Home > November, 2009
So perhaps you’ve learned your basic chords or scales on your respective instrument. You’ve been working on your technique, and it’s starting to come together. There are a couple of songs that you like to play and they sound OK. When you play your axe, you’re starting to get a feel for when it’s really in tune. What now?
I cannot stress enough the importance of being able to play by ear. Everything that you’ve ever heard anyone play on your instrument is at your disposal - you just have to figure it out. Learning how to play tunes or instrument parts using your ear is just like anything else you practice: the more you do it, the easier it gets. If you do it often enough, you won’t even need your instrument to figure it out. The concept of teaching your ear to decipher musical structures as they’re being played is called ear training and it’s been practiced and honed for centuries.
Whether you are interested in learning to play the guitar by ear, or virtually any other instrument for that matter, there are a number of excellent learning aids available to assist you! The current state of learning aids for ear training is quite well these days (thank you for asking). With a variety of books, CDs, DVDs, and even software, there’s plenty from which to choose when you decide to add this important skill to your arsenal:
Ear Training Books -
In the musician world, there are two reknowned learning institutions, the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and Musicians Institute (MI) in LA. Both have their own take on ear training. For Berklee, it’s Essential Ear Training for the Contemporary Musician and for MI, it’s Ear Training - The Complete Guide for All Musicians. Homespun, which makes a large variety of books, CDs, and DVDs for all musicians and styles, has their take, which is Ear Training for Instrumentalists featuring a whopping 6 CDs full of exercises and drills. If you’re a guitar or bass player, you’ll definitely want to check out Ultimate Eartraining for Guitar and Bass by Tribal Tech’s Gary Willis. My friend Chris, who’s a working electric jazz bassist in NYC, absolutely loves this book.
Ear Training Videos -
Playing the guitar by ear, or nearly any other instrument for that matter, is not as hard as you may think! For videos, Berklee has produced Harmonic Ear Training (DVD). This 73-minute DVD will help you recognize chord progressions quickly and listen to music more analytically. Bass players get a real treat, as jazz bass great John Patitucci has released John Patitucci - Electric Bass 2: Soloing Ear-Training And Six-String Technique Video, which teaches soloing by stressing the importance of ear training.
Ear Training Software -
As you might expect, software is a natural choice for teaching ear training because it’s interactive. The cream of this crop is Ars Nova Practica Musica which is both Windows and Macintosh compatible, covers just about every aspect of ear training, and features customizable exercises. Ear Training Coach is a more affordable option and offers a 10-grade curriculum in ear training and sight-reading. However, the piece de resistance and the one tool that should be in everyone’s ear training bag is the SlowGold CD-ROM. This nifty piece of software lets you slow down any piece of music on CD or MP3s without changing the pitch. So if you’re learning to play a passage from a recording, and it’s too fast, just run it through SlowGold to hear every single note at the exact pitch it’s played.
Ear Training Hardware -
Not surprisingly, music equipment makers have gotten into the ear training game, and not surprisingly, the offerings are particularly good for electric guitar and bass guitar. The Tascam CD-GT1 MKII Guitar Trainer and the Tascam CD-BT1 mkII Bass Guitar Trainer features the same slowdown technology of the SlowGold software, but have housed it in a standalone unit with a built-in CD player, effects, and a headphone jack for silent practicing. Tascam has even made one the vocalists, the Tascam CD-VT1 Portable CD Vocal & Performance Trainer, which has a Vocal Cancel feature that removes the vocal from the CD during playback. Karaoke will never be the same …
Learning aids aside, one really useful exercise is to pick out a recording of a simple tune that you like. Listen to it very carefully. See if you can determine when the band is changing chords. If you can pick out where these chord changes occur, then you’ll know the points in time when you need to determine what the next chord is.
Tune your instrument to the recording. Take the first chord in the tune. As it plays, try to pick out a low note on your instrument that best matches that chord. There should one note that resonates with the recording. Did you find it? This is the root note of that chord. If this note is a C, you know that the first chord is a C (something). It could be a major chord, a minor chord, a 7th chord, but whatever it is, it’s a C version of that chord. If you’re listening to “Hey Jude”, the root note for the first chord is an F. If you’re listening to “Wonderwall”, it’s an F#. If it’s “Layla”, it’s a D …
Now that you have your root note, the next step is determine what the quality of the chord is. Is it a major or minor chord? Is it a power chord? One surefire way to determine this is trial and error. Assume it’s a major chord. Test out this possibility by playing the major chord for your root note along with the recording. Does it sound good? Does it resonate? If so, you’ve just figured out what the first chord is. If not, try a minor chord. Play the minor chord for your root note along with the recording. Does this sound good? Does this resonate? Try a few different choices. If you get stumped, look at the sheet music or transcription of this recording. This is your answer key, so to speak. If you’re just starting out and need a lot of easy tunes for practice, there are some great 3-chord songbooks such as The Guitar 3 Chord Songbook and Favorite Songs With 3 Chords.
After you’re figured out the first chord, go to the next point in time where this changes, and figure out what the second chord is. Repeat this process until you’ve covered the entire tune. A lot of popular music is cyclical in that the same 3-4 chord pattern will often repeat throughout the tune, so you may not have to figure out more than 3-4 chords for the entire song. Yes, when bands write great songs using just “three chords and an attitude”, it makes your job a lot easier.
So why would you want to do this? Well, first of all, you’re improving your ear. Secondly, you’re improving your knowledge of chords because you’re forcing yourself to play a variety of chords. If you know your root note for a particular chord is an F#, but you don’t know what the quality is, you may have to test out an F# major chord, an F# minor chord, an F#7 chord, and so on. This solidifies your knowledge of chords throughout the parameters of your instrument. The more tunes you figure out, the easier it is to find and play these chords. The other benefit of going through this process is that you’re playing along with recordings, which is going to make you’re playing better, because you’re subconsciously absorbing all the nuances of the recording into your playing.
The main thing is to not get discouraged and to do it on a regular basis. Turn on the radio and try your hand at whatever’s playing. If you don’t like the tune, change the station. Put it on the classical station - yes, you can play along with classical ones too. Don’t be afraid. It’s all just music, and in the end, armed with just an ear and the knowledge of some basic chords for the trial-and-error process, you can figure out how to play it.
Christopher Sung
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/learning-to-play-by-ear-88454.html
Can you hear a melody and then play it on your guitar? To have a good ear will help you a lot in your musical endeavors. Let’s see how we can improve this ability!
Learn to know your guitar
To be able to pick up your guitar and play any melody you hear would be nice I guess!
To understand the relationship between the melodies you hear and the frets and strings you have to use to play these melodies is something you can practice in different ways. Here are some suggestions:
1. Play around with your guitar. Yes, that’s right! Have a nice time with your guitar! First of all because it is fun and you probably play the guitar first of all for this reason.
This means that you try out things on the guitar. Play notes and listen how they sound. It doesn’t really matter if it is fantastic melodies you create. The important thing is that you gradually will learn how notes, strings and frets relate to each other.
2. Learn scales. Scales can be played for many reasons. One way is to develop a better understanding of the fretboard.
To accomplish this you should as soon as you have learned to play a scale on the guitar try to use it, experiment with it, try to create melodies with it, play patterns and so on.
3. Learn music theory. Well, this sounds a little bit intimidating maybe. But music theory can be as simple as knowing the names of the notes on the guitar. Take a few notes at a time and practice playing them on the guitar as you say the notenames aloud.
4. Learn easy melodies. Yes, very easy melodies like Mary Had A Little Lamb and other melodies with few notes in them. Then try to play the melodies starting on a different place on your guitar fretboard. This is a very effective way to learn to understand the guitar.
5. Transpose songs. You will develop your ear and your understanding of the relationship between chords by transposing the chords of the songs you can play by heart to different keys.
Let’s take the song Tom Dooley as an example. It contains only two chords in it’s most common form. If you play it in D-major it will be D and A7. If you play it in E it will be E and …well you can figure it out by yourself.
Try to play Tom Dooley in the key of C and see if you can figure out the chords.
To hear a melody and then be able to play it on the guitar is really both fun and of great use to a guitarist. By trying these tips you might find yourself a little bit closer that goal!
Peter Edvinsson
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/guitar-lesson-become-a-better-guitarist-by-developing-your-ear-126230.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
I am sure you have been searching for acoustic beginner online guitar lessons for quite some time now. Perhaps these sites have not answered some of the most basic questions that a beginner has when starting acoustic guitar. This article was written to address those questions with tips, lessons and basics that I hope will help you on your way.
What is the best beginner acoustic guitar?
This is probably the most common question amongst beginner acoustic guitar players. Do not buy the most expensive guitar, but do not buy the cheapest you can find either. A good range to shop in would be between 100 - 300 dollars.
If you can, find an experienced guitar player to come shopping with you. Ask him or her to pick up and play all the guitars within your price range and then purchase the one that feels and sounds the best. Make certain to examine any guitar you plan on purchasing.
Look down the neck of the guitar to see if it is warped. Check the action on the guitar. The action refers to the height of the strings from the fret board. If the action is too high or too low, it can cause problems with your playing.
Remember that you are just a beginner and this is your first guitar. Do not invest a lot of money into buying a guitar at this stage. If you do, and you find that acoustic guitar playing is not your thing, then you will have a beautiful guitar collecting dust in the corner of your room. If you enjoy playing and you find yourself getting better, then you can begin to explore your options and purchase a higher quality guitar.
Do not let yourself get stressed out when buying your first guitar. Just get a descent one and start practicing.
Some good brands to consider: Epiphone, Takamine, Yamaha and Squier.
Ouch! My fingers hurt. I can’t play!
This is a very common complaint amongst the beginner. Every single guitarist has experienced hand and finger pain when just starting out. It is something that you simply cannot avoid. The remedy? Keep playing and build up strength in your hands and fingers and develop those calluses!
Building calluses on your fingertips will allow you to hold down the strings of the guitar without any pain while flattening your fingertips to produce a better sounding note.
You build up calluses and strength from practicing. Practice, practice and more practice. In time the pain will subside, but you have to get through this difficult stage of playing first, so hang in there.
Listen to your body though. If you are in serious pain then by all means give your hands and fingers a rest.
Here is a great exercise to help strengthen your hands and fingers and to build up calluses:
This exercise will also familiarize you with the entire neck of your guitar and give you the agility to play chords and solos. Building the muscles in your hands will improve your stamina for playing and will develop what is called “muscle memory”.
The object of this exercise is to play each note going up and down the neck of the guitar.
Start with your pointer finger on the 6th string 1st fret, let your fingers follow up the neck of the guitar, one note at a time, staying on the 6th string until your pinky finger reaches the fourth fret.
Play the 1st fret with your pointer finger
Play the 2nd fret with your middle finger
Play the 3rd fret with your ring finger
Play the 4th fret with your pinky finger
Note: After you have played the first fret do not lift your pointer finger up. Keep each finger on the string as you play them. This is important as it will aid in the strengthening process.
Repeat the same process on the 5th string, then the 4th, and so on.
When you get to the bottom string, slide your entire hand over one fret without lifting your fingers.
So at this point, your pinky finger should be on the 1st string 5th fret, your ring finger on the 4th fret, middle finger on the 3rd fret and your pointer finger on the 2nd fret.
Now play in reverse, starting with your pinky, going back up the guitar to the 6th string, only this time you have to lift up your fingers as you play.
Then simply repeat the process until you reach the last fret of your guitar.
Do not rush this exercise or you will develop poor playing habits. Go nice and slow making sure you are producing a nice tone with each note you play.
More Beginner Guitar Tips
Make sure to stretch your fingers and hands before practicing.
Learn to actually read music and not just tablature.
Hire a guitar teacher if you can afford it. A teacher will be able to catch any mistakes you are making and correct you on the spot. This will help you develop better playing habits. If you cannot afford a guitar teacher, then invest in a good home study course.
Learn how to play chords, scales and techniques and not just your favorite songs. I know you just want to jump right in and learn “Stairway to Heaven”, but if you do not put the time in to learn the theory behind those great songs, you will not improve as a guitar player.
Do not pack up your guitar. Leave it out in the open. This will make it more convenient for you to just pick up your guitar and play at any time.
Practice everyday for at least 20 minutes, more if possible. If you find yourself getting bored, or making too many mistakes, then take a break and do something else. 20 minutes of quality practice is better than an hour of sloppy practice.
Listen to other guitarists and not just in your favorite genre of music. You will be surprised at how other styles of music can influence your playing.
Play with other musicians as often as possible. This is a great way to learn and pick up new techniques and advice.
Learn the proper way to string and tune your guitar.
Learn the proper way to take care of and maintain your instrument.
I hope this article has helped. The best tip I can give you is to never give up. Keep playing every day and try not to get discouraged. Good guitar playing is not just about technique, it also comes from your heart. If you truly love playing guitar, and you are dedicated to getting better, then it is only a matter of time. Enjoy and God Bless!
Ralph Serpe
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/beginner-acoustic-guitar-tips-lessons-for-better-guitar-playing-365208.html
Those who know how to play the instrument want to explore ways to improve their playing skills. When learning how to play the guitar you will here guitar jargon, these types of words were created so guitar people are able to communicate with each other in their own context.
The speed and confidence you have in making chord changes is key to mastering the guitar and successfully playing the instrument. You must make yourself comfortable with the position so that you will be able to execute correctly while playing the guitar. The pinkie is not used since it is the shortest finger and is not conducive to playing the guitar. Playing classical guitar is more inclined to figure work and plucking.
Whatever the reason you’ve got the guitar, learning to play online is a must. Let’s face it learning to play the guitar should be fun and not boring or frustrating.
Many people can not learn or find it boring to learn from a book, and many people find that private lessons are much to expensive, there is an alternative learn how to play buy DVD course or by learning online. Each step of learning to play your guitar gets you closer to your ultimate dream and that is to be a “good” guitar player.
When learning how to play the guitar and you are just a beginner it will feel very awkward and you will feel that you cannot move your fingers, you will need to continuously look at the strings to make sure you are positioned correctly. Learn how to do this properly the first time and it will get easier, if you try to skip this it will make it harder in the long run.
The remedy for this is of course to practice reading the sheet music without looking at the fret board. However, there are many learning processes going on at the same time when you practice on your instrument. A beginner should practice tuning the guitar so that he can become better and better at it. You will need to practice often, try to create a schedule by looking at a calendar and make a plan and stick to it. Most people like to make an appointment so it seems like you cannot miss it. Essentially, effective guitar practice consists of taking four elements of playing the guitar and incorporating them into your practice routine.
When you make preparation, timing, and warming up a part of your routine of how to practice the guitar effectively, you will see how quickly you improve your skills. Please, whatever you do, don’t take up the guitar if you are only going to practice the last hour before your lesson. But it does mean you need to set aside time to practice and commit to actually it.
When first learning the guitar the beginner should begin with the common chords, this will be the easiest way to begin. We’ve all been there soon after we get hold of our first guitar we know that to play anything people are actually going to listen to we need to “learn a few chords”.
David Marc Fishman
http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/best-way-to-learn-the-guitar-102864.html
Are you impressed with people who are able to play the piano, guitar or any musical instruments by ear? Do you think that these people are born with the talent to play music by ear? You know what? Play music by ear can be learnt. There are many methods to learn how to play piano or guitar by ear and in this article, we will explore one of these methods.
Are you able to recognize chords or scales without looking at music notations? Do you happen to know that the same chords are often repeated in most songs over and over again? If you do, then you are on your way to playing music by ear.
Playing by ear is not a matter of memorizing every chord and note in a song but by just being able to recognize the chord patterns of the song and being able to predict what chords or progressions will occur next. If you can do that, then you will be able to play by ear on any musical instruments.
Playing by ear is not a well kept secret nor is it a complicated process. On the contrary, the techniques and principles are simple and easy-to-understand. If you are a novice and is struggling to learn music theory, you will understand that the conventional method on learning how to play the piano or the guitar is a real challenge and will need to take years to master the musical instrument.
To put it candidly, learning, not to say mastering a musical instrument is not an easy task. It requires an intensive level of comprehension, application of the techniques and skill and most of all, a dogged determination.
Furthermore, it can never be really be mastered because there will always be something new to learn such as unused chord progression, unfamiliar music theory, or exploring different genres of music. So by learning how to play music by ear, you will then be able to cut through all the complexities in learning how to play the piano or the guitar in the conventional way.
The following are some simple techniques you must understand in order to play any song by ear. The first step in learning to play by ear is to learn how the melody is constructed. Especially so when learning how to play jazz piano or the lead guitar because of the solo runs involved. This is because when you know how the melody line is constructed, you will then be more able to predict where the notes of the melody are going to be.
For instance, if you know that a melody is being played in the key of say, G major, you will then first assess whether this melody sounds like it is created from a major, natural minor, melodic, minor, harmonic minor, blues, or any other scale that you can think of.
So by knowing all of these scales and being able to recognize the scales with your ear, you can then eliminate notes that are less likely to be a part of the melody in most cases.
After recognizing melodies from scales, you will be more experienced and will be able to immediately play any tune in your head!
For example, if you recognized that a song is played in G major, by knowing the notes of the G major scale, knowing what notes are most likely to be played and knowing what notes are not likely to be played, you will then be able to predict what notes will be played and what notes have already been played. It is just that simple.
By knowing what scale the songs are created from, by knowing what notes are immediately eliminated or less likely to occur in a melody or tune and by knowing what notes are most likely to be repeated, you can learn and play any song on the guitar or piano by ear. Of course, there are more to this if you want to be an accomplished play by ear musician.
Chris Chew
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/how-to-play-piano-or-guitar-by-ear-447749.html
Every year many people want to learn to play the guitar. A few succeed but many more fail. Learning to play takes some skills that most people can master if they really try. The whole idea behind playing guitar is actually picking up the guitar and playing. It is all too easy to get hung up in details and forget about the big picture.
You need to get comfortable if you to learn this instrument. Next you should learn the right way to hold your guitar and pick. Learning to tune is one of the most important skills you will need to master. Then you can jumpstart your playing by learning to read tablature. This article will take a look at a few essential things you need to think about when learning to play a guitar.
When starting your guitar learning adventures it is wise to get comfortable. It is hard to learn how to do anything if you are not in the right state of mind. Find a place to play where you can have some privacy so you will not drive your family nuts when you play that G scale for an hour at a time.
Take the time to learn the right way to hold your instrument. Bad habits are hard to break so take the time to learn the basics. It is a lot easier to learn the correct way than it is to have to start over.
Ask anyone who has had to listen to someone playing an out of tune guitar if learning to tune your guitar is important and you will probably get a quick answer. You cannot tell if you are playing the correct notes if the guitar is out of tune. With the modern technology available today anyone can learn to tune the guitar. You can buy an electronic tuner that will tune your guitar very accurately.
Learning to read music is certainly not for everyone. It takes many hours to learn to read music and most people just want to get on with playing. Fortunately there is an easier way to learn. Reading tablature is a method a lot of folks really like. Most people find reading tablature to be a better way to learn.
Use the method that suits you best to learn to play guitar but stay with the reason you started learning in the first place. Get your basics right and make sweet music by picking up the guitar and playing. That is what learning to play guitar is about.
Douglas Taylor
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/learn-the-basics-then-pick-up-your-guitar-and-play-133736.html
Ben Edward’s spellbound guitar learning system has taken keen guitar learners to new heights. This radical guitar learning method has the potential to produce really fast rewarding results. This revolutionary phenomenon in the guitar world is called jamorama and it has brought forward to the guitar players new and awesome materials.
The jamorama is loaded with 148 commanding video demonstrations with 26 broad Jam Tracts unavailable elsewhere. It is filled with 1000s of lines of tabs and simple training demonstrations of how to read guitar tabs and play by hearing. The brilliance of Jamorama enables to play practically any song upon hearing that was apparently impossible to you.
The 26 different jam tracks are an emulsification of rock; country, blues, jazz, hip-hop and dance serve you to jam along with the Jamorama Band and help you utilize the things that you have learned to put into practice. That way you will see your guitar skills boost to heights that it had never gone before. Jamorama will also help you master music notations, recognize chord structures and write out songs that you have heard on the CDs pr radio. This entire guitar learning method is fun and an adventure ride, just as many of its users have experienced earlier. If mastering the guitar is what you seek, its high time for you to take a look at the rocking Jamorama.
The creator of this amazing learning system, Ben Edwards, is a well-reputed guitar teacher. His music history dates back to the time when he used to be the lead guitarist for the popular band “Degreesk”. He performed several international tours and had completed his bachelor degree before joining the band. Ben Edwards’ inspiration to teach guitar led him to come up with the awe-inspiring guitar-learning tool - Jamorama.
One of the key things that Jamorama emphasises on is your fluency. Jamorama also helps you to improvise on songs that you hear and play them without any difficulty. Each of the songs in Jamorama had been made in small parts, thus making it very easy for learners to practise and then put all the pieces together. Jamorama will help you save your valuable time, money and irritation. It allows you to practise fast, slow, any tempo you desire and thus help you reduce the mistakes that you make while practising your lessons.
The jamorama consists of two quality books that will guide you through all the way through your guitar-learning ladder. It contains 148 chronically arranged video lessons that have been professionally edited. It also contains two computer games “GuitEarIt” and “JaydeMusica”! It helps you train your amateur ears to recognise between different guitar chords. The game is not only fun to play but it also speeds up your guitar learning by training your ears. JaydeMusica is a professional game where you learn how to read the music notations. The other great features of Jamorama are its 26 unique Jam Tracks, a metronome, really cool guitar licks, and some additional materials.
If all these fascinating facts about Jamorama still don’t appeal you, then one have to say: you learn your lesson only when you’re through with it. All the top guitar websites contain the comments and reviews on Jamorama. If you can afford thousands of dollars to queue up to the guitar teaches and come up with nothing why not only spend a small amount of money online and see if Jamorama really works.
Wouter Van Dyck learned to play the guitar himself 3 years ago. Now his playing in two bands and has a group of his own. If you want to now more about learning to play guitar you can visit his website www.jamorama-review.info
Wouter Van Dyck
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/learn-to-play-guitar-with-jamorama-137247.html
Learning to play guitar is a serious business that you should take lightly. Once you have a little physical hands-on experience with the guitar you can relax and make choices about what style of music you want to learn and how you want to learn it. Once you have learnt the basic chord shapes and how they can be moved up and down the fretboard, you can experiment with strumming patterns if you get bored with that, you can start on learning a few finger picking patterns. You must never lose sight of the goal of personal satisfaction behind your musical efforts.
Part of learning to play guitar is, unfortunately, the wondering. “Which way of learning to play guitar is the best for me?” “How many ways of learning are there?” Are books the best source of guitar learning information? Or is it better to pick some of my favorite songs and concentrate on learning how to play them?
What makes learning guitar more confusing is the fact that everybody who learns seems quite happy to have taken the path that they took and, in hindsight, would not have done anything different. Anyway, maybe talking to friends who already have been through the learning journey would probably be a good start. Did they learn to play by starting on chords? Or scales? How do people feel about their abilities as a guitar player after a few years of fooling around in a non-disciplined way?
Many guitarists have made their way by watching and talking to friends and making use of the free tabs on the internet. Choosing tabs should be a fairly stress-free job if you are guided by your personal musical tastes but there could be a problem with learning from friends. If you have a bunch of friends or family members who think they know a thing or two about playing the guitar, you are talking to someone who may or may not be aware of their own limitations.
A guitar playing friend can show you how to play a chord or a riff but they will have only limited ability to provide you with the guidance you need to chart your own guitar learning path and to judge your own progress.
If you do take the unstructured route for learning guitar, you can always take a lesson or two from a professional teacher just to make sure you haven’t acquired too many bad habits and to help with charting a course for your guitar music progress.
One experience you could do well to share with a guitar teacher is learning from a printed guitar tutor. If you choose one of good guitar lesson books you already have a structured learning program and sharing the learning with an experienced guitarist who can add his own perspective to the info in the book.
Ricky Sharples
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/learn-to-play-guitar-the-easy-way-959222.html
You can learn to play melodies on your guitar even if you do not know sheet music notation. We will instead use easy to learn guitar tab or guitar tablature. Let’s learn Yankee Doodle!
Yankee Doodle “Yankee Doodle” is a well-known American song, today sung patriotically. Originally it was a satirical song.
The first verse and refrain goes like this:
Yankee Doodle went to town
A-Riding on a pony
He stuck a feather in his hat
And called it macaroni
Yankee Doodle, keep it up
Yankee Doodle dandy
Mind the music and the step
And with the girls be handy
What is guitar tab?
We will use guitar tablature so you will not need to read sheet music notation. You will only use the four thinnest strings on the guitar. The string with the highest pitch is called the first string or E-string.
Tablature is a form of musical notation, often with numbers and letters, which tells the player where to place their fingers on the guitar fretboard rather than which pitches to play.
I will use my own type of guitar tab notation today to make sure that the guitar tab is correctly displayed on article sites. On my site you will find many popular melodies with the more common guitar tab staff notation.
The six strings on your guitar is numbered from the one with the highest pitch. This string is called the first string.
Look at this guitar tab notation:
11 12 03
As you can see the numbers are organized in pairs.
The first number in the pair tells you what fret to press down and the second number what string to play.
11 means that you press down the first fret on the first string. 12 that you press down the first fret on the second string. 03 that you play the third open string which means that you pluck the string without pressing down a fret.
Let’s start with the first part of the melody with guitar tab:
Yankee Doodle went to town
12 12 32 01 12 01 32
12 tells you to play the first fret on the second string. 01 means that you play the open first string.
This type of guitar tab doesn’t indicate the length of the notes. If you sing the lyrics you will better feel how to play the notes.
The names of the four notes you have played are C C D E C E D
How do you play guitar tablature with your left hand?
If you want to use your left hand in a professional way I suggest that you play the guitar tab notes on the first fret with your first finger, the notes on the second fret with your middle finger and the notes on the third fret with your ring finger.
Let’s proceed with the next words:
A-Riding on a pony
03 12 12 32 01 12 02
The names of the seven notes are G C C D E C B
How do you play guitar tab with your right hand?
Well, there are many ways to pluck or play the strings with your right hand. The easiest way is to use your right hand thumb. I suggest that you use your right hand thumb and concentrate on your left hand fingerings.
Here is the next lyrics and guitar tablature:
He stuck a feather in his hat
03 12 12 32 01 11 01 32
The names of the tablature notes are G C C D E F E D
And called it macaroni
12 02 03 23 02 12 12
The names of the guitar tab notes: C B G A B C C
Learn to play guitar tablature part 2
Here comes the lyrics and the guitar tab for the refrain:
Yankee Doodle, keep it up
23 02 23 03 23 02 12
Guitar tablature notes: A B A G A B C
Yankee Doodle dandy
03 23 03 34 24 03
Guitar tab notes: G A G F E G
Mind the music and the step
23 02 23 03 23 02 12
Guitar tablature notes: A B A G A B C
And with the girls be handy
23 03 12 02 32 12 12
Guitar tab notes: A G C B D C C
Where can you find more guitar tab?
Now when you understand guitar tablature notation you can find many songs written this way on the internet. Search for guitar tab or guitar tablature. A complete guitar tab staff has six lines representing the six strings.
Peter Edvinsson
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/guitar-tab-learn-to-play-yankee-doodle-with-guitar-tab-65375.html
