Time to start thinking about guitar gifts (already!) As the holiday season rolls around, I've noticed the impact on the guitar world. Big displays of guitar "starter packs" crowding the floor at the local guitar shop. The seemingly endless infomercials on the shopping networks of Estaban hawking his entry level guitars. And the festive holly-covered banners splashed all over the landing pages of the big online guitar retailers. Is it just me, but didn't we just carve our Jack-O-Laterns?
Any way, with the Christmas and holiday season upon us, what about guitar gifts for the aspiring (or actual) guitar players on out lists? With that in mind I put together a some tips and specific recommendations for selecting guitar gifts that will be appreciated. Check it out over at the Guitar Players Toolbox: Guitar Gift Guide
Play Well!
Peter Bussey
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Guitar Shred Show-"The Ultimate Guitar School"- Too Funny!
If you play guitar, you have to see the Guitar Shred Show interactive Flash animation by Mika Tyyska. "Mr. Fastfinger reveals the arts and secrets of electric guitar to all. You're not only going to learn cool techniques and licks, your going to jam with one of the true masters of shred guitar".
Here's the link: Guitar Shred Show- The Ultimate Guitar School
As well as being highly entertaining (show it to your kids!), it is instructional in that the animated Mr. Fastfinger shows you how to play all manner of advanced licks and techniques in the shred style (e.g., power licks, hammer and pull legatos, up and down sweeping, super fast picking, "screaming monkey", dive bomb, tap to the top, to name just a few.)
You'll even visit the "Mountain of the Tapping Dwarves" and meet an accordian playing demon! Although amusing, it is also a legitimate guitar lesson, in that techniques are demonstrated, and printable tabulature is provided.
Anyway, this is way cool and you'll be glad you checked it out!
Play Well!
Peter Bussey
Guitar Players Toolbox
Here's the link: Guitar Shred Show- The Ultimate Guitar School
As well as being highly entertaining (show it to your kids!), it is instructional in that the animated Mr. Fastfinger shows you how to play all manner of advanced licks and techniques in the shred style (e.g., power licks, hammer and pull legatos, up and down sweeping, super fast picking, "screaming monkey", dive bomb, tap to the top, to name just a few.)
You'll even visit the "Mountain of the Tapping Dwarves" and meet an accordian playing demon! Although amusing, it is also a legitimate guitar lesson, in that techniques are demonstrated, and printable tabulature is provided.
Anyway, this is way cool and you'll be glad you checked it out!
Play Well!
Peter Bussey
Guitar Players Toolbox
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Guitar Lessons : A Guide to Your Options
So you want to play guitar? Guitar lessons, in some form or another, are a necessity for anyone wanting to learn to play the guitar. Established players also rely on guitar lessons to acquire new skills and move up to the next level. Finding the right lesson, course, or product sounds simple, but there are so many choices available that it’s a tough task to figure out what’s best for your individual needs. These guidelines will help you sort through your options and make a good decision.
Guitar Lessons- Private Instructor or Online?
The traditional way of learning guitar is by taking private lessons from a guitar teacher. The student typically meets with the instructor once a week for 30 minutes at a cost of about $15-25 per week. This is certainly a great option, and perhaps the best way to learn to play: under the personal guidance of a dedicated teacher. However, in many cases private lessons are not a good option due to the time, cost, and transportation factors involved.
The good news for guitar players is that there is a wide range of alternatives to private instruction. Guitar lesson and instructional books have been a mainstay for years. Technology developments then brought us lessons in the form of videotapes and DVDs, as well as multimedia software programs to run on the PC.
Today, widespread access to the internet has caused a major revolution in guitar instruction methods and availability. Now an abundance (some might say over-abundance!) of information on various guitar lesson choices is available in minutes through your favorite search engine. The array of choices is staggering, ranging from free online guitar lessons, to high-end distance learning guitar instruction leading to a certificate from Berklee College of Music,
Aside from better visibility into the options, there have also been tremendous advances in the technology used to develop and deliver the instructional material. Interactive video lessons in which the student controls the pace of learning and the tempo of the material are a good example of this. Online guitar lessons and products can be accessed immediately on the Web, either on-demand or downloaded to the local PC. This gives great flexibility on when and where to learn.
Guitar Lessons Options
Aside from private lessons, there are three basic formats of guitar lessons and instructional material.
Books- If you’re on a budget and like the idea of the portability of a book, this may be the way to go for you. Books often come with a CD to provide audio tracks. Typical Cost: $15-25
Video-based lessons- In my experience, pure video-based lessons are a good “icing on the cake” to help you learn, but not typically a good foundational guitar lesson program. They often lack supporting learning materials needed to be effective for baseline learning.
Multimedia Online Lessons- The Web, plus advances in the technology for creating learning material such as video, has really opened the door to some great multimedia guitar lesson programs.. These can be delivered and accessed on several ways: downloaded for use on your PC; accessed directly from your PC with a live web connection, or as a physical CD/DVD that you run on your PC.
Sorting through the many options can be made easier with information dedicated to this topic on various guitar websites, such as this online guitar lessons guide.
Wrap-up
For those wanting to learn to play guitar, or to play better, there is no better time than now to take advantage to the available online guitar lesson and learning options. The realm of guitar instruction is certainly one that has benefited from the Internet
===============================
Peter Bussey has been an avid guitar player for over 10 years. In 2004 he became Editor of The Guitar Players Toolbox, a website dedicated to helping advancing guitar players improve with practical tools, tips, and information. Visit http://www.guitar-players-toolbox.com for a variety of free, practical resources on guitar lessons, guitar chords, guitar chord charts, song chords, and more.
Copyright 2005 Peter Bussey of www.guitar-players-toolbox.com
This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and the above resource box, with active hyperlnks, are included. Publishers can get the source article at EzineArticles.com
Guitar Lessons- Private Instructor or Online?
The traditional way of learning guitar is by taking private lessons from a guitar teacher. The student typically meets with the instructor once a week for 30 minutes at a cost of about $15-25 per week. This is certainly a great option, and perhaps the best way to learn to play: under the personal guidance of a dedicated teacher. However, in many cases private lessons are not a good option due to the time, cost, and transportation factors involved.
The good news for guitar players is that there is a wide range of alternatives to private instruction. Guitar lesson and instructional books have been a mainstay for years. Technology developments then brought us lessons in the form of videotapes and DVDs, as well as multimedia software programs to run on the PC.
Today, widespread access to the internet has caused a major revolution in guitar instruction methods and availability. Now an abundance (some might say over-abundance!) of information on various guitar lesson choices is available in minutes through your favorite search engine. The array of choices is staggering, ranging from free online guitar lessons, to high-end distance learning guitar instruction leading to a certificate from Berklee College of Music,
Aside from better visibility into the options, there have also been tremendous advances in the technology used to develop and deliver the instructional material. Interactive video lessons in which the student controls the pace of learning and the tempo of the material are a good example of this. Online guitar lessons and products can be accessed immediately on the Web, either on-demand or downloaded to the local PC. This gives great flexibility on when and where to learn.
Guitar Lessons Options
Aside from private lessons, there are three basic formats of guitar lessons and instructional material.
Books- If you’re on a budget and like the idea of the portability of a book, this may be the way to go for you. Books often come with a CD to provide audio tracks. Typical Cost: $15-25
Video-based lessons- In my experience, pure video-based lessons are a good “icing on the cake” to help you learn, but not typically a good foundational guitar lesson program. They often lack supporting learning materials needed to be effective for baseline learning.
Multimedia Online Lessons- The Web, plus advances in the technology for creating learning material such as video, has really opened the door to some great multimedia guitar lesson programs.. These can be delivered and accessed on several ways: downloaded for use on your PC; accessed directly from your PC with a live web connection, or as a physical CD/DVD that you run on your PC.
Sorting through the many options can be made easier with information dedicated to this topic on various guitar websites, such as this online guitar lessons guide.
Wrap-up
For those wanting to learn to play guitar, or to play better, there is no better time than now to take advantage to the available online guitar lesson and learning options. The realm of guitar instruction is certainly one that has benefited from the Internet
===============================
Peter Bussey has been an avid guitar player for over 10 years. In 2004 he became Editor of The Guitar Players Toolbox, a website dedicated to helping advancing guitar players improve with practical tools, tips, and information. Visit http://www.guitar-players-toolbox.com for a variety of free, practical resources on guitar lessons, guitar chords, guitar chord charts, song chords, and more.
Copyright 2005 Peter Bussey of www.guitar-players-toolbox.com
This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and the above resource box, with active hyperlnks, are included. Publishers can get the source article at EzineArticles.com
Monday, October 10, 2005
Guitar Chord Diagrams: An Essential Tool
Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to let you know I published an article today on the topic of Guitar Chord Diagrams. An excerpt is below. You can get the whole article on my article collecton page.
Guitar Chord Diagrams: An Essential Tool for Learning to Play the Guitar
By Peter Bussey
How do you use guitar chord diagrams? A complete understanding of how to read and use diagrams of guitar chords is essential knowledge for any guitar player, from the “greenhorn” beginner to more advanced players. The best and easiest path to becoming a competent guitar player is by learning some chords and then applying them to learning the rhythm parts of songs. Guitar chord diagrams help you do just that!
What is a Guitar Chord Diagram?
...
...
How to Read a Chord Diagram
...
...
...With just this basic information on a chord diagram, you can form and play any guitar chord. The best part is that you don’t need to know how to read standard musical notation, or even guitar tabulature, to read a chord diagram. Well enough words! View examples of guitar chord diagrams here. ...
Tips for Using Guitar Chord Diagrams
...
...
[End of Article Excerpt]
Note: the whole article is available for guitar players and guitar webmasters on my article collection page (use link at top of this post). hope you enjoy it!
Play Well!
Peter
Just wanted to let you know I published an article today on the topic of Guitar Chord Diagrams. An excerpt is below. You can get the whole article on my article collecton page.
Guitar Chord Diagrams: An Essential Tool for Learning to Play the Guitar
By Peter Bussey
How do you use guitar chord diagrams? A complete understanding of how to read and use diagrams of guitar chords is essential knowledge for any guitar player, from the “greenhorn” beginner to more advanced players. The best and easiest path to becoming a competent guitar player is by learning some chords and then applying them to learning the rhythm parts of songs. Guitar chord diagrams help you do just that!
What is a Guitar Chord Diagram?
...
...
How to Read a Chord Diagram
...
...
...With just this basic information on a chord diagram, you can form and play any guitar chord. The best part is that you don’t need to know how to read standard musical notation, or even guitar tabulature, to read a chord diagram. Well enough words! View examples of guitar chord diagrams here. ...
Tips for Using Guitar Chord Diagrams
...
...
[End of Article Excerpt]
Note: the whole article is available for guitar players and guitar webmasters on my article collection page (use link at top of this post). hope you enjoy it!
Play Well!
Peter
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Learning Guitar Chords: a Lifelong Process
A personal goal for me is to do a better job of learning guitar chords. I've played on and off for over 30 years. I'm working with the same basic set of chords I learned back when I started. This includes most of the basic open major, minot, and 7th chords, as well as E-form and A-form Barre chords, and minor and 7th variations off of them. One of the reasons I started this Blog is to give my own guitar playing advancement some structure, especially when it comes to learning chords.
The truth is I mostly just hack around. Typically I'll hear a song on the radio or a CD with some good rhythm guitar work that sounds "doable", then go to Guitar Tab Universe or OLGA and look for the guitar tab, or song chords. Then play along with the original music, satisfied to just get close to the real song. I've done this with songs like Neil Young's Rockin' in the Free World, and China Grove by the Doobie Brothers. It is a lot of fun, but it is an almost random approach that practically insures that I'll stay stuck at my current level of playing. I'm investigating a lot of options on how to best advance my playing. Due to my work and travel schedule, lessons from an instructor are not an option. So I'm mostly looking at lesson programs available online or DVD, especially those geared towards helping me in learning guitar chords and ryhthm guitar techniques.
What are your playing goals, and what is your game plan to reach them?
Peter
The Guitar Players Toolbox
The truth is I mostly just hack around. Typically I'll hear a song on the radio or a CD with some good rhythm guitar work that sounds "doable", then go to Guitar Tab Universe or OLGA and look for the guitar tab, or song chords. Then play along with the original music, satisfied to just get close to the real song. I've done this with songs like Neil Young's Rockin' in the Free World, and China Grove by the Doobie Brothers. It is a lot of fun, but it is an almost random approach that practically insures that I'll stay stuck at my current level of playing. I'm investigating a lot of options on how to best advance my playing. Due to my work and travel schedule, lessons from an instructor are not an option. So I'm mostly looking at lesson programs available online or DVD, especially those geared towards helping me in learning guitar chords and ryhthm guitar techniques.
What are your playing goals, and what is your game plan to reach them?
Peter
The Guitar Players Toolbox
My Favorite Guitar Chord
Some random musings on a Sunday morning. Almost every guitar player starts off by learning a set of basic open chords. Such as A, D, E, C, Am, Em, etc. with some 7ths and minor 7ths thrown in as an easy way to extend. Although I went on to learn Barre chords and other more complex chords, the easy open chords are still my favorites. Especially the E major. What a cool chord, and once you learn it so versatile! Lift one finger and you have an Em, or an E7. Drop your pinky down and you have another E7. Then lift one finger for an Em7, etc. Also its easy to play cleanly, because all the fingered strings are together, and all 6 strings are played.
Most of all I like the sound of an E. Solid, stable, firm. Bright and hopeful if all 6 strings are played, yet easy to palm mute to get a heavy rock sound. Maybe the question is, when you pick up a guitar, where does your left hand instinctively go? for me its straight to an open E chord.
Play Well!
Peter
Most of all I like the sound of an E. Solid, stable, firm. Bright and hopeful if all 6 strings are played, yet easy to palm mute to get a heavy rock sound. Maybe the question is, when you pick up a guitar, where does your left hand instinctively go? for me its straight to an open E chord.
Play Well!
Peter
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Basic Guitar Chords: How to Easily Master the Guitar Chords You Must Know
A new article on Basic Guitar Chords By Peter Bussey
One of the first challenges faced by the advancing guitar player is learning a core group of basic guitar chords. Why is it so important to learn these basic chords? Chords form the backbone of most rock and pop songs, and provide the harmonic accompaniment to the melody and instrumental solos.
Rhythm guitar based on basic chords provides many of the most memorable rock riffs… think AC/DC’s “Back in Black” or The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. What’s really amazing is that by learning no more than 10 to 15 basic guitar chords, you will be equipped to play thousands of rock and pop songs!
First let’s establish the definition of a chord. A chord is three or more different musical notes played together. In the case of the guitar, this means that at least three strings are strummed or plucked simultaneously to sound three or more notes. Since the guitar has six strings, the maximum numbers of notes in a guitar chord is six. All chords can be placed in one of three groups based on the musical structure of the chord: Major, Minor, or Seventh. Each of these chord groups has its own “sound” or “feel”. Major chords sound stable and complete. Minor chords can evoke a more somber or pensive mood, and Seventh chords are jazzy and somewhat incomplete sounding.
There is no standard list of “basic guitar chords” that every one agrees to. However, there is general agreement that there is a list of somewhere between 8 and 18 basic guitar chords (open string) that every guitarist must know cold. These chords are used in all musical styles from rock and pop to country, jazz, and classical. No matter where you are on your guitar-playing path, you should take the time to learn and master the basic chords. Getting these right will ensure you have the basic tools and skills to learn many songs and increase your playing enjoyment.
So what are the basic guitar chords? Our basic stable includes the major and minor chords from four common musical keys, A,G,C, and D. They are played as “open chords”, that is at least one string in the chord is not fretted (pressed down with a finger). Open chords are easier to learn and play than more advanced chords such as Barre chords, or complex chords further up the guitar neck. Our list of basic major and minor chords is:
A Major (or A), A Minor (or Am), C, D, Dm, E, Em, F, G
These chords can be best learned as chord “families” (by key) that can be combined into great-sounding chord sequences that make up lots of popular songs. Using this chord family approach is much more interesting and useful than just memorizing a bunch of chords in random order!
These chords grouped by chord family (key) are as follows:
A Family (Key of A): A, D, E
D Family (Key of D): D, Em, G, A
G Family (Key of G): G, Am, C, D, Em
C Family (Key of C): C, Dm, Em, F, G
Tips for Learning the Basic Chords:
1. Pick a Chord Family and master it. This will give you quick success and let you play great sounding progressions right away.
2. Use a Guitar Chord Chart as a reference tool. A chord chart shows each chord as an easy to read “chord diagram” with exact finger positions. See this example of a chart of basic guitar chords.
3. Find the chords and lyrics for an easy song that is based on the chord family so you can apply your skills. Many great songs are based on only three chords!
4. Ensure each string sounds right. Take care to make sure that each string is sounding clearly, and that only the strings that should be played are played.
5. Practice, practice, practice! Every day, practice continually change from one chord to another until you can do it rapidly. Learn the chord families one at a time.
6. Master all the basic chords first. Only then move on to Barre chords and other more complex chords. First things first!
7. Expand with 7th chords. As a next step you can easily expand on your basic chord knowledge by adding 7th and minor 7th chords based on the nine basic major and minor chords.
8. Have fun using your new skills! Enjoy your musical ability by applying it to learning a small set of 5-10 songs you know really well and can confidently play at any time.
Copyright 2005 Peter Bussey of www.guitar-players-toolbox.com
This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and the resource box are included.
Peter Bussey has been an avid guitar player for over 10 years. In 2004 he became Editor of The Guitar Players Toolbox, a website dedicated to helping advancing guitar players improve with practical tools, tips, and information. Visit http://www.guitar-players-toolbox.com for a variety of free, practical resources such as guitar chords, guitar chord charts, song chords, and more.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
One of the first challenges faced by the advancing guitar player is learning a core group of basic guitar chords. Why is it so important to learn these basic chords? Chords form the backbone of most rock and pop songs, and provide the harmonic accompaniment to the melody and instrumental solos.
Rhythm guitar based on basic chords provides many of the most memorable rock riffs… think AC/DC’s “Back in Black” or The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. What’s really amazing is that by learning no more than 10 to 15 basic guitar chords, you will be equipped to play thousands of rock and pop songs!
First let’s establish the definition of a chord. A chord is three or more different musical notes played together. In the case of the guitar, this means that at least three strings are strummed or plucked simultaneously to sound three or more notes. Since the guitar has six strings, the maximum numbers of notes in a guitar chord is six. All chords can be placed in one of three groups based on the musical structure of the chord: Major, Minor, or Seventh. Each of these chord groups has its own “sound” or “feel”. Major chords sound stable and complete. Minor chords can evoke a more somber or pensive mood, and Seventh chords are jazzy and somewhat incomplete sounding.
There is no standard list of “basic guitar chords” that every one agrees to. However, there is general agreement that there is a list of somewhere between 8 and 18 basic guitar chords (open string) that every guitarist must know cold. These chords are used in all musical styles from rock and pop to country, jazz, and classical. No matter where you are on your guitar-playing path, you should take the time to learn and master the basic chords. Getting these right will ensure you have the basic tools and skills to learn many songs and increase your playing enjoyment.
So what are the basic guitar chords? Our basic stable includes the major and minor chords from four common musical keys, A,G,C, and D. They are played as “open chords”, that is at least one string in the chord is not fretted (pressed down with a finger). Open chords are easier to learn and play than more advanced chords such as Barre chords, or complex chords further up the guitar neck. Our list of basic major and minor chords is:
A Major (or A), A Minor (or Am), C, D, Dm, E, Em, F, G
These chords can be best learned as chord “families” (by key) that can be combined into great-sounding chord sequences that make up lots of popular songs. Using this chord family approach is much more interesting and useful than just memorizing a bunch of chords in random order!
These chords grouped by chord family (key) are as follows:
A Family (Key of A): A, D, E
D Family (Key of D): D, Em, G, A
G Family (Key of G): G, Am, C, D, Em
C Family (Key of C): C, Dm, Em, F, G
Tips for Learning the Basic Chords:
1. Pick a Chord Family and master it. This will give you quick success and let you play great sounding progressions right away.
2. Use a Guitar Chord Chart as a reference tool. A chord chart shows each chord as an easy to read “chord diagram” with exact finger positions. See this example of a chart of basic guitar chords.
3. Find the chords and lyrics for an easy song that is based on the chord family so you can apply your skills. Many great songs are based on only three chords!
4. Ensure each string sounds right. Take care to make sure that each string is sounding clearly, and that only the strings that should be played are played.
5. Practice, practice, practice! Every day, practice continually change from one chord to another until you can do it rapidly. Learn the chord families one at a time.
6. Master all the basic chords first. Only then move on to Barre chords and other more complex chords. First things first!
7. Expand with 7th chords. As a next step you can easily expand on your basic chord knowledge by adding 7th and minor 7th chords based on the nine basic major and minor chords.
8. Have fun using your new skills! Enjoy your musical ability by applying it to learning a small set of 5-10 songs you know really well and can confidently play at any time.
Copyright 2005 Peter Bussey of www.guitar-players-toolbox.com
This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and the resource box are included.
Peter Bussey has been an avid guitar player for over 10 years. In 2004 he became Editor of The Guitar Players Toolbox, a website dedicated to helping advancing guitar players improve with practical tools, tips, and information. Visit http://www.guitar-players-toolbox.com for a variety of free, practical resources such as guitar chords, guitar chord charts, song chords, and more.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
Let's Get Things Rolling!
This is the inaugural post of the Guitar Player Toolbox blog. The theme revolves around how becoming a better guitar players. How can we reach our potential (and meet our personal goals), no matter our current skill level and inate capabilities we bring to the party?
My contribution to this blog will be to share my personal experience playing guitar (and hopefully improving!), as well as of my two sons (ages 11 and 15), who both play guitar. Also I will trace the development of my website, The Guitar Players Toolbox.
Play Well!
Peter Bussey
My contribution to this blog will be to share my personal experience playing guitar (and hopefully improving!), as well as of my two sons (ages 11 and 15), who both play guitar. Also I will trace the development of my website, The Guitar Players Toolbox.
Play Well!
Peter Bussey
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