I had something else I wanted to write about today, but I will post it some time later. Somebody directed me to view Sungha Jung's videos, and I was hooked. Watch this, and the other videos of this kid.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Basics of Guitar Maintenance
- Keep the guitar from falling: Don’t leave it leaning on the wall or the edge of a table or some other furniture. For a short while you can leave it lying down on a sofa, table or bed. For longer periods it is best to hang it on the wall.
- It is best to keep the guitar in its case or gig bag. There it will be kept safer from dust or accidental scratches, and also have some protection from temperature and humidity. A hard case is a safer place, but is more expensive and heavier. It is an essential when traveling, but otherwise a gig bag will suffice.
- Don’t expose your guitar to big temperature changes. Normal room temperature (25 °C) is best. Don’t leave you guitar outside in your car exposed to the sun, or near a hot radiator or oven.
- Humidity is the biggest enemy of the guitar, especially guitar neck. A humidity range of 40-50% is best. If your house is constantly dry because of the air conditioning, use a humidifier.
- Change the full set of strings once in two-three months. Don’t remove all strings at once: replace the strings one at a time.
- When replacing the strings, it is a good idea to go over your guitar with a screwdriver and make sure everything is bolted in place. Don’t screw the screws to tight. Also use this time to check your pickups’ batteries if you have active pickups. Get a battery tester for this purpose.
- Clean your guitar body with a soft cloth.
- Clean the fretboard of the guitar from regularly, before dirt builds up. Clean especially the wood between the frets with a clean damp cloth. Make sure the neck does not remain wet after your cleaning.
- Don’t spray any cleaning solution directly on your guitar: Apply it to a cloth and wipe the guitar with the cloth.
- Wipe your guitar strings with a dry cloth after playing.
- When storing the guitar for a long period, loosen the strings to reduce the tension on the guitar neck.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Left Handed Guitar Chords
Most guitar beginners’ guides will show you how to play the various guitar chords the way you would play them on a right handed guitar. After a while, you will learn how to translate them automatically in your head to their left handed form, but it would be easier if you had them shown to you ready-made for your left handed way of playing the guitar. I gathered here sources for the left handed beginner learning to play chords on his or her left handed guitar.
In the following link you can find a table of guitar chords for lefties (note you can navigate to more chords by clicking “Next” or “Prev” on the top-right part of this page, immediately on top of the “A Minor” scale).
Youtube also has a lot of short videos showing how to play left handed guitar chords. Especially helpful is a series by Stephen Haendiges teaching how to play a left handed guitar. Here are some of his videos
Playing a G7 Chord:
Playing the B Chord:
Playing a D Chord:
And one more advanced video, showing how play harmonized chords on a left handed guitar
I really recommend this series of teaching videos in youtube. Search in youtube for "stephen haendiges left handed guitar" and you will get the list.
In the following link you can find a table of guitar chords for lefties (note you can navigate to more chords by clicking “Next” or “Prev” on the top-right part of this page, immediately on top of the “A Minor” scale).
Youtube also has a lot of short videos showing how to play left handed guitar chords. Especially helpful is a series by Stephen Haendiges teaching how to play a left handed guitar. Here are some of his videos
Playing a G7 Chord:
Playing the B Chord:
Playing a D Chord:
And one more advanced video, showing how play harmonized chords on a left handed guitar
I really recommend this series of teaching videos in youtube. Search in youtube for "stephen haendiges left handed guitar" and you will get the list.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Reading Guitar Tabs
Reading guitar tabs may seem hard for the beginner, but this is not the case at all. In fact, learning to read guitar tabs is quite easy. It is a worth while to invest the small effort that is needed: Once you overcome the first difficulty, a whole new horizon of playing songs with your guitar is opened.
Guitar tabs are composed of 6 lines, representing the guitar strings, and numbers on these lines, representing the frets on the strings. The string lines are ordered from the highest pitch string on the guitar – the “E”, which is actually found on the lower part of the guitar. The second line represents the second lowest string, which is the second highest pitched – the “B”. Line #3 is the “G, #4 is the “D”, line # 5 is the “A”, and line no. 6 represents the lowest pitched “E”, which is the string found on the top of the guitar.
You will sometimes find the numbers 1-6 written to the left of the lines to make it easier to navigate. Other times you will find the letters representing the guitar string notes – the “E” “B” “G” “D” “A” “E”.
The numbers found on each line represent what fret you should be pressing. “0” means the string should be free – you should be playing the string without touching any fret at all. “1” means you should be pressing with your finger the first fret, counting the frets from the headstock of the guitar. The headstock of the guitar is the part of the guitar that has the pieces used in tuning it. So, if the number “4” appears on the 3rd string, the “G”, it means you should be playing the guitar while you are pressing the 4th fret on the 3rd string.
When playing chords on the guitar, you press several strings at the same time. Here is an example of the guitar tab representing the Emajor chord:
E--------0-------
B--------0-------
G--------1-------
D--------2-------
A--------2-------
E--------0--------
When playing the Emajor guitar tab, you would be playing with the two lowest (two highest pitched) strings free, pressing the first fret on the third string, the second fret in the fourth and fifth string, and the sixth string – the one closer to your neck – is also free.
When playing notes, not chords, each note is played separately, so the tabs would look something like this:
E---1------5----------------------
B-----6-4----6------------------
G----------------9--------1-----
D-------------------1-----------
A----------------------8--------
E-----------------------------4-
Meaning: You should first play the lowest E string pressing your finger on the first fret. Than play the second string, while pressing the 6th fret. Than play again the second string pressing the 4th fret. And so on.
That's it! As you can see, reading guitar tabs is really not that difficult.
Guitar tabs are composed of 6 lines, representing the guitar strings, and numbers on these lines, representing the frets on the strings. The string lines are ordered from the highest pitch string on the guitar – the “E”, which is actually found on the lower part of the guitar. The second line represents the second lowest string, which is the second highest pitched – the “B”. Line #3 is the “G, #4 is the “D”, line # 5 is the “A”, and line no. 6 represents the lowest pitched “E”, which is the string found on the top of the guitar.
You will sometimes find the numbers 1-6 written to the left of the lines to make it easier to navigate. Other times you will find the letters representing the guitar string notes – the “E” “B” “G” “D” “A” “E”.
The numbers found on each line represent what fret you should be pressing. “0” means the string should be free – you should be playing the string without touching any fret at all. “1” means you should be pressing with your finger the first fret, counting the frets from the headstock of the guitar. The headstock of the guitar is the part of the guitar that has the pieces used in tuning it. So, if the number “4” appears on the 3rd string, the “G”, it means you should be playing the guitar while you are pressing the 4th fret on the 3rd string.
When playing chords on the guitar, you press several strings at the same time. Here is an example of the guitar tab representing the Emajor chord:
E--------0-------
B--------0-------
G--------1-------
D--------2-------
A--------2-------
E--------0--------
When playing the Emajor guitar tab, you would be playing with the two lowest (two highest pitched) strings free, pressing the first fret on the third string, the second fret in the fourth and fifth string, and the sixth string – the one closer to your neck – is also free.
When playing notes, not chords, each note is played separately, so the tabs would look something like this:
E---1------5----------------------
B-----6-4----6------------------
G----------------9--------1-----
D-------------------1-----------
A----------------------8--------
E-----------------------------4-
Meaning: You should first play the lowest E string pressing your finger on the first fret. Than play the second string, while pressing the 6th fret. Than play again the second string pressing the 4th fret. And so on.
That's it! As you can see, reading guitar tabs is really not that difficult.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Archtop Guitars
Guitars are among the most, or maybe the most popular of musical instruments the world has ever known. Almost every other teenager you meet, at least in the Western world, plays or wants to learn how to play the guitar. In any campfire you will find someone playing his or her guitar.
Talk about any genre, and there is a big chance that genre would highly involve guitars, in one way or another. Rock and Roll, Heavy Metal, Jazz, Fusion, Country, Blues, Alternative, Speed Metal, Hardcore Metal, Pop, Flamenco, and even Classical, just name it - choose your genre and surely you will find guitars to be in the mix. With origins dating back to 5000 years ago, the guitar has contributed a profound influence on modern popular culture, defining its status amongst the most popular musical instruments in the world today.
Each of these genres has one or several types of guitars most suited for it. The archtop guitar type is mostly used by Blues or Jazz players.
An archtop guitar is, as its name indicates, a guitar with its body arched, violin-style. Typically, it will be an acoustic or semi-acoustic guitar, and it will have "f-shaped" holes, making it strongly resembling the violin. The archtop guitar will also have steel strings, which are usually thicker than the regular acoustic guitars, and humbucker pickups.
Although the first archtop guitars were pure acoustic guitars, since Gibson guitars introduced in 1951 the first semi-acoustic archtop guitar, most archtop guitars today are acoustic-electric, and include humpbucker pickups. Their hollow body make them suitable to playing in both ways
(acoustic and electric), and give them a distinct rich sound.
Archtop guitars are manufactured today, besides by the big guitar companies, also by many small private manufacturers. Their special carved look makes them popular to make by many guitar artists.
Although archtop guitars are normally hollow, in the last few years some guitar manufacturers refer to their solid-body guitars with carved belly as “archtop guitars”, in order to distinguish them from the regular flat-belly solid body guitars.
Talk about any genre, and there is a big chance that genre would highly involve guitars, in one way or another. Rock and Roll, Heavy Metal, Jazz, Fusion, Country, Blues, Alternative, Speed Metal, Hardcore Metal, Pop, Flamenco, and even Classical, just name it - choose your genre and surely you will find guitars to be in the mix. With origins dating back to 5000 years ago, the guitar has contributed a profound influence on modern popular culture, defining its status amongst the most popular musical instruments in the world today.
Each of these genres has one or several types of guitars most suited for it. The archtop guitar type is mostly used by Blues or Jazz players.
An archtop guitar is, as its name indicates, a guitar with its body arched, violin-style. Typically, it will be an acoustic or semi-acoustic guitar, and it will have "f-shaped" holes, making it strongly resembling the violin. The archtop guitar will also have steel strings, which are usually thicker than the regular acoustic guitars, and humbucker pickups.
Although the first archtop guitars were pure acoustic guitars, since Gibson guitars introduced in 1951 the first semi-acoustic archtop guitar, most archtop guitars today are acoustic-electric, and include humpbucker pickups. Their hollow body make them suitable to playing in both ways
(acoustic and electric), and give them a distinct rich sound.Archtop guitars are manufactured today, besides by the big guitar companies, also by many small private manufacturers. Their special carved look makes them popular to make by many guitar artists.
Although archtop guitars are normally hollow, in the last few years some guitar manufacturers refer to their solid-body guitars with carved belly as “archtop guitars”, in order to distinguish them from the regular flat-belly solid body guitars.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Left Handed Bullseye Electric Guitar Review
There was a time when all types of guitars were made just for the right-handed players because the market for left handed musicians wasn’t so wide back then. But this did not stop the left-handed greats such as Jimi Hendrix to pick up the electric guitar. He did not see it has a hindrance for his musical career; instead he took it on as a challenge and came up with his own style on how to play a right-handed guitar. And this is what gave him his unique technique that made him famous the world over. In fact, his mad skills in playing the right-handed electric guitar are still being talked about even decades after his death.
But nowadays, if you’re a left handed guitarist, you don’t have to live through this compromise any longer as the major guitar names such as Fender, Gibson, Jackson and Ibanez have all gotten into the business of manufacturing their own line of special left handed guitars. We all know these brand names for their high-class quality and style and also for the hefty price tags that their guitars command as well.
If you’re just starting to learn how to play the electric guitar, most guitar aficionados will tell you that it’s acceptable to start of with a reasonably priced guitar. If it’s too cheap you will have to compromise the sound of the strings and the durability of the body while a too expensive guitar may just collect dust in the corner if ever you easily get tired and bored with it. The bottom line is you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars for an electric guitar that will be able to give you the performance you will be happy with. As long as you make sure that the guitar you choose can produce a sound that can compare to its more expensive counterparts, you will be all set. Just look around, do your research, canvas a bit and you will be able to find just what it is you’re looking for.
Enter the Left Handed Guitar Place Zakk Wylde inspired electric guitars series, labeled “Zamir” (Zamir in Hebrew means nightingale). Just by looking at it, it’s like you’ve entered a psychedelic dream and you’re the main rockstar in it. These guitars simply command attention with their design that is inspired by the great electric guitarist Zakk Wylde, famed for his role as guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne. The bull’s eye graphics was used to merely differentiate himself from the other guitarist, but then it became so well known that electric guitar aficionados all over the world started to want the design on their own guitars as well.
These guitars are the perfect choice for first left handed guitar. Take a look at the Zamir E1021 guitar. It is made of the finest woods such as maple, chunwood and basswood combined. Also, with a fingerboard that is made out of rosewood, this guitar is set to last you quite a long time if taken care of correctly. As for the overall sound, expect to hear a vintage tone to it that can perfectly suit most musical genres such as rock, metal and grunge. With an immaculate paint job and the fact that it was very well made, this guitar is a steal at the price that it goes for nowadays. If you’re serious about getting a guitar that will be able to serve you well for many years to come, a Zakk Wylde Bullseye inspired left-handed electric guitar should definitely be a top pick for you.
But nowadays, if you’re a left handed guitarist, you don’t have to live through this compromise any longer as the major guitar names such as Fender, Gibson, Jackson and Ibanez have all gotten into the business of manufacturing their own line of special left handed guitars. We all know these brand names for their high-class quality and style and also for the hefty price tags that their guitars command as well.
If you’re just starting to learn how to play the electric guitar, most guitar aficionados will tell you that it’s acceptable to start of with a reasonably priced guitar. If it’s too cheap you will have to compromise the sound of the strings and the durability of the body while a too expensive guitar may just collect dust in the corner if ever you easily get tired and bored with it. The bottom line is you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars for an electric guitar that will be able to give you the performance you will be happy with. As long as you make sure that the guitar you choose can produce a sound that can compare to its more expensive counterparts, you will be all set. Just look around, do your research, canvas a bit and you will be able to find just what it is you’re looking for.
Enter the Left Handed Guitar Place Zakk Wylde inspired electric guitars series, labeled “Zamir” (Zamir in Hebrew means nightingale). Just by looking at it, it’s like you’ve entered a psychedelic dream and you’re the main rockstar in it. These guitars simply command attention with their design that is inspired by the great electric guitarist Zakk Wylde, famed for his role as guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne. The bull’s eye graphics was used to merely differentiate himself from the other guitarist, but then it became so well known that electric guitar aficionados all over the world started to want the design on their own guitars as well.
These guitars are the perfect choice for first left handed guitar. Take a look at the Zamir E1021 guitar. It is made of the finest woods such as maple, chunwood and basswood combined. Also, with a fingerboard that is made out of rosewood, this guitar is set to last you quite a long time if taken care of correctly. As for the overall sound, expect to hear a vintage tone to it that can perfectly suit most musical genres such as rock, metal and grunge. With an immaculate paint job and the fact that it was very well made, this guitar is a steal at the price that it goes for nowadays. If you’re serious about getting a guitar that will be able to serve you well for many years to come, a Zakk Wylde Bullseye inspired left-handed electric guitar should definitely be a top pick for you.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Left Handed Guitars from the Left Handed Guitar Place
If you're left-handed and love to play the guitar, there's absolutely no need for you to force yourself to play on a right-handed guitar. There are left-handed guitars out there, so don't compromise or settle! With our left-handed guitars made especially for left handed people, you don't have to bother learning to play on a traditional right-handed guitar! To top it off, the left-handed guitar won't cost you a fortune either! We have some left handed guitars that are amazing, top-quality musical instruments at a price you can afford.
Made in China, our left-handed guitars won't break the bank. And don't worry about the "Made in China" label - our guitars are made of the finest quality materials, so there's no chance you're getting a shoddy instrument. Our left handed guitar line is so inexpensive because the labor is cheap. Just remember that cheap labor does not mean cheap products! A left-handed guitar from the left handed guitar place is truly an amazing instrument that you will have for years to come.
You may be thinking to yourself, "Why do I need a left-handed guitar when I can play on a right-handed guitar just fine?" The answer is simple. If you are left-handed, you may actually find that you feel much more comfortable playing a left-handed guitar. It is all too often that left-handed guitarists simply settle for right-handed guitars. Sometimes, they just learn to play that way while other times they modify the right-handed guitar to fit their needs. Many left-handed guitarists actually pick with the left hand while holding the right-handed guitar upside down.
Though adapting a right-handed guitar may work for many players, it doesn't work for everyone. And it may not work for you, which is why investing in a left-handed guitar is most likely your best bet. There is no reason that you should play the guitar uncomfortably when you don't have to. If you're still not sure if a left-handed guitar is the best choice for you, simply head to the nearest guitar store and try one out. You may just be surprised!
So, how do you know if you're a left-handed guitar player? Remember, it isn't always about which hand you use to write. It all comes down to what feels best to you - if you feel more comfortable picking and strumming with your left hand, then you are left-handed. This may be a surprise to you, but there are plenty of left-handed guitarists out there. You may not know that the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Billy Ray Cyrus, Paul McCartney, and Paul Simon are all Southpaw guitarists. All of them learned to play on right-handed guitars but made the switch to the left-handed choice once it became an option.
Once you decide to buy a left-handed guitar, make that guitar a left-handed guitar from the Left Handed Guitar Place. Our left handed guitars won't let you down! At a fraction of the cost, you will get a guitar of the finest quality and best materials that will last for years to come. You can only win with a left-handed guitar. The feel, look, and sound of the guitar is comparable to those more expensive models but without the big price tag. So go ahead, treat yourself to the guitar you deserve.
Made in China, our left-handed guitars won't break the bank. And don't worry about the "Made in China" label - our guitars are made of the finest quality materials, so there's no chance you're getting a shoddy instrument. Our left handed guitar line is so inexpensive because the labor is cheap. Just remember that cheap labor does not mean cheap products! A left-handed guitar from the left handed guitar place is truly an amazing instrument that you will have for years to come.
You may be thinking to yourself, "Why do I need a left-handed guitar when I can play on a right-handed guitar just fine?" The answer is simple. If you are left-handed, you may actually find that you feel much more comfortable playing a left-handed guitar. It is all too often that left-handed guitarists simply settle for right-handed guitars. Sometimes, they just learn to play that way while other times they modify the right-handed guitar to fit their needs. Many left-handed guitarists actually pick with the left hand while holding the right-handed guitar upside down.
Though adapting a right-handed guitar may work for many players, it doesn't work for everyone. And it may not work for you, which is why investing in a left-handed guitar is most likely your best bet. There is no reason that you should play the guitar uncomfortably when you don't have to. If you're still not sure if a left-handed guitar is the best choice for you, simply head to the nearest guitar store and try one out. You may just be surprised!
So, how do you know if you're a left-handed guitar player? Remember, it isn't always about which hand you use to write. It all comes down to what feels best to you - if you feel more comfortable picking and strumming with your left hand, then you are left-handed. This may be a surprise to you, but there are plenty of left-handed guitarists out there. You may not know that the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Billy Ray Cyrus, Paul McCartney, and Paul Simon are all Southpaw guitarists. All of them learned to play on right-handed guitars but made the switch to the left-handed choice once it became an option.
Once you decide to buy a left-handed guitar, make that guitar a left-handed guitar from the Left Handed Guitar Place. Our left handed guitars won't let you down! At a fraction of the cost, you will get a guitar of the finest quality and best materials that will last for years to come. You can only win with a left-handed guitar. The feel, look, and sound of the guitar is comparable to those more expensive models but without the big price tag. So go ahead, treat yourself to the guitar you deserve.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Online Guitar Lessons
There are so many ways for one to learn how to play the guitar. And if you are into computers as well, then this just might be something you’d be interested in. True, there is always that reliable alternative of learning to play the guitar from an instructor or a tutor. But let’s face it: learning how to play the guitar online is indeed a faster option. You won’t have to pay for your instructor’s time. You won’t have to come up with a schedule for your lessons. And you can learn at your own pace! This is quite the perfect option for people who are already working.
Thus, online guitar lessons are indeed more convenient for just about anyone. Now, the Internet is a very vast source of information. And you can indeed have access to a lot of online guitar lessons with just one click of your mouse. But what should you look for from these online guitar lessons? This would actually depend on you, you know. What do you need from these online guitar lessons? Would you prefer seeing these lessons in video format? A lot of online guitar lessons actually offer this. The instructor would be shown placing his fingers accordingly. Getting a visual of this can indeed hasten the learning speed of the student. And these online guitar lessons have indeed very efficient when it comes to these videos.
But when it comes to the videos that online guitar lessons offer, there is something you should remember about these videos. There is a need to look for videos that offer step-by-step instructions. There are some videos that do not give that much detailed information and this can just add to the frustration, as a student. Thus, choose high-quality video lessons for you to tune into.
Another advantage online guitar lessons have is that the sites that offer such also offer forums. This way, you can converse with other interested users online. You can ask for advice on how to go about learning a particular chord, way of strumming, or even a whole song. And when the time comes that you will have improved considerably, you can also request from the users chords to songs that you want to learn. There just may be times when you cannot get such chords from the sites that offer online guitar lessons. But there are so many sites that you can check out all over the web. Chances are, you will still be able to get these chords from another site that will most likely offer online guitar lessons as well.
An excellent online guitar lessons resource is Jamorama. They offer very good free step-by-step online guitar lessons. Check them here.
Thus, online guitar lessons are indeed more convenient for just about anyone. Now, the Internet is a very vast source of information. And you can indeed have access to a lot of online guitar lessons with just one click of your mouse. But what should you look for from these online guitar lessons? This would actually depend on you, you know. What do you need from these online guitar lessons? Would you prefer seeing these lessons in video format? A lot of online guitar lessons actually offer this. The instructor would be shown placing his fingers accordingly. Getting a visual of this can indeed hasten the learning speed of the student. And these online guitar lessons have indeed very efficient when it comes to these videos.
But when it comes to the videos that online guitar lessons offer, there is something you should remember about these videos. There is a need to look for videos that offer step-by-step instructions. There are some videos that do not give that much detailed information and this can just add to the frustration, as a student. Thus, choose high-quality video lessons for you to tune into.
Another advantage online guitar lessons have is that the sites that offer such also offer forums. This way, you can converse with other interested users online. You can ask for advice on how to go about learning a particular chord, way of strumming, or even a whole song. And when the time comes that you will have improved considerably, you can also request from the users chords to songs that you want to learn. There just may be times when you cannot get such chords from the sites that offer online guitar lessons. But there are so many sites that you can check out all over the web. Chances are, you will still be able to get these chords from another site that will most likely offer online guitar lessons as well.
An excellent online guitar lessons resource is Jamorama. They offer very good free step-by-step online guitar lessons. Check them here.
Monday, November 2, 2009
The Guitar Neck
Not only living animals have a neck. String instruments, like guitars, have one too. The string instruments neck is most comparable to the neck of the giraffe: They have a long and narrow neck, starting from the larger body and ending in the smaller head (or actually headstock, in the case of the musical instruments).
What is the role of this guitar neck?
The guitar neck is the part on which the strings are stretched, and the guitar player determines what notes or accords are played by pressing the strings in various positions on the guitar neck. When pressing a string in a certain point, the length of the free part of the string is changed, and thus a different note is produced from the guitar.
What is the role of this guitar neck?
The guitar neck is the part on which the strings are stretched, and the guitar player determines what notes or accords are played by pressing the strings in various positions on the guitar neck. When pressing a string in a certain point, the length of the free part of the string is changed, and thus a different note is produced from the guitar.
A guitar neck is composed of several parts: The actual neck itself, and the fretboard with the frets. The frets are the metal strips on the neck, dividing the positions for each note. The neck itself, and the fretboard are made of wood. The fretboard will typically be made of a different wood than the rest of the neck. The neck wood strongly influences the tone of the guitar. The main part of the neck should be strong and stable, having low reaction to environmental changes so that it will resist bending and give a consistent pitch of a particular key. Common woods for a guitar neck would be maple, mahogany, and rosewood (though of course other woods may be used too). A fretboard will typically be made of maple, rosewood, ebony or pao ferro.
The guitar capo is a clamp that is put on the guitar neck in order to get a different pitch, or key, out of the strings. The principle of the capo is like the general principle of fretting: By cla
mping the strings you change the length of the free string. The capo moves the whole set of strings to a different scale. Each fret on the guitar neck corresponds to half a step on the regular octave, so putting the fret for example on the first fret will move all the notes produced from the guitar half a step higher. Why is this needed? Sometimes the chords for a certain song will be awkward and difficult to produce on the regular structure of the guitar. Using the capo will change the pitch of the guitar, making these chords easier to play.
Two other important things to consider about a guitar neck are the way they are attached to the guitar body, and their shape. The guitar neck joint should be strong, since it has to withstand the pressure induced when the strings are installed or changed. The way the neck is joined to the guitar will affect the tone of the guitar. There are three primary ways to attach the guitar neck to the guitar body: (a) Set-in neck, meaning the neck is glued into place. (b) Bolt-on neck, meaning the neck is attached by bolts screwed, and (c) neck through body – a method that is exclusive to solid-body guitar, in which the peace of wood used for the guitar is extended through the entire length of the body, making it the core of the guitar body, and the 2 side parts of the body are glued to it.
The shape of the guitar neck will affect how easily you can move from fret to fret, and is highly individual. The most common shape is a “C” shape, with varying degrees of the “C” curve – from the oval shaped till the other end, the “U” shaped neck. A different category would be the “V” shaped neck, with a comfortable groove down the middle.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Guitar Pickup
The sound of an electric guitar is heard using the pickups. The guitar pickup is a transducer, capturing the vibrations of the guitar strings (which are typically made of steel or nickel) into an electric signal which in turn is converted back to a sound and made louder by an amplifier.
Pickups are used also on bass guitars, and even on some acoustic guitars. The pickup will often be mounted on the guitar body, but can also be attached to the bridge, neck or pickguard. A guitar will usually have 2-3 different pickups, located at different points on the guitar body.
A magnetic guitar pickup is based on the magnetic field of a bar magnet wrapped with a coil of a few thousand turns of fine enameled copper wire. The vibrations of the guitar strings produce a corresponding vibration in the magnet’s magnetic field, and therefore a current in the coil.
Some pickups have a single magnet bar extending underneath all six strings; others have separate pole pieces for each string. The poles will sometimes be made of screws, so that the height of each pole can be adjusted. The closer the pole piece is to the string, the stronger the signal.
The single coil pickup is used mainly in blues, and classic rock. One problem with this kind of pickups is that they pick also electric humming sounds. To prevent these noises, the humbucker pickups were developed. These pickups are comprised of two coils, wound in reverse to each other. The effect of the reverse winding is that the two coils cancel out the humming sound of each other, but double the signal of the guitar strings.
As mentioned before, a guitar will typically have more than one pickup. The guitar pickup combination is called the pickup configuration of the guitar, and is notated by writing the pickup types. A single coil pickup is designated by an “S”, and a humbucker by an “H”. The common notation for the pickup configuration will be designated. Popular configurations are S-S, S-S-S, H-H, S-S-H, and H-S-H.
The single and humbucker pickups are called magnetic pickups. Another type of pickups are the piezoelectric pickups, where the electric field is generated by crystals or ceramics instead of a magnet. These pickups have a very different sound. They are mainly used for traditionally acoustic instruments, such as violins, cellos or double basses. They are usually fitted onto the bridge so to catch the stronger vibrations.
Other pickup types are the optical pickups, which are based on sensing the interruption of an electric stream by the guitar string. An optical guitar pickup is completely insensitive to magnetic or electric interference and therefore has no humming effect.
Pickups can be active or passive. An active guitar pickup needs an external source of electric current, usually a 9V battery, and an active filter and equalizer. Passive pickups are more convenient as they generate their own potential energy, and hence are more popular. On the other hand, the active pickups can give a higher output and are less affected in tone by the amplifier characteristics. Active pickups are more popular on bass guitars because of their solid tone.
EMG pickups are pickups produced by the EMG Company in California. These pickups tend to have a much higher output and are very popular with hard rock and heavy metal guitarists. There are 2 distinct types of EMG pickups: The Standard series is mostly of active pickups, except of the Hz series. The Select series is the low cost, entry level pickup. These are similar in design to the standard series but made with lower quality materials, and are all passive pickups.
Pickups are used also on bass guitars, and even on some acoustic guitars. The pickup will often be mounted on the guitar body, but can also be attached to the bridge, neck or pickguard. A guitar will usually have 2-3 different pickups, located at different points on the guitar body.
A magnetic guitar pickup is based on the magnetic field of a bar magnet wrapped with a coil of a few thousand turns of fine enameled copper wire. The vibrations of the guitar strings produce a corresponding vibration in the magnet’s magnetic field, and therefore a current in the coil.
Some pickups have a single magnet bar extending underneath all six strings; others have separate pole pieces for each string. The poles will sometimes be made of screws, so that the height of each pole can be adjusted. The closer the pole piece is to the string, the stronger the signal.
The single coil pickup is used mainly in blues, and classic rock. One problem with this kind of pickups is that they pick also electric humming sounds. To prevent these noises, the humbucker pickups were developed. These pickups are comprised of two coils, wound in reverse to each other. The effect of the reverse winding is that the two coils cancel out the humming sound of each other, but double the signal of the guitar strings.
As mentioned before, a guitar will typically have more than one pickup. The guitar pickup combination is called the pickup configuration of the guitar, and is notated by writing the pickup types. A single coil pickup is designated by an “S”, and a humbucker by an “H”. The common notation for the pickup configuration will be designated. Popular configurations are S-S, S-S-S, H-H, S-S-H, and H-S-H.
The single and humbucker pickups are called magnetic pickups. Another type of pickups are the piezoelectric pickups, where the electric field is generated by crystals or ceramics instead of a magnet. These pickups have a very different sound. They are mainly used for traditionally acoustic instruments, such as violins, cellos or double basses. They are usually fitted onto the bridge so to catch the stronger vibrations.
Other pickup types are the optical pickups, which are based on sensing the interruption of an electric stream by the guitar string. An optical guitar pickup is completely insensitive to magnetic or electric interference and therefore has no humming effect.
Pickups can be active or passive. An active guitar pickup needs an external source of electric current, usually a 9V battery, and an active filter and equalizer. Passive pickups are more convenient as they generate their own potential energy, and hence are more popular. On the other hand, the active pickups can give a higher output and are less affected in tone by the amplifier characteristics. Active pickups are more popular on bass guitars because of their solid tone.
EMG pickups are pickups produced by the EMG Company in California. These pickups tend to have a much higher output and are very popular with hard rock and heavy metal guitarists. There are 2 distinct types of EMG pickups: The Standard series is mostly of active pickups, except of the Hz series. The Select series is the low cost, entry level pickup. These are similar in design to the standard series but made with lower quality materials, and are all passive pickups.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Solid, Hollow and Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitars
Electric guitars can be divided into 3 groups, by the way their body is made: Solid body electric guitars, hollow electric guitars, and semi-hollow electric guitars.
Traditionally, string instruments were built with a hollow body, so that their body served as a sound box, having the sound resonate from inside. Once electric guitars were introduced, the method had changed: The electric guitar uses pickups, which convert the vibration of its steel or nickel cored strings into an electric current which is made louder with an amplifier. This means the electric guitar is not dependant on its sound box.
The early electric guitars were built as acoustic guitars, with a hollow body, using pickups and amplifiers. Solid body guitars were invented only later. The first, or at least one of the first solid body guitars was invented by Les Paul, though the first commercially successful solid body guitar was the Fender Esquire guitar.
Today, all 3 types of electric guitars are used. There is no difference in the way you play the different types, though the sound is different. Also, the size, weight and body profile of the guitar will be different and some people may suffer from this. On general, a solid body guitar will be the heaviest of the 3 types, and the hollow body guitar will be the lightest. Obviously this is due to the amount of wood that is used in the construction of the body of the guitar. Another difference will be the size: The hollow and semi-hollow instruments are usually a bit larger than their counterparts, solid body guitars. That is due both to their use of the sound box, and to the lighter weight which allows for this bigger size.
The hollow and semi-hollow guitars are often referred to collectively as semi-acoustic guitars. This is in contrast to the acoustic-electric guitars, which are actually acoustic guitars with steel-strings which are fitted with pickups purely as an alternative to using a separate microphone. Sometimes they will also be fitted with a piezo-electric pickup under the bridge or a low mass microphone inside the guitar body. With electric acoustic guitars the pickups do not produce a signal directly from the strings vibrations, but rather from the vibrations of the guitar top of body.
Semi-acoustic guitars are said to have a much richer, deep and warm sound than the solid body guitar due to the increased mid-range that is captured. This gives the guitar a more acoustic sound.
Solid body instruments have particularly influenced heavy rock and surf music. Without solid-body guitars, neither of these genres could have developed as they did.
Traditionally, string instruments were built with a hollow body, so that their body served as a sound box, having the sound resonate from inside. Once electric guitars were introduced, the method had changed: The electric guitar uses pickups, which convert the vibration of its steel or nickel cored strings into an electric current which is made louder with an amplifier. This means the electric guitar is not dependant on its sound box.
The early electric guitars were built as acoustic guitars, with a hollow body, using pickups and amplifiers. Solid body guitars were invented only later. The first, or at least one of the first solid body guitars was invented by Les Paul, though the first commercially successful solid body guitar was the Fender Esquire guitar.
Today, all 3 types of electric guitars are used. There is no difference in the way you play the different types, though the sound is different. Also, the size, weight and body profile of the guitar will be different and some people may suffer from this. On general, a solid body guitar will be the heaviest of the 3 types, and the hollow body guitar will be the lightest. Obviously this is due to the amount of wood that is used in the construction of the body of the guitar. Another difference will be the size: The hollow and semi-hollow instruments are usually a bit larger than their counterparts, solid body guitars. That is due both to their use of the sound box, and to the lighter weight which allows for this bigger size.
The hollow and semi-hollow guitars are often referred to collectively as semi-acoustic guitars. This is in contrast to the acoustic-electric guitars, which are actually acoustic guitars with steel-strings which are fitted with pickups purely as an alternative to using a separate microphone. Sometimes they will also be fitted with a piezo-electric pickup under the bridge or a low mass microphone inside the guitar body. With electric acoustic guitars the pickups do not produce a signal directly from the strings vibrations, but rather from the vibrations of the guitar top of body.
Semi-acoustic guitars are said to have a much richer, deep and warm sound than the solid body guitar due to the increased mid-range that is captured. This gives the guitar a more acoustic sound.
Solid body instruments have particularly influenced heavy rock and surf music. Without solid-body guitars, neither of these genres could have developed as they did.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Four Types of Guitars
Guitars are definitively one of the most popular musical instruments of the world today, used practically in all music genres: pop, country, blues, jazz funk, speed metal, heavy metal, Latin, flamenco and more. There are various types and sub-types of guitars, each serving for its own genres, boasting their own unique sound.
Of the various types of guitars, we will speak here about 4 basic types, each of which is ideally played for specific genre of music, or specific classes of sounds. These four types are: (a) the acoustic guitar, (b) the twelve string guitar, (c) the electric guitar, (d) the bass guitar.
Of the 4 types, the acoustic guitar is thought to be the most “basic”, owing its roots to guitar-like musical instruments used over 5000 years ago. The acoustic guitars are strummed by musicians playing in a wide range of music genres. The most common sub-types of acoustic guitar classes would be the steel stringed and the classic guitars. The steel stringed are defined to have one sound hole and narrow necks, and use metal strings. Classical have a very similar appearance to the steel stringed, but have much wider necks and are stringed with nylon strings.
The twelve string guitar type has the look of the generic acoustic guitar, but instead of the 6 strings of the typical guitar, the twelve string guitar has twelve strings – 6 pairs of strings, giving the guitar a richer sound. It is different than the double neck guitars, although those too have 12 strings, but in this type there is only one neck. Normally the strings in the 2 higher pairs would be tuned in unison, while in the 4 lower-note pairs the second string will be tuned one octave higher than the first.
Electric guitars are among the most profoundly influential types of guitars, popularly used by many rock and roll bands. Electric guitars are guitars which use pickups to convert the vibration of its strings into an electric current, and require an amplifier for them to be heard. Other types of guitars, like acoustic guitars, could work with or without amplifiers. The electric guitars may come with hollow bodies, semi-solid bodies, or fully solid bodies, each type having its specific sounds and set of advantages. Special sound effects could be made with electric guitars, like distortions, and are often used in heavy metal music.
Bass guitars are guitars with very thick strings, allowing them to play really low notes. There are acoustic and electric types of guitars of this class, but most bass guitars will be electric.
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Of the various types of guitars, we will speak here about 4 basic types, each of which is ideally played for specific genre of music, or specific classes of sounds. These four types are: (a) the acoustic guitar, (b) the twelve string guitar, (c) the electric guitar, (d) the bass guitar.
Of the 4 types, the acoustic guitar is thought to be the most “basic”, owing its roots to guitar-like musical instruments used over 5000 years ago. The acoustic guitars are strummed by musicians playing in a wide range of music genres. The most common sub-types of acoustic guitar classes would be the steel stringed and the classic guitars. The steel stringed are defined to have one sound hole and narrow necks, and use metal strings. Classical have a very similar appearance to the steel stringed, but have much wider necks and are stringed with nylon strings.
The twelve string guitar type has the look of the generic acoustic guitar, but instead of the 6 strings of the typical guitar, the twelve string guitar has twelve strings – 6 pairs of strings, giving the guitar a richer sound. It is different than the double neck guitars, although those too have 12 strings, but in this type there is only one neck. Normally the strings in the 2 higher pairs would be tuned in unison, while in the 4 lower-note pairs the second string will be tuned one octave higher than the first.
Electric guitars are among the most profoundly influential types of guitars, popularly used by many rock and roll bands. Electric guitars are guitars which use pickups to convert the vibration of its strings into an electric current, and require an amplifier for them to be heard. Other types of guitars, like acoustic guitars, could work with or without amplifiers. The electric guitars may come with hollow bodies, semi-solid bodies, or fully solid bodies, each type having its specific sounds and set of advantages. Special sound effects could be made with electric guitars, like distortions, and are often used in heavy metal music.
Bass guitars are guitars with very thick strings, allowing them to play really low notes. There are acoustic and electric types of guitars of this class, but most bass guitars will be electric.
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Wednesday, October 14, 2009
How should you Choose a Guitar if you are Left Handed?
Violin, flute and piano players have no choice. Whether they are left handed or right handed, they always have to learn to play in the same way: The left handed will have to get accustomed to play in a way that was designed for right handed players. However, it the case of guitar players the situation is different: for them it is acceptable to play guitar left handed. It is even encouraged to do so.
Many left handed guitar students are drawn to imitate famous rock stars like Jimmy Hendrix or blues legend Albert King- both of whom played right handed guitars flipped over. There are several reasons why they did this, and several more reasons why that is not recommended.
The main reason that a right handed guitar should not be played backwards is that the hardware isn't set up for it. You may never have noticed, but not all guitar strings are of the same length. The length of the strings can vary by as much as a quarter of an inch, with the lower pitched strings having the extra length. If you take a standard (righty) guitar and flip the strings, the higher pitched strings are going to be longer than the lower pitched strings. This will affect the intonation of the guitar, and the guitar will not play in tune, no matter how hard you try to tune it. Hendrix played a right handed guitar strung backwards, but he had a full time technician to set it up this way- an impossible expense for the rest of the guitar playing world.
Some professional players have even more bizarre methods: Albert King played a right handed guitar upside down, but with the strings still strung for a right handed player. This is definitely out of the ordinary, even for left handed players, and it does overcome the problem of knocking intonation out of adjustment. Of course this method of playing has its advantages, but it will make learning the guitar more difficult than it needs to be, by forcing the player to mentally adjust every chord diagram or bit of music. King learned that way because he didn't have access to a proper left handed guitar when he was learning. With few exceptions, in fact, left handed guitars weren't popular enough before the 1960's for manufacturers to alter their product lines to include left hand versions of their instruments.
The relative availability today of left handed guitars mean that a left handed person can learn to play handed the same way a right handed person would. The ergonomics of most guitars (especially electric models) demands that they be played as they were made. Cutaways are made to allow your fretting hand access to higher frets, which are untouchable if you flip the guitar.
Today, when more and more guitar manufacturers are making left hand version of their popular models, choosing which guitar to get is much easier. Otherwise, it’s exactly the same as choosing a right handed guitar- look at how high the strings are off the fret board and how the guitar sounds. A well set up guitar will feel smooth, with no choppiness. In general, choosing to play a right handed guitar left handed is a bad idea, especially today when left handed guitars are getting to be much more available.
Many left handed guitar students are drawn to imitate famous rock stars like Jimmy Hendrix or blues legend Albert King- both of whom played right handed guitars flipped over. There are several reasons why they did this, and several more reasons why that is not recommended.
The main reason that a right handed guitar should not be played backwards is that the hardware isn't set up for it. You may never have noticed, but not all guitar strings are of the same length. The length of the strings can vary by as much as a quarter of an inch, with the lower pitched strings having the extra length. If you take a standard (righty) guitar and flip the strings, the higher pitched strings are going to be longer than the lower pitched strings. This will affect the intonation of the guitar, and the guitar will not play in tune, no matter how hard you try to tune it. Hendrix played a right handed guitar strung backwards, but he had a full time technician to set it up this way- an impossible expense for the rest of the guitar playing world.
Some professional players have even more bizarre methods: Albert King played a right handed guitar upside down, but with the strings still strung for a right handed player. This is definitely out of the ordinary, even for left handed players, and it does overcome the problem of knocking intonation out of adjustment. Of course this method of playing has its advantages, but it will make learning the guitar more difficult than it needs to be, by forcing the player to mentally adjust every chord diagram or bit of music. King learned that way because he didn't have access to a proper left handed guitar when he was learning. With few exceptions, in fact, left handed guitars weren't popular enough before the 1960's for manufacturers to alter their product lines to include left hand versions of their instruments.
The relative availability today of left handed guitars mean that a left handed person can learn to play handed the same way a right handed person would. The ergonomics of most guitars (especially electric models) demands that they be played as they were made. Cutaways are made to allow your fretting hand access to higher frets, which are untouchable if you flip the guitar.
Today, when more and more guitar manufacturers are making left hand version of their popular models, choosing which guitar to get is much easier. Otherwise, it’s exactly the same as choosing a right handed guitar- look at how high the strings are off the fret board and how the guitar sounds. A well set up guitar will feel smooth, with no choppiness. In general, choosing to play a right handed guitar left handed is a bad idea, especially today when left handed guitars are getting to be much more available.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
What’s Different in a Left Handed Guitar?
Left Handed guitar players are usually advised to buy themselves a left handed guitar – that is a guitar made for left handed people. Many guitar factories produce left handed versions for part of their guitar models, but the degree of their compatibility with left-handed demands varies, depending on how many changes were made to the regular production. On principle, a left-handed guitar should be a mirror-image of a regular guitar, but sometimes the manufacturer will change only some of the guitar attributes and not all.
Below is a list of the changes to look for when examining a left-hand guitar.
• Strings: The first thing you should observe is the strings. The strings in a guitar should be strung so that the lower (thicker) strings would be higher when the guitar is held for playing. That means that the strings in a left-handed guitar should be strung in the reverse order than that of the right handed parallel model.
• Nut: The guitar’s nut is the little strip between the fret board and the headstock on which the guitar strings sit. The slots in the nut should fit the strings that pass through each slot, so that the wider slots would be carrying the thicker strings. The nut should be placed correctly for a left-hand guitar. If you just reverse the strings in a regular guitar without reversing the direction of the nut, the thick strings will have to go through the narrower slots which will increase their wear-and-tear.
• Cutaways: The guitar’s cutaway in a left handed guitar (if the specific model has a cutaway) should be designed to fit a left handed player. The cutaway, which is the indentation in the guitar’s body allowing the player an easier access to the upper frets, should be done in the lower side of the guitar body. Some guitar models have 2 cutaways. In this case, the lower cutaway should be bigger.
• Knobs: The rule for the right placement of the knobs is that they should not interfere with the strumming. That means that the knobs should be on the lower-right part of the guitar head, far away from your strumming hand.
• Pickguard: The guitar's pickguard is supposed to protect the guitar's finish from being scratched by the pick. That means that when holding the guitar in the right direction it should be placed on the body of the guitar, under the strings.
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