BECOMING A GOOD GUITARIST

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a good guitarist?



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Several thoughts come to my mind when I think about that question, such as...

• practice
• dedication
• desire
• knowledge
• coordination
• patience
• perserverance
• focus

All of these things factor into becoming a good guitarist. In addition to those I've mentioned above, I think it's also important to acknowledge our strengths and weaknesses, because if we become unbalanced in either of these areas it can impede our progress.

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For instance, if a guitar player is naturally gifted with a good ear and sense of rhythm, they may tend to ignore the fact that their chords and tones aren't coming through clearly enough. They get so excited about what they can do that they don't even realize they have any weaknesses.

On the other hand, if a person is struggling with coordination or timing issues, they may get discouraged and overlook what they can do well, such as reading music, etc. These guitar players become frustrated and want to give up too soon. Instead, they should identify their strengths- what they can do well (even if it seems small at first) in order to perservere.

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Many guitar players tend to overlook the areas they are having trouble with simply because they assume the problems will go away with more practice. But this is not necessarily true! In fact, whatever you continue to practice, whether good or bad, will be reinforced over time.

So, get into the practice of listening to yourself and asking questions as you play. For example, if you strum a chord and it doesn't sound very good, ask yourself why- then try to identify the problem...

• Are you having trouble holding all the strings down at once?

This is a strength issue.

• Are some of your fingers interfering with the other strings and muting the sound?

This is a finger position issue.

• Are you having trouble changing chords?

This is a coordination issue.

After you have identified what your specific weakness is you will be able to take the necessary steps toward correcting the problem. Making corrections in your playing as soon as possible will help prevent developing bad habits that are difficult to fix later on.

To sum it up, becoming a good guitarist requires that you take the time to first observe, then identify, any strengths or weaknesses you may have with you're playing abilities. Doing so will allow you to correct your weaknesses, celebrate your strengths and stay motivated to learn more!

Till next time...

Keep practicing!

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TAYLOR GUITARS AT BARGAIN PRICES!

Perhaps you've heard that Taylor Guitars are famous for their beauty, playability and great sound. But what about price?

Well, just the other day I learned that Taylor is holding a very special sale event between March 30 - June 30, 2009. This is a great time to really save some big bucks. I'm not talking about merely saving a few hundred dollars either. I'm talking about a $1000 (thousand dollar) discount! So, James and I decided to visit our local music store to find out more about this exciting opportunity.

We had been toying around with the idea of getting a new guitar for awhile, and for some strange reason the name "Taylor" kept popping up in our conversations. But since we already have 9 guitars, I was having a little difficulty justifying the need for another one. However, you probably know how easy it is to start rationalizing when it comes to getting a new guitar! It goes something like this...

We could sell some of our OLD guitars and...
Just have ONE nice guitar that we really liked and...
Besides it would sound SO much better and...
It would be much EASIER to play and...
We could take advantage of the LOW monthly payments and...
My BIRTHDAY is coming up and...

You get the idea...

By the time we got to the music store we had our sights set on getting the Taylor 414-CE Grand Auditorium Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural because we had read some good reviews about it online. It truly is a very nice guitar with great action and a bright, "snappy" sound. The discount price is terrific too.

But after being in the store for probably an hour or more, playing several different guitars, we finally ended up buying a brand new Taylor 614-CE Grand Auditorium Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural. Wow! It is definitely the best guitar I've ever owned- absolutely beautiful in sound and appearance. Big Leaf Maple Back and Sides, Sitka Spruce Top, Perl Leaf Pattern Fretboard Inlay, Abalone Rosette around the sound hole and Gold Tuning Keys.

But our savings didn't end there! We also received a mail in rebate for a $200 taylorware Gift Card. We're planning to use that for some new gear that we need, such as guitar chords, etc.

Mail In Rebate! *Get a $200 taylorware Gift card when you buy: 500 Series and up, Acoustic 5 Series and up, Signature, NS62ce and up, or comparable LTD models *Get a $150 taylorware Gift card when you buy: SolidBody, T5, T3 or comparable LTD models *Get a $100 taylorware Gift card when you buy: 300/400 Series, Acoustic 3/4 Series, NS32ce, NS34ce or comparable LTD models *Get a $20 taylorware Gift card when you buy: Baby/Big Baby Taylor or 100/200 Series models

I'm really excited about my new Taylor guitar! It justifies all my earlier rationalizations- great sound, easy to play, deep discount, beautiful appearance, and it's such a wonderful birthday present (thanks James!) :0)

If you have often thought about getting a higher-end, quality guitar, perhaps now is the time! Check out Musicians Friend, the World’s Largest Music Gear Company, for more information about Taylor guitars or other products you may be interested in. Afterall, why resist a bargain when it gets this good?

Till next time...

Keep practicing!

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IMPROVING CHORD CHANGES

Smooth chord changes are a little difficult to execute for most beginning guitar players. If you are struggling in this area, you'll be glad to know there are some things you can do to make this a little easier.

One of the most important aspects of playing guitar is the process of developing muscle memory in your fingers. This simply means that you want to train your fingers to memorize certain movements. You can do this by practicing specific exercises in order to reach an end result, such as improving your ability to make smooth chord changes.

I have my students use an exercise that I like to call "chord bouncing." That's my own phrase, so I doubt if you've ever heard it before. You'll get a better grasp of the concept by simply imagining a bouncing ball. Here's what you do:

Strum a C Major chord

Now lift all your fingers up while still holding the shape of the chord.

Strum the open strings while still holding the C chord shape and hovering slightly above the neck.

Set your fingers back down on the strings and strum the C chord again, then repeat the process.

Your goal is to place your fingers back down exactly where they need to be. Try to set all your fingers down on the strings at the same time. This may take some practice, but keep trying.

At first your fingers will want to relax when you take them off the strings. But you must train them to hold the chord shape off the neck. Think "air" guitar.

Practice strumming this exercise with a count: one (fingers down) two (fingers up) three (fingers down) four (fingers up).

Perhaps it's more like push-ups than a bouncing ball!

This is a great exercise for training your fingers how to memorize a chord shape, so use it whenever you're learning a new chord.

Now, let's use this same type of exercise to get smooth chord changes using a 4/4 count...

• Strum C three times. On the fourth beat strum an open chord.
• Strum F three times. On the fourth beat strum an open chord.
• Strum G three times. On the fourth beat strum an open chord.

Putting it all together: C / / Open F / / Open G7 / / Open C / / /

The goal here is to try and use the open strum to get to the next chord in time to strum on the first beat.

Continue practicing this exercise until you can change smoothly from one chord to the next without losing the shape of the chord or missing a beat. Start slowly and gradually increase speed.

Learn more about chords - dominant, majors, minors, and ninths... Plus how to create a set of strumming patterns, licks, and phrases to create your very own song by clicking here.

Until next time...

Keep practicing!

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FINGERPICKING SONGS FOR GUITAR

Fingerpicking patterns can be a great way to stretch and enhance your guitar playing skills. Some of the popular folk-style songs of the late sixties and early seventies lend themselves well to fingerstyle guitar playing.

Here's one you might like to try...

Don't Think Twice, It's Alright by Bob Dylan

Dylan is using a fingerpicking style with a flat pick in the video shown below. Watching it will let you hear what the song is supposed to sound like...



Here are two other songs that work well with a fingerpicking guitar style:

Needle and the Damage Done by Neil Young

Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell

Of course, fingerpicking is not restricted to folk music. Rock groups often use a fingerpicking style in their songs too. One obvious example of this is...

Stairway to Heaven by Led Zepplin

Not to mention other guitar syles such as Ragtime, Fingerstyle Blues, Celtic, New Age and Classical.

The letters PIMA are commonly used to identify the fingers of the right hand when reading or writing tablature for fingerstyle guitar.

P - Thumb
I - Index
M - Middle
A - Ring

This is not always practiced, but it certainly helps to distinguish the right hand from the left and from the fretboard itself.

A typical 4/4 fingerpicking pattern in tab would look like this...

------------------------a-------------------------------a-----
--------m---------------------------m-----------------------
-----------------i------------------------------i--------------
-------------------------------p------------------------------
--p-----------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------

The fingerpicking pattern shown above is counted using eighth notes:

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

Give it a try while holding a C major chord. It works well with any chord, but you may want to alternate the bass note for chords like G and F where the root is in the sixth string.

Watch this free guitar lesson video to learn more:

INTRODUCTION TO FINGERPICKING

Until next time...

Keep practicing!

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WHAT IS A PROTEST SONG ANYWAY?

The Complete Guitar Player Songbook

According to Wikipedia... "A protest song is a song which is associated with a movement for social change..."

In American history these movements for social change have occured when portions of the general public have been disfranchised, disrespected, discriminated against, or simply dissatisfied with the status quo.

During these times of political upheaval and unrest, people come together for a common cause in order to make their voices heard by the powers that be. This is democracy in action. Great songs are sometimes written around such events which help express the intense emotions of the collective whole. These so called "protest songs" often become closely associated with the movement's sense of purpose and self-identity.

Here are some well known protest songs you might recognize:

1. We Shall Overcome - Rev. Charles Tindley (Civil Rights Movement)

The lyrics of the original hymn were adapted and often sung during protests and marches for freedom by civil rights advocates under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr.

2. Blowin In the Wind - Bob Dylan (Civil Rights/Vietnam War)

"Blowin' in the Wind" has been described as an anthem of the 1960s civil rights movement, and it later became identified with the Vietnam War protest movement.

3. Give Peace a Chance - John Lennon (Vietnam War)

The song quickly became the anthem for the Vietnam War protest movement, and was sung by as many as half a million demonstrators in Washington, D.C. at the Vietnam Moratorium Day, on 15 October 1969.

4. Sunday, Bloody Sunday - U2 (Irish Civil Rights Conflict)

One of U2's most overtly political songs, its lyrics describe the horror felt by an observer of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, mainly focusing on the Bloody Sunday incident in Derry where British troops shot at civil rights marchers.

5. Let's Impeach the President - Neil Young (Iraq War)

A stinging rebuke against President George W. Bush and the War in Iraq and a call for political action to be taken to impeach him.

Speaking of protest songs...

Last week I ruffled some feathers when I posted Neil Young's song Southern Man along with Lynyrd Skynyrd's song Sweet Home Alabama on my blog. Though comments were invited, I didn't really expect the personal attacks that I received. This just demonstrates how easy it is to be misunderstood.

Even though the song's lyrics seem to speak of an earlier time, it is my belief that Neil Young wrote Southern Man in protest against the discrimination many black Americans were experiencing in the South during the 1960s. This is poetry in action.

It is commonly believed that Neil Young wrote this song after he was pulled out of a bar in Alabama in 1969 and beaten up by three men because he had long hair. This was just another form of discrimination that was all too common at the time.

It might surprise you to learn that Neil Young was a fan of Sweet Home Alabama and was proud to have his name used in the song! Lynyrd Skynyrd was even trying to arrange a concert where Neil Young would join them on the song and sing the line "A southern man don't need me around anyhow," but they couldn't pull it off because of scheduling conflicts.

Van Zant and Young respected one another as artists. Their camaraderie was a good example of how to let bygones be bygones and give peace a chance. This is something we could all learn and benefit from in an age of rage.

Till next time...

Keep practicing!

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