Archive for January, 2010
How To Play Piano Or Guitar By Ear
Are you impressed with people who are able to play the piano, guitar or any musical instruments by ear? Do you think that these people are born with the talent to play music by ear? You know what? Play music by ear can be learnt. There are many methods to learn how to play piano or guitar by ear and in this article, we will explore one of these methods.
Are you able to recognize chords or scales without looking at music notations? Do you happen to know that the same chords are often repeated in most songs over and over again? If you do, then you are on your way to playing music by ear.
Playing by ear is not a matter of memorizing every chord and note in a song but by just being able to recognize the chord patterns of the song and being able to predict what chords or progressions will occur next. If you can do that, then you will be able to play by ear on any musical instruments.
Playing by ear is not a well kept secret nor is it a complicated process. On the contrary, the techniques and principles are simple and easy-to-understand. If you are a novice and is struggling to learn music theory, you will understand that the conventional method on learning how to play the piano or the guitar is a real challenge and will need to take years to master the musical instrument.
To put it candidly, learning, not to say mastering a musical instrument is not an easy task. It requires an intensive level of comprehension, application of the techniques and skill and most of all, a dogged determination.
Furthermore, it can never be really be mastered because there will always be something new to learn such as unused chord progression, unfamiliar music theory, or exploring different genres of music. So by learning how to play music by ear, you will then be able to cut through all the complexities in learning how to play the piano or the guitar in the conventional way.
The following are some simple techniques you must understand in order to play any song by ear. The first step in learning to play by ear is to learn how the melody is constructed. Especially so when learning how to play jazz piano or the lead guitar because of the solo runs involved. This is because when you know how the melody line is constructed, you will then be more able to predict where the notes of the melody are going to be.
For instance, if you know that a melody is being played in the key of say, G major, you will then first assess whether this melody sounds like it is created from a major, natural minor, melodic, minor, harmonic minor, blues, or any other scale that you can think of.
So by knowing all of these scales and being able to recognize the scales with your ear, you can then eliminate notes that are less likely to be a part of the melody in most cases.
After recognizing melodies from scales, you will be more experienced and will be able to immediately play any tune in your head!
For example, if you recognized that a song is played in G major, by knowing the notes of the G major scale, knowing what notes are most likely to be played and knowing what notes are not likely to be played, you will then be able to predict what notes will be played and what notes have already been played. It is just that simple.
By knowing what scale the songs are created from, by knowing what notes are immediately eliminated or less likely to occur in a melody or tune and by knowing what notes are most likely to be repeated, you can learn and play any song on the guitar or piano by ear. Of course, there are more to this if you want to be an accomplished play by ear musician.
Chris Chew
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/how-to-play-piano-or-guitar-by-ear-447749.html
Beginner Acoustic Guitar – Tips & Lessons for Better Guitar Playing
I am sure you have been searching for acoustic beginner online guitar lessons for quite some time now. Perhaps these sites have not answered some of the most basic questions that a beginner has when starting acoustic guitar. This article was written to address those questions with tips, lessons and basics that I hope will help you on your way.
What is the best beginner acoustic guitar?
This is probably the most common question amongst beginner acoustic guitar players. Do not buy the most expensive guitar, but do not buy the cheapest you can find either. A good range to shop in would be between 100 – 300 dollars.
If you can, find an experienced guitar player to come shopping with you. Ask him or her to pick up and play all the guitars within your price range and then purchase the one that feels and sounds the best. Make certain to examine any guitar you plan on purchasing.
Look down the neck of the guitar to see if it is warped. Check the action on the guitar. The action refers to the height of the strings from the fret board. If the action is too high or too low, it can cause problems with your playing.
Remember that you are just a beginner and this is your first guitar. Do not invest a lot of money into buying a guitar at this stage. If you do, and you find that acoustic guitar playing is not your thing, then you will have a beautiful guitar collecting dust in the corner of your room. If you enjoy playing and you find yourself getting better, then you can begin to explore your options and purchase a higher quality guitar.
Do not let yourself get stressed out when buying your first guitar. Just get a descent one and start practicing.
Some good brands to consider: Epiphone, Takamine, Yamaha and Squier.
Ouch! My fingers hurt. I can’t play!
This is a very common complaint amongst the beginner. Every single guitarist has experienced hand and finger pain when just starting out. It is something that you simply cannot avoid. The remedy? Keep playing and build up strength in your hands and fingers and develop those calluses!
Building calluses on your fingertips will allow you to hold down the strings of the guitar without any pain while flattening your fingertips to produce a better sounding note.
You build up calluses and strength from practicing. Practice, practice and more practice. In time the pain will subside, but you have to get through this difficult stage of playing first, so hang in there.
Listen to your body though. If you are in serious pain then by all means give your hands and fingers a rest.
Here is a great exercise to help strengthen your hands and fingers and to build up calluses:
This exercise will also familiarize you with the entire neck of your guitar and give you the agility to play chords and solos. Building the muscles in your hands will improve your stamina for playing and will develop what is called “muscle memory”.
The object of this exercise is to play each note going up and down the neck of the guitar.
Start with your pointer finger on the 6th string 1st fret, let your fingers follow up the neck of the guitar, one note at a time, staying on the 6th string until your pinky finger reaches the fourth fret.
Play the 1st fret with your pointer finger
Play the 2nd fret with your middle finger
Play the 3rd fret with your ring finger
Play the 4th fret with your pinky finger
Note: After you have played the first fret do not lift your pointer finger up. Keep each finger on the string as you play them. This is important as it will aid in the strengthening process.
Repeat the same process on the 5th string, then the 4th, and so on.
When you get to the bottom string, slide your entire hand over one fret without lifting your fingers.
So at this point, your pinky finger should be on the 1st string 5th fret, your ring finger on the 4th fret, middle finger on the 3rd fret and your pointer finger on the 2nd fret.
Now play in reverse, starting with your pinky, going back up the guitar to the 6th string, only this time you have to lift up your fingers as you play.
Then simply repeat the process until you reach the last fret of your guitar.
Do not rush this exercise or you will develop poor playing habits. Go nice and slow making sure you are producing a nice tone with each note you play.
More Beginner Guitar Tips
Make sure to stretch your fingers and hands before practicing.
Learn to actually read music and not just tablature.
Hire a guitar teacher if you can afford it. A teacher will be able to catch any mistakes you are making and correct you on the spot. This will help you develop better playing habits. If you cannot afford a guitar teacher, then invest in a good home study course.
Learn how to play chords, scales and techniques and not just your favorite songs. I know you just want to jump right in and learn “Stairway to Heaven”, but if you do not put the time in to learn the theory behind those great songs, you will not improve as a guitar player.
Do not pack up your guitar. Leave it out in the open. This will make it more convenient for you to just pick up your guitar and play at any time.
Practice everyday for at least 20 minutes, more if possible. If you find yourself getting bored, or making too many mistakes, then take a break and do something else. 20 minutes of quality practice is better than an hour of sloppy practice.
Listen to other guitarists and not just in your favorite genre of music. You will be surprised at how other styles of music can influence your playing.
Play with other musicians as often as possible. This is a great way to learn and pick up new techniques and advice.
Learn the proper way to string and tune your guitar.
Learn the proper way to take care of and maintain your instrument.
I hope this article has helped. The best tip I can give you is to never give up. Keep playing every day and try not to get discouraged. Good guitar playing is not just about technique, it also comes from your heart. If you truly love playing guitar, and you are dedicated to getting better, then it is only a matter of time. Enjoy and God Bless!
Ralph Serpe
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/beginner-acoustic-guitar-tips-lessons-for-better-guitar-playing-365208.html
Tune your guitar
Basic EADGBE tuningHow to Play the Electric Guitar : How to Bend Strings on your Electric Guitar
Learn how to bend strings while playing electric guitar in this free online music lesson video.
Expert: Michael Larney
Contact: www.myspace.com/nakedunderneath
Bio: Michael Larney is a professional musician, who has been playing guitar and writing music for 15 years.
Filmmaker: Andy Strohl
Duration : 0:1:40
Funk R&B Rhythm playing electric guitar lesson funky blues
http://www.nextlevelguitar.com/pages/1_free_DVD/
Click the link above to receive free exclusive videos, newletters, and lots of free guitar and music goodies from next level guitar.
In this teach some very cool R&B funk rhythmic playing techniques. Many more lessons at:
http://www.nextlevelguitar.com
Duration : 0:7:14
