Tag Archive | "hobby"

Do You Fancy A Pink Acoustic Guitar ?


You might be a bit taken aback if your tween daughter has been pleading with you to get a pink acoustic guitar. You probably associate guitars with moody teenage boys, not young girls who used to pretend to be princesses and play dress-up just a few years ago. You will probably think it best to buy an inexpensive guitar in case your little girl loses interest. However, before you let her give it up, you should try and encourage her to keep at it.

It is a popular idea nowadays for a girl to want to play music and you should encourage this. This can be because of TV shows like Hannah Montana, who is a young girl pop star. There are good things and bad things about a girl wanting to be a star. As parents, you can use the desire your girl has for a pink acoustic guitar and turn it into a viable interest.

Guitar playing gives young girls a wonderful means to express their feelings in a healthy way. Young people, and specifically young girls, face a huge amount of peer pressure than in previous times. They face social expectations, worries about body image, pressures regarding sex and stress about performing well in school. Girls seem to turn pressure or pain inward on themselves with often drastic results. By supporting girls in their efforts to express their feelings, both good and bad, through playing guitar, this can help them make sense of their emotions while still retaining their privacy.

When your daughter is alone, she can write songs about all the things that matter to her, like first (or second) love and the associated heartbreak. A girl should only have to make her guitar songs public if she wants to. You can be encouraging by asking her to play after dinner. This can show you an indication of what she may be thinking or feeling that you might not know about otherwise.

There are certain things that need to be taken into consideration when it’s time to buy the first guitar for your daughter. First, this isn’t the time to pinch pennies. Don’t purchase just any old pink acoustic guitar from the dollar store or from the toy section. Even people who have been playing the guitar for awhile have a hard time playing an inexpensive guitar. Your best option is to shop locally at a music store, preferably a store that specializes in guitars.

There are various guitars that are visually appealing to girls. The Daisy Rock is a popular company that specializes guitars designed just for girls. It is with a good reason they call themselves The Girl Guitar Company. They sell a variety of guitars from plain pink acoustic guitars to heart and butterfly shaped guitars.

Rather than making your little girls first guitar a surprise gift, take her to the store with you when you shop for it. Each guitar is a little bit different so each pink acoustic guitar is not made in the same way. By allowing your daughter to choose her own guitar, she will get the one that feels best in her hands and the one that sounds just right to her and it will earn a special place in her heart.

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Successfully Learn to Play Guitar


How easy or difficult you find it to learn to play guitar is often dependent on a number of factors. In this article we’ll take a look at some of the most important reasons for why people fail or succeed in learning to play guitar.

It might surprise you to read that I do not consider talent to be of any importance when learning to play guitar to an average standard. Talent becomes much more of an important factor only later on if you are trying to compose or achieve a world class standard on the instrument.

When people succeed in learning guitar it’s mostly because of regular practice over time, not because of any special talent.

Too many students fail at guitar through not understanding or never being taught how to practice correctly. It’s really a technique which all musicians need to acquire in order to succeed in learning effectively on their instrument.

The golden rule of practice is to do it very slowly. This is mostly because your brain needs time to record correctly your actions and to record them without any mistakes. Your practice should be slow and perfect!

With this approach the mind has what it needs to record your actions perfectly and reproduce them without mistakes even at higher tempos.

Finally you need to find a method of learning which is effective for beginners. Not all websites or teachers understand the approach required to teach well and so the quality of instruction can vary widely from place to place.

When you first buy a guitar it’s not so important to go for a really expensive model, your playing won’t be at a stage where you could appreciate and enjoy the benefit anyway. So go for a guitar which is has a low action to make it easier to play and one which is going to tune up well. If you buy a bad guitar it can make the process of learning seem much more difficult than it should be.

Lastly, having fun while learning is such a motivator. Even though things may get tough and take time to accomplish on the instrument, when you learn to play guitar it’s going to reward you handsomely for a lifetime.

The writer is a well respected guitar teacher and has taught 100’s of students both privately and on the web. You can find many free sample videos to learn to play guitar on his website, Guitar in a Nutshell. The system used has been specially designed to maximise the speed at which beginners can learn guitar.

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Find Out Basic Facts in Buying a Guitar


There are a great number of guitars out there, that’s for sure. Electric, Acoustic, bass, steel, classical and acoustic-electric just to mention a few. Then besides that there are a huge number of brand names for guitars. You have Fender, Yamaha, Gibson, BC Rich just to name a few. How does one go about deciding with all these guitars to choose from.

The style of music you’re going to want to play as well as the places you’ll be playing in will definitely have an impact on the choices you make. Let’s face it, if you’re going to be playing dances, or other such gatherings with lots of people, you will most likely need a guitar that can be amplified. That pretty much eliminates acoustic.

A common thought seems to be that acoustic guitars are best suited to country, jazz and that style of music. Electric guitars it is said are deemed to be best for rock, pop, the blues and so on. So if you want to go with this train of thought, the type of music you will be playing the most will also narrow down the field for you.

If you’re interested in playing steel guitar or a bass, then you have already narrowed the field down a lot. Now you simply need to choose between brand name and model. It has been said that learning to play a bass guitar or a steel guitar will take considerably more time and effort than learning to play either acoustic or electric.

The acoustic-electric is a unique guitar. It is unique in the sense that it allows you to play both electric or acoustic on the same guitar. The switch is as simple as plugging in or unplugging the patch chord. An acoustic-electric, just as the name sounds, is an acoustic guitar with a built-in electric pick-up. There are also a wide range of manufacturers, models and price range in acoustic-electric guitars.

If you have a preferred artist, and you want to simulate their sound, then that answers a lot of the questions for you on what type of guitar you should buy. It is pretty hard to simulate the sound of an electric on an acoustic. If this is the style of music and sound you are going to be looking for the majority of the time, then that is the type of guitar you should be looking for.

Most music shops though are pretty good about showing you the different guitars, and letting you see how they feel, and hear what they sound like. For beginners, unless you’re certain you want an electric guitar, the acoustic-electric makes an excellent beginner guitar.

Wendy Racklave writes for Playhouse MM which has details of inexpensive Ibanez bass guitars and affordable vintage bass guitar.

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Guitar Lessons for Beginners


by Payo W Perry

Students just starting out on guitar need to exercise caution in the early stages. It’s always a period when bad habits can easily form and once established they can be stubborn things to change. In this article we’ll talk about what makes good quality guitar lessons for beginners.

Most people, having the absence of a good local guitar teacher, turn to the web or try to teach themselves from books. The latter is not really recommended however learning from the web is a viable option, just make sure that the lessons are up to scratch.
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On quality guitar websites you should be able to find sample lessons on offer for you to try out before committing to membership. You need to make sure that the style of teaching and speed of the lessons is suitable for you to learn from. Effective lessons leave you understanding everything clearly.

All beginner guitar lessons are not created equal! Some methods out there are quite old fashioned and behind the times so avoid them like the plague. You need an online tutor who understands exactly how to teach beginners guitar, it’s going to make a massive difference to how easy or hard you find learning guitar.

Go to the lessons section and try to see if what’s known as an even curve is in place. This means that there’s a natural flow in and out of the lessons as though they were connected. Without this you run the risk of being frustrated as guitar lessons for beginners are most effective when building upon the success of the last lesson.

The most important tool at your disposal is going to be the pause button! The teaching has a responsibility but so you do as the student. It’s your responsibility to make sure that your successfully assimilating and practicing each step covered before moving on.

Let’s take a look now at what’s really important for guitar lessons for beginners.

Firstly, get the best quality lessons you can find. Make sure the speed of delivery is not too fast for you and that you understand the lessons content very clearly. If you don’t, find other lessons. Lastly remember that the biggest responsibility for success lies with you, good quality guitar lessons for beginners can help you but ultimately it’s your own approach and practice which is the ultimate decider.

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Learn to Play Guitar Correctly


by Payo W Perry

Learning how to play guitar is quite intimidating when you’re just starting out. Usually all you want is to be able to play something, no matter what it is, just to get a musical sound.

Guitar lessons come in all shapes and sizes, so how do you know which ones are going to be best for you?

An obvious starting point is to look at the type of music you like to be able to play. It gives you a basic starting point to work from and is also a good indicator of how much work lies ahead of you! Certain styles of music such as Classical Guitar for example require a structured and regulated approach and private guitar lessons are advised.

Certain styles of playing allow you a lot of freedom with the road you take for technique and structure. For some styles such as Rock theres really no structure for how you learn to play guitar at all. For some people it’s perfect while others will feel lost. It’s up to you to recognize how best you learn and obey that aspect of yourself. What all musicians are trying to do is connect with themselves.

Don’t accept a poor standard when it comes to lessons for guitar. If they are being effective then you should understand everything clearly and know exactly what you should do at practice time step by step. Unfortunately there are a lot of poor guitar teachers around so choose wisely.

Using the web to learn from home is a wonderful option and there are a few fantastic websites offering very cost effective solutions to learn guitar. You’ll need to be self motivated and have a strong desire to play, this may be a problem for some but generally learning guitar online is excellent.

Even with the best lessons, the most expensive guitar, a great load of talent and time, you’ll still get absolutely no where without a lot of plain old fashioned practice. How you practice is extremely important and in fact could be an article all on its own.

There really isn’t any one and only correct method to learn how to play guitar and that’s probably one of the best things about it; the guitar represents a musical freedom in every sense.

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Tabs For Acoustic Guitar – Importance of Tabs For Learning Guitar


by Nico Davenport

Guitar music has its own musical notation. The standard musician’s notation of staffs, notes, note values, ledger lines, key signatures and time signatures is replaced with a simpler, operational type of notation, called a tab. Even if you do not know how to read music, you can learn how to play guitar with the acoustic guitar tabs. Many stringed instruments use tabs or tablature.

The form of musical notation specific to the guitar is acoustic guitar tabs, or tablature. Each chord is notated with one tab, a small chart of the guitar strings themselves. The string at the top of the diagram is the one furthest from your body as you hold the guitar. Each string will show a number, which is the fret you should hold to create that chord. If you see a zero, that means an open string. An X means that string should be muffled.

The area between the two metal bars on the neck or fingerboard of a guitar is called a fret, if you are not familiar with this. On an acoustic guitar, there are usually 21 to 24 frets. The dots on the frets are visual guides for your convenience when playing.

Take a look at the acoustic guitar tab and if all of the numbers are listed one after the other and all on one line, the numbers indicate the fret to use on that string; only pluck that particular string. Numbers that are noted one after the other indicate that you play one note at a time. If there is a number on each line and the numbers are stacked, one on top of the other; then the acoustic guitar tab is saying play all the notes simultaneously, in other words, strumming all six strings.

When researching acoustic guitar tabs you will find things like hammer-ons, pull-offs, bends and slides. The letter “h” notates hammer-ons. This might be noted on a line as 7h9. Pull-offs are noted in the same way by the letter “p”. Bends are notated by “b”s and slides, “/” (slash).

After you’ve gotten accustomed to the notion of reading music by string position, search online for basic acoustic guitar tabs and find a tune you’re really familiar with to practice on. While the approach may be new to you, you’ll see that you can pick up its melody quickly this way now that you can read tabs.

You’ll pick up a tune much more quickly if you can also listen to it while you’re trying to learn it. You get more detail and an added feel for the beat, even with a song you think you know by heart. Acoustic guitar tabs make learning more enjoyable, and it wont take long to have a small repertoire you can trot out at parties or just jam around with in the privacy of your own home.

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Learn to Play Guitar with Maximum Enjoyment


by Payo W Perry

There’s a big conspiracy out there trying to convince you that learning to play guitar is hard and full of toil. Things needn’t be this way however and by obeying a few simple guidelines you’ll find the experience full of fun.

When you first start out you could find yourself overwhelmed with all the choices available to learn how to play guitar. Everything from private tuition to taking online guitar lessons are all potential roads to success on the instrument.

Some things never change because they are the best and that certainly true with 1-1 guitar lessons. You simply can’t beat the unique attention and personal guidance you’ll get from a good local teacher, despite everything available it’s still the fastest way to success in playing guitar.

Any amount of searching on the internet will clearly show you the enormous amount of guitar websites out there, each one screaming at you that they are the best and fastest way to learn guitar! In truth a lot of the instruction on these sites is incomplete and not well thought out. Make sure the site has a money back guarantee and sample videos before signing up.

The instruction you receive can only do so much, ultimately it’s up to you. Isn’t that great though? When you learn to play guitar it’s something you can’t just go out and buy, each person has to earn it through genuine effort. That’s what makes it special.

After a few years of playing guitar the option is available to practice for many hours each day however as a beginner you should actually avoid doing this. It’s far more beneficial to do just 30minutes each day. You’ll improve surprisingly fast especially if your practicing correctly.

The rule here is little and often, in fact, little and every day. Consistency is king here.

Be structured in your approach and remember that this is a lifelong journey; there will always be something on guitar you can’t do or need to practice. It’s like that for everyone. By enjoying the process you’ll learn to play guitar in a confident and accomplished manner.

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Acoustic Guitar Tuning


by Nico Davenport

You should be sure to do your acoustic guitar tuning each time you sit down to play, whether you are practicing or performing. Its pretty unpleasant to try to make beautiful music on an untuned guitar. Lots of guitar students think their inexperience is ruining the sound, not understanding the importance of doing their tuning regularly. You will be much more successful in your music making if you set aside that small amount of time it takes to tune your instrument properly.

For acoustic guitar tuning with an electronic tuner, sit down and place the tuner on either a stool or table next to your seat. Then pluck the first string. The tuner’s microphone can sense which string is being tuned. You will know how close you are to the right pitch by the indicator on the tuner. It also indicates if you are sharp or flat. Utilize the tuning key to adjust the guitar string until it indicates that you are in tune.

Keep in mind that one always tunes up, which means going from looser to tighter till its in tune. If it becomes too tight, don’t just unwind it a little bit to try to improve it (called tuning down). It works far better to give the string some play and then start tightening it again till its right. When you tune up, not only are your results more accurate, but you also help the string hold its tuning longer.

You’ll need a way of getting the reference pitch even if you prefer to train yourself to do acoustic guitar tuning by ear. An already tuned second guitar, a piano, a tuning fork, and an in-tune MP3 will all work, but an electronic tuner is consistently more reliable. However, an excellent method for developing your ear is to attempt to tune the instrument by ear first and then check it out using the tuner.

To begin tuning your guitar, use the reference pitch to tune the sixth string (the thickest string) to low E. Once this string sounds right, the other strings can be tuned to their correct pitch based on that note. There is a reason why this technique works, but the explanation is long. Acoustic guitar tuning is a bit like driving. You don’t have to understand the internal combustion engine to drive a car, and you don’t have to understand music theory to tune your guitar.

Let’s begin our acoustic guitar tuning:

1. Strum (in tune) the sixth string on the fifth fret. Tune the open fifth string to that exact note. 2. Strum the fifth string on the fifth fret. Tune the open fourth string to the same note. 3. Tune the fourth string on the fifth fret. Tune the open third to the same note. 4. Follow closely; this is different than the above. Play the third string on the fourth fret and tune the open second string to this note. 5. Play the second string on the fifth fret and tune your open first string to this note.

Before you try acoustic guitar tuning for the first time, have an experienced player show you the ropes. The best place to learn is probably the music shop where you bought your acoustic guitar. After a few tries, you’ll get the hang of it. You have to put time and effort into mastering the skill of acoustic guitar tuning. Its a whole lot easier for someone just starting out to use an electronic tuner instead. Since they only cost about $20, they are well worth their price. Whats more, if you choose one that was manufactured especially for use with guitars, it can actually let you know which string you’re playing too.

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Beginners Acoustic Guitar – What A Newbie Should Look For


by Nico Davenport

The style of music you want to play should be kept in mind when shopping for a beginner acoustic guitar. A nylon-stringed guitar is best for those wishing to play Latin, classical, and certain types of folk or pop music. A steel-stringed guitar works better for rock, country, and other types of pop or folk music. For beginning guitar players, it’s recommended to play the different types before making a final decision as to what sound you prefer.

Most teachers will recommend purchasing nylon guitar strings for the person just learning to play as they are a little easier on the fingers. However, this may not be a good idea if the student wants to learn to be a rock star or if they don’t care for the classical style music as the nylon string will never sound just right.

Music intended for steel-string guitars obviously sounds better when played on a steel-stringed guitar. On the other hand, if you are dreaming of learning how to play classical guitar music, a steel-string guitar is not the right instrument for you to begin practicing on. Either way, you’ll eventually develop calluses on your fingers after about one to two months of steady practice.

If you are shopping for a more classical nylon-string guitar, you should remember that these guitars are called classic for a reason – they all have the same relative dimensions. Their bodies are smaller and their fingerboards wider, which produces a distinctive classical sound. It is the feel and the tone to these classical guitars that varies. As is true when buying any guitar, you need to try out several of them before choosing the beginner acoustic guitar that you are going to buy. The steel-string model of beginner acoustic guitar that people usually start out with is the six-string dreadnought guitar. There is only a slight variation between dreadnought guitars and they provide a sound that novices are often seeking.

The wood your beginner acoustic guitar is made of is significant as it will affect the tone of the sound the instrument makes. You will soon learn that most beginner acoustic guitars consist of a spruce top. Make sure your new guitar has a solid spruce top rather than a two-piece one. This will increase the durability of your new guitar. Your choices of wood for the back and sides will likely include mahogany, rosewood and spruce. Mahogany produces a light tone. On the other hand, rosewood results in a heavier tone.

The space between the neck and the strings is called the action. Low action is one thing a beginning will want to consider in a beginner acoustic guitar. Action that is too high makes for difficult playing. This will just be another hurdle to overcome in the learning process.

An accessory you need to buy along with your beginner acoustic guitar is a good electronic tuner. As a novice you haven’t yet developed an ear. If you have the ability to easily tune your guitar using the tuner it will give you more time to spend practicing and playing.

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So You Want To Learn To Play Acoustic Guitar?


by Payo W Perry

If youre planning to learn to play acoustic guitar I hope this article will serve to help you by highlighting whats really important in order to succeed that in goal. A lot of beginners suffer the same frustrations some of which can be terminal and result in you wanting to give up.

Your priority in this endeavor should always be to find the best quality instruction available to you. This can be the deciding factor in how easy you find it to learn and consequently how likely you are to succeed. I dont recommend self instruction as this often leads to frustration in the future.

If you cant find a good local tutor to go to for lessons then there are a few good quality sites online to learn to play acoustic guitar. Check out their sample lessons to see if the style, level and pace of the lessons succeed in teaching you. Learning online is also more economical and you can fit it around your daily schedule with relative ease.

Ideally, having a combination of different sources to learn acoustic guitar from is the best situation. So you would have 1-1 lessons plus online lessons plus books ECT. Its true that not everyone is good at self instruction but most people are O.K with that, supplementing your 1-1 lessons with books or DVDs will require you to have a decent level of self motivation to learn.

So how long should it take to learn? This is a generalized question but assuming you are of average ability for guitar and receiving quality tuition its going to take around 4 weeks before youre able to strum and play along to beginner songs on a basic level. How far you decide to go after that is a personal decision and honestly the sky is the limit.

Aside from quality guitar lessons the most important will be in knowing how to practice correctly. Practicing is a technique you have to learn! Learning how to practice correctly will shorten the time to takes you to learn to play acoustic guitar enormously, it may even mean the difference between success and failure.

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