Guitar For Beginners - Play The Guitar The Right Way - Never Give Up

We've all been there before... at the beginning. We all asked the same questions. For example, what should one learn first? Should we learn guitar chords, guitar scales, or songs?

The answer to the questions posed above is, it depends! I know this sounds vague, but hang in there with me for a second or two.

You'll need to build strength and endurance on the guitar. Trust me, without learning these fundamental elements on the guitar, you might as well become an accountant, doctor, or lawyer (please, not a lawyer).

Most great guitarists started out by learning simple songs. With a little help from your friends (other guitarists), you'll learn some of your favorite songs (riffs and all). This is a great way (and very normal) to begin to build strength and endurance on the guitar. The truth be known, this is what most of us did in the beginning... we wood-shedded! This is absolutely normal and natural.

Why would anyone jump into an advanced guitar course as a beginner? Answer... .not many! The advanced stuff could literally kill the enthusiasm for a beginner. Why? Too much theory, mechanical development, and not enough FUN. That's right... FUN! It's essential to have fun. Fun is learning to play songs that your peers are playing. Once one spends good quality FUN time, the rest (knowledge of theory, application, etc.), will eventually catch up to you (or not). The desire to progress as a player will hit you like a ton of bricks or you'll be satisfied as an individual who knows a bunch of songs and commercial licks. The choice is always yours to make.

The choice to excel on the guitar is as much mental as it is physical. Personally, I think the mental part is more important than the physical (at least in the beginning).

In the beginning, have FUN, FUN, FUN,. That's what it's all about folks, fun!

Most professional guitarists will tell you (hopefully), that their good old days were spent on the front porch playing guitar with their friends (learning songs, figuring out solos, etc.). For those who pursue a professional career in music, the guitar becomes a way-of-life (very serious stuff folks). Why get ahead of yourself? Have fun in the early years.

I understand that you, along with most beginning guitarists, want to shred the guitar like a finely tuned chain saw. However, remember that willingness without action equals fantasy. Don't kid yourself. Shredding is an art. It requires mechanical ability that develops over time. Hard work and practice is the answer. Facility on the guitar is everything!

In the beginning stages of learning to play the guitar it's important to start with basic techniques. Learning how to properly hold a guitar pick, building hand and wrist strength, timing and tempo are all essential elements. Learning simple songs will deliver those elements. Learning how to play chords and chord progressions, in tempo, is another essential element of learning to play the guitar.

Whether one's goal is to become an accomplished guitarist or to simply play a few songs, the common thread between the two types of players is practice. If one commits to quality practice, one will progress. It's really that simple. Either way, it starts with one's passion for the guitar.

©2011 Michael E. Fletcher. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

http://www.ultraguitarmethod.com/

Ultra Guitar Method is designed to place years of professional playing experience under your fingers in a very short amount of time thus, placing you light years ahead of the competition. All theoretical, technical, mechanical, and application principles contained in the method are designed exclusively for the guitar. Learning is made exciting and fun.

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While others are losing valuable time on the standard old books of C, F and G, this is your opportunity to step directly into the future with a guitar method that is as flexible as your own personality and as vast as your imagination will allow.

Visit the Ultra Guitar Method website today. Your future is now.

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Piano Lesson Download - Top 3 Reasons To Try Online Piano Lessons

Many people are curious about trying a piano lesson download but are wondering if these types of lessons are worth their time and/or money. The article below will discuss 3 of the top reasons these lessons are worth it and why you should try them if you have ever wanted to learn. The piano can be a difficult instrument to learn, however there are many different levels of skill and just because you might not ever become a concert pianist does not mean that you can't learn to the play the piano beautifully and have a lot of fun.

1. Instant: Patience may be a virtue, but if you really want to learn something, than being patient until you have the money or the time to do it sometimes will hurt you in the end. Money and time should never keep you from your dreams of learning the piano and as I've told many people who have heard me play and want to learn, don't ever give up on that dream. This is one reason that a piano lesson download is a great way to start your journey, it is instant so you don't have to be patient; it isn't necessary to go the traditional piano lesson route in order to learn this instrument.

2. Affordable: Unlike traditional lessons that can cost a fortune over time, a downloadable piano lesson, depending upon where you go, can cost anything from nothing to less than $40 for an entire course. You won't find a better way to learn the piano that can fit that kind of budget and a lot of the material available online is of high quality, comparable to what you would get from weekly lessons. Not to mention that you get to have your own timeline and choose what and when you want to learn; the flexibility is priceless.

3. Effective: Everyone learns differently, and not everyone has the motivation to push themselves so I cannot say that a piano lesson download will work for everyone. You have to have the drive, desire and focus in order for online lessons to work, but that being said, the lessons available can be very effective when implemented the right way. If you keep your focus and practice on a regular basis, the material that is given to you will teach you how to play the piano and teach you how to play it well. Technology has taken us to a whole new level in our ability to learn things, learning an instrument is no different and you should grab the opportunities given to you because of the internet.

Above you learned more about whether or not a piano lesson download is worth trying. Not only is this type of instruction instant, but it is also very affordable and effective. It offers many people the opportunity to learn a new skill that they may not have been able to learn otherwise. Cost and time commitment is a huge reason why people shy away, but it doesn't have to be so intimidating. Once you sit down at the piano for the first time and start to learn some simple chords you'll soon discover the sheer joy that comes from creating music.

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Does Learning How To Read and Play Music Make You Smarter?

Music has strange, unexplainable powers. Think about it... Music has the power to make you feel like dancing, make you feel sad, make you feel good, make you feel afraid, conjure up feelings of the first time you fell in love, and so much more. But can music actually make you smarter?

The Mozart Effect. That's what scientists are calling it. The profound effect that music can have on a young mind. In the lab, it has been proven that rats and humans achieve better results in memory tests and learning after listening to Mozart. That's right, Standford University researchers released these remarkable findings, and that's just the effect of listening to music. What about learning to play it?

There can be no doubt that learning to play a musical instrument can be a lot of fun as well as entertaining, but it is also great for your brain! And the best part is you are never too late to start. Improved dexterity, activation of both hemispheres of the brain, more creativity and clarity are only a few of the benefits of musical education. Quite simply put, music affects our physiological state. Now that is powerful information!

Most people nowadays have a musical instrument in their possession, but few play it regularly. Why is that? Is it a question of busy lifestyles? Or maybe a question of passive versus engaged entertainment (or edutainment), ie. movies and video games versus practicing an instrument. In any case, the internet is making a huge difference in the flow of information these days and music is certainly no stranger to the digital world.

However, it is quite surprising that there is a distinct lack of free information regarding how to read music notation (or sheet music as it is sometimes called). It is a skill that most serious musicians have and is a great place for the novice to begin. This skill is not particularly difficult to master, but it does require specific information and some practice and patience. With video and audio over the internet becoming quite commonplace, it seems logical to have a convenient, centralized location where one could learn the technique of music sight reading, lesson by lesson, at one's own pace such as the website How To Read Music Notes.

In Don Campbell's book, "The Mozart Effect: How Music Makes You Smarter" research has shown that listening to classical music such as Mozart can increase efficiency, relieve stress and calm hyperactive children as well as adults. Imagine what learning how to play an instrument can do!

Dino Giancola is a McGill University music graduate who currently writes music for television, film, games, theatre and circus. He is a 2011 Gemeaux nominated composer for Best Music Score in a Documentary. He believes strongly in music education for the young and old alike. You can listen to his music at Dinosound.com.

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Piano Lesson: Practice Tips

How do you practice the piano? Even if you are taking a break from piano lessons over the summer, you should still continue to practice. This way you will keep moving forward with your progress. Here are some tips to help you get started with piano practice early in the day, before any other activities.

1. Practice Right After Your Lesson

When my students work on something new during their lesson, I encourage them to play through it again at home the very same day. Keep in mind that you don't have to practice for a long time. If you wait for more than a day or two, sometimes your mind forgets what you have learned.

2. Don't Watch The Clock

Practicing every day for at least 10 minutes makes you a better pianist but for many students it's just not fun. I remember staring at the clock waiting for my class in school to be over. Doing this during your practice time will just make your practice time seem longer and you'll be losing your focus on the music.

3. Make Practice Time A Game or Challenge

It's always a good thing to set goals and try to achieve them. Start by making a practice chart or purchase a practice record book. Make a list of your songs, warm ups and scales. Then check off as you complete the task. Seeing for yourself, as well as your parents and music teacher, will encourage you to keep investing in your recorded practice time.

4. Practice Your Mistakes

Have you heard the expression, "Practice makes perfect?" Perhaps it's better to rephrase this with "Practice makes permanent." Whatever information you input into your brain, is what you are learning. So, if you practice something well, you will learn it well.

If you practice your mistakes, and repeat that particular passage several times, let's say several notes or a few measures overall, you will learn it well. Practicing your mistakes with much repetition, then that is what you will remember. You'll be fixing your mistakes by repeating the notes slowly and accurately.

5. Practice One Line At a Time

Take each staff at a time. What I mean by this, is to start with the right hand melody notes, then go back and work on the left hand separately in the first line of music. Now, combine both hands, playing together. Patience and consistent piano practice is the key.

By setting a realistic goal and applying these daily piano tips, you will be prepared for a great start with your songs in September.

Diana Rogers is a kindergarten music teacher and also offers piano lessons in her studio. She is the author of free newsletters available at her website. http://ladydpiano.com/

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Why You Need To Know How To Hold A Guitar

Playing the guitar is a lot of fun. I remember back when I first got interested in playing the electric guitar. I was about 15 years old and some of my heros were Eddie Van Halen and Slash!

So I bought a guitar and started taking lessons. I quickly learned that if you don't know how to hold a guitar, you will first not reach your fullest potential, and second your back will ache really bad.

The first thing my instructor taught me was how to hold a guitar and how to correctly hold the pick. Without these 2 fundamental basics, my playing would have suffered badly.

And it took some practice. Because playing the guitar is not necessarily a natural thing, I had to literally practice how to hold the guitar and how to hold the pick. But, like everything with the guitar, with a lot of practice, it became almost second nature.

What my instructor taught me was that the most important thing in holding a guitar is having a comfortable chair. Once seated in my chair, the bottom part of the body of the guitar rests on the upper thigh of my right leg (I am right handed. If you are left handed, this would be opposite).

Then, I had to place my left hand on the neck of the guitar with my fingers wrapped underneath so they can craft chords on the fretboard. The thumb of my left hand comes across the top of the neck or it can rest on the back of the neck, whichever is more comfortable. My right hand then rests across the strings of the guitar over the hole and my upper arm rests on the top of the body of the guitar. The right hand does the strumming and the hole in the guitar creates the beautiful sound that you hear when you play.

Again, if you are left-handed, all of the above would be opposite. And, if you are left handed, you need to make sure you have the correct guitar. A left handed guitar is basically a right handed guitar with the strings ordered in the opposite direction as a right handed guitar.

The bottom line is that you have to test out what is most comfortable for you. The easiest part of learning to play is learning how to hold a guitar. You may feel awkward at first, but keep at it and it will get easier and easier.

Learning how to hold a guitar is your first step in learning how to play the guitar. To discover the rest of the secrets to becoming a guitar master, head on over to http://www.learnelectricguitaronline.net/

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Augmented and Diminished Chords

When you play three notes at the same time, you are playing a chord. Triads are chords that have three notes. What we learn is that those three notes are all stacked in thirds.

To begin with, let us start with the F Major Chord. The first note that would be on the bottom is the root (F), the second note up is a third higher (A), and the third one is a third up from the second note (C).

Now, there are different types of thirds between the music notes in triads. Each third can be either major or minor. A major third has four half-steps between the notes, so we are looking at C to C# to D to D# to E. A minor third has 3 half-steps, C to C# to D to Eb, for an example.

The Diminished triads use only the minor thirds, one on top of the other. They sound dissonant and very scary like the interesting background music we hear from an old vaudeville skit. You know, when you see the lady tied to the railroad tracks. Oh, gosh, here comes the train! That is the sound I am hearing. They often create a very restless, nervous and tense feeling. So, C to Eb is a minor third and Eb to Gb is a minor third, too. Some folks refer to them as 'the Halloween' sound.

Keep in mind that the diminished triads can be used in your song playing as passing chords. They help connect two chords that are a whole tone apart. Here is an example of what I am talking about. If you are playing a song and at the beginning you play C-E-G (a C chord), why don't you hop on a C#dim chord on your way to Dm (D-F-A)?! I think you will agree, that is a very cool sound and a great transition in piano playing.

Moving on to Augmented triads, you will discover that they are made up of two major thirds. They also sound dissonant, and quite a bit noisy at that, like a honking truck on the street. In music they will definitely grab your attention. I have found these special sounds and transitions in popular songs that are from the 40's. When you look at these tones, C to E is a major third and E to C# is a major third as well.

From the Beatles music, (I'm a great fan) to Contemporary Worship (Gospel) songs, you will be discovering in your chord charts and soon playing these very interesting, set apart chords, the augmented and diminished chords.

Stop by and visit http://ladydpiano.com/ Diana Rogers is the author of free monthly piano tips and tools to take your piano playing to the next level.

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How to Keep a Guitar in a Good Condition

If you want your guitar to sound properly you should treat it carefully. It is rather easy if you know how to do it. The most important thing is your readiness to follow my advice. What should you do to take care of your instrument properly?

Here are some useful tips for you.

1. It is important to maintain a special climate for the guitar. There are two main factors that you should take into consideration: temperature and humidity.

2. Choose the temperature level that is comfortable for you. A standard room temperature will be fine. Actually, the most proper range of temperatures is between 65 and 0 degrees.

3. Heat is worse than cold for any musical instrument that is made of wood. So, a direct sunlight is contraindicated for any type of guitar.

4. Do not freeze your guitar! If your instrument has been cold outdoors, let it warm up in its case to room temperature after you bring it indoors. The radical temperature shift can lead to damage of guitar finish.

5. The relative humidity should be about 50 percent (it can be 45 to 55 percent). Guitars are normally made under these humidity-controlled conditions. If the guitar gets dry it can crack. If it absorbs much moisture it can swell or buckle.

6. Try to use a humidifier (if you can afford it) to control the humidity level. A guitar humidifier is a special sponge that you should saturate with water and put inside a guitar case. Thus, you are able to maintain the humidity level constantly.

7. If the humidity level is too high for your instrument use a desiccant. It is a powder or crystal substance that draws humidity out of the air. It is usually packed in small packets. The silica gel is a very popular desiccant that you can find inside a new guitar case.

8. How can you measure the level of humidity? You can buy a hygrometer. It is a special device that you can keep in a room or in a guitar case.

So, now you know some basic rules that will help to keep your instrument in a good condition. In order to get more information you can go to a local guitar store and ask for assistance. I just want you to remember that it is much easier to take care of your guitar regularly than to repair it after several years of playing.

I wish you good luck with your playing!

Gleb Borchenko is writing articles about music for 2 years. He also likes to write about guitars and equipment. So, you are welcome to visit his latest website about fender cd 60 and fender cd 100 guitars.

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