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place the fleshy side of your palm lightly on the strings . keeping your palm down on the strings , strum normally . adjust the pressure of your palm to adjust your sound . experiment with hand position . adjust your hands to sound certain notes . | how to palm mute 1 | pretend your karate - chopping the strings . dont actually hit them , but that shows you what part of your hand should be hitting the strings . it should be the outside of your palm . when you first put your hand down , it should be perpendicular to the strings , not laying flat against them . slide the hand back as close to the bridge as you can - - this makes it easier to learn . use your fingers and light wrist movement to strum while still keeping everything muted . you want to work on keeping the same weight on the strings as you strum , moving only up and down , not against the strings , as you pick . it is often easiest to start by just picking one string . as you get used to keeping it palm muted , play a two - string chord , then a three , and onward . a lot of palm muting is about the feel on the strings , since the actual skill is not very hard . the harder you press , the less youll hear the note of the string and more youll hear a dampened , percussive sound . if you are too light youll just hear buzzing as the strings struggle to move . the perfect sound is a deadened , but still melodic , note that ends quickly after you strum it . with dampening , you should be able to hear the pitch when you pick the string . try picking the strings one at time to make sure you can hear all the proper pitches rather than a dead plucking sound . you can change how much your hand dampens the sound by moving it back and forth on the strings . moving closer to the fretboard dampens the sound more . however , as noted , you should keep your hand as close to the bridge as possible if you still want to hear pitch . if you want the first string to sound , lift off that part of your hand . you can test to make sure its sounding correctly by strumming it . practice lifting off each string in order . once youve mastered the technique , you can control which strings are dampened and which strings are not . youll be lifting from your wrist , rather than from your fingers . you can curl your wrist up and down to open up or mute certain strings with some practice . |
decide on how much money are willing to spend for your guitar . think about what type of guitar do you want - acoustic or electric . pick your style . try out as much different guitars as you can . visit a lot of musicguitar shops . enjoy it | how to pick a good guitar | if youre a beginner , there is no point in buying something expensive . 200 - 300 are enough . if its your first guitar , then better pick an acoustic . for example , if you want to play metal , ibanez , jackson or bc rich are pretty popular , but fender stratocaster is not a very good choice , because it has a single coil pickup . instead of that its actually awesome for rock , funk or jazz think about what do you want that guitar to sound like , if you imagine it with lots of distortion , for example , then you should consider getting an amp or better , an effect pedal . research on the internet , read reviews , if you know other guitarists , ask them how do they feel about the guitars theyve tried , or in other words , get information about it the more you know , the better now that sort of got the picture of what do you want your guitar to be like , go to the shop , or better , visit many different shops , dont give up and spend your money before you find what youre looking for . when you find a guitar that fits the looks and features part , try it out . make some taping , thrilling , try some tremolo picking and the whole time listen carefully to the sound and watch out for buzzing and unclean sounds . you can play a couple of scales or something like that , just to check if its comfortable to play it , for example the griff may be too thick for your hand , or too thin , it might be hard playing fast on it , or simply not fitting you , but this is important , if you dont feel comfortable to play it , then better dont buy that guitar . try to decide how heavy the guitar is , if its too light , then the wood is not good , and this is a very important factor , especially for acoustics . if its too heavy , then its not a good idea buying that one too . it has to be the right weight for you , the most important is for you to be comfortable playing . you have to feel exited about that guitar , you have to love it , whats the point in buying a guitar you wouldnt enjoy you should be sure you really want that guitar before buying , or youll most likely regret it after a while . |
tune into the bridge pickups of your electric guitar . use humbucker pickups whenever possible . work on moving in and out of palm muting mid strum . | how to palm mute 2 | since youre picking and muting near the bridge , these pickups will get the best , thickest sound for you . for a more distorted , buzzy sound , use the neck pickups . these pickups will grab a lot of that deep , chunky tone that you want when palm muting . listen to old green day tracks , for example . they are simple chords and structures , but the ability to go quickly from palm muted to open strings allows him to texture and layer the guitar part uniquely . learn to start palm muting , then slowly raising your palm off . become your guitars volume knob , switching fluidly . |
master a metronome - perfect sense of rhythm . learn the bluegrass standards . keep both hands loose and relaxed , especially in speedy sections . play with pick placement to get different tones and attacks on the strings . take short , precise strums instead of using big and expansive motions . build up your playing speed slowly , deliberately , and smoothly . | how to play bluegrass guitar 1 | most of your time on the guitar is going to be spent playing rhythm sections , not soloing , and an one - the - money sense of rhythm is what distinguishes a great bluegrass guitarist from a beginner . whenever you practice , you should be using a metronome the majority of the time . set the metronome to a speed where you can play everything perfectly , slowly raising the tempo from there . you want to play smoothly at any speed - - not quickly by sloppily . bluegrass gains power and drive when every single instrument is locked into the same rhythm . it quickly sounds sloppy when some people are too fast or are lagging behind . most bluegrass guitar is played communally with other guitarists , banjoist , mandolins , etc , and the only way these circles work is if everyone knows the same songs . dont be afraid to ask other musicians for suggestions , too . pick up these classics and master them first to start playing with other musicians and build your repertoire salt creek fireball mail old joe clark whiskey before breakfast angeline the baker . you want a light touch on the strings , using as little pressure as possible to let the note ring out . many players tense up when trying to play fast , which binds their muscles and prevents fluidity and speed . dont worry if your touch feels heavy right now . make it a point to loosen up on the guitar and youll slowly start to feel faster and smoother . a good tip is to keep your fingers close to the fretboard , even when not playing a note . this cuts down on the speed and force you need to land on a note . most players start with their pick perfectly parallel to the strings , as this is the easiest way to get solid contact . bluegrass players , however , use a wide variety of picking textures to get more rhythmic aspects into their play . as a right - handed player , rotate your hand clockwise a few degrees to hit the strings more on the edge of the pick , which should be sharper and more percussive . if you pick with the left hand , turn counter - clockwise . bluegrass is not the place to whip out your pete townsend impression with big , windmilling strums . you want a short , powerful swing with your strumming hand . think of driving your pick through the strings instead of over top them . this is a place your pick placement can help get a louder tone with a shorter strum . the harsher the angle , the louder the chord . bluegrass is a very fast genre of music , almost never dropping below 200 beats per minute bpm . this means playing fast isnt just nice , its a requirement . in order to play quickly , however , you need some patience . all the speed in the world doesnt matter if you cant hit the notes cleanly . practice at a speed just above your comfort level , and dont increase the speed until you can hit this tempo cleanly every time . again , the use of a metronome cannot be understated - - it is necessary for consistent rhythm . |
learn as many of the open chords and chord shapes as you can . learn the boom chick pattern most common in bluegrass rhythm guitar . lay additional emphasis on the second and forth beats to really swing . use bass runs to add little licks of flavor between chords . provide a rock - solid perfect rhythmic backing before moving on to lead play . | how to play bluegrass guitar 2 | open chords are those that utilize unfretted , or open , notes when played . they are far and away the most common chords in bluegrass , as open notes will keep ringing out after being played , which creates wonderful sustain and lasting melody . if youre just starting , the essentials are c , g , and d , which can form hundreds of songs on their own c - chord g - chord d - chord e - - - - x - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - - - - b - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - g - - - - 0 - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - - - - d - - - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - - - a - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - x - - - - - - e - - - - x - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - - x - - - - - - , this is the classic and most essential bluegrass rhythm , and can be played on any chord . start with an open g , fingering it like normal , and count out a basic 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 etc . rhythm , using a metronome to help keep time . beat 1 pluck the root note , in this case the 6th string , 3rd fret . beat 2 strum the bottom 3 - 4 strings of the cord , coming up with the pick . beat 3 pluck 4th string note of the chord , in this case the open d string . beat 4 strum the bottom 3 - 4 strings of the chord , coming up with the pick . this means , if playing your basic boom - chick , youre leaning a little harder on the strummed notes than the chords . this provides a regular rhythmic backbone to the song , not unlike the lub - dub of your heartbeat . other instruments , in general , will fill the other spaces in the rhythm with their own emphasis . this frequently means emphasizing your upstroke while picking . a solid , strong upstroke will usually give a song a swinging feel . remember that musical tension is created through contrast . by keeping beats 1 3 relaxed , you get a little added power in beats 2 4 . a bass run is simply a set of single notes , played on the heavier strings , that you use to transition from one chord or song section to the other . you can look up thousands of them online , but the basic strategy is to just walk from the bass note of one chord to the bass note of the other chord , playing some of the frets in between to get there . one simple example of a g - run would be like this - - starting with the classic boom - chick on a g chord and moving to c with a few solo notes . the run is in the 4th 5th bar e - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - b - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - - g - - - - - - 0 - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - d - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - - - a - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - 2 - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - e - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , before taking any bass runs or fine - tuning your pick position , you must have perfect rhythm . the guitar , with its big , rich sound and natural volume , often takes the duty of a drummer in a bluegrass circle . as the guitarist , your job is to keep everyone on time . none of your technical flash matters if you cant hold down the tempo . this is why you must practice with a metronome . it is the only way to train and ensure perfect rhythm each time . |
use the notes from your chords to build your basic lead lines . use pull - offs to pluck open strings without having to pick . use hammer - ons to quickly blaze up the fretboard . use open notes whenever youre in doubt , especially with pull - offs . use repeated notes instead of trying to dance around the fretboard with fast songs . use the major and minor pentatonic scales to start working your way down the neck . | how to play bluegrass guitar 3 | because bluegrass guitarists must be able to quickly transition from lead lines to rhythmic playing , as evidenced briefly in the bass runs above , they tend to use similar sets of notes to make speedy play much easier . use the notes from each chord currently being played to form your licks and solos . for example , the following lick in the key of c only uses those open notes and notes already in a c chord e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - b - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - d - - - - - - - - - 0 - - 1 - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , instead of gently removing your finger from the fret , pull it downward , sounding out the string like your finger was a pick . because bluegrass relies so much on open strings , this is a great way to quickly ring them out while picking other notes , effectively doubling your playing speed . check out this simple run from a c to a g to see it in action - - the p means to pull off the first note into the second e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - b - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - d - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a - - - - 3p2p0 - - - - - - - - - - - - - e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - a hammer on is when you slam your finger down on the fret so that it sounds out without picking . they are a great way to add subtle notes to your lead lines and solos and increase note speed . they also pair excellently with pull - offs , which can allow you to play three notes with only one strum . the h means you hammer onto the fret immediately after the h e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - b - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - d - - - - 0h2p0 - - - - - - - - 2 - - - - a - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a great way to increase your picking speed is to pick notes with your fretting hand . hammer - ons and pull - offs are essential for bluegrass play , as they add speed and texture only possible with open notes , so dont be afraid to just start plucking and pulling off your chords to transition in and out of solos or create a little extra rhythm to your solos . for beginners , playing a lead line at a blistering 240bpm is a recipe for crashing and burning . a good way to get up to that pace is not to play as many different notes as you can , but to focus on playing a few notes well . you can keep your picking hand moving while keeping things simple on the fretboard , allowing you to play blazing fast lines with less effort . try doubling or tripling up notes before you move , giving you a bit more time to think . as you get better , youll be able to start picking and fretting at faster and faster speeds - - just remember that it doesnt matter how fast a solo is if it sounds sloppy . most solos , as evidenced above , tend to stick to the top of the guitar . but if youre really serious about lead guitar then you already want to stretch further down the neck into new territory . luckily , the most common guitar scales - - the major and minor pentatonic scale - - will work wonders . a common , but difficult , skill is to change the scale to match the chord being played . so , for an a chord , you play the a - major pentatonic , then move to the c - major when switching to the c chord . this requires in - depth knowledge of every note on the fretboard . if youre serious about bluegrass guitar , you must spend time learning the music theory behind the caged system , which helps map the fretboard . still feel like stretching your musical muscles dive into the mixlodian mode for bluegrass solos as well . |
collect your supplies . remove the guitar bags strap . prepare the rope . tie the rope to the strap . make sure that the knot is safe . start rocking . | how to make a guitar strap quickly 1 | you would need the following a guitar bag with a removable strap a rope just enough to fit in the straps holes scissors optional you must loosen this , but also remember not all guitar bags are the same you have to work out how to remove yours . the two pieces of rope can be non - identical pieces because you can switch the position of the strap to be lower or higher . the length really depends on your preferences , as long as you can tie it . it is strongly encouraged to tie the rope on the part where the hook is resting . use the steps in how to tie a knot if needed . this is a vital step you dont want your guitar to fall off right if its loose , try a tighter and more secure knot . if you play an electric guitar you must have more caution , because the guitar is heavier . make sure the end pins are not loose either . |
find a belt that is comfortable on the shoulders . strap it on to the guitar . start rocking . | how to make a guitar strap quickly 2 | find any belt thats comfortable and sturdy . the method depends on the belt . if it has a lot of holes , is sturdy and can fit the end pin , put it directly on by the way , remember it must fit you . if it is made out of strong , comfortable material but has no holes that fit the end pin , put a rope on one of the belt holes , on one end , and put some on the buckle , on the other end . tie a good knot and strap it on . make sure it is secure . be careful , belts break , like a heart . if used wrongly it will eventually break to pieces . |
familiarize yourself with some of the essential guitar techniques for soloing . learn the pentatonic scale . integrate the basic soloing techniques into the pentatonic scale . vary your rhythms . pay attention to the underlying chord sequence . | how to play a guitar solo | these techniques are simple enough by themselves , but mastering them and being able to effortlessly integrate them is crucial to be able to solo well . some of these techniques include bends , hammer - ons , pull - offs , vibrato , and double stops . imagesthumbbb9play - a - guitar - solo - step - 1 - version - 2 . jpgv4 - 550px - play - a - guitar - solo - step - 1 - version - 2 . jpg imagesthumbbb9play - a - guitar - solo - step - 1 - version - 2 . jpgv4 - 300px - play - a - guitar - solo - step - 1 - version - 2 . jpg a bend is accomplished by bending a guitar string to raise its pitch . to play a bend , fret a string with your ring finger , and place your pointer and middle fingers on the frets just behind it . exerting pressure with all 3 fingers , push the string up or down against the neck and allow its pitch to rise . you can achieve either a half step or a full step difference in pitch . a hammer - on is accomplished by playing a second note with only your fretting hand . to play a hammer - on , fret a string with your pointer finger and pluck the string . after plucking the string , forcefully fret the note a full step above this note with your ring finger , but do not pluck the string . a pull - off is the analog to the hammer - on . to play a pull - off , fret a string with your ring finger and pluck the string . after plucking the string , pull your ring finger off the fretboard , keeping your index finger fretted a full step below . pull - offs and hammer - ons can be used to increase your solos speed , because you dont need to pluck each note separately . a vibrato occurs when a sustained note is allowed to pulsate in pitch . to play a vibrato , fret a string with your pointer finger and pluck the note . allow the note to ring , all the while jiggling your pointer finger back and forth on the fretboard . this will cause the note to pulsate regularly between being in tune and slightly sharp . a double stop occurs when you play 2 notes at the same time during a solo . simply put , a double stop is a chord . fret and pluck both strings just as you would when playing a chord sequence . the pentatonic scale is a scale with only 5 notes per octave , in contrast to the typical 7 notes . removing the 2 notes from the diatonic scale creates a scale with no dissonant intervals there are no minor seconds or diminished fifths , and as such the pentatonic scale has become the quintessential scale for guitar soloing . you will want to become familiar with the scale at all positions along the guitars neck . imagesthumb550play - a - guitar - solo - step - 2 - version - 3 . jpgv4 - 550px - play - a - guitar - solo - step - 2 - version - 3 . jpg imagesthumb550play - a - guitar - solo - step - 2 - version - 3 . jpgv4 - 300px - play - a - guitar - solo - step - 2 - version - 3 . jpg the major pentatonic scale is produced by playing the first , second , third , fifth , and sixth degrees of the major scale . in c major , the pentatonic scale would be c , d , e , g , a . the minor pentatonic scale is produced by playing the first , third , fourth , fifth , and seventh degrees of the minor scale . in c minor , the pentatonic scale would be c , e - flat , f , g , b - flat . the pentatonic scale that you use as a framework for your solo should match the key of the song . the minor blues pentatonic scale is produced by playing the first , third , fourth , flatted fifth , and seventh degrees of the blues minor scale . in c minor , the pentatonic scale would be c , e - flat , f , g - flat , g , b - flat . play up and down the pentatonic scale , employing techniques like bends and hammer - ons . this provides the basic framework for guitar soloing in virtually all styles of music . imagesthumbdddplay - a - guitar - solo - step - 3 - version - 3 . jpgv4 - 550px - play - a - guitar - solo - step - 3 - version - 3 . jpg imagesthumbdddplay - a - guitar - solo - step - 3 - version - 3 . jpgv4 - 300px - play - a - guitar - solo - step - 3 - version - 3 . jpg as you begin to play through the pentatonic scale using various techniques , make sure to vary your rhythmic structures . strive for a balance between fast , technically precise passages using sixteenth - notes for example and slow , lyrically expressive passages using half or whole notes , for example . imagesthumbeedplay - a - guitar - solo - step - 4 - version - 3 . jpgv4 - 550px - play - a - guitar - solo - step - 4 - version - 3 . jpg imagesthumbeedplay - a - guitar - solo - step - 4 - version - 3 . jpgv4 - 300px - play - a - guitar - solo - step - 4 - version - 3 . jpg as you become comfortable with soloing , start to pay more attention to what your rhythm section is playing . remember that the notes you are playing will sound different based on their relationships with the underlying chord . if the rhythm section is playing a c major chord , for example , playing a c or g will sound very consonant meaning it will mesh well , while playing an f - sharp will clash and sound dissonant . strive for a balance between consonance and dissonance . imagesthumbdd9play - a - guitar - solo - step - 5 - version - 3 . jpgv4 - 550px - play - a - guitar - solo - step - 5 - version - 3 . jpg imagesthumbdd9play - a - guitar - solo - step - 5 - version - 3 . jpgv4 - 300px - play - a - guitar - solo - step - 5 - version - 3 . jpg |
learn basic guitar skills . listen to some death metal . find a slower song to learn at first . examine the options of death metal you have . get equipment for the job . adjust your guitar , amp , and effects settings . find someone to practice with . practice about an hour a day . | how to play death metal guitar | power chords , hammer - ons and pull - offs , harmonics , and other basic skills are needed to play any genre of music , not just death metal . google death metal bands and see what you come up with . some of the best bands to learn from are obituary , death , morbid angel , necrophagist , but these bands have highly technical guitar parts that might take years to get down tight . before you run off buying equipment to play , try learning a song or two . a good place to start is cannibal corpses infinite misery . theres technical death metal , which is more complex . melodic death metal includes more melody then an all out assault of sound . a good distortion pedal is necessary , and an overdrive pedal is good too . make sure your amp sounds good with death metal . you dont need an entire stack , but waging a metal war on a little 8 - watt practice amp is a bad idea . boost your guitar signal into amp with overdrive pedal . set the level to max and distortion to min . amp eq settings should accent the highs and diminish the middle a bit . most death metal uses de - tuned and sometimes 7 - string guitars , so adjust accordingly . ideally , this should be another guitar or bass guitar player . death metal drumming is hard to keep up with at a beginner level . if your joints start to hurt or your fingers bleed , take a break . |
practice a lot . when you start getting the chords right , your fingers may start to hurtsting , this is normal . learn some chords , press hard on the fret board when you are playing your chords . buy a gripmaster hand strengthener to help make your fingers strong and nimble . dont get rid of the calluses you will get when playing guitar , you need them . | how to make your fingers hard for guitar | , some simple ones are a , a minor , d , and e . you can find some of these on the internet . if you keep getting the chords right over and over again , your fingers will get hard , and wont be sore when you practice . also , switch into different chords once in a while . use it while studying or watching tv and it actually makes your fingers stronger . know what will get rid of your calluses so you can avoid these things . |
play notes , solos , and riffs over other guitars and melody instruments to play lead guitar . learn the pentatonic scale to play solos and licks in 90 of popular music . practice playing up and down the pentatonic every single day . play your scales in different keys up and down the fretboard . get most of your speed by using the first and third fingers when possible , but train all four of them . know that there are seven basic things youll use to spice this up and make it a solo rather than just a scale . | how to master lead guitar basics 1 | a lead guitarist generally plays single note lines , meaning they arent playing chords so much as solos and licks . a lick , or riff , is a short piece of guitar work that is often repeated through the verse and chorus . a solo is when the lead guitarist takes center stage and commands the melody line . the pentatonic minor scale is by far the most commonly used scale in rock , blues , pop , and even some jazz . it is also the simplest scale to learn , following a basic box pattern . heres the complete a minor pentatonic scale on all 6 strings , shown in tab - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a lead guitarist needs to know their scales so well they never have to think about what notes they are playing . you want the scale to come so naturally that any idea you have for a riff can be found almost instantly . once you feel comfortable learn other scales , like the major and minor , to expand your tone and playing . you can keep the exact same shape of the pentatonic scale no matter where you start it , meaning you can change key by simply changing the starting note . you can do the same with the major and minor scales , as well . keep the same number of frets between your fingers no matter where you start - the position changes but the pattern stays the same . for example , heres the scale in c - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 - 11 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 - 11 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 - 10 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 - 10 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 - 10 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 - 11 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - your index and ring fingers are the most dexterous , and can spread to cover a large range of notes . that said , the fastest lead players focus on using their whole hand to play - - some even curl their thumb up to fret the 6th string on occasion . these are string bending , string skipping , slides , hammer - ons , pull - offs , vibrato , and chromaticism . |
bend notes for a bluesy , well - articulated pitch . practice landing your bends on the same note one , two , or three frets down . skip strings to create sudden jumps in pitch and spice up solos . use slides to quickly and seamlessly move up and down the neck . hammer on to other notes to quickly sound them out without having to pick . use pull - offs as in inverse of a hammer - on , picking a note with your fretting hand . flutter your fretting finger with a small , back and forth bend to get vibrato . add in several wrong notes to your scales to explore chromaticism . work on harmonic picking to create a high - pitched , clear tone on a note , known as a harmonic . create natural harmonics by lightly draping your fretting finger right over a fret , not pushing down , when it is picked . | how to master lead guitar basics 2 | with your finger on the note , pick the string . then push the string up with your finger still on the fret , causing the string to bend and the pitch of the note to rise . use any available fingers that are hanging around doing nothing to help you bend the string - - many guitarists use their ring finger to bend , with their index and middle on the string to provide strength . dont just bend it to any old random pitch , bend it so that the note you produce is the same as the one either 1 , 2 or 3 frets above the fret youre on . bending in between frets creates an off - key tone , which can be good for blues songs see southern man , but should be used sparingly . bending to the note 1 fret up is called a half bend . bending to the note 2 frets up is a whole bend . and a bend that hits the note 3 or more frets up is an overbend . skipping a string and moving on creates tension in the audience , who expect the next note in the scale . this sort of surprise and suspense is key to a great lead player - - always keeping the audience on their toes . you can skip as many strings as you heart desires , but be warned that skipping too many tends to make the scale sound kind of bizarre . skipping multiple strings , like going from the top of scale rapidly to the bottom , is a cool way to get two tones out of your guitar - - deep and low and high and bright . basically , instead of picking the next note in the scale , you just slide your finger up from the note youre on to the one you want . you can go either direction , helping you get all around the guitar without a moment of silence . when sliding , work on landing as close to the fret you want as possible for the best tone . hammer - ons are a way to sound out notes without your strumming hand , which can make you amazingly fast . to do it , simply land your finger down on the string at the fret you want hard enough that you hear it picked . work on landing this finger just hard enough to hear the note - - too hard can make it go sharp . aim to make your hammer - ons sound as loud as a normally picked note . hammer - ons can be played anywhere , but are most common with the ring finger . you pick a normal note , fretted with the index finger for example , the 3rd fret and then quickly hammer on the ring finger for example , the 5th fret to get two back - to - back notes . again , pull - offs use your fretting hand to pick notes , making your scales much faster . to pull - off , put your index finger on a fret and your ring finger on a fret , same string , two frets down . then , as you remove the ring finger , snap slightly down to pluck the string . keep your index finger down to play this note . combining hammer - ons and pull - offs so that you can quickly play three notes with one pick is an essential skill . pick one note , hammer on two frets down , then pull off to get to the original note again . how long can you string these three notes together without picking again vibrato is a shaken , or vibrated note . it is a small way to put some emphasis and emotion into a single note . you can have a deep vibrato , pulling back and forth with half bends , or something more subtle , just shaking the string back and forth for a little extra flavor . the vibrato should come from the wrist , and it should cause the pitch of the note to waver or flutter rapidly . chromaticism is the art of adding passing notes , notes that arent actually in the scale but serve to get you from one note to another with a little more spice or flash . oftentimes it involves trying out a middle finger or a pinky in the middle of your scale to see how a new note sounds . while they can make unique , tasty licks , never hold on these notes for long - - they are technically off - key and should just be used for light coloring and detail in the solo . to create them , all you do is let the flesh of your thumb briefly brush against the string while you pick it , as if you were picking it twice rapidly - - once with a pick , once with your thumb . doing this at different places on the string gives different harmonics - - effectively doubling the types of notes you can play . harmonics are most easily created at the 5th , 7th , 12th , and 19th frets by resting your finger very lightly directly over the metal fret without pressing the string down to the fingerboard . then pick and very quickly lift your finger off the string . |
work on sweep picking , where you glide down 4 - 5 strings in one fluid motion . | how to master lead guitar basics 3 | speed picking is something you can use for a dramatic effect , or to play occasional blazing solos free of hammer - ons and pull - offs . to do it , simply sweep the pick down or up across the strings . however , as you do , you need your fretting hand to speed through the scale at the exact same speed . the goal is to only pick all the strings once but still play 7 - 8 notes . as you sweep , you play 1 - 3 notes per string . once your pick reaches the next string , your hand must too . basic hint get the heaviest pick you can find , and let it glide across the strings very lightly , at an angle , for the best results . this is well mixed with chromaticism - - the notes come so fast that a few of them off key actually work pretty well . |
toss the pick and use one - handed tapping for the rapid , 1980s style hair metal solos . hammer on and pull - off exclusively with the fretting hand . bring your strumming hand within 3 - 4 frets of your fretting hand and start hammering on the same string . | how to master lead guitar basics 4 | one - handed tapping is the high - pitched , incredibly fast sounding guitar popularized by eddie van halen and others in the 80s . to do it , you simply use both hands , not just the picking hand , to hammer on and pull off 3 - 5 notes at once . for the best beginner practice , simply start with two notes . hammer on one , pull off to the other , then hammer on again , repeating in it until it is fluid and comfortable . get a rhythm going so that you can keep one finger should never move - - this will be your root note , the one every pull off comes back to . while it may be called one - handed tapping , you do use both hands . simply start a similar hammer - on pull - off pattern with the index and middle finger of your strumming hand , so that you have four fingers hammering on at once . from here , you can move your hands further apart , together , to other strings , or up and down the neck . |
review your major and minor pentatonic scale shapes , playing them until you have them down cold . bend or slide the minor thirds a half - step into the major scale . use mixed notes , like the minor third , to transition between scales . find your relative blues scale attached to the front of the major scale . use the flat five , or blues note in the relative minor pentatonic for easy transitions . | how to mix major and minor pentatonic scales on guitar | pentatonic means five tones . it is formed by removing the 2nd and 6th notes from a normal major scale , but you can ignore theory if youre just looking to play . make sure you can play these both backward and forwards before mixing them . a - major pentatonic e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - b - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - g - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 - 6 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - d - - - - - - - - - 4 - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a - - - - - 4 - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - e - 5 - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a - minor blues pentatonic e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - b - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - g - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - d - - - - - - - - - 5 - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a - - - - - 5 - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - e - 5 - 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - this is easiest to both see and practice on the 1st string , 8th fret , which is the last note of the minor pentatonic scale . the next fret after , the 9th , is actually the 4th note of the major scale . bending or sliding into it carefully , but beautifully , blends the scales . you can also play the identical fret on the low - e 6th string as well . there is another minor third on the 3rd string , 5th fret that bends well into the next step . this bend likes to resolve on the root note - - the nearest a for example , the 1st string , 5th fret . the simply bend illustrated above is a great way to ease your way back and forth between the scales . for example , play in the minor scale , then bend the half - step on the minor third . as you drop the bend , move to the actual third fretting or picking the note you just bend to to transition into the major scale . you can see it in action with the lick in the video above . for complex musical theory reasons , a minor pentatonic scale with the root three frets up from a major scale will fit seamlessly in your song . for example , in the key of a - major , which starts on the 5th fret , you can also play the f minor blues scale , which is basically the pentatonic scale started on the 2nd fret . f - minor blues pentatonic e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - b - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - 5 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - g - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - 4 - 5 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - d - - - - - - - - - 2 - 4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a - - - - - 2 - 3 - 4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - e - 2 - 5 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , the flat fifth of the minor pentatonic blues scale the note right between the 3rd and 4th notes of the scale is your minor third , just like the one used above . you can , and should , bend and slide it often when mixing scales . |
set your action . tune your strings . set the strings to prevent buzzing . check the guitar nut . check out your frets . tune and restring the guitar . | how to make your guitar feel like an ibanez | no matter what bridge you might have , you may be able to set it just about where ibanez has theirs . examine an authentic ibanez and experience the feel and sound of their guitar , paying special attention to where the bridge is set . then mimic that setting on your own guitar , putting your bridge where it feels most similar to the ibanez . if you want to , use a guide with a straight edge so it lays almost or is flat across the strings on floating bridges . make sure not to set the bridge too far away from where it was originally , or you wont be able to play at all . after raising or lowering the bridge , your strings will be out of tune . using a tuner , tune your strings until they are fully tuned in e - a - d - g - b - e configuration . tune them to your preference and make sure they sound right and hit the right notes . dont worry about buzzing just yet , though . buzzing is a major problem when strings are set very low , and most of the buzz comes from the lower strings . to stop this , try using a different gauge of strings . you may think that using thicker strings is counterproductive , but in fact they will be more tensioned when tuned and they will buzz less and will stay in tune longer . still , thicker strings are not always the best way to fix buzzing . depending on precisely when and where the buzzing occurs , your diagnosis and the solution might be slightly different , so check to make sure all the nuts and frets are in place and secure , then figure out when and where the buzzing occurs before you proceed . ensure that they are glued down properly . if this doesnt fix the buzzing , you may have to change the nut height . ibanez guitars straight from the factory are set up either on a slight incline towards the nut or just flat across . if yours are not right , try adjusting them . to remove the nut , use a sharp blade that is designed specifically for cutting , such as a box cutter or x - acto knife , to cut away the finish . cut in front , behind , and at the sides , then , gently tap the nut out of its placement . replace the nut . after the nut is out , replace any wood that came out and then dry fit the new nut . almost every single nut is imperfect and will require a sanding to make it fit . the best guitar nut to replace the old one is a roller nut , but many are not adjustable , so find one at size or simply add wood underneath to raise the nut . to glue it in place , use wood glue mixed with water , because you may soon need to replace it again . if you still cant get that ibanez feel , then try replacing your frets with something different . however , buying an ibanez is cheaper than having someone redo your frets , and unless you know what youre doing , trying to do them on your own could destroy your neck . if you think this is necessary in order to make your guitar feel like an ibanez , it may not be worth the expense and risk , so think carefully before taking this step . after getting everything to feel just right to you , tune or restring your guitar and play , making small adjustments as necessary . many adjustments will probably be needed to the way you play , so play and correct your action until the result is satisfactory to you . |
number frets from the head of the guitar down to the body . always play behind the note youre supposed to be fretting . know that fret numbering is the same on any string . consider unfretted , or open strings , to be on the zero fret . read the dots on the guitar to help your locate frets . | how to number guitar frets | the head of the guitar is where the strings are tied into the tuning peg . the first fret , then , is the one right after the head . for a right - handed guitarist , this means fret number one is the fret the furthest to the left on the guitar . by the back , this means the side closest to the headboard . if you want to play the 3rd fret , you would need to put your finger on the string between the 2nd and 3rd frets . you are always playing the fret closest to your body - - so the 5th fret would be between the 4th and 5th frets , right up to the back of the 5th . a quick pro tip – getting your finger as close to the back of the fret as possible it doesnt matter if youre fretting a note on the sixth string or the second – the fret numbering stays the same up and down the strings . to talk about certain frets , you usually give the string and fret number – saying , for example , 5th string , 2nd fret , to explain which note youre playing . any tab or song that notes a 0 for the fret is not talking about a hidden zero fret , it simply means you play the string openly , without fretting . these are called open notes . the dots on a guitar arent random – they are largely standardized guidelines to help you move quickly along the fretboard . usually , there are single or double dots on the 3rd , 5th , 7th , 9th , 12th , and 15th frets . there are almost always double dots on the 12th fret , as this tells you where the frets reset . anything played on the 12th fret is an identical note though higher - pitched to the same open string . the 13th fret is identical to the 1st , and so on . |
get two large appliance box . using the introduction photo , draw out the basic v . trace out the other shape by using the first one as a template . glue both pieces together using white glue . make the keytar neck you have to make another so trace out two . create the platform that the keys will rest on trace another one as well . glue the neck to the v shape the mount the platform on so it overlaps the bottom of the neck . cut out the buttons and keys out of scrap cardboard and glue them onto the platform . paint your keytar based on the colors that you see in the introduction picture when painting the keys paint them white first then and the black keys because the overlap . after the paint has dried coat the handle keys and buttons in clear varnish to make it shiny . | how to make the doodlebops keytar | shape . , |
measure your guitar . trace your guitar on paper . cut fabric to size for front and back panels . sew the pieces together . attach piping optional . measure your guitar for the zipper panel . cut fabric for zipper panel pieces . sew the zipper between the zipper panel pieces . measure your side panel . cut the fabric for your side panel . connect your zipper and side panels together . attach the loop panel to the back panel . attach the front panel . cut the fabric . attach the handle to the case . cut interior fabric for lining . attach the side and zipper pieces . sew or glue the lining into the case . | how to make a guitar case | using a tape measure or tailors tape , measure the approximate length and width of your guitar . use these dimensions to buy your fabric . choose exterior fabric in a color or pattern you like . interior fabric is optional for lining the case and could be in a complementary or contrasting shade to your exterior fabric . duck cloth is a plain , heavy cotton fabric used for padding its color wont show . lay the guitar on a piece of paper and trace around its edge with a pencil . then make a second , darker line that is ¾ inch larger on all sides to make sure the case is not too tight on your guitar . cut the shape out along the darker line . measure all the way around the outside edge of the pattern once you cut it out . about half this number is a good length for a zipper and about double this number is a good length for piping , if you choose to use it . using the pattern you created on paper , cut out 2 pieces of your exterior fabric , 2 pieces of the duck cloth , and 2 pieces of fleecebatting . then cut the 2 pieces of fleecebatting to be ½ inch smaller all around to reduce bulk when sewing . place 1 piece of your fleecebatting on top of 1 piece of duck cloth , and then place 1 piece of your exterior fabric on top of that . do the same with the second set of pieces . one set will be the front panel of your case and the other set will be the back panel . then , use a sewing machine to quilt the pieces together , using straight lines across the length of the fabric . do this on both panels . if you want to add piping to the edging of your case for a finished look , you can do so by pinning it around the edge of your front and back panels and then sewing it on with a basting stitch on your machine straight stitch at the longest length . measure the thickness or depth of your guitar from front to back to find the width of the zipper panel the side section of your case that will have a zipper . add an extra 1 ¼ inch to your measurement for seam allowance , and another ½ inch or so if you want your case to be roomier . then divide this measurement in half , because you will need two pieces to place the zipper in between . the length of these pieces is the length of the zipper you bought approximately half the perimeter of your guitar . width of zipper panel pieces guitar depth 1 ¼ inch ½ inch ÷ 2 length of zipper panel pieces length of zipper using the measurement for your zipper panel pieces , cut 2 pieces of exterior fabric , 2 pieces of duck cloth , and 2 pieces of fleecebatting . cut the fleecebatting ½ inch smaller all the way around to reduce bulk when sewing . place the exterior fabric on top of the fleecebatting on top of the duck cloth , and quilt the pieces together as you did with the front and back panels , using one or two lines across the length of the fabric . place the zipper face down against the right side the side with your exterior fabric showing of one of your quilted zipper panel pieces . pin it in place , then sew together using a zipper foot on your sewing machine . do the same to attach the other side of the zipper to your second zipper piece . then press your zipper panel open and top stitch on either side of the zipper , about ⅛ inch away from it for a finished look that will hold your zipper open on the back side . measure around the outside edge of the front or back panel that youve already quilted . the difference between this measurement and the length of your zipper panel is the length of the side panel the side section of your case that doesnt have a zipper . add ½ inch for seam allowance . the width is the same as your completed zipper panel . width of side panel width of zipper panel with zipper length of side panel perimeter of front panel - length of zipper panel ½ inch using the measurement for your side panel , cut a piece of exterior fabric , duck cloth , and fleecebatting . cut the fleecebatting ½ inch smaller all the way around to reduce bulk when sewing . place the exterior fabric on top of the fleecebatting on top of the duck cloth , and quilt the pieces together as you did with the zipper panel , using one or two lines across the length of the fabric . line up one end of your zipper panel with one end of your side panel , with right sides exterior fabric facing toward each other . pin and sew these ends together with a straight stitch on your sewing machine , with ¼ inch seam allowance . repeat with the opposite ends of the two panels . this will create one large loop panel . take the loop panel you created from connecting the zipper and side panels and sew an edge of it to one of the two panels you made for the front and back of the case . the right sides exterior fabric of the panels should be facing in . decide where you want the zipper to be at this stage . sew the zipper section of the loop panel to the back panel wherever you want the case to open it could be along one full side of the case , or slightly more curved around the base or neck , depending on how you would want to pull your guitar out . use a heavy needle in your sewing machine if youre having trouble getting through all the layers of fabric and duck cloth . if you decided to use piping , make sure it is sandwiched between the two panels and that your stitch comes as close to the piping as possible . use a zipper foot on your sewing machine for this . pin the front panel to the other edge of the loop panel and sew together as you did with the back panel . make sure you unzip the zipper first so you have a way to turn it right side out when all the sewing is done . using scraps or extra fabric , cut a rectangle depending on what size you feel would be comfortable to hold . add and inch to either side of the length for where you will sew it to the case . add about ¼ inch on every side , and fold those in to hide the raw edges . sew a straight stitch ⅛ inch from each side to make it look finished . double or triple the fabric or add fleecebatting inside two layers of it if you want to make the handle sturdier . you can even roll up a section of material to make a rounder handle . put your guitar inside the case and pin the handle to the side panel not the zipper panel section of your case . pick it up from the handle and see how the weight of the guitar is balanced . move the handle to where the weight will be balanced equally , then sew a 1 inch square on each end of the handle to the case . use the same measurements for each of the panels you made for the case to cut your interior fabric into 2 front and back pieces , 2 pieces for either side of the zipper , and one side piece . create the same loop as you did with the zipper and side panels , but without the zipper . place the two pieces for either side of the zipper next to each other and fold back ¼ inch where the zipper would be . then sew the ends of the zipper pieces to the ends of the side piece like you did to make a loop before , but keeping the small folds for a zipper in place . sew this loop to the front and back lining pieces like you did with the main case . use fabric glue or hand sew the lining to the inside of the case by matching the seam allowance of the lining to the seam allowance of the main case . fold under any raw edges as you go . |
know that the thinnest string is considered the 1st string and the top the 6th . look at and memorize the strings . remember the acronym for the strings , starting from the top down . the acronym for this way is eddie ate dynamite , goodbye eddie . teach someone else the strings to ensure that you remember them well . learn the strings backwards to move fluidly through the strings . | how to learn the strings of a guitar | this is often the hardest part to remember . but the bottom string is the first string , not the top one . the bottom string is always the thinnest . again , this might not feel intuitive , but it is easy to get used to . the bottom string the 1st string - - and it is an e . you can learn the strings up or down - - but you need to remember which string is which number to help read guitar tabs and talk about notes . heavy strings are thicker , often wound with a different type of metal , while lighter strings are thinner . if youre a visual learner , you can quickly memorize the following chart . the top of it , the line closest to this paragraph , is for the 6th string , the heaviest . a lowercase e is used for the first string to differentiate it from the thicker e on the sixth string . sixth e fifth a fourth d third g second b first e if it helps , you can try to make up your own acronym or find some others on the internet the thickest string is the e string . remember this as eddie . the next string is the a string . remember this as ate . the next string is the d string . remember this as dynamite . the next string is the g string . remember this as good . the next string is the b string . remember this as bye . the thinnest string is another e string . remember this as eddie . the best way to know you know something is to teach it to others . teach your mum , teach your sister , even teach a guitarist . they can help you if you get it wrong . if you dont want to teach anyone , post a post - it note on your wardrobe with the string names on it , reviewing every day . play each string , then name the note . you can make this little test harder by having a friend play the string while you have to get the right answer . learning the rest of the notes as well is key to moving forward as a guitarist . the acronym for this way is easter bunny gets drunk at easter or every body gets drunk at easter . inventing your own acronym can help too the thinnest string is the e string . remember this as every or easter . the next string is the b string . remember this as body or bunny . the next string is the g string . remember this as gets . the next string is the d string . remember this as drunk . the next string is the a string . remember this as at . the thickest string is another e string . remember this as easter . |
consider your index finger as your first finger . think of your middle finger as the second finger . recognize your ring finger as your third finger . remember that your pinky is the fourth finger . use the circled numbers above a musical staff to determine which finger to play with . | how to number your fingers for guitar playing | finger numbering is not very common on guitar , but it does appear in sheet music and some chord diagrams . your most mobile finger and the furthest to outside when playing the guitar , is your index finger . it is your first finger . if you hold you hand up to your face , palm facing you , you simply number the fingers from left to right , ignoring your thumb . your fingers simply count up from index to pinky . this makes your second finger the middle finger . your ring finger is perhaps the second most commonly used in guitar , so get used to the third finger now . the hardest to get used to using but crucial for complex notes , solos , and chords , the pinky is your 4th finger . finger numberings are most common above a musical staff , where they tell you which finger to use . the circled number will be right above the appropriate note . |
warm up your hands . use warm up exercises on the fretboard . after you have done these steps and your playing at a gig , use gloves to get you there to keep your hands warm . | how to make your fingers their best for guitar | do not soak them in warm water , as the callouses on your hands will be weakened by it , and your fingers will sting . try instead holding a cup of hot coffee , tea , or using a hand warmer , or just sitting on top of them for a few minutes , if you cant find anything else . a good one for alternate picking is 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 ascending and 4321 descending , 5 - 7 ascending and 7 - 5 descending and moving those around . this will increase your dexterity over time and is particularly helpful with shredding . |
listen and mimic the phrasing of great singers to learn how to use space effectively . leave space between repeated themes or motifs . use a serious of silences to slowly build power . use silences to highlight the backing track . think of the solo or lick as a story , using silences to give the audience a break . | how to leave space between guitar notes | singers cannot hit as many notes , as quickly , as guitarists . they also must pause to breathe . this has lead vocalists to develop innovative , melodic ways to put space into their vocals . you can even think of a good public speaker - - notice how they dont just talk and talk and talk - - they leave space before big points or notes , riffs , solos , etc . so that the audience has time to get ready for the dazzling next section . many guitarists use a repeated set of notes , often similar to the melody of the singers , to give their solos a a backbone or common set of notes . but you dont want to play the theme too frequently . try your 3 - 5 note riff once , give a half - measure of space , then play it again , slightly changing the the last few notes to throw the audience off guard or launch into a different set of notes . this is common in many blues solos , such as the work of b . b . king . the first few riffs are only 2 - 3 notes , then silence . then 4 - 5 notes , followed by a shorter silence , until the silences get smaller and the notes get longer . by the end , youve risen the energy and mood into a screaming , killer solo with no silences . great guitarists do not play over the rest of the instruments , blocking them out , but with them . leave space for a big bass lick or not , to let a drum fill sound out without being muffled , or give the backup singers a chance to shine . furthermore , opening up these spaces lets your play off the other instruments when theyre done , making you look extra professional . even high - energy action movies dont go full - speed the whole time . giving a chance for silence makes the fast parts more meaningful and easier for the listener to understand . these silences make the more exciting sections of your solo pop more in a listeners ear , just like calm moments in an action movie proceed the biggest explosions and fights . |
have your guitar set up properly . listen and repeat . mix up the hard stuff and the easy stuff . avoid stomp boxes when you practice . learn music . | how to play beginners electric guitar 1 | getting your guitar set up correctly is one of the main keys to having a good learning experience . you can get this done by the guitar guru at the music store , a professional musician , or the owner of your local guitar repair shop . there are a couple primary benefits to having your guitar set up properly good intonation . this is maybe the most critical thing . your guitar should be accurate so that when its in tune and youre playing the right notes , it will sound right . if your guitar has bad intonation , it may be in tune on the lower strings , but terribly out - of - tune when playing higher notes . this will be discouraging , and make it much harder to learn . ease of playing . a guitar thats set up too high can be nearly impossible to play , as it can take an enormous amount of finger pressure to press down the string onto the frets . not only will this cause intonation problems , it will hurt , and it will slow you down in time you will develop calluses on your fingers to ease the pain , but it will still be difficult to play fast runs or switch up chords easily . virtually every song you like has a recognizable melodic pattern , some sort of memorable turn of notes . dont limit yourself to just the guitar solos—though thats always good to learn—but also listen to the singer , to the bass lines , little fills and noodles from the guitarist . anything that catches your ear will work—the simpler , the better , as you are learning . for example , the melody to locked out of heaven by bruno mars is fairly simple , and has little vocal hooks and phrasings that you can try to imitate with the guitar . call me maybe from carly rae jepsen has a catchy melody , but it also has a distinctive string backup pattern that would be a good challenge . gangnam style by psy has an insistent synth line that starts right at the beginning , and runs throughout the song . while you cant get all the synthy tone , you can get the basic lick down and then have fun with it the key here is not to become a guitar legend by learning solos—its to become a guitar legend by learning to listen and be able to play what you hear . if you have trouble catching part of a tune , try watching the youtube video for it often times , there will be shots of the band playing that bit . give yourself a mental break after working on something difficult by playing something easier , something youre comfortable with . this will keep your fingers moving , keep you improving steadily , and help keep you from getting discouraged . make sure you always have hard stuff to work on this is how you will grow as a guitarist . work the things you have a hard time with more frequently than the things you have an easy time accomplishing . for example , if you find you are good at playing fast single - note solos , thats great keep practicing that skill . if you have a hard time with chords , then make sure you practice those at least as much as you practice single - note solos . sure , a stomp box will give you awesome shredding tone , and sustain forever , but it also does something else it masks errors in technique . a pure , clean guitar tone will expose every flaw in your playing . save the shred tone for when youre jamming with your friends , or just cutting loose on your own . as you develop as a guitarist , you will learn to appreciate the shortcuts music theory can give you . for example , instead of having to fiddle around to find the right chords to a song , a knowledge of music theory will enable you to know what the likely chords are in any given key . it will also let you converse musically with other players—especially useful if you start a band . for example , a keyboardist will not be able to interpret your finger positions when you say play this chord . a keyboard and guitar are not at all alike in how the notes are presented . however , if you say play an a7 then a b7 then back to e , he will be likely to understand you . |
find a good guitar teacher . learn to read music . keep it fun . practice . | how to play beginners electric guitar 2 | what makes a good guitar teacher will be different for everybody . some people learn by watching , some learn by hearing . you may want to find somebody who specializes in the kind of music you like , or somebody who just knows how to get the best results no matter what style of music the student prefers . find the best style for your way of learning . the style of music you like is only one consideration . for example , a guitarist who prefers the blues might take lessons in flamenco - style guitar . while flamenco and blues are not at all alike in style or substance , the techniques for flamenco guitar are much more involved , and could result in a guitarist with much more complex blues style . whatever teaching style you prefer , make sure it includes reading music . because there are six strings involved , and many notes that can be played on different strings , playing guitar by reading music is not easy . training in this skill is very helpful . no matter what style of music youre learning , taking lessons involves a certain amount of tedium repetition , difficulties , more repetition , and exercises that are much more about wiggling your fingers the right way than they are about actually sounding interesting . this can lead to burnout if you dont keep it fun practice the lessons set out for you , and then when youre done , close the book and play what you like , any way that you like . when practicing scales or patterns and you think your mind is going to go numb from boredom , spice up the scales or patterns with embellishments . make sure you work on the actual notes so that you learn the techniques assigned , but also try things like using bends instead of frets for close notes adding varying degrees of vibrato turning on the distortion , reverb , and delays playing the same music backwards . the idea is to do anything to break the routine and keep it interesting . whether youre learning on your own or taking lessons , the only way youll get better is by practicing , or woodshedding . this means practicing and playing as often as you can , for as long as you can . learning to play the guitar involves many things building strength and endurance in your fingers , learning where the notes are on the guitar , building muscle memory , playing cleanly , and playing with feeling . these all take time to develop , and some parts will happen faster than others . just keep at it , and you will get the hang of it . every single guitarist youve ever heard of or listened to on the radio or admired has been exactly where you are . they also have one other thing in common they never stopped playing and practicing |
become familiar with thrash metal . learn guitar scales , chords , and note locations in order to find out what notes go together and what notes do not . learn alternate picking . be determined . play songs by other thrash metal bands and mess around with their riffs . when you have a basic riff put together work with it until you decide it is acceptable . if you are in a band , play your riff for the rest of your bandmates and get their opinions on the riff . when you have a riff that sounds good but maybe isnt fast enough , use the double picking form . also make sure to know that not all thrash riffs are fast . have fun and be open to anything . | how to write thrash guitar riffs | you cant write something you know nothing about . find what kind of thrash metal you like best whether it is the heavier form slayer , evil , testament , etc . or the somewhat softer form metallica , megadeth , anthrax , etc . and choose which one you would rather play . there are actually many forms of thrash . these forms are blackened thrash sodom , toxic holocaust , venom , etc . crossover thrash or a combo of thrash and hardcore punk municipal waste , anthrax , dri , sod , nuclear assault , etc . deaththrash kreator , slayer , morbid saint , possessed , etc . melodic thrash overkill , havok , etc . and technical thrash metallica , kreator , destruction , etc . , thrash metal is a real fast genre of music so learning alternate picking picking up and down quickly is essential . also power chords are also a large part of thrash metal so get used to using them . the main step of writing thrash is just like writing any other form of music and that is determination . you usually arent going to write the best thrash metal song in one night so work at it . work with notes , power chords , etc . to give you some sort of idea . doing so sometimes can give you ideas of your own . do not copy other bands riffs at all . first of all , it doesnt help you out learning to write your own riffs by just copying everyone else all the time , and you could also run into some copywriting problems . sometimes you have to throw out riffs completely because either they sound too much like another bands riff or because they just dont sound good . be open to improvement and dont be afraid to change something . listen to their suggestions and ideas and see if any of them work . double picking is mostly used on an open note , especially the lower e , so use this in your riff to make it faster and more ferocious . some are slow and chugging - sounding so use this other form of riffs in your music as well . dont be depressed if your riff doesnt sound good when played blistering fast . only use other bands riffs as a template if you are beginning to write . when you write a lot of riffs you will develop your own style of playing and then you dont have to rely on other bands material . also , dont be afraid to be unique . it is often the most unique thrash bands that are the best . |
decide between mic recording or using a direct box di . invest in a digital audio workstation daw or comparable software . prepare your electric guitar . | how to record electric guitar 1 | recording the sound of your electric guitar by miking your amp is a great way to simulate studio quality sound . however , this will require expensive equipment , like a quality amp , microphone , and potentially sound dampening equipment or material . on the other hand , you can plug your guitar right into a di to record your guitar . a limitation of using a di is the somewhat sterile nature of the recording it produces . a di will only record the sound of your guitar , without any effects or normal speaker distortion . youll need a program or machine that can interpret the recording you make and convert it into a suitable format . this kind of technology usually has the added benefit of allowing you to edit the sound you will record . daws and sound production software cover a range of features . some are free , and some can be over 800 in cost . the most suitable dawsoftware depends entirely on your purposes and situation . even with the best equipment adjusted to optimal settings , if you forget to tune your guitar , your recording probably wont turn out like you want . you may also want to replace your strings , as new strings create a brighter tone and have better sustain . finger sliding can make unwanted squeaks while recording . apply fretboard lubricant to your guitar beforehand to help prevent these from occurring . |
decide between an active and passive di . purchase your di . hook up your di . record yourself play electric guitar . tweak your amp simulator settings , if applicable . | how to record electric guitar 2 | the most obvious difference between the two is that an active di requires a power supply for you to operate , while passive dis do not . beyond that , due to differences in design , each of these has strong suits that should be taken into consideration . for example , the transformers used in passive dis are more resistant to the hum created by ground loops , making these ideal for on - stage performing . additionally active dis are generally better suited to passive instruments , including electric guitars passive basses vintage rhodes pianospassive dis are generally better suited to active instruments , like active basses keyboards electronic percussion , there are many options of di available , some packaged with features that you might find useful . amp simulators , for example , can be layered on top of your di recording . this will give your recording a sound more like what youd hear produced from an amp . though the use of a di can be relatively cheap , quiet , and space efficient , most audio experts agree that even masterful di recordings miss a quality captured through miking an amp . the price range for dis varies considerably , with lower end models costing as little as 40 and high end models costing over 1 , 000 . some audio experts recommend investing 1 in a di for ever 5 you spend on your instrument . you should always follow the directions that came with your di , but generally , you should be able to hook it up by connecting your guitar with a ¼ output cable . then you will need to connect your di output , which will likely be an xlr connection , to your mixing consoleaudio interfacecomputer . due to the fact that the signal being transmitted from your di to your mixing console is normalized to the microphone level , youll need to connect the di output to your mixing consoles mic input . set your dawaudio interface to record and play your music . when you have finished , stop recording and listen to what you have played on headphones . keep in mind , your di will only have captured the sound of your guitar , and because of this , your recording might sound thin , or like it is lacking something . through the use of amp simulators , you can add normal distortion and speaker effects to your recording , which will fill out the sound . if you have an amp simulator at your disposal , you can add its effects to your recording to give it a more realistic sound . listen to the changes you make with headphones , and use the simulators interface to adjust the recording until you are satisfied with its sound quality . |
evaluate your amplifier . gauge the target volume of your amp . build a sound closet for budget mic recording . a homemade sound closet will allow you to crank the volume on your amp without having to worry about external noise or complaints from neighbors . find a closet or cupboard that can comfortably house your amp and then insulate the walls and door with sound blankets to deaden the sound . sound blankets or sound absorbing material can be bought at many hardware stores , sound production equipment stores , or online . consider the use of a power soak . purchase a speaker chamber , if appropriate for your situation . judge the quality of your mic . purchase a more suitable microphone , if necessary . | how to record electric guitar 3 | depending on the quality of sound you are trying to attain in your recording , you may need to use a sizable amp to richly capture the upper and lower range of your ax , as well as features like distortion and sizzle . using the equipment available to you , decide which amp best achieves your target sound quality . a guitar amp is frequently referred to , professionally , as a speaker cabinet . this is due to the fact that traditional amps are a combination of both speakers and an amplifier contained in a housing , called a cabinet . for home recording , it may not be possible for you to record your wicked guitar solo at the volume you need without being interrupted by family , neighbors , external noises , or a visit from the police due to a noise complaint . if your location is not conducive to recording at your target volume , you might consider a change of location . sound dampening measures blankets , sound absorbing foam , etc . using amp volume - output control equipment , like a power soak or speaker chambercloset . two layers of sound blankets is generally sufficient for noise reduction . a power soak is a supplemental piece of equipment used in - line to reduce the volume output of an amp while maintaining tone and sustain . the signal moves through the line to the power soak , which absorbs part of the full power of the amp . this adjusted signal is transmitted to the amp , resulting in quieter volumes . a power soak converts the power of your amp into heat and can become very hot . use caution and follow the directions that came with your power soak for best operation . a speaker chamber is an insulated wooden box built with its own speaker and microphone stand . this box works on the same principle as a studio isolation booth on a smaller scale . speaker chambers can be bought at local musicsound production stores or online . these units are even used in a professional studio environment , or sometimes on - stage to reduce stage noise . different styles of microphone are able to capture different ranges or qualities of sound . some mics , like the sennheiser e906 , are designed expressly for the purpose of recording a guitar cabinet . test your mic by placing it 6 to 8 away from your speaker . positioning it to be slightly off center from the speaker cone . listening to the mic with headphones to check sound quality . adjusting the position of the mic until you find the sweet spot . note low - end sound can best be captured with your mic at a closer distance 2 to 5 . if you have found that your mic really doesnt capture sound the way you need , youll have to research to find the right mic for your situation . for example , you might use a large diaphragm condenser mic to capture crisp , pop rock tones . however , you should be able to achieve consistently good recordings with the use of either a common dynamic instrument microphone ribbon microphone |
warm up your amp . adjust your amp settings and dampening measures , if necessary . check all connections and cords . stress test your electrical supply . verify the sound of your electric guitar with headphones . record yourself playing your electric guitar . use filters to improve the quality of your sound . | how to record electric guitar 4 | do this by switching your amp to standby mode without any input for at least two minutes before hooking up your guitar . once the amp is warmed up and ready to rock , you can plug in your guitar and switch your amp to its active mode . changing the volume on your amp can also change the tone of the sound it produces . set your amp to its optimal volume , and if loudness is an issue , make sure you have the proper sound dampening measures in place . if you have decided on using a power soak , tie this into your sound line as instructed in its accompanying directions . if you plan on making use of a sound closet or chamber , make sure your amp is in its proper position . wear and tear might require you to finesse some of your cables or connectors into the right inputs or outputs . in particular , be sure that your guitar , amp , microphone , and dawaudio interface are properly linked . audio equipment can draw a considerable amount of current . in some cases , when too much current is drawn on an electrical circuit , a circuit breaker will be tripped and the power supply cut off . to prevent this from happening mid - recording test your electrical supply by taking some time to warm up . be sure that all the equipment you plan on using is switched on , warmed up , and set the volume at which you will record . double check your tuning . if you notice that your guitar sounds too honky , meaning that it has a kind of country twang to its tone , you can change this by reducing the mid knob . if it sounds too thick , or isnt very clear , increase the mid knob . with everything in place and properly adjusted , all you need to do now is set your dawaudio interface to record and begin playing . once you have finished playing , stop the recording and check your handiwork . at this point , you can polish your recording through your dawaudio interface . in many cases , this will be your computer . once your recording is complete , you can apply filters to it to highlight certain aspects , like clarity and focus . a high pass filter at 100 , 150 , or 200hz can reduce the muddiness of the bass in your recording while focusing the sound . the body of your sound . this can be emphasized or reduced by cutting or boosting your recorded sound by about 700 - 800hz , setting the grit to about 3 - 4khz , and changing the boxiness to 300 - 400hz . softer high frequencies . a gentle low pass filter at 12khz can help to reduce piercing high frequencies . |
learn the two basic bar chords much of rock n roll uses nothing but two movable chords , called bar chords . learn the most common open chords these are the chords you see in any guitar chord chart . learn the blues scale the essential scale for rock n roll leads - - playing solos - - is the blues scale . | how to play rocknroll guitar in 3 simple steps | once these two positions are learned , the chords are movable up and down the neck to play any major or minor chord . to play a a chord , for example , use bar chord 1 at the 5th fret . to play a d chord , either move bar chord 1 up to the d fret on the low e string , or use bar chord 2 on the 5th fret . each of the two basic bar chords has a couple variations - - for 7th , minor and minor 7th chords . position 1 index finger barred across all 6 strings , ring finger two frets up on the a string , pinky two frets up same as ring finger on the d string , and middle finger only one fret up on the g string . to make the chord minor , simply lift the middle finger off the g string . to make the chord a 7th chord , lift the pinky . to make it a minor 7th chord , lift both the middle finger and the pinky . position 2 index finger barred across the five upper strings a , d , g , b , high e , ring finger barred two frets up across the d , g . and b strings . to make the chord a 7th , use the ring finger only on the d string and place pinky two frets up on the b string . to play a minor , place the ring finger on the d string , the pinky on the g string right next to the ring finger , i . e . two frets up , and the middle finger on the b string . to play a minor 7th , use the ring finger on the d string and the middle finger on the b string no finger on the g string other than the barred index finger . they are very useful for rock n roll , depending on the style of song you want to play . the basic ones to know are e , a , d , g , and c . dont even worry much about minors or 7ths , because those are just as easy to play as bar chords see step 1 bar chords . open chords are especially useful for play arpeggios , picking one string at a time in a pattern among the notes of the chord . its simple as can be , and the pattern is movable like the bar chords , see up and down the fretboard , depending on the key you want to play your solo in . learn the pattern in the key of a , which is the fifth fret on the e string . here is the pattern low e string 1 , 4 a string 1 , 2 , 3 d string 1 , 3 thats one octave g string 1 , 3 , 4 b string 1 , 4 high e 1 thats two octaves . practice this scale forever until it becomes fluid and second nature . start playing around with it , using only the notes of the scale , but in whatever order you like . youll soon see that 50 of rock n roll leads never use anything but the blues scale . |
have some money . make sure you really want to do this , making a guitar can take a while and will waste your good money if you decide to quit halfway through . look through guitar magazines and on the internet for inspiration for a design . once you have a design make a scale drawing of it on graph paper , or if you are good with computers draw it on a vector drawing program like coreldraw . get access to power tools . get some nice pieces of wood for the body alder and ash are most commonly used for their sound - ash is heavier but is less expensive and alder is a lot nicer because it is lighter but probably a bit harder to find and a little more expensive , the neck any type of maple is good for this , and the fretboard ebony and rosewood are the two most common woods for this . trace your design onto the wood for the body , include the outline and anywhere else where there will be holes or cavities for the electronics . cut out the body with your jigsaw or band saw or hand saw . hollow out the cavities for the electronics and pickups , and the area where the neck sits , and drill holes for the neck to be bolted on to . sand down the body , round out sharp edges , and do whatever you want to finish the body . get the wood you want to use for the neck , make some rough cuts to get a basic shape , cut out the area where the truss rod goes . you can get a truss rod at guitar stores , repair shops , the internet , or you could go to a hardware store and buy a threaded rod . glue the fretboard on , use wood glue . now you must radius the fretboard , and the only good way to do it is to get a radius sanding block on the internet or at luthier supply stores . get fret wire , pre bend it to the approximate radius and hammer it in . now you can make final cuts to your neck , drill holes for the tuners and neck blots , and sand it to its final shape . get a pickguard , bridge , nut , tuners , knobs , and electronics . assemble your guitar to see how it looks , now disassemble it . get some quality spray paint and primer at a hardware store . let it completely dry for a couple of weeks . assemble your guitar , assemble the electronics youll need a soldering iron and know how to use it . string it up , plug it in , and rock out | how to make an electric guitar | you dont want to spend too much , but get what you want for your guitar . , if you like a certain guitar , try to at least make some minor changes in the design to be original . make a full size drawing or print out of your design to use as a plan . the most important tools youll need would be a jigsaw or band saw , a belt or oscillating sander , and a drill . if you know a guy who knows a guy whos willing to help you out that is a good way to borrow the tools you need . you can also use hand tools if you want to improve your arm strength . the sound will be affected by which one you choose , ebony has a much tighter grain and clear sound . you can also use maple wood for the fingerboard , but only on electric guitars . avoid using plywood , unless you are on a tight budget , as it will slightly effect the sustenance of your guitar in a negative way due to its lack of density , but if you dont really care , then go for it . more densemore sustain . mahogany , alder , etc . are good for bodies and necks , ebony and rosewood are good for fret boards , but any hardwood will do nicely . , try not to mess up because this is very important . , insert the truss rod in the channel with some powerful glue to secure it in place . go on the internet and find the fret distances for a common scale length around 25 . scale lengthdouble length from nut to the twelfth fret . get a ruler and measure out the frets and cut slots for them to sit . sand out the radius and deepen the fret slots . , choose which of these you can make yourself , and which you must buy , because it will reduce the quality and sound of your guitar . you could buy the tuners , and electronics . you can also get a pickguard , and a nut . all a pickguard is made up of is plastic you should be able to find some plastic in your house for free . all a nut is , is a small rectangular piece of bone , plastic or metal , you might be able to find something like that for free . , follow the wikihow article on how to paint your guitar . , |
make sure your amplifier is set up in a space without another heat producing device e . g . make sure wherever you set up your amplifier it is well ventilated . do not allow an amplifier to get wet . do not drop the amplifier . before turning on an amp , set all controls to zero . when turning on an amp , set it to standby , if the amp is so equipped . play through your amplifier at less than full power , if possible . do not play a bass through your guitar amplifier . make sure your amplifier matches your speakers . replace a broken tube with the same model number . plug your amp into a surge protector . do not sit on your amplifier . | how to maintain a guitar amplifier | radiator close at hand . this can cause the amplifier to fail because of high temperature . this , along with step one prevents any heat related failures . with its many electrical circuits , moisture will play havoc with an amp . an amplifier cover will come in handy for any outdoor venue under the threat of rain . a guitar amplifier contains wiring connections and other electrical components that can be jarred loose when dropped . be sure to treat it with respect . this will guard against power surges to the various components within the amp . it likewise is a good idea to turn all controls to zero before turning your amp off . of course , then you are ready for the next time when you turn your amp on . this allows any tubes a chance to warm up before kicking on the full power to the circuits . some amps are equipped with half - power switches that allow one to produce music without running the amp at flat - out wattage , unless full power is needed . while many guitar amplifiers come with heavy - duty speakers , it is not wise to play a bass through them . the bass should have its own amp . factory - produced combo amps are not a problem , but a separate amp head and speaker cabinet setup needs to be matched to factory recommended impedance values . not every amplifier uses tubes , but if you own one that does , change out tubes with the same type that the amp was designed to use . due to inconsistent electrical power sources , it is often wise to guard against electrical surges that would harm the amps electrical components . while an amp often makes a handy seat while playing guitar , it is best not to sit on it or allow anyone else to use it as a chair . |
start by finding tablature for your favorite metal bands . listen to a particular song , and find a breakdown or something that is simplistic - and find it in the tab . learn to palm mute , place your palm lightly over the string which you are playing at the bridge learn to play simple power chord - based - riffs practice alternate picking between strings . use a distorted , deep , fat tone and play with power . learn to pinch and put them into your riffs . learn to string skip and learn fast skipping riffs . put it all together . | how to play extreme metal guitar | you will find that the tab is incredibly daunting and in some cases miles beyond your technical ability . dont worry . this is how everyone feels when first confronted by some real metal music . now attempt to learn it . do this with several songs and you will eventually build up a repertoire of riffs which you can play . , the more you practice , the better you get . it is hard at first , but try to angle your pick and practice with a metronome and it will eventually become much easier . , for pinch harmonics , or squealies , practice on the third string 4th fret and touch your thumb over the middle pickup on your guitar . it seems impossible while first learning , but it gets easier with practice . you could also try artificial harmonics or natural harmonics . , |
know what you like . listen and pay attention to your sound as it is now . experiment with your touch on the strings as you fret the neck . change your strings . replace your pickups . where is your signal going , if youre still not satisfied , perhaps its the guitars body . technique . | how to have great electric guitar tone | listen to other guitarists that appeal to you and pick out what sounds good . if you dont know what sound you want , you cant get it . begin to become aware of the quality of your tone and how you can affect it . know your guitars sound in and out with switching between your pickups and dialing the tone nob up and down . try alternating the harshness of your picking . pay attention to how your sound changes as you vary the attack . your vibrato is your signature , it gets better with years of practice . pickingstrumming up and down the neck at different positions can add to your tone . picking closer to the bridge makes your tone chunkier , while picking more around the neck mellows out your tone . fresh strings can perk up the sound of any guitar . different string gauges dramatically affect your playing . experiment with a spectrum of string gauges to know what you like to play with , and what sounds good to you . cheap pickups are a threat to most guitarists good pure tone . single coil , humbuckers , p90s , telecaster pickups all have unique tone and react to your playing differently . if youre playing with stock pickups , your tone is probably suffering . right into an amp if you want effects , make sure theyre quality pedals so you dont get buzzing . dont buy too cheap because usually the effects will be cheap for a reason . if you dont have the money to buy a all tube marshal amp , you could try using something like irig . lower end solid state amps are to be avoided . examples of poor , cheap solid state amps include line6 spiders and marshall mgs . this is perhaps the biggest contribution to good tone . a £100 quid guitar will sound alright through an expensive amp . a £2000 guitar will not sound good through a £100 amp a solid - body guitar will have a different basic tone than a hollow or semi - solid guitar will have . depending upon your finances , purchasing a different electric guitar may bring you closer to the realm of that great tone that you have in your mind . good technique will definitely help your tone and will make you able to play that joe satriani lick or nail that particularly hard solo . if you want to sound like someone , learning their technique style can help . for example , if you want to sound like the red hot chili peppers , youre going to need to be adept at funk and rock techniques like left hand muting and 4th finger embellishments on chords . it can also help songwriting as you are lest constrained by technique . |
remove the strings from your guitar . adjust the bridge saddles as high as possible . install a slide guitar nut over your guitars existing nut . restring your guitar with heavy gauge strings . tune the guitar to an open tuning . play your newly converted lap steel guitar . | how to make an electric guitar into a lap steel guitar | the lap steel conversion is easiest to perform if the strings are removed from your guitar . this will allow you to adjust both the bridge saddles and the nut more easily , which will help you to raise the height of the strings above the fretboard . the saddles on a guitars bridge are the 6 individual grooves over which the strings pass . they can usually be adjusted either using a flat head screwdriver or an allen wrench . adjust them until they are as high above the guitars body as they will go . the strings will also need to be raised at the other end of the neck - namely , at the nut . to do this without costly and permanent modification , youll need a specialized product called a slide guitar nut or a slide guitar extension nut . this simple metal nut can be easily fitted over the top of your existing nut , where it will be held in place by the pressure from the strings . once you have adjusted both the bridge and nut , you can restring your guitar . note that lap steel guitars are typically strung with heavy gauge strings , which allow for a beefier , more sustained tone when played with a slide . when tuning the strings , forgo the standard e tuning for an open tuning . open tunings are a necessity on slide guitar , as they allow you to play a wider variety of intervals without needing to fret individual strings which you can no longer do . perhaps the most popular tuning for playing lap steel guitar is from low to high d - b - g - d - b - e . to play your new lap steel guitar in the traditional manner , lay the body of the guitar flat across your lap with the fretboard facing the ceiling . use a slide on the fretboard and pick the strings either with your fingers or with a combination of thumb and finger picks . |
set up your guitar as you normally would . hold the pick like you normally would , and push down on the 5th and 6th strings with the pick . slide the pick up the string at an even speed . once youve reached the 12th fret , slap a finger from your left hand on the fourteenth fret . if you dont get that awesome , dull , low - pitched screech , change the position of the pick , pressure from your left hand , etc . | how to pick slide | youll want to boost your drive , or gain . pick slides are improved by a distorted tone these strings are the lowest and usually will produce a thicker tone than the high treble strings . it should make that screech sound . slide your left hand towards the nut and bring your right hand back to its normal position . once you get the sound , keep practicing your pick slide until you think its perfect . you can change it for song appropriation . be it a fast slide for an up - pace song or a long drawn out one for a heavier tune , the pick slide is a diverse technique with many applications . |
buy a guitar , it doesnt have to be good or expensive . learn some easy riffs , find a book which has many guitar riffs , you can play any type of song on your electric guitar , dont feel tied down to one genre . learn better riffs , start learning whole songs , if the song has a solo , play it if you can , if not learn the rhythm behind it , so long as you feel the accomplishment of playing a whole song now that you have the basics - expand , this is vital for your electric guitar playing , if you stick to the basic riffs you will get bored of playing , and you will not get any better . learn some harder songs , push your boundaries try songs with solos , a few easy but effective solos are californication - red hot chilli peppers , smells like teen spirit - nirvana and teenage kicks - the undertones learn some new techniques , have you mastered the hammer - on and pull - off , start a band , anything to keep your interest going keep playing , and keep learning if you stop learning new songs you will get bored of the ones you keep playing over and over again , and so will everyone living with you . | how to learn to play electric guitar | make sure you also get an amplifier , a tuner and a lead . , once you have hold of the basics , find some good riffs to play , it is extremely important to start playing exciting songs straight away , you need to keep yourself interested by playing songs which you enjoy , otherwise you will give up . heres a few good starters smoke on the water - deep purple - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - o - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - 3 - - - 5 - - - - 0 - - - - 3 - - - 6 - 5 - - - - - - 0 - - - 3 - - - 5 - - - - 3 - - - - 0 - - - - 0 - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - 3 - - - 5 - - - - 0 - - - - 3 - - - 6 - 5 - - - - - - 0 - - - 3 - - - 5 - - - - 3 - - - - 0 - - - - 0 - - - - - - - o - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - brain stew - green day - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7 - 7 - - 5 - 5 - - 4 - 4 - - 3 - 3 - 2 - 2 - - 7 - 7 - - 5 - 5 - - 4 - 4 - - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - - 7 - 7 - - 5 - 5 - - 4 - 4 - - 3 - 3 - 2 - 2 - - 7 - 7 - - 5 - 5 - - 4 - 4 - - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - - 5 - 5 - - 3 - 3 - - 2 - 2 - - 1 - 1 - 0 - 0 - - 5 - 5 - - 3 - 3 - - 2 - 2 - - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - theres plenty of good easy riffs out there , you just need to find them , maybe try some finger tapping , once youve learnt how to finger tap , you will be able to drop peoples jaws , especially if you can master the tapping in eruption - van halen . if you are really good maybe try some sweep picking . , |
create or find on the internet a technical drawing and make a parts list . printdraw a full scale model of the drawing . get your wood . layout your scaled drawing onto a piece of ply - wood not your guitar body wood . use a drill press and file to do the body cavity and pickup holes not the neck pocket though and use a jigscroll saw or a band saw to cut the outside . once you are satisfied with the plywood pattern , use double sided tape carpeting tape from any home store works great to attach the pattern to your body wood blank . use a table router with a pattern bit or a laminate trimming bit to route the outside . use a hand router with a pattern cutting bit to route out the pickup and body cavities . trace the heel of the neck onto a separate piece of plywood and use a jigsawband saw and a miter gauge as well as a rounded file to make the neck pocket pattern . use a surform planer to carve to contour of the back and arm if desired some people say that a spokeshave also works well but i didnt have much luck with it . sand the entire body with 100 - 150 grit sandpaper orbital or palm sanders work fine followed by 200 and 250 - 300 grit paper and a final wet sanding of 350 grit by hand . this will give you the basic body shape that you want for a guitar . | how to make a solid body electric guitar | if you dont have a large printer use many pieces of paper taped together poster mode on some printers . to get it perfectly to scale will take some work . first print until you get a complete dimension that you can measure may take several pages . measure the length of the segment . now multiply the height of the picture in pixels , by the labeled length of the segment and divide that by the actual measured length of the segment . this will give you your new height . use paint to re - size to this new height and make sure you select maintain aspect ratio . repeat this step at least twice for maximum accuracy . usually a butt joint is strong enough but if you want high quality use a biscuit or dowel joint . remember if you are using two pieces thick to not put two joints together . stagger the joints . from an end view incorrect looks like ├────┼────┤ four pieces meet at one point . correct would look like ├────┬─┴────┤ tape the paper down and use a pushpin to make a small indentation following the line every inch or so for large radius and straights and 1 every 1⁄8 inch 0 . 3 cm or so for detailed areas . play connect the dots with a pencil after removing the paper to get the shape of your body and the body cavity finish it up with a drum sander . remember the faster you move your wood on a drum sander the better the result . always use quick repetitive motions . , if you are using a hardwood you must use a band saw to cut close to the outside of your pattern or the bit will grip the wood and destroy your guitar as well as possibly injuring you . make sure the bearing is touching the pattern and go the correct direction for your routerbit . go slowly . dont worry about burning the wood your going to have to sand it anyway . dont do the neck yet , well get to that later . before routing the cavities use a drill press to remove a good amount of wood to make routing easier . remember the less routing on a guitar the less chance to screw up test it on the neck to make sure it fits perfectly . once it does carefully align the neck template with the rest of the body this is important it must be lined up accurately . use double sided tape to stick the template to the body then route the same as the pickup and body cavities . , next look up how to wire and install the electronics and output jack and the bridge . you may want to colour it . |
choose a guitar pick with a thickness of 0 . 7 mm 0 . 028 inch or above . strengthen your fretting or picking hand . do pull - ups . practice strumming your guitar . play frets up and down with alternative picking technique . practice using specific fingers index , middle and pinkie . practice with particular scales . practice regularly . combine the strengthening exercises with other techniques . | how to increase your speed playing electric guitar | the thicker pick will provide a stable feeling when you playing fast . practice with your picks regularly to make sure you feel comfortable with them . there is a range of ways to do this effectively , as explained in the following steps . this may look weird but it does help to strengthen your hands and your muscles . just as runners have to run every day , guitarists have to keep their hands moving every day . this exercise is not about speed , but is about your hands endurance . at first , you may think this is not necessary but give it a try . can you keep strumming all eighth notes at 120bpm in 5 minutes do this daily . the help from metronome to maintain the tempo is optional . the aim of this is to make your fretting fingers faster and your picking fingers get used to alternative picking technique pick up and down , up and down , up and down continuously while you are playing . here is the example in this example , you use all four of your fretting fingers e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - b - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - 2 - - 3 - - 4 - - d - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - 2 - - 3 - - 4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - 2 - - 3 - - 4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - e - - 1 - - 2 - - 3 - - 4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - e - - 4 - - 3 - - 2 - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - b - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 - - 3 - - 2 - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 - - 3 - - 2 - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - d - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 - - 3 - - 2 - - 1 - - a - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - this is the same as the example above . you may edit the notes in order to practice your fingers one by one . here is another example e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - b - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - d - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - 3 - - 4 - - 3 - - 4 - - 6 - - e - - 3 - - 4 - - 6 - - 4 - - 6 - - - - 6 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - b - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - d - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - 3 - - 4 - - 3 - - 4 - - 6 - - 4 - - 6 - - - a - - 4 - - 6 - - - - - 6 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - the idea of this step is also same as other previous steps . you now practice with common major , minor and pentatonic scales . for example e major scale e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - 2 - - - 4 - - - b - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - d - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a - - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - e - - - 0 - - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - e - - - 4 - - - 2 - - - 0 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - b - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - 0 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - d - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - 0 - - - - - - - - - - - e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - 0 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - g pentatonic major scale e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - 5 - - - b - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - 5 - - - - - - - - - - - g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - 4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - d - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - 5 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - 5 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - e - - - 3 - - - 5 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - e - - - 5 - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - b - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 - - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - d - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - - - 3 - - - this is the key to effective fast playing . there are a lot of techniques that can help you improve your speed when playing guitar , such as hammer on , pull off , legato and sweep picking . however , sweep picking might not be easy for beginner players . |
turn down the gain on your amp or guitar . reduce the volume on your guitar . lower the treble , turn up the bass . | how to get rid of feedback from your amp 1 | high gain on a guitar is a common culprit for feedback . max gain increases the input signal until the output reaches maximum levels . if its too high on either your amp or your guitar , it could be creating feedback . there should be at least two knobs on the face of your guitar . one of these should be the gain . turn this counter - clockwise to reduce the gain . you can keep the gain at three - fourths max or less on both your amp and guitar to prevent feedback . if you are still experiencing it , try turning it down even lower . try turning down the volume on your guitar knob while turning the volume on your amplifier up . this will increase the output while decreasing the input and could prevent feedback . you should always try to alter the volume of your music by your amp , and not with the guitars knob to prevent instant feedback as soon as you plug in your guitar . another knob on the body of your guitar should control the volume . turn this counter - clockwise to reduce your volume . some guitars have numbers , 1 - 10 to designate the level of sound . if yours does , turn it to 8 . if the knob on your guitar is not working , see if you can buy a replacement knob at a guitar store . if that doesnt work , you may have to take it to get repaired . high treble and low bass can create feedback . make sure that the levels that youre playing create the most robust sound while eliminating any feedback . test this by playing notes on your guitar while adjusting each knob separately . all amps are different so you will most likely have to change the levels on your amplifier a couple of times to see what works best . |
point your guitar away from the face of your amplifier . turn your amp so that the front is pointed towards the wall . move further away from the amp . | how to get rid of feedback from your amp 2 | jimi hendrix made feedback popular by playing his guitar in front of his amp . this is actually the main way that feedback can be produced when you play music , so make sure that your instrument or microphone is not picking up the noise from your amplifier . even though your amplifier may not have a direct line to your input , its still possible that sound - waves are bouncing off reflective surfaces . move things like tables and chairs to eliminate reflective surfaces that may be bouncing sound back into your input . pointing your amp towards the wall may stifle the sound but it will also prevent any feedback . because sound - waves wont be directly playing into your input , its unlikely that you will get feedback . pick up or roll your amplifier towards a wall and leave around 2 - 3 inches from the amp and the wall . putting your amp on a carpet instead of a hardwood floor will reduce reverberations throughout the house . even if youre not pointing your instrument or microphone directly into the amplifier , your inputs could still be picking up sound waves produced by amp . if you have a long enough cord , move further away from the amp . put the amplifier in front of you , pointing outwards . this will also help you if you are on stage and are experiencing a lot of feedback . buying a longer cord will allow you the freedom to move around while you are playing . |
lower the effect on distortion pedals . use an equalizer to turn down the frequency on the channel that has the feedback . purchase a noise suppressor pedal . | how to get rid of feedback from your amp 3 | if you have a distortion pedal plugged into the amp , that could be the source of the feedback youre hearing . distortion or effect pedals can create feedback when the effects are turned too high . try turning down both the level and the gain knobs . certain pedals are capable of creating more feedback . overdrive effects for heavy metal or hardcore music have a greater chance of creating unintended feedback than a blues or jazz pedal because of the intended sound . try unplugging your guitar from the pedal and plug your guitar directly into the amp . if there is no feedback , then the pedal is your culprit . if you have an equalizer , you can turn down the frequency range for the guitar that you have plugged in . this will effectively eliminate all feedback because it wont register through the equalizer . external or add - on equalizers may be more effective at eliminating your feedback . depending on the quality of your amplifier , an external component may be better quality than the one that comes with your amp . electric guitar frequency range is 80 hz to about 1200 hz . you may have to test different frequencies for your specific guitar . lower the frequency by turning the knob counter - clockwise within your range . a noise suppressor is made to eliminate feedback , humming , and any other unwanted noise that is coming from your amp . this pedal does not affect the guitars natural tone , but does cost money . if you absolutely can not get rid of your feedback , or want a cleaner sound on your guitar , this is an option . turn the noise reduction knob clockwise to reduce the ambient sound and feedback from the guitar . play with the threshold knob until you do not hear static from your amp . you have to find the level for your specific guitar and amp . |
jam the string down between two pickups . | how to get a guitar to sound like a screamer 1 | sometimes this works , sometimes this doesnt . interesting effect if it does . |
try octave harmonics . remove your finger while simultaneously picking the string . experiment with other places on the neck to try this . | how to get a guitar to sound like a screamer 2 | choose any string and pick it open . just lightly touch that string at the twelfth fret . use this effect with a bass guitar to emulate the bells when playing acdcs hells bells . this is a natural harmonic . the 7th fret is a good place to start . youll always have to pick the note 12 frets after the one you begin with , so for the 7th fret , lightly touch the 19th fret . |
do the same as above , but instead find a harmonic point on the string and touch it with the side of your picking hand thumb . | how to get a guitar to sound like a screamer 3 | do this with the least amount of surface area you can . |
get a guitar with a floating bridge like those made by floyd rose or kahler . use a finger the middle works well on your left fretting hand to flick the g string . pull the bar upwards to dump the string into a massive dive bomb . slam the bar down , bringing the pitch up and abruptly tightening the string . | how to get a guitar to sound like a screamer 4 | these are the kind made famous by the great eddie van halen . this performs the same duty as picking , but your picking hand is currently grasping the whammy bar behind the bridge not over the strings in swung around position . place your finger directly over the fifth fret the actual fret , just above the loosely flapping string . as the string tightens , it should snap into your finger , producing a very clear harmonic squeal as it rapidly rises in pitch . when youve got this down it only takes a moment to get squealing , and then you can hold the note , pushing the whammy bar to the limit . this can be done on any string , at any fret , but its easiest at fifth fret g . attempting this with a non - locking tremolo bar can result in your guitar going out of tune or may cause broken strings . avoid using poorly made , though licensed copies of reputable name gear e . g . floyd rose copies . |
grasp the pick in your strumming hand . hold your pick between your thumb and index finger . find a grip that works for you . pivot your wrist toward your guitar . brush the strings , dont scoop them . | how to hold a pick 1 | most people are most comfortable strumming and plucking a guitar with their dominant hand , while fingering specific notes and chords with their non - dominant hand . hold the guitar , interact with it , and work out a grip that feels comfortable . place your non - dominant fingering hand along the neck of the guitar , with your thumb holding the back of the neck and your fingers resting on the strings . the strings should face away from you , roughly perpendicular to the ground . rest the body of the guitar on your knee , or use a shoulder strap to play standing up . rest your arm on the top of the guitar - - the curved ridge along the narrowest edge of the body - - and swing your hand down to rest on the strings . if youre using an acoustic guitar , rest your fingers on the strings over the hold if youre using an electric guitar , rest your fingers on the strings between the last fret and the pickup bar . cover roughly half of the pick with your your fingers - - some picks are molded with a groove to indicate where your thumb and forefinger should fit . use a firm grip , but loose enough that you can allow the tip of the pick to bend . dont hold the pick too loosely , or it might fly out of your hand . there is no right or wrong way to hold a guitar pick , but you there are certain grips that emphasize control , tone , and comfort . consider the o method , the pinch method , and the fist method . use the o method . hold the pick between the pad of your thumb and the side of your index finger , and form your fingers into an elongated o shape . this grip balances control and tone . use the pinch method . hold the pick between the pad of your thumb and the pad of your index finger . this method may be best for those who use thinner - gauge picks and spend most of their time strumming . use the fist method . hold the pick between the first joint of your thumb below the pad and the side of your curled index finger , near the first joint . this method is often favored by bluegrass players , and it may be best for heavy picks . the flat tip of your pick should rest gently on a string , and the long side of the pick should be as perpendicular to the string as possible . the angle of your wrist is essential to the picking process when playing guitar , you are not really picking with your fingers , but your wrist . flick your wrist up and down to strum and pick riffs , solos , and strings . use the pick to brush the surface of the strings not so gently that the sound is weak , but not so roughly that youre catching the string on the pick . be firm , but gentle . try to work with the instrument rather than imposing your will upon it . be fluid , and dont grip your pick too hard . you need to be loose and flexible with all of your motions . if you are too rigid , your picking will sound rigid and off rhythm , too . when you strum , you may keep your wrist fairly rigid as you brush the pick across the strings . ultimately , finger - and - wrist technique is only a tool to enable you to play fluidly . when you find a method that feels comfortable , build upon it . |
strum your guitar with a loose wrist and elbow . pluck your guitar . alternate picking up and down to gain speed , precision , and accuracy . | how to hold a pick 2 | strums are full , multi - string sounds that form an integral part of most guitar rhythms . hold the pick between your thumb and index finger , and rest the tip of the pick gently atop the thickest , uppermost string usually tuned to e . brush the tip of the pick along the strings , from thickest to thinnest , and make sure to hit every string along the way . strum quickly to blur the notes together , and slowly to enunciate each tone strum gently for a quieter chord , and apply more pressure for a louder sound . you can strum up - down high , thin strings to low , thick strings or down - up low , thick strings to high , thin . you can strum any section of strings say , 2 - 4 , or open g to open e for desired effect . try holding certain strings to form chords when you strum . the strum is a versatile part of any guitar players repertoire , and the better you get , the cleaner your strums will get . make sure to hold down strings tightly when you finger notes and chords , and dont be discouraged if your chords come out muted and sloppy at first . build your finger strength and keep practicing . again thinner picks generally make for a gentler , quieter strum , and thicker picks generally generate a heavier , more powerful strum . sometimes , youll want to pluck just one string at a time , whether youre playing a simple melody or just emphasizing a single note from a longer chord . rest the tip of your pick on the string as if you were strumming , but only hit the single string . strike the string with the pick , but sharply pull the pick away from the neck of the guitar so that you dont accidentally strike any other strings . you can keep a chord formed with your non - dominant hand on the neck of the guitar , then pick a single note - - or several notes in succession - - from that chord . try maintaining chord forms when transitioning between strums and plucks so that you dont need to shift your non - dominant hand so dramatically . plucking a note makes it more distinct . especially on acoustic instruments , you may not be able to achieve the same volume or weight with a pluck that you can on an electric instrument . use plucks to make space between your strums . as with strumming , you can pluck upward or downward . try to create a flow between strokes pluck down , strum up , strum down , pluck up . make your playing efficient - - it takes more time to strum down twice returning up in between than to strum down and then back up . |
pick your sound . consider pick materials . use specialized picks for certain instruments . consider learning to pick with your bare fingers . | how to hold a pick 3 | most brands of pick are sold by thickness they are often labeled thin , medium , or thick , accompanied by a millimeter measurement . most plastic guitar picks are available in sizes ranging anywhere from 0 . 4 millimeters mm to 3 mm . try starting out with a medium pick , between 0 . 60 and 0 . 80 millimeters thick . thin picks usually range from 0 . 40 to 0 . 60 mm . they are best - suited for acoustic strumming , and other situations when you want a treble - heavy tone . thin picks are often used to fill in the rhythms and mid - range in rock , pop , and country songs however , they lack the heft for rock rhythm and lead . medium picks range from 0 . 60 to 0 . 80 mm . this is the most popular pick thickness its a good combination of stiffness and flexibility that works equally well for acoustic rhythms and powerful leads . medium picks arent ideal for zingy strumming nor powerful lead lines , but they are versatile . heavier picks - - really , anything thicker than 0 . 80 mm - - generate a heavier sound . at the lower end of this range , youll still have enough flexibility for crunchy rhythms , but youll also have the firmness you need for full - bodied chord arpeggios and fat lead lines . at the thicker end of this range , above 1 . 5 mm , youll get increasingly cleaner , mellower , warmer tones . your sound will become deeper more bottom - heavy the thickest picks , from 1 . 5 to 3 mm , are used by jazz and metal guitarists . most cheap guitar picks are made from plastic , and this should suit your purposes at first while you pin down the basics . dont worry if you wear down the edges of a plastic pick just use another pick . you may also find heavier rubber or metal picks that are designed for practicing or for specific styles of playing . consider using a metal pick for a higher - pitched sound , or a rubber pick for a thicker , heavier sound . if you arent sure , try out a few styles of pick before you commit . you can find guitar picks at most music stores , certain music - culture boutiques , and online . try out friends picks and note the thickness , brand , and material . figure out what works for you a pick is personal choice . banjo players dont use traditional guitar picks - - they use finger - picks different from plucking with bare fingers that clip to your fingertips to facilitate plucking . if youre using banjo finger - picks , consider visiting a banjo technique website or asking around at a music store . in general , banjo finger - picks slip over the tips of your index , middle , and ring fingers , with a sharp fingernail - like pick curving backward from the pad of your finger over your fingernail . many guitarists find it easier , at first , to use a plastic pick . the tips of your fingers may grow raw if you try to pluck or strum without a pick , but you may find that finger - picking greatly improves your range and speed when playing complex melodies . if you try to play with a pick and then switch over to finger - picking later on , it may take you anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to regain the level of dexterity that youre used to . consider starting out with finger - picking if you think that youll switch at some point . use the pads of your fingers to pick upward high strings to low , and use the nails of your fingers to pick down low strings to high . use several fingers to strum for a fuller sound . practice , practice , practice . if you are committed to learning to finger - pick , dont cheat and use a plastic pick . take every opportunity that you can to improve your technique . play riffs and songs slowly , all the way through , and build your speed . when you become quicker and more confident in your finger - picking practice , try plucking two strings at once - - or even three . use your fingers to develop complex melodies . |
remove your guitar strings and the screws in the body of the guitar . remove the electrical components connecting the bridge and pickups . heat the old paint with a hairdryer or heat gun . lift off the old paint with a putty knife . sand the body of the guitar . fill any holes with an automotive filler . sand the automotive filler so it lies flush with the guitars surface . dust the guitar with a dry rag . lay the guitar down on a flat surface . choose a wood sealer . apply wood sealer to the guitar . allow the guitar to dry and apply three to five coats of sealer . let the sealer dry for three days . sand off the shiny portions of the sealer . choose a paint for your guitar . spray your base coat onto the guitar . let the paint dry for ten minutes . flip the guitar over and spray the other side . apply additional coats of base paint to the guitar . let the paint dry . sand the paint using 400 - grit wet sandpaper . spray clear lacquer onto the guitar . let the guitar dry for three weeks . polish the guitar with car polish . | how to custom paint your electric guitar | remove the guitar strings and then unscrew the neck of the guitar from the body . once the body is standing alone , unscrew the screws and knobs on the front of the guitar . remove the screws on the pickups and bridge of the guitar . if there is a faceplate over your volume knobs , youll have to remove the plastic portions of the knobs before you can lift the faceplate off . once all of the screws are out on the face of the guitar , you can lift up your bridge and pickups , which are connected by wires . snip these and solder them later when you put your guitar back together . if you feel unsure about taking your guitar apart , take it to a guitar store so that they can safely do it for you . make sure all the electrical wiring is removed from the guitar before you start painting it . set your heat gun or hairdryer to the lowest setting and move it back and forth , across the body of your guitar . the heat from your hairdryer or heat gun will soften the finish on your guitar and make it easier to lift up the paint . continue heating the paint for five minutes and then use a sharp tool to poke at the paint . if the paint feels soft , you can go onto the next step . do not hold the heat gun in one spot for too long or you may burn the wood thats under the paint . start by scoring a small location on the softened paint . use your putty knife to lift off the old finish and dont worry if it cracks off . continue to scrape the paint and remove the old finish without damaging the wood under it . if the paint isnt coming off , use the heat gun again to soften it . once youre done removing the finish , you should see the wood grain under it . use a 100 grit sandpaper at first and sand over the surface of the guitars body in the direction of the grain . sand down irregularities so that the body of the guitar is as smooth as possible . follow the contours of the guitar and sand the sides and edges of the guitar as well . once youve sanded it with the 100 grit sandpaper , you can move to a 200 grit sandpaper to sand out smaller irregularities . use a sanding block if the sandpaper is hurting your hands . as you sand down your guitar , youre likely to find bumps or divots in the body . fill divots that you cant sand down with an automotive filler . once the divots are filled , let it dry for at least 20 minutes so that the automotive filler can cure . bondo is a popular type of automotive filler . once youve filled in all divots and the guitar is relatively smooth , youll have to do one last sanding with the 100 grit sandpaper . continue to sand until the automotive filler lies flush with the body of the guitar . dont saturate the wood grain on your guitar to prevent moisture from getting absorbed into to the guitar . take a microfiber cloth or a clean rag and wipe over the surface , making sure to remove any sawdust or debris that might be on the guitar . debris or dust left on the guitar will get sealed into the paint job . lay down drop cloths under the guitar so that the paint doesnt stain the surface that youre painting on . alternatively , you can hang the guitar from the ceiling and spray it as its suspended in the air . you can purchase wood sealer online or at a hardware store . purchase a water based wood sealer that has a high gloss . if you are painting your guitar a lighter color , use a white sealer and if youre painting it a dark color , apply a gray sealer . saturate a dry rag in the sealer . once the rag is saturated , drag it along the grain on the surface of your guitar . make long movements and do not scrub in a single area with the sealer . once the back of the guitar is sealed , turn the guitar over and finish sealing the front and sides . once your rag looks dirty , dispose of it and use another , clean rag . let the sealer dry for an hour or two and come back and apply another even coat of sealer . the sealer will help the colored coats of paint adhere to the body of the guitar much easier . continue adding more coats of sealer until youve covered the guitar three to five times in total . remember to let the sealer dry in between each new application . feel over the sealer to make sure that its no longer wet or sticky . make sure that the guitar dries in a well - ventilated area so no one gets sick from the sealers fumes . using a 200 grit sandpaper , carefully sand over the shiny parts of the sealer . make sure not to sand too hard or you may expose the wood grain underneath . if you do do this , simply reapply more coats of sealer to the guitar and allow it to dry before moving on . when youre done , the guitar should have a dull white or gray color . typical guitar paint includes polyester , polyurethane , and nitrocellulose . polyurethane and polyester will result in a harder , more plastic - feeling finish on your guitar while nitrocellulose is lighter and thinner . if youre unsure of what kind of paint to get , look for spray paint thats made specifically for guitars . position the nozzle on the spray can 12 to 18 inches 30 . 48 to 45 . 72 cm away from the body of the guitar . remember to cover the edges of the guitar . press down on the button on the spray can and go in long , sweeping back and forth motions across the body of the guitar . touch the surface of the guitar to make sure that none of the paint transfers to your hand . the paint may still be sticky and youll still be able to see the sealer under the basecoat that you just sprayed . once the guitar is dry , flip it over and spray down the other side of the guitar . you should now have one solid basecoat of paint over the front and back of your guitar . allow each coat of paint to dry for five minutes before applying the next coat . continue flipping the guitar over so that the entire guitar gets even coverage . continue to cover your guitar in coats of paint until the paint gets darker and richer . this could take anywhere from three to seven coats of paint . once youre done laying down the base color for your guitar , youll have to let the paint dry for another one or two days in a well - ventilated area . once its completely dry , you can move onto the next step . , once the color coat is dry , run your fingers over the surface , sides , and back of the guitar to see if the paint is smooth . if the paint rises too high in some spots or has become bumpy , you should sand it down with a wet sandpaper . saturate the sandpaper in water overnight , then work it along the rough parts of your guitar while its still wet . wet sandpaper will not scratch the surface of your guitar . clear lacquer paint will give your guitar a shiny finish over the paint . you can purchase clear lacquer paint at a home improvement store or online . spray the clear lacquer the same way you sprayed the base coat , putting four separate coats of lacquer on the guitar and letting the paint dry in between sprays . dont touch your guitar for three weeks as the paint dries . during this time the paint will cure and should be a rich solid color , but will be missing the polish that guitars typically have . saturate a rag or cloth with car polish and work it on the surface of the guitar using small , circular motions . this should refine the shine in the guitar and make it more reflective . one youre done polishing the guitar , it should be shiny and reflective . |
decide on what genre or genres you will be playing . familiarize yourself with the many different models of electric guitars . research the specifics of the different kinds of guitars that are appropriate for your style of playing . pay particular attention to the sound of the guitar . consider the wood your future guitar will be made of . choose a guitar that suits your budget . try out the guitar or guitars you are interested in . | how to distinguish electric guitars | for example , if you play folk , blues , jazz , or singer - songwriter music , you will want an acoustic guitar . if you play hard rock or metal , you will need an electric guitar . narrow down your search to the group of guitars suitable for the genre or genres of music you play . electric guitars can either have a hollow or solid body . hollow body guitars are used in most genres , but they are primarily used in blues and jazz . they have pickups which is the difference between a hollow body and acoustic guitar but also a good low - gain sound although not at a level of high distortion . they are also known as semi - acoustic guitars . there are many different variations of solid body guitars . for example , the stratocaster , designed by leo fender , which first appeared in 1954 , is the favored guitar of such legends as jimi hendrix , ronnie woods , and eric clapton , just to name a few . fender - style guitars like stratocaster and telecaster have their necks bolted into the body , while gibson - type guitars like les paul or sg have glued necks . stratocasters are made out of ash or alder and use single - coil pickups . see the tips section for the difference between ash and alder wood . stratocaster is popular because it was the first guitar to include a whammy bar tremolo bridge , which is very lightweight and therefore easier to maneuver . the telecaster is the oldest solid body guitar made by fender . there are many similarities with the stratocasters , such as the wood it is made of and the construction of the neck . but this guitar has two single - coil pickups , which gives it a very clean sound . it is an excellent instrument for country and rock music . the who favored this guitar . the gibson les paul is probably the best solid body guitar . because it is made out of mahogany , it is usually heavier . but it is also a very versatile guitar and comes in many different models . the gibson les paul has two humbucker pickups and is made of mahogany . artists such as zakk wylde , slash , and jimmy page use the gibson guitar . you might also want to consider the flying v and explorer models , which are suitable for rock and metal music . for example , there are two different kinds of bridges tremolo and non - tremolo . there are also different kinds of frets such as a jumbo or extra jumbo fret . once you have this knowledge , you will be able to make a better decision . the sound depends mostly on the guitars pickup . notice the placement and magnetic power of the pickup . then again , if you buy a high - quality guitar , you can assume that the pickup will be of high quality , too . the single - coil pickups on a fender guitar sound good and are very powerful , but the sound produces more noise , as compared to humbucker pickups , which can be found on different gibson models . the kind of wood a guitar is made of has a major effect on the tone and consistency of the sound . guitars are typically made out of one of five different types of wood mahogany is heavy but provides a warm sound with more sustainability and density it is great for rhythm guitar parts and solos such as slashs . these guitars , however , are heavy and hard to continue playing during a long gig . basswood is one of the best kinds of wood for guitars . it is much lighter than mahogany and its sound carries more treble . it is cleaner and creamy . basswood guitars are very good for progressive and instrumental . it is often used for solos . joe satriani , steve vai , and john petrucci of dream theater play basswood guitars . alder wood is a little bit heavier than basswood . alder wood guitars have more sound sustainability . it is appropriate for thrash and other forms of heavy metal music . alexi laiho of children of bodom and metallicas kirk hammett use guitars made of alder wood . maple is not a very popular wood for the body of a guitar , but is mostly used for the guitars neck . very few musicians play guitars with a maple body . ash is also a wood used infrequently . it is mostly used for stratocasters . ash wood guitars emit a sound that is something between the warmth of mahogany guitars and the clean sound of a basswood or alder wood guitar . you dont need an expensive guitar , especially if you are just beginning to play . you can purchase a guitar for 300 - 500 . keep in mind , however , that cheaper guitars may have their quirks . it is important to have firsthand experience with the look , sound , and feel of a guitar before purchasing one . the best way to do this is to go to your local music store , since it will have the most variety . you can also try out a friends guitar . or if you are buying a used guitar from a private seller , find a way to get your hands on that guitar before purchasing it . |
remove electrical covers . remove the solder . remove the pickups . use shortcuts . reference a diagram . solder in your pickups . replace hardware . play to check your work . | how to install guitar pickups | these are on the back of guitar or is the pickguard assembly such as on a stratocaster . you will need to detach any wires leading from the pickguard assembly so you can easily replace any pickup or or other hardware . there is a small amount of solder from the hot and ground wires from the pickup that you will be replacing . to remove them you need to touch the solder with the soldering gun and pull the wires apart . dont forget where they were because you need to know that when you place in the replacement pickup . if you need to , draw a basic schematic if you cannot get a wiring diagram . take out the two screws on either side of any old pickup . now gently remove it , making sure you leave enough lead wire for both positive and ground . be certain you keep the springs , screws , and any pickup cover . unless you want to try fishing wires through precisely drilled holes , taping a guide string or small gauge wire to the ends of the hot and ground will save you much frustration and time . when you buy new pickups they come with a wiring diagram . use this diagram to distinguish which color represents the hot and ground . then tape those wires to the guide string if needed . be sure to pull gently or you may rip the wires out of the guitar . once you have placed in the new wires and have enough lead wire , solder them to their necessary places . secure the new pickup by doing the opposite of taking it out and replace all electrical covers make sure you have firmly placed them in level so there is no room for distortion in sound . if you can hear a signal , congratulations you have just installed your first replacement pickup . if you cannot get any signal , go back and find a problem by referencing your diagram . |
figure out what kind of guitar you have . if you have an electric guitar , the industry standard is nickel wound . if you have an acoustic guitar , determine if it requires steel strings or nylon strings . nylon strings have a soft , mellow tone and are easy on the fingers . pick ball - end nylon strings , frequently called folk nylon , if you want to become a folk guitar player . get monel strings if your fingers are strong enough to handle the metal strings . select silk and steel for finger - style playing . pick bronze strings for finger picking on a folk guitar . buy a set of brass strings if you want your tone to be sharp and harsh . get flat - polished strings if you desire ease of playing . select flat - wound strings for any electric guitar . make sure to get the correct type of strings for your guitar . if you are playing using alternate tunings , you may wish to get a set that will retain the same tension in that particular tuning as a set tuned to standard . | how to choose guitar strings | this will dictate whether you need electric guitar strings , acoustic steel strings , or nylon strings . the most common gauge is 10 - 46 . see ernie ball regular slinky or daddario exl110 . these are the most popular electric sets and provide a great starting point . your guitar is built for one or the other . string gauge . if you want a thicker tone , choose a heavier thicker string gauge . if you want easier string to play , choose a lighter gauge . you will stay with them if you decide to play classical guitar . they are a little heavier than regular nylon and take vigorous strumming . they have a much sharper and louder tone than nylon . thickness varies according to the type of set purchased medium - light gauge is recommended for beginners . do not use them on classical or electric guitars they are much easier on the fingers than the regular metal strings . do not use them on electric guitars because they will not pick up electricity . they provide brilliance in sound . select light gauge for finger - style playing , heavy gauge for strumming . they are usually more brittle than bronze . they are easier on your fingers than standard metal strings . these strings come for both acoustic and electric guitar . they are comfortable to the left hand and give a smooth tone when amplified . this string is preferred by many jazz guitarists . flat - wound strings will provide a more mellow tone than a similar round - wound string , however will be harder to grip with your fingers during bends and fretting due to the smoother surface of the flat wrap wire . acoustic steel strings phosphor bronze , 8020 , etc . have too high a string tension for a classical guitar and can damage it . nylon strings wont vibrate the top of a steel string guitar enough to produce much sound . electric guitar strings have a different composition than acoustic guitar strings to help the pickups function properly specifically they have steel wrapping instead of bronze . for example a lot of metal bands use drop dcba tunings or dcb standard tunings . for very low tunings choose a heavy set of guitar strings such as a 11 . or 12 . gauge set . similarly if you play slide guitar in drop g tuning you would be better off choosing a set of strings which will have a high enough tension for you to play comfortably using a slide . |
learn the basic components of an electric guitar . decide what kind of body style you want . learn a bit about tone woods . look to your guitar heroes for inspiration . dont be afraid of deals . check the intonation of the guitar . check the scale length up the neck . check the action of the guitar . make sure the neck feels comfortable in your hands . look at the kinds of pickups used . examine the bridge . get an amplifier . buy a quarter - inch cable . buy anything else youll need to play . wait on pedals at first . | how to choose an electric guitar | like an acoustic guitar , an electric is basically just strings that vibrate over wood , but with the addition of all kinds of confusing - looking selector switches and knobs . learning to identify the basic components of electric guitars can help demystify the process and help you focus on the most important parts . pick - ups will be placed under the strings near when the guitar is plucked . there may be as few as one pick - up and as many as three or four , depending on the guitar . these are used to pick up the sound of the guitar , which vibrates an internal magnetic coil , producing an electric signal that travels through the amplifier . volume knobs will be included , sometimes as many as three . these allow you to adjust the output volume of the guitar . tone knobs are used to toggle between the high and low frequencies in the pick - up . there are usually different tone knobs for each pick - up in the guitar . selector or cut - off switches are used to select between the individual pick - ups and activate them , or cut them off . on most guitars you can use some combination of different pick - ups . the output jack is usually on the back - end of the guitar , or the bottom lip , where the guitar is plugged in to the amplifier via quarter - inch cable . to the untrained eye , all electric guitars might look basically the same , but body styles can be broken into several basic categories , each with its own subtleties of sound and playing style . some body styles work better for certain genres , though theres no rule that says so . lots of it has to do with your personal playing style and the music you want to make . solid body guitars are sturdy and weighty , made of a single piece of wood . because theres no resonance chamber , solid - body guitars must be played through amplifiers . the variety of pick - ups and the electronics of a solid - body guitar are very important . these are the go - to guitars for rock n roll , punk , and metal music . famous solid - body guitar styles include the fender stratocaster and the gibson les paul . hollow body electric guitars are , as the name suggests , hollow on the inside of the body . while theres no sound hole as will be found on an acoustic guitar , hollow - body electric guitars will often use a different variety of pick - up than a solid - body guitar . these are often used for playing jazz , featuring a warm and deep mid - range , and work best with mellow , low - volume amplifiers . semi - hollow body electric guitars are hybrid models that feature a cut - out design and a small hollow portion of the body . these guitars have a bright and chime - like tone thats perfect for country music , folk - rock , and for lead - guitar work . the rickenbacker and the gibson es are famous semi - hollow guitar models . electric - acoustic guitars look basically like acoustic guitars , but feature pick - ups that allow them to be played like electric guitars . while these typically will have fewer features than other forms of electric guitars , electric - acoustics offer the versatility of playing them without the use of amplification . primarily , the sound of a given electric guitar will come from the pick - up , though the pick - ups of a guitar can be changed out , customized , and upgraded . for a reason , its important to give some consideration to the wood that the guitar is made from , but beginners will likely not notice a huge difference in sustain , so try not to be led down a garden - path by a salesman telling you that you have to upgrade to koa wood . still , its good to learn a bit about the different types of woods used to demystify the process . most bodies are made of maple , mahogany , or poplar . maple is known for its long sustain and bright character , while mahogany is known for its warmth . poplar is great for bright and crispy high - register tone . lets face it , the number one reason most people end up picking the guitar they pick is because it looks cooler than all the others . this is a perfectly legitimate reason to pick a guitar . almost every guitar player who ever picked up an axe did so because they saw some other guitar player who looked awesome standing on stage . famous gibson les paul pickers include jimmy page , zakk wilde , slash , randy rhoads , and bob marley . famous fender stratocaster players include jimi hendrix , eric clapton , buddy guy , and stevie ray vaughn . other iconic guitar models include the gibson sg , played by angus young , the fender telecaster , played by bruce springsteen , the gibson flying v , played by kirk hammett , and the fender jazz master , played by kevin shields , elvis costello , thurston moore , and j magic . gearheads often fall into the same trap , thinking that super - expensive and obscure gear is also better than cheaper industry standard stuff . sometimes , this is the case , but if youre looking for a guitar to learn on , dont judge by the price . there are expensive guitars that have the resonance of a brick , and there are cheap guitars that really sing . old fenders that sell for thousands of dollars today started out life as inexpensive solid body guitars . by the same token , if youre going to invest in a guitar to learn on , you need to get something thats worth playing . toy guitars sold at places like walmart arent even worth the low price tags offered . its better to go for a used guitar or a cheaper model of the guitar you want . fender offers the squire series , using somewhat cheaper materials , but the same designs as their other more expensive guitars . you can get a squire strat for around 300 , compared with the 1400 it might cost for an american stratocaster , if youre lucky . explore used guitars and do your research to find deals . some players will only play guitars that have been broken in a bit and worked over by other players . neil young is known for only playing old guitars , for example , and never plays new ones . when you pick up the guitar , play up the fretboard a bit and hold out individual notes . when you pluck a string , you should be able to get a vibration in the wood that you can hear all over the guitar . it should last a few seconds . the pickups can be changed for very little money , but the wood makes the guitar . hold a note and listen to the sound decay–does the guitar have a long , warm sustain or is it short and metallic this will depend on the wood and the installation of the neck , which affects the guitars sound in a big way . the guitar should also be in tune in both the 5th and 12th frets . play up the frets and make sure that a barre chord in first position is in tune , and a bar chord up the scale is in tune . if not , the neck needs adjusted . the scale length refers to the length of the string as it actually vibrates , so its measured by the distance between the nut and the saddle of the bridge . the scale can be longer or shorter , depending on this length . what this means for you is comfort . you want to make sure the frets are a comfortable and playable distance apart . most modern electric guitars are one of two basic scales gibson scale is 24 . 75 in . this gives the les paul its round tone and its hefty bottom end . anyone whos ever picked up a les paul knows the gravity of it . this is partially the scale . fender scale at 25 . 5 in . the fender scale offers a clear and bright playability , great for leads and those hendrix - style outer space explorations . a 25″ scale is sometimes used by other manufacturers like prs guitars , offering its own distinctive tone . action refers to the height of the strings off the fret board . a high action means the strings are far off the board , making it require more finger pressure to play each note . low action means the strings are just off the fret board , easier to press . when you play the guitar , pay attention to how far off the strings are and how difficult it is to play the individual notes . most used guitars will need to be set up , so a certain amount of string buzz can be fixed . if youre buying a used guitar , though , you need to check for buzzy frets and consider getting the neck adjusted to properly raise the strings off the fretboard to the height you like . you have a number of nut widths , which set the distance from the e string to high e string . the other features the shape of the back of the neck . primarily , the sound of the guitar coming out of the amp will be made possible by the pickups . when youre first starting out , you probably wont notice a huge difference , or might not care much about the pickups , but its less complicated than it seems . learning to differentiate between the two most basic and most common styles of pickup will help you make an informed choice . some guitars will come with both styles , while others will have one or the other . single - coil pickups have a glassy tone , great for blues and rock and roll leads . these will be oval - shaped , and have little metal spots , one per string , under the guitars . stratocasters come custom with single - coil pickups . humbucker pickups were designed as improvement to the single coil pickups , giving you more of a growl when cranked up loud . theyre rectangular shaped and made of metal . if you plan on strumming and getting some distortion in your sound , youll likely want a guitar with at least a humbucker pickup . some guitars will have different kinds of pickups , for example , p90 pickups were the most popular among guitarist , the sound that they have is that mean growl from humbuckers but a warm bass tone along with it . with distortion , these pickups had made a mark on guitar history . the bridge of an electric guitar will feature a number of different designs , some more complicated than others . some floating bridges feature tremolo bars , also known as whammy bars , which allow you to bend the bridge and dive the sound accordingly . these can be customized but are standard on some guitars . its good for some players to notice where the bridge lays in relation to where you hand wants to naturally rest on the guitar . some guitars look great but have somewhat sharp or awkward bridge - placement , which can make it a challenge to play comfortably . likewise , some bridges have irritating string - guides , which can make restringing a challenge . its a good idea to consider these topics when making a selection . an electric guitar isnt much good without an amp , which can be one of the hidden costs of the electric guitar purchase . playing an expensive gibson through a crappy practice amp doesnt make a whole lot of sense . save enough room in your budget for a good quality amplifier to make that guitar you gave so much thought to sound great , as well . consider your needs and buy an amp with enough output for your purposes . also check out the customizable features on each amp , including reverb , tremolo , and other effects which can be fun to play around with . solid - state amplifiers are the most inexpensive amps , based on semiconductor circuit models . for the beginner , these are usually fine purchases . more experienced guitar players usually favor more up - scale tube amplifiers , which feature vacuum tubes which need to be warmed up before putting a current through them . combo amps feature an amp head placed on top of a larger speaker . the marshall stack is an iconic combo amp . these are usually used for performance and for putting out large amounts of sound . unless youre planning on gigging in the near future , a combo amp is probably overkill . itd be a shame to get home from the guitar place with a guitar and an amp and nothing to connect the two . guitar cables are usually between five and ten bucks a pop , featuring quarter - inch jacks on both sides . make sure youre getting the right kind of cable at the guitar place . any good store should make sure you walk out with everything you need , but its good to be sure . picks , a guitar strap , and an electronic tuner are all essential electric guitar components . its difficult to tune an electric guitar to anything , and most electronic tuners will allow you to plug straight into the unit with your quarter - inch cable , making it super - easy to adjust your sound and make sure your instrument is in tune . these can be as cheap as 10 dollars or so . the world of guitar pedals is vast and semi - complicate . though theres probably nothing more fun than stomping on a distortion pedal and letting er rip , or channeling together a bunch of echoplex pedals and vibrato units and making outer space symphonies without playing a note , its probably an unnecessary investment when youre first getting started . learn the basics and see what your amp is made of before you start messing around with guitar pedals . |
connect the amps power cord to the wall . plug your guitar cable into your guitar . turn the volume and gain on the amp down . plug the other end of the cord into the input jack . turn your amp on and turn the volume and gain up . test other knobs on your combo amp . | how to connect an electric guitar to a combo amp 1 | before your amp projects sound , it requires power . first , make sure that your amps switch is in the off position . then , take the power cord from the back of your combination amp and plug it into a wall socket . once its plugged in , flip the power switch to test if its power is on . on many amps , there will be a red or green light designating that there is power running to your amp . if your power cable isnt attached to the back of your amp , you may need to plug it into your amp before plugging it into the wall . if your amp doesnt turn on , switch sockets to see if it is a faulty electrical outlet . if you dont have a faulty electrical outlet and your amp still doesnt turn on , consider taking it to an instrument repair shop to get it examined . you can purchase a guitar cable at most music stores . guitar cables are typically called instrument cables or a 14 cable . these cables have a plug that fits into your input jack on your combination amp and is what allows the guitar to play through the amps speakers . the guitars jack should be on the front of the guitar or the edge of the guitar and will look like a metallic socket . popular guitar cable brands include planet waves american stage guitar and instrument cable , monster s100 - i - 12 standard 100 14 - inch instrument cable , and george ls 155 guage cable . you can also purchase 14 instrument cables online . turning down the volume and the gain will prevent feedback and will stop you from blowing out your speaker when you plug in your guitar . take the other end of your guitars cable and plug it into the input jack on your amplifier . your guitar should be directly connected to the combo amp with your instrument cable . adjust the volume and gain knobs on your amp until your guitar reaches a suitable volume . you can test the volume of your guitar by strumming an open string as you adjust the knob on your amp . you can use the knobs on your instrument to reduce gain and volume as you play instead of having to walk over your amp . test other knobs on the guitar like bass , mid , and treble knobs . start these knobs off in the 12 oclock position to give your guitar a default tone . then , start to adjust the different knobs and play your guitar until it reaches the sound that you desire . your combo amp may already have built - in distortions like overdrive . test the different features of your amp . if your tone isnt thick or full enough , experiment with bringing up your amps bass knob . if your guitars tone is too muddy or muffled , consider turning down the bass and the mid while turning up the treble . all amps are different , so there isnt a particular preset that you can use on all amps . |
get enough guitar cables . plug your pedal into a power source or use batteries . connect your guitar to a pedal using an instrument cable . plug a guitar cable into the output jack of your pedal . plug the cable from your pedal into the input jack on the amp . | how to connect an electric guitar to a combo amp 2 | when using a guitar pedal , its necessary that you use more than one 14 - inch cable . when using more than one pedal , youll need even more 14 - inch cables . the cables used to connect your pedals together can be much shorter than the cable you use to connect directly to your amp . cables can be as small as six inches long . many pedals have replaceable batteries so that you dont have to plug them into an outlet . they also come equipped with an adapter that allows you to plug the pedal directly into the wall . make sure that the batteries are fully charged on your pedal or that its hooked up to a power source . plug the instrument cable into the front or the side of your electric guitar . then , take the other end of the cable and plug it into the input jack on your guitar pedal . take another instrument cable and plug it into the output jack on your pedal . if your pedal is on the pedal board , make sure that you have a long enough cord to reach the amp . take the cable hanging from the output jack of your pedal and plug the other end into the input jack of your combo amp . this will complete the connection and will allow your guitars sound to be distorted before it reaches the amp . |
switch your combo amp on . test the pedal by turning it on and off . chain effects pedals together . follow the right framework and order when using multiple pedals . | how to connect an electric guitar to a combo amp 3 | find the power switch for your combination amp and set it to the on position . make sure that your amp is plugged into a power source before doing this . check the gain and volume knobs on both your amp and your pedal before turning your amp on . make sure that these knobs are all turned down , or you may get feedback when you plug in your guitar . turn the pedal on and off by pressing down on it with your foot . there should be an indicator light that looks similar to the indicator light on your combination amp . when working with multiple pedals , you can connect them together to create various effects . do this by connecting small instrument cables from the output of one pedal into the input of the next pedal . you can chain pedals like this to create different kinds of sounds , or to have different effects at your fingertips . common pedals include tuner , reverb , overdrive , blues , and loop pedals . some rules and techniques when chaining your pedals together can improve the sound . for example , tuner pedals should come first because pedals that alter the tone of your guitar may throw off the tuner . pedals that amplify noise like overdrive , compressors and wah pedals should go next . pedals that modify the tone , like chorus and tremolo pedals should go after amplifier pedals , and should be followed by pedals that adjust the guitars ambiance , like reverb or delay pedals . pedals that amplify the tone or volume should go before pedals that adjust or modify the tone , though you can mix this up to get some interesting effects . |
understand the four main attributes of a guitar pick the shape of the tip the thickness the overall size the material ask yourself if you prefer to play rhythm . ask yourself if you prefer to play lead . try out different gauges of picks until it feels right to you . pick materials are also important . which pick you choose depends largely on personal playing style and preference . | how to choose guitar picks | in general , rounded tips are best suited for strumming chords and playing rhythm guitar . sharp picks are better for playing lead guitar . lead guitar is primarily focused on playing one note at a time opposed to rhythm guitar which primarily plays more than one note at a time . the thickness of picks are generally measured in millimeters mm and normally range from 0 . 38mm thin to 1 . 5mm thick . some guitar picks measure up to 3 . 0mm thick and beyond . in general , thin picks are good for rhythm guitar but not great for lead guitar . thick picks are good for some rhythm guitar and great for lead guitar . thin picks allow a guitar player to firmly strike the strings without much chance of breaking them or playing too loud . thin picks bend easily and are designed to make strummed chords sound smooth . thin picks absorb the shock of playing chords better than thick picks , thus providing more comfort to those guitarists trying to prevent or treat tendinitis . thick picks give a guitar player more control of volume and attack on the strings . there is not much give , so thick picks dont bend very easily . picks are commonly made out of various plastics nylon , celluloid , delrin , etc . rubber , metal , wood and felt . the most common are nylon and celluloid . rubber , metal , wood and felt are used for special effects . metal is primarily used for heavy string playing , rubber to slightly dull the twang sound , wood for a more mellow sound , and felt for a very muted and low - volume sound . try several and see which suits you best . |
identify the type of music youll be playing this will be essential when you make the choice on your new amp . research different manufacturers of guitar amps , read reviews to get an idea of what youll be looking for in an amp . start looking . choose what type of amp youll be looking for , different amps are suited for different styles of music , for example , you wont be wanting an epiphone blues jr . for playing death metal . figure out what size of amp youll be needing . identify your price range , a half - stack will set you back easily over £500600 , but a combo amp from the same company might be a couple of hundred cheaper . find out whether you need effects for the style of music youre playing . try some amplifiers out at a store until you find one that you like . enjoy your new amp . | how to choose a guitar amp | , once you have completed these first 2 essential steps , you can begin your search . , a 10 to 30 watt practice amp will be perfect for bedroom practice and rehearsals , but if you plan on gigging , then youll need something with more power . it all depends on what its being used for . tube or transistor or modelling many musicians would argue that tubes provide a warmer , more vintage tone , compared to the harshness of transistor amps . it all depends what you prefer , many metal musicians prefer the harsh growling tones of a transistor amp , whereas a blues player may prefer the warmth and crispness of tube amplification . tube amplifiers also cost a lot more than their solid - state counterparts , premium sound premium price . one thing to bear in mind when making this decision is that tube amplifiers are fragile and they need a lot more upkeep than a transistor amp . tube amps also can be very loud . concerts at stadiums can be played with 30 - watt combos , as 100 - watts or more are needed for solid - state . transistor amps are designed for the road and they can take one hell of a beating . also the cost of replacement tubes when the old ones die is something to be considered too . a fully kitted out pedal board can cost a fortune , therefore many people turn to modelling amplifiers with built in effects to save on . and if youre not aware whats your tone , then go with modelling amp as they provide many presets of different amps and youll really enjoy playing and exploring tone that you like . its kind of middle one between tube and transistor . sounds like tube , and price and weight like transistor one , or watch videos and reviews on youtube . once you find the one you want , be sure its the right one . smaller stores may offer an exchange if you take it home and you dont like it . bigger retail chains might not be so kind . and dont harm the neighbours . |
start by picking your options . dont worry about the myth about tube or solid state amps . choose between combo or header and cabinet . for cabinets and heads , again choose your options . keep in mind some donts . | how to choose an amplifier | you can choose a new or a used amp , and sometimes it would be cheaper to by used gear , but remember that some used amps will have some kind of problem that you might find when you get it home that you will have to correct or live with . a watt is a watt , with tube and solid state theyre all the same . just take notice that tubes will get hotter than you can hold them and will break often when playing , but solid state are almost the exact opposite but will get warm , and sometimes used amps have a very bad smell to them when they get hot inside . combos have the head and speaker both in one , while its opposite for headers and cabinets . its easier to carry and practice with combos , and some will have every effects pedal you can imagine , but at a gig youll have to mic it up to hear the full sound . headers and cabinets are separate so you can switch any heads or cabinets to hear a different sound or even plug in two cabinets in one head . for the best quality and sound , choose between 10 to 12 speakers , they sound best because they vibrate and retract respectively when playing , and horns and subwoofers add for true bass and volume , so if you do see these on amps they can mean the amp is expensive . there really arent any set rules to finding your perfect amp , but a few are donts dont play bass or bass notes on your or the stores guitar amps . dont use instrument cables to connect a head to a cab and vice versa . never plug in your guitar into a live amp that is on and connected to pa mixers and everything else . dont neglect to keep spare parts and spare amplifiers just in case . |
determine your budget . select the right type of amplifier for your application . browse for tube amps online before shopping in person . demo several amps by going to a music supply store . inspect the construction of the amp before your purchase . consider purchasing an amp from a brand with a quality reputation . | how to buy a tube guitar amp | tube amps are much more expensive than their solid - state counterparts , and therefore you may need to scale back your power requirement or increase your budget . a small 15 - watt combo tube amp will easily sell for five times more than a comparable transistor design . to maintain a flexible budget , look for an amp with the least amount of power necessary for your application . the kind of tube amp you should purchase will depend on your use . for a home practice amp , a small combo amp one in which the loudspeaker , preamp , power amp , and controls are all housed in the same enclosure is ideal . an amp with a single 10 or 12 25 or 30 cm speaker with wattage between 15 and 30 is a good choice . for recording , a combo amp is also ideal , but you may need an amp with more power . many professional recording artists record using a 2x12 amp - an amp with 2 12 - inch 30 cm speakers . for live performance , separate speaker cabinets and heads will be ideal for achieving high volume able to fill a large venue . these setups are too large and loud for home use , unless you have a detached garage or isolated sound room . while demoing an amp is the only way to get a sure feel for its sound , browsing online has many advantages . it lets you read user reviews for particular amps , and it allows you to read about the amps features and construction - things that may not be readily apparent when inspecting the amp in person . actually playing through an amplifier is the best way to determine if it is right for you . make sure to demo several different amps to establish a standard of comparison . if possible , demo the amps using your own guitar . most amplifiers are built from plywood , and the thickness of the wood will play a role in determining the amps sound and durability . look for an amp made from at least 12 inch 12 mm thick plywood , and stay away from any amps made from a lighter engineered wood , such as particle board . if the above steps arent enough to help you make your decision , consider the brand name of your amp . some manufacturers with reputations for building quality tube guitar amps are vox , fender , and marshall . |
decide how much money you are willing to spend . decide what you want to get . if you only want to use the amp to practice in your room , look for a combo amp with about 20 - 30 watts of power . if you want to use the amp for practicing with a band , youre going to want 60 - 140 watts of power . if you want to use the amp for small to medium gigs , you should buy a half - stack with about 200 - 600 watts of power . | how to buy your first bass amp | a brand - new decent quality practice amp will run about 100 dollars . however , if you can find one used , or on sale at a local music shop , go for that . once you have your money amount decided upon , it is time to think of what you want to use it for . generally these will have an 8 - inch speaker inside , but a 10 - inch speaker is preferable . these usually cost around 60 to 150 dollars . a combo amp is still preferable in this situation , and a 10 - inch speaker can be enough , but 2x10 - inch speakers or a 12 - inch speaker would be optimal . these cost about 180 to 450 dollars . a half stack consists of a head and a cabinet . or , for easier portability , you can buy a high powered combo with 200 watts of power which will help with transportation and setup . when purchasing the two , make sure of the impedance ohms of the cabinet , and the power rating for the head at that impedance . make sure the cabs rms rating is about the same as the heads power output at the impedance of the cab . a head can be solid - state or tube , the tube option tends to be less durable , but sounds better and is more expensive . a good solid - state head costs 200 to 600 dollars and a good tube head costs 500 to 1400 dollars . but dont think that you absolutely need to spend all your money , there are many good amps in smaller privately owned stores that may be used but pack a lot of punch for a much lower price . a cab in a half stack should be a 1x15 , a 2x15 , a 4x10 or a 6x10 . for big , booming bass go with a 115 or a 215 , if you want for a tighter , punchier sound , opt for a 210 , 410 , 610 , or an 810 . 115s and 215s are generally going to give you a very deep , solid rumble that you hear as much as feel . with the 210s and up , youll get a lighter , punchier sound , but you wont get that unbeatable deep rumbling you get from a 115 . if you have the option , spring for a head or combo with a speaker extension jack , if you have a 210 and up , connect a 115 or 215 . if you have a 115 or 215 , connect a 210 and up for better range of sound . if you have a more complex amp with a crossover feature , you can send the lows to the 15s and the mids and highs to the 10s . but before you do anything , if you can buy a combo with a 115 with an extensive eq and anyone with a bit of knowledge can almost perfectly match the sound of a 410 or 610 . |
determine which finger you will wear the slide on . assess the fit of the guitar slide . choose a slide with an appropriate weight . determine how hard you want your slide to be . | how to buy a guitar slide | there is no single correct way to wear a slide , but the most common position by far is on the little finger . while this can feel awkward at first , it frees up your other 3 fingers for fretting patterns behind the slide . it also makes it easier to fret chords while keeping the slide out of the way . there are several notable musicians , however , who play with their slide on a different finger . once you know which finger you will be using , try on the guitar slide . it should fit just snugly enough so that if you hold your hand relaxed at your side , the slide will not fall off . a loose slide will cause you to exert your muscles to keep the slide in place , which can lead to fatigue . you can adjust the fit of a loose slide by padding it with rubber , leather , or foam . the general rule when assessing a slides weight is that heavier slides will produce a fuller sound with longer sustain . thick , heavy slides will absorb less of the strings energy , a process that robs the sound of your guitar by converting that energy into heat . heavy slides also minimize the dampening effect on the strings caused by your other fingers . if you play an electric guitar , the effect of a slides weight is much less noticeable . even the thin sound produced with a lightweight slide can be adjusted through amplification and compression . hardness is perhaps the most crucial aspect of a guitar slide , because its effect on tone is so great . slides made from hard materials will have increased volume and sustain , but will emphasize high frequencies and string noise . softer materials yield a more muted tone with a quicker decay , but also produce a balanced timbre with no over - emphasis of treble . soft slides , like those made from copper , are well - suited to playing styles that use a lot of strumming . heavy strumming works well with the quick decay caused by these slides . heavy slides , like those made of stainless steel , are best used for soloing , and suit playing styles that utilize long , sustained notes . the most versatile slides are those with a medium hardness , such as those made from brass , glass , or ceramic . these slides are a good choice for beginning slide players who may not know yet where their preference lies . |
make a frame with the wood pieces . use a drill and some wood screws , and drill the frame together , one piece at a time . choose the corner two pieces of wood first the 1ft piece and the 4ft piece . put the edge of the shorter piece on the edge of the longer piece , and place two screws in to connect the pieces together . do the same process with the last corner , and finally complete the rectangular frame by drilling together the last two corners of the frame staple a poly sheet a plastic cover for insulation around the finished frame . cut a piece of insulation so that it fits inside your frame . place the insulation inside the frame . cut the fabric so that you can fit the shape of your frame in the middle , leaving about 10 inches 25 . 4 cm of space around that outline of the frame . center the frame on the cut fabric . hang this panel on a wall where speakers will be pointing at them to absorb the sound and reflect it in different directions and cut down on echos . | how to build an acoustical panel | depending on what size and what shape you want the panel to be , cut the sides accordingly . for example , if you want to make a rectangle frame , you might cut two pieces of wood to 4 feet 1 . 2 m , and two other pieces of wood to 1 foot 0 . 3 m . a simple way of setting the wood together is to place the wood on the ground in the shape you want to make . stand both of them on their sides so that the long sides are flat on the ground and the short edge is pointing up . , you are doing this because once you put the insulation inside the frame , you want to really seal the insulation in as well as you can . , you are leaving this extra length so that when you are stapling it to the frame , you have enough room to really stretch the fabric over the sides and staple them to your frame . you can trim the excess later , if you wish . pull the extra 10 inches 25 . 4 cm of fabric and over the sides , stapling them to the wood , preferably at the back edge . work around each side of the frame . |
know what you need beginners . know what you need intermediates . consider your options . make a purchase . finding an amp . gather options . make a purchase . finding an amp . gather options . demo gear . make a purchase . | how to buy an amp | there is a vast world in amp technology that is very different from those built thirty and more years ago . when computers became more popular during the 80s and 90s , amp building never looked backed to the simple tube amps . this is one reason why amp selection can be so wide and confusing . for the beginner , you will need a decent priced and decent sounding amp that has a 12 30 . 48 cm speaker . you are looking for good , clean , and distorted channels at about 30 watts or more . something like this could cost you a pretty penny , but if you go further down the road with your hobby and start to play live shows you will be getting the best sound possible . as stated before , there is a vast world in amp technology that is very different from those built years ago . what you need is two amps and possibly some back - up ones . also stated before , you will need a decent priced and decent sounding amp that has a 12 30 . 48 cm speaker , looking for good , clean . and distorted channels at about 30 watts or more . obviously , this is not the best sound possible for an intermediate player and an amp that matches the description should be used for practice and a back - up amp . to achieve the sound best suited to display your music , you will need a 412 cabinet and a 60 watt or more header , also known as an amp stack . you need one that has good , clean , distorted channels , four perfect 12 30 . 48 cm speakers , and an optional foot selector switch . there are two types of physical amps , tube and solid state . whatever you choose is up to you , tubes require a bit of maintenance now and then and solid state can be poorly designed at times . the only thing that makes them similar are watt and amp usage , common controls , etc . cost is a major factor when you buy an amp , for beginners you do not need to spend over 300 267 . 59 euro and intermediates should not spend over 400 356 . 78 euro . once you found equipment you need andor can afford , buy it . if you buy used gear , make certain it can last a long time so that it can get you to where you want to go . every kind of amp available in the market is in your favor because of the way you play . most amps are designed solely on the use of standard tuning with clean and distorted channels . sometimes low budget amps somewhat distort a distortion channel when gain is set very high and it may be caused by poorly designed gain channels , which were invented after players in the 1950s turned up the clean volume to get a distorted sound and hearing loss . after distortion channels had made their way into amps they seldom changed and thus would explain some amps mostly low - end and low wattage solid state at times distort high gain settings . if youre the type of player that plays in standard andor drop - d , likes high gain and needs a budget amp , then you may need a distortion pedal and a possible booster thats connected to a clean channel . however , this problem rarely occurs in separate headers and cabs , mainly heads that are 60 watts or more hence that there are more ways to correct the problem . there is a lot to consider when simply trying to buy an amp . in fact , the matter is hard because its based off of your own opinion , but some seem to find it easier than others . a few examples are tube or solid state , low - end or a few more bucks for a decent budget amp , etc . all features are a matter of opinion , but one thing to remember when purchasing any gear is to fit your general hobby or career , such as wrongfully getting a bass amp when you play mostly distorted electric guitar . if you find an amp that fits your budget , general guidelines , and your preference purchase it immediately or place a hold on gear youre thinking of getting . you certainly do not want to have someone else purchase the amp you carefully selected . there is a limited amp selection available in the market for you because of the way you play . most amps are designed solely on the use of standard tuning with clean and distorted channels in which sometimes low budget amps somewhat distort the distortion channel when gain is set very high and youre playing below standard tuning . a lot of high powered amps correct this problem , but some do not . if you suspect an amp is doing this , first change your strings to a heavier gauge and see if it was only this . if not , you may need to turn up the volume and see if this corrects the problem . if it does not , you may need a better amplifier , but before you try to find a new one see if you can fiddle around such as play with the tone knobs on the amp to find a better sound . there is a lot to consider when simply trying to buy an amp . because its based off of opinion and all features are a matter of opinion , one thing to remember when purchasing any gear is to fit it to your general hobby or career . with the way you play you add more natural bass to your overall tone , most amps cannot take this and simply give out on what matters most or they have a hard time getting all the extra tone under users control . a way to correct this problem is with 2 or more speakers and higher wattage for your amplifier . when looking for such amps it is a good idea to try them out first and then see what you can do about purchasing options . as stated above , if you find an amp that fits your budget , general guidelines , and your preference purchase it immediately or place a hold on gear youre thinking of getting . you certainly do not want to have someone else purchase the amp you carefully selected . |
if you are a complete beginner , learn the basics of your instrument before trying to cover your favorite song . listen to the song over and over . get the tab or sheet music for the song . break the song down into small sections and tackle a section at a time . this is very important start out playing a section of music very slowly . when you get used to it , try playing along to a cd or tape . | how to learn a song on guitar that you want to play | that means you should be comfortable playing open chords like e , a , d , g , c and f , both the major and minor versions . you should also be able to play a simple scale such as a pentatonic or blues scale . any basic guitar book will show you how to do this . the more you listen to song , the more you memorize the parts you are learning , and when you are learning you will know what they are supposed to sound like . if you arent sick of hearing that song yet , you havent listened to it enough times . these are where you will get the notes and chords for the songs . if you do not know how to read these , then start learning at bare minimum learn to read tab . its easier than you think and it will pay off . note if you have never heard of tab it is short for tablature which is a form of music notes that is easier to read because it is laid out exactly as you would see it on your guitar . start off by learning only about four bars at a time . dont be tempted to skip ahead to the other parts of the song , as you will have to come back to the other parts then . practice each bit until you are happy with it , then continue to the next few bars . again , if you are not completely sick of playing the part , you probably havent practiced it enough times . its more important that you get the rhythm consistent and even than that it be fast . fast will come later after youve played the song hundreds of times . only speed up when you can easily play the piece with consistent and even rhythm at your current speed . this is the most important secret of learning any instrument , and its the reason most people quit before they get good . they are too impatient to play it slowly until they really get good at it , and they expect to be instantly great . put in the time and speed up only gradually and eventually your friends jaws will drop when they watch you play that awesome song . this will help you get the rhythm of the song and help you get used to the tempo . keep in mind the proper rhythm is every bit as important as the notes . |
learn the basics first no matter what type of music you want to play or what type of guitar you want to use , you will need to learn some basic chords , they are extremely easy to find on the net and there are many books covering this sort of thing , also , youtube has tons of videos for this . make sure you enjoy learning . find a buddy to play with . dont get ahead of yourself the chances are , if a song sounds hard to play , it probably is not all the time though so take it slowly , dont try to learn an entire song at once , try to learn a group of five or six chords on a song at a time , if you try to go too fast youll only get confused and frustrated , then youll get nowhere . practise regularly its a lot easier to practise if you set a certain time to practise . stock up on supplies . buy a tuner . | how to learn guitar without a teacher | youtube guitar lessons are a great way to self teach no matter how hard you try , if you dont enjoy learning , it will make it far harder . play the music you like , most bands have at least a couple beginner songs , so try to play songs that you enjoy playing . it makes it a lot easier to learn if you play guitar with a buddy , you can compare tips and both play different roles in different songs providing you have the same taste in musice . g they could play lead and you could play rhythm , plus it is really fun to play the same song with someone . , 45 minutes to an hour each night is good , but stop if you feel bored or tired . start fresh the next nightor day . its also a good idea to keep your guitar set up so you can just pick it up and play if you have a spare couple of minutes . make sure you have a good supply of picksplectrums if you are using a pick instead of finger pickingand make sure you always have a spare set of strings in case one snaps nothing more annoying than not having a string having a guitar tuner is much better than trying to tune by ear , they are much easier to use and take much less time , it is very annoying if tuning by ear does not work , i was close to smashing a guitar over it . |
use your thumb to push on the back of the fretboard , clamping your fingers together powerfully . keep your wrist relaxed , with the back of your hand facing the floor . place your finger right behind the fret when playing . find your personal perfect height for barre chords , holding all six strings at once with one finger . tilt your fingers slightly to use the bony area on the side of your finger . drop your elbow down , keeping it in towards your body . picking it up after every fret , barre all six strings and move up and down the neck . alternate between two chords , slowly picking up speed , to work on quick chord transitions and power . get your guitar serviced to fit your strength and play style . practice with a metronome to ensure youre actually improving your speed . alternate your picking , moving up and down across strings . use hammer - ons and pull - offs to play more complicated licks with speed . aim for a speed where you can play notes perfectly , not quickly with mistakes . run through the following pattern using all of your fingers to work on single - note speed . | how to increase your speed and finger strength on the fretboard | think about pushing your index finger and thumb together , like you were snapping . now just put the neck of the guitar between your fingers . you want to be able to squeeze your fingers up against your thumb for the best power , allowing your whole hand - - not just your fretting fingers - - to provide strength . you dont want to angle it forward because this makes it impossible to push hard on the frets . you dont want to angle it towards your body because this makes it hard to quickly reach the top of the fretboard . the further away from the fret you are , the harder you have to work in order to hold the string down . youll be much faster and more efficient if you place your hands right behind the fret . by behind , this means towards the head of the guitar . so , if youre right handed , you want to be just to the left of the fret youre playing . your vertical finger placement , or how high you place the tip of your finger when barring chords , will change from person to person . one of the best ways to increase finger strength is to figure out how you can hold all six strings at once and get a clear , consistent sound . practice quickly barring notes , removing and placing your hand as fast as you can while playing all notes clearly . the joints in your fingers might make it hard to play some strings . but this is why you need to adjust how high your index finger goes - - dont just assume that you must have the tip of your finger on the top string . experiment with putting the bar on first , then the shape of the chord , and vice versa . neither strategy is right - - just find out which method works fastest for you . youre just going to rotate your finger slightly to make it work . if youre right - handed youll tilt your hands just slightly to the left , towards the head of the guitar . the harder surface will require less power to hold the string down , making it much easier to get perfect chords and notes quickly . this takes the weight off of your arm , bringing the weight of the guitar towards the center of your body . with less weight to support , you can easily get more power and speed through your arm . you want to tilt from the wrist , not your elbow . keep your elbow in , towards you body , instead of flaring it out to the side . move your barre up every single fret , picking it up and placing it down . once you can do this easily , try it with a full barre chord , moving it up and down the neck . this builds the forearm and finger strength needed to play quickly . if youre struggling at first , try to use a second finger to help hold down your barre . as you gain strength you can take it off . once you get barre chords , move on to open chords . play a g , remove your hand , then play a c . alternate back and forth , adding new chords in time with the metronome . then alternate between barre chords and open chords to take your playing to the next level . while most of your speed comes from practice , there are things you can do to your guitar to make it smoother and easier to play . getting a guitar serviced by a professional will make practicing more enjoyable , as it makes the strings easier to play . you should consider lower - guage strings this means the strings are thinner , meaning they take less power to hold down and can thus be played faster . your sound will get slightly tinnier and softer . lowering the action the action is the distance between the strings and the fretboard . there is little reason for a lot action - - this usually means the guitar is long overdue for servicing . you might feel faster , but youll never actually know unless you have a metronome to help keep track of time . keep track of your times and speeds , starting around 60 bpm and moving up when youre comfortable . after running through the exercise a couple times at the previous sessions speed , push the tempo faster by ten beats per minute and continue practicing each example until you feel comfortable with the new speed . always play at a speed where you can hit every note cleanly , not just hit every note . it doesnt help to play quickly if half the notes are missing . using down strokes , up strokes , and alternating strokes , practice this at a tempo that you are able to manage , but fast enough that you cannot do it for long before your fingers tire . try to do the following exercise , up and down the fretboard , once with up - strokes , once with down strokes , and once with alternating picking e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - b - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - d - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - e - - - - 5 - - - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - hammer - ons and pulls - offs are ways to sound notes without actually strumming them . this means you can strum a different note , or just squeeze in an extra note between picking . both techniques use your fretting hand to sound out notes right on the hammer - ons are when you quickly slam your finger down on a string , right near the fret . you should hit it hard enough that it sounds out . it will be a bit quieter than a normally picked note . pull - offs require two fingers on the same string - - try your index on the 5th fret and your ring finger on the 7th . keeping your finger on the 5th fret , pick up your ring finger , picking the string with your ring finger at the 7th fret . using both pick a note normally , using your index finger on the 5th fret . then hammer down on the 7th fret to make it sound out . as you finish , pull - off the 7th fret - - youve only picked one string , but youve sounded out three notes as always , try to play with an accurate tempo and clean articulation . you want each note to be clean , clear , and precise . the fastest playing in the world sounds terrible if every other note is missed or off . take the following exercise only as quickly as you do it without mistakes . make sure you use a metronome to keep yourself on time . as soon as you get to the end , turn back and do the whole thing backward again - - you need to get speed and strength moving both directions . as you get better , work on new picking patterns , add hammer - ons , and make the metronome faster . e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - - - - - b - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - d - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - e - - - - - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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get a cd of drumbeats , backing tracks , an amplifier with backing tracks on it , or another person to play with . think about what emotion you are experiencing - sad , happy , chipper , confused , goth , emo , crazy , hyper , schizophrenic , scene , etc . learn the basic form for a blues scale , 7th chords , major and minor seventh chords , sixth chords , the pentatonic scale , etc . be able to identify different rhythms and chord progressions . you can also mix in licks based on other songs . always think ahead . sometimes simplicity is good . make sure your solo sounds good for the piece , use your emotion to play , and dont think about what you are doing . keep playing , no matter how bad you think you sound . eliminate guessing . have a backup arsenal of basic licks that you can play if you are really out of new and interesting ideas . ask someone if it sounds good . have soul . | how to improvise on guitar | in the best case scenario , either a bassist or other guitarist will play rhythm while you play lead , and you can switch off every several measures . this will really help with your rhythm . your playing should reflect back to the song . basic knowledge of music theory is essential for successful improvisation . the more you know , the easier it will be . are you improvising to a 12 bar blues is it a salsa piece or funk swing knowing what rhythms are distinctive for each genre of music will help you express the piece , and also help you get into the piece yourself . when playing in e minor you could play part of mary had a little lamb . audiences love to hear traces of a well known song mixed in with a surprising and new beat . in fact , there is a latin version of ive been workin on the railroad . new takes on old ideas are always good . what are you going to play at the chord switch or the turnaround be prepared for every subtlety , and know what to do at every switch . you dont have to shred for the full solo in fact in most cases , you shouldnt . blues pieces often require slow , smooth licks more than tremolo picking . if you are playing jazz , chances are theres a head , or main theme that you will refer back to after the solos . make sure your notes sound good with the background parts , especially if youre playing with a big band which might consist of trumpets , trombones , saxophones , drums , bass , and guitar . also , its good to incorporate different genres of music into your solos , but maybe that phrygian scale you just learned sounds horrible with the rhythmic funk that your band is playing . just let it rip , baby every soloist has hit a bad note its how you learn what sounds good . its good to experiment with what sounds good on your own , but after practicing improvisation with other people , you should become fluent enough in music theory , scales , and chords to know what will sound good . at some point , everything should just come naturally . you dont want to be surprised by anything while performing . have one for each genre that youre interested in improvising with , and make sure its adaptable for new songs . its perfectly acceptable to play a blues scale if youre improvising over a 12 bar blues just make sure your rhythms match what everyone else is doing . if you followed these steps , they may even say yes . audiences love to see a soloist having a good time while improvising . music is funimageimprovise on guitar step 14 . jpg |
get to know the parts of your guitar . tune your guitar . learn how to play chords . learn how to read guitar tab . toughen up . cut your nails . learn to finger pick . practice , once you get better at guitar and can read tab try checking out websites for backing tracks httpwww . guitarbackingtrack . com which are fun to practice with . also for learning the guitar check out these website httpwww . all - guitar - chords . com httpwww . freeandeasyguitar . com . | how to learn guitar for free | the hollow part of an acoustic and the solid part of an electric is called the body . the long thin part is called the neck . the fretboard is the flat part where you put your fingers . and the frets are the lines going across the fretboard . these are very important when it comes to where to put you fingers . if your guitar has been laying around untouched for a while its most likely out of tune . httpwww . howtotuneaguitar . org is a great place to do this . just match the sound of the string with the sound of the tuner . youll want to tune in standard to learn in because thats how most songs are written in . httpchordfind . com is practically an online chord book . figure out how to play some of the major chords like d , g , c , a , and e along with d minor , g minor etc . download a free tablature program such as tableedit , powertab , or tuxguitar . with one of these programs you will not only see where to position your fingers , but also be able to hear the song so you can learn the tempo . as your skills develop you may wish to graduate to a more advanced tablature program such as guitarpro . guitar players normally are too lazy to learn how to read music so they invented guitar tab . you can find a monster load of guitar tabs at www . ultimate - guitar . com this site pretty much has every song you can think of and makes buying a tab book totally pointless . many people quit when their fingers hurt . when your first starting out your fingers have to build calluses . this you cant help , so take breaks and continue through . nylon string guitars will be gentler on your fingers than steel strings . guitar players sometimes have weird nails . their left nails are to be as short a possible without cutting themselves so their nails dont get in the way of their playing and some finger pickers grow their right nails long to use them as picks . you will learn more chord voicings easier playing with your fingers . a great song to learn how to finger pick on is green days time of your life . it definitely takes some time getting use to . hear a song youd love to play then find the tab for it . take it slow at first but once you get the feel for it try playing with the song or even singing with your own playing , these are just a few sites that are very helpful and if you dont find what you need there scour youtube for the song or try to find tabs for your song here httpwww . ultimate - guitar . com |
commit to a practice schedule . decide what you want to focus on and for how long in each session . dont be afraid to ask for help . | how to learn guitar online 1 | its very easy to skip one day of practice , then skip two , then skip three , and then ten years have gone by and your guitar is just gathering dust in the closet . schedule some time each day to practice at least half an hour . youll thank yourself later . dont waste time during practice trying to decide what to work on next . schedule out some time for each of the options below , if youre going to try to teach yourself guitar from online resources . while its admirable to learn guitar online and be self - sufficient , its not always the smartest way to learn guitar . if youre unsure about something , ask learning techniques in the wrong way could create bad habits in your playing that are impossible to get rid of later , and stop you from progressing further . |
seek out guitar tabs . learn to read guitar tabs . | how to learn guitar online 2 | tabs are great if you just want to learn some great pop or rock songs that you can play to impress your friends . the internet is full of guitar tabs , though they sometimes take a bit of hunting . to find popular tab sites , plug guitar tabs into your favorite search engine . if you already have a tune in mind , you could also search , guitar tab on that same search engine . if the song is relatively well - known , dozens of options should come up . try to choose one that is highly rated for accuracy for instance , five stars or 100 ratings . a tab is kind of like sheet music but primarily is only used for guitar and bass notation . it represents progressions as fret numbers instead of as notes . the main problem with tabs is that , unlike sheet music , there is no indication of rhythm , so it definitely helps to know the rhythm of the song before you start learning it . check out how to read guitar tabs for more details . |
pick a site with easy - to - read scale charts . start practicing scales during every session . | how to learn guitar online 3 | there are dozens of sites offering to teach scales to the novice guitarist but not all are created equal . find the one that works best for you again , use that handy search engine to get started . clearly labeled notes are essential . you should understand what notes youre playing , not just what frets youre playing . many scale sites also describe what music the scale is traditionally used in for example , e minor pentatonic shows up in dozens of rock solos . every guitarist will tell you that a grasp of scales is inherently useful . while some people pick scales up naturally over time by just hearing what sounds good , it helps to have a legitimate knowledge of numerous scales . scales , whether you realize it or not , are the fundamental building blocks of solos . a good soloist knows what notes to play next because they have practiced scales so much . |
find a suitable website . decide what theory to concentrate on . | how to learn guitar online 4 | again , finding the website you want to use is half the battle . your favorite search engine will come in handy again , though music theory is a bit more touchy than scales . make sure that you are at a reputable site , as amateur music theory can set you on the wrong track and cause problems in your knowledge that take a long time to correct . there are plenty of great free resources out there if a site wants you to pay , make sure its not knowledge you could get elsewhere . if you think learning an instrument is overwhelming , try learning music theory . the entirety of music theory would take a lifetime to master . however , there are some fundamentals that everyone should know . learn chord progressions . a chord progression is any sequence of chords , and some sound better than others . for instance , the chords g - c - d sound pretty great together on guitar . learning chord progressions will explain to you why those sound good together . rhythm and time signatures are also good topics to get started with . basically , youre trying to learn why certain music sounds good , and then applying that knowledge to producing your own good music . theory often gets ignored by people who just want to learn a few songs , but if you ever want to make music then you should have at least a basic understanding of theory . |
from your local hardware store purchase the following items . a garden tool hanger that has foam or rubber padding on the forked end and a wood screw type threaded anchor screw protruding from the other end . a pre - finished furniture leg or bed leg that measures about three inches long not including the anchor screw . using pliers or a small pipe wrench , remove the anchor screw from the bed leg reverse the anchor screw and reinstall the machine threaded end into the leg leaving the wood screw end exposed . at the small end of the bed leg remove the end cap or tack . using a 14 drill bit , drill a hole into the small end of the bed leg that will be deep enough to accept the wood screw end of the garden tool hanger . turn the garden tool hanger into the pre - drilled hole . using a stud finder , locate the stud in the wall at the location you wish to install the guitar hanger . using a 14 drill bit , pre - drill a hole into the stud deep enough to receive the wood screw end of the guitar hanger turn the guitar hanger into the pre - drilled hole until snug and oriented to receive the guitar . hang the guitar | how to hang a guitar | , this provides a more secure connection to the wall , this is now a guitar hanger , |
use silence strategically . vary your timing . utilize vibrato . do pull offs and hammer ons . a lot of the core to guitar soloing is made up of pull - offs and hammer - ons . slide your fingers . practice tremolo picking . build up to something . | how to improvise a solo on guitar 1 | some guitar players dont realize the effect of adding a rest , or silence , to their solo . a rest in a guitar improvisation is a good time to recollect your thoughts and decide where to go . listen to some of your favorite solos and you might notice that the guitarist isnt playing nonstop . a good way to employ a rest is by using your palm to mute the strings . by doing this , you can resume playing with your picking hand quickly . a rest is commonly used at the end of a guitar line , or a succession of notes across the fretboard . timing , or the speed at which you play a solo , can offer a variety of effects . many beginner guitarists feel inclined to play a guitar solo as fast as they possibly can . while many soloists do play fast , it is oftentimes more interesting for a soloist to modify the timing to create a better feeling for the solo . the mood of the solo will be reflective of how the soloist speeds up or slows down during a solo . for example , you can begin a solo at a quick pace , but then slow it down once you hit a harmonious note or melody . there are plenty of interesting and sometimes overlooked effects you can do with the speed and variety of timing used during a solo . vibrato is when the pitch of a note bends . there are effects that produce this sound , but you can also achieve it using your fretting hand . hold a note with your hand and bend the note back and forth quickly . the result will be a vibrato sound . to increase the stamina of your fretting hand , position a couple fingers above the finger that is holding the note . by using multiple fingers , youll be able to bend the string farther and for a longer period of time . vibrato is a technique that is utilized at any given point of a solo . play around and use it once you hear a note you like . pull off is when you pull your finger off the string so that the open string or another note you have positioned rings out . hammer on is when you slam or hammer your finger onto a string . both hammer ons and pull offs allow you to quickly play a note without having to pick the string . use a combination of hammer ons and pull offs to execute a quick melody . flatpicking guitar is heavily made up of these techniques . another staple of the guitar solo is the slide . sliding on the guitar is an easy technique , but must be used tastefully . slides are commonly used to begin or end a solo , but you can also employ them in the midst of a solo . hold a note on a string and slides your finger up or down . you can build your fingers strength and even slide chord shapes . tremolo picking is when you use your pick to play exceptionally fast . the name refers to the similarity in sound that is produced with the tremolo effect . do this by alternating between downstroke and upstroke with your pick . practice this slowly until you become comfortable . it might be hard for a beginner to control where the pick goes . this all takes time and practice . understanding when and where your solo will end is extremely important to a successful improvisation . knowing how long youll be improvising means you can successfully bring the solo to a peak - with techniques like playing faster or in a higher register as the solo draws to a close . this gives your entire solo a strong feeling of intention and helps you finish strong . this technique also implies knowing to start things off a bit slower . allow your solo to breathe in the beginning then build in intensity as it goes along . make sure you have somewhere to go . |
learn scales . consider and vary your approach . play in a vertical approach . play in a horizontal approach . learn all the octave patterns . practice soloing in multiple keys . | how to improvise a solo on guitar 2 | almost every solo is performed around a scale of some sort . the most common scale for soloing in rock n roll music is the pentatonic scale . once you know how to play a scale , you can change which key you play in by changing the starting note . this is helpful because you dont need to relearn the same scale based on a different key . utilize patterns for while youre playing as much as possible . other important scales to learn are the minor pentatonic , blues , natural minor , major , and the chromatic scale . there are two different approaches to a guitar solo vertical and horizontal . the vertical approach is when you solo according to the current chord . a horizontal approach is when solo according to the current or relevant scale . the best players utilize both of these practices . consider the measure of the song you are going to solo over and make sure you know all the chords . once you know all the chord shapes , you will be able to select notes out of each chord . this technique is called wrapping chords . pick out notes from whichever chord is being played and pair those notes with notes from a neighboring chord . for example , if the song is made up of e , a , and d , you can pick out various notes from these chords during the measure . you can add variations to the sound by including neighboring tones . a neighboring tone is a note that is a half step below or above the note youre playing . jerry garcia , for example , utilized neighboring tones in his solos . a horizontal approach has a few more options for playing than the vertical approach . for most chord patterns there are multiple scales that can be played to add different moods . you are usually safe to play a scale in the key of the root note . the root note is the key of the song . for example if the song is in the key of c , you could play around a c major , pentatonic , or blues scale . if there are chords that contain notes that are not in the scale you are playing , youll need to accent those notes . like the vertical approach , it helps to know the chord shapes and each note in the chord . some common scales to play in a solo are the major , harmonic minor , and melodic minor scales . voicing is a powerful tool for a soloist . the voice of the sound refers to the octave you are playing at . start small and try to identify each e on your fretboard . you can use common patterns like skipping a string and playing a step up . try hard to ingrain into your memory where each note is . in the midst of improvising , you can benefit from switching the voicing to alter the sound of your solo . a commonly overlooked octave for soloing is the lowest register . this voicing sounds great after playing in a high register for a bit . you cant practice too much when it comes to playing an instrument . this is especially true if you plan to take a lot of solos . an easy way to practice is to challenge yourself by changing the key of your solo . many guitarist are comfortable soloing in e and a , but can they solo as well in bb apply the same type of practice to each key to best prepare yourself for playing with other musicians . |
utilize call and response . use motifs , repetition , and the main melody . listen to your bandmates . | how to improvise a solo on guitar 3 | call and response is popular is several styles of music . it uses conversation as a metaphor for playing music . one way to utilize call and response is by accenting certain notes during a solo in response to what other musicians are playing . another is to create a call on your instrument and have your band respond with a unified response . this technique is also called question and answer in jazz improvisation and can be used within your own solo . pose a question with a series of notes , then answer that question with your next series of notes . a great way to bring all the musicians together during a solo is by playing a motif of the song . a motif is a repeated melody that is usually a short phrase . the motif could be from a riff during the verse or might even be part of the melody from the chorus . repeating the motif during your solo is a good way to indicate to your band to change something . oftentimes the main melody from the song acts as a motif and indicator to the other musicians . you might use it to speed up the band , slow the tempo down , change into the verse , or even end the song . for an example of a bands relationship with a motif or main melody and repetition , listen to john coltranes version of my favorite things . all musicians should keep one ear focused on what theyre playing and the other ear focused on the band . one part of listening is centered around keeping an eye out for signals or cues your bandmates might physically give off . even while you are soloing , it will help you to occasionally glance up and check in with your band . a guitarist that overplays and doesnt consider the rest of the band is a bad guitarist . its important not to overstep your solo and keep the mood in a unified spirit . |
choose a guitar . buy an amp . buy some picks . buy strings . learn to understand tablature , often shortened to tab or tabs . learn from examples . tune your ax . learn about key . | how to get started playing hard rock and metal guitar | the better the guitar , the better the sound . and that means it will be easier and more fun to learn on . that said , it isnt at all necessary to go out and spend tons of money on a nice axe . dont spend less than 200 . there are a lot of poorly made beginner models out there that could just end up leaving you frustrated . for rock , an entry level epiphone by gibson or squier by fender model guitar is a good idea to start with . if your budget can handle it , fender and gibson have famous names on the headstock . they make instruments the way they made them in the 50s , 60s and 70s . for metal , some good brands are b . c . rich , dbz , dean , esp , jackson , and ibanez . if youre old school , gibson and fender clones can also be used for metal . now , you may be asking whats the difference between a rock guitar and a metal guitar the most important difference is in the pickups . heavy metal guitars tend to have active pickups , while rock guitars usually have passive pickups . go ahead and look up the difference . remember , just because a guitar has passive pickups doesnt mean you cannot play metal with it . vice versa , just because a guitar has active pickups doesnt mean you cant play rock with it . get something small no more than about 30 watts , no less than 10 to practice with , and spend no more than 100 dollars on it . it should be a combo amp . you dont need to pay much heed to this term , but if youre curious , look it up elsewhere . anyway , you can move to higher - end models later once you are more experienced . line 6 , crate , epiphone , fender , all make decent entry level amps . fender , vox , and marshall make higher - end tube amps , among other companies as well . read on to find out what the difference between tube and solid - state amps is . there are two types of amps solid - state and tube . solid - state amplifiers are much , much cheaper , and are recommended for a beginner . however , some metalcore and metalcore guitarists prefer solid - state amps because they can sound very harsh doesnt always apply to cheap entry - level amps . tube amps also known as valve amps , especially in the uk are frequently used by professional rock musicians , and a large percentage of heavy metal players use tube as well . unfortunately for the beginner , they much more expensive than solid - state amps . tube - driven amps are widely considered to sound highly superior to solid - state amps . they are definitely not recommended for a beginner , as they do require maintenance and care must be taken when using them they are quite fragile and can be costly to repair . special note some amps use a combination of tube and solid - state technology . they are often a good choice for the amateur guitarist who has moved beyond the beginner level . they sound far superior to entry - level solid - state amps and are a lot cheaper than fully tube amplifiers . another special note tube does not refer to the shape of the amp . get lots and lots of these . youre going to be losing them , i promise . no guitarist can avoid that , so have backups . get some with a thin to medium thickness and some that are heavier . you will probably find you like one more than the other . once you have found a preference , buy primarily that type of picks . jim dunlop makes great picks of all thickness . guitars are nothing without good strings . investing in these will produce awe - inspiring sound . daddario and ernie ball strings are the most commonly used strings for both rock and heavy metal . its mostly a matter of personal preference . keep in mind the string gauge when buying strings . string gauge refers to how thick the strings are . when people refer to string gauges , they usually use the gauge of the high e string the 1st string . for example , if you buy strings that are . 009 gauge , that means that the 1st string gauge is . 009 inches 0 . 0 cm thick . see httpen . wikipedia . orgwikiguitarstringselectricguitar for an accurate list of string gauges . the thicker the string gauge , the more bass you can hear and powerful - sounding the strings will be , but it will be more difficult to do string bends . a string bend is when you bend the string so you can change the pitch of the note . the thinner the string gauge , the easier it will be to do string bends , but the strings will sound more like treble . make sure you try many different kinds so you can figure out what suits you best . tablature is a system that uses numbers to represent positions on the fretboard . remember , the 1st string is the one closest to your feet when you play , and the 6th string is closest to your head . the long lines represent the strings e 1st - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - b 2nd - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - g 3rd - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - d 4th - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a 5th - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - e 6th - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - here is a tablature staff telling you to play a note at the 3rd fret on the 6th string , then a note at the 6th fret on the same string , then a note on the 3rd fret of the 5th string , and finally two notes together - 2nd fret 4th string and the fifth string open not fretting any note . whenever notes are shown directly over or under other notes , all of them are played together as a chord . e 1st - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - b 2nd - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - g 3rd - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - d 4th - - - - - - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a 5th - - - - - 3 - 0 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - e 6th - 3 - 6 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - if you dont know how to tune the guitar , buy a tuner . everybody uses them anyway , because tuning by ear is impossible for a beginner . if you cannot get a tuner , use a pitch pipe or some point of reference to tune the fifth string to a . then match the sound of the 5th fret on the 6th string to the open a . match the d string to the 5th fret of the 5th string . match the g string to the 5th fret of the 4th string . match the b string to the 4th fret of the 3rd string . match the high e string to the 5th fret of the 2nd string . key , is a big mystery to a lot of beginners . its going to remain one too - because we arent going into the swamp of music theory here . next is this nifty chart which will tell you what fret position you can play your pentatonic scale at over any chord and stay in key . if this confuses you , remember that the scale starts on the 6th string , and the first note in the pattern is the root . even if you skip the 6th string and start playing on the 4th , whatever fret you started on is your position . if you started anywhere on the 5th fret , youre playing in the key of a , etc . still confused have a look at this |
create a riff . determine what notes you are using , and try to figure out what scale you are using . decide whether youre using a major , or minor key . use the scale constructed in step 2 to determine the key your riff is in . write down the notes of your scale , and write the scale intervals roman numerals underneath each in order . decide what interval you want to harmonize in . using the list you wrote in step five , write the notes down again , adjusting them for the interval you chose . using this finished list , play the riff again , playing the notes that are underneath the original notes . | how to harmonize a riff | memorize it and the pattern . the best way to do this is to construct a scale using the notes you used , and ascend with notes that sound nice . this will become easier with experience . in general , major keys will sound happy and upbeat , while minor keys will sound sad although this is not a hard and fast rule , a minor key can certainly sound happy . also , metal songs will generally use minor keys . ex your riff uses the notes eb , f , ab , and d . you determine the other notes to be c , g , and bb . you know now that your riff is in either eb major , or c minor . you decide to use c minor . ex you write c , d , eb , f , g , ab , bb , and c . under the first c , you write i , under the d you write ii , under the eb you write iii , and so on until you reach the second c , where you put i once again . thirds are the most common , as they usually sound the best , and are the easiest , however sixths and fourths can also sound very good , and even a second or seventh can sound good , used sparingly . ex you decided to harmonize in thirds , so you write eb under the first c , f under the d , and so on . |
change or decorate the pick guard . hang something from the headstock . add stickers . get a flashy strap . trick out the toggle switches . write a slogan on your guitar . | how to decorate a guitar 1 | the easiest and most reversible way to give your guitar a little flair without damaging the instrument itself , or spending a lot of money is to get a new pick guard with interesting colors , or to get a plain pick guard and decorate it with markers or paint . on electric guitars , most pick guards can be removed with a small phillips - head screwdriver , after removing the strings . replacing it is as easy as placing it and replacing the screws . pick guards are available at any guitar shop or music store . acrylic paint and permanent markers are the simplest and best ways of decorating pick guards , and the bodies of guitars . theres more info about painting your guitar in the next section . jerry garcia used to stick a rose in between the strings on the headstock of his guitar , and a variety of little decorations hanging from the headstock or the tailpiece of your guitar can look pretty cool . try getting a few scarves or attractive looking scraps of fabric and wrapping them under the strings at the headstock , and knotting them tightly . wrap some strings between the tailpiece and the strap of your guitar to keep it held in place . another super - easy and effective way of decorating your guitar is to use a variety of stickers placed around the body of both electric and acoustic guitars . while some people think these negatively affect the tone woods and the resonance of the guitar , the difference is difficult to notice , and not significant on cheaper guitars anyway . all of the following make great guitar decorations band stickers bumper stickers logos stickers along the fretboard leather strap with a psychedelic mandala lightening bolt bandolier of bullets a cool strap can do just as much for your general stage presence and vibe as a cool decorated guitar . shop around online for cool options , or consider making your own . adjust strap to an appropriate rock and roll height . that means low , if youre in a punk band , and nipple - high if youre in an indie band . apply buttons of your favorite bands to the strap . this is also a good opportunity to rep independent record shops , bookstores , tattoo parlors , and head - shops in your town . most electric guitars come with plastic toggle switch caps that you can remove and replace with any number of oddities , or leave blank for a more punk , or industrial look . most knobs should have a solid metal inner knob that you can use by itself , or trick out with whatever you want to use . pop the volume knob off your guitar and replace with a die that youve drilled a hole in , then glue it to the metal rod . other cool options might include clay balls , lego men , or prescription pill bottles . this machine kills fascists was famously written on woody guthries guitar , and willie nelsons guitar trigger is autographed by hundreds of famous people in marker . a few words can be a nice touch on a guitar , whatever message you want it to include . use permanent marker , and make sure it dries completely before you touch it . its very easy to smudge and make the smudge whats permanent . |
use an appropriate guitar . remove the tuning pegs and strings . remove anything you dont want to paint . remove the finish from the guitar . apply primer and an even coat of base paint . apply additional decoration on top , if desired . finish with topcoat . | how to decorate a guitar 2 | only use cheap guitars for stripping and painting . if youve got an old beater that you want to punk - up a bit , thats totally cool . but its probably not a great idea for the 66 les paul standard your grandfather left you in his will . if you want to change the color of an expensive guitar , buy it in that color , or have it customized at a guitar shop . its important to understand that painting a guitar can seriously alter the tone woods and affect the sound that you get from the instrument . youve been warned . before you do any stripping or painting , its important to get the guitar ready for alteration mode , and get it out of playing mode . strings can be removed by slackening them completely and then unwrapping them from the tuning pegs . most tuning pegs can be unscrewed from the headstock using a small phillips - head screwdriver , and then pulled from the slot . remove the pick - guard and the pickups , if necessary , as well as any toggle switch caps or volume control knobs that you dont want to be colored whatever color you plan on painting the guitar . you can usually just pop these off and snap them back on . if you break a control knob cap during the process , theyre available for cheap from any guitar shop or online guitar retailer , if your guitar is a standard model . depending on the finish on your guitar , youll need to use a variety of different techniques to get it off . most acoustic guitars are stained and finished and will need to be sanded down before you attempt to repaint the guitar . in general , this is the worst idea and the most damaging for instruments . if you have a decent quality guitar , use more minor decorations , or just paint on top of the finish . electric guitars need to be heat - blasted with a heating gun to remove the poly finish . if your guitar looks like it has a hard plastic outer shell , thats a poly finish , and youll need to use a heat gun on low setting to soften it before scraping it off with a putty knife . alternatively , of course , you can go the diy punk route and just paint your skulls and panthers , or your metal bands logo directly on top of the guitars current finish in acrylic paint or sharpie marker . might not look as professional , but thats probably what youre going for anyway . guitars should be painted like other wooden objects , first sanded gently to create a smooth surface from which to work , then primed with wood primer , then covered with at least two even coats of latex or oil - based paint appropriate for use on wood . generally , you want to use a high - sheen variety of paint , which is more common for guitars . this also helps to hide the imperfections in the surface . allow each coat to dry completely before moving on to the next . in general , you dont want to use rattle - cans of spray paint , unless you want a super - junky look , which can be cool too . after the base coat color is dry , you can use small paint brushes and acrylic paints to add additional details and designs as you want . keep the additional details as basic as possible . consider using any of the following designs for a little detail thorn branches flowers paisley designs skulls roses stars your bands logo all guitars will get beaten up over time , from use , so its important to apply a poly topcoat to keep the guitar as safe as possible . this is what gives it that hard , plastic - like finish . find a topcoat variety that works well with the type of paint youve used . some wont work well with latex , for example . |
the duck walk . the stomp and stagger . jumping . the guitar swing . dramatic picking . headbanging . stance . angus young the spasm . guitar swing or cinderella swing . star power , windmill , make eye contact with your audience . power slide . twirly gig extremely dangerous . hold your guitar by the strings and spin around . be sure you have a strap on , and a lot of room . guitar spin take your strap off and hold the guitar only by its neck , grab the bottom of the body and spin it around with the neck as the axis . pick throw do a pick slide slide the pick down the guitar neck and do it with force , then once you get to the 1st fret , release and launch the pick . shake whammy if your guitar doesnt have a whammy bar you can play a chord and shake it hard and it whammies crabcore . | how to do guitar moves | hold the guitar to your side , bend over , and kick your right leg forward . next , scoot your left foot forward and return the right foot to its original position . do this as many at least 5 times as you like across the stage , and have fun . but . dont fall or stop moving , you will look like an idiot . be careful though this is a good 30 years out of style , so you still might look like an idiot . step forward with one foot , then slide it back to its original position . then do this with the opposite foot . repeat however many times needed . if you are successful , it should look something like the running man this is a very primitive move , but one of the most used and most entertaining . simply jump in the air and tuck your knees in , then land . an alternate way is to jump in the air and separate your legs so it looks like you did a kick . make sure your guitar is out of the way when you do this , or youll bang your knees up and it will hurt . this is where you throw your guitar make sure you have a strap lock over your fretting hand shoulder and then it will swing around your back and come back to you underneath your armpit . for more information , see the link below . make your picking very dramatic . strum really hard and look angry at the guitar . bend your elbow and sort of throw your picking hand at the strings . kurt cobain held his picking hand in place and then moved the guitar neck up and down to strum . try making up your own signature picking styles . a great way for a beginner to show their style . look at the floor , and then rotate your head in a circular motion . works great if you have long hair . this can hurt your neck if you do it too long , though . also try bobbing your head up and down . or side to side like youre saying no . this might affect your playing for the first time and you will find it difficult to do multiple tasks at once . your playing stance is very important . most of the time you want your legs to be spread out . a good punk rock stance is to spread out your legs , slightly bend your knees , rest your guitar on your thigh , lean back , and then attack your strings with your pick also called the crazy idiot . lay on the ground on your side with your guitar , duh and use your legs to go in circles . make sure there is enough room and people arent around you . a wireless guitar is recommended for this . this one is extremely dangerous , it is just on here for looks . take off your guitar , and throw it in the air so it does a flip or two , and then catch it . put it back on and then start playing again . turn your guitar so the headstock is pointing towards the ceiling , and then play . made famous by the who , just swing your arm in a circle and strum the guitar at every revolution warning watch the whammy bar . this needs no explanation . made famous by the who , done more recently by tenacious d . get a running start , and then fall onto your knees . if done correctly , youll slide about 4 feet 1 . 2 m across the floor . , the grip tighter to stop and put your strap back on . this may take some practice but its great , you can toss your pick to the audience or even a second player . , this is when you crouch down like a crab and head bang at the same time . lots of metal bands do this at the breakdown part of their song in their music videos . |
first think - what kind of music do you want to play , if you like jazzblues , you may want to get a hollow - body guitar . if you like folkacoustic rock , martin and taylor are the way to go - if youre willing to shell out more . if you like heavy metal or post - hardcore , schecter , espltd , ibanez , and jackson are a few major brands of guitar that have a great bang for buck effect . for modern or classic rock , fender and gibson are great brands . do some more research . dont be afraid to go used . build your own stuff . use guitar forums like httpwww . ultimate - guitar . comforum to get great advice from seriously experienced guys . | how to get a great guitar sound for a low price | this is what makes all the difference in deciding what gear to buy . these are beautiful guitars that sound great with low distortion and bassy tone . ask about epiphone , washburn and ibanez hollow bodies . danelectros are super cheap , but some people dont like the tone from them . for a low price , the best acoustic would probably be an epiphone , or an alvarez . , or epiphone . they have the same guitars with slightly lower quality , but epiphone is three times cheaper . go to a music store and ask one of the clerks about the guitars you are interested in . avoid big chain music stores with monster deals for research unless you are testing for yourself . most of the time the staff there is not going to be as knowledgeable or experienced as a smaller shop with dedicated , long - term employees , and the small stores will tend to be more truthful about products because they want your return business . buying from places like ebay could save you a lot of money and get a lot of tone for the cash . as with buying anything , make sure it works and is not a fake . it takes a lot more skill than buying but building could save some serious cash . granted building something like a guitar is hard and is best left to professionals . however , building effects pedal such as a tube screamer type pedal is commonplace and gives great bang for your buck . if youre even more handy with your soldering iron , make your own amp . parts are readily available from the internet as with effects pedal parts and could be your ticket to cheap tonal nirvana . whats more , its absolutely free . |
paint your guitar . add stickers or decals . draw or write with pens . add colorful binding or purfling . | how to customize your guitar 1 | disassemble your guitar carefully to paint the body of it with spray paint or another paint that is safe for guitars . add designs or repaint the whole surface , then top with a guitar lacquer for a shiny , professional finish . its important to sand down the surface of the body before you paint , using sandpaper and a sanding block to smooth the surface and help the paint adhere to it . its a good idea to coat the body with a primer before adding paint . add several layers of each to get an even color in your desired shade . note that painting , especially if youre doing the entirety of the guitar body , is best done on a solid - body electric guitar . hollow - body guitars like acoustic guitars are more sensitive to changes to the wood and susceptible to getting the paint into the interior of the instrument . add any stickers or decals you want to the body of an electric or acoustic guitar for some extra character , color , or to make a statement . note that most typical stickers will leave a sticky residue behind or even pull up the lacquer or paint on your guitar . make sure you are happy with the stickers being there permanently before you apply them . you can buy decals that look a little bit like giving your guitar a tattoo . its best to spray a coat of lacquer over a decal for a shine consistent with the rest of your guitar . sketch out your own freeform design or use a stencil to create patterns , pictures , or words on the body of your guitar with markers , pens , or paint pens . remember that most markers and pens are permanent . sketch out a design lightly with a pencil before you add color from a marker . you may be able to remove some color with a little rubbing alcohol . try adding your own signature to your guitar for an extra personal touch . you can also add some sparkle to your designs by applying small gems or rhinestones using wood glue . choose a colored or patterned decal to easily change up the existing binding and purfling on the edges of your guitar , which are the thin plastic or wood pieces between any two edges of the instrument body . the binding piece on your guitar is usually white or neutral wood , but the purfling can come in a herringbone pattern or other colors and patterns . |
buy fretboard inlay stickers . add a unique pickguard . try colorful strings and knobs . install new bridge pins . replace pickup covers . | how to customize your guitar 2 | try an alternative to inlays made of stone or shell in a guitar fretboard by purchasing stickers made to look like the real thing . these are easily applied and stay put under strings and fingers . try different shapes , designs , or even custom words for each fret . carefully remove the strings on your guitar , clean and dry the surface of the fretboard , and center the stickers evenly on the frets to apply them . you can also buy stickers meant for the headstock of your guitar , which you can even personalize with your name like a famous musician add a pickguard to your guitar in a fun color , shape , or pattern . the pickguard is used to protect the surface of your guitar face from scratching of the pick , but it can also be a highly decorative , customizable piece . applying a new pickguard is easiest to do on a guitar that doesnt already have a one , but it may be possible to replace an existing one by carefully removing it with a bridge removal knife and a little heat from a lamp . replace your current strings and tuning knobs with colorful varieties or different finishes . make sure you dont sacrifice quality when replacing guitar strings . use the same gauge and steel or nylon material of your current guitar or upgrade to better quality , or you will end up with a completely different sound and feeling while playing . electric guitars have even more options for knob customization , as you can replace knobs on the face of the guitar as well with special shapes and materials . just make sure you check whether your guitar has solid shaft or split shaft pots before you buy new knobs . replace the pins that hold your guitar strings on the bridge of your guitar . customize with unique pins that contain shell , bone , brass , or other materials that give them color and shine . bridge pins made from bone and wood can also change and improve the quality of sound from your guitar strings . if you have an electric guitar with pickup covers that can be replaced , try a new color or finish for them . all you should need is a screwdriver to replace removable pickup covers . they come in all different colors and finishes to complement your guitar any way you want . |
get a new case or make your own . decorate your existing case . get a new guitar strap . find unique guitar picks . | how to customize your guitar 3 | protect and carry around your guitar in style by getting a new hard or soft case . or , make your own soft guitar case easily with some fabric , batting , and a sewing machine . you can also make your own hard case if you have good woodworking skills and access to the materials necessary to cut a custom shape for your guitar . make sure that if you make your own case , there is no extra room inside for your guitar to rattle around and get damaged , but also doesnt get squeezed too tightly . try spicing up an old case with new , unique details to display your personality and style . on a soft case , you can sew or iron on patches , embroider patterns , or attach buttons or piping . on a hard case , you can add stickers , paint or pen designs , or replace the clasps and other hardware with new fixtures in a different metal or color . on any case , you can also try customizing the lining by hand - sewing or using fabric glue to attach your own fabric in a fun color or pattern to the inside of the case . just make sure your guitar still fits well in the case with your added lining . get yourself a new guitar strap to easily add a touch of color or pattern to the overall look of your instrument . choose a wide , well - made strap for comfort and durability . you can also make your own guitar strap with any piece of heavy fabric and the right fittings to attach it to your guitar . or , simply spruce up your existing strap by wrapping new fabric around it . get new picks that express your style or complement the look of your guitar . find guitar or music stores that can create custom picks for you , or that make unique or unusual picks . you can even make your own picks using a pick puncher , which cuts out the right shape from any hard plastic or other suitable material . |
ask around . make your choice . communicate , attend a no obligation trial lesson | how to find a guitar teacher | you might know somebody who plays the guitar or who knows somebody who could put you in the direction of a good guitar teacher . this method of searching is very useful as you will be able to ask questions to a student about the lessons they receive . if you really dont know anybody who can help then contact local music shops who will give you a list of tutors in the area . once you have a list of guitar teachers you need to decide on a few things . how much can you afford to spend per month guitar lessons are usually hourly or half hourly a week and most tutors keep a regular time slot that you will be expected to regularly attend for at least a month . what style of music do you want to play most guitar tutors can teach a variety of styles but some teachers specialize in only one style eg . classical or rock . if you want to learn to play blistering van halen solos then a strictly classical teacher will not be as qualified as a teacher who plays rock guitar . do you require one to one lessons or do you want to join a small group or class if you can already play the guitar but have a specific technique or style you wish to learn then consider this too . call a few teachers on your list to find out if they are within your budget , that they are able to teach the styles that you want to learn , if you are looking for a tutor for your child then make sure that they are crb checked and have a safe learning space and that you are able to sit in on the lessons . you also need to speak to any potential tutors to make sure that you get along from the start what experience or qualifications does the teacher have many guitar teachers are not academically qualified but this doesnt mean that they are bad teacher some tutors offer the chance to attend a lesson not free though to see how you get on . if you attend a trial lesson you can treat it as an interview to decide if you will employ the teachers services . if there is a good learning atmosphere , you are made to feel relaxed and comfortable and you feel that you are learning then you should book some more lessons . |
set your guitar to the bridge pickup . hold down any fret , on any string , this works best on natural harmonic notes . choke up on your pick so there is only about a half or quarter centimeter showing . pick the note , but barely brush your thumb across the string as you pick it should be one motion . put a nice vibrato on the note optional . | how to do a pinch harmonic false harmonic or squeal 1 | in standard tuning a really simple one of these is on the 12th fret , any string . , |
place your hand on the strings . hold down the desired fret . with your thumb , barely place the knuckle on the top of the string . with the finger that is picking it , pluck the note fast . remove thumb quickly and enjoy . | how to do a pinch harmonic false harmonic or squeal 2 | , |
realize that you need a professional level instrument . a lutherie guitar is always better than a standard guitar . shop around . research brand names and models that you think are good enough . read some customer reviews on larger marketing sites such as musicians friend or harmony central . narrow your choices down . consider a custom or one - of - a - kind instrument from several independent luthiers or factories , such as heritage . buy your new guitar . | how to choose a professional level guitar | when you start playing shows , youre going to realize that other people are playing very nice and expensive pieces of equipment . in order to maximize tone and take your playing to the next level , you need a professional quality guitar . if you have enough money , request a custom guitar at a smaller guitar shop . its almost impossible to get a custom made guitar from fender or gibson because there are always people more important than you waiting in front of you . look on the internet guitar center , musicians friend , sweetwater , elderly instruments , woodwinds the brasswinds , roxy music , and so on . however , dont overlook your local music shops to check brand names and what features and sounds are found within each brand . locally , you can actually pick up and play an instrument to get the feel and sound firsthand , which one cannot over the internet . esp , gretsch , paul reed smith , godin , carvin , ibanez , gl , gibson , fender , jackson , dean , heritage , and some other independent japanese and american companies will offer the best examples of professional quality instruments . visit these companies websites . usually they have lists of people in bands that they endorse , and these might be some of your favorite bands . this is to see what other people think of the instruments that youre looking at . usually these people have experience playing in bands and such , and can be very helpful through their reviews of the products . after youve looked at everything , pick out a few guitars that youd like to try out and take for a test drive in a store . after narrowing down your choices , find these models in a store and try them out . ask the clerks there what they think , and what kind of guitars they play . professional advice is the best advice when shopping for a professional guitar . , youve tried them out , youve narrowed your choices down , and youve made your final selection . its now time to enter the pantheon of guitar gods and make your mark upon the earth with your new instrument . enjoy your new guitar , and remember that professional guitars only improve with age . |
know that it is essential that you keep your bow straight , about halfway between the bridge and the end of the fingerboard . bowing should be done with the elbow and the wrist the shoulder should not move much at all . mind the pressure you place on your violin strings . now , articulations . | how to use exquisite bowing techniques on a violin | also , make sure your bow isnt leaning in either direction , but is perpendicular to the strings . your elbow should be approximately the same height as your shoulder when the bow is placed on the a or d stringthis may differ on how you hold your violin and what style of teaching you use , most students that use the suzuki method of teaching are sometimes told to put a book under their shoulder to use more wrist and less arm , however this can result in not using a full bow on louder notes resulting in poor projection which can make one press too hard on the bow causing it to give a scratchy sound . sometimes it is helpful to lean your shoulder against a doorpost so that it cannot move . pp pianissimo . put on enough pressure to not make a wispy sound but light enough so that the audience or you can hear it clearly , and softly . p piano . use a bit more pressure but not so much that it sounds like f . it should show contrast from pp so that they dont sound exactly the same , but not too loud . it should be a little bit less pressure than mf . mp mezzopiano . medium soft , a mix between pmf . many violinists make the mistake of thinking that mp is quieter than p , but it is actually louder . the mezzos mpmf are difficult to analyze , because they are the most unique dynamic and are used to show small contrast . mf mezzoforte . medium loud , give it a light , airy sound that does not hold too long , and then crescendos or diminuendosdecrescendos in a piano sound . f forte . loud , try to use your full bow if the passage you are playing allows you to . it will give it a full sound . the sound of forte . ff fortissimo very loud dont hesitate to play the loudest sound your instrument can produce and yes , there are ffffortonoando ffffsometimes referred to blastissimo , but you do not see them often . ff is extremely loud . considered the opposite of pp , use a lot of pressure for this loud dynamic . also , increase speed of your bow . trills - make sure to have plenty of bow to give it a full sound , and make sure it resonates . try to trill fairly fast also . slurs - a slur is more than one note played in the same bow stroke . string crossings are sometimes difficult when you slur , so its recommended that you let you bow flow to the the next string . do not jerk your handarm it will hit the other string too early , or you wont leave the other string in time . staccato - very quick , short notes . jerk your hand , not your arm . think of it as a bouncing a ball motion . spiccato - spiccato is done near the frog of the bow on the balancing point , never near the tip as this is very difficult . allow your bow to leave your string . spiccato is like many fast lifts , so remember , move your arm a concave curve . you have to use your fingers to propel the bow to move . always bounce the bow near the string , lest you get a short , scratchy sound . try to make the sound lush and longer . spiccato requires lots of practice and listen to how your teacher describes doing it . play a full bow , but there are times when one may have to play at the frog for a strong sound , or play at the tip for a soft sound . be very particular with the section of the bow and the speed at which you are playing . |
understand why violinists use rosin . choose a rosin . make sure that you are using violin rosin . | how to use new rosin on a new violin bow 1 | rosin is a mild adhesive thats used in string instrument playing to increase the friction between the hair of the bow and the string . the rosin temporarily sticks to the string until its limit of adhesion is reached , and then releases . when a bow is new , or has been rehaired , the initial layer of base rosin may take some time to get in place , depending on the roughness of the hair - string stallion vs . mare , cold vs . warm climate , what the horses ate , etc . it may take very little time , or quite a bit more time . rosin is basically the same substance that you see pitchers use on the pitching mound in a baseball game to increase their grip on the ball . it is generally produced as a refining by - product while distilling turpentine from tree saps mostly various species of pine - its the goo thats left after the spirits have been evaporated off . contrary to many old beliefs , the hair does not have microscopic hooks that are raised up by rosin . under a microscope , the hair looks like a swamp reed , with slightly ragged growth rings that themselves dont have enough friction to do any more that just tickle a whisper from a string . however , they do have enough friction to provide a way for the rosin to transfer and hold to the hair . once there , the rosined hair will begin a succession of grab and release catches of the string to cause a somewhat sustained vibration of the string . there are also various types of rosins , most notably by color some are lighter , and some darker . the best rosin is the one that works best under the playing conditions you are presently experiencing , which is why many advanced players carry a variety of rosins with them to meet the needs of varying playing conditions . as a somewhat general rule , darker rosins tend to be softer , melt at a lower temperature like in the summer sun , and grip better in colder weather . very light rosins tend to be just the opposite harder , work better in warmer weather where a darker rosin might tend to soften and became gooey while playing . using new rosin on a bow depends on what instrument you have . you cannot use the same rosin from a cello or a bass on a violins bow . the result would be a change in tone in your violin playing . if continued , this will render the violins bow useless . however , its okay to use a violas rosin for a violin – or vice versa . |
prepare the bow . prepare the rosin . lift the bow onto the other rosin . rub the rosin onto your bow . apply the rosin to the entire bow . | how to use new rosin on a new violin bow 2 | then , gently take the bow out of its container and tighten the horse hairs which are white until they are taut . look at the wood of the bow it should not be bent downward or upward . if too tight , move the peg of the bow left until the wood is straight . if too loose , move the peg right so that the wood does not sag . once you have the correct rosin , uncap or slide it out of its container . use a closed pen to scratch your rosin until it is rough and gritty . try to rub gently so you dont damage your rosin . once the resin is exposed , youre ready to apply the rosin to your bow . wash your hands before so you dont get your rosin dirty . be sure you also wash your hands after because your hands will be sticky and messy with rosin dust . the frog , which is the dark part of the bow near the peg , should be next to the rosin . the horse hair should be on top of the rosin . the application is simple from frog to tip and back , play the rosin back and forth until you feel the bow gripping and no longer slipping . the heat created by the friction of the back and forth motion will cause the surface of the rosin to soften enough to allow the transfer of rosin to hair to take place . gently , and with little pressure , brush the hair of the bow against the rosin . one stroke down should end with the tip of the bow the other end next to the rosin . then , go backwards so that the frog is next to the rosin again . repeat up and down strokes five times . be careful . dont play the rosin very quickly , or youll risk breaking the bow . the new bow is not yet used to the high tension keep playing the rosin until the entire bow is coated in rosin . rub the rosin back and forth over a 2 inch 5 . 1 cm area , several times quickly . when youve thoroughly coated this part of the bow , move to the next 2 inch 5 . 1 cm section . |
test the bow . be patient . clean off the rosin dust as soon as possible . | how to use new rosin on a new violin bow 3 | lift your violin onto the curvature of your shoulder . then , lift the bow and place the frog on one string of the violin . make sure the bow is not dragging on any other string or the wood of the violin . stroke back and forth with gentle pressure while listening for a note . remember to maintain the same amount of pressure through out the strokes . change in pressure will cause some parts of the bow to play notes clearly and others not as clear . once a base layer of rosin is on the hair , achieving maximum playability is somewhat accomplished by feel . if you arent getting the response you need , apply a few quick strokes of rosin to reestablish the friction level needed . rosin will flake off the surface of the hair while playing , so its common to re - apply . if the violin still does not make noise again after rosin is put on , put more rosin on until notes are heard clearly . because of its origins , rosin dust should be wiped off the surface of the instrument as soon as practical . remember that it came from a refining process to get turpentine , and that there will always remain a small residual fraction of that turpentine in the rosin . turpentine is a very effective solvent for removing paints and varnishes , including the varnish on the top of your instrument . |
first , you need a guitar and an amplifier . youll probably want some effects . make some time a couple hours should be enough . the basic theory behind this whole process is to figure out how to make a sound , and then figure out how to manipulate it . once you have your noise , figure out how to manipulate it . now you have your sound . in order to keep your audiences attention , youre probably going to need to do some pitch manipulation . now youve got a signature sound , go wild with it | how to create a unique guitar technique | really any one will do , but you will want one that is noisy . the perfect setup for a guitar is one with single - coil pickups , two volume knobs and a pickup selector , and preferably a tremolo bar . the amp isnt really important , but before you leave the store make sure it sounds good and can get some good feedback reasonably good really loud if youre right next to the amp , nonexistent if you back away . theyre not necessary , but youll find you have a lot more options if you make a solid 500 investment . pay special attention to the effects that you can control an effect is an effect , but having control over the effect is what allows you to create rather than replicate . some good examples are a wah - wah pedal , a whammy pedal or other pitch alteration device , especially if it has a harmony setting , and a talk box . , so , do everything and anything you can think of to make your guitar make an odd noise . dont be afraid of abusing is see warnings . a good example is feedback step up close to your amp and wait until you hear the high - pitched , whiney noise . this is where your effects come in . try out your wah or talk box . these are the basis of the originality of your sound , so be creative . sometimes , just having them on completely changes the sound . play around . the next step is putting it into a song . this is easily accomplished by toying around with a whammy pedal . for a more natural sound , you can also use a tremolo bar if , of course , your sound does not require the use of both hands . use this to make a sort of melody or solo , or whatever . its your sound , do what you want with it . keep in mind that the feedback example is just that an example . the possibilities are limitless . try hitting your guitar with something , unplugging and messing around with the cable , whatever . as long as it makes a sound , you can use it . some other techniques are listed below . |
there are two ways to determine if your violin is out of tune . whichever method you choose to use , what you need to figure out is how far the strings pitch is from the pitch that is desired . | how to tune a violin 1 | for more advanced violinists , try playing a on a piano or keyboard , and compare it to the pitch of the plucked string . most beginning violinists fare better with a tuner , which is a device that determines the frequency of any open string - - or , actually , any note - - a musician plays . tuners are extremely helpful and precise , and you can buy them for a reasonable price at most music stores . if you choose to use a tuner , the tuner will indicate exactly how sharp or flat a string is by picking up the sound as you play that string . if the note you are plucking on your violin is a just a little higher than the note on your tuner or piano , then you should use the fine tuner method to tune the violin . however , if the string is way out of tune , you should use the peg method to get the string closer to the desired pitch , and then use the fine tuner method to perfect the tuning . |
while using the fine tuners to tune your violin , you may simply lay the instrument across your lap as long as you are very careful to keep it from falling to the ground . fine tuners are small , circular , screw - like devices found at the top of the tailpiece , which is located in the lower part of the instrument and shaped a bit like a triangle . follow these steps on all four strings . | how to tune a violin 2 | each string can be gradually tightened or loosened by the fine tuner positioned directly below it on the instrument . not all violins have four fine tuners , and some have none at all . if your instrument does not have fine tuners , then you will have to tune with your pegs . fine tuners are meant to be turned either clockwise or counterclockwise to affect the pitch of the string , and they are helpful only when a slight change in pitch is needed . if the string you wish to tune is too low - pitched , then you should turn the fine tuner clockwise , or the way that a clock‘s hands turn . this will tighten the string , and therefore raise the pitch . but if the peg is tight and doesnt turn easily , it should be turned so the string is loosened and then tightened the string again . this will avoid breaking the string by placing to much force on the peg . pluck the string again , and observe if it is closer to the desired pitch then before . turn and pluck as many times as necessary . if it eventually becomes too high - pitched when you pluck , follow the instructions in the next step . if the string is too high - pitched , turn the fine tuner counter - clockwise , or the opposite of the way that a clock‘s hands turn . this will loosen the string and therefore lower the pitch . pluck the string again , and observe if the sound is closer to the desired pitch then before . turn as many times as necessary . if it is now too low - pitched when you pluck , follow the directions in previous step . the next string you should tune after a is d , which is to the left of a . then , after you tune d , you should try tuning g . g is to the left of d . lastly , once all of the other strings are tuned , you can tune e . |
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