Crystal Clear Notes and Chords

Do Your Strings Buzz When You Play?

String buzz or vibrations are caused by only one of two things: either you're not pushing hard enough or you're not close enough to the fret. To eliminate buzzing, be sure you push the string down against the fingerboard and keep the pressure on. Once your fingertips toughen up you won't have to use as much pressure as you do at first. Don't forget, the frets are the metal bars, not the spaces in between. Playing too far back towards the nut will cause buzzing regardless of how hard you press the strings down.

What's That Muffled or Deadened Sound?

The other most common obstacle to clear notes is a muffled or deadened note. The top cause is something being in the way. A sleeve, a piece of jewelry or another finger can block out a string. Bend the fretting hand fingers at both joints and arch them up so they don't hit the other strings. Push up your sleeve and remove the jewelry. The other causes are touching the fret or not pushing hard enough. Make sure your finger isn't right on the fret and that you're using enough pressure to make a clear note.

Follow these steps and your playing will sound better in no time!

Bob Lucas Guitar Studios
123 W. Clinton Place, 2nd Floor
Kirkwood, MO 63122
www.blguitars.net

Take Me Out To The Ballgame/Fingerstyle Guitar

Since it's opening day I thought I'd post my fingerstyle guitar arrangement of Take Me Out to the Ballgame. This was influenced by the picking of Doc Watson, Merle Travis and Chet Atkins.

To Play Fast, Learn to Play Slow

Learning to play fast.

At some point everyone sees or hears an amazing guitar player who seems to be able to effortlessly play at blazing speeds. How do they do that? The beginning guitar player sees no way to learn to go that fast, insists they sped up the recording, or used some other electronic trick. Then, they see that guitarist in person and realize he or she is capable of playing fast. So, how do you learn to increase your speed?
Believe it or not, the best way is to learn to play slowly. When learning guitar, you need to remember that if you can't play it slow there's no way you can play it fast. Yes, it's really that simple. Here are some tips for learning to increase your speed.

• Get a metronome and USE IT! I have students who buy metronomes and drum machines, use them for a short time and then give up on them. The most common mistake is setting a speed that you can't keep up with. Then the excuses start to come out. I can't play that slow, it's boring, the song or exercises don't sound good slow, and many more. Set the rhythm to a slow pace, concentrate on picking each note exactly on the beat, with each note being clean and clear. Don't try to play complicated songs or exercises at first. Don't speed up at all until you can play each note in time without missing a beat.
• Work on major, minor and pentatonic scales. Every song is based on a scale, so practicing scales is a valuable use of your time. You'll learn to recognize the sounds of the different scales which will help you develop the ability to pick out songs by ear.
• Listen to the masters. There are amazing guitarists in all kinds of genres. It doesn't matter if you like rock, metal, country, folk, classical or bluegrass music, with a little research you'll find someone you can relate to.
• Practice every day. You don't need to spend hours on exercises but you do need to work on them. One of the quotes I use is: if you think scales are boring, practice them until they're not boring. If you don't think scales are boring, practice them until they are boring, then repeat step one.
• Get help. A guitar teacher can help you progress by watching and listening to you play and giving you valuable tips and ways to improve.
• Find a practice buddy. Do you know someone who also plays guitar or perhaps another instrument that complements the guitar? Is there a particular style of music that you'd really like to play? Find someone to practice with and to hold you accountable. You can do the same for him or her.

There's lots of printed material to help you improve your speed, so check out all of the resources that are available. You can find books, online lessons, CDs and DVDs to help you.

To learn a song note for note, I highly recommend Riffmaster Pro Software. (Affiliate Link). The software enables you to slow down songs without changing the pitch, set up loops so you can work on individual phrases, change the eq settings to emphasize certain instruments, and export the slowed down songs you so you can record and practice them.

Should you purchase the program and have any questions about how to use it, just email me or leave a comment on this blog and I'll be happy to help you figure it out.

How Do I Know I'm Still A Beginner?

Are you still a beginner?

At some point every guitar student wants to know what they've achieved. With no one to compare their playing to, there's always a desire to find out if they're ahead, behind or comparable to someone that's been playing the same amount of time. The problem with this is that everyone learns at a different pace, has a different music background if any, and has put in more or less time. A student who practices an hour a day should be better than someone who practices a half hour or less. However, just like the number of years playing doesn't count, the amount of practice time may not indicate how well one is doing.

Quality practice vs quantity practice.

Beginning guitar players need to have a clear direction when it comes to practice. Getting the guitar out and running through your favorite songs isn't necessarily the way to practice. I encourage my students to play music they like, but that's after they've spent time concentrating on improving their playing. Take a page out of the sports coaches' book and warm up, work on specific skills, and then do the fun stuff. To warm up do some fretting hand stretches, right hand picking whether it's with your fingers or a pick, and loosen up. Too many students, beginners and advanced, ignore the advice about stretching, then they're amazed that they "play better after 15 minutes."

So, are you still a beginner?

I tell my students that on average it takes about 6 months to get off of the total beginner stage. At that point you should be able to play the notes in first position, be able to keep a basic rhythm, and play most of the open position chords. In addition, you need to be able to move from one chord to the next without losing time. Keep in mind that these are suggestions, not rules that are cast in stone. For example, you may not read music at all if you're more interested in playing and singing, or you may have concentrated on notes and not really worked with chords that much. That being said, the guidelines and milestones above should give you an idea of where you stand.

Sweating the Small Stuff

Don't sweat the small stuff?

That's certainly not true when it comes to music! What makes a great musician stand out? Attention to detail. We're talking clean, clear, crisp notes, impeccable timing, tone that's pleasing to the ear. Listen to some of the guitar masters such as Doc Watson, Tony Rice, Chet Atkins, Joe Pass, and countless others in all styles of music. It's amazing to just listen to them, watch them and see what it's like to hear a true master of an instrument. While I never got to hear Joe Pass live, I have gotten to hear Doc Watson, Tony Rice, and Chet Atkins to name a few. I consider myself to be a good guitar player, but these guys are from a different universe!

What sets them apart?

There's not one single element that you hear, but an overall sound that defines each individual. Each one has his own style, his own sound and his own approach to guitar as well as to music in general. A beginning guitarist needs to seek out the best players and learn from them. I remember my guitar teacher asking me one day what I was trying to do. I'd want to play classical guitar one day, blues, country, fingerpicking, Chet Atkins' style, if I liked it I wanted to be able to at least try it. I've always loved the sound of the guitar and the type of music wasn't as important as how it sounded.

Open your eyes, your ears and your heart.

After having taught guitar and banjo for years, I often get asked by students how I can stand to listen to a total beginner "messing up those songs." My reply is that if you're trying, I have all the patience in the world. Put your guitar lessons way down on your list of priorities, only practice once or twice a week and then complain about how you're not getting it, and my patience runs out in a hurry. You need to listen to good music, go to concerts and see the passion that the performers have, and soon you'll see if your heart is into it. Music can be enjoyed on many different levels, so open up and let it in.

Almost Anyone Can Play Guitar, Can't They?

The guitar's strong point? Versatility.

One of the coolest things about the guitar is how versatile it can be. When prospective students ask if it's too late to start the guitar the answer is almost always a resounding no. The determining factor is what kind of music you like, how much time you can devote to practice, and how realistic your goals are. A couple weeks ago I had a gentleman asking about guitar lessons, and it's one of the few times I've talked someone out of lessons. He had no musical background, no idea of what kind of music he wanted to play, and he was 87 years old. The age wouldn't have been as big a factor had he had one of the other ingredients. When I told him he needed to know what kind of music he liked, his response was that he could take golf lessons without having to be specific, so he just wanted "guitar lessons."

All of that aside, most people can play to at least some degree.

Playing the guitar can be enjoyable on so many different levels, deciding what you'd like to do is the first step. Some beginners are perfectly happy playing and strumming campfire songs, while others are eager to learn as much as they can about all aspects of playing. The guitar can be an accompaniment instrument, a solo instrument or part of an ensemble. How happy you are with your playing is determined by your interests and your satisfaction level. I've had students agonize over their lack of progress when they simply have no direction. How are you going to get somewhere if you're not sure where you want to go?

Take action now.

According to a recent poll, 85% of people who don't play an instrument wish they did! What's holding you back? Taking the first step and doing a little research is the most important way to get started. To me, and I know it sounds self serving, finding a good teacher is essential. While there are many courses, books, DVDs, CDs, and free lessons on the internet, nothing compares to the instant feedback you'll get from one on one lessons with a teacher. You can spend a long time learning something he or she could show you in a few minutes. You can be unaware of bad habits that are forming, and since a book or video can't watch you play, you could be facing the difficult task of breaking the habits.

Getting Your Money's Worth From Lessons

Are your lessons worth the money?

With all of the materials out there, is it worth paying for guitar lessons? I'd argue that the answer is yes for several reasons, even though it sounds self serving. The biggest reason is that you have someone to ask questions of, give you honest feedback and keep you on the correct path. As more and more information becomes available, and this isn't limited to music lessons, people become confused about what's important, where they should focus, and how much time they should spend on learning the concepts they've discovered. A beginning guitar student needs to forget about how overwhelming everything seems to be and to concentrate on one area at a time.

Getting your money's worth.

Your guitar teacher needs to know what you like, how you feel about your progress, and how you practice. These are some of the things you need to be clear about to get the most for your money. I've had students work on songs for weeks and then finally tell me they don't like that song. There are many others that will teach the same concepts, but I can't give you a different song unless I know you're unhappy.  Most beginning guitar students don't see much progress, so if you're in doubt about how you're doing, have your teacher give you an honest evaluation. Guitar is very slow going at first and it can be discouraging to say the least. If you're unhappy with your where you are, talk over ways to improve how you practice. Too many guitar students aren't really practicing, but they're just playing songs over and over. You need to have a specific goal for that practice session. Whether it's learning a new song, smoothing out trouble spots or improving the whole song, focus on what needs the most improvement.