so hung up on a song they end up in a rut.

Become a pioneer instead of a settler.

While it's not easy to pioneer new sounds, stretching out and playing other kinds of music, listening to different genres, and exploring the fingerboard are all ways to improve your guitar playing. Not sure what kinds of music you'd like to play? Have your guitar teacher play some different styles for you, listen to some of the best guitar players and keep an open mind. There are fantastic guitar players regardless of the type of music they play.

How many of these names do you recognize?

Here's a list of guitar players you may or may not have heard of. Spend a little time listening and learning about them and you just might be surprised as well as inspired. In no particular order and in no particular style:

• Chet Atkins
• Doc Watson
• Eric Clapton
• Jimmy Paige
• Tony Rice
• Joe Pass
• Django Reinhardt
• Carlos Santana
• Jerry Garcia
• Andres Segovia
• Julian Bream
• Les Paul

This is a very, very small sample of great guitarists past and present. Do some research and prepare to be shocked and amazed.

How Do I Know if I'm Still a Beginner?

What makes a guitar student a beginner?

I was teaching the other day and a guitar student of mine, after having played for 6 months, told me he felt like he was still a beginner. My reply? You ARE still a beginner. One of the hardest things to accept about learning an instrument is that you can't speed the process up very much. Yes, you can practice more, take more lessons, do research on the internet and buy books, but your muscle memory has to catch up. So, what does indicate that you're a beginner? If your chords are still sloppy, you have trouble changing from one to the other, your fingers don't move very quickly and you can only play a couple songs all the way through, you're still in the beginning stage.


How do you make the jump?

First and foremost, take a deep breath, relax, and understand that everyone makes progress at a different rate. If you've never played guitar or any other instrument, haven't had a musical background, your parents or siblings don't play, you'll just have to go slow and learn at your own pace. With the wealth of information out there today, sometimes it does more harm than good. More and more lately I have students asking about theory and techniques that really aren't going to be useful at this point. They want to learn songs that they're not capable of playing, and that just makes it more frustrating. The ability to focus, go slow, and really learn a song, concept or technique is where the emphasis should be placed. Getting to the next level requires basic skills, at least an elementary understanding of the music you're trying to play and the ability to play it well.

Don't be tempted to multitask.


Having a clear goal in mind and concentrating on one thing at a time is the best way to make steady progress. Don't worry about trying to master chords, notes, scales, or intervals all at once. Your guitar teacher can help you decide what to learn first. How you start learning guitar depends on what kind of music you like, whether or not you're going to sing and how much of a musical background you have. So work with your teacher on finding what will help you get where you want to go with music.

Curing the Proverbial "Tin Ear"

Do you insist that you're tone deaf?

We hear it all the time. I can't carry a tune in a bucket, I'm tone deaf, believe me, you don't want to hear me sing. Here's some good news for you: your ear can be trained! The fact is, very few people are truly tone deaf, most of them have just never been trained. If your environment growing up didn't involve music, if no one in your family is "musical", then it can feel like you are tone deaf.

OK, how do I cure it you ask?

If you don't have an electronic tuner for your guitar, go get one now! The last thing you want to do is get used to your out of tune guitar sounding good to you. Practice tuning until the tuner agrees that your guitar is in tune. Now, pick out a song that you know by heart and try to pick it out on the guitar. Keep in mind that it has to be one you're completely familiar with. Happy Birthday, Jingle Bells, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, something like that. Work on it until you're sure it's right, then play it for someone just to be sure. When you can do that, try to figure out a song that's a little more complex. Again, do it until you're sure it's right, then play it for someone.

Keep at it and try tuning by ear.

Now that you can pick out a melody, tune one string to the tuner, put the rest of the strings out of tune, then try to tune it by ear. Check it with the electronic tuner and then repeat. Do this a few minutes a day and before you know it, you'll have a much better ear for music.

When Should I Start Learning Barre Chords?

What is a barre chord?

A lot of times you'll see an advanced guitar player placing one finger across five or six strings and forming a chord with the rest of the fingers. That's a barre chord. When you remove open strings, (strings that have no fingers on them), everything on the guitar can be moved. This enables you to play the same notes, chords or songs in different sections of the fingerboard.


When do I start learning them?

Many students try to learn too many things too fast, leading to frustration and confusion. I try to get my beginning guitar students to wait until they've learned the basic chords, can change smoothly and can make them sound nice and clear. Learning guitar is difficult enough in the beginning without making it even harder by trying to play things you're just not ready for.

What's the difference between barre chords and power chords?

The main difference is that power chords are really not chords at all, but rather what we call intervals. A chord needs to be made up of 3 or more different notes.  Power chords are what you hear in the background of many popular rock songs.

So the take away from today's post is to remember that learning guitar is going to take time. You definitely don't want to have to try learning something only to find out that you weren't ready for it.

Getting Acquainted With Your Guitar

The Body.

The body of the guitar has some straight forward names. The top, the back and the sides. An acoustic guitar has a wooden bridge, a bridge saddle, the piece of bone or plastic that the strings rest on, and either bridge pins or a tailpiece. Bridge pins hold the strings in, the tailpiece is metal and the strings run through it and then over the bridge. The soundhole, as its name implies, is where the sound comes from. Most steel string guitars also have a pickguard. It's there to protect the top of the guitar from pick scratches from overly active strumming.

The Neck.

No, it's not the handle! The neck is the long, skinny piece of wood that attaches to the body. There are usually either little dots, big dots or fancy inlays on it. These are not just decorative, they're position markers and you use them to find your way around. On most guitars they're at the 5th, 7th, 9th and 12th fret, and many guitars have others as well. The frets are the little metal bars that look like lines. You press the strings down between them to make notes.

The Peghead.

That's the place at the top where the strings attach to the tuning pegs. A lot of guitars also have little plastic cover that houses the truss rod. The truss rod is a metal bar that runs the length of the fingerboard, inside of it, to keep the neck straight. Even though your new guitar will come with an allen wrench and a little instruction sheet, leave the adjustments to a professional. The tuning keys or tuning pegs, are the knobs or buttons that you use to tune the guitar. That little plastic piece that the strings pass through is called the nut.

Not all guitars will have all of the parts, but they'll have most of them.

Music Theory, Part 2, The Circle of Fifths and Scales

The circle of fifths. What is it, why would I use it.

As you travel on your musical journey you'll certainly read or hear about the circle of fifths. It's a learning tool that helps you remember several important concepts. There are many examples on the internet, just Google circle of fifths. The circle teaches you key signatures, how many sharps or flats are in each key, which chords go together, and the relative minor chords. Going clockwise around the circle you learn the sharp  # keys,  going counterclockwise you learn the flat b keys. This helps you learn how to play in different scales. The letters around the top can also help you remember what the 3 main chords are in each scale. Pick a letter, then go clockwise 1 and counterclockwise 1 to get the 3 chords that are most common.

Relative Minors.

No, they're not your young children. Every scale has 2 letters that use the name number of sharps or flats. So C Major and A Minor have the same number, in this case zero, of sharps or flats. To play either one you just start on the first letter and then go through the 7 letters we use in music until it comes back around. For example: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C is the C Major Scale while A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A is the relative minor.

How is this useful?

By knowing which chords go with which scales you can learn songs more quickly. The other advantage is that it will help you follow along when practicing or jamming with other musicians. This is just a brief explanation, so if you'd like to explore the circle further, do some research or have your guitar teacher go over it with you. It can definitely make figuring songs out a lot easier.

I Hate to Practice!

What's causing you to dislike practice?

Practice makes perfect, you need to practice every day, not until you practice, we've all heard it before. So, what does make you not want to practice? A lot of my adult students tell me they don't have time or  they didn't realize how hard it would be to find time. If this describes you, maybe you should question why you've decided to learn guitar in the first place. Sit down in a nice, quiet spot and examine what motivated you to start. Write down a list of your favorite songs, artists, or type of music that you really want to play. Now, realistically decide if you're that serious. It sounds harsh, but like the old saying goes, if it was easy, everyone would do it.

With younger students, it's more about nagging or lack of it, feeling it's too much like school or feeling like it's cutting into play time. A younger guitar student needs to be encouraged and handled with care. The worst case is when a parent is living through his or her child and expects an 8 year old to dedicate unreasonable amounts of practice time. Yes, you and I know what it takes, but if you kill the fun, you kill the interest. My goal as a teacher is to make the experience as enjoyable and upbeat as  possible. Do you honestly think a young student is going to dedicate 30 minutes a day? Getting them to get the guitar out at all is a big accomplishment!

The songs don't sound good slow.

There's one we hear all the time. I'm well aware of that, but guess what? If you can't play it slow you can't play it fast. Muscle memory is what it's all about and if you learn wrong it's much harder to re-learn a song.

I hate that song, that song's boring.

Usually that can be translated as meaning the song's too hard. I'm the first to admit that the songs in most guitar method books leave a lot to be desired. The problem is that the songs in almost every book 1 are the same thing. It's like the authors spy on each other and think "if Amazing Grace is in their book then it better be in mine too." The solution is to ask your guitar teacher if there is another song that's more fun that teaches the same thing.

I want to play real songs by people I like.

We want to have you play those songs too, but you need some basic skills. A couple years ago I had a 10 year old boy, no prior experience, who after a month declared he wanted to learn Crazy Train. When I told him he wasn't ready, he told me how hard he'd practice every day and that he was sure he could play it. While I would love to have had that work out I think we all know how the story ends. No, he wasn't able to play it since he had no skills.

What's the answer then?

Decide to commit yourself to guitar. Make the time to practice even if you're not in the mood. Don't be afraid of new songs, just be realistic. Ask your guitar teacher if you're ready for a particular song or artist, then let him or her decide. Learning to play the guitar or any other instrument is a time art. You just can't speed the process up a whole lot, believe me, I tried.

How to Practice More Efficiently

Do you have trouble learning a complete piece of music?

When learning a new song do you always start at the beginning? If you make a mistake do you go back to the beginning? You may be spinning your wheels! Once you've got a good start at playing a song, the next step is to isolate trouble spots. It seems like every song has one. Playing the whole song over and over will make that spot better, the problem is it will never catch up to the rest of the song. Practicing the passage that gives you trouble in a methodical way is how to overcome the problem. Go slow, watch your fingering, and practice with a metronome or a program to slow the piece down if you're working with a recording. In my studio I use RiffMaster Pro  (affiliate link) to work with my students. With that program or a metronome, the idea is to go very slowly at first. Beginning guitar students tend to play too fast and if they have a trouble spot, tend to ignore it. When learning guitar you want to remember if you can't play it slow, you can't play it fast.  Slowing down is the way to go because you don't want to practice mistakes. Whether you're playing the correct notes or the wrong ones, your fingers will remember and go there again.

Listen to yourself play.

I know it sounds funny, but beginning guitar students sometimes get so caught up in their playing that they actually don't hear their playing. The mind wanders, they get distracted, and so they think they're practicing efficiently but they really aren't.

Set goals and make note of your progress.

When practicing, don't just go through the motions. Know what you're trying to accomplish and write down what you've achieved when you get there. Have a difficult passage you've now mastered? Write it down. That pesky C chord finally sounds good? Write it down. You get the idea. Instead of just going through every song you know without thinking about it, zero in on what still needs work and then make a conscious effort to improve it. You and your guitar teacher will both be much happier come lesson time.

Where Do You Practice?

Do you have a space set aside to practice in?

So, do you have a specific room or area where you practice? Please don't tell me it's in your unfinished, cold, damp basement! You do woodworking, you have a workshop, you do crafts, there's usually a room or area set aside, but you play guitar and you practice anywhere you can find room? If that describe you, it's time to reconsider your practice space. While it may not be practical to have a music room, it's certainly possible to set aside an area where you play your guitar.

Do you have a "musician's toolbox?"

I'm always amazed at how people will spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on other hobbies, but when it comes to music they want to spend as little as possible. They practice wherever they can, don't have simple basics like a music stand, metronome or electronic tuner, and then wonder why they don't make more progress. There are so many resources available that it's never been easier to access the tools necessary to learn guitar. You can find online lessons, metronomes, practice aids, and information concerning playing, practicing and improving.

It's time to set aside a dedicated space to work on your music.

Here are the essential tools plus a lot of others that can help you progress at a reasonable rate. I've had students that spend minimal amounts of time, effort or money and then can't understand why they're not learning guitar as fast as they think they should. So here's the checklist with a brief explanation of each item:

• A quiet place to practice. Self explanatory. You need a space where you can concentrate on building your skills. I cringe when I hear someone tell me that they practice while there's a TV, or worse yet, music playing in the background. How in the world are you going to concentrate with that going on around you?
• A computer connected to the internet. While it's not absolutely necessary, there is so much good information out there, I can't imagine not having a way to gather it. Just Google what you're interested in and it's out there somewhere.
• Electronic tuner, metronome and music stand. Even if you buy the orchestra style stand, a wooden metronome with a clock movement and a strobe tuner you're not looking at more than $150-200. Buy an electronic, compact tuner and metronome and a wire music stand, we're talking under $100. 
• Instruction books, CDs and DVDs. There are thousands of resources out there for every imaginable style. No matter what type of music you like, whether you play acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, any combination, there's a wealth of material. If you have a guitar teacher he or she will be happy to incorporate these materials into your lessons.

• A way to record yourself. Almost any computer is capable of letting you record yourself playing. This is such a valuable tool I can't over emphasize it. Make a recording and be prepared to be shocked! Remember, the recording is exactly what you sound like, it doesn't lie. You'll hear string squeaks, timing errors, a slightly muffled note, a lot of things you don't notice while practicing.

So the next time you get ready to practice, think about setting up a practice room, even if it's only a small section of a bigger room. Give yourself the advantage of having a quiet, comfortable place to practice. You'll be glad you did!

Taking Care of Your Guitar (or Other Wooden Instrument)

What should I do to take care of my guitar?

The first and most important thing to be aware of is subjecting it to severe weather. If it's at all avoidable, DO NOT LEAVE IT IN THE TRUNK OF YOUR CAR! Extremely hot weather can cause stress on the glue joints, and cracks in the body while cold can cause finish cracking and both can cause severe structural damage. Should it be necessary to leave the guitar in the trunk, leave it in the case when you get inside until the temperature is stable. Heat, cold and humidity are the worst enemies of your guitar.

What do I clean my guitar with?

Most guitar manufacturers as well as other companies make guitar polish. The main thing here is to not use regular furniture polish that will eventually build up on the finish. Interestingly, even though the Martin Guitar Company, in business since 1833, makes a guitar polish, they also say in their owners' manual that you can clean the guitar with a very slightly damp cloth.


Should I do anything to the fingerboard?

I usually use Gibson fingerboard conditioner about twice year on my guitars and banjos. It lubricates and cleans the fingerboard. In the winter this helps to prevent cracking from very low humidity levels.


Do I need to wipe off the strings?

Wiping off the strings after you play helps to resist corrosion and makes the strings last longer. This is a good idea if you play outside or if your hands tend to sweat.


How often should I change strings?

As mentioned in a previous post, if the strings sound dead, look nasty or won't stay in tune, it's time to change them. If you play a lot, it will be something you'll want to do more often. Some professional players change them at least once a week, some before every performance.


Beware of the guitar strap with a vinyl backing.

When you buy a strap for your guitar, check to see whether it has a vinyl backing. If it does, be sure that the backing doesn't come into contact with the finish on your guitar. Vinyl is a petroleum based product and it can eat through the finish. The same is true if you put your guitar on a stand. The parts that support the neck and the body can also damage the finish.

How Often Should You Change Strings?

When do you need to change strings?

A fresh set of strings will make your guitar look, sound and feel better. (Kind of like the old barber poles used to say!) While there are no absolute rules, here are some tell tale signs that they need to be replaced:

• Do your strings look corroded or black?
• Has it been 6 months to a year, or worse yet, you can't remember?
• Does your electric guitar just sound kind of dull?
• Has your guitar become harder to tune?
• Do you have trouble keeping the guitar in tune?

If you answered yes to any of those questions there's a good chance that it's time to replace your strings.

Why are there so many different kinds of strings and which ones should you use?

The choices are downright mind boggling, but here are the major differences. If you have an acoustic guitar, most people use bronze, phosphor bronze, nickel or silk and steel strings. The bronze and phosphor bronze have a brighter sound, the nickel are a bit duller, and the silk and steel are light and easier to push down. As a result, silk and steel tend to go dead quicker and don't have as a bright a sound. For electric guitar, nickel is the most popular and it's more about thickness than the kind of string.

What gauge strings should I use?

There are lots of different gauges, and the thickness is really a matter of what you like and what kind of music you play. For example, bluegrass guitar players usually use a fairly heavy set of strings to get that nice, booming bass and to cut through the other instruments. If you do fingerpicking, a lot of players use lighter strings to move around a little quicker. The best thing to do is to experiment and see what sounds good on your guitar. Keep in mind that the lighter the strings are, the trade-off is less volume and tone. With electric guitars, the type of music again is a important part. If you do a lot of string bending you'll want to play lighter strings, if you play jazz you'll want to use heavier strings and so on. Again, guitar strings are not real expensive so the best thing is to try different brands and gauges and see what works best. Your guitar teacher or a more experienced friend can help you decide although the final decision depends on what sound you're looking for.

Decide to Conquer Bad Habits and Build Technique

When you first begin playing guitar, it's easy to develop bad habits.

Posture. To help develop good posture, sit in a chair that has no arms, position the music at eye level, and use a music stand. Too many of my guitar students tell me they practice sitting on the bed, on the couch or on the floor. The music is either on a coffee table, on the floor or on the side of the bed. This really puts you at a disadvantage.

Left Hand and Arm. To get the most length out of your fingers, be sure you're not doing any of these things. Don't rest your left arm on your leg. You'll restrict the movement of your left hand and this will slow you down. The thumb should be in the middle of the neck, and the fingers should be bent at both joints. Arch the hand so that the fingers don't bump into adjacent strings. You'll notice improvement in your chords as well as your notes.

Holding the Guitar Correctly. The important thing to remember here is that your left hand should not be holding the guitar up. Position the guitar so that your left hand and are can move freely. You can find lots of pictures in guitar books and on internet sites that show you the way to hold the guitar.

Pushing the Strings Down. A comment I get from my students is that it doesn't look like I'm pressing that hard, and the fact is, I'm not. Once your left hand fingers toughen up you won't have to push as hard as you did when you first started. Pressing too hard causes fatigue in the hand and arm muscles and also contributes to not being able to play clear sounding chords.

The Picking Hand.  If you use a pick, most people hold it between the thumb and the index finger. Be sure the point is between the strings. You hold it tight enough so that it doesn't wiggle around, but not so tight that you feel like you're squeezing it.

Learning the Fingerboard......Where to Start?

Ah yes, the guitar fingerboard. All those notes, all those frets, I'm confused!

Yes, the fingerboard can be very confusing. As a beginning guitar student it's even more daunting. When I first started playing guitar, it just didn't make sense. Unlike the piano or a keyboard, you can play the same notes in several different places. On the piano, there's only one middle C for example. Even though there are other notes with that name, that's the only one with that sound. On the guitar you can play the same note with the same pitch in as many as 6 different places. It's no wonder you're confused. Most guitar teachers, if they're teaching notes at all, start with what we call the 1st position. These are the notes in the first 4 frets and you make the C major scale from those. In addition, there are other scales you can also play using that same position. The best way to learn and understand all of this is to not try to learn too many concepts at once. The whole idea of position playing on guitar is using one finger per fret and not going out of position by more than one fret in either direction.

Position markers. Dots, snowflakes or other designs.

The way to learn to find your way around the fingerboard is to learn what the dots, aka position markers are for. Basically it's to keep you from having to count the frets and to help you jump right to the correct or fret or position. Plain or fancy, they serve the same purpose. Most guitars have them inlaid in the fingerboard as well as having dots on the side of the neck.

When does it all start to make sense, or does it?

It starts to make sense after you've been playing for a while and learn about how logical the fingerboard really is. The key is to learn to visualize the fingerboard and what notes reside there. Once you start to see patterns it becomes a lot easier. There are many good websites that go into great detail, but I recommend sticking to the basics at first and trusting your guitar teacher. A common problem that a beginning guitar student has is trying to figure out too much at once. This is especially true when you're trying to teach yourself. Don't worry about barre chords, pentatonic scales or other scale forms until you've built a good foundation of knowledge.

Are You Worrying Too Much About Your Progress?

Does everyone experience the same thing when they start guitar?


If you've gotten off of the total beginner stage and you're starting to be able to play along with recordings, there are a few points to remember about your progress.

• Some chords are more difficult than others. Many times my students will agonize over their inability to play C, F, Bminor, B7 or some other chord that has awkward fingering. It can be discouraging when you can play all but that one chord and it makes you feel like you're not getting anywhere. The advice I give everyone is to just keep going and force your chord hand to catch up.
• "It doesn't sound like the song." The art of rhythm guitar is something that comes from practicing, listening and trying to make it sound like the song. The problem is you only have one guitar, you most likely don't have thousands of dollars' worth of equipment, and you're still in the early stages of learning guitar. Again, don't agonize over the fact that you can't make it sound exactly like the recording. You may be listening to someone who's been playing for years and you can't expect to duplicate that sound at this point.
• Multi-tasking is overrated. Trying to do too much is a sure way to slow your progress. The more I teach, the slower I try to get my students to play. When we learn a new song, my first goal is to get the guitar student to simply strum a chord once when it changes. This develops your ear and helps you anticipate when the chords will change. The next step is to strum a couple of times, but give yourself ample time to get ready for the next chord. 
• Keeping your strumming hand moving will make the chord hand go faster. Whenever you practice chords, try to keep strumming so that you don't lose time. You don't want to get in the habit of stopping between chords.

• Invest in something to slow songs down. At our teaching studio I use RiffMaster Pro (affiliate link), which is an excellent program to slow songs down without changing the pitch. This way you can practice at a slower speed but you're still learning the correct rhythm.

Everybody Needs Somebody That They Can Talk To (and Pick With)

Do you want to speed up your progress?

I was always interested in learning to play guitar, in fact I had my first guitar lesson when I was 5 years old. Unfortunately, that was my last one until I was in high school. I didn't have a guitar and remember sitting on the floor, guitar book next to me, pretending I was strumming. I'm sure my parents and the music school were just humoring me since I never got to go back. When I did start to play guitar, it kind of happened by accident. A friend and I were at a high school basketball game and started up a conversation with a guy we thought we knew. As it turned out, we didn't know him, but we became friends. He had a guitar, an old Kay archtop he was learning on, and I would play it when I went to his house. Soon after that, another friend at school told me his dad had a guitar he wanted to sell. We went and looked at it and since he didn't want much for it, I was the proud owner of a new guitar.

Practice + A little friendly competition = PROGRESS!

Since my friend Rich and I both knew people who played guitar, it was fun to learn something new and then show it off the next time we got together. However, you'd only be able to be better for one day since the person that you were showing off to would immediately go home and learn what you'd played! In addition, I found a guitar teacher so it helped both of us learn more quickly.

Finding someone to practice with can really help.

There are several advantages to having a practice partner. It's a lot less frustrating to know that you're not alone in the beginning stages and that there are other people struggling to improve. If you find someone with similar taste in music you can have fun trying to learn new songs. Things tend to go faster when you have a little friendly competition. It tends to make you practice more.

How to find someone.

Not knowing someone can be a deterrent, but there are lots of ways to solve the problem. The first resource would be your guitar teacher or the place where you take lessons. We offer controlled jam sessions and have had several friendships develop in the classes. Not taking lessons? Try going to an open mic or a jam session. In our area there are several open jams and open mics. You don't have to play at first, maybe just listen and see if there's someone at your level. While it's ideal to have someone that plays better than you, if they're too advanced they may not be interested. Good luck and I hope you find someone to pick with. It really does make an enjoyable hobby even better.

Are You Ready to get Serious About Learning Guitar?

Have you decided you're ready to learn guitar?

If you're ready to start learning guitar and if you're serious, there are some important decisions to make. Do you own a guitar yet? One of the first considerations is your budget. Most beginning students try to spend as little as possible when purchasing a guitar because "if I lose interest I won't have spent a bunch of money." The problem with that thinking is the negativity that's already started. Do you really want to play guitar? Is investing a reasonable amount a good thing? There are a couple of solutions. One way to avoid the problem is to rent a guitar before purchasing. At our studio we highly recommend renting to parents of students as well as to adults who know little or nothing about the differences between guitars. The other solution is to do as much research as possible, ask any friends or relatives who play guitar, figure out how much you want to spend and then make your purchase.

Don't be the Lone Ranger, get help

Is it possible to teach yourself? Yes it is, but keep in mind that a good teacher can answer questions, keep you on track, and help you set goals. There are many good free lessons online, there are lots of good books, CDs and Videos, but the big drawback is that you can't ask them questions. You also need lots of self discipline to teach yourself because you'll have no one to answer to.


Buy the essentials to give yourself the best path to success

Don't save a few bucks by not buying a metronome, electronic tuner, or the other accessories I talked about in an earlier post. While some of these don't need to be added right now, the more tools you have the better off you'll be.

How long is this going to take?

I used to always avoid that question. I'd hem and haw and talk about how long you can practice, natural ability, your previous music experience and what you want to play. After years of teaching I've finally gotten some rough guidelines down. Here they are:

• 6 to 8 Months to get off of the complete beginner stage. After that time you should be able to play some common chords, play a couple songs and move around on the guitar.

•  1 to 2 Years to reach an advanced beginner to lower intermediate player. After that amount of time you should be able to make the transition from one chord to another, play some scales and maybe be starting on barre chords. Lots of students try to learn too fast and end up having to go back and re-learn techniques they haven't given enough attention to.

• 3 Years to be an intermediate player. After this amount of time you should be honing your skills, playing fairly difficult songs, and be learning some of the more advanced concepts. 

Keep in mind that these are estimates, not exact timetables. The nice thing about the guitar is its versatility. While it may take 2 or 3 years to be an intermediate player it doesn't mean it can't be rewarding or fun. So whatever level you're on, enjoy the journey. There are great songs to play at all levels.

Simple theory questions answered........or not.

Answers to frequently asked theory questions

Q. What is a key?

A. Simply put, a key is writing a song using the notes of a particular scale. For example, if the song is in the key of G Major, the notes used are from the G Major scale. This means that certain chords will be present and there will be one sharp note, F#. The theory definition of a key is simply notes taken from a scale and made into a song.

Q. What is a chord progression?
A. A chord progression is a term used to describe chords that follow each other in a certain order. Sometimes you'll hear someone refer to a 1, 4, 5 or something similar. This is the number system used to describe the chords in a scale. Each scale note has a chord that goes with it and the number tells you the chord's place in the scale. For example, the C Major scale notes are: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, so a 1, 4, 5 in C would be the C, F and G chords. That's not all that's involved, but it's the basic idea.

Q. What's the melody?
A. The melody is the tune that you sing. If you were to sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, that's the melody. I was explaining to a banjo student how he had to pick a little harder to bring out the melody and he looked at me and said "what the heck's the melody?" I was sure I was making things as plain as can be!

Q. What does transpose mean?
A. Transpose means to change a song from one key to a different key. So using the example above, if the song was in the Key of G Major and you wanted to transpose to C Major, you'd substitute the C scale notes for the G scale notes.

Those are some of the common theory questions I get when I teach. If you have any others you'd like answered, leave a post in the comment section or send an email to: blguitars@sbcglobal.net. 

Review: RiffMaster Pro Software

     For years I've used and recommended "The Amazing Slow Downer". The software is easy to use, very much like the tape recorders we used before there was all this digital recording equipment. While it's still a good program, I recently bought and became an affiliate of RiffMaster Pro.

The Review

   What it Does

• Slows down songs and phrases
• You can load in your own song files
• Saves your loops
• Has the ability to record slowed down versions of songs or loops

I've only had the program for about a week, but the capabilities it has are really good. If you want to learn a song and it's way too fast for you, it's very easy to slow it down. Their website has short, easy to understand tutorials if you have any questions or problems. You can remove or at least partially remove vocals, make a loop so the same phrase can repeat as often as you'd like, and you can raise or lower the pitch. This is helpful if the artist or band tunes down. All in all, it's a very useful program for any level of guitar player, beginner, intermediate or advanced. Priced at only $49.00, with a 10 day free trial and added bonuses. I was very impressed with the RiffMaster Pro and I think you'll like it too!

Are You Putting Too Much Pressure on Yourself?

The race to be an awesome guitarist

Are you trying too hard to play guitar in the shortest time possible? Have you read too much beginner guitar player hype about how you can learn the guitar in a weekend, 7 days, play every song with little or no practice? Let me pop the bubble for you. Anyone that tells you that is being totally dishonest. Ask any accomplished guitar player or guitar teacher and you'll be told the same thing. Learn in a weekend? Sure, I can teach to play in a weekend as long as you're trying to play the first few notes of Smoke on the Water.

It's all about muscle memory, practice and passion

Believe me, when I first started playing guitar I was sure, (or at least hopeful), that if I practiced enough I'd get good really quickly. I practiced guitar several hours a day, tried to play music with my best friend Rich, hung around other guitarists who were better than me, and studied out of lots of books. My conclusion? You can't speed the process up too much. Yes, you may be able to play a song in a relatively short amount of time, but your fingers and your brain have to be trained to remember all of it. If you put in the time you'll get there, but you can't do it without a commitment to practice. Ask yourself how much you want to be able to play the guitar. Do you have a real passion for music or does it seem like this quaint idea.

Get help, get motivated and get involved

If you don't have a guitar teacher or mentor, get one! A good teacher can help you figure out what you want to play, what you're capable of playing at each stage, and be a guide for your musical journey. To get motivated you need to listen to lots of music, challenge yourself when you practice, and have your teacher give you feedback and pay attention to it. I love when I suggest something to a student and he or she replies "that might be a good idea." No, it IS a good idea. I've devoted my entire adult like to teaching and I can guarantee you that what I'm telling you works. Getting involved means supporting live music, participating in jam sessions, and finding out what the music scene is like in your area.

Remember: It's not how many years you've been playing, it's how many hours you've put in.

Are You Losing Interest in Guitar?

Maintaining your momentum is hard sometimes

Just like with exercise, beginning guitar lessons can bring the inevitable plateau. Sometimes it seems the harder you try, the worse you get. When this happens it's time to take action! You need to jump start your playing and your interest, here are some suggestions.

• Listen to some good guitar players. Inspiration can take many forms. One way to regain your focus is to listen to some great guitar music to remind you of why you started learning guitar in the first place.
• Find a new piece of music that you'd like to play. Ask your guitar teacher to give you something that you'd enjoy playing or give him or her your idea of what you like. Make a list of songs that you listen to and enjoy and see which ones you're ready for.
• Get a "practice buddy." If you're off of the total beginner stage, or even if you're not, find someone you can practice with. It's more fun to work on songs if you can play them with others. A little friendly competition or at least not wanting to look like you didn't put in the effort will help you get going.
• If you're not taking guitar lessons, finding a teacher can be a good move. Getting stuck in a rut and not feeling like you're getting out of it can be difference between going on with guitar or quitting.
• Have fun! Try to play along with recordings, get a metronome and try to play faster and smoother, see how many times you can play a chord progression or scale in a given amount of time. 

With a little effort and the suggestions above you can get over the hump and on to the next stage of learning.

Learning to Play By Ear

How do you learn to anticipate what chord's coming next?

It's called ear training, and like everything else it takes time and practice. The best way to start is to listen to songs that have mostly guitar, and are easy, beginner songs. If you can find a simple recording of folk, country or bluegrass songs, and if there aren't keyboards, electric guitars or too many instruments, it's fairly easy to get started. The first step is to just listen to the songs and try to hear when the music or chords change. Most of the time it's pretty easy to hear, and if you're having trouble, listen to the bass player if you can. When the chords change the bass will usually do some kind of a walk or bass run to transition to the next chord.

Once you can hear the chord changes, get your guitar and try to play along

I hear the same thing all the time; "I'm tone deaf," I can't carry a tune in a bucket," I just don't have a good ear," and on and on. A surprisingly small number of people are truly tone deaf, most have just not been trained or not exposed to that much music. Beginning guitar students almost always have a difficult time at first, so don't be discouraged if you can't pick up your guitar and start playing along. When I try to figure out a song, I try to figure out either a note or a chord that matches what they're playing. After that, it's trial and error or using a basic understanding of music theory to figure out the rest.

Music Theory, the circle of fifths, and how music goes together

Here's where finding a good guitar teacher can help. If you're still having trouble playing by ear, the next step is getting help. Read up on music theory, have someone explain the circle of fifths, and/or harmonized scales. With a little basic knowledge you'll find that figuring out songs becomes much easier. Next time we'll discuss why music teachers use the circle of fifths and how it can help develop your ear.

This is NOT a Test (or a Recital)

Learning to play in front of your teacher and others

Most students have a hard time playing their songs for their music teacher. When I went back to college I had to take class piano. In addition to classes where we had electronic keyboards with headphones, we were also required to play one on one for our teacher in a little room with a real piano. Not once in the 2 years that I took the class was I able to play as well as I could in the classroom or at home. What was particularly frustrating is that I was playing the guitar in public 5 or 6 nights a week and had no signs of stage fright or anxiety. So, what is it? The first thing a guitar student needs to understand is that you're not being tested. It's your guitar teacher's way of judging your progress and watching for what needs to be corrected. Knowing you're being watched by someone who knows how to play can cause you to be nervous and afraid you'll make a mistake. In addition, it's frustrating to be able to play a song at home and not be able to play it as well at your lesson.

Getting over the stage fright, nervousness and anxiety

The only way to get over all three is by performing in front of other people. The more you practice the guitar, the more confident you become, and confidence is what gets you over the hump. Start out by playing for friends and family, your guitar teacher, and your fellow students. If you have the opportunity to play at a open mic or a jam session, go for it! Our studio offers controlled jam sessions which consist of part instruction, part jamming with others. If you can find a place that offers something like that, by all means get involved. Most cities have coffee houses or other venues that offer open mics or jam sessions and that's another good alternative. Remember, playing guitar or any other instrument is lots of fun when you can share it with others. So practice to build confidence, test your playing out on friends and family, then take the next step and get out in public.

What's Better, Learning Chords or Notes First?

The style of music helps determine where you start

Beginning guitar students face many choices early on, some that they're not prepared to make. Electric or acoustic guitar, nylon or steel strings, reading music or tab, and today's subject, notes or chords. I help them decide by making the first lesson more about finding out what they like to play, whether or not they're going to sing, and why they decided to play guitar. If you're going to focus on playing and singing, then chord playing is usually the way to start. Chords are what you hear people play in the background while someone sings or another instrument plays a solo. When you see a guitar player strumming instead of picking out notes, he or she is most likely playing chords.

Playing notes is helpful because you feel like you're making progress sooner

One advantage to picking out notes is that after a couple lessons you can play the tune to a song. Even if it's a simple song, you hear progress right from the beginning. If you're reluctant to sing, you can play thousands of songs with the same chords, so it won't necessarily sound like the song. Note playing can be a fun way to get started on guitar. There are two notation systems for guitar, reading music or playing tablature, or tab, for short. Tab is a number system so it's really quite easy to learn. See my previous post about learning to read music. That will help you decide if you even need to learn standard note reading.

Strumming along with recordings

If playing chords is what you and your guitar teacher choose to do first, there's a great learning tool called Riffmaster Pro (affiliate link) which slows down songs so you can play along with them. The nice feature about this program is that is doesn't change the pitch of the songs so you don't have to re-tune your guitar. It can also be used later on to learn more advanced soloing techniques.

Action, Intonation, Neck Relief? What's That?

Do guitar teachers and salesmen talk in a foreign language?

When you're looking at guitars you will hear the term action, which simply means how far the strings are away from the fretboard, and how hard you have to push to make a note or chord. If you're just starting out, it's a good idea to bring along someone who can play guitar so they can judge its playability. A cheap guitar will usually have high action and that means the beginning guitar player will have an unusually hard time playing it.

Intonation has to do with the guitar playing in tune up and down the neck

The easiest way to check intonation is to play a string with no fingers on it, (open), and then play it at the 12th fret. If you have an electronic tuner the open note and the 12th fret note should both be in tune. Most stringed instruments are adjustable, so the intonation can usually be corrected. Again, bringing along someone that plays can be helpful.

Neck Relief

Many times you'll see someone sight down the fretboard as though they were aiming a rifle. What they're doing is checking to see if there's a bow in the neck. There should be a slight amount of curve in the neck, but if it's extreme it means the neck is out of adjustment. Almost all fretted instruments have a truss rod which can bring the neck back into alignment. The truss rod is a steel rod that runs through the length of the neck and is adjusted with an allen wrench. A warped or severely warped neck should be avoided.

Practical Advice

So if you're a beginning guitar player, remember that you get what you pay for. I get calls all the time from people that want to know if they should buy a used guitar, and the answer is always "only if you know what you're doing." It's possible to get a great deal on an instrument, but it's also possible to waste a good chunk of money. The best advice is to buy from a music store and to make sure that you can return the guitar if it's defective. Most music stores will adjust and set up the guitar before they sell it to ensure that the customer is happy.

Are You Going to Listen to Your Teacher or Your Friends?

Beware of your well meaning friends

Once a beginner starts learning to play guitar, there are all kinds of advice being given by well meaning friends. They have your best interests in mind, but most of them don't teach and therefore the advice you get may not be all good. A good guitar teacher will steer you in the right direction, make sure you don't pick songs that are beyond your skill level and help you make steady progress. Your friends will suggest what they learned, try to help you, but not remember how hard it was in the beginning. I've had students who got conflicting advice, ideas that would do harm than good, and shown songs, riffs and licks that were way beyond their current abilities.

Pick a teacher that's right for you

There are lots of guitar teachers available, many of them quite good, some not so good, and some good but not for you. The best advice is to ask questions, make sure your teacher has experience with beginning guitar students, and can play and teach the music you like. It doesn't have to be the only style he or she is interested in, but at the minimum a basic understanding is needed. For example, I've had students that wanted to learn classical guitar, flamenco guitar, slack key guitar and other types of music that I'm not comfortable teaching, so I helped them find a teacher that would be more helpful. A good teacher will be up front with you and tell you if you should find someone else. 

Making Sure Your Guitar is the Right Size

Picking the correct size.

Many people aren't aware of the many different sizes and shapes of guitars until they pick the wrong one. Just like with violins, guitars come in 1/2, 3/4 and full size. Some manufacturers have started going by overall length instead, so if you're shopping for a child's guitar, take him or her with you if at all possible. We've had many instances where the guitar was just way too big or too small for the student. Have the person who will use the guitar sit in a straight chair, feet on the floor, with the guitar resting on the leg. Have him or her reach back the left hand to the end of the neck to make sure all strings and frets are accessible. The right arm should reach over the body and be able to reach the strings with ease.

Body shapes

In addition to length, there are different body shapes. The most common one is a standard or concert size body. It's fairly symmetrical and looks like a regular guitar. Next are the shapes made popular by the Martin Guitar Company. In business since 1833, they've been building quality guitars for a long time. They designate the body shapes as 0, 00, 000 and D. Visit their website for complete details and specifications. The bodies get progressively larger, with the D (for dreadnought), being the largest.

So when shopping for a guitar, try out several body styles and keep in mind that you'll be keeping the guitar for a long time. While sound is also very important, the shape and fit of the guitar should be your top priority.

The Third T, Taste

So, how do you demonstrate good taste when you're playing?

Tasteful playing is of course, a pretty subjective thing. A lot of it depends on what type of music you're playing and your skill level. For example, if you're playing bluegrass music it's a lot different than some form of rock music, although good music is, well, good music. Taste involves playing that's interesting, fun to listen to, and in a lot of cases has a certain "wow" factor.  It isn't just about hot licks so much as it is about how your guitar playing fits in with the song.

What to do and what not to do.

  If you're soloing, a lot of beginning guitar players want to impress people with speed, but they're really not quite ready, so the playing is sloppy or simply doesn't sound that good. Listen to some of the masters, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Doc Watson, Jimi Hendrix or Chet Atkins and hear what effect a well-placed note can have.

If you're accompanying a singer, or playing rhythm while someone else solos, be sure that what you're playing complements what else is going on. Every empty space doesn't have to be filled, and it's really annoying when playing a solo to have another band member walk on your part. Try to make your accompaniment or backup add to the structure and interest of the song.  So listen to good guitar players, hone your skills, and try to develop the elusive "tasty licks".

One of my favorite quotes is from Louis Armstrong, jazz trumpeter: "There are only two kinds of music, good music and bad music. We try to play the good stuff."

The 3 Ts, Tone

Producing a pleasing, clear tone.

Buzzes and vibrations. Making your notes crystal clear, well defined, and crisp is a true art. Step one is to make sure your note's not buzzing. Getting a buzzing or vibration sound is caused by not pushing the string down hard enough, letting the pressure off, or playing too far away from the fret. Remember, the fret is the metal bar, not the space in between. So play close to the fret, keep firm pressure on and hold it. Once your fingers are stronger and tougher you really don't have to push all that hard. Press the string down just hard enough to get rid of the buzzes.


Clear tone, part 2.

Deadened or muffled strings. After you eliminate the buzzing, strike the string or strings again and see if any of the notes sound muted or muffled. In most cases this is caused by something being in the way. There should be space between the side of your hand and the side of the guitar neck, you need to play with the tips of your fingers, and you need to see if there are any sleeves, bracelets or other parts of your hand blocking the strings. The other cause is having your finger right on the fret, (the metal bar), instead of behind it. These steps will help you clear up the tone that a beginning guitar player is striving for. Your guitar teacher can work with you if you're having trouble finding the cause of the problem.

The 3 Ts, Timing, Taste and Tone

Let's start with #1, Timing.

The key to sounding good is the ability to keep a rock solid, steady beat. Nothing is more frustrating than to play with or listen to a musician without good rhythm. How do you develop this sense of timing? In a word,  METRONOME! It's amazing how many people balk at using a simple tool and continue to struggle with timing. You can purchase a metronome for as little as $20 or even find one for free on the internet.

How does it work?

You set a tempo, (speed), and practice slowly so you develop a sense of timing. Think of this as the pulse of your music. Like your heartbeat it should be steady and rhythmic. A beginning guitar student can start with a simple timing pattern using open strings. The important thing at first is to play something easy so that note reading isn't the problem. Play whole notes, half notes and quarter notes, then build speed. Your guitar teacher can give you more details.

Slow Down, You're Movin' Too Fast

Slow equals fast when it comes to guitar playing.

A common mistake that beginning guitar players make is trying to play too fast. Guitar teachers hear all the arguments and complaints. It doesn't sound good slow, I can't play slow, I was going slower, it's much faster than that, how will I ever learn to play that fast and the list goes on. The key to learning guitar is to be slow and deliberate when you practice. Really learning a song means you can play it through without having to think about it, not fearing the worst when that one part comes up, and thinking negative thoughts when performing. Believe me, I've been there and done that. The key is confidence that you can play the song without anticipating the "hard part." Every piece has one or more passages that will be difficult for you, it's a matter of nailing that part on a regular basis.

How do I build the confidence I need?

Practice in front of a mirror, record yourself, and play in front of friends, relatives and then strangers. Open mic nights, informal jam sessions, playing for your teacher, these are all confidence builders. The more you play in front of an audience the easier it becomes. Try it, you'll be amazed.

What Do You Do to Learn A New Song?

How to go about learning new material

Listen to the song. Get a copy of the new song and listen to it several times. Before you attempt to play your guitar on a song you have to listen and understand exactly how it goes. Many times a student will insist he or she knows how it goes, only to find a part they don't remember. Being able to hum or sing the song means you have the ability to know what it's supposed to sound like.

 Don't practice mistakes. When you're just starting to learn a song on your guitar, go slowly enough that you can't make a mistake. Guitar playing is all about muscle memory and your fingers remember all of it, good and bad.

Do what works best for you. Everyone has a different way of learning. Some guitar teachers advocate learning one measure or even just a small phrase while others encourage you to play the whole song. The best thing to do is experiment and see what works for you.

Be patient and don't try to rush. A common beginning guitar player mistake is to try to play fast. Remember, if you can't play it slow, you can't play it fast.

Using these playing tips should help you improve at a faster rate, so experiment and give them a try.

What Do You Do to Learn A New Song?

What's the best way for a beginning guitar player to learn a song?

While there is no one best way, there are things you can do to help you learn.

• Listen to the song. Get a copy of the song and listen to it several times. Before you can play a song you need to be able to hear and understand it. A minimum of 10 times is what it takes before you really start to hear all that's going on. Once you can hum or sing the song you know what you're trying to make it sound like. 

•  Go slow and don't practice mistakes. This is something everyone needs to avoid. Playing the guitar is all about muscle memory so teach your fingers what you want them to do. Rushing through a passage is a sure way to have them do the wrong thing. Remember, if you can't play it slow, you can't play it fast.

•  Decide how you learn best and go with that. Some guitar teachers advocate learning a small part of the song while others would have you try to play through the whole thing. When I learn a song I try to get through all of it and then isolate the trouble spots. Keep in mind that what works for one person may not work for another. It takes patience to learn either way. Learning a short phrase and playing it over and over until it's perfect is a great way to learn a song although it can be very tedious and trying. The best advice is to experiment and refine your learning techniques.

•  Make sure you like the song. Playing the song may sound like a good idea, then for one reason or another you find you just can't get into it. There are many reasons for this, but the bottom line is if you don't like that song, find one you know you'll stick with. Don't give up on it too soon, but also don't waste a lot of time discovering that you would rather not play it. I've had students work on a song for weeks, sometimes months, and then tell me they really aren't into that song. Your teacher will have lots of songs that teach you the same thing, so make sure he or she is aware of your feelings for the music. Be aware of taking the easy way out though, I can't tell you how many times a student tells me "I hate this song" when what they mean is that it's just too hard for them.

I Didn't Practice Guitar All Week, Should I Go to My Lesson?

The worst thing you can do is NOT GO!

The first thing we hear when they call is "I couldn't practice this week so I don't want to waste your time." While that is a valid reason, not attending the lesson will just make matters worse. For one thing, when you miss or cancel the lesson, it becomes easier to do it again. Pretty soon not playing the guitar becomes a habit and you get out of the routine. Then your interest level starts to drop, then it becomes more trouble finding time and the cycle begins. By going to the lesson anyway, you keep the momentum you had. You can be sure your teacher can find lots of things to work on even when you haven't picked up the guitar all week. Scales, note reading, timing and theory can all be things that you and your teacher can work on in more detail. So go to the lesson and have fun. That's what playing the guitar is all about.

Try These Exercises so You can Play Guitar Longer

What do you do to warm up before playing?

If you're like most people, little or nothing! One of the most common complaints we hear is that the fingers or the wrist hurts after practicing for a while. Let's look at some of the causes and then some of the ways to prevent this from happening.

Relax your fretting hand.

The pain in the wrist can usually be prevented by not tensing up the hand and pushing too hard. When you first take up guitar, it's necessary to push hard to get the strings to sound good. After your fingertips toughen up you can release some of the pressure since the strings aren't sinking into your fingers. The thumb should be in the middle of the neck in back and it should be pushing so that you get a pinching action. Bring the fingers straight down and remember to keep your fingernails short.

Do some exercises to warm up.

I'm always amazed when one of my students tells me "you know, I play better after 15 minutes or so." I ask why they think that is, then I get a question. "Because I'm warmed up?" Exactly! What do most beginners do to warm up? Little or nothing, yet they expect to pick up their guitar and be able to jump right in and play. Then to make matters worse, they usually start with one of the harder songs they've been working on.

Here are a couple exercises to help you get started.

• Play the 1st fret with your 1st finger on the 1st string.
• Without removing the 1st finger, now play the 2nd fret with your 2nd finger, still on the 1st string.
• Without removing the 1st finger, play the 3rd fret with your 3rd finger, still on the 1st string.
• Without removing the 1st finger, play the 4th fret with your 4th finger, (yes, the pinkie and yes, it's a stretch), still on the 1st string. 

So the fretting pattern is: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1.  Do this twice on each string.

To start with, do this exercises on many strings as you can do comfortably. You don't want to be in pain when doing this. The 1st finger stays down through the whole exercise, this is what makes the strengthening and stretching take place.

After you're comfortable with the first pattern, try using different combinations of fingers: 1-4-3-4-1-2-4, 3-4-1-2, 3-1-2-3, etc.

After just a few days you should be able to tell a difference in your playing.

Are You Too Busy to Practice?

I had a busy week at work, I was out of town, I was_______

So, what's your excuse for not practicing? In the course of a week we hear them all. It can be work, school, sports, or some variation. They laugh when I tell them to get up a half hour earlier, stay up later, or, dare I say it, turn off the TV, quit texting and close Facebook! There are many opportunities to practice during a week, most of them are just ignored or can wait until later.

Helpful hints for practicing.

• Get a stand. If you have your guitar sitting out where you can't ignore it, you'll tend to pick it up and start playing.
• Get out of the basement! Practicing guitar in the basement is the same as exercising down there. Unless yours is finished, has plenty of lighting, and isn't like a dungeon, you can practice there, otherwise find someplace else.
• A dedicated practice room is ideal. If there's room or part of a room where you can leave your equipment set up, that's the ideal situation. If you have your guitar on its stand, music opened and also on a music stand, (you're not just laying it on the coffee table or bed are you?), and any recording equipment, the metronome, or other useful tools at your fingertips ready to play, it's easy to find time. On the other hand, having to unpack the guitar, locate the music, and set up the recording equipment takes time and makes it easy to believe it's too much trouble.

So set up a music room or area, keep your guitar handy and set aside a specific time to practice. You'll be amazed at how much easier it is to find time to practice.

Why Would I Want to Learn to Read Music?

How important is it to learn to read music?

Since more and more guitar music is being written in tablature, is it still necessary to read music? The answer is becoming more difficult, but it's never a bad idea to at least understand basic music notation. While guitar tab is getting more popular, there are still some good reasons to learn to read standard music notes. Let's take a closer look.

Tab is not standardized.

There are a few drawbacks to just learning tab, one of them being that no one has decided how they're going to show rhythm. When you buy a songbook with tabs in it, there is also standard notation showing the rhythm. If you can't interpret that and you don't have a recording of the song, your chances of learning it correctly are very low.

Tab is computer generated.

The fact that a computer is picking the notes for you means that every now and then the computer will pick the right note but not necessarily the most convenient location on the fingerboard. Since you can play the same note in several places on the guitar, it's not unusual to have the computer put the same note in different positions.

If there's a mistake in the notation, it's in the tab.

If the computer isn't picking the notes, it's easy for the person transcribing the song to simply put the number on the wrong line. We've found lots of instances where this has been the case.

My advice to beginning students.

The decision is mostly based on what type of music you want to play and how good you want to be. If you're more interested in strumming chords and singing, you may not need to read music. The same is true if your main interest is blues or rock guitar. However, if you're going to write songs, play classical or jazz guitar, or you just want to know how music works, reading music is still a valuable skill.

Am I Too Old to Learn Guitar?

Do you believe in the old adage "you can't teach an old dog new tricks?"

As long as you have the desire, don't have a severe case of arthritis, and your hearing is still ok, there's no reason you can't learn guitar. I've had students in their 70s make excellent progress, and the common denominator has always been the desire to play. It's all about attitude, and if it's positive, the chances of success are pretty high. Will you be able to catch up to Eric Clapton? No, probably not, but if you're looking for a creative outlet, something to keep your mind busy, and an instrument you can enjoy, the guitar just may be for you. It's portable, fairly inexpensive to get started, and can be played at different levels. Some people want to go as far as they can, some want to strum a few songs and sing, most just want an enjoyable hobby. If that sounds like you, do some research, buy or rent a guitar, and find an instructor. After that it's just a matter of patience, desire and making the time to practice.

That Song May be Harder Than You Think!

I was listening to ............. and it didn't sound that hard.

So you're listening to the car radio, or your ipod, or a cd and you think, that song doesn't sound that hard. I think I'll ask about playing that one. How long you've been learning guitar, how many chords you know and how fast you can move around are some of the things you need to think about. Lots of songs are deceptively simple. The guitar is real clear, it seems to play the same thing over and over, so you start to think maybe it wouldn't be that difficult. The next step? Ask your teacher. There really are many songs that are as easy as they sound, but there are others that sound simple but when you start to play them, they're not. The stumbling blocks some students find are chords that change too fast, too many chords or chords that require techniques that you haven't learned yet. Suspended chords, slash chords, walking bass lines and key changes can all be really tricky. So the next time you hear a song, pay close attention and try to hear it from the player's point of view.