The Electric Guitar Revolution

Are you a fan of the electric guitar?  I am... and I think it's fascinating how this one, sometimes vilified instrument, has literally changed the course of music in every genre around world!

Did you know that the first electric guitar to become available on the commercial market was offered by the Gibson Company in the late 1930s? It was an amplified archtop design that was invented by none other than Orville H. Gibson himself, and by the 1940s it set the standard for jazz musicians.

But we all know that the electric guitar revolution really began in the 1950s after Rock and Roll was born. American blues morphed into something more vibrant and alive when Chubby Checkers,  Elvis Presley and many other "rockers" arrived on the scene. 

Little did anyone realize the impact this "American" music was having on our friends across the Atlantic Ocean.  Future super groups began incubating in the hearts and minds of such legendary names as ...Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Ian Anderson ... as they listened to the mesmerizing sound of the electric guitar.  Looking back it seems as though they were destined to become the movers and shakers of their generation  Learn more...



Till Next Time...

Keep Practicing!

K.Unruh
abclearnguitar.com

Learn to Play Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls

Iris is one of the most popular songs by the Goo Goo Dolls, and one of my personal favorites. I can still remember stopping dead in my tracks the first time I heard it because the song affected me in such a profound way.

Although I couldn't understand the words initially, I felt like I understood the song intuitively somehow. I think my experience was more emotional, than conscious or intellectual.

Iris, along with four other songs from the Goo Goo Dolls 1998 album "Dizzy Up The Girls" became top-10 singles. Which just goes to show that I am not the only one moved by their music.

Anyway, I think you'll be glad to know that it's not very difficult to learn how to play Iris on the guitar. However, you will need to use an "open" tuning. If you have never played in an altered tuning before, it might seem a little weird at first. But I don't think it will take you that long to get it down.

The biggest challenge, in my opinion, will be the vocal part. The vocal dynamics are a very powerful and important part of carrying the lyric for this song. Don't worry if you don't like to sing. Just try Iris for the sake of learning how to play in an open tuning. Besides, it will be good rhythm practice for you!

Free Guitar Lesson Video:

Learn How to Play Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls

Till next time,

Keep Practicing!
K.Unruh

Guitar Tab vs. Music Notation...

Tablature (commonly referred to as tab) is a very popular method for transcribing guitar music into written form. The reason for it's popularity is likely because most people find tab much easier to read and understand than standard music notation. 

In my experience as a teacher I've noticed that students who want to learn how to play guitar, tend to grasp the concept of how to read tab more quickly than they grasp the concept of how to read notes on a staff. I think this is primarily due to the simple structure of tablature and how it relates to the guitar.

If you really want to learn how to read tab there are only three basic things you need to know about the guitar...

1. How the strings are numbered 
2. How the frets are numbered
3. How to move up & down

On the other hand, music notation is more abstract and complex.

A student who wants to learn how to read music needs to understand how to identify...

• Lines on a Staff

• Spaces on a Staff

• Note Values

• Notes on a staff

• Notes on the guitar neck

• Time Signatures

• Key Signatures

• Rests

• Measures

• Repeat Signs

             and more...

Now it might appear to the casual reader that guitar tab is superior to music notation.  But actually, and perhaps contrary to popular opinion,  quite the opposite is true.  The plain fact of the matter is... tab just doesn't have as extensive a vocabulary as music notation has.

Tab  may be easier to read, but it is very limited when it comes to providing the tools that are necessary for expressing the full breadth of a musical composition. One of the most obvious tools lacking in tab is a method for counting time.  Tab must rely on the note values used in standard music notation to solve this problem!

However, with that said, I need to acknowledge that there are additional symbols that are used in tab to indicate specific techniques such as slides, hammers, pull-offs, and so forth.

So should you choose one method over the other?  Absolutely not.  Whether you are a guitar player, composer, songwriter, or all three...  It is in your best interest to learn as much as you can about both of them!

Thankfully, there are many resources available to help you, such as online guitar lessons, books, CDs, DVDs, and private instruction.  Try to take advantage of as many of these resources as you can. After-all, having a commitment to continuing education is the key to your success!

Until next time…

Keep practicing!
K.Unruh
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Guitar Player- Improve Your Tone!

What is it that makes one guitar player sound so much better than another? Is it because one plays a $5000 guitar, while the other can only afford to play a $500 guitar?

The guitar might have something to do with it.

However, when I was at a guitar workshop I heard some awesome stuff being played on both expensive and inexpensive guitars. It wasn't that easy to tell the difference between a pricey guitar and a more modest guitar while it was in the hands of an expert.

Now, I do think that a well made guitar is more likely to produce a better quality tone overall, but it doesn't appear to be the answer to my initial question. Just put an expensive, quality guitar, in the hands of a novice and you'll quickly discover that it can sound pretty cheap.

So, what is it that makes one guitar player's tone sound so much better than anothers?

Perhaps it has something to do with having the right amplifiers, or using special effects pedals.

Yes... These tools can definitely help the guitarist to achieve some really cool sounds, but they can also be used to cover up a lot of sloppy playing. My young guitar students get pretty excited when I add a distortion pedal to their electric guitar and then crank up the volume. Suddenly a change comes over them that is quite dramatic. It's just as if they were instantly converted into a super rock star!

Well, not quite, but at least they feel inspired to keep practicing. =)

According to Gibson's Learn & Master Guitar Blog...

"Your guitar’s “sound” is dependent on many things. For an acoustic guitar, types of wood, bracing, age and a host of other factors contribute to the sound. For an electric guitar, sound is produced by the pickups, embellished with the effects, connected together with the cables, and made possible through the amp. So you can see there are a lot of factors that can add or detract from the sound of your guitar along the way."

The article goes on to say that there are Five Simple Rules for Achieving Great Tone and that  the key to getting a great tone really lies in your fingers. It has a lot to do with acquiring the skills and technique that will enable you to pull the sound out of the instrument you are playing.

So, I guess it all boils down to spending more time, rather than spending more money, when it comes to getting a good tone out of your guitar.

Till next time...

Keep practicing!
K.Unruh