Sunday, September 26, 2010

Taking Easy Lessons with an Acoustic Guitar




An acoustic guitar is a wooden instrument that’s shaped like the number eight and has a hole at its middle part. Often mistaken as a classical guitar, an acoustic guitar is hollow and is composed of six strings made of steel. These strings, when struck, produce sound.





Enough of the slight introduction. That just gave you the idea of what an acoustic guitar looks like and what is its purpose. Enumerated in lessons are steps on how to play an acoustic guitar successfully without the thought of giving up that easily.





1. Before starting, be sure you have a guitar. Acoustic guitar to be precise. It doesn’t matter if its old or new for as long as its acoustic.





2. Choose the best website that can provide you with all the options on the how and what of handling a guitar. There are tons of websites designed to offer a great amount of resources and knowledge regarding instruments. Catching up those sites can also provide free online lessons.





3. Have an idea on whom to patronize. Some musicians play for the sake of popularity while some play for an artist’s sake. Choose someone who plays for good music. Artists like John Mayer are most popular on this category. Remind yourself that acoustic guitars aren’t exclusively for the mellow ones but for all sort of music.





4. Memorize the physical parts of your guitar. Remember every angle and functions built with it. Understand how they produce such sounds and how it turns out bad. You might think this isn’t vital. But fact is, this is one of the most important things you should remember when handling and playing an acoustic guitar.





5. Learn the basic chords first. Aside from that, learn the different ways to play those chords. Example, C has more than 6 different hand positions. This will add more flexibility on your hands when moving from one fret to another.





6. Master your chords by not looking at them every once in a while. Practice the muscles of your hand while talking to someone or listening to the radio. The purpose of multitasking is to help you avoid looking more often on your hands while playing. This is a good strategy for easier retention of the different chords and to make your hands familiarize itself with the different frets.





7. Practice at least 5 days a week for at least two to three hours. If you’re really itching to be on the pedestal, learn to be patient. Everyone has to start somewhere. And that somewhere is from the very basic. Apart from that, practicing daily entails proper body mechanics. Meaning you have to learn to position your body in a manner that won’t strain your muscles and body parts.





8. Build up those callous on the tip of your fingers. This is painful, very. But as you go on with your lesson you’ll realize that calluses are with good use. Calluses make your fingers numb. Thus, making it easier for you to play.





9. Upon learning the easy part, put extra effort on learning the hard parts of the chords. Barre chords are considered the most difficult part of playing an acoustic guitar. Most beginners skip it. Word of advice, don’t.





10. Rest. Don’t exhaust yourself if you can no longer go on. Do it the next day. Remember, learning doesn’t have to be an obligation but a right. It has to be slow but accurate.


Learning to Play the Chords




To learn reading the chords of a guitar, one must have the basic knowledge on what a chord is and how is it produced.





Introduction





A chord is a set of tones producing a melody and is played on a guitar. The chords of a guitar can be made up of different notes that are played one string at a time whether doing it on a plucking or strumming method. Chords are played with two or three notes, can be more than. Some are played with only one note.





Categorically, there two kinds of chords – minor and major. And the basic primary chords herewith are the C,A,G,E,D or CAGED. If you are new on playing the guitar, mastering the CAGED pattern must be the first and foremost thing you should do. A lot of artists who mastered these basic chords confessed that it paved the way for easy manipulation of the other difficult chords.





Reading a Diagram





The very basic thing that you should know when learning the chords have to be learning on how to read the chord chart or chord diagram. Without these, you’ll be left in a dilemma.





A chord diagram is an illustration with instructions on how to play a particular chord. To be able to achieve a successful guitar manipulation, there should be a good interpretation of each chord stated in the diagram and the musician must read it in the most accurate way.





Following the CAGED pattern





Imagine yourself looking at a guitar. Now put your attention at the fret board. You’ll notice that a whole fret board is composed of 6 strings attached to it. Well, not basically “attached” but on top of it. These strings are the ones making it possible to produce the chords and melody. If you’re going to focus on fingering first, might as well memorize the different chords produced in every fret. There are five basic and easy chords that will enhance you to learn other harder chords.





Troubleshooting





Oftentimes a lot of beginners complain how sore their fingers are after finishing one session with their guitar, its a normal reaction. You should be surprised if you’re not hurting even a bit, this means that you’re not playing it right. The proper way to carry out fingering is pressing your fingertips hard enough on the strings. When you notice that there is a buzzing sound or the echo is not going the way it should sound, try to press harder on the strings.





Tips





1) Cut those long fingernails. They will make it difficult for you to press the strings correctly.





2) Don’t let your fingers lie down while playing for they tend to mute some strings. This is the most common mistake done by newbies.





3)Be sure that your fingertips are the ones that are in contact with the strings and not the place where fingerprints are taken. Maintain the straight arch. Aside from the fact that this is exhausting, this is also painful and difficult but will pay off as soon as calluses are produced.





4) Remember that you should press the notes altogether. Make sure that no strings must be left out.





5) Practice. Memorize each chord pattern.





6) Don’t rush yourself. If you do, it’ll just frustrate you if you don’t get it. Choose songs that are easier to play.


Various Ways to Learn How to Play an Acoustic Guitar




Beaten up with the conventional way of learning how to play an acoustic guitar without even perfecting a single tune? Are blisters forming on the tips of your fingers and yet nothing’s making sense? Maybe you have to double check your resources or better yet, yourself. There must be something terribly wrong with the way you handle your guitar.





Here are some of the numerous ways to learn play an instrument as lovely as an acoustic guitar. All you need is a piece of pick, your own or borrowed guitar, and a lot of patience. Well, a couple of manuals will do and if you’re not satisfied with that, an internet access.





First, you have to make sure that your guitar is properly tuned. Nobody would dare listen to a complete mess. If you don’t know how, find someone who knows.





Then choose from the wide variety of resources. You could search for a private teacher, go online, or settle on being alone with your references like books and manuals. Examples of private tutors are those whom you know, friends, neighbors, your relatives or someone who is paid. An online opportunity is endless. Some sell you copies of their video recorded lectures others are on the spot. Still, your choice.





After which, find the right spot to play in. It has to be comfortable. Your guitar must be supported, if not by your thighs. Hold it steady maintaining your right hand on the strings just above the sound hole and the left hand on the fretboard.





Now, a lot of suggestions were implied by numerous guitarists who had your position once before, a beginner. They suggested that, above everything else, you have to use those two organs hanging on the side of your head just below your temporal lobe, your ears. Right.





Of course you have to use other important senses, like your eyes. That would be a very positive view. But what about those who are blind? Haven’t it occurred to you that at some way they have mastered the art of playing a guitar without even seeing what it looks like. They just follow their instincts and feel the chords. Yes, they listen.





Listening. One of the most effective ways of learning.





Remember you’re handling an acoustic guitar. It doesn’t require any of those crappy contraptions just to make music work. You need more than an amplifier to change your voltage of music current. All you need to do is effectively listen to the melody and determine whether you’re getting the tunes right.





In the event that practicing goes wrong and absolutely mystified, you could always go back to the drawing board. Memorize the chords. The emphasis on your memorization must be on the basic. The C,A,G,E,D chords are considered as the building blocks to your bountiful success in guitar playing. Not only are these chords easier to achieve but they are included in most of the songs played nowadays. Surprisingly, including R & B.





Keep on practicing with these basic chords. Try it without looking. That would be able to help you figure out if you’re strumming the wrong way. Feel your strings tremble and stop. You have to take control of your music. These various ways of playing isn’t the exact key to learn but only a guide.


Saturday, September 25, 2010

Review of Adult Guitar Lessons - The Best Guitar Lessons For Adults


Do you think that you are quite old to be learning to play an instrument like the guitar? Or are you not comfortable with the hyped up guitar courses available in the market which are mainly designed for the young people? Well then here's a great news for all you adults! "Adult Guitar Lessons" is an online guitar course that provides essential guitar lessons created specifically for adults!

It's designed by a professional guitarist called Keith Dean who has successfully managed to put up a program that contains effective lessons useful for both absolute newcomers as well intermediate level players.

Contents of Adult Guitar Lessons Package

? Members can have access to more than 100 guitar video based lessons. Each and every video lesson is accompanied by written lessons so that you can understand better what's been explained in the videos.

? The site is updated with new content on a regular basis so you can have unlimited access to them.

Apart from the special features mentioned above, you will also receive bonuses such as one-on-one e-mail support where you are able to e-mail your doubts to the support staff and get them clarified. You will also get two special guides along with the package. The "10 steps to successful song writing" guide provides useful tips on how you could become a successful song writer and the "15 things you have to know about playing in a band" guide will help learn all the essential tips that you need to know about being a successful member of a band.

Adult Guitar Lessons course consists of lessons that have been designed keeping in mind the preferences of older generation. The youngsters may not find them interesting as they are more used to the flashy lessons that involve a lot of colour and fun activities. Adults usually are more reserved and the lessons included are simply ideal to facilitate their needs.

The membership fee for the course is just $47 and it is for a lifetime! It's actually worth spending on this rather than spending hundreds of dollars every month on private teachers which can be a total rip off! You will get your full subscription fee back within 60 days if you are not happy with the course.

All in all, Adult Guitar Lessons, honestly, is a great guitar training program that provides comprehensive lessons to adults and is being recommended by many as a useful guide to learning guitar.








If you want to learn more about this particular program, then I would suggest that you read my detailed behind-the-scenes Adult Guitar Lessons Review. If you are interested in discovering the best guitar lessons available online, then I'd suggest you visit Best Guitar Lessons.


Why Are Guitar Lessons For Adults So Popular?


The guitar is often thought to be the most popular instrument in the world, especially in the US, and millions of new guitars are sold every year as even more people decide to make the guitar part of their lives. Many people who are taking up the guitar for the first time are adults, and this article takes a look at why this is.

1. One reason is that guitar teachers are relatively widely available. Those who wish to learn to play less common instrument often have trouble finding a suitable teacher, especially if they don't live in an urban area. But the guitar's popularity means that there are guitar teachers available almost everywhere - including those who are comfortable offering adult guitar lessons.

2. People who don't wish to take traditional guitar lessons are also well catered for, in the form of tutor books and - in recent years - online guitar lessons as well. The flexibility of these options can be especially appealing to adult beginners, who may not always have the time or budget for traditional lessons.

3. The guitar appeals to many people because it's so versatile. No matter what type of music you're into, whether it be rock, flamenco, folk or anything else, the chances are that you can play it on guitar and sound great. You can also play by yourself at home; unlike some other instruments, the guitar lends itself very well to solo playing, which is appealing to those who don't have the time to join an orchestra or band.

4. The above point notwithstanding, the guitar is also a popular instrument because it is great for playing with others. Although most adults who take up the guitar don't have fantasies of becoming a famous rock star any more, many people still want to play in a band or other ensemble purely for the fun of it, and playing the guitar gives people a great opportunity to do this.

5. Traditionally, people started to learn a musical instrument in childhood. But today, more and more people are realising that while it may often be easier to learn new things as a child, this doesn't mean you can't eventually master a musical instrument that you've taken up as an adult. There is less scepticism towards adult beginners now than there used to be, so more people feel free to explore their creativity at a later age.

6. Most people who are adults today have grown up with pop and rock music, and many are inspired to take up the guitar so they can learn to play the songs that they've grown up with. This is especially true of those generations who are inspired by the classic rock of the 60s and 70s and are now reaching retirement age and have more time on their hands to take up a new hobby.








So, if you're interested in taking up the guitar, visit my site to read more about choosing the best guitar lessons for adults. And if you're interested in the flexibility offered by online guitar lessons, I recommend checking out the top quality course that's available at http://learntheguitaronline.info - I've worked through these lessons myself, and found the whole course very useful and well put together.

Sam Marks is a guitarist and musician who likes to write about music-related topics and sharing helpful, top quality resources, and may receive compensation as a result of making these recommendations.


Wednesday, September 1, 2010

I love Sharing Music

Have you practiced your guitar today?

They are words that were a waste of breath for my mum. When I was a kid I never put the guitar down. Mum should have asked if I had done my homework.
Well if you are learning guitar you need to practice.
Of course you don't always need your guitar to practise.
I spent many years practising my strumming under my desk instead of concentrating what the teacher was saying. You see you need to practise so your hands can play without you thinking too much about where you are going next. We can train ourselves to do the same movements by using repetition. That is all playing music is. Repetition.
You can play guitar
Don't wait any longer

If you are an adult and think it is too late to learn. Think again







Monday, August 30, 2010

Think you are too old to play guitar??

Have you ever wanted to play guitar but thought you were too old to learn?
Well the solution is here.
A guitar tutorial that is taught using videos, audio and more.
Engineered to suit adult learning.
You now have the time to practise.
Your grandchildren are starting to play.
You can see yourself doing a duet with your grand daughter.
What a picture perfect scenario.
Well grab yourself a guitar and grab this ecourse and you are on your way to serenading the world.
Check it out here Adult Guitar Lessons