Become a Great Guitar Player

What does it take to become a great guitar player?

Determination
There is no point in buying a guitar and paying for lessons if your are not willing to take time to practice. The ability to play guitar is a skill, and like every skill, it takes time to learn. You can't just pick up a guitar and expect it to come naturally.

Patience
As mentioned before, learning to play will take time. If you're expecting success right away, then maybe guitar isn't for you. It may not be much fun to begin with, but by the time you can play your first song, or even part song, you will be enjoying yourself.

Will Power
Playing guitar hurts, I'm not going to lie. Until your fingers develop calluses, pressing the strings can be uncomfortable. The only way to get round this is to keep playing until your fingers get used to it.

You have to practice!
It is a well known fact that it is better to practice for half an hour each day, than to practice for 3 hours one day a week. If you are only playing once every week, your fingers will not develop calluses and you wont remember everything you practiced the week before. Besides, if you don't want to play guitar every day, you probably don't really have any interest at all.

If you are new to playing guitar, these articles may be useful to you.

Buying a Guitar
Looking after your Guitar
How to read Tab: The Basics
How to tune a Guitar
How to clean your Guitar

If you can get into the habit of playing guitar every day, and you enjoy it, there is no doubt you will become a great guitarist. Don't forget though, it will take time and practice! Lots and lots of Practice!!

Thanks for reading, Paul

How to clean your Guitar

The first thing i have say when it comes to cleaning your guitar, is that wax is not a good idea, and non-drying oils are even worse. These products penetrate the wood of the guitar and, over time, increase the density of the wood. Why is this a bad thing? Well, the more dense the wood on your guitar is, the more dull it will sound. As the wood ages and dries, the guitar will sound more rich and harmonic. So don't ruin the sound with nasty waxes.

All the guitar really needs is a wipe down with a soft, dry cloth after each use, and if possible to be kept in its case when not in use, this keeps the wood in good condition.

However, when you decided to change your strings, you might consider giving your guitar a proper cleaning. Now that you have access to the fret board, i would recommend you remove all the salt and sweat that accumulates while playing, with a wet nail brush. Make sure to dry the fret board afterwards.

As for polish. I can only recommend using Martin Guitar polish, and even with a high quality polish, i don't recommend using it more that once a year. Don't use it on the fret board though. Use a few drops of lemon oil, not juice.

A simple wipe after every use will greatly prolong the finish of your guitar.

Thanks for reading, Paul

How to tune a Guitar

There are six string on a guitar, and in standard tuning, the strings are tuned E, A, D, G, B, E. This is from thickest to thinnest.

The diagram below shows the relationship each of these strings have to each other.

• When the fifth fret is played on the low E sting, the thickest one, the note A is produced. The A sting can be tuned of this.
  
• The D string also follows this rule.
  IE. The fifth fret on the A string is a D
  
• The G string follows this rule as well.
  IE. The fifth fret on the D string is a G
  
• The B string does not follow this rule. Instead, the fourth fret on the G string is a B
  
• Finely the B string follows the fifth fret rule.
  IE. Te fifth fret on the B string is an E

This method of tuning is ideal to tune your guitar quickly if your playing by your self. However to make sure your guitar is actually in standard tuning, and i mean your A string actually is an A note, you will need something as a reference. A piano or a tuning for works well, but of course, a good quality electronic tuner would work best.

Drop D Tuning


Another interesting tuning, which is more suited to heavy music, like rock and metal, a tuning I also use myself is 'Drop D Tuning'

It is quite simple to tune to drop D. The low E string simply needs to be lowered, or dropped, to a D. This can be achieved by lowering its tuning until the note produced by the 7th fret of the thickest string is the same as the A string.

The two tuning mentioned above should set you well on your way to becoming a better guitarist.

Thanks for reading, Paul

How to read Guitar Tab: The Basics

Guitar Tab

When learning to play guitar, one of the most important things, in my opinion is being able to read guitar tab. (Tablature) Without tab, assuming of course you cannot read music, it will be very difficult to lean new songs or to remember songs that you have written. The good news though is that Tab is very simple and easy to understand!

Guitar tab is a way to represent the strings of a guitar, Each line being a string. e Being the thinnest string, E being the thickest.

e--------------------------------
B--------------------------------
G--------------------------------
D--------------------------------
A--------------------------------
E--------------------------------

Numbers are then written on the lines. Each number represents where you place your finger on the fret board. The example below would be played by placing a finger behind the second metal strip (fret) on the fret board. A 0 means the string is plucked with no finger on the fret board. (Open)

e-------------------------------
B-------------------------------
G-------------------------------
D-------------------------------
A--2--2--2--4--2--0---------
E-------------------------------

Chords

The tab below represents a C chord. The notes in a chord are written in a vertical line. This means they are all to be picked, or strummed at the same time. Notice the E string has no numbers on it. This means it does not get played.

e--0----------------------------
B--1----------------------------
G--0----------------------------
D--2----------------------------
A--3----------------------------
E-------------------------------

The two main problems with tab are that it does not tell you which fingers to use and it does not give any indication of timing or rhythm. For this reason, i would recommend listening to a song while learning it from tab and follow along.

Tab Symbols

Below is a list of pretty much all the symbols used in tab. These will tell you how to play each not or if you have to do anything fancy. I will not go into detail of how to use each of these techniques, however soon i will do a post on advanced techniques.

That's all for now, keep on playing!

Thanks for reading, Paul

Looking after your Guitar

Guitar Maintenance


One of the most annoying things we as guitarists can experience is playing a poorly set up guitar. If a guitar isn't intonated correctly, its just not worth picking up. Can you imagine what it is like playing a gig with a guitar that's as tuneful as a car crash?

Thankfully though after a few horrible gigs, I've learnt the importance of looking after my guitar, and I'm going to share these lessons with you.

Fret Buzz
We all know what it sounds like and its not pleasant. Fret buzz occurs when the strings or a string of your guitar, while vibrating, makes contact with the metal strips on the neck of the guitar. Although fret buzz can be the indication that something is very wrong, more often than not, it is very easily fixed, usually the action of the guitar needs increased or the truss rod needs adjusted.

Intonation
Intonation occurs when the length of the string from the bridge to the 12th fret is different than the length of string from the nut to the 12th fret. As a result, strings will appear out of tune the further up the neck you play. This can be solved by adjusting the saddles, which are located on the bridge. for a guide, click here

Scratchy Pots
This occurs when dirt gets inside the tone or volume potentiometers, this can result in a volume loss in severe cases, but more commonly it leads to a scratchy sound when turning them. Here is a video that will show you how to fix them.

Truss Rod Adjustment
The Truss rod is a metal rod that runs up the inside of the neck. It is there to offer support, but also to help correct any bending in the neck which occurs do to the warping of wood due to temperature or humidity. For a guide on Truss Rod adjustment, click here

I hope you guys learn from this.

Thanks for reading, Paul

Buying a Guitar

Buying a new Guitar

Buying a new guitar can be a complicated process if you don't know what you are looking for. There are so many variables that can ultimately make or break a guitar. So i have a few pointers here that will help you pick the best guitar you can.

Have Patience - If you buy a guitar in a hurry, its not going to work out well. Never decided you have to buy a guitar that day. Visit at least two different music shops and play every guitar you can get your hands on.

Bring a Friend - Bring a friend or someone you know who is more experienced in guitars than you are. They'll have a better idea if the guitar is worth buying or not.

Don't feel intimidated - Don't let the salesman tell you what to buy, you're in control, it's your money

For a lot of guitarists, especially beginners, trying out a guitar in a guitar shop can be an intimidating experience. There a usually plenty of people around who can here, there is always going to be some guy playing insane riffs, and of course the people who don't have a clue and are just there to make noise. But you have to forget everyone else and focus on your task. To find the right guitar for you.

When you first get to a music shop, look around for a guitar you like the look of, then ask if you can play it. Make sure you bring a pick with you, because you might be given a pick your not comfortable with or you may not be given one at all. If your trying out an electric guitar, plug it into an amp similar to the amp you use. There is no point playing through a 100w mesa boogie halfstack if you play through a 10w practice amp.

When trying the guitar out, don't be afraid to make noise. Any guitar, electric or acoustic will only sound as good as it can if played at a reasonable volume. Make sure to keep an ear open for problems such as fret buzz or loud humming, or clicks when using the toggle switch.

When trying out a guitar, you should play things you can play easily. You don't want to try and show off. You need to concentrate on the guitar. Play each fret of every string and listen for buzzing, check the guitars intonation and ensure it stays in tune.

It may be useful to bring along a note book and write down what you think of each guitar, along with the price and any questions you have about it.

Okay, so you've played every guitar in the shop and you've taken notes on them all. At this point, i would suggest going home and going onto the manufactures website and reading up on the guitars you like as well as checking reviews on harmony central. If you are now sure that you have found the guitar you want, get your self a phone book. Look up phone numbers of local music stores and give them all a ring. Ask if the stock the guitar you want, and get a quote for the price. Note the price down, as this will give you a big advantage when negotiating.

Armed with your new found knowledge, its time to head back to the music shop. Speak to a salesman and inform him you are ready to make a purchase. Many people hate this part. Ask for the best price he can give you on the guitar and a case. When he quotes you a price, ask what he can do to make it a bit cheaper. If you know that another local shop sell it for cheaper, this will help big time. If you really cant get the price any lower, see if he will throw in a few accessories like picks or strings etc.

A few final tips:

• Don't let the salesman know how much you want the guitar
  
• Try out cheaper guitars to give the impression you are not willing to spend much
  
• Check if a case is included in the price
  
• Don't rush, take your time and make sure you really want the guitar

Well that's all the advice i can offer.

Thanks for reading, Paul

The Guitar Player

Hi everyone and welcome to 'The Guitar Player', The blog that is all about Guitars, Amps and Recording Music

I am the guitarist and singer of a band myself. I do a lot of home recording and i even play the drums.

I have been playing guitar for 6 years now and still can't get enough.

Anyway, i hope you enjoy my Blog.

Thanks for reading, Paul