Beginner guitar students can seriously increase their repertoire by learning how to use a capo. These "mysterious" gadgets provide a quick and easy way to play songs that are written in the more difficult keys of Bb, Eb, Ab, etc.
As Steve Krenz recently pointed out on Gibson's Learn and Master Guitar Blog...
"... unfortunately there are only in a few “guitar friendly” keys like G, D, A, & E. So, if you come across a song in a “non-guitar” it helps to use a capo to adjust the song and still use your open chords. To you, the player, you are still playing the same open chords as before..." Read more...
Most beginners struggle with learning how use a capo because they don't understand where to put it on the neck of the guitar.
The answer to this dilemma will become clear as you get more familiar with the fretboard. It will also be helpful to have a basic grasp of musical scales and their related keys.
But for now, simply click the link below...
Free Video:
How to Use a Capo
The video will show you how to use a capo and where to put it on the guitar neck so you can start playing around with it right away. Have fun! =)
Till next time...
Keep practicing!
K.Unruh
Wednesday
Monday
Guitar Gathering In Nashville - Learn from the best!
How would you like to attend a guitar gathering in Nashville, Tennessee where you can have an opportunity to learn from such greats as...
These are some of the very best guitarists in the world!
The dates are set for June 22-26, 2011 and you can still get in on the early bird registration discount if you hurry. You can read the full blog post and learn more about it at...
Guitar Gathering Early-Bird Registration Extended!
It looks like a very affordable guitar workshop compared to others I've seen of this caliber. The early registration discount rate ends June 15, 2011.
Till next time...
Keep practicing!
K.Unruh
- Grammy Award Winner - Vince Gill
- Jaw Dropping Guitar Prodigy - Johnny Hiland
- Learn & Master Guitar Instructor - Steve Krenz
- Grammy Nominee - Russ Barenberg
- Musicians Hall of Fame Member - Will McFarlane
- Fleetwood Mac Guitarist - Rick Vito
These are some of the very best guitarists in the world!
The dates are set for June 22-26, 2011 and you can still get in on the early bird registration discount if you hurry. You can read the full blog post and learn more about it at...
Guitar Gathering Early-Bird Registration Extended!
It looks like a very affordable guitar workshop compared to others I've seen of this caliber. The early registration discount rate ends June 15, 2011.
Till next time...
Keep practicing!
K.Unruh
Friday
Revisiting the Music of Eric Clapton, Simon & Garfunkel...
This past week I enjoyed revisiting the music of Eric Clapton, Simon & Garfunkel and many other "legendary" artists, both past and present.
The fun began with the 3rd Annual Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago. I'm happy to say that I've been able to have a front row seat to each of these concerts, thanks to PBS! The place was packed and the music was great.
Actor/comedian Bill Murray was, once again, chosen to be the MC. He amused the crowd by dressing up like "Past Masters" of rock fame... Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix... when he came on stage to announce the next act.
It seems Jeff Beck, John Mayer, ZZ Top, and Cheryl Crow have all come to be regular performers at the Crossroads Guitar Festival. However, I was surprised to see jazz fusion guitarist and composer, Earl Klugh, playing humbly in the background behind Eric Clapton on a couple sets. Ronnie Wood and Steve Winwood were there too.
If you saw the concert then you know that Simon and Garfunkel were not there. They were on another PBS special the next night. Some old film clips of John F. Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King rolled by as Bridge Over Troubled Water played in the background. What a flash back that was!
Anyway, it was all good stuff. Timeless music that sounds just as good today as yesterday. At least to my ears. If you'd like to learn some of the songs from the "baby boomer" generation just click the link below..
Adult Guitar Lessons
You'll get over 100 video lessons geared toward learning the guitar "later in life"... But remember, it's never too late!
Till next time...
Keep practicing!
K.Unruh
The fun began with the 3rd Annual Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago. I'm happy to say that I've been able to have a front row seat to each of these concerts, thanks to PBS! The place was packed and the music was great.
Actor/comedian Bill Murray was, once again, chosen to be the MC. He amused the crowd by dressing up like "Past Masters" of rock fame... Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix... when he came on stage to announce the next act.
It seems Jeff Beck, John Mayer, ZZ Top, and Cheryl Crow have all come to be regular performers at the Crossroads Guitar Festival. However, I was surprised to see jazz fusion guitarist and composer, Earl Klugh, playing humbly in the background behind Eric Clapton on a couple sets. Ronnie Wood and Steve Winwood were there too.
If you saw the concert then you know that Simon and Garfunkel were not there. They were on another PBS special the next night. Some old film clips of John F. Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King rolled by as Bridge Over Troubled Water played in the background. What a flash back that was!
Anyway, it was all good stuff. Timeless music that sounds just as good today as yesterday. At least to my ears. If you'd like to learn some of the songs from the "baby boomer" generation just click the link below..
Adult Guitar Lessons
You'll get over 100 video lessons geared toward learning the guitar "later in life"... But remember, it's never too late!
Till next time...
Keep practicing!
K.Unruh
Sunday
Guitar Chord "Secrets" to Increase Speed
One of the biggest challenges that many beginning guitarists face is being able to move from one guitar chord to another quickly. This difficulty becomes apparent to anyone listening because the music will suddenly be interrupted by a long pause until the guitarist gets to the next chord and resumes playing.
Unfortunately, if this problem is not corrected and the guitarist continues falling behind the beat, the end result may be that their sense of rhythm remains undeveloped.
That sounds pretty serious and you might be wondering if there is a way to increase your speed in order to change guitar chords more efficiently?
The answer is yes! And today I'm going to share a few "secrets" that should make changing guitar chords much faster and easier for you.
Free Guitar Video Lessons - Click Here...
1. The first secret I want to tell you about is called: Economy of Motion. It's not really a "secret" among seasoned guitar players, and some of you may even remember me mentioning it before. But if you're new to the art, then it will likely be an unfamiliar term.
Economy of Motion basically means that less is more. In other words, if you reduce the amount of movement to get from point A to point B, you will become faster and more efficient.
One of the ways you can apply Economy of Motion to your guitar chord changes, is by leaving your finger down on any string that is played in both the chord you're on and the chord your moving to.
For example, your 3rd finger plays the 2nd string for both the A major chord and D major chord. So, instead of taking your 3rd finger off the string and placing it back down again when moving from one chord to the other, just slide it from the 2nd fret to the 3rt fret.
2. The next secret I want to share with you doesn't have a name that I know of, but it is very easy to do and also very effective.
Let's say you are strumming a 4/4 rhythm on the chord G and you just can't seem to change to the chord C without missing the first beat. Here's what to do...
Put these secrets into practice this week and you should see a marked improvement on your chords changes.
Free Guitar Video Lessons - Click Here...
Till next time...
Keep practicing!
K.Unruh
Unfortunately, if this problem is not corrected and the guitarist continues falling behind the beat, the end result may be that their sense of rhythm remains undeveloped.
That sounds pretty serious and you might be wondering if there is a way to increase your speed in order to change guitar chords more efficiently?
The answer is yes! And today I'm going to share a few "secrets" that should make changing guitar chords much faster and easier for you.
Free Guitar Video Lessons - Click Here...
1. The first secret I want to tell you about is called: Economy of Motion. It's not really a "secret" among seasoned guitar players, and some of you may even remember me mentioning it before. But if you're new to the art, then it will likely be an unfamiliar term.
Economy of Motion basically means that less is more. In other words, if you reduce the amount of movement to get from point A to point B, you will become faster and more efficient.
One of the ways you can apply Economy of Motion to your guitar chord changes, is by leaving your finger down on any string that is played in both the chord you're on and the chord your moving to.
For example, your 3rd finger plays the 2nd string for both the A major chord and D major chord. So, instead of taking your 3rd finger off the string and placing it back down again when moving from one chord to the other, just slide it from the 2nd fret to the 3rt fret.
2. The next secret I want to share with you doesn't have a name that I know of, but it is very easy to do and also very effective.
Let's say you are strumming a 4/4 rhythm on the chord G and you just can't seem to change to the chord C without missing the first beat. Here's what to do...
- Hold the chord G and strum the first three beats.
- Lift your hand on the fourth beat and at the same time strum the open strings as you move to the chord C.
- Strum C on the first beat, second beat, and third beat.
- On the fourth beat lift your hand and at the same time strum the open strings as you move back to the G chord n time for the first beat.
- Continue on in this manner while gradually increasing your speed (tempo).
Put these secrets into practice this week and you should see a marked improvement on your chords changes.
Free Guitar Video Lessons - Click Here...
Till next time...
Keep practicing!
K.Unruh
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