Archive for the ‘guitars’ Category
Cheap Electric Guitars: for the Beginner or Frugal Shredder
Cheap electric guitars are a great solution for any beginner or cost conscious shredder. My first urge to learn how to play the guitar came when I was 12 years old. I confidently asked my mother to buy me an electric guitar, but she was put off by the high priced major brands. My heart was set on learning to play, so she found a cheap electric guitar on sale at our local toy store.
It was absolutely a beginner guitar. The amplifier was built into the body of it. My first guitar teacher found it hilarious, never actually seeing one like that before.
I learned all the basics of playing on that guitar. I spent hours alone in my room with it, and had the blisters on my fingers to prove it. I showed my mom that the guitar wasn’t something I was going to get bored with after a week and earned the right to plug it into a real amp; a decision her eardrums soon came to regret.
Cheap electric guitars aren’t just for beginners. I know a number of seasoned veteran players that are always finding great deals on cheap electric guitars that provide them with the quality they demand.
Let’s face it – instruments are expensive. High quality electric guitars will easily cost over $1,000; and that’s not even including a decent amp. A passion for guitar playing can easily burn a hole in your wallet, so finding a cheap electric guitar is a worth the effort.
If you’re just starting to learn how to play guitar, the thought of running out and buying the best gear is easy to get excited about. But use caution; spending a lot of money on top notch guitar equipment could be a mistake for a beginner. The early stages of learning to play can be frustrating. When guitar gods like Eddie Van Halen or Jimmy Page make it look easy while you’re having trouble laying down a bar chord, you’ll soon be tempted to perform the classic “guitar smash”.
Unfortunately many people get too frustrated with their beginning lessons and give up on learning to play too soon. I strongly recommend your first electric guitar purchase to be a cheap electric guitar for that reason.
You can learn to play on a cheap electric guitar just as well as you would if you bought an expensive one. A cheap guitar may even be better suited for learning. The reason for this is that typically cheap electric guitars require you to apply more pressure with your fingers to get the right sound output. This will strengthen your fingers quicker, giving you an edge over someone learning on a premium model. When you do make your first expensive guitar purchase, the built up strength will pay off when you can play better than the average player.
Mike Danick
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/cheap-electric-guitars-for-the-beginner-or-frugal-shredder-748923.html
Learning How to Play Guitar Scales
Perhaps no one would contest that almost every man has had the desire to learn how to play the guitar in his early years.
Perhaps this is due to the fact that in our time, guitars are pretty much available anywhere and that guitars are a lot cheaper and portable than pianos and other musical instruments.
guitars are also a lot easier to learn than other musical instruments. Add to this the fact that many rock icons and country music stars use guitars. Although it is sad that many who started did not pursue it, it is still compensating to know and realize that we will never run out of good guitar players in the world.
Learning the guitar scales is not for beginners. This is for people who know how to play the guitar, even in the basic ways only, and want to further improve their musical prowess. If you are not yet aware of the different guitar parts, then perhaps you should start at the basics before learning the scales used for guitar music.
It was always observed that there are 12 sections on the guitar’s musical octave. These divisions are called semitones. To give a further definition, an octave is called so if one note or sound is twice as high as another one. When looking at the guitar, keep in mind that that each fret or division is a semitone.
This means that there is a total of 12 frets in regular guitars. You will find that sometimes there are more than these in other guitars. Another thing to remember is that one scale starts and also stops at each octave. You may have observed that others use a “capo” when playing the guitar.
This means that what they press as a chord is pressed farther from the nut after they have tied something around the guitar. This is for experts who understand the differences of the octave and the scales. They also do this to play a different key.
Accordingly, there are seven modes for the major scale. For the minor scale, there are only three modes. There are other guitar scales called the blue, pentatonic, and the whole tone scale. India and Spain introduced the diminished and other scales.
Pentatonic Scales
Many will say that this type or mode of scale is the least complicated of all. This is precisely because the pentatonic scale is only using five notes instead of the standard seven notes. One should never miss in learning the pentatonic scale because this is crucial in learning the other modes of scales.
There are two types of the pentatonic guitar scales: the major and the minor. Accordingly, the major scale is a lot more complicated than the minor scale. The difference is that the minor scale is shifted three frets from the major scale pattern. The major scale is commonly used in songs or music meant for the church.
The Blues Scale
The blues scale is like a modification of the A Minor Pentatonic Scale. This is done by adding a note to the pentatonic scale. This is done simply to alter a common note or scale, thus adding flavor to the music.
Bernice Eker
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/learning-how-to-play-guitar-scales-873065.html
Guitar Sucks You In. So Tune up Your Life
You rarely, if ever, come across a guy or a girl who hasn’t heard of guitar, let alone see it or play it. Not a surprise, if you knew the history which has thrown up countless styles of this stringed instrument. It runs for over 5000 years, pictures and figurines are reclaimed from Iranian sites that depict playing instruments similar to guitars.
But why could it retain its popularity for so long a time? It is not mysterious to answer this question, at all. Guitars acclimate perfectly well with classical styles as it does with popular and rock styles, play it as a solo instrument or use as an accompaniment, it is fine. It is also fine to choose guitars with six, eight, ten or even 12 strings, as you like. In a nut shell, guitar is a great escape when you are lonely and depressed.
Types of guitars
There are just two types to divide guitars.
1.Acoustic type: These classic guitars are fondly known as Hawaiian guitars too. They don’t need outside inputs to amplify the acoustics but can do so themselves, even though they are now a day available fitted with electric gadgets to power the amplification needs. What still beckons is the loudness which is absent.
2.Electric type: Electric guitars pickup mechanical vibrations of strings for amplification by first picking them up via radio or electric signals and then amplifying. The built-in electronic part of the guitar uses semiconductor chips to manage the whole thing unlike the vacuum diodes and valves of the yester era. If you are interested, the electric guitars score over their poor country cousins, the classic acoustic guitars, in many ways such as tapping, hammer-on, legato and pull-offs to name a few.
There are countless sub varieties that combine the plusses of both or otherwise simply stand out. There are hybrid guitars that combine acoustic and electric guitars. Don’t be surprised to see double necked or a 5.1 surround guitar too.
Guitar and the Beginner
Don’t worry if you are challenged for time these days. You can easily find a guitar lesson designed especially for the beginners over the internet. Although this calls for greater dedication and passion as opposed to being taught by a musician, you have the comfort of making your time table, beginning where you want to, and the complete absence of that embarrassed feel in the beginning when you produce some funny noises plucking your strings.
Saddle up again guitar is all about spicing up life.
Namsing Then
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/guitar-sucks-you-in-so-tune-up-your-life-78685.html
A Brief History of Taylor Guitars
Taylor Guitars got its official start in 1974 with its founders, Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug. However, the story begins much earlier than that in the 60s when popular music spurred by the Beatles got a lot of people itching to play the guitar. The founders were young then, but they started their love of the guitar at around this time.
Eventually, this itch led them to the purchase of a guitar shop with another friend, Steve Schemmer. The shop was modest, and information on the Taylor Guitars site reveals that it was less than ideal. They constantly dealt with water leaks and flooding. But, everyone needs to start somewhere! Their beginnings were rocky and difficult and that first workshop seems to signify that.
Together, the three operated this shop which was then called the Westland Music Company. Their original business idea had the company selling guitars and their parts, repairing them, building them etc. They also decided to call their guitar line Taylors after Bob Taylor, the accomplished luthier of the group. Thus, the long process of trying to run a company and make top notch guitars begins in this little shop.
Long story short, they were eventually successful at both. Now, their company employs over 300 people, all of which play different roles in the company. Kurt Listug is still heavily involved with the company as CEO. They are successful, and the Taylor Acoustic is considered amongst the best acoustic guitars and has achieved world wide renown.
They manufacture 14 different acoustic guitar styles, with multiple models within each category. These include the Bob Taylor, named for the head Luthier, the 100 through the 900 Series, the Presentation Series, the Nylon Series, the KOA Series, and the Walnut Series.
There are also plenty of artists who enjoy their Taylor Acoustic guitars. These include Chris Procter, Pat Kirtley, Artie Traum, Wayne Johnson, Leo Klottke, Babyface, Faith Hill, Billy Idol, Stephen King, Better than Ezra, and scores others. Taylor are considered a special guitar by there owners.
Here is a review on a Taylor Guitar:
About the Taylor PC14C
I play finger style guitar and finger style solo guitar. First: This is a very expensive guitar which is made to be the top model of Taylor. So if you want to be able to get the real sound out of real good guitar: play with your fingers. Second: Ill love almost any good guitar. Every guitar should be heard for his own character and sound. So how does my PS 14 sound? Well with the well known Taylor sparkle in the highs and a very thick creamy mid and warm basses. The sound is very, very rich.
The history or Taylor guitar is a modern day success story, from an American Manufacturer that is still going strong.
William McRea
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/a-brief-history-of-taylor-guitars-57749.html
A Brief History of Ibanez Guitars
Ibanez is a guitar manufacturer started by Hoshino Gakki in Japan. Back in 1900 when the company first began they were called the Hoshino Gakki Company and they only started making string instruments in 1935.
These early stringed instruments were not known in the West until the 1960s when Gakki paired up with Harry Rosenbloom, a Pennsylvania music shop owner. Together, they decided to give the guitars the name of Ibanez to make it more marketable to a western audience.
By the time the 70s hit, Ibanez began making guitars modeled after popular styles that companies like Gibson and Fender were putting out. Though they were almost exact replicas, they were made with cheaper materials and were therefore inexpensive.
However, Ibanez has changed. They no longer model their guitars after other styles put out by different companies. They have their own makes and models that are endorsed by some pretty high level players.
The newer Ibanez guitars are more modern in design and style. You can find some with interesting shapes and designs. Also, artists such as Steve Vai work closely with the company to manufacture special models with their own artistic flare. (For example, Vais tree of life pattern on the fretboard).
Another modern style element includes the fact that they have slimmer necks and flatter fingerboards than the classic style guitars. This makes doing intricate and accurate speed work a lot easier. Also watch out for different models with different finishes and electronics.
An example of some of the guitars you can find include the Prestige Series guitars, the Vai Signatures, Pat Metheny Signatures, Korn Signatures, Joe Satriani Signatures, and the Andy Timmons Signature guitar. These signature guitars were designed with or by the artists themselves. Other models include the S-Series guitars, special models for left handed players, and the Artcore guitars.
There are also certain artists who use and endorse the brand. These include Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, two highly regarded instrumental rock guitarists who often tour together. Andy Timmons, Korn, Pat Metheny, George Benson, Terry Balsamo of Evanescence, Fran Cosmo of Boston, Marty Friedman, John Scofield, and Matt Roberts of 3 Doors Down.
Here is what some people have to say about Ibanez guitars (source Harmony Central):
I have been playing for about 3 years now and this is my consideration of my first real guitar. I have always played Ibanez, I just like the look, feel and sound of them. If this were stolen I would definitely get another one of these and I plan to replace my GRX170 with another one, yes I want another one call me crazy but I wanna have another guitar with a normal string arrangement on it. I love everything about this guitar, the look, the feel, the sound, it definitely has a character of its own. (Harmony Central User concerning the RG32Q0S)
William McRea
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/a-brief-history-of-ibanez-guitars-54176.html
