Archive for March, 2009

Well lately i have had a strange urge to teach myself how to play the guitar. I have no idea why, but i think its a great instrument and stuff so i really wanna learn. I already know how to play in a way because i play the violin and viola and so string instruments have almost the same techniques. And i have been watching tutorials on how to play on YouTube. First of all, i need a guitar, does anyone know where i can get one cheap and good quality? And secondly, if i play a stringed instrument, do you think it will be easier for me to to grasp the Guitar Playing Techniques?

Go to guitar center. That's one place you'll find quality brands. Now, in terms of being "cheap" i dont know what your budget is. XD

Playing the viola or violin may give you experience, a guitar fretboard is much wider but it also may be easier because there are actual frets and you don't have to put little stickers on the instrument (which im sure you did when you started violin.)

In my opinion, before you start learning anything just mess around on the guitar for a few weeks til you get very VERY comfortable with it. I've watched a few teenagers who might think they know what they're doing, but they look so tense and it effects their playing greatly.

Once you get comfortable with the guitar, decide whether or not you want to

A. Learn to read music and finger pluck (more classical music)
B. Play blues-y , jazz stuff learning to alternate pick
C. Play Metal (my expertise) and read tabs.

Just remember if you can read music you'll have a great advantage in the long run, but if you're looking to just do this for fun just go for it and jump straight into the game. Unfortunately I cant read music for guitar only for the trumpet.

Hope this helps. Feel free to email me.

Looking for band members is never an easy task. You may first
want to ask yourself what exactly you’re looking for – whether
it is to join an existing band or find individual members to
start your own band. Obviously, both have their differences and
this should be answered first before you start your grueling
search.

Join an existing band. This is a great way for
enthusiastic musicians to gain some playing experience right
away, although it is sometimes harder to find these kinds of
opportunities. These are established bands that are looking for
single or multiple members for various reasons (their guitarist
overdosed on cocaine, bass player got fired for drinking
problems, etc). This might go without saying, but make sure you
really do like the type of music a band plays before deciding to
join their group! There are many musicians I know that play in a
band where they don’t even like the music they play, all just to
“gain experience” to get their foot in the door and hopefully
move on to greener pastures. It can’t be stressed enough that if
you don’t like the music you play, you’re going to do a
half-assed job at it, so why bother?

Also, know your playing experience and limits. For example, if
you’ve only started playing guitar learning all Green Day songs
for a few months, don’t expect to join a thrash metal band that
requires you to do sweep-picking, fast arpeggios, or any other
insane guitar techniques. Make sure you choose a band where the
technicality of the music they play is comfortable with your own
skill level as a musician.

A huge advantage for joining an established band (maybe) is that
most of the back-end stuff is already taken care of. This
includes tasks such as finding an agent/manager to book your
gigs, song development, contracts with music labels, etc. All
you have to do is show up for rehearsals and play shows as
scheduled.

A good resource to start finding these bands in need is going to
your local rehearsal studios where most of them lurk. These are
places where any musician can pay for a room to rehearse. Best
of all, all the musicians you find there are often in your local
area. Check out the bulletin boards where frequent bands post up
classified ads that may go something like:

“Looking to join a band that rocks?! We are in need of a
guitar player with lots of experience! Our influences include:
Megadeth, In Flames, Black Sabbath, and many more! If
interested, please contact Todd at xxxxxxxxxx.”

Or even better yet, post up your own classified ad on the
bulletin board so bands can contact you instead. Local,
independent music stores often have a bulletin board for
classified ads as well. These are some of the best free ways to
find band members in your area.

Disadvantages of joining an existing band. First and
foremost, you have to learn all their songs usually in a limited
period of time. The band might have a show coming up and you
have to be able to play all their songs flawlessly
note-for-note. Needless to say, this might be stressful for some
musicians (except if their music is very straight forward and
easy with pure 3 note power chords).

Another disadvantage is often your own music creativity is
limited. Most bands prefer their original tunes to be played and
carried on without any radical change. For example, if you just
joined a band and replaced their old guitarist, the way the
former guitarist played a particular solo, is the way the band
wants it to be played by you. Often you must follow the same
note structure of a music piece composed by another musician.

Organizing your own band. This is where you try to find
individual musicians to start a new band, usually with similar
music skills and backgrounds. Thinking of starting a band is the
easy part, but the actual process of searching for the right
people is harder than most people think. There are tons of
musicians out there in the world but only a small percentage of
those you may be compatible with. In addition, ask yourself: are
you going to play in a band just for fun, or are you trying to
make a living out of it? This will influence where you are going
to start looking.

The internet is becoming a popular method for musicians to find
other musicians. If you search “looking for musicians” in
Google, you will easily find over 12,400,000 results – so how do
you find what you’re looking for? Many ads posted in classifieds
sections and on popular music forums will vaguely have
descriptions such as this:

“Guitar player looking to form a band.”

Well, that’s just great.

Try refining your search to keywords such as the area you are
in, what position you are looking for, etc. Example: “Looking
for bass players in Toronto”. The first search result is an ad
posted on www.craigslist.org, which by the way is an excellent
place to get started. Try to only focus your attention on
well-written ads that describe the musician, which includes how
much playing experience he/she has, the types of music they are
willing to play, and the intention of playing in a band. Or you
may also want to post your own ad in music community forums and
add a link to your audio/video samples that will likely interest
more candidates. Audio/video samples that show off your best
work are often the most influential factor of candidates
contacting you back.

Be consistent with this. Chances are you won’t find someone
right away on your first few posts, so try to refresh your ads
on a weekly basis (but don’t spam!).

The internet is a large resource but don’t just rely solely on
it. You may find you have better luck looking in local
magazine’s classifieds ads section where it’s more direct. Also,
because musicians have to pay to get their ads published in
magazines, it shows that they are more serious about organizing
a band.

Don’t limit yourself in a location. If you are serious
about starting a career as a musician, you don’t just search for
bands or members only in your local area. Living in smaller
towns and cities won’t give you very many options in choosing
the right band or member for you. Expand yourself to larger
urban cities where the potential to find band members is
greater.

Finding band members is like finding a good job. Know exactly
what you want before searching, always have a good portfolio
ready, and be consistent in your pursue. Goodluck!

Kenny Auyoung
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/musicians-how-to-find-band-members-1260.html

While many things are easy to learn through trial and error, sometimes lessons can really make the difference between learning and frustration. Guitar lessons are no different, and can be invaluable to the novice intent on learning to play guitar. There are a variety of ways to get guitar lessons; which one works best for any one person depends on personal preference and learning styles.

One popular first step is to pick up a book on learning to play guitar. This is a good way to get acquainted with the terminology you’ll encounter, as well as to get a basic idea of how guitars work. Some comprehensive books may even offer some basic guitar lessons, demonstrating how to hold your guitar, strike notes, and possibly even play a basic chord or two. One downfalls to books though is the inability to see the lessons in action, or to get any sort of feedback on whether you’re doing things correctly.

There are also numerous videos that offer guitar lessons. These can work especially well in conjunction with books, as you’re able to see the methods described in action. Perhaps more importantly, you’ll also be able to hear what certain things should sound like – making it easier to determine whether you’re following along correctly. Video lessons also offer the advantage of being able to skip past things you already understand, allowing you to focus on new learning. However, like books, videos are unable to provide true feedback specific to your playing, and can’t tell you exactly where you may be going wrong.

Personal guitar lessons, on the other hand, give you an opportunity to learn exactly that. With personal lessons, your instructor can tailor lessons specifically to your learning needs and habits, and tell you exactly what you’re doing wrong, and how to correct it. An instructor can guide you from the very initial stages, including how to string and tune your guitar – through to advanced lessons as you progress. However, they often insist on sticking to a somewhat rigid path of learning, in the hopes of instilling the best habits from the outset. While practicing scales may seem useless and redundant after a while, many instructors will insist on them.

There are also guitar lessons resources on the internet, and many of them are free. These often combine the best of books and videos – providing background information on the processes and methods, while demonstrating them with videos and sound files. Lessons can be found for every skill level and for every style of Guitar Playing.

An effective approach is to use a blend of methods. Use books and internet resources to learn the technical aspects of guitar playing. Videos can give you a good start towards playing on your own. Instructors can work with you to build your skills according to your ability, and provide valuable feedback. Whichever approach you use, guitar lessons can be a rewarding way to learn a new skill and eventually, create great music.

Ian Jefferson
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/important-tips-about-guitar-lessons-123149.html

Van Halen Eruption, Learn How To Play, Guitar Lesson (part 3 of 3) by JamesLimborg.com …

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http://tinyurl.com/c75ftx The Secret Playing Amazing Guitar Revealed!! ~~ http://tinyurl.com/c75ftx Learn To Play Like A Pro! Do you want to be the centre of attention? Do you want to play guitar tunes that your friends will love? Do you want to be able to play heaps of popular tunes by ear? Do you want to tantalize your audience with your skills? Let Ben Coursey help you navigate your way through guitar learning frustrations with Jamorama The Ultimate Guitar Learning Kit. Click here for …

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first solo from Master of Puppets by Metallica (on the album Master of Puppets) the solo was made by James Hetfield Many people asked where i got the tabs from. I use the original Cherry Lane Songbooks ("play it like it is" version, "note for note transcriptions" ) homepage: http://www.cherrylane.com/clprint/Home.aspx On this page you can also find many tabs : http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/ …

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This is a general lesson in pick direction and how it relates to a Bryan Sutton instrumental called, "Decision at Gladys Fork". …

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i want to learn to play guitar and i just want to know if it is easy.
~so is it?

nothing in life is EASY. to learn guitar you would have to practice evvery ay, memorize chords, finger-picking, everything. its not easy, but its fun and rewarding.

Am I correct that you are supposed to learn on an acousic guitar?

Is an electric that much nicer that I will change to that once I master the guitar?

How much does a good acoustic cost? Where? Thanks!

It's a question without an answer.

I built a custom acoustic for a 40 year old woman who never played before. It cost her $6000. I also know some musicians that play 5 nights a week and they're happy with a $500 instrument. We generally recommend an acoustic for new MATURE players with a price range of $400-$700. For kids who might not stick to it, a nice $200- $400 acoustic would be good.

You can learn on any kind of guitar that you want, but an acoustic will allow you to hear what you really sound like without any "unnatural" effects.