guitars, life lessons, fun and all the rest

Apart from different types of guitars, you will also hear about various guitar styles. The types of guitars can be broadly classified into electric and acoustic for the purpose of understanding different guitar styles. The following are the different guitar styles that are the most talked about.

Guitar styles – Electric Guitars

Fender introduced the Telecaster guitar style. These have two pickups, a small headstock with a three-way pickup selector for that unique sound. Some of them come with string through bodies.

Fender also introduced the Stratocaster during the 1950s, though today there are several other manufacturers who make this guitar style in different variations. The distinguishing features of the Stratocaster are a neck that is bolted on, 6 on one side tuners, two cutaways on its strat-style body, three single coil pickups and a tremolo. Some Stratocasters have humbucker pickups while some have a combination of both single coil and humbucker. These guitars are easy to modify.

Les Pauls came from the musician Les Paul known for his innovativeness in musical instruments. The Les Paul guitars come with a set neck, three on one side tuners and two humbucker pickups with a three way pickup selector switch. The body is single cut away. You will also see carved bodies depending on who manufactured it.

The Flying V guitar has a large V shaped body. Mostly in style during the 1980s these guitars were chosen more for their looks than for their ease of playing.

The SG or Solid Guitar came from Gibson. This guitar had two humbucker pickups and a set neck. These are slimmer than the Les Paul.

Guitar styles – Electric Bass

P Bass guitars or Precision guitars have a thick neck with a P bass type of offset pickup. These guitars come with a volume and tone knob with a four on one side tuning system. The earlier models had reverse tuners.

Jazz Bass guitars are slimmer, with slimmer necks than the Precision guitars and have a symmetrical body. They have two pickups and sometimes an additional tone knob for tone adjustment.

Guitar styles – Acoustic Guitars

Acoustic guitars are hollow body guitars. When the strings are plucked or strummed, the hollow body amplifies the sound. You will come across acoustic guitars with three on one side tuners, a pick guard, and a stop tailpiece bridge and usually six strings. Some acoustic guitars have twelve strings which produce a heavier sound effect compared to the six string ones. Acoustic bass guitars come with four bass strings, which produce deeper tones.

Usually one starts off with a 6-string acoustic guitar, moving on to a 12 string acoustic guitar while playing at an advanced level.

With so much choice available, it is just a matter of selecting the right kind of guitar that fits the musical style you intend to practice. Some guitars are suitable for rhythm while others are better for solos. Finally, it comes down to making the precise choice for your kind of sound.

When you decide to buy a guitar, there is always the confusion of whether to go in for an acoustic or an electric guitar. When you compare the two, there are several similarities. Electric as well as acoustic guitars come with 6 strings. Tuning in both is performed with the tuning pegs. They have similar necks with the same number of frets. Someone who can play an acoustic guitar can also manage with an electric guitar.

Probably the most distinctive feature that separates an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar is the body, and the sound. Most acoustic guitars are hollow-bodied. Electric guitars are solid body constructions and come with magnetic pickups.

Electric And Acoustic Guitar Sounds

Try plucking an electric guitar. You will hear no sound unless it is plugged in and connected to an amplifier. When it is, the magnetic pickups under its strings sense the sound and amplify it via the amplifier. Acoustic guitars amplify sound with their hollow bodies when the strings are plucked. You do get acoustic-electric guitars that sound similar to electric guitars.

Techniques Used To Play Electric And Acoustic Guitars

The basic techniques are the same when it comes to chords and scales. Tuning techniques are also the same though they produce different sounds. While electric guitars sound brighter, acoustic guitars have a warmer and heavier sound. The electric guitar is played with a guitar pick, though some players use both fingers as well as a pick, depending on the type of music they are playing. They also use techniques like string bending, whammy bar, tapping, etc. You can produce all the sounds you like without the worry of disturbing people as you can use the headphones that come with your amplifier. Acoustic guitars generally use the finger and flat picking techniques for their warm sounds. Acoustic guitar necks are wider than most electric guitars.

Is There A Difference Between Electric And Acoustic Strings?

Guitar strings come in different gauges and the string gauge of electric guitars is different from those of acoustic guitars. Electric guitar strings are of thinner gauge compared with acoustic. These strings are highly sensitive no matter how softly they are touched. It seems like they are easier to handle because of their sensitivity. If you listen to an electric guitar, you instantly recognize when a wrong note is played. Acoustic guitars are harder to play on, since the finger pressure and placement are tougher to master. Cost wise, obviously electric guitars are dearer, as you cannot do without an amplifier, cables, and leads. Acoustic guitars are portable and can be played without extra accessories.

Ultimately, the choice of electric vs. acoustic guitars is a matter of the musical style you choose, your budget, the kind of sound you want. You will find invariably that most guitar players start off with an acoustic guitar and add the electric guitar later when they are more proficient at playing the acoustic.

Playing a guitar involves knowing chords, reading chord charts, music theory, scales, notes and so on. It can all seem quite confusing in the beginning, but it becomes enjoyable when you have a good foundation of the basics and you actually start making music.

The main challenge is to become proficient at the basic guitar chords. This is simply because these form the basis of most music, forming the harmonic instrumental complement. If you listen to your favorite rock artists, you will see that some of the most memorable riffs are from rhythm guitar sounds based on basic chords. Which means that by knowing ten to fifteen basic guitar chords you’ll know to play hundreds of songs.

So What Exactly Is A Chord?

The simple definition is – three or more different musical notes played together form a chord, for example, when you pluck or strum at least three strings on your guitar at the same time to produce three, or more than three notes. On a six-string guitar, you can play a maximum of six notes at a time. Chords can be Major, Minor or Seventh, based on their musical structure. Each sounds distinctive. While major chords sound steady and complete, minor chords sound thoughtful and more sober. Seventh chords are mostly used in jazz and need to be supplemented with more notes.

What Are The Basic Guitar Chords?

Basic guitar chords are played as open chords. There are major and minor chords from four musical keys namely A, G, C and D. When we say open chords, we mean that you don’t hold down the chord at the fret. Obviously it is easier to learn basic open chords than advanced ones like Barre chords. Basic major and minor chords are A major or A, A minor or Am, C, D, Dm, E, Em, F and G. You can learn these by key and play several songs by combining them. You can learn them by splitting them into families and referring to them; for example, Family A – A, D, E on the A key. Family D – D, Em, G, A on the D key and so on for G and C family.

There’s always a controversy about a ‘standard’ list of basic chords. But there’s a concurrence over the fact that there are about eight to eighteen basic chords on the open string that you must master, simply because they are applicable to any musical style you choose to play with, whether jazz, rock, pop or classical. These form the basic skills that will carry you through for as long as you decide to play the guitar.

You must develop the skill to recognize the notes on a particular chord. For this, you can use guitar chord charts that are quite easy to learn to read. From these, you can figure out the exact finger placement for a specific chord that you intend to play.

It is the guitar’s strings that produce the wonderful sounds when you play them. Aside from knowing how to tune your guitar, the next most important thing is to know about your guitar strings and how to change them when you need to. Let us take a look at the issues involved when it comes to guitar strings.

Types Of Guitar Strings

There are different types of guitar strings. The most common types for acoustic guitars are steel strings, nylon strings, bronze wound, and phosphor bronze wound, silk and steel. For electric guitars, nickel-plated, pure nickel and stainless steel strings are used. By the way, nylon and steel strings are not interchangeable, as each is built differently. The string gauge is also different and this can affect the playability, tone and tuning. Also, a single string in a set is never replaced. This is because the sound of the replaced string will differ vastly from the rest of the existing set.

Replacing Guitar Strings

There are differing views about whether or not to remove the entire string set as it is felt that the guitar neck will feel the strain. But the fact is a luthier often removes all the strings to perform repairs on a guitar, and some people have not experienced any problems by removing the entire set. However, while stringing the guitar, it is advisable to follow certain precautions. Excessive winding on the tuning peg can affect the strings. It is essential to work on your guitar strings with clean hands. Watch out for sharp edges if your strings break very often. Also ensure that while tuning down, the string does not get jammed in the nut slot. This is a possibility while tuning and can be avoided by rubbing flake graphite to enable the string slide freely.

Changing Strings – How Often?

How frequently you need to change your guitar strings basically depends on our playing style, how well as how you look after them and how worn out they are. There is no hard and fast rule – many players change their guitar strings roughly after 25 – 30 hours of playing them. Strings tend to collect dirt and sweat over time, and this interferes with their vibration and tuning. If not cleaned regularly, this can also seep into the strings’ core and corrode them. Certain techniques can also shorten the strings’ lives. Therefore, depending on the sort of wear your strings face, you would need to change them. If you play live often, then you might want to change your strings before you go on a gig, to avoid the possibility of an already worn string breaking in the middle of a show.

For optimum performance, any equipment needs regular and proper maintenance. Your guitar is no different. In fact, you have to be doubly careful with your guitar to keep it playing the way you want it to, through regular care. If you play an electric guitar, you must keep its multiple parts in perfect working order for it to sound good. Here are some valuable guitar maintenance tips that will help you maintain your guitar’s tone and playability.

* The knobs you see on the guitar’s headstock are the tuning keys, used to tune your guitar strings. These need to be lubricated at regular intervals.

* Make sure your guitar nut is of a good quality as this affects your guitar’s tone. Nut slots must be kept lubricated with soap every time you pick up your guitar to play. The guitar’s bridge slots must also be lubricated with soap. Metal parts must be cleaned regularly with a good metal cleaner and the nuts and screws must be adjusted regularly to prevent rattling sound.

* Your guitar frets experience a lot of wear and tear depending on how frequently you play. These must be kept in good shape. As you play, over a period of time, the parts of the fret where the strings touch them get worn, interfering with tone. Keep the frets in proper shape to avoid this.

* Your guitar strings and fingerboard must be kept clean. Each time you play wipe down the strings to get rid of the dirt build up. If you don’t, this dirt will settle on the fingerboard. After you wipe the strings, also wipe the fingerboard, holding the strings out of the way to clean it.

* In case you tend to play your guitar rarely, moisturize the fingerboard with lemon oil, using a soft cloth so that no cracking or warping occurs.

* Dirt tends to accumulate on the guitar’s body gradually through handling. You can clean this with a soft cloth with a circular motion to remove the dirt build up. The volume and tone knobs must also be cleaned the same way to remove dirt. Also clean and polish your guitar’s sides and back when you clean the top. Top quality furniture polish can be used. In fact, guitar companies sell excellent polish for this purpose.

* Make sure your guitar pickups are installed properly at the right height. These need occasional adjustment via the screws and springs that keep it in place. When the pickups are positioned in the appropriate height, they pick up the strings’ vibrations accurately. If the proximity to the string is high, the tune is affected.

Lastly, your guitar must not be left open to the bear the extremes of weather elements. Heat and exposure to direct sunlight can cause the polish to fade and warp the wood. Cold can destroy the binding inlay work and neck. Guitars must be kept in a cool and dry place preferably in a proper case.

It is easy to decide that you want to learn to play the guitar, but it is not so easy to go out and choose the right guitar right away. You need to do some research about the kind of guitar you want.

What Do You Need To Consider?

* Ensure that you get a guitar that’s properly adjusted in terms of easy playability, tuning and intonation.
* Decide whether you want to play an electric or an acoustic guitar. Each involves different styles of playing.
* Select the size that suits you the best. If you are slightly built, you might not be able to easily handle a very large guitar and this will interfere with your access to various guitar parts.
* Remember that price is not the most important thing. On the other hand, it’s not mandatory to get a big brand name.

The Guitar You Choose Must Satisfy The Following Criteria

* It must have a well-finished surface
* The strings must be well wound and the tuning should work perfectly.
* If it is a set in neck the neck joint must be properly fixed without cracks at the joint. For bolt on types, necks must be securely fastened.
* If you plan to buy an acoustic guitar, the bridge must be stuck well without gaps. Also on electric guitars, the bridge must not only be fixed well, the adjustment mechanism must operate smoothly.
* Watch the neck angle, ensuring that it is more or less level with the top of your guitar.
* The strings must be easy to play, so check string height at the nut.
* Don’t forget to get an electronic tuner along with the picks and strings.

Ok. That said, don’t let the thought of going out and choosing the right guitar intimidate you. It is worthwhile to browse around and visit several music stores so that you can hold and feel the guitar you like. Preferably take someone who is a good guitar player along, since they will be able to advise you on the finer points.

There are many stores that constantly come up with guitar packages that are affordable. These packages include a guitar case, tuner, and straps and in some cases, even free lessons to get you started. You get several reputed brand names like Fender, Yamaha, Epiphone, Martin, Taylor, etc. who offer good deals. These companies make various types of guitars for various levels of players. You can also enquire about used guitars in good condition. This is especially useful to consider if you are not quite sure whether you really want to play the guitar.

While the best way to buy a guitar is by trying it, you can also check out guitar shops online. There are many reliable ones that have a return policy so that you are not left with equipment that does not work or is defective.

You have got your electric guitar and you have been told that it needs adjustment before you play it, since you cannot begin to play your guitar straight out of its box. Since the guitar is a delicate instrument, you need to adjust it very carefully to make sure that it plays well. An electric guitar has hundreds of parts that require adjustment, so here goes.

Truss Rod Adjustment

If you look at your electric guitar’s neck, you will see the metal truss rod right down its center. This will help you straighten the neck to improve the playability of your guitar. You can also use it to alter the string height, intonation and performance. This is a critical adjustment and needs to be done properly.

Here is how you do it. At the first fret, position a capo. Press the low E string down at the 17th fret. A gap of more than 0.25 mm from the top of the 7-9th fret and the bottom of the string means you need to turn the truss rod in the clockwise direction. If the gap is less than 0.25 mm, then you need to turn it counterclockwise. Care must be taken to make these adjustments in very small degrees and very slowly. If you make it too tight, you could damage the guitar beyond repair.

Adjusting The Height Of The Strings

Once done with the truss rod, the string heights need adjustment so that they have the right tension to vibrate properly. Check the height of the string at the 12th fret. To adjust the top and bottom strings, make the bottom string 2.00 mm and the top string 1.5 mm. Lowering or raising the saddle can achieve this. You can increase the height of the strings in the middle so that it is the lowest on the treble and the highest at the bass.

Adjusting Intonation

You must adjust each string length on your electric guitar to set intonation. Using an electronic tuner, tune your guitar strings one by one. If your fretted 12th fret note is sharper than the harmonic at the 12th fret, you need to lengthen the string until both notes sound the same. Shorten the string if the fretted note is flatter by comparison. By repeating this for each string, ensure that the fretted notes sound the same as the harmonic.

Pickup Height Adjustment

Your guitar’s pickup height can have a major impact on the quality of your guitar’s sound. The right height needs to be maintained between the pickup and the strings.

Remember to always disconnect your electric guitar from the amplifier before you make any adjustments to it. If you are too nervous to try adjusting your electric guitar on your own, you can get an experienced technician to do it for you.

Guitar tabs or tablature is a method of writing music notations that are played on guitars. Rather than use symbols like the ones you find in standard notation, tabs use numbers and characters. This makes it very easy to read and share music. Tabs use the fretboard of the guitar as the basic background to show you the notes. Even if you don’t know how to read guitar tablature, it is extremely easy to learn in a very short time. We find thousands of tablature online. By knowing the basics, you can easily interpret all your favorite songs and play them to your heart’s content.

How Tablature Is Expressed

If we take the six-string guitar as a basis, you will find that its tablature will have six lines, representing each guitar string. Here is how you read it:

E: ———— 1st string
B: ———— 2nd string
G: ———— 3rd string
D: ———— 4th string
A: ———— 5th string
E: ———— 6th string

What do you think the tabs will be for a 7-string guitar? 7 lines! For a bass guitar, depending on number of strings, you will find 4 or 5 lines. The line at the bottom is the 6th string of the guitar, which is the thickest and has the lowest note. Suppose you are holding your guitar in the playing position, the 6th string will be at the top. In tablature, the line at the top is the 1st string, which is the thinnest and sounds the highest. In playing position this is the string nearest the floor.

The numbers that you see in tablature indicate the frets on which your left hand fingers are to be placed. Tablature is usually read from the left to the right. You wont find tablature telling you which finger to use when you play a note. That is something that you must choose.

How Tablature Helps

The basics of tablature lets you play plenty of music since it tells you which notes are to be played and which string and fret to use. You also know which techniques to use, like vibrato, hammer on, pull off, bends etc. It also indicates the tuning note.

When you compare standard music notation to guitar tablature, tabs have some shortcomings. Guitar tabs don’t express rhythm. Also, you cannot see the length of a note in tablature. You can use guitar tabs only on fretted string instruments. On the other hand, in standard notation, it is not possible to see which position to play in. above all, it is far easier to learn guitar tabs than standard notation. Therefore, you will often find a combination of guitar tablature and standard notation, so that you can use notation to read rhythm and the tabs to figure out the notes.

After you get familiar with your guitar parts and accessories, and buy the guitar of your choice, you are all set for getting started with learning how to play your guitar. If you have always wanted to learn to play the guitar, you will find it a very fulfilling experience. It does involve several hours of practice, patience and persistence. But if you stick at it, it is highly rewarding. You can play for yourself, or play with a band or just go solo. The composer in you can now come to the fore, so remember that you have the makings of an entirely new career that can be very lucrative, in addition to being great fun.

There’s no such thing as too much advice, as every tip helps when it comes to learning something new; however, here are a few pointers that will stand you in good stead.

Points To Remember And Put Into Practice

Every guitar teacher recommends that you use all the resources you can lay your hands on when it comes to learning to play a guitar. This could be in the form of instructional books, online sheets, videos, music theory, etc. The Internet is full of material in this connection.

You have bought the guitar of your choice. It doesn’t end there. It requires consistent practice. If you intend playing an electric guitar, don’t forget the vital accessories like your amplifiers, cables, picks etc. There’s plenty to master on an electric guitar. Acoustic guitars are considered tougher to learn to play, and there are many people who prefer to get started on these.

Enroll into a guitar class where you have an instructor showing you the correct way to hold the guitar, and the right way to use your hands. You can supplement this with online guitar classes that help you learn and practice at anytime convenient to you.

At the risk of sounding repetitive, you have to put in a lot of practice and this is something that you have to do no matter how well you play the guitar. Music is an ever-evolving thing and there is a possibility that you will learn something new each time you pick up your guitar to play.

Always remember that it makes a big difference to play with other musicians and also for an audience. There is nothing more inspiring and encouraging than to have a huge round of applause after you’ve played a particularly interesting piece of music that you are passionate about.

By following the above, it won’t be long before you are really enjoying yourself and wowing a lot of people.

There are millions of tips to help you become a better guitar player. Here I talk about just a few. For as long as you play your guitar, you will learn something new each time you play it, in the form of technique, discovering new ways to play and improving constantly. So let’s take a look at what you should bear in mind.

* Learn to play the guitar comfortably. It is important to enjoy playing the guitar, and this means you should learn the right way to hold it without being tense about it. Your aim is to make music, not to worry about adjusting your stance all the time while playing.

* Remember that it is okay to get something wrong. Look at it more as a stepping-stone for improvement rather than a problem. Practice hard till you get it right. Develop a regular schedule for practice where you have an agenda of trying different techniques, slow and fast playing, rhythm, etc.

* Many guitar players record themselves so that they can analyze later where they need to improve. You can jot down the areas in which you need to practice.

* Play for an audience, as the feedback can be valuable and will help you increase your confidence. Also play with other musicians. The pleasure is unmatched.

* A metronome can help you gauge your speed and improve on it. Use one when you practice your music.

* If you have a solid technical foundation, you will be able to play smoothly. If you have a problem with chord changes, make sure you learn how. It is worthwhile to learn music theory.

* While practicing, experiment with different musical styles like rock, blues, jazz, classical, etc. Each one helps you in developing a style of your own. For instance, with blues chords you will improve on your solo playing.

* Remember to change your strings regularly. There is nothing worse than playing with worn strings.

* To be an effective guitar player, you must be in sync with the band you play with. Adjust your playing volume to match with the rest of the band members’.

* While it is a good idea to practice by playing all your favorite songs, develop your own style and technique.

* It is okay to use the guitar you feel the most comfortable with to play, rather than copy the one your music hero plays with. Bear in mind that you must produce your own unique sounds and work on it.

Above all, just enjoy yourself. Music equals pleasure, and the path to being a proficient guitar player must be full of fun. Put your passion into your guitar playing, and it wont be long before your name is up there with your favorite players.