Guitar Practice - Part 1

Every student realizes that guitar practice is important if they wish to become a better musician. Even so, many have trouble establishing a regular practice routine. Other responsibilities have a way of squeezing them into a work-a-holic lifestyle, leaving little room left for personal pursuits. Even teens and children are over-stretched these days with school and other extra-curricular activities. So, what's the secret to creating an effective guitar practicing schedule? The answer: MAKE IT YOUR PRIORITY!

That may sound simple to some and impossible to others, but it is absolutely imperative to becoming a good guitarist. Giving something priority simply means to put it before everything else in order of time and importance. Now, it's always easier to set priorities when there is a desire to accomplish, or reach a specific end result. So, having a goal in mind when practicing the guitar, will help you to maintain your focus and provide a sense of purpose too.

According to the Scribner-Bantam English Dictionary, the word "Practice" means:

- to work or pursue as a profession
- to perform often in order to learn
- to teach by frequent repetition; drill

In order to make your guitar practice a priority, try thinking of it as you would your job or school work. By this, I don't mean it should be drudgery, but an important necessity. Schedule a time each day to practice your guitar, and stick to it. Be firm in your decision. Mark it in your appointment book, or on your calendar. You will begin to notice an improvement in your overall ability when you practice the guitar on a regular basis.

There will be times when you seem to leap forward, and other times when you don't seem to be getting anywhere. But understand that the guitar is one of the most difficult instruments to become really proficient on, so you will need to guard against discouragement. I have a friend who plays piano, cello and violin. She decided to take up classical guitar and confessed that it was the most difficult instrument she had ever tried to learn. So, you may want to keep notes on your progress for personal encouragement as well as an incentive to persevere.

Commitment and determination are two of the most important keys to success in any pursuit. Talent and natural ability are a definite plus, but many talented guitar students lack discipline. In order to succeed, you must learn to cultivate and nurture your natural abilities through regular guitar practice. Skill is developed by continually honing, experimenting and perfecting your gift. Don't just take it for granted, be willing to work hard. All great guitarists have this one thing in common- they made guitar practice a priority! So, get yourself started in the same direction by keeping these things in mind...

1. Make your guitar practice a priority
2. Establish a specific time of day to practice
3. Make a commitment to practicing regularly
4. Set short term and long term goals (make a note when reached)
5. Persevere through difficulty
6. Be determined to succeed

Above all else, enjoy playing the guitar and learning new things- have fun! Think of your guitar practice as an adventure. With so many different guitar styles and techniques, there will always be something else to discover. Life is short, so make some time to do what you love and be happy!











Kathy Unruh is a singer/songwriter and webmaster of ABC Learn Guitar. She has been writing songs and providing guitar lessons to students of all ages for over 20 years. For free guitar lessons, plus tips and resources on buying a guitar, songwriting, recording and creating a music career, please visit: http://www.abclearnguitar.com

The Classical Guitar

The "classic" or classical guitar was first developed in Spain by Antonio de Torres, sometime during the 1800s, and is considered to be the foundation stone for all modern guitars. Torres broke new ground in the world of guitar making by using an innovative "fan-strutting" technique that he applied underneath the top for better sound distribution and strength. His unique method is still the basic standard adopted by most luthiers today. He is credited with improving the overall design, volume and tonal quality of the instrument, thus making Torres guitars a popular choice among classical guitar enthusiasts.

These guitars were originally strung with "gut" treble-strings (made from cat gut) and metal-wound silk bass-strings. As time progressed, the old strings were eventually replaced with nylon treble-strings and nylon steel-wound bass-strings which lasted longer and produced a better sound.

The classical guitar has a wider neck than the average steel-string acoustic guitar in order to facilitate finger picking. Each finger of the guitarist's right hand is identified with a letter from the Latin word which represents a particular finger.

P = Pulga (thumb)
I = Indicio (index)
M = Medio (middle)
A = Anular (ring)

Favorite woods used in construction often include Brazillian or Indian rosewood for the body, cedar for the neck, and silka-spruce or cedar for the top. Well made classical guitars produce a beautifully deep, rich, mellow tone. The sound resonates clearly through the woods and can be easily distinquished from the brighter tone of it's cousin, the steel-stringed acoustic. Because the strings are made of nylon, they are usually softer and easier to play as well.

The guitar probably originated from the "Vihuela," an instrument that was used during the 16th century to entertain royalty. Early songs were written in tablature and used for accompaniment as well as instrumental pieces. The classical guitar fell into a brief period of obscurity during the 18th century due to the increasing popularity of the piano, but this didn't last for long! Virtuosos such as Dionisio Aquado, Mauro Guiliani, and Fernando Sor began to appear on the scene, keeping the music alive by demonstrating their creative genius and technical skills.

By the time the 19th century arrived, Fransisco Terrega was teaching a school of students and performing the works of great classical composers. Next in line was Andres Segovia of the 20th century who almost single handedly re-established the classical guitar as an important concert-hall instrument. He also went on to become the master-teacher of Christopher Parkening who is one of the most popular classical guitarists of our generation.

Many styles have since developed, either directly or indirectly, as a result of those who made the effort to preserve our classical guitar heritage. Techniques used for blues, folk, flamenco, rock and more can find their roots here. Tablature, scales, glissando (slides), tremelo, etc. are not new, they have been used for hundreds of years! Now it's up to us to keep this music alive, in our hearts and in our fingers, so that we too can share it with the next generation!







Kathy Unruh is singer/songwriter and webmaster of ABC Learn Guitar. She has been writing songs and providing guitar lessons to students of all ages for over 20 years. For free guitar lessons, plus tips and resources on songwriting, recording and creating a music career, please visit: www.abclearnguitar.com

Tips On Using a Metronome

To some of you, the thought of using a metronome may conjure up old memories of past piano lessons. If the experience was an unpleasant one you may have developed some negetive ideas as a result. Perhaps I can help to dispel any misconceptions you might have by explaining how a metronome can be used to benefit your guitar playing.

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, a metronome is an instrument that is used for clicking off exact intervals of time within a given piece of music. The tempo can be adjusted to suit any relative speed that is suggested for a particular composition or exercise. They come in a variety of types and sizes too. Everything from a large wind-up, pendulum swinging metronome to a small, pocket-size digital one with lights that blink on each beat, are available.

Free Online Metronome - Click Here...

As a guitar player, one of your highest priorities should be learning how to count time correctly. A metronome can work wonders in helping you to develop a more consistent rhythmic feel. It can be used to practice simple exercises (such as scales or licks) or help you to master a more complicated piece of guitar music, whether it be classical, jazz, rock or whatever.

When using a metronome, set the click on the quarter beat (or down beat) of the music. This will make it much easier for you to count the time. In other words, when using a 4/4 rhythm (regardless if you're playing quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, etc.) set the click to sound four beats per measure.

It's usually easier to begin learning a new song by setting the tempo at a slower speed than may be indicated on the piece of music you're playing. This is especially important if you are new to using a metronome because it will seem a little weird at first! Setting a slower tempo will give you time to map out the fingering on the guitar and get used to recognizing the down beat. Be patient with yourself.

With a little practice you will begin to feel comfortable using a metronome. Be persistant and pretty soon you will notice a definite improvement in your playing. Afterall... it's just a matter of time :)









Kathy Unruh has been writing songs and providing guitar lessons to students of all ages for over 20 years. For free guitar lessons, plus tips and resources on songwriting, recording and creating a music career, please visit her website at: http://www.abclearnguitar.com

The Capo Caper

If you're looking for a quick way to transpose guitar chords, then you'll want to use a capo. These nifty little gadgets are a great way to change keys WITHOUT changing all the chord shapes you've been using to play the song. Capos can also be especially handy if you've spent a lot of time learning a fingerstyle guitar piece, but decide you want to change the key. Instead of having to rewrite all the fingering, just put the capo on, and presto- you're in a new key WITHOUT changing any of the fingering.

Capos are really easy to use once you understand how to identify the key note of a chord. For example, when you play the C major chord you will find that the key note (which is the note C in this chord) is on the first fret of the second string. Your
first finger is on the note C when you play the C major chord. If you put a capo on at the first fret and play the same chord shape, you will then have a C# major chord. If you move the capo up to the second fret and again play the same chord shape, you will have a D major chord, and so on.

View Notes On The Fretboard Here

Lets try the same experiment using the open chord shape of D major. Begin by asking yourself: "which finger is playing the note D in this chord shape?" Did you pick your third finger? If so, congratulations- You got it right! Now, put a capo on the third fret. What note is your third finger on now when you play the D major chord shape? The answer is F. That means when you have your capo on the third fret and play the D major chord shape you are really playing an F major chord.

Get a friend to strum the F major chord at the first fret while you strum the F major chord with your capo on the third fret using the D major chord shape . Even though the chord with the capo sounds higher, it is still an F major chord and blends nicely with the F major chord played at the first fret. This is a good technique to use when two guitarists in a band are both playing the same chord sequence. Having one of then add a capo will help to create more interest and color to the song.

My advice is to take some time to get familiar with using a capo. It will seem weird at first if you're not used to it. Start with a song you know pretty well and try playing it all the way through with a capo on. Then see if you can identify the chords of the key that you are really in. In order to do this proficiently, you will discover that it is necessary for you to know the notes on the fretboard. This is a good incentive for you to get these notes down. After all, the more you know the better equiped you'll be in the long run.

Guitar Gift Ideas: Is Buying A Beginner Guitar Package A good Idea?

So your favorite guitar player wanna-be has asked for a new guitar and you aren’t sure exactly what to do. This article will discuss the pros and cons of buying beginner guitars that are bundled with all of the equipment needed to get started.

Electric Guitars Bundles For Beginners: ($150 - $350) These are designed to supply a rank beginner with all of the items they will need to get started in learning to play the electric guitar. These kits generally include the guitar, amplifier, guitar-to-amp cord, padded guitar bag, a tuner, strings, strap to support the guitar while standing, picks (plectrums), instruction book and or a limited set of beginner lessons on dvd.

The guitars in these bundles are usually very low end versions of some of the famous classic designs like the Gibson Les Paul or Fender Stratocaster for example. These guitars look great and are fun but, are not designed to last a long time. Also, they do not have many of the adjustments that more expensive guitars have which means that they can be difficult to keep in tune.

One major word of caution is to not purchase a kit that has a guitar with a Wammy Bar (also referred to as a Vibrato Bar). This Bar is located low on the body of the guitar and is used to loosen all 6 strings at once then theoretically return them back to their original tension while strumming. This raises and lowers the pitch of all the strings simultaneously and produces a great effect.

The problem with a low end guitar model is that just one touch of the Wammy Bar and the guitar is completely out of tune and unplayable. This an obvious problem while in the middle of a song because it becomes necessarily to stop and re-tune before continuing the song. More expensive guitars have complete string locking systems built right for preventing this problem.

Acoustic Guitar Bundles For Beginners: ( $100-$250) These bundles are usually less expensive than their electric guitar cousins because they do not require an amplifier. Again, these are low grade models that will not sound nearly as good as more expensive guitars but can be passable for learning. Guitars that cost about $200 and up by themselves are usually much better sounding guitars for beginners.

Acoustic Guitar Humidifiers: ($10-$20) A small inexpensive humidifier is not usually included in these bundles but really should be. In extremely dry climates (a sustained humidity of below 40%), acoustic guitars can easily dry out and warp. Many guitars have been completely and irreversibly ruined this way. These simple humidifiers are usually clipped over the sound hole when the guitar is in its case.

Consider buying a spare set of strings for the new guitar because the higher pitched ones break regularly. Over time all metal strings corrode and begin to sound lifeless and need to be replaced anyway.

A word of caution about buying guitars for very tiny hands.

Young children, under 10 or 12 may be too small for a full sized guitar. Guitars are also available in a ¾ size and ½ size. To help a beginner get over the initial awkwardness and discouragement of learning to play, it is important that the guitar both fits them and sounds as good as possible. Remember that the better the experience the more likely a young student will not quit.

The Most Important Guitar Accessory

One important gift idea is to purchase a complete and thorough guitar lesson dvd set. There are some amazing video courses out there that are taught by some of the top guitarist / teachers in the world. These is available for a fraction of the price of a randomly selected local instructor. The current generation of beginner guitar players is so accustomed to using computers, watching TV and recorded dvds that this method of learning can be a natural fit. Since not all guitar lesson dvds are crated equal consider checking with websites that compare guitar lessons.

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Gift Ideas For Guitar Players: Which Guitar Gifts Are Best For Improving Skills?

When searching for gift ideas for guitar players look for items that will help propel their knowledge and skills. Tools that make learning to play more fun, easier to understand and provide experiences that would not otherwise be possible should be a top priority. Here are three categories of educational guitar gifts that are worth consideration.

Guitar Music Slow Down Devices: ($50 - $150 USD) When a guitarist reaches the advanced-beginner stage it is very common to want to learn to play popular songs. It can be difficult to listen to a song at full speed then figure out which notes and chords to play. This is especially difficult when the song contains a fast or complicated solo.

Slow down devices play back dvds at much slower speeds without distorting the pitch of the song. Often a difficult part of the song can be set to continuously loop until it can be conquered. Two basic varieties are available. One is software that you load on your computer and the other is a modified dvd player.

Jam tracks or Backing Tracks: ($25 - $100) There is nothing more fun then playing lead guitar with a recording of a full band in the security and comfort of your own bedroom. Jam tracks are available in two versions; with and without the lead guitar part built in. They are also available in just about any genre of music from blues, rock, country and jazz, just to name a few.

Video Guitar Lesson DVDs: ($50 -$200) There has never been a time in history where so many options have been available for learning to play guitar. No longer do you need to settle for the inconvenience and expense of being taught by a randomly selected local guitar instructor. Now it is possible to inexpensively learn in the comfort and convenience of your own home with Guitar Lesson DVDs.

One of the most exciting parts of these courses is that the instructors are often experienced professional guitarists that also have a passion for teaching. These instructors would normally not be available to the average student if it weren‘t for the invention of guitar courses on dvd.

Video Guitar Lessons come in many forms but there are two that are most prevalent. The first is an all around, thorough beginner through intermediate course that teaches both acoustic and electric guitar playing with a taste of many different popular styles.

Secondly there are many courses available that specialize on specific styles of music and techniques. Examples of these are blues, rock/metal, lead, improvisation, acoustic, electric, bass, classical and many more.

Since the quality and thoroughness of these courses vary greatly, it is a great idea to visit guitar lesson review websites to learn which are the good ones and why. Also, make sure that the these instructional dvds have a money back guarantee if your favorite guitar player is not satisfied for any reason.

Hometown Hero's

Glen Edward "Crip" Bolin Obituary
None of you have ever met a tougher guy than this old dude. When he was 13, him and his friends around Somerset, played around the railroad tracks after school every day. They would hop the slow moving train, ride about a mile and then jump off. "Crip" Bolin, guess where his nickname came from, fell under the train one day and cut off his left leg and arm. Probably motivated him to do more things than the average person could do. He was one of the best race car drivers around here in the 50's, 60's, 70's, and a little bit up into the 80's. He would take a crutch under his right shoulder and right hand and cross it over to the left side and could walk as good as anyone. He mowed his own lawn, (push mower) won water skiing championships and was king of racing for many years. He could climb the ladder at the Somerset Country Club swimming pool and dive off the high board. He was a marathon swimmer also. He made his living racing and trading. He opened a pawn shop in Danville years ago called the Fox and Crow. Never figured out if he was the fox or the crow, the fox I think. About 25 or 30 years ago he lived on Perryville Road and due to the nature of his business was known to have cash and diamonds with him all the time. One night 3 guys knocked on his door about midnight wanting to sell him some diamonds. He told his wife Ruby Nichols Bolin, (Chester's sister) to put on a pot of coffee and invited the guys to sit at the kitchen table. They pulled guns and shot crip 3 or 4 times while sitting at the table, he was able to hop to the kitchen cabinet, get a pistol out and shot all 3 of them. One made it to Ohio and went to the hospital with one dead buddy in the car with him. After daylight the next morning the Boyle County cops found the other one dead under Crip's pickup in Crip's driveway where he had crawled trying to get away from Crip. Crip recovered. Then in the early 80's, Crip was at a radiator shop in Danville and rested his crutch to talk to some guys and didn't know he had set his crutch in grease. The crutch slipped out from under Crip and he fell into a vat of radiator acid and he spent about a year in the Houston Texas Burns Hospital. Everyone always said nothing or nobody could ever kill him, that he would die of old age. Looks like they were right. Shelley, April, and maybe Brandy remember that Bobby Paul bought Crip's race car, the blue 74 Chevelle that I drove for a year, won a bunch of races at Richmond. I first raced against Crip in 1967 at the Old Somerset Speedway and have told his story around the 10 states that I have raced in, to amazed race fans.

Wanted to go the the funeral home tonight or the funeral tomorrow, but hell, I'm afraid to. I might have bumped him once on the race track years ago and he might not have forgotten it. When I'm sure he is really dead I will visit his grave.

Thank you Ronnie Bates for letting me share this story.

Click on the link below to read obit
http://www.amnews.com/stories/2009/12/02/obi.766407.sto

How to Play Guitar Tabs a Beginners Guide

Learning to read guitar tab is the fastest method of reading music for the guitar. The greatest thing about it is that you don't need any musical theory to comprehend how to play guitar tabs since the music is basically an upside down guitar neck.

This article is going to explain how guitar tabs are formed, how you can read individual notes and chords on tab and provide some easy to understand examples. After reading this article you'll be able to go ahead and start finding tabs of your favourite songs and learning them.

The Concept of Guitar Tablature

If you've taken some beginner guitar lessons or watch some videos you know that that 6 strings on the guitar are numbered from the bottom to top 1 to 6. The low E string being the 6th string and the high E string being the 1st string.

When you see a piece of tab what you get is something like this

1st --------
2nd --------
3rd --------
4th --------
5th --------
6th --------


These would represent the 6 strings of your guitar, but picture it that you've laid your guitar down on a table and you're staring down at it. Remember the 1st string is the bottom string when you're holding your guitar.

Guitar tabs will have numbers or dots on particular strings telling you which fret to press on and on which string.

EXAMPLE

1st -4------
2nd --------
3rd --------
4th -----6--
5th --------
6th -------7


Reading Guitar Tabs

Reading guitar tabs is just a matter of interpreting the numbers, which are the frets you must press down on, and the string numbers, which are the strings you must play.

The above example tab is telling us to first press on the 4th fret of the 1st string and play the note. Next press on the 6th fret of the 4th string and play the note and lastly the 7th fret of the 6th string and play the note. That's it you've just played your very first guitar tab.

Of course this is very simplistic and complete songs are far more advanced but this is the basics of how to play guitar tabs.

Guitar Tabs as Chords

Often there will be a guitar tab that shows a chord you must play. This will look differently then what is above because it's telling you to play some strings and not others while also pressing down on more then one fret at a time.

An 'x' on a string means that you do not hit that string while playing. So for example the below tab is telling you to play a D chord but only hitting the first 3 strings.

1st ---2----
2nd ---3----
3rd ---2----
4th ---x----
5th ---x----
6th ---x----


Note how you form the D chord position on strings 1, 2 and 3 but are instructed only to hit the first 3 strings.

There are more advanced concepts when it comes to how to play guitar tabs, but this is enough to get you started so you can find some of your favorite songs to practice with. The concept of how tabs work is the same for difficult and easy songs the only thing you'll notice will be some additional symbols that require you to play the note(s) a little differently. This could mean you need to bend or slide to the note or use some other form of technique.

Duff Music Blog - Kids Music - Audiation and Learning

An important building block for learning music skills and concepts is audiation. You may be familiar with the term inner hearing. The term audiation (inner hearing of music or silently hearing music) was coined by music education researcher Edwin E. Gordon.

Audiation is Gordon’s term for hearing music in the mind with understanding. It is the process of thinking music and comprehending music in the mind. Gordon describes audiation as the foundation of musicianship.

Audiation is the process of mentally hearing and comprehending music, even when no physical sound is present. It is a cognitive process by which the brain gives meaning to musical sounds. In essence, audiation of music is analogous to thinking in a language, as said by Edwin E. Gordon

Mary Ellen Pinzino states that audiation is a way of knowing in melody and rhythm. It is a unique human capacity outside the realm of words. To audiate is to "think" music, but in melody and rhythm rather than in words. Audiation is another way of knowing. Audiation is the musical imagination. It is the man-made music of the mind. It is the sound fantasy that provides the framework for understanding the music we listen to, the music we perform, and the music we read and write.

Audiation is a process. It is the construction of meaning in music. It is the process of making musical sense of the music we hear, perform, read, and write. Just as thinking is essential to speaking, listening, reading, and writing language, audiation is essential to tuneful and rhythmic performance, music listening, reading, and writing. Audiation is the whole of music literacy, as said by Mary Ellen Pinzino

Audiation or inner hearing takes place when we “silently hear” and give meaning to music without the sound, i.e., thinking a melody, clapping a rhythm pattern from a song while thinking the melody. The development of audiation is basic and invaluable in building all musical skills. We should always strive to cultivate the audiation of rhythm and tonal patterns, melodic lines, and phrases. Audiation must be the first step in one’s music experience prior to introducing notation, and other aspects of music theory.

Try this exercise to experience audiation or inner hearing. Silently think the melody of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Did you think one note at a time? Or did you think groups of notes. Did you internally hear the notes as a pattern?

We do the same thing when we silently hear language. We hear words, not letters one at a time. The more words we have in our vocabularies, the better we hear and comprehend the meaning of what we are hearing. Just as we give meaning to language, we must give meaning to music through relevant patterns of tones and rhythms. Likewise, the more tonal and rhythm patterns we have in our music vocabularies, the better we will hear and comprehend the meaning of the music. To help your child or student develop music listening and speaking vocabularies, have the child listen and move to a variety of tunes. Invite them to sing many different melodies.

It is very important to develop audiation or inner hearing and listening skills in the early years of a child’s life. What a powerful gift and music foundation to give a child.