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.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, November 8, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
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:
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.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, November 1, 2010
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
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 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.
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