Happy New Year!
The new year has begun and there's always a lot of soul searching, resolution making, and bad habits that are going to be fixed. That usually lasts anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, then it's back to the same old, same old. Here are a few suggestions to help you get started.
New Strings.
If your strings have not been changed since last New Year's, now's the time. New strings make your guitar sound better and they're not rusty or caked with gook. While you have them off, clean the fingerboard. I use Gibson Fingerboard conditioner which cleans the wood and adds a little moisture.
New Books or Songs.
Are you still practicing the same songs you were playing months ago? Congratulations, you've found your comfort zone! The bad news is, you're not making any progress. Yes, it's fun to play songs you know well, no, you shouldn't forget about them. Think about how excited you were when you first started to play them and how happy you are now that they're polished up and ready for public consumption. Get yourself a new book, or pick out a new song and challenge yourself a little. Maybe a different genre or something that's more technically challenging to get you to the next level.
New Guitar.
Is your old guitar kind of clunky? Does it make you want to sit down and play it or have you gotten to where you really don't like that make or model any more? If you can afford it, treat yourself to a new one. Or if you do like it, try something different. Maybe a classical guitar, a 12 string, an acoustic if you only play electric, you get the idea.
So have a wonderful New Year and dig back into playing and practicing your guitar!
Showing posts with label classical music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classical music. Show all posts
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Monday, August 15, 2011
Master One Thing at a Time
Multi-tasking is overrated, I repeat, Multi-tasking is overrated.
Beginning guitar players are understandably excited about learning the instrument, but that can also get in the way of progress. There are so many concepts, techniques, and skills you need to learn, it can be very hard to know what to work on first.
Mastering one thing at a time.
If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you. For more tips about getting the most out of lessons be sure to visit my webpage: www.blguitars.net
Beginning guitar players are understandably excited about learning the instrument, but that can also get in the way of progress. There are so many concepts, techniques, and skills you need to learn, it can be very hard to know what to work on first.
Mastering one thing at a time.
- There are lots of ways to get started on playing guitar, and what you learn first is at least partially decided by what you want to do with the guitar. For example, you may want to play and sing, which means you'll work on chords, then strumming techniques and then ways to spice up your playing.
- Jazz or classical guitar? You should start out by reading music, being able to play single notes, and then adding chords.
- Rock or country guitar? Chords, scales and lead guitar techniques. Every style of music has its own sound, but before you can learn that you need to build a good foundation.
If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you. For more tips about getting the most out of lessons be sure to visit my webpage: www.blguitars.net
Monday, July 11, 2011
Your Fretting Hand Has 4 Fingers and a Thumb, Use Them!
Actually, your pinky will work if you start using it.
I hear it and see it all the time, beginning guitar students doing everything they can to avoid using the pinky. They find lots of creative fingerings to get around it instead of exercising it, working with it and training it to function. Yes, it's hard at first, yes, it seems easier to use one of the other fingers, no, it's not the best way to play the guitar. With a little time and effort your pinky can work as well as the others.
Exercises to strengthen the pinky.
Most guitar students spend way too little time warming up. You need to stretch and strengthen your fingers and loosen up before you start to actually play songs and scales. Here are a couple of basic exercises to get you started. The important thing to remember is that YOU HOLD THE 1ST (INDEX/POINTER) FINGER DOWN THROUGHOUT THESE EXERCISES.
Exercise 1:
Exercise 2:
Exercise 3:
Start out each practice or playing session with these exercises and soon your pinky will work as well as your other fingers.
Thumbs up.
There's always a question as to whether or not you should use the thumb to fret notes. Most classical guitar players and teachers frown on that, but most players in other styles of music find it useful. Jimi Hendrix, Chet Atkins, and many others have used the thumb, so if it's convenient, use it. I use my thumb to fret the 1st fret of the 6th string when I play the F chord, and at other frets as well. Some people have hands that are too small for that to work, but you should feel free to experiment. I sound like one of those drug commercials on TV....."ask your teacher if using the thumb is right for you!"
I hear it and see it all the time, beginning guitar students doing everything they can to avoid using the pinky. They find lots of creative fingerings to get around it instead of exercising it, working with it and training it to function. Yes, it's hard at first, yes, it seems easier to use one of the other fingers, no, it's not the best way to play the guitar. With a little time and effort your pinky can work as well as the others.
Exercises to strengthen the pinky.
Most guitar students spend way too little time warming up. You need to stretch and strengthen your fingers and loosen up before you start to actually play songs and scales. Here are a couple of basic exercises to get you started. The important thing to remember is that YOU HOLD THE 1ST (INDEX/POINTER) FINGER DOWN THROUGHOUT THESE EXERCISES.
Exercise 1:
- Play the 1st string, (the skinny one), with your 1st finger at the 1st fret.
- Play the 2nd fret, 2nd finger, 1st string.
- Play the 3rd fret, 3rd finger, 1st string.
- Play the 4th fret, 4th finger, 1st string.
Exercise 2:
- Again, start at the 1st string, 1st fret, 1st finger.
- Now play the 1st string, 3rd fret with your 3rd finger. Don't forget to leave the 1st finger on the 1st fret.
- 4th fret, 4th finger, 1st string.
- 3rd fret, 3rd finger, 1st string.
Exercise 3:
- 1st string, 1st fret, 1st finger.
- 1st string, 2nd fret, 2nd finger.
- 1st string, 4th fret, 4th finger.
- 1st string, 2nd fret, 2nd finger.
Start out each practice or playing session with these exercises and soon your pinky will work as well as your other fingers.
Thumbs up.
There's always a question as to whether or not you should use the thumb to fret notes. Most classical guitar players and teachers frown on that, but most players in other styles of music find it useful. Jimi Hendrix, Chet Atkins, and many others have used the thumb, so if it's convenient, use it. I use my thumb to fret the 1st fret of the 6th string when I play the F chord, and at other frets as well. Some people have hands that are too small for that to work, but you should feel free to experiment. I sound like one of those drug commercials on TV....."ask your teacher if using the thumb is right for you!"
Monday, March 7, 2011
Learning From Other People
Pay attention, you just might learn something.
Over the years I've learned lots of licks, songs and tricks to enhance my guitar playing. The sources I learned them from are as varied as the techniques. Playing with others, whether they were better than me or not, reading guitar magazines, interviews, and ads, listening to recordings and watching live performances all contributed to my education. Yes, I took guitar lessons, had a great guitar teacher and learned a lot from him. At the same time I learned from the above sources. Doc Watson, Chet Atkins, Paul Simon, Peter Yarrow, and Paul Stookey were just a few of the many guitar players I liked, listened to and learned from.
Each style of music has an element you can add to what you like.
My guitar teacher questioned what I was trying to do, since there were many times when I'd hear something I liked and it was a different style. One week I wanted to play classical guitar, a couple weeks later it was Chet Atkins style, then country or maybe blues. When he asked me about it my reply was that I just wanted to play what sounded good on the guitar regardless of what kind of music they called it.
After saying all that, you still need to focus.
Even though it seemed like I had no sense of direction, I wasn't looking to be a virtuoso in those styles, but rather looking for something that would improve my sound and my playing. My main focus was on the folk and acoustic music of the day, but I never had that as my only interest. So map out a plan, listen to lots of different kinds of music and see if there's a way to work it into the music you like best.
Over the years I've learned lots of licks, songs and tricks to enhance my guitar playing. The sources I learned them from are as varied as the techniques. Playing with others, whether they were better than me or not, reading guitar magazines, interviews, and ads, listening to recordings and watching live performances all contributed to my education. Yes, I took guitar lessons, had a great guitar teacher and learned a lot from him. At the same time I learned from the above sources. Doc Watson, Chet Atkins, Paul Simon, Peter Yarrow, and Paul Stookey were just a few of the many guitar players I liked, listened to and learned from.
Each style of music has an element you can add to what you like.
My guitar teacher questioned what I was trying to do, since there were many times when I'd hear something I liked and it was a different style. One week I wanted to play classical guitar, a couple weeks later it was Chet Atkins style, then country or maybe blues. When he asked me about it my reply was that I just wanted to play what sounded good on the guitar regardless of what kind of music they called it.
After saying all that, you still need to focus.
Even though it seemed like I had no sense of direction, I wasn't looking to be a virtuoso in those styles, but rather looking for something that would improve my sound and my playing. My main focus was on the folk and acoustic music of the day, but I never had that as my only interest. So map out a plan, listen to lots of different kinds of music and see if there's a way to work it into the music you like best.
Monday, December 20, 2010
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.
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.
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